The Companion

Hehe. Maybe the demons are just that bad at body maintenance. They aren't known for their patience and this one didn't exactly engage in non risky behavior with the stabbin' and the murderin'. Ah man, she would 100% be blamed for a kidnapping if they figure out who she is. This. It irritated me that Cas, of all people, blamed Sam who might have made better choices if he had been permitted to complete detox. Hey, Cas, you were part of the plan to actually cause the apocalypse, you let Sam out upon orders by people who wanted him to do exactly what he did and you delayed getting his brother to him. His brother who may have gotten through to him. Who actually did get Sam to stop for a minute. So, maybe acknowledge that the choices Sam made were engineered by your boss. Just saying. Agree with everyone on the tone shift. This almost felt like two different episodes. Both were good, but the shift was abrupt. The story of his conception and birth was pretty awful. It's one of the things that makes me uncomfortable about Castiel using Jimmy's body for sex, which first came up a few episodes ago. The violation is awful. Just once, it would be nice to have an adopted kid who isn't demony or murdery. I mean, I get the adoption being relevant to the story. It just frustrates me for my kid. At least this kid was awesome. I am saddened by the spoilers above that he doesn't come back. I really liked the actor and the concept. Castile's plan was so jacked up. Those poor parents would have woken up to a murdered son thinking they slept through it. He deserved to be action figured to think about what he had done. Lol.

I don't particularly like Paris Hilton (whi does?) but she did always seem to have a sense of humor about herself. Oddly enough, I just watched Veronica Mars and she guest starred in that, so I am seeing a lot more of her than I have in years. Thanks for the translation. FWIW, I have the closed captioning on for when it is low and I am pumping and it was really accurate the first couple of seasons. It was sometimes way off last season with lines that were never spoken or entirely different. I assumed they were pulling from the original script because they would be like the above example. Completely different. It also once said angles rather than angels. Lol. I really enjoyed this one. I totally googled James Dean's car. Hehe. Having Paris Hilton as the monster was hilarious. I thought some of the dialogue with regard to rebuilding the relationship was awkward, but I liked the underlying points enough to overlook it. It was sort of funny to see the thing that scared Dean. I don't remember him ever looking that freaked out. Everyone was a-ok with the creepy dead eyes of the wax figures *cringe*

This thread is a bit spoilery (as was the last), so I have largely skimmed. This was a great episode. I love a good post apocalyptic story. FutureDean was barely recognizable. Sacrificing his friends, showing no regret. JA did a fantastic job playing against himself. I think I have made my distrust of the angels clear. I find it interesting that he was told in In the Beginning that he couldn't change things, but here he is encouraged to. It is all so manipulative to me. I also found it interesting that the angels just left. I was glad to see him take a path other than the one advocated by the angels. It also made me wonder what "paradise on earth" would look like should the angels win. I suspect not like something that would be enough of a carrot to tempt Dean. Castiel standing by the road until the allotted time cracked me up.

Way way too pushy. I could have gotten behind some abbreviated scene where he went to some meetings and developed some coping mechanisms, but instead she just end up being nosy and intrusive. As a recovering alcoholic, you would expect her to know that not everyone is in a place to talk about their past with acquaintances. I agree. I hated the brothel and hated the pressure on Cass to have sex. It was played for laughs, but felt super awkward to me. The consent issues also bugged me. I am still squicked out about how Cass got his body, and the fact he is depriving his host of his body indefinitely. Now he is considering having sex with it. It leads to ethical questions but also, if he is unable to heal others, can he heal himself of STIs? Cause it is just rude to return a body with the clap. Yes. He couldn't have been clearer. My most generous interpretation is that she thought he was in recovery and knew the importance of a support network. But that feels pretty generous. There is something just wrong about the guys being separated, but I think the episode could have worked. It did in some respects. I liked Dean hunting alone and having fun with Castiel. It was fun to play with a different dynamic. By the way, did he kill a vampire that was killing pets? Interesting to have another reference to vampires who don't go after humans. I honestly didn't mind Sam trying to have some quiet anonymous recovery time. But, as mentioned above, some of the episode just didn't work for me.

