10.22 Initial reaction: For the ladies. Or the fellas. I don't judge.

[caranfindel]

As often happens, there were a few WTF moments in this episode. But the OMG moments so completely outweighed them that I'm going to handwave anything that seemed off. Just giving you fair warning.

The "Then" reminds us that family don't end in blood, and it don't start there either. That family is there for the good, the bad, all of it. They've got your back, even when it hurts. that's family. And that's Charlie, dead in a bathtub.

Now!

Styne Hall. A floppy-haired kid named Styne is being bullied by classmates, and he snarks back and then is rescued by his cousin, Eldon, whose accent doesn't come out until he says "Cy." The D-bag bully is then kidnapped by the Stynes, who come up behind him and put a plastic bag over his head. You know what? If you have a Styne Hall on your campus, I wouldn't bully the kid named Styne. Just saying.

Sam and Dean are building a pyre and entertaining us with flashbacks of Charlie. Charlie's wrapped in a shroud and is stiff as a board (so, according to the internets, she's probably been dead at least 12 hours). (Those of you who are convinced Charlie's not really dead can take comfort in the fact that we don't see her face, so really, who knows what's in there?) Sam is guilty, heartbroken, and maybe slightly damp. Dean is pissed.

Sam begins a really awkward speech, and is interrupted by Dean, and this happens:

Shut up. You got her killed; you don't get to apologize.
We were trying to help you!
I didn't need help. I told you to leave it alone.
What was I supposed to do, just watch you die?
The Mark isn't gonna kill me.
Maybe not, but when it's done with you, you won't be you any more. Dean, you're all I've got, so of course I was gonna fight for you. Cause that's what we do. Listen, I had a shot.
Yeah, you had a shot. Charlie's dead. Nice shot.
You think I'm... you think i'm ever gonna forgive myself for that?
You wanna know what I think? I think it should be you up there, not her. This thing with Cas, and the Book? Ends now. Shut it down before somebody else gets hurt. You understand me?
What about you?
Oh, I'm gonna find whoever did this. And I'm gonna rip apart everything and everyone they ever loved. And then I'm gonna tear out their heart.
Is that you talking, or the Mark?
Does it matter?

Some of this is very Dean, but much of it - you don't get to apologize, it should be you up there, etc. - is very not. It's kind of horrifying watching Dean talk this way to Sam, and equally horrifying watching Sam take it. The Mark is obviously having a dramatic effect on Dean. He doesn't even stay to watch Charlie burn, but stomps off alone. Yeah, that's gonna be an uncomfortable car ride.

Then we cut to the Styne family compound. Young Cy Styne is telling a friend he wants to move to LA, but his "scary weird" family would kill him. Eldon is in the family's Operating Room of Evil, telling Big Daddy Styne about the treasure trove he found in the bunker. (The Operating Room of Evil is green, which has been used to signal danger.) He needs a new arm, and gets one - complete with garish tattoo - complements of Cy's D-bag bully. And Cy is pulled into to do the dirty work. He's the baby of the family and he doesn't want to join the family business, but Big Daddy Styne says it's his legacy, and he can't turn his back on his family, and goodness, this all sounds familiar, doesn't it? Sounds a lot like someone we know and love? Anyway, BDS tells Cy that if he doesn't harvest the D-bag, BDS will, and then Cy will be on the table next. And as the world's cheesiest nurse hovers in the background (I swear, she may as well be wearing Jessica's sexy nurse costume from the pilot), BDS takes Cy's hand and guides his scalpel down D-bag's chest. That's gonna leave a mark.

(Heh heh. Mark.)

At the Death Omen Bird motel, Dean is talking to Rudy again (you know, the Rudy we never heard of, until Dean talked to him earlier this season) and Rudy locates the owner of a car caught on security footage - it's the Stynes, in Shreveport. Which is about 700 miles from Lebanon, or an 11 hour drive, according to MapQuest. Why do I point this out? No reason. Rudy questions why Dean's having him do Sam's job, and that's a good question, Rudy.

Back at the Distillery of Doom, Rowena is taunting Cas, saying that an angel who rejected Heaven is like a fish who wants to fly, or a dog who thinks he's people. Cas points out that he's a lot like people. Yes, you are, and that's your problem. When Sam shows up, she grouses about how long he's been gone, and Cas asks where's Charlie, and reads the bad news on Sam's face.

What happened?
Me.

