S07.E02: Hello, Cruel World

[Demented Daisy]

The leviathans destroy Castiel's body and break loose. Now Sam, Dean, and Bobby have to track them all down. Meanwhile, Sam is beginning to struggle with what is real and what is an hallucination.

 

 

Didn't get to pay much attention today -- dusting, ugh -- but it does have one of the best lines of the season, IMO:

 

 

This discussion does not require a weapons discharge!

 

 

[DittyDotDot]

This is probably my favorite episode from S7...and yes, I'm one of the five people who actually liked S7. Not only the quote that @Demented Daisy pointed out, but I also love the discussion where Sam is explaining he's seeing Lucifer and Dean tries to tell him he's not real and Sam's like "he says the same about you." That part always gets a giggle out of me--how does one argue with that?

 

Anyway, not here on the re-watch yet, so reserve the right to return and add more when I get caught up.

[catrox14]

Does that make me 1 of 5 or the 6th that likes s7.  I LOVE this episode and the scene with Dean trying to talk Sammy off the ledge just punches me in the heart every time.

[SueB]

7th person! Or did you already count me? And Dean once again restores Baby. Because THIS he can do.

[Amerilla]

If I'm the 7th person to have liked S7, do I win some sort of prize?

I, too, loved the scene with Dean talking Sam back to rational. Tying him back to logic by using the scar to anchor him was a great touch.

[DittyDotDot]

Wow, so there's more than five of us, eh? That makes me so happy! ;)

 

Sorry @Amerilla, I have no prizes other than the knowledge that you belong to a select group of very savvy folks.

 

Sorry, I used to hate it when my mother would say I'd get my reward in heaven.

Edited August 12, 2014 by DittyDotDot

[AwesomO4000]

Continuing my season 7 love from the first episode, I thought that this one was almost as strong. I, too, loved the talking Sam down scene with Sam and Dean and the scar (My favorite scene of the episode), and I love it even more knowing that there was actually continuity there and Jared/Sam made that a continuing thing throughout the season where sometimes he was pressing on his hand almost in the background. I thought that was a nice touch.

 

I didn't enjoy some of the Leviathan exposition in the middle of this one as much as I liked the Castiel storyline and calling Death of the first episode, but the parts with Jodi in the hospital were great. Dean's emotion on losing Castiel - and Jensen's choice to have Dean save Cas' coat - were also well done, and it set up some of the nuances of the leviathans nicely. I liked Sam and his Lucifer hallucinations - I agree with DittyDotDot on that one. It was hard to argue with Hallucifer's logic there. And the ending was strong and full of as much tension as I'd seen in a while on this show as to what was going to happen next. Dean's panic at thinking he'd lost Bobby and then getting his leg broken and not being able to help Sam was well done, as was his dawning realization that he was headed to the one place in the world he didn't want to go, and that there was absolutely nothing he could do to stop it.

 

I thought this was another strong episode, and the strong parts put it for me on par or slightly ahead of the season opener which I already loved.

[Demented Daisy]

I guess I'm, the weirdo ;-), because I don't think of the show in terms of seasons, more like story lines.  So, when asked about season 7, I have to really think of what happened in the season -- which was quite a lot.  Some of it was very, very good; some very, very bad.  Ask me about the Leviathan story line and I can give a quick opinion.  Same with Sam's Hellucinations, Dean's guilt, Cas' rise and fall, etc etc etc.

 

So, am I a fan of season 7?  Not necessarily, but I don't hate it, either.  

Season 9 might be the only season I come close to "hating".

 

Not really a spoiler, but better safe than sorry, right?

[mertensia]

I admit it: I like most of season 7. I think James Patrick Stuart did a good job as Dick Roman and at least these were big bads with a different agenda.

When I rewatch this I always realize this was a more solid episode than I think it is.

[catrox14]

If I'm the 7th person to have liked S7, do I win some sort of prize?

I, too, loved the scene with Dean talking Sam back to rational. Tying him back to logic by using the scar to anchor him was a great touch.

