DEATH RETURNS FOR A MEETING WITH DEAN — Dean (Jensen Ackles) seeks out Death (guest star Julian Richings) to help get Sam’s (Jared Padalecki) soul back. Death tells Dean he will help Sam if Dean will agree to act as Death for 24 hours. Meanwhile, Sam decides he doesn’t want his soul back and asks Balthazar (guest star Sebastian Roché) for a protective spell to keep his soul out of his body. Balthazar tells Sam he needs the blood of his father for the spell to work and since John Winchester is dead, Sam decides Bobby (Jim Beaver) is the next best thing. Mike Rohl directed the episode written by Sera Gamble & Robert Singer (611).
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this is what I love about this show
just when you think you know where things are headed, something comes along that changes everything -
Great episode. I'm so glad the whole soulless Sam arch is over, I can't even be mad at the cliffie. Loved to see more Dean/Death interaction. The scenes with those two just ROCK.
And what a twist to have those 'walled up' memories hanging over Sam's head like a Damocles sword. I guess we all know that Sam's not gonna follow Death's advice and not 'scratch' at this mental itch he's gonna have. But if anything this episode showed us that Sam needs his soul. Killing Bobby? Seriously?? Actually, I was half expecting Tessa to bring Dean there and tell him Bobby's next on the list. That would have made for an interesting scene. It was still good as it is.
Still, I have a bit of an axe to grind. Is anybody else thinking they're getting a bit sloppy? Yet again, there were some plot holes that even I - who's willing to swallow just about anything - had a hard time to get past.
First off, Bobby's one of the smartest hunters out there, do you really think he would walk into the basement where he knows Sam's waiting to get him without a darn good reason? Okay, maybe there was a scene explaining this behavior that ended up on the cutting room floor, but like this it just doesn't play.
Second, what's up with showing a bit of skin? When they tried to jump-start Dean's heart, the doc didn't even push the shirt up far enough for the paddles to touch skin. I'm not a medic, but wouldn't the current have set the material on fire, or at least scorched it?
And third, when the car of the bereaved husband caused the accident, Dean had taken off Death's ring, so he was human, and he wasn't wearing a seatbelt either. So how come he walks away without a scratch, when the other guy's bleeding even though he had an airbag?
Sorry to be so nitpicky, but I've come to expect more attention to detail from this show.Comment
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Just re-watched this with the kids, and here's some more things I loved:
- both boys giving 'desperate times' as the reason for doing what they do
- seeing Bobby again, man I missed him, and his line 'I was born at night but not last night' LOL
- Bobby hiding in the same closet we saw in Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
- Dean using a Kansas song to explain the meaning of everything
- Dean letting the robber suffer for threatening the kid
- Balthasar, he's a wonderfully ambiguous characterComment
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Boy, am I glad that Sam got his soul back. This arc was really getting annoying and I am relieved to see it mostly resolved. It seemed rather rushed though, after 10 episodes dealing with a totally different plan, Death snaps his fingers and returns the soul. I can't shake the feeling that the writers grew bored with the Crowley/Alpha/Soulless Sam plot and decided to finish it as swiftly as possible.
Rushed writing aside, this was a great episode. Death and Dean work wonderfully together and seeing Bobby is always nice. There even was some good suspense with the whole Sam trying to kill Bobby plot (where even I thought Sam went to far).
Does anyone know when the next episode airs?In the darkness of night we hear the whispers of the voidComment
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We have to wait until late January to see the next new episode?!?
I have to agree with whoever mentioned the thing with Dean and the husband in the car accident.....I thought Dean should have been injured too. Maybe it's just me.....but Death looked a little better than he did last time I saw him!
I can't wait to see the outcome of Sam's getting his soul back. Somehow I don't think this will be as simple as putting up a wall around the bad stuff. mwahahaha
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jaemal i don't think the writers grew bored or anything like that. they just weren't very clear about what this season's about. here's a little clue from this episode, death - "but you have use, right now you are digging at something .. it's about the souls, you'll understand when you need to". in i think the 3rd episode balthazar said the same thing, that brothers don't know how valuable/powerful the souls are. death(this ep.) - "more valuable than you can imagine".
