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raloriaI really didn't want to be posting this so late. Seems like whenever I do, hardly anyone looks at it. To those of you who do take the time to read and look at all of this, I thank you so much for your patience. I would've posted this by Friday night, but my movie premiere function took longer than I anticipated. Enjoy!
There are 105 caps (as clickable thumbnails) in this review from my DVD recording of the episode. Their quality is not the best, but they'll do until I can get a hi-res download of the ep for capping purposes. A credit would be nice if you still decide you want to take any to use.
**I also have 6 audio files from the episode available for download in a zipped folder. Note: THIS INCLUDES AUDIO FROM THE PREVIEW FOR PART TWO**
AHBL - Part 1 Audio - via SendSpace - 13mb
Here's a breakdown of the 6 MP3's:
--01 SamFindsAndy (0:46) -- Their entire encounter until they hear Ava scream.
--02 JakeAndSamTalk (1:01) -- Starts where Jake tells Sam how he appreciates what he's doing and goes to the end of the scene.
--03 SamAndTheYED (4:46) -- From where Sam first sees the YED to the end of the scene when Jake wakes Sam up to tell him Ava's missing.
--04 AvaShowsTrueColors (2:38) -- From where Sam comes into the room to find Andy dead to when Jake breaks her neck.
--05 TooLateToSayGoodbye (1:49) -- From where Dean first yells for Sam to the end of the episode.
--06 PreviewForPart2 (0:30)
I hardly know where to begin. There's such a mix of feelings right now. Funny how, even though I knew quite a bit about the episode from spoilers, there were still some jaw dropping surprises for me. And just to let you know, I stayed away from the computer completely on Thursday so I wouldn't further spoil myself by reading everyone's comments about the ep online. Didn't want to be tempted so I went out running errands and shopping and counting down the hours until showtime. It wasn't easy at all. Sometimes it just sucks to be on the west coast. We see it last and by the time I finally get my review posted most people have already posted theirs. Oh, and I haven't read anyone elses comments or reviews of this ep yet because I don't want them to influence my own feelings. I'm showing a lot of self-restraint here, which is so difficult for me. I'm dying to know how everyone thought about this episode!
But I digress...
What was my overall opinion of Part One? Total love mixed with a little bit of minor disappointment. Don't worry, all will be explained. The hour ended just as I had hoped/dreaded and now we have another agonizing week until the final hour for *sniff* months. I'm going to go into new-SPN-episode withdrawl. I just know it.
Let's get on to the review, shall we?
* "The Road So Far" was a nice recap, but I was so hoping they would've included that one line of Dean telling Sam that no matter what he's going to save him.
* What is with these literally out of the way places that they manage to find? First the Roadhouse and now this cafe. It's certainly not on a main road. And the size of the place is just bizarre like the Roadhouse, too. It's so tiny! It's barely bigger than the Impala!
Dean: "Hey, don't forget the extra onions this time, huh?"
Sam: "Dude! I'm the one that's gonna have to ride in the car with your extra onions."
Dean: "Hey, see if they got any pie. .... Bring me some pie!....Love me some pie."
Aw! I love these little brotherly moments. Dean...always eating.
* Oh yeah, the radio going out like that is most definetly a bad sign. Man! That happened fast! Didn't know demons worked like that. Dean was right there outside and there was no screams, no other noises that anything was wrong in the cafe. Yikes!
* My first impression of the music playing inside the cafe, was that it was Tammy Wynette singing "Stand By Your Man". Yes, I'm weird. Turns out it wasn't that song, but I can't figure out what it was.
* These people just dropped! They were alive one second and then the next they were gone. Just....freaky.
* Notice how Sam wakes up and instantly tries to call Dean. He's freaked out - and rightfully so - and he wants his big brother. Aw! *hugs Sammy cause he's gonna need it this ep*
* Yay! Andy! It's great to see him again.
Sam: "Andy?!"
Andy: "Sam? What are you doing here?"
Sam: "I don't know."
Andy: "What am I doing here?"
Sam: "I don't know. Jus --"
Andy: "Where are we?"
Sam: "Andy, look. Calm down."
Andy: "I can't calm down. I just woke up in freaking frontier land."
Heehee! I've missed you Andy.
