5.03 Soul Survivor

[SoCal]

After last week's tremendous episode, I think we're all trembling in our boots to see how Sam deals with DDean. Watch, rate, dicuss.

[AntiArbitrator]

"You're welcome. " lol

If Dean becomes weepy and maudlin like Crowley did, I don't know if I will laugh or cry.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using proboards

[SoCal]

Does Dean hunt down Sam in the MOL bunker before or after Sam injects him with his blood?

[SoCal]

Hey, in one of those photos from this episode, we see Crowley kneeling over an obviously hurt and bleeding Castiel. Crowley is holding a vial in his hand. Is it Castiel's grace? Is it the grace of another angel that Castiel can use to keep going a little longer? I only ask because Cas looks a lot better in later photos and in the MOL bunker with Sam.

[AntiArbitrator]

SoCal That sounds wonderful. 18 more minutes! Going to look at photos first though.

[LoveMyBoys]

Once again I feel emotionally uneasy. I liked it, but I also found it a bit anticlimactic somehow. Maybe that's because DemonDean was over so quickly. We'll have to see if (hope!) he returns at some point later in the season.

I did wonder last episode how Lester managed to find out about crossroad demons and make a deal to have his wife killed, so it was nice to see that answered. Personally, I don't think what Sam did makes him all that monstrous--perhaps what little I heard of/was spoiled on that was played up too much--but it is definitely shadier behavior than they used to be guilty of. Will this be one of the themes explored this season?

And when Sam said those things about family, I had to stop my DVR for a second and was all, 'Oh god, are people going to be pissed about that--I can hear the internet complaining now.' I just hope it's a sign that the writers have finally wised up and will stop having him flip-flop back and forth on such matters. But I know a lot of people are going to have a lot to say on that.

MAN did it take Cas and Hannah forever to get there! Any other time they can cover great distances in no time flat, but this trip extended over multiple episodes. Sheesh! At least he made it before it was all over, or I knew people would be pissed about that, too. (Which I'm sure the writers realized.) Interesting visual dichotomy between Cas' glowing angel eyes and Dean's black demon eyes.

ETA: I don't think Sam was in Dean's room eating pie while he was gone, so that leftover slice would have been nasty and moldy by now.

[SoCal]

LMB, I agree with you on all your observations about the episode. I was hoping for more.

Cas and Hannah's endless road trip just seemed like filler until they reached the gas station where the rogue angel just happened to show up. Did enjoy Crowley's ending her and using her grace to heal Cas. I was wondering why Hannah came out of the store and was still bloodied since she is a fully powered angel and could have healed herself immediately?

I wonder how Sam was able to drag Dean into the MOL bunker and tie him up with no help? Those handcuffs must have more mojo than I thought.

Enjoyed Demon!Dean's taunting of Sam and Sam able to see through it and keep talking to his "brother." Reminded me of "Swan Song" when Dean did the same for Samifer.

Wanted to see more of Dean's healing process with the sanctified blood. But loved when Cas grabbed him in a body lock and his eyes shone bright blue and Dean's were black.

Sam leaving to get Dean some food and then "get drunk" seemed a bit off as well. With all the crap Demon!Dean had probably downed and all the alcohol he had been drinking, it would seem some chicken soup would have been a better option. Glad to see Sam tell Cas that they could worry about Dean's still having the MOC later. "One battle at a time."

Sort of anti-climactic with Dean and Cas in Dean's room.

Enjoyed it but, again, I was hoping for more.

[AntiArbitrator]

Chicken soup!I guess that is only for us normal folks.

I am impressed that Jensen was able to direct the episode and spend as much time as he did in front of the camera.

I enjoyed it too, but I have to agree the road trip was rather tedious and I kept waiting for something to happen. I wondered if Hannah was deliberately delaying the trip by "getting lost" because she did not want Castiel anywhere near Dean. I am happy that Castiel has power now, but I do not think the angel deserved the predicament Hannah put her in. It was clever to have Crowley do the deed. 

Crowley was entertaining, as usual. His Majesty certainly ruled with a cold heart. He looked so bored and he still misses his Dean. His demon put on quite a performance before torching himself, but he pointed out that Crowley's inability to control Dean was terrible for morale. I think that is why Crowley went to Castiel and now that Dean is no longer a demon, Crowley's minions can ignore his inability to control Dean. Win-win.

I enjoyed the scenes with Dean and Sam. Sam looked as if he was suffering as much as Dean. I was shocked at Dean's choice of a claw hammer as a weapon because it seemed so brutal. Then, when he swung it at Sam, I gasped. Holy crap! Thank you Castiel for arriving in time. 

Dean was changing before he died, so I do not expect him to be the way he was before the Mark. I wonder if he will be careful to try to hide what is going on inside him. He no longer has the First Blade so that might help.

P.S. If Jared only popped his shoulder, how long does Sam have to wear a sling?

[AntiArbitrator]

Oh...I forgot to mention that when Hannah was walking into the store, I noticed she really has some junk in her trunk. Too bad Cas has not noticed or he might pay more attention to her feminine form.

[Deleted]

Poor Sammy!!!! Crowley has to be in love with Dean. I can't believe he gave Cas his grace back.

[Deleted]

Oct 22, 2014 20:30:00 GMT -5 AntiArbitrator said:

P.S. If Jared only popped his shoulder, how long does Sam have to wear a sling?

Oooh so that's why hes still in the sling?

[Aeryn]

Oct 22, 2014 21:27:48 GMT -5 AntiArbitrator said:

Oh...I forgot to mention that when Hannah was walking into the store, I noticed she really has some junk in her trunk. Too bad Cas has not noticed or he might pay more attention to her feminine form.

Yeah, that girl has a big ass.