I see you are working with a different definition of choice/consent than the angels. 😆 I didn't mean to equate the two. The actions of each are definitely distinguishable, as are the factors driving them.

So I am less mad at everyone in this episode because the trust issues and potential to slip back into addiction feel more authentic to me maybe? I don't know, the framework of the fracture in their relationship in this one works for me in a way the prior episode doesn't. I don't buy War's take, but I do buy Dean's fear that he can't keep his brother from slipping back into old habits. I really enjoyed this one. The mystery of the demons that didn't act like demons. The claustrophobia of that church basement. It wasn't a complete departure from the ongoing story but it was nice to have something a little different. Also, I loved having Ellen/Jo back.

I can definitely see that. And I agree that Sam took every wrong action. It just feels like everyone else also took some awful actions. I wonder if we would feel differently about Dean if we saw him torturing someone's soul and enjoying it (as he confessed). Where is the anger at the angels who actively kept Dean from intervening. Sam and Dean were both caught in this game. The demons and angels were both manipulating them. Dean's trust of the angels was just as misguided. I don't know, I think I am basically pissed at everyone. Lol. I think your point is really valid, though. It's about the betrayal. It's about Sam failing Dean. ETA spoiler from the next episode.

This drives me insane. And we have seen it as Bobby's standard protocol as well. What they should have done was have Bobby do his standard holy water test. Then the answer would be that the demon didn't use holy water. There is really no excuse not to do frequent holy water testing. It isn't hard to make. I didn't comment on the finale thread because I rolled on through (no cliffhangers when binging) but the threat pretty much covered what I was thinking. Looking at it continued in this episode, I feel like a total outlier because I feel like Dean is completely ignoring his own culpability. Ultimately, Sam was actually right. He was the only one who could take down Lilith. It just turns out doing so was a bad thing. Both got manipulated. Beyond that, I am not sure Dean gets to act like Sam caused the apocalypse while ignoring that he jumpstarted it. Just as he didn't realize he was breaking the first seal, Sam didn't realize he was breaking the last. Look, I don't actually expect perspective in such a short time, but I am also having trouble watching the blame Sam game. Turns out my speculation that Dean is a vessel is correct. I am happy to see Dean reject the Angel's, who apparently all need a refresher on what consent means. Interestingly, the devil had the softest touch, manipulation wise.

There is a lot of good discussion here and I think I am probably talking to myself anyway, but I can understand Sam. I don't think I end up where he is, but the first hit came at peak vulnerability. Living with survivor's guilt while his brother is in hell. He has nothing to live for other than going after Lillith. And then? How intoxicating must it be to banish demons. When he is at his highest highs, he is strong enough to rip demons from the bodies they inhabit. He can destroy them. Demons who took his mother, his father, his girlfriend and his brother. He has been thrown against walls by these entities and now he can do the throwing. He isn't helpless anymore. And addicts believe they have control. At least for some period if time. He said it in this episode. He thinks he can be in control. Of course he does. Addiction is so hard to fight because those who are fighting it believe they can control it. Denial is strong, and as I said in an earlier thread, people lie to themselves. And I do believe he has written himself as the hero in his own head. That he believes his justifications. I think his hallucinations showed us that. And those were stellar, especially opposite KidSam. Meanwhile, Dean and Bobby are grappling with some doubt. Could Sam stop the apocalypse? Is it worth his life and even his soul? Dean is no doubt thinking as a brother, but I think it is a nice contrast to the angels (and consistent with the no virgin sacrifice earlier this season). It make me concerned that he has given himself to the angels. And I don't think the parallels with the prior episode are coincidental. Like Jimmy, Dean gets a nonchoice here. The fight was awful. Dean was awful to Sam and Sam was worse. I am going to speculate below, so those of you who know what happen feel free to laugh at my wrongness. Spoiler tags in case someone else like me comes along.