* Sam doesn't know where Dean is. He even wonders out loud to Andy that he doesn't even know if Dean's alive. *wibble*
* They find Ava next. She's all weepy and freaking out (very common in this ep, heh) and worried about her fiance, Brady.
Andy: "Hey. Andy. Also freaking out."
Ava: "...Okay."
* Next, we meet Jake and Lilly. Lilly came from San Diego and Jake went to bed in Afghanistan. So Sam lets them in on the fact that they're all people with special abilities. Andy, eager to share his experiences, says that he's been practicing and can actually make people see things...like "gay porn -- all hours of the day" for one guy. Heh.
* Lilly's ability is that if she touches anyone, their heart stops. We don't find out about Jake's ability until later on. Anyway, Sam tells them about how they got there via a demon. This news doesn't go over too well.
* Meanwhile, Dean's enlisted Bobby to help him find Sam. But Bobby says there's been no demonic activity anywhere. Dean's less than happy, "How are we supposed to look for Sam? What do we do? Just close our eyes and point?" Ash calls and says he's got some intel that will lead to Sam, but he won't tell Dean over the phone. So the two head off to the Roadhouse.
Jake: "So we're soldiers in a demon war to bring on the apocalypse?"
Sam: "When you put it like that..."
Yeah, I can see why he'd have a hard time convincing these people. None of them are really buying it, especially Ava and Jake, who decides he's had enough and is going to get out of town. Sam wants them all to stick together to try and figure out why they've been brought there.
* Jake encounters a very creepy looking little girl, who Sam dispatches with a handy bar of iron. "Just so you know...that was a demon."
Sam: "Andy, you with me?"
Andy: "Give me minute...I'm still working through 'demons are real'."
* Sam looks at a bell on the street that he recognizes and says they're in "Cold Oak, South Dakota. A town so haunted, every single resident fled." In the original sides, I believe they were in Massachusettes. SD actually makes more sense - closer to Bobby and the Roadhouse.
* Lilly's eager to "get out of dodge" and Sam tries to stop her. She explains how she touched her girlfriend (killing her) and Sam shares that he's lost people too.
Sam: "I have a brother out there right now. I -- He could be dead for all I know. We're all in bad shape, but I'm telling you, the best way out of this is to stick together."
I like LeaderSammy.
* Sam tells them they need to prepare and gather weapons....
Sam: "We're looking for iron, silver, salt - any kind of weapon."
Jake: "Salt as a weapon?"
Sam: "It's a brave new world."
Andy: "Well hopefully there's food in your world 'cause I'm freakin' starving."
* This was one of my jaw-dropping moments of the ep. I knew the Roadhouse was going to end up burned down, but I wasn't anticipating that it would happen so soon. I was in shock when it was revealed. This must've happened quickly too, because there are charred bodies in the rubble. Dean immediately asks about Ellen, but Bobby doesn't see her. Then Dean sees a familiar watch and identifies it as Ash. OMG! They killed Ash! Totally didn't see that coming. Man! I'm gonna miss that guy!
* I gotta admit, I had a bad feeling when Sam found that knife. I just thought in the back of my mind, "OMG, what if that's the knife that kills him?" Meanwhile, Ava's all channeling a demon to kill Lilly. 'Course we don't know that yet. She says she's just a little dizzy. You gotta love how excited Andy is to find two big bags of salt. And then Sam notices Lilly's missing. They hear the child-like laughter of the girlDemon and they rush outside to see poor Lilly hanging from the windmill. Sam then tells Andy how much he wishes Dean were there (awwww!). I like how Sam recognizes how big a help Dean is. Dean's the big brother with all the knowlege and leadership qualities. Not that Sam can't take care of himself, but he's clearly worried about their situation and needs his big brother there to help. Andy suggests he try to send Dean an image and asks Sam for something Dean's touched. Sam produces a receipt signed by one D. Hasselhoff. *snort* Even Andy finds this amusing and Sam just stutters as he tries and fails to explain why that's Dean's signature. *g*
* Okay, back to the Roadhouse where Dean's wondering what Ash knew (excellent question!), if Ellen's even alive, and how they're going to find Sam now. Bobby says "we'll find him." I don't know why, but I've still got my suspicions about Bobby. I like the guy, but there's certain things he does and especially the way he says things that just make me wonder sometimes just what side he's really on. I'm sure it's just my overactive imagination. I hope. I don't think I could handle finding out he's working against the Winchester brothers or is keeping things from them. Anyway, back to the Roadhouse burning down for a sec. Like I said, this must've burned fast for there to be dead bodies inside. Why didn't they get out? What caused the fire? What did Ash find out? I really hope we find out some answers in part two.