It might make you SevenofNine :)

[DittyDotDot]

I guess I'm, the weirdo ;-), because I don't think of the show in terms of seasons, more like story lines.  So, when asked about season 7, I have to really think of what happened in the season -- which was quite a lot.  Some of it was very, very good; some very, very bad.  Ask me about the Leviathan story line and I can give a quick opinion.  Same with Sam's Hellucinations, Dean's guilt, Cas' rise and fall, etc etc etc.

 

So, am I a fan of season 7?  Not necessarily, but I don't hate it, either.  

Season 9 might be the only season I come close to "hating".

 

You're not the weirdo anymore than I am. I usually think of the seasons as different books in a series of books--some books were more engaging than others. While S7 isn't my favorite book, I did enjoy a great deal of it. It comes fairly close to how I feel about S3, actually.

 

I'm totally with you about S9.

[Amerilla]

I can't say enough about how much I loved Mark Pellegrino's turn as Hallucifer, in this episode and throughout his S7 run. That combination of being wickedly funny and completely skin-crawlingly evil was just a joy/trauma to watch.

 

The power of that scene with Lucifer egging Sam on to the edge and Dean talking him down was just amazing. Especially since Jared is so physically large compared to Jensen and Mark, seeing Sam look so fragile and lost and frantic, stuck between these opposing forces of love and hate, was one of the emotional highlights of the season.  

 

It might make you SevenofNine :)

 

HA! If only I looked so good in Borg Bondage wear.

 

Sorry, I used to hate it when my mother would say I'd get my reward in heaven.

 

Hey, it's something to look forward to. Although the SPN version of angels don't make heaven look all that appealing anymore. (Unless they ALL look like Misha.)

[DittyDotDot]

Hey, it's something to look forward to. Although the SPN version of angels don't make heaven look all that appealing anymore. (Unless they ALL look like Misha.)

 

Except I'm probably going to Hell, so I guess that means no reward for me. ;)

[Amerilla]

Except I'm probably going to Hell, so I guess that means no reward for me. ;)

 

 

Well... per his Twitter feed, Mark Sheppard has been working out *a lot* lately..... ;-)

[catrox14]

I was really impressed with Jared, but as usual Jensen ruins my life with his acting.  I knew something wasn't quite right with Dean when he came back into the house but I thought it was Dean just being really irritable and impatient and freaked out. But then in the car when he started mocking Sam, I was like okay something is wrong here, but again it was subtle enough that I thought Dean was being an ass. Then Jensen totally channeled Mark Pellegrino once they got into the warehouse right before they visually shifted Dean into Lucifer. Then I was like holy crap, Jensen was totally playing Lucifer playing Dean that whole time. And it was BRILLIANT.  Then he shifts back to regular!Dean trying to talk Sammy down.  ALL THE AWARDS TO JENSEN.  (what do you mean he's never been nominated for an Emmy...YOU ASSHOLES!)

[DittyDotDot]

It was pretty well played and even though I had it figured out from the moment he took that beer out of Sam's hand, it was brilliantly subtle and awesome. I would give them both kudos because even though Jensen walked that line almost perfectly, Jared also didn't give the gag away--he sometimes has a tendency to overdo it a bit, but here he was perfectly clueless. And I agree @Amerilla, they way Jared played the confused and lost little boy was great. And, probably one of the reasons I actually didn't mind Sam's hallucinations in S7 is solely due to Mark Pellegrino. It's not like they made much more sense or were any more consistent than how they did SoullessSam, but Mark's Lucifer that season was perfect, IMO.

[catrox14]

Except I'm probably going to Hell, so I guess that means no reward for me. ;)

 

 

Man, now you've got me thinking that a stint in Hell might not be so bad if s9 spoilers

if I will be tortured with the worst kind of torture that torture has ever seen at the hands of Demon!Dean Winchester dressed like he is was in Captives and/or Lazarus Rising.or the Harper's Bazaar photoshoot. You know come to think of it..clothes are overrated. Talk about cognitive dissonance and confusing pleasure/pain responses...