Yes, of course Sam is accepting all the blame for Charlie's death. Oh, Sam. He tells Cas that Dean knows about their plan, and he's shutting it down, and Rowena's apparently going to have to be killed. It's a little odd to me that he's so ready to kill her, and so unconcerned about letting her overhear this, but I guess I can see why letting her go isn't a good option. (Also, he did the same thing with Crowley last season, so maybe it's not really that odd.)

When he pulls his phone out to locate Dean, he sees he has an email from Charlie. I'm guessing his phone has been shut off all this time, and that's why he didn't get notified earlier. Or else that was a huge file that took 12 hours to send. He downloads what Charlie found and shows it to Rowena, who says yes, that's exactly what she needs to decode the Book. Well. That changes things. Poor Sam goes through a couple of seconds of agonized soul-searching, but of course ultimately decides to send Cas to Shreveport to keep an eye on Dean, while he stays with Rowena and completely abandons the plan to abandon his plan. When Cas protests, he says:

I've been the one out there messed up and scared, and alone, and Dean -
Did whatever he could to save you.
Yes! I mean, it's become his thing! I owe him this!

Hmmm. Not sure I agree with Sam's interpretation of events. Seems like when Dean truly saves Sam, it's not when he's messed up and alone and scared. But let's call that a forgiveable moment and move on. Because we love agonized soul-searching Sam.

Unfortunately, Sam's speech about how much he owes Dean, and how desperate he is to save him, happens in front of Rowena. And I know she already had him right where she wanted him, but he just now put a big ol' bow on top. So she announces that she's not going to read the book until Sam holds up his end of the bargain and kills Crowley. And let's hear it for angry table-banging Sam!

Suddenly I cannot get enough of Sam and Rowena. She brings out a side of him that I really like. A hot, angry side.

Speaking of Crowley, he's at a diner, trying to buy a soul, when he gets a phone call from Dean, asking for help and then sending a text to meet him. Interesting things about this scene:

- Crowley answers his phone "yello," just like my grandmother did.
- Dean is still "Not Moose" in Crowley's phone.
- Crowley is supposed to go to Concordia, Kansas. Which is about 70 miles, or an hour away, from Lebanon.

When Crowley shows up at the abandoned warehouse or whatever it is (just once I'd like it to be an abandoned beauty parlor or Biggerson's), Dean's not there, but Sam is, and he shoot him with a bullet carved with a devil's trap. Sam demonstrates how he used Dean's message on his phone to make it sound like Dean was calling Crowley, but what about the fact that the number was already programmed into Crowley's phone as Not Moose? Sam would have to have Dean's actual phone to do that. (Are we going to handwave this? You bet your sweet bippy we are. Because angry Sam.)

Sam tells Crowley "She said to tell you she should have taken the three pigs," and I'm confused. Because I thought she did sell him for pigs. Moving on.
Sam sticks a hex bag in Crowley's pocket and he collapses and starts spitting up blood, and at first I'm sure this is the end for him. But the longer it goes on, the more obvious it is that Crowley's not going to die here and now. Crowley asks if Sam actually trusts Rowena, and he says "Of course not. Not even a little." But that's not true. Sam actually trusts her quite a lot. He's trusting her to perform the spell to remove the Mark, and not a spell that might do anything else. As Sam impatiently waits for him to die, Crowley complains that this is what he gets "for being the good guy," and Sam's all, whut? You, the good guy? Don't think so. Crowley wants credit for making changes in Hell, and the thing is, it's still Hell. But he thought if he tried to do good, he might feel something again, and if he's serious, that's just heartbreaking. I don't know if he meant that, or if that was him messing with Sam, because he then admits that Sam's right, he's a monster, he's done horrible, evil, messy things. This sounds like a confession, but it's not. He's loved every minute of it.

If I were Sam, I would have peed my very long pants when I saw this.

Crowley yanks out the bullet, freeing himself, thanks Sam "for reminding me who I really am," and punches him through a window and into a wall. This stunt is awkwardly choreographed, but we're going to forgive it because this.

Crowley holds his fingers in the neck-breaking snap position, ready to snuff Sam, and Sam hasn't watched the show so he doesn't know he's safe.

He wants Sam to remember that he's only alive because he allowed it (and why? for his buddy Dean?) and he has a message for his mother, the "ginger whore" - she had her chance, and now she'll never know he's coming. It's still a bad season for redheads.

Defeated but alive, Sam calls Rowena and tells her the hex bag didn't work. She doesn't have any more ideas, but tells him he needs to get the job done. And I'm really starting to like the way she calls him Samuel.