* Back to the ep...Dean suddenly gets hit by his "vision". Okay, so it's not really a vision, but that's the only thing Bobby and Dean can call it because they have no idea that it's really Andy putting the whammy on him. Poor Dean. Now he sort of knows what Sam goes through when he gets a vision. Jesnen does pain so well. lol.
Bobby: "Dean? Are you with me?"
Dean: "Yeah, I think so. I saw Sam. I saw him Bobby."
Bobby: "It was a vision."
Dean: "Yeah. I don't know how, but yeah. Hoo! That was about as fun as getting kicked in the jewels."
LOL. Oh, Dean...I do love you, man!
Anyway, Bobby questions him on what he saw and once he finds out Dean saw an oak tree engraved on a bell he knows where Sam is.
* We find out Jake has extreme strength and that he never told anyone about it because "it's just too crazy." Sam fires back with "yeah, crazy's relative." Jake points out how much he admires how Sam's controling the situation and how he's keeping calm and keeping everyone else calm even though inside he's not.
Sam: "You wanna know the truth? I got this brother, right? And he's always telling me how he's gonna watch out for me. How everything's gonna be okay, you know, kinda like I've been telling them. "
Jake: "Yeah?"
Sam: "I don't know if I believe it this time. I mean the size of what's comin'....it's bigger than anyone's ever seen. I mean it's gonna get bad and I don't -- I don't know if--"
Jake: "If we're gonna make it. Doesn't matter if we believe it. Only matters that they do."
* Sam winds up telling Ava about her dead fiance. I totally bought into the whole "real Ava" at this point. Even though I read the spoilers about her turning and trying to kill Sam, I just didn't see anything weird. So good work at keeping that a secret for so long.
* It was shocking to see the YED just appear like that, but also super cool that it was really Sam having a dream. I instantly thought of Scott's line from Hunted, "The yellow-eyed man comes to me in my dreams. He makes me do things. Terrible things." And yay! for Frederic Lane! I loved him playing the YED in IMTOD, so it's great that they brought him back. So does this mean that this is the YED's true form? After all, the only one to see him like this was John.
* Okay, I'm going to go on record here and say that the acting (especially by Jared I'm sad to say *ducks from stones being thrown*) is kinda weak here. It's the only weak spot of acting in the episode. Sam's threats of "I'm gonna tear you to shreads I swear." aren't spoken with much authority or anger. No wonder the YED laughed. I guess I was expecting a bit more venom to be in his voice and I didn't hear it. And his S.O.B. is weak, too. I don't know...maybe I'm being too harsh. But I've seen what Jared can do and this just felt a little flat for me. I'm happy that we learned some info. about the Demon's plans (well, sort of). He's looking for one leader for his army and he's rooting for Sammy 'cause he's his favorite. Sam and the other kids are here to kill each other off, with the strongest one winning the little contest. Curious how he mentions he's looking for "the best and brightest" of Sammy's generation and hints that there's other generations. He brings up Jess, of course, saying that she was in the way, that he wanted Sam on the road honing his skills. Mary, was bad luck "wrong place, wrong time". He then shows Sam what happened that night in his nursery. The YED cut his wrist to bleed into baby Sammy's mouth "better than mother's milk". Sam wonders if this means he has demon blood in him. The YED only chuckles as Mary then returns to the room and the rest of the scene plays out. Except this time we here her say "it's you" to the Demon, indicating that she knew the YED prior to that night. Sadly, no other clues are given here. Still a lot of questions about this moment, but Kripke's keeping them a secret for now. Damn you Kripke! *shakes fist* And I wonder why the YED stops the vision before Mary burns? Compassion? Seems a little odd, coming from a demon. Sam wakes up and is told that Ava's missing.