obviously this season is about souls. info on them, on symptoms of soullessness, on creatures that turns out can sense souls, on how special they are (energy-wise ...comment in the fairy ep)... heaven/purgatory/hell are places where souls end up after their creation and some testing on earth. crowley was looking for a place where abnormal (form birth or messed with (for example turning into a vampire)) souls zap to.
so does anyone have any spoilers on this? their power? some time ago i checked spn wiki's for info on the power of human soul, but i guess they don't put spoilers in wiki's.
also i know that the brothers haven't asked castiel about souls, but why the hell he's the only one who isn't interested in them?Last edited by NIMBUS; 11 December 2010, 07:37 AM....science/physics/universe can't tell good from bad, which means that both concepts are abstract and don't matter... don't be afraid of acting on this knowledge...Comment
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I just loved this episode so much. So many great lines. And the cliffhanger was just what I was expecting but still left me stunned!
Although I enjoyed non!Sam .. it was an interesting ride for all sorts of reasons...
it was time for Sam to get his soul back. Especially as in the end it was seen as a neccessary thing to do. I did feel sorry for soulless Sam though... like he said..
Dean doesn't care about me. He -- he just cares about his little brother, Sammy, burning in hell. He'll kill me to get that other guy back.
Which was true.
My favourite quote though is from Death.
You and your brother keep coming back. You're an affront to the balance of the universe, and you cause disruption on a global scale.
Yep..that's the Winchester boys for you! A pain in everyone arses.
Plus I think Death has a soft spot for Dean.
I thought the same about Bobby...in a way I'm glad he didn't have to make that choice.Originally posted by starg8fans View Post
I always cry out when that kind of thing happens..you know the thing...someone always has to go and look outside in the dark where the monster's lurking!!Still, I have a bit of an axe to grind. Is anybody else thinking they're getting a bit sloppy? Yet again, there were some plot holes that even I - who's willing to swallow just about anything - had a hard time to get past.
First off, Bobby's one of the smartest hunters out there, do you really think he would walk into the basement where he knows Sam's waiting to get him without a darn good reason? Okay, maybe there was a scene explaining this behavior that ended up on the cutting room floor, but like this it just doesn't play.
But here I thought it was OK as Bobby was doing what Dean asked of him and he didn't know what Sam was up to. He could have been harming himself...plus he's a confident hunter and knows most of the tricks! So I reckon it's in character for him.
That's interesting because you've spotted a continuity error there. The doc did have the paddles on his skin in the first frame then it moved to his t shirt and then back to his skin...Second, what's up with showing a bit of skin? When they tried to jump-start Dean's heart, the doc didn't even push the shirt up far enough for the paddles to touch skin. I'm not a medic, but wouldn't the current have set the material on fire, or at least scorched it?
Maybe the director didn't have the nerve to ask Mr Kruger to do it again!!!!
Yeah that's a bit daft but nothing they haven't done before. In fact they escape death in ridiculous situation all the time and throughout all the seasons! But it's nothing like watching Jack Bauer in 24 though...I've watched him get shot, stabbed, tortured to death, revived and then back up fighting 30 minutes later..saving the world again!! It's not sloppy I don't think, it's what they do!And third, when the car of the bereaved husband caused the accident, Dean had taken off Death's ring, so he was human, and he wasn't wearing a seatbelt either. So how come he walks away without a scratch, when the other guy's bleeding even though he had an airbag?
I agree, I don't think the writers got bored or rushed or anything remotely like that. I'm sure they have everything planned out. It may not be what everyone wants to see but there's no way a show on this scale could be done otherwise. It's an expensive business for one thing.Originally posted by NIMBUS View Post
Yes I love the little snippets of info thrown in here and there throughout the episodes, especially about the souls. It's quite something to have Death wanting Dean to keep on poking about to find out what's going on!
It's going to be interesting having a re-watch at this point...to pick up anything we've missed.
It does make you wonder why Cas's been very quiet about the souls thing....he may have his reasons though.
And I've not seen any information about what makes a soul so powerful or what they're wanted for. I'm looking forward to finding that out.Last edited by LizzieAnne; 12 December 2010, 12:48 PM.Comment
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Here's a thought that struck me when we were riding around today between looking at houses for sale: Since Sam doesn't want his soul back, do you think there's a possibility he could somehow reject the soul, or it could make him have 2 personalities? Wouldn't that make for some interesting shows.....Sam more screwed up, and Dean having guilt issues over it?
I'm all about brother angst.......