....

[supposebly]

A lot to love about this one. There was a lot that wasn't said but the imagination is racing and it's making me slightly sick. Kudos to Mark Pellegrino and Jared.

 

I like how the Leviathans are slowly trying to get  a handle on things and getting it wrong a bit, like the girl becoming a surgeon based on Doctor Sexy, M.D.

 

Honorable dialogue mention besides the obvious:

Sheriff Mills: Bobby Singer? My surgeon is a monster.

[DittyDotDot]

I think this is probably the best overall episode of the season for me. I just adore the way they transition from the lab to Bobby's with Sam's dream/hallucinations and I'm a sucker for the brotherly moments, so I adore Dean and Bobby bandaging Sam's hand. I actually adore Lucifer taunting Sam even though it doesn't make a hellava lot of sense. I also adore Dean's whole "what the hell" when he learns Sam's seeing Lucifer. And I adore Bobby and Dean here. And I adore Dean trying to stuff his grief over Cass down. And I adore the "this discussion doesn't require a weapons discharge" stuff and Dean's "stone one" advice to Sam. And there's also Jodi, who I adore. There's really a lot of nice character work happening in this episode, IMO. 

 

I do have an irritation about the look of the Leviathans being cartoony big teethy mouths complete with Rolling Stone tongues and kinda wish they'd never even tried to show their original form to us, but at least they still seemed interesting at this stage in the game.

 

So, have I used the word adore enough for you to get that I adore this episode? No? Okay I adore this episode. Hee!

Edited December 20, 2014 by DittyDotDot

[Goldmoon]

I am just now doing a re-watch for the first time ever.  I had never seen any ep more than once and not since it aired.  I got the dvd/blu ray's recently (Jensen's stubble and freckles on BD, yowsa) and I don't have fond memories of the show after season 3.  This was the ep that I stopped watching.  They killed Cas.  I had four more 7.3-7.6 on my DVR but I deleted them unwatched after this one and took SPN off my DVR scheduler.  I didn't watch again afterward until this season although I (later) knew Cas came back and Mark Sheppard makes everything better.  Anyway, at the time, I thought it was pretty clear that Cas was gone for good and it felt like a big FU to the fans, but somebody got smart and brought Misha back. As I watched Seasons 4 and 5 again, I really liked them, and have a new appreciation of the dynamic between the characters, mostly Sam and Dean, with Cas too.  I am on S6 for my rewatch and hating it.  As much as I liked Mitch P. on X-Files, I can't stand his character or the Campbell drama.  Don't like Dean being tied to a place either, as when Lisa invites him to come "home."  Home is on the road with Sam.

 

When I get to the rewatch of this one, it will go down a lot better knowing that Dean's Angel will be back.

[AwesomO4000]

I am on S6 for my rewatch and hating it.

 

Even though I did like soulless Sam for a little while, I enjoyed the second half of season 6 as a whole much more than the first half.

 

When I get to the rewatch of this one, it will go down a lot better knowing that Dean's Angel will be back.

 

I hope you enjoy it more this time. I love this episode, especially for the "stone one" scene, and it's a nice two-parter with the first episode. Although some of the next 3 episodes are a bit tough to get through, I think you'll like "Slash Fiction" right after that. That one is in my top 10-15 for the entire series. If you haven't seen that episode yet, I'll be interested to see your comments after viewing - lucky you if you are watching it for the first time.

[Goldmoon]

Thannks Awesome.  I haven't seen anything between 7.02 and 9.22/23.  I just started watching again when they aired the special at the beginning of S10 and I accidentally caught it.  Looking forward to meeting Benny and seeing some humour and the rumours of Destial to come (sorry if you are not a fan) are tantalizing.