I have been saying the angels are demons with better PR, so I am not surprised by the gross disregard for Jimmy and his family, but it still made me irrationally angry. I get that vessels are not plentiful, but are you telling me there aren't any vessels with no family to speak of? With terminal illnesses? Jimmy asked that his family be taken care of, and I don't think barely saving them from demons is what he had in mind. Castiel takes over, says something traumatizing to the daughter and, as far as I can tell, never thinks about them again. Castiel said he had the body with consent, and that is technically true, but there is no doubt that it wasn't informed consent either time. Jimmy doesn't have a clue what he is agreeing too the first time (and his life is already screwed up because people think he is crazy), and the second time is even worse. His options are to die and let his daughter endure the same misery or to take it on himself. That isn't exactly a choice. And do we think Castiel was actually going to use the daughter in that way? It is pretty hard to navigate the world as a little girl. I suspect he used Jimmy's daughter as much as the demons did. Blah blah the greater good, but it was pretty awful. A different awful than the demons, but not exactly better. At least throw the guy a cheeseburger, Castiel. Or, if you don't plan on ever letting him have his life back, send his soul on and use his body. I am assuming that is possible for angels. There is apparently no real life after angel possession, so why leave the host trapped in a semi conscious state of suffering. As for you, Winchester boys, maybe consider a holy water check when demons are about and you lose visual. 😆 What I didn't understand is why the daughter was safe. Did the demons who found the family not communicate, or is the hereditary nature of the vessels unknown? The Sam reveal was great. He looked pretty horrifying with blood all over his face.

Finally getting around to it 5 years later over here. 😆 I wonder if he placed and leaned back while giving Sam that speech. 🙄 Even though he was an absentee father and he shared more with Sam and Dean, the betrayal of knowing that their brother was raised in a normal manner with birthdays and baseball games had to hurt. Then to have him dead before they could meet. It's a lot to process. I suspect John would describe Sam and Dean as his real family while dipping his toe into this life was a fantasy. We have seen both boys fantasize about a normal life, so it is not surprising to see John indulge in that fantasy too. He had the wife and the kids and the picket fence. Some part of him is bound to miss that simpler time. That doesn't make John not awful, but I think it is understandable. I thought the point raised by the ghouls was interesting. Their father did nothing more than steal bodies. I mean, Sam and Dean dig up bodies and destroy them all the time. I suppose the ghoul is dangerous because of its ability to mimic the dead, but there is no indication of use of that ability at all. I think it is an interesting avenue, similar to the ethical vampires. Do all monsters need killing?

I love the book from which this episode stole its title. It was one of my favorites to read as a kid and I love reading it to my son. The REAL one. Thet re-released it with Elmo. Go away, Elmo, you already have the lion share of merchandise. Grover sees the title of the book and does everything he can to prevent you from turning the page. Then it turns out he is the monster and he was scared for nothing. The episode, in my opinion, borrows a bit of this theme. They are given a peek into upcoming events and try to stop them. I loved this episode, and that makes two in a row. I thought this was a good pairing with It's a Terrible Life. Something about the two flowed really well for me. The humor really worked for me. The attempt not to fight. The burger. The meta commentary on Sam and Dean girls and slash fiction and the bug episode. It was great. The story was great too. I honestly loved the resolution. It was clever. I felt for the prophet, though. He now knows that the stories are real. His joy in creating a story is now converted into a pretty specific horror. He knows the things he writes will come true and can't to anything about it. He is Cassandra with no way out. Onto Lillith and Sam's consideration of the deal. We know demons lie. While they are bound by these deals, they will also exploit loopholes. I feel like a lot more negotiating was necessary. I found the sex thing to be weird and it made me wonder if her goal wasn't something related to the sex. As far as the discussion of Sam's motives, I wonder if the original story had Dean going a lot darker. Being a lot more tortured. There have been hints of it, but his character has been fairly consistent with pre-hell Dean and it makes a lot of what the show is telling us nonsensical. If Dean felt like he spent 40 years in hell and if he felt somewhat broken, Sam's justifications would feel more authentic. Overall this episode felt a lot less disjointed than some of the other episodes this season. I really enjoyed it.

Truth! As a Tar Heel, I thought I misread it at first. Lol. I can't really contribute anything new to this thread. I loved this episode. It was hilarious and gory/gross and amazing. The deaths were horrifying. I can't with the microwaved head or the elevator. I loved the placement of this, personally. I think I needed some lightness and I needed the brothers working together for an episode.