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This was a great episode. Thoroughly enjoyed it.
I've really enjoyed this season from the start...to include the soulless Sam storyline. I felt sorry for him that this damaged soul was being thrust back on him whether he wanted it or not. Yes, he needs his soul back, but I don't think he's crazy for not wanting all that suffering as a part of his consciousness. He is the one that has to live with it. Not Dean. I certainly don't fault Dean for what he's doing (since he knows what the Pit is like and the thought of leaving Sam's soul in the Cage is unthinkable for him), but I almost want to side with Sam on this.
But Sam wouldn't have had to resort to that if Dean wouldn't have been trying to force his soul back on him. This is still the logical part of Sam we're dealing with (or that's how I look at it). It's just cold and unfeeling, but a part of him is still Sam.Originally posted by starg8fans
I was thinking that Dean would show up at Bobby as well, but I'm glad they didn't go that way and with the story of the little girl instead since she was someone he didn't know. There is no way I'd see Dean sacrifice Bobby for Sam's soul. Plus I think the other played better. They did a great job bringing Death back for this ep. (He's one of the best characters the show has had, and the actor does a fine job.) The storyline was good as was the dialogue.
I agree. To me, this underlying theme of the season has been pretty clear, and Sam missing his soul plays into this. Crowley and others have commented on how valuable souls are which is why he was looking for more of them. I think by the end of the season, the pieces will fit together. Sam missing his soul had run its course and served its purpose in the overall story, imo, so mid season seems like a good point to move on to the next step in that story with Sam.Originally posted by NIMBUS
I wonder if tptb ever thought about not giving Sam his soul back...or not back right away. Instead of making a deal with Death to return his soul to his body, have had Death release it to Heaven instead. Could have worked it into the civil war story going on up there.
Kinda sucks that the season is already half over, but I'm eager to see where the rest of the season takes us.
IMO always implied.
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Can somebody explain to me why there was blood on the handle when Sam escaped and Bobby wanted to open the steel door?
Also..."Dont say, Here is Jonny" when Sam came with the Axe through the door was the best moment ever.Comment
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It was a trap. Sam hurt himself when he fell down the trap door, so he left a trail of blood after he escaped the panic room. Putting blood on the handle made Bobby think that he was inside - which he wasn't.Originally posted by tomstone View PostThe cake is a lie!
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That's true, he wouldn't have felt the need if he'd been left alone.Originally posted by LoneStar1836 View Post
Death's great, and the one character who Dean's totally in awe of - with good reason -and he still lets those little snarky comments slip out and wishes he hadn't. Some wonderful scenes in there.I was thinking that Dean would show up at Bobby as well, but I'm glad they didn't go that way and with the story of the little girl instead since she was someone he didn't know. There is no way I'd see Dean sacrifice Bobby for Sam's soul. Plus I think the other played better. They did a great job bringing Death back for this ep. (He's one of the best characters the show has had, and the actor does a fine job.) The storyline was good as was the dialogue.
Now that's a really intriging idea. Dean couldn't have argued with that really ...knowing Sam's soul was safe... but then he'd be stuck witht the soulless guy! Maybe being in Heaven could have healed it...but then there wouldn't be the itch to scratch!I agree. To me, this underlying theme of the season has been pretty clear, and Sam missing his soul plays into this. Crowley and others have commented on how valuable souls are which is why he was looking for more of them. I think by the end of the season, the pieces will fit together. Sam missing his soul had run its course and served its purpose in the overall story, imo, so mid season seems like a good point to move on to the next step in that story with Sam.
I wonder if tptb ever thought about not giving Sam his soul back...or not back right away. Instead of making a deal with Death to return his soul to his body, have had Death release it to Heaven instead. Could have worked it into the civil war story going on up there.
Kinda sucks that the season is already half over, but I'm eager to see where the rest of the season takes us.
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Yup. This is SPN and things rarely ever go as intended so that should be an interesting second half of the season.Originally posted by LizzieAnne View Post
Now that's a really intriging idea. Dean couldn't have argued with that really ...knowing Sam's soul was safe... but then he'd be stuck witht the soulless guy! Maybe being in Heaven could have healed it...but then there wouldn't be the itch to scratch!
IMO always implied.Comment
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Another excellent episode. Can't wait to see what Sam is like since he had his soul shoved back in.sigpicComment
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