[AwesomO4000]

Oh, I do not mind Benny or Destiel. In general, I happen to prefer Sastiel and their relationship, but I can get on board with the Destiel relationship as well. So my problem wasn't with Benny or the Destiel relationship, it was with the rest of the season 8 offering, but my complaints mostly have to do with Sam and what they did to his character, so that may not affect you as much since you are a Dean girl.

 

As for season 7, I ended up enjoying it as a whole even more so than season 4 even if the finale wasn't as strong as some past seasons. I'm one of the few who really enjoyed the leviathans and the whole season arc of them - rather than the recent breaking the season up into two parts trend. I will look forward to what you, as a first time viewer, think of this season, season 8, and season 9.

 

I hope we can get another season 7 recruit. ; ) . It's one of my favorite brother relationship seasons... there's a bump, but it's not dragged out, and the boys come out stronger for it, in my opinion, so don't worry.

 

Oh, yeah - on topic... For me this episode is a strong start to the season, and sets the tone for the brothers' relationship throughout the season.

Edited February 25, 2015 by AwesomO4000

[catrox14]

I like s7 for the most part

[AwesomO4000]

I remember, catrox. And you and I share the same fondness for a certain leviathan leader.

[GirlyGeek]

Just got here for my re watch. Hadn't watched season 7 since it first aired, but in general I don't recall loving the Leviathans or this season. BUT, I have learned that my old precepts haven't necessarily held true in this re watch at all, cause I've really enjoyed it all (mostly).

I LOVE this episode and the season opener. This whole ep just works for me in so many ways. Sam's hallucinations are great, Dean trying to hold it together, being so angry with Cas but still missing him and being devastated about him dying, Bobby being supportive guy again, etc.

The scene with Dean Lucifer and Sam was all kinds of awesome. Dean literally said he was Sam's cornerstone (without saying it cheesily, lol) and it was well played by Jensen and Jared.

Then when they get to Bobbys you can literally see Dean break a little more with the burning house. Like he just can't handle one.more.thing! Awww

The ending was very good, suspenseful and WOW, I just don't remember loving this episode so much. Yay :)

[GirlyGeek]

After finally getting here in my re-watch, I still agree with my assessment above, ha ha 

Great episode.  Love the mounting tensions and Dean's phone call when searching for Bobby. "Gonna strap my Beautiful Mind brother into the car and drive off the pier"  LOL, but in a sad tragic way cause I believe he's not joking (much).

The warehouse scene is still 100% gold.  "This discussion does not require a weapons discharge!"  hee hee

I leave this episode wondering how in the world Dean isn't in a straight jacket somewhere.  The amount of loss and pressure he's been under for seasons now is staggering.  And I love watching Sam try to keep it all together, partly because he sees the cracks in Dean's armor.  I don't see him a lying to Dean in this instance- he really is trying to get a grip on a situation that, frankly, Dean couldn't help him with anyway.  He's trying to spare Dean's emotional wellbeing.

The end scene amuses me.  They're in dire straights with zero hope when Dean actually dials 911 for an ambulance!

 

[Hanahope]

I thought it was pretty quick that the Leviathans 'out grew' Cas' body.  Poor Misha, you don't get to play the fun bad guy(s) all season, or even for more than an episode's worth.  

Interesting that they inhabit random people, and one got a young girl, but I guess she learned how to overcome that obstacle.

I almost didn't recognize Sheriff Mills with the haircut (good thing for previouslies).  

The hallucinations with Lucifer are pretty fun, I can see how its totally messing Sam up, not knowing what is real.  But, assuming Lucifer is right that what Sam sees is an hallucination, then the gun really wouldn't hurt anyone at all, so why does he keep shooting things?  And vice versa, if Lucifer is the hallucination, shooting at him won't do any good either.  Good for Dean to use Sam's injury to ground him.

How do these brothers not know each other better, considering all the time they spend together?  First Dean goes how long before he realizes Sam was seriously not right after they meet up in S6, and now Sam is believing Dean would really say those things to him?