I really wish the blood drinking hadn't been spoiled. So many people have mentioned it here. I think it would have taken me totally by surprise. This episode had a lot going on. I think I have said that I am not so sure that the angels aren't basically demons with better PR and that played out here, but it turns out that is because Uriel is playing for the wrong team. That being said, clearly there is a problem with the system if he can work it. I liked the reappearance of Anna and the creep of doubt for Castiel. As noted by Anna, it is hard to say you are the good guys if you are having someone relive hell and torture in your name. It was interesting that Dean was, in some ways, the tortured. Those incremental revelations to break him. I thought JA did some masterful work. There is a lot of Samhate. And maybe it is justified. But even with the arrogance, and the thin excuses, I get where Sam is in this episode. I can see how wielding that power would make you feel stronger than anyone else. I talked about it before, but I think the fact that Sam is slipping while believing he has control is so human. We all tell ourselves lies. The battle was fun to watch. I do wish they made Uriel a little more likeable because the twist meant you were rooting against him, but I already kinda hated him. Not just his species bias. He was pretty awful.

I feel like the first season had a string of interchangeable and forgettable mostly blonde women. I have been intrigued by women who have been introduced and then they get murdered. So I am with you. It would at least have been interesting to do something with Bela, who I really liked. She could have been a Bobby. Maybe shown some personal growth over time. At least she was an interesting counter to the guys. I also think Ruby is intriguing and could have been written long term (assuming she isn't). And I really liked Dean's ex, Cassie. There is a trope in horror of women in danger, and it would be nice to see it subverted. That is a bummer. Obviously, I am very late to the party, but I feel like that were several promising storylines that could have been. On to the episode. I loved the idea of a missing reaper. Other than senselessly killing Pamela, this episode was awesome. Tessa was such a cool character and it was awesome to have her back. I love the concept of the reaper shepherding souls rather than taking them. I thought her approach was consistent in this episode and it made it really good. There was some great humor in this one. The training scenes. The use of the weapons they use against them.

I liked this one, even though I figured out the twist. Sam is talking to the doctor and she is cool and all, but she isn't perfectly suited. Meanwhile Dean has a perfect match. The fight was hard to watch, but that also made it good. I enjoyed the use of the siren lore. I really enjoyed the take here.

This one was pretty bleak. I continue to find the flashbacks heartbreaking. As raised above, why even move them from school to school if you are going to be away anyway. I don't buy into the bully was actually sad twist. I mean, regardless of what he went through he was torturing another kid. It seemed a stretch to have him sticking up for the bullied. Maybe I just have the feels after I was on the receiving end for years. Everything up to and including the discussion with the teacher was depressing.

I am apparently into the portion of this season that is unpopular and I can see why. I didn't hate this episode. My Dad and brother were super into magic when I was growing up. I did magic tricks at every talent show. So, I enjoyed that aspect of it plus making fun of some of the modern magicians. I also love Barry Bostwick. And the escape from the ropes/ducking a tail was hilarious. So there was some good stuff for me in this episode. However, I think it was sloppy and didn't quite work. Why is everyone so sure the bad guy is dead? He was killed the same way (by transference) before and ended up alive as his younger self somehow. Why wouldn't the same happen again? And what was his plan? It was really muddled. Did he plan to have his friend keep performing before he was caught? Would the two men have died of he went on stage and woken up as their younger selves? What was the point of killing the other magicians if he planned to reboot his buddies anyway? It would have made sense to at least have Sam drop a line about last year's search for immortality. His best option had nothing on the magic trick method. And speaking of Sam and Dean, their characterization is all over the place. The story feels shoehorned in. The discussion of how this ends made no sense to me. Sam acknowledged there is no going back just a few episodes ago. I don't understand how he thinks destroying Lilith will end the hunt for all evil. It certainly wouldn't have stopped the bad guy this week. Maybe dumb question: I am a little confused about demon-body rules. Ruby could apparently feel the torture, in which case switching bodies afterward rather than healing might have made sense. But demons inhabit dead and injured bodies with no problem. Do the bodies heal? Wouldn't the body remain in the same condition? If so, would it hurt? ETA: I totally thought we were getting another trickster here. Assholes were dying. Killed by magic. Seemed like trickster humor.