* Jake and Sam split up to look for Ava, leaving Andy alone. Ava mysteriously appears in the room with him and summons the girlDemon to kill him. No!! Not Andy, too!!!! Man! the body count on this ep. So sad to see Andy die such a horrible, bloody death. Ava screams, bringing Sam running to find the carnage. She plays the distraught female well until Sam spots the break in the salt line along the window where the demon got in. Ava stops the act and explains that she's been there for some time as various groups of people would show up. She killed them all. She tells him how she just stopped fighting it and opened herself up to what they're meant to become and it was easy. Ava starts to summon a demon to kill Sam, but Jake appears and snaps her neck just in time.
* Bobby and Dean approach the town (it's about time!). Sam tells Jake they need to get out of there, but Jake has other plans. Only one of them is leaving, and it's going to be him. Jake says the YED came to him and told him only one of them could leave or they'd both die. Sam offers that they both leave and kill the YED together. Jake's not sure that he can trust Sam not to turn. So Sam puts down his knife (yeah, that was a bad move) "Just come with me Jake. Don't do this. Don't play into what it wants." Jake puts down his metal bar, but then attacks Sam. This fight is pretty brutal. It really hurt to hear Jake break some of Sammy's bones. Ouch! Sammy does put up a good fight, considering Jake's unusual strength. He manages to knock Jake out and then grabs the metal bar, ready to finish him off. But Sam being Sam, he stops and doesn't kill him. *wimper* No Sammy, you've got to!
* Okay...now we get to the tough part. *sniffle* Keep your tissues handy. Dean and Bobby appear and Sammy's so glad to see his big brother. His emotional cry of "Dean!" just broke my heart. Sam's hurt, he's frightened, and you can tell he just wants to have Dean tell him everything's going to be alright. Even if he doesn't believe it like he told Jake, at least Dean's there to help him in this fight.
* It's so heartbreaking to see Dean arrive just seconds too late. All he can do is shout out to Sam, but Sam doesn't react fast enough and Jake stabs him in the back. Dean can only rush forward to catch Sammy as he falls and Bobby runs after Jake. *wimper* Dear God....this scene....just way more than I anticipated. And I anticipated a lot! I actually got tears in my eyes. Jensen, just...owned this scene. Dean's pleading, his reassurances, and then his realization that Sammy was gone. It was just...so painful and beautiful and gut-wrenchingly raw. How he touches Sam's face and holds him. I wanted a hug, but not like this. Yet it was so loving and...just everything we've been wanting to see, yet hoping we wouldn't. I hope that makes sense. Wow! Oh, and the music! That theme that plays through all the emotional parts of the series. *sniffle* It just brought it all home. Then it stops before Dean screams that final "Sam!". This is the level of drama and emotion I've been waiting for. I'm so glad I got it. But at the same time I was mourning the loss of Sam and Dean's loss as well. *hugs brothers tightly* Man! I so need a hug!
Here's the dialog from this scene (because it's just so emotional and angsty and I'm a total sucker for angst). It's probably not exactly accurate, but I did the best I could. This is from the moment Dean reaches Sam:
Sam!
Whoah, whoah.. whoah. Sam!
Sam, Sam. Hey!
Hey. Come here. Let me have a look at you.
Hey, look...look at me. It's not even that bad. It's not even that bad, alright?
Sammy? Sam! Hey, listen to me, we're gonna patch you up, okay?
You'll be good as new. Huh?
I'm gonna take care of you. I'm gonna take care of you. I've got you.
It's my job right? Watch after my pain in the ass little brother?
Sam? Sam? Sam? Sammy!
No. No, no, no, no, no.
Oh God. Oh Go--
Sam!!!!!
OMG. I think I'm crying again. *sniffle* Him telling Sam that he's going to take care of him. That just tore my heart apart. That's all Dean's ever tried to do. All that was ever asked of him. And this time he couldn't.
I can only anticipate and wait (impatiently) for part two. Dean is going to be a mess...broken. Sam is his lifeline, the other part of his soul. He's lost everything. His family's gone, so how can he possibly go on. I'm glad the preview for next week didn't show us too much. I'd rather be surprised about what's to come. It's going to be emotional and difficult to watch, that's for sure. I really can't add anything else at this time. Watching that scene again....I'm just at a loss right now. What a way to end a season. I love this show! *hugs Kripke & Co., Jensen, Jared, and entire fandom*
There are 105 caps (as clickable thumbnails) in this review from my DVD recording of the episode. Their quality is not the best, but they'll do until I can get a hi-res download of the ep for capping purposes. A credit would be nice if you still decide you want to take any to use.