[Katy M]

3 hours ago, Hanahope said:

 But, assuming Lucifer is right that what Sam sees is an hallucination, then the gun really wouldn't hurt anyone at all, so why does he keep shooting things?  And vice versa, if Lucifer is the hallucination, shooting at him won't do any good either.  Good for Dean to use Sam's injury to ground him.

It's just Lucifer that's the hallucination, not the gun.  But, he's shooting at it because he's insane and he'll do anything to make that go away.

 

3 hours ago, Hanahope said:

First Dean goes how long before he realizes Sam was seriously not right after they meet up in S6, and now Sam is believing Dean would really say those things to him?

I think Dean realized pretty quick that something was not right with sam in S6, but he probably figured it was cage PTSD.  And, to be fair to Sam, Dean does say some pretty harsh things to him sometimes.

[bettername2come]

Three episodes in a row that are just back to back to back. It's really well done and not something you see that often, especially on this show. Jared plays that moment of contemplation where he seems to believe he's still in the cage really well. Leviathan in the water supply, leviathan in the water supply! The trench coat! "Well, he was friends with us, wasn't he? Can't get much dumber than that." Oh, chuck, that use of "Black Water" could not be more perfect. Sam's so pretty when he sleeps. Love the lighting in this scene when Sam wakes up, their eyes look gorgeous. Jody! "He might not know your appendix from your vagina." All right, point to random old lady, 'cause that was well-delivered. Jody faking sleep to hide from evil doctor is genius. "Kiss my ass, Dr. Monsterface." You know what, I have way too many Supernatural quotes to use in real life. The hallucination of Lucifer trying to talk Sam into killing himself is probably the most psychologically terrifying thing they've ever done on this show. "This discussion does not require a weapons discharge." Dean connecting to Sam over shared experience in hell was well done. I love Dean in this moment. It's a great bonding moment. Not the house! The books, the beautiful books! Dean's voicemail to Bobby is heartbreaking. Sam does not need a head injury on top of everything else. A Winchester calling 911 is not a good sign. 

Dang I like these two episodes. I may need to reassess my opinion of season 7, even though it's the season where I stopped watching regularly. I don't like the leviathans. The monster and leviathan plots just didn't compare with the Lucifer plot for me. 

[Wayward Son]

Ugh, I will forever hate this episode for being the one where they decided the best way to handle the conclusion of Cas' arc was dumping him in a stupid lake! 

Screw you Gamble and Screw you Edlund! 

[RulerofallIsurvey]

Apparently only getting spattered in the face with black goo is enough to stuff a leviathan in you.  

I liked that Sam was honest with Dean and Bobby about his hallucinations - and about his reasons for not talking about them earlier.  Shallow moment: Jared's hair is yummy in this scene.  'Lucifer's' explanations (like how it had to be bad for Sam to believe it was real) actually makes sense to me. Sam's eyes filling up with tears when he says "He says the same thing about you." is beautiful acting.  

Biggerson's has a pie bar.  Why have we never seen Dean discover this?

Of course Sam is field stripping his weapon.  I don't know why this in and of itself is so concerning.  It's the Sam equivalent of Dean working on Baby.  Except Sam doesn't work on Baby, so field stripping his weapon is the one thing he can do.  

Spoiler

I like the continuity in a later season (can't remember which) when Sam is in the kitchen of the bunker field stripping his weapon when he can't sleep.

I like how Jody immediately picks up on the 'weird' after having met the Winchesters.  And following the strangely acting doctor while towing her IV bag is pretty awesome.  I like Bobby putting Jody in a taxi to get her safe before going back to investigate.  

I like the attention to little things that the show does.  The name on the 'office' building is "Morningstar Endeavors LTD."  The little flash of Sam holding the keys when he gets out of the car, even though 'Dean' was driving is a nice clue that all is not how it seems.  

 Interesting how the hell pain is different from real-life corporal pain.  Sam pressing on his stitches enough to make them bleed so Lucifer will go away makes me flinch.