Once Dean reaches Shreveport, he is pulled over by the police, who seems suspicious of his fake ID (Ashley J. Williams? That name sounds famililar) and break his blinkers for an excuse to arrest him. At the police station, they've found the cigar box full of fake IDs, and the arsenal in the trunk, so they seem to be more on top of things that most police who pull the boys over. And yet, when Dean deliberately knocks a cup full of pens off the policeman's desk, the guy walks over to pick it up and finds himself knocked to the floor with Dean threatening to break his arm using his legs, and he hands over the handcuff key without much of a struggle. So, maybe not so on top of things after all. Dean punches him a couple of times, once of which is for messing with the car, so at least he still cares about something. He then catches the other officer talking about him on the phone, and finds that Monroe "Big Daddy" Styne has the police watching for him. And Dean's not the least bit concerned that the Stynes are considered gods around here, because "I kill gods." Hee.

He shows up at the Styne compound and kills a couple of guards, but when he enters the house, he ends up with a whole pack of Stynes pointing guns at him. And one sneaking up behind him to put a bag over his head. Damn, those Stynes are sneaky. He wakes up strapped to a table, ready to be harvested. He warns them not to do it, since he'll become a demon if they kill him and then they'll all end up dead, but Big Daddy Monroe is not impressed. Bad choice, Big Daddy Monroe. Dean snaps his cuffs off (at what point did the Mark give him superhuman strength? is it because he's so far under its influence, farther than he was last time?) He kills the Stynes, including the cheesy nurse, and tells Big Daddy "you took something from me so I'm gonna take everything from you." Big Daddy tells him it's too late, because "your home, your family..." but he doesn't get to finish that thought.

Things that are strangely hot in this scene:
- Upside down Dean (I love this shot)
- Dean fighting with the loosened gag still around his neck
- (Dean being strapped to the table is also pretty hot but that's not really strange, is it?)

Dean kicks down a door to get out of the Operating Room of Evil, but the door we see kicked down is actually the door to the bunker, and the Stynes have arrived - Eldon, little Cy, and the third one whose name I can't ever remember. This can't be good (the fact that they're in the bunker, not that I can't remember Styne #3). Eldon says they're going to take what they want and burn the rest and oh, kalliel must be so happy that they're going to torch the bunker.

Meanwhile, Cas shows up in the Operating Room of Evil, which means (since he can't zap anywhere) he's 11 hours away from the bunker. He calls Sam and tells him Dean has obviously been there, and not only did he kill the Stynes in the Operating Room of Evil, but he went up to the house and killed everyone there as well. Brutally. And he's on his way back to Kansas.

At the bunker, the Stynes have gathered everything they don't want to take into a pile to be burned. Cy, being the studious Styne, is fascinated by the books and whatnot and doesn't want to burn them. "We don't have to," he says. Eldon says "I know, son. We get to." Cold. Eldon pours gasoline on the pile, but as he lights the match, the third Styne (Roscoe! Thank you!) shows up with a knife in his back, and there's Dean. Calm, menacing, and bloody. Just the way I like him. Eldon prepares to fight, monologuing about his new upgrades, and Dean points out that the Stynes are dead, and even though Eldon has multiple hearts and spleens (and seven nipples for the ladies... or the fellas... I don't judge), he only has one brain. And Dean shoots him in it, in one of the most lovely cold-as-ice BAMF Dean moves we've ever seen. He then turns the gun on young Cy, who pleads that he's not one of them, he hates his family, he has no upgrades.

Dean's response is "There's bad in you, it's in your blood. You can deny it, you can run from it all you want, but that bad will always win." And there's two ways of looking at this speech. One is that it also describes Sam, and it just emphasizes how Cy represents Sam. The other is that it describes Dean, who now has bad in his blood, and it will always win. Either way, it's heartbreaking. "You don't need to do this," says Cy. Dean scratches his head with his gun hand, a deceptively casual motion that reminds me of right before his attack on Gadreel last season, and I think (and hope) he's going to say "I know, son. I get to." But instead he says "Yeah. I do." and pops young Cy, the studious younger brother who didn't want any part of the family business but has bad in his blood, in the head. WELL, THAT'S NOT SYMBOLIC AT ALL, IS IT?

Cas shows up at this point, which means it's been 11 hours since he called Sam in Shreveport. And Sam is driving (in another old truck! I love Sam and old trucks!) past a sign that says he's 40 miles from Lebanon. So in the last 11 hours, Cas drove 700 miles, and Sam has driven 30. Where was he all this time? What was he doing? Or are these events not supposed to be happening simultaneously? Because they sure look simultaneous to me.