**I also have 6 audio files from the episode available for download in a zipped folder. Note: THIS INCLUDES AUDIO FROM THE PREVIEW FOR PART TWO**
AHBL - Part 1 Audio - via SendSpace - 13mb
Here's a breakdown of the 6 MP3's:
--01 SamFindsAndy (0:46) -- Their entire encounter until they hear Ava scream.
--02 JakeAndSamTalk (1:01) -- Starts where Jake tells Sam how he appreciates what he's doing and goes to the end of the scene.
--03 SamAndTheYED (4:46) -- From where Sam first sees the YED to the end of the scene when Jake wakes Sam up to tell him Ava's missing.
--04 AvaShowsTrueColors (2:38) -- From where Sam comes into the room to find Andy dead to when Jake breaks her neck.
--05 TooLateToSayGoodbye (1:49) -- From where Dean first yells for Sam to the end of the episode.
--06 PreviewForPart2 (0:30)
I hardly know where to begin. There's such a mix of feelings right now. Funny how, even though I knew quite a bit about the episode from spoilers, there were still some jaw dropping surprises for me. And just to let you know, I stayed away from the computer completely on Thursday so I wouldn't further spoil myself by reading everyone's comments about the ep online. Didn't want to be tempted so I went out running errands and shopping and counting down the hours until showtime. It wasn't easy at all. Sometimes it just sucks to be on the west coast. We see it last and by the time I finally get my review posted most people have already posted theirs. Oh, and I haven't read anyone elses comments or reviews of this ep yet because I don't want them to influence my own feelings. I'm showing a lot of self-restraint here, which is so difficult for me. I'm dying to know how everyone thought about this episode!
But I digress...
What was my overall opinion of Part One? Total love mixed with a little bit of minor disappointment. Don't worry, all will be explained. The hour ended just as I had hoped/dreaded and now we have another agonizing week until the final hour for *sniff* months. I'm going to go into new-SPN-episode withdrawl. I just know it.
Let's get on to the review, shall we?
* "The Road So Far" was a nice recap, but I was so hoping they would've included that one line of Dean telling Sam that no matter what he's going to save him.
* What is with these literally out of the way places that they manage to find? First the Roadhouse and now this cafe. It's certainly not on a main road. And the size of the place is just bizarre like the Roadhouse, too. It's so tiny! It's barely bigger than the Impala!
Dean: "Hey, don't forget the extra onions this time, huh?"
Sam: "Dude! I'm the one that's gonna have to ride in the car with your extra onions."
Dean: "Hey, see if they got any pie. .... Bring me some pie!....Love me some pie."
Aw! I love these little brotherly moments. Dean...always eating.
* Oh yeah, the radio going out like that is most definetly a bad sign. Man! That happened fast! Didn't know demons worked like that. Dean was right there outside and there was no screams, no other noises that anything was wrong in the cafe. Yikes!
* My first impression of the music playing inside the cafe, was that it was Tammy Wynette singing "Stand By Your Man". Yes, I'm weird. Turns out it wasn't that song, but I can't figure out what it was.
* These people just dropped! They were alive one second and then the next they were gone. Just....freaky.
* Notice how Sam wakes up and instantly tries to call Dean. He's freaked out - and rightfully so - and he wants his big brother. Aw! *hugs Sammy cause he's gonna need it this ep*
* Yay! Andy! It's great to see him again.
Sam: "Andy?!"
Andy: "Sam? What are you doing here?"
Sam: "I don't know."
Andy: "What am I doing here?"
Sam: "I don't know. Jus --"
Andy: "Where are we?"
Sam: "Andy, look. Calm down."
Andy: "I can't calm down. I just woke up in freaking frontier land."
Heehee! I've missed you Andy.
* Sam doesn't know where Dean is. He even wonders out loud to Andy that he doesn't even know if Dean's alive. *wibble*
* They find Ava next. She's all weepy and freaking out (very common in this ep, heh) and worried about her fiance, Brady.