Poor doggy. I found this episode really disappointing. It made no sense. I am all for hand waving, particularly in the horror genre, but this one had holes you could drive the moving truck through. I think y'all have covered most of them. The writers couldn't decide if they were feral or not. There were several bizarre nonsensical choices. The timeline made no sense. Then there is Dean's confession. Again, the groundwork has not been laid. He should be written a lot darker. I usually like the horror movie episodes. I just didn't feel like this one held up.

I have been waiting for the big reveal. It has been set up all season and there have been spoiler tags making it clear something was coming. Did Dean make a deal? Find a way to fit in as he does so well? So, here it is and I am disappointed. As so many said above, Dean has not been written nearly broken enough to make 30 years of perpetual torture and 40 years of extreme trauma plausible. There hasn't been enough. He is largely unchanged. I think this was a miss. Jensen sold the fudge out of it, though. Commenting on the actual story this episode and the prior one: I thought the angels were not so different from the demons before and I think that holds up. These are warring factions and humans are expendable. Absolute obedience is required. I liked the concept of a fallen angel. I liked Anna. I didn't buy the sex, and nobody has ever had non awkward sex in a backseat. Lol. But I loved the question of what to do when you have these two competing forces, both of whom want Anna. The actual battle was a little underwhelming. Would angels and demons really fight in human form? I sound really negative, but I did like this overall. I like the addition of the angels and the fallen angel concept. One thing that I am still trying to put together: so, demons are established to be humans. With the information Dean gave us, does that mean that they basically follow the same path? Tortured to torturer to basically working in the hierarchy?

The teddy bear just about killed me. Then I was dressing my daughter and realized her onesie had a teddy bear not unlike the one in the show, which cracked me up. This was a fun episode. I loved that Dean asked for a sandwich. Todd was hilarious and Audrey's parents look sunburned and less than relaxed. The town and mountains were gorgeous. I want to go to there Agree on the tone change comments. The final scenes were well done but felt tacked on

It's my first watch, so I am excited to see where it goes.

2 years later . . . he did try to use the knife. He cut the guy in the arm and the knife got thrown across the room. I am sure this has been bothering you all that time. Lol. I had to skim some of these comments because spoilers! So, sorry for any repetitiveness. I want to take a moment to talk about the most unbelievable, least plausible moment I have ever seen on the show. Zombies, vampires, ghosts? Sure. Children actually wearing their masks on Halloween? As the mother of a 6 year old, I can attest to this being impossible. 😆 I loved the double twist on the witch's identity. The use of the urban legends was also great and horrifying. And Dean's candy addiction (hey Dean, you owe Baby an apology. Maybe don't fat shame the kid for eating candy when you ate it all. Lol). The moment where poor Sam went all fan boy only to be crushed was so sad. He looked so devastated. I still think the angels are not so far from the demons in the trustworthiness department. Given the orders, you have two brothers who are sort of set up as opposing leaders. Dean as leader of the angels, Sam as leader of the demons. All very biblical.

I agree with everything here. The writers swung and missed a bit. I think part of it is messing with the chemistry of the characters and part of it was trying to make this funny. I suspect Sam was exasperated in part because taking it seriously would change the tone of the episode. It ignores his character in favor of plot. I do think there were some parts that read Sam (assuring him they had a good plan, for example, to keep Dean calm), but there was no urgency and that just didn't work. There were some good parts and some funny parts. Plus Eye of the Tiger, which is already my hype song (listened to it to get myself ready for the bar lol). Maybe I missed something, but what was the deal with the brother talking about fear spreading? Was that supposed to be coincidence? A red herring? The line floated like an anvil.

The image of Dracula on a moped was amazing. I may have to turn it into a curse. SWEET DRACULA ON A MOPED! Also the all things involving the pizza. 😆 I love the idea of a shapeshifter as classic monsters. The ultimate cosplay. I love the reveal that he identified with the monsters to deal with being born a shapeshifter. I love old movies and the horror genre. The camp was fantastic. Jamie is not the one for you Dean. You said a mission from God and she asked "like a monk?" not "like a Blues Brother?"