Bobby's house being burned down does make me sad - just the loss of all the books alone.  Solid ending - you know it's bad when Dean Winchester has to call 911.  And heading to Sioux Falls General - Eek!

[DittyDotDot]

1 hour ago, RulerofallIsurvey said:

Of course Sam is field stripping his weapon.  I don't know why this in and of itself is so concerning.  It's the Sam equivalent of Dean working on Baby.  Except Sam doesn't work on Baby, so field stripping his weapon is the one thing he can do.  

Yeah, but when the person who doesn't know what's real or not is handling a weapon--and is sitting there quietly and methodically taking it apart and putting it back together as a way to hold on to this reality--I think that's a cause for concern, myself. ;)

1 hour ago, RulerofallIsurvey said:

you know it's bad when Dean Winchester has to call 911.

Ain't that the damn truth!!!

[RulerofallIsurvey]

8 hours ago, DittyDotDot said:

Yeah, but when the person who doesn't know what's real or not is handling a weapon--and is sitting there quietly and methodically taking it apart and putting it back together as a way to hold on to this reality--I think that's a cause for concern, myself. ;)

Well, at least he wasn't doing target practice! :D

[Iju]

i'm so angry at sam every time he keeps his secrets. i'm mad at both brothers, but sam keeping secrets always gets something writhing in me, because it always blows up in his face and the show somehow makes it really hard on him than dean. idk, i just haven't recovered from ruby and the apocalypse and how the show kinda beats down on sam a lot. on another hand, sam kinda does deserve the backlash from keeping satan himself away from dean and bobby so i can't complain much.

dean stops sam from his "visions", but not for long, obviously.

[The Companion]

On 6/5/2017 at 11:15 AM, Hanahope said:

I almost didn't recognize Sheriff Mills with the haircut (good thing for previouslies).  

The hallucinations with Lucifer are pretty fun, I can see how its totally messing Sam up, not knowing what is real.  But, assuming Lucifer is right that what Sam sees is an hallucination, then the gun really wouldn't hurt anyone at all, so why does he keep shooting things?  And vice versa, if Lucifer is the hallucination, shooting at him won't do any good either.  Good for Dean to use Sam's injury to ground him.

How do these brothers not know each other better, considering all the time they spend together?  First Dean goes how long before he realizes Sam was seriously not right after they meet up in S6, and now Sam is believing Dean would really say those things to him?

I have face blindness, so any change of context or hairstyle can mess with my ability to recognize people. I was glad they expressly said she was the Sheriff or I may never have known. 

As far as believing fake Dean, there is an element, I think, of Sam's own fears and insecurities coming out. I feel for Sam. hope the hallucinations don't go on forever. I feel like they will get old for me.

I feel like these first two episodes were a really strong beginning to the season. 

[MagnusHex]

Okay, I take back what I said about last episode where things were starting to return to status quo: Sam is finally truthful towards Dean (about freaking Lucifer), the bad guys are finally smarter, a likable strong female character doesn't return just to get killed off, and for its budget, the Leviathan actually looks pretty terrifying. Reminds me of Pan's Labyrinth.

And then there's that pacing of the episode which picked up immediately from last episode's final scene, feeds us plenty of juicy plot involving Leviathan's brilliant and successful plans (with cut vocal chords) before dropping us off at a chilling cliffhanger. The episode just moves at a great clip.

It just feels like things are finally improving in Supernatural after the wonky season 6. The one thing that really convinced me that the writers are learning from the flaws of previous seasons (or rather, season 6 specifically) is that Dean actually got Sam to pull out of his delusion, asking Sam to use his trust in his brother as the foundational rock to keep him rooted in reality - and Sam just accepted that and beat Lucifer the delusion. It's great stuff and showed the bond of the two of them (as opposed to just milking angst for angst's sake and dragging out the whole delusion thing for an entire season, with Sam and Dean constantly mistrusting each other). And it 's like, after everything they've been through together, their brotherly bond should really be their strongest weapon.

4.5/5

Can't wait for next episode.