Andy: "Hey. Andy. Also freaking out."
Ava: "...Okay."
* Next, we meet Jake and Lilly. Lilly came from San Diego and Jake went to bed in Afghanistan. So Sam lets them in on the fact that they're all people with special abilities. Andy, eager to share his experiences, says that he's been practicing and can actually make people see things...like "gay porn -- all hours of the day" for one guy. Heh.
* Lilly's ability is that if she touches anyone, their heart stops. We don't find out about Jake's ability until later on. Anyway, Sam tells them about how they got there via a demon. This news doesn't go over too well.
* Meanwhile, Dean's enlisted Bobby to help him find Sam. But Bobby says there's been no demonic activity anywhere. Dean's less than happy, "How are we supposed to look for Sam? What do we do? Just close our eyes and point?" Ash calls and says he's got some intel that will lead to Sam, but he won't tell Dean over the phone. So the two head off to the Roadhouse.
Jake: "So we're soldiers in a demon war to bring on the apocalypse?"
Sam: "When you put it like that..."
Yeah, I can see why he'd have a hard time convincing these people. None of them are really buying it, especially Ava and Jake, who decides he's had enough and is going to get out of town. Sam wants them all to stick together to try and figure out why they've been brought there.
* Jake encounters a very creepy looking little girl, who Sam dispatches with a handy bar of iron. "Just so you know...that was a demon."
Sam: "Andy, you with me?"
Andy: "Give me minute...I'm still working through 'demons are real'."
* Sam looks at a bell on the street that he recognizes and says they're in "Cold Oak, South Dakota. A town so haunted, every single resident fled." In the original sides, I believe they were in Massachusettes. SD actually makes more sense - closer to Bobby and the Roadhouse.
* Lilly's eager to "get out of dodge" and Sam tries to stop her. She explains how she touched her girlfriend (killing her) and Sam shares that he's lost people too.
Sam: "I have a brother out there right now. I -- He could be dead for all I know. We're all in bad shape, but I'm telling you, the best way out of this is to stick together."
I like LeaderSammy.
* Sam tells them they need to prepare and gather weapons....
Sam: "We're looking for iron, silver, salt - any kind of weapon."
Jake: "Salt as a weapon?"
Sam: "It's a brave new world."
Andy: "Well hopefully there's food in your world 'cause I'm freakin' starving."
* This was one of my jaw-dropping moments of the ep. I knew the Roadhouse was going to end up burned down, but I wasn't anticipating that it would happen so soon. I was in shock when it was revealed. This must've happened quickly too, because there are charred bodies in the rubble. Dean immediately asks about Ellen, but Bobby doesn't see her. Then Dean sees a familiar watch and identifies it as Ash. OMG! They killed Ash! Totally didn't see that coming. Man! I'm gonna miss that guy!
* I gotta admit, I had a bad feeling when Sam found that knife. I just thought in the back of my mind, "OMG, what if that's the knife that kills him?" Meanwhile, Ava's all channeling a demon to kill Lilly. 'Course we don't know that yet. She says she's just a little dizzy. You gotta love how excited Andy is to find two big bags of salt. And then Sam notices Lilly's missing. They hear the child-like laughter of the girlDemon and they rush outside to see poor Lilly hanging from the windmill. Sam then tells Andy how much he wishes Dean were there (awwww!). I like how Sam recognizes how big a help Dean is. Dean's the big brother with all the knowlege and leadership qualities. Not that Sam can't take care of himself, but he's clearly worried about their situation and needs his big brother there to help. Andy suggests he try to send Dean an image and asks Sam for something Dean's touched. Sam produces a receipt signed by one D. Hasselhoff. *snort* Even Andy finds this amusing and Sam just stutters as he tries and fails to explain why that's Dean's signature. *g*
* Okay, back to the Roadhouse where Dean's wondering what Ash knew (excellent question!), if Ellen's even alive, and how they're going to find Sam now. Bobby says "we'll find him." I don't know why, but I've still got my suspicions about Bobby. I like the guy, but there's certain things he does and especially the way he says things that just make me wonder sometimes just what side he's really on. I'm sure it's just my overactive imagination. I hope. I don't think I could handle finding out he's working against the Winchester brothers or is keeping things from them. Anyway, back to the Roadhouse burning down for a sec. Like I said, this must've burned fast for there to be dead bodies inside. Why didn't they get out? What caused the fire? What did Ash find out? I really hope we find out some answers in part two.