Cas tells him they can read the book now, but Dean's not interested in a cure, because he knows it will come at a price. I kind of don't think Dean really cares about the price at this point. He's so far under the influence of the Mark that it's going to stop him from any cure, no matter how easy. And Cas doesn't care about the price either, because, as he points out, Dean might be able to live with the Mark for years, but when it does finally turn him, Sam and everyone else might be gone, and Cas is the one who will have to watch him turn and "murder the world." And he's not willing to accept that, so if there's anything they can do, they have to give it a try. He knows the Mark is changing him, because the Dean he knows wouldn't have murdered Cy. ("Yeah, well, that Dean's always been kind of a dick.") Dean proceeds to beat the crap out of Cas, in a scene that's reminiscent of both Soul Survivor (in the way Cas tries to grab him from behind) and Goodbye Stranger (in that Cas doesn't really fight back and ends up facing an angel blade begging for his life). Again, Dean has superhuman strength - stronger than the last time he fought Cas, when he was not quite healed from being a demon. Dean embeds the blade in a book, rather than Cas, and his last words are warning Cas that he and Sam need to stay away, because he won't miss next time.

So. Wow. To wrap up... the Stynes are gone, thank goodness. I didn't want them to be next season's Big Bad. Sam has made an enemy of Crowley. I wonder if Crowley will turn against Dean as well, or if he still has some affection for him (the fact that he didn't kill Sam makes me lean in this direction). And not only has Dean gone completely off the reservation, but he's now too powerful for Cas to control. Rowena and Metatron are still wild cards. And angry little Cole is still out there somewhere. What's going to happen next week? (That's a rhetorical question. I don't really want you to tell me.)

No spoilers in the comments, please!

Comments

[frozen_delight]

I loved everything! EVERYTHING! Andrew Dabb is my hero! And now I want to die! (Or watch the finale, right now.)

From my (admittedly biased) perspective everything in this episode showed that Crowley is more in love with Dean than ever, so I doubt he'd turn against him now. :)

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

I do love the way he comes running whenever Dean calls.

[elwarre.livejournal.com]

I really thought Dean had stabbed Cas, and nearly hyperventilated (and I don't even adore Cas that much). I was super-confused about the whole distance thing (how in the world did Dean make it back to the bunker before Sam did?) and also how they Stynes broke into the bunker in the first place (I thought the whole point of it was being impregnable?). But I loved the episode so much I don't even care. That little sliver of back when Sam was crawling....mmmmmmmm.

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

The only way the time makes sense is if Sam spent a LOT of time planning his attack on Crowley, waiting for Rowena to make the hex bag, etc.

[cuddyclothes.livejournal.com]

I so love your reviews. I say that every time. It says everything I would have said, and the caps...guh. Call me weird, but I don't find homicidal maniac Dean hot. Scary as hell, but not hot. But then, I've almost never found Dean hot. SAM, on the other hand...his expression when he was waiting for Crowley to kill him--! And "would you just shut up and die" is a great line. Even if I'm getting it wrong.

Who knows where Metatron is? I kind of think he won't emerge until next season. Cas lying bloody and hopeless on the floor reminded me of the penultimate season 5 episode where Sam beats the snot out of Dean. I didn't think Dean killed him because there was no flash of white light, but it was still scary as fuck.

For a family that's been cleaning up after all sorts of major disasters, the Styne clan is pretty small. Him killing the Styne kid was a real surprise. They'd built Cy up to be a sympathetic character from the get-go. To have Dean waste him with a head shot makes it clear how out of control Dean is. Or how much the Mark is controlling him.

ETA: Thank you for the pretty! But the picture below Sam and Rowena isn't showing.

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

Thank you! Yes, I loved "shut up and die!" And I knew they were faking us out with Cas's death, but I liked it. And I don't know why the pic isn't showing up for you? They're all here on my end.

[galwithglasses.livejournal.com]

Green Operating Room of Evil is not subtle, is it? I think there's some green around Sam after Crowley throws him through a wall or whatever. I haven't watched much of the episode. I scanned part of it with the sound off and watched the last bit in the bunker but I'm behind at this point by several eps. It looked like the last couple had some cool motels so I'll have to at least watch those bits. Your review was entertaining as usual. I look forward to them. 8-)

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

Thank you! I hope you're planning to analyze some episodes because I love that!

[freya922.livejournal.com]

Great recap. This ep had me petrified throughout. Loved this from you: "If I were Sam, I would have peed my very long pants when I saw this." Nearly peed my much shorter pants reading this!