[AntiArbitrator]

C'mon novemberschild ! I wanna know if you liked it 

I really did enjoy it. After I watch Arrow, I am going to watch "Soul Survivor" again. I can relax now that I know Dean did not become weepy and did not mar Sam's pretty face with a claw hammer. And I get to see Castiel's bright blue eyes again.

I would have enjoyed hearing"Soul Survivor" while Crowley reminisced his time with Dean.

[AntiArbitrator]

Additional thoughts while re-watching the episode:

Why was the priest so darn nervous while he was blessing the blood? I wonder what Doctor Sam told him.

I liked the music that was playing while Sam approached the bunker; it had a tribal rhythm.

That sanctified blood certainly caused Dean a lot of pain, “…drowning in your own sweat while your blood boils” …maybe that’s why he wanted to use a claw hammer on Sam. 

Really must not gloss over the flashback of Sam telling the husband about making a deal with a demon, and Dean pushed Sam’s buttons with that revelation. I understand now why Sam might feel guilty about the things he did to locate Dean.

Volunteering to be Crowley’s wing man has dire consequences, like a deadly finger snap. After being with Dean, no one else can measure up.

When Castiel was using metaphors to explain to Hannah that emotions and feelings were distractions they could not afford, I think he did realize Hannah “liked” him and was warning her off. She took the hint, but she still waited in the car while Castiel went into the bunker. Is love in the air?

TPTB came up with a decent explanation for Dean being able to escape from the devil’s trap.

That was a smooth move by Crowley when he slit the angel’s throat. Quick draw McCrowley.

Women with red hair are dangerous–Abaddon reincarnated?

[novemberschild]

LOL, ok Anti, here I am.
Before I get into what I thought about the episode, here is a little bit of info on Jared's shoulder. When he originally hurt it, he actually broke something in the shoulder and didn't know it, so when he got it looked at they did x-ray's and saw the break. He then had surgery on his shoulder and that was why he has had the sling so long and since Bob Singer had an injury like that once, they wrote it into the script so that Jared wouldn't strain his shoulder while shooting.

OK, I gave it a 3, only because there isn't a 3.5 to choose from. I liked it but not as much as last week. I thought the Crowley parts in the throne room dragged the episode down, but here's a bit of trivia for you, the young demon standing next to Crowley handing him papers is Mark's Sheppard's son.
I still have lots of questions about Crowley and I only have more now, why did he help Cas? What is his real intention in helping Sam and Cas out? Since he has the Blade is he planning on using it at a later time to use Dean for something? Since the Blade calls Dean, this can't end well and I think at some point the blade will come back and cause Dean to become a demon again, or close to it.

I loved Sam in this, he never backed down from Dean, he never wavered in his love for Dean even when Dean was nasty to him. I also don't think what he did (Lester) was all that bad, he needed a Demon and that was what he had to do to get one. He didn't make Lester do anything, he didn't force him into the deal and didn't hold a gun to his head, and since it was a means to an end I was ok with it. We all know you can't make grown people do anything they don't want to. Sam did what had to be done to get Dean back and I think it was fantastic what he did, I think he showed Dean this time that he would stop at nothing to "find him" and get him back and he did.
and let's be shallow for a minute Dr. Sexy SAM ! WOW can we see him like that more often???

Cas was so tired, and worn out yet he still went to help Dean and Sam. I know he is not a blood brother, but he is a honorary brother in my opinion, only their closest friends have done those types of things for them. I was happy that he told Hannah that they needed to focus on the mission, Cas has spent enough time around humans to know that romantic situations don't end well when in connection with the Winchesters. Even when Crowley was going to give him grace he still tried to resist it, he didn't want an angel to die for him. I really like this deeper friendship between Sam and Cas, I like Sam having a sounding board. I liked that Cas seemed resolute in what might have to be done to Dean if the purified blood treatment didn't work.

I actually got the sense at the very beginning of the episode when the camera panned up to Dean that he was almost a feral, wild animal in how he acted. When the growls and deep screams started Sam seemed scared and I was too. I thought Jensen/Sean was so scary, and yet controlled, when he and Sam were talking he would start to get a smile on his face but it didn't reach his eyes, so you could see he was just playing with Sam, trying to wear him down and looking for an opening to get free.
I was glad to see him say he was glad to see Cas, and to thank him, but I am going to need him to say it to Sam and hey, while we are at it, let's have a brother hug? Please?

I was actually feeling a little disappointed and feeling let down at the end like some others were, but when I watched it one more time, I watched the very end of Dean's transformation and I saw in his eyes, the realization of what has happened to him and the guilt and knowledge of what he had done. We all know Dean carries the weight of the world, but maybe he and Sam will talk and he can let some of it go. I think he is going to have a hard time coming to grips with what he has done, but maybe since Sam went thru hell to get him back, it will help ease his mind a little knowing how much his brother loves him.

I did like Jensen's directing very much, the difference between the light sunny, and open shots with Cas and Hannah, and the dark, narrow shots with Sam and Dean. I also like the contrast of Dean's demon eyes and Cas's blue angel eyes.

[Deleted]

I saw something about Mark Sheppard's son appearing in the episode. Anyone know who he played?

[AntiArbitrator]

November, thanks for the information about the shoulder and the tidbit about Sheppard's son, which I think is delightful. I am going to take another peek at him.

Yep, Dean certainly seemed feral at the beginning - very scary. Most demons appear ugly to me when they are being feral, but, darn it, Dean never stopped being gorgeous no matter how mean he was being.

Sam certainly was Dr. Sexy. I am not holding what Sam did against him, but he might feel guilty.

Looks like vampires next week.

[AntiArbitrator]

Oct 23, 2014 21:16:36 GMT -5 @smallvillian0 said:

I saw something about Mark Sheppard's son appearing in the episode. Anyone know who he played?

Info is in November's post.