* Back to the ep...Dean suddenly gets hit by his "vision". Okay, so it's not really a vision, but that's the only thing Bobby and Dean can call it because they have no idea that it's really Andy putting the whammy on him. Poor Dean. Now he sort of knows what Sam goes through when he gets a vision. Jesnen does pain so well. lol.
Bobby: "Dean? Are you with me?"
Dean: "Yeah, I think so. I saw Sam. I saw him Bobby."
Bobby: "It was a vision."
Dean: "Yeah. I don't know how, but yeah. Hoo! That was about as fun as getting kicked in the jewels."
LOL. Oh, Dean...I do love you, man!
Anyway, Bobby questions him on what he saw and once he finds out Dean saw an oak tree engraved on a bell he knows where Sam is.
* We find out Jake has extreme strength and that he never told anyone about it because "it's just too crazy." Sam fires back with "yeah, crazy's relative." Jake points out how much he admires how Sam's controling the situation and how he's keeping calm and keeping everyone else calm even though inside he's not.
Sam: "You wanna know the truth? I got this brother, right? And he's always telling me how he's gonna watch out for me. How everything's gonna be okay, you know, kinda like I've been telling them. "
Jake: "Yeah?"
Sam: "I don't know if I believe it this time. I mean the size of what's comin'....it's bigger than anyone's ever seen. I mean it's gonna get bad and I don't -- I don't know if--"
Jake: "If we're gonna make it. Doesn't matter if we believe it. Only matters that they do."
* Sam winds up telling Ava about her dead fiance. I totally bought into the whole "real Ava" at this point. Even though I read the spoilers about her turning and trying to kill Sam, I just didn't see anything weird. So good work at keeping that a secret for so long.
* It was shocking to see the YED just appear like that, but also super cool that it was really Sam having a dream. I instantly thought of Scott's line from Hunted, "The yellow-eyed man comes to me in my dreams. He makes me do things. Terrible things." And yay! for Frederic Lane! I loved him playing the YED in IMTOD, so it's great that they brought him back. So does this mean that this is the YED's true form? After all, the only one to see him like this was John.
* Okay, I'm going to go on record here and say that the acting (especially by Jared I'm sad to say *ducks from stones being thrown*) is kinda weak here. It's the only weak spot of acting in the episode. Sam's threats of "I'm gonna tear you to shreads I swear." aren't spoken with much authority or anger. No wonder the YED laughed. I guess I was expecting a bit more venom to be in his voice and I didn't hear it. And his S.O.B. is weak, too. I don't know...maybe I'm being too harsh. But I've seen what Jared can do and this just felt a little flat for me. I'm happy that we learned some info. about the Demon's plans (well, sort of). He's looking for one leader for his army and he's rooting for Sammy 'cause he's his favorite. Sam and the other kids are here to kill each other off, with the strongest one winning the little contest. Curious how he mentions he's looking for "the best and brightest" of Sammy's generation and hints that there's other generations. He brings up Jess, of course, saying that she was in the way, that he wanted Sam on the road honing his skills. Mary, was bad luck "wrong place, wrong time". He then shows Sam what happened that night in his nursery. The YED cut his wrist to bleed into baby Sammy's mouth "better than mother's milk". Sam wonders if this means he has demon blood in him. The YED only chuckles as Mary then returns to the room and the rest of the scene plays out. Except this time we here her say "it's you" to the Demon, indicating that she knew the YED prior to that night. Sadly, no other clues are given here. Still a lot of questions about this moment, but Kripke's keeping them a secret for now. Damn you Kripke! *shakes fist* And I wonder why the YED stops the vision before Mary burns? Compassion? Seems a little odd, coming from a demon. Sam wakes up and is told that Ava's missing.