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

:-D

[casey679.livejournal.com]

I loved this episode. It was amazing. After deliberation, I'm with you on the Stynes - although there are probably other branches around in Europe or what-not, so the writers could always pull them back in.

Rowena and Sam continue to have amazing chemistry. Every episode where she is away from Crowley makes me like her more and more, and her manipulating Sam is something to see. I was almost expecting her to try to manipulate Sam into letting her in the bunker; suppose I'm both happy and sad she hasn't yet. At this point I'd be happy to see her return in Season 11 if they just keep her and Crowley apart. They can be enemies, but her Mommy Dearest act was insufferable.

Sam is so far beyond being able to bluff his motivations that it hurts. I keep thinking back to Dean's explanation for needing Sam's help - "Yeah, well, I don't *want* to" [do this alone]. At this point if the spell called for Sam to sacrifice his life, it's pretty clear he'd be absolutely fine giving it. I keep wondering, if he lives past the end of Season 11, how he's going to come to grips with everything he's done this past season.

Dean was just plain fucking chilling. Jensen is really bringing out the demon in Dean. Anyone who complained about him not being evil enough at the beginning of the season ought to be happy now.

One tiny thing that broke me a bit - either Sam has absolutely no personal effects at this point or the Stynes didn't care enough about him to find them. To a certain extent the former makes sense, since Dean has definitely interacted more with them, but still... the idea that Sam has lost or given away everything, that he just exists in the Bunker without any personal effects, seems tragically accurate. But outside of his phone and laptop, HAVE we seen him with anything other than a research book in his hand? Have we seen him do anything for himself this season, or really even last season? I don't think so. I can't even remember him listening to music outside of in the Impala.

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

MOC Dean does seem more evil than Demon!Dean, doesn't he? He's colder and has no sense of humor.

And from what we've seen, Sam's room was pretty bare.

[themegalosaurus.livejournal.com]

Related to Sam's portable property - here's a sad thought I had the other day (which is founded a lot more in head canon than actual canon but shhh) - one of the best things that has happened for Sam all season is the acquisition of the long-awaited iPad - as per his envy of Charlie's in 8x20 - BUT NOW ALACK EVEN HIS IPAD IS TAINTED WITH MISPLACED GUILT (wouldn't you say)

[themegalosaurus.livejournal.com]

Also yes his room was pretty bare save for some plaid shirts, archive boxes, some books and a magnifying glass with a fancy handle. (EVEN HIS BED IS TOO SMALL FOR HIM)

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

Are you sure it's an iPad and not a MICROSOFT BRAND SURFACE TABLET?

[themegalosaurus.livejournal.com]

Haha don't! the very words are too painful! Charlie loved her MICROSOFT BRAND SURFACE TABLET with all her heart!

[mdlaw.livejournal.com]

Now, now...don't rush to judgment about the phone. I do think hackers know how to spoof a phone; make it look like it's coming from another number. And that truck....I'm sure it couldn't move as fast as the 'pala. Just trying to help the writers out a bit. m. :)

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

Ha! Yeah, the old truck probably broke down.

[themegalosaurus.livejournal.com]

if it broke down then I'm seriously aggrieved about the lack of a scene in which Sam strips down to a t shirt and fixes the engine. All nice and oily and smudgy.

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

DUDE. WHERE ARE MY ARTISTS?

[madebyme-x.livejournal.com]

Such a dark, intense, brutal, and heartbreaking episode - I loved it! I want this pace to continue all the way until the last second of the finale.

I agree, it wasn't without its flaws, but like you I enjoyed it too much to quibble. I mean savage Dean does things to me (police thigh thing!), determined and caught between a rock and a hard place Sam breaks my heart, and I actually enjoyed the threat that came with the Stynes (they might come back though, aren't they all over Europe or something? Personally anything would be better than bringing Metatron back next season!) I'm enjoying the hell out of Rowena and her little chats that make Sam so angry, bad ass Crowley is back and I love it, and there was a tiny second where I actually feared for Cas.

I'm completely unspoiled for next week and hope to keep it that way. But I'd love an awesome Sam V MoC Dean epic scene. So hit me season finale, and hit me good and hard!!! ;)

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

Yes, Sam vs MOC Dean, I WANT IT.

[kalliel]

DRIVE BY NOTE:

I HAVE NEVER FELT MORE TERRIBLE FOR WANTING THE BUNKER TO BURN THAN WHEN WATCHING 10x22. I FELT VERY SORRY INDEED.

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

YOU SHOULD.

So, does this mean you're back?

[kalliel]

It does, it does!! How have you been? I'VE MISSED YOU LOTS.