* Jake and Sam split up to look for Ava, leaving Andy alone. Ava mysteriously appears in the room with him and summons the girlDemon to kill him. No!! Not Andy, too!!!! Man! the body count on this ep. So sad to see Andy die such a horrible, bloody death. Ava screams, bringing Sam running to find the carnage. She plays the distraught female well until Sam spots the break in the salt line along the window where the demon got in. Ava stops the act and explains that she's been there for some time as various groups of people would show up. She killed them all. She tells him how she just stopped fighting it and opened herself up to what they're meant to become and it was easy. Ava starts to summon a demon to kill Sam, but Jake appears and snaps her neck just in time.
* Bobby and Dean approach the town (it's about time!). Sam tells Jake they need to get out of there, but Jake has other plans. Only one of them is leaving, and it's going to be him. Jake says the YED came to him and told him only one of them could leave or they'd both die. Sam offers that they both leave and kill the YED together. Jake's not sure that he can trust Sam not to turn. So Sam puts down his knife (yeah, that was a bad move) "Just come with me Jake. Don't do this. Don't play into what it wants." Jake puts down his metal bar, but then attacks Sam. This fight is pretty brutal. It really hurt to hear Jake break some of Sammy's bones. Ouch! Sammy does put up a good fight, considering Jake's unusual strength. He manages to knock Jake out and then grabs the metal bar, ready to finish him off. But Sam being Sam, he stops and doesn't kill him. *wimper* No Sammy, you've got to!
* Okay...now we get to the tough part. *sniffle* Keep your tissues handy. Dean and Bobby appear and Sammy's so glad to see his big brother. His emotional cry of "Dean!" just broke my heart. Sam's hurt, he's frightened, and you can tell he just wants to have Dean tell him everything's going to be alright. Even if he doesn't believe it like he told Jake, at least Dean's there to help him in this fight.
* It's so heartbreaking to see Dean arrive just seconds too late. All he can do is shout out to Sam, but Sam doesn't react fast enough and Jake stabs him in the back. Dean can only rush forward to catch Sammy as he falls and Bobby runs after Jake. *wimper* Dear God....this scene....just way more than I anticipated. And I anticipated a lot! I actually got tears in my eyes. Jensen, just...owned this scene. Dean's pleading, his reassurances, and then his realization that Sammy was gone. It was just...so painful and beautiful and gut-wrenchingly raw. How he touches Sam's face and holds him. I wanted a hug, but not like this. Yet it was so loving and...just everything we've been wanting to see, yet hoping we wouldn't. I hope that makes sense. Wow! Oh, and the music! That theme that plays through all the emotional parts of the series. *sniffle* It just brought it all home. Then it stops before Dean screams that final "Sam!". This is the level of drama and emotion I've been waiting for. I'm so glad I got it. But at the same time I was mourning the loss of Sam and Dean's loss as well. *hugs brothers tightly* Man! I so need a hug!
Here's the dialog from this scene (because it's just so emotional and angsty and I'm a total sucker for angst). It's probably not exactly accurate, but I did the best I could. This is from the moment Dean reaches Sam:
Sam!
Whoah, whoah.. whoah. Sam!
Sam, Sam. Hey!
Hey. Come here. Let me have a look at you.
Hey, look...look at me. It's not even that bad. It's not even that bad, alright?
Sammy? Sam! Hey, listen to me, we're gonna patch you up, okay?
You'll be good as new. Huh?
I'm gonna take care of you. I'm gonna take care of you. I've got you.
It's my job right? Watch after my pain in the ass little brother?
Sam? Sam? Sam? Sammy!
No. No, no, no, no, no.
Oh God. Oh Go--
Sam!!!!!
OMG. I think I'm crying again. *sniffle* Him telling Sam that he's going to take care of him. That just tore my heart apart. That's all Dean's ever tried to do. All that was ever asked of him. And this time he couldn't.
I can only anticipate and wait (impatiently) for part two. Dean is going to be a mess...broken. Sam is his lifeline, the other part of his soul. He's lost everything. His family's gone, so how can he possibly go on. I'm glad the preview for next week didn't show us too much. I'd rather be surprised about what's to come. It's going to be emotional and difficult to watch, that's for sure. I really can't add anything else at this time. Watching that scene again....I'm just at a loss right now. What a way to end a season. I love this show! *hugs Kripke & Co., Jensen, Jared, and entire fandom*
