S06.E03: The Third Man

[Guest]

Sam and Dean call Castiel for help when they investigate a case about several dead police officers who seem to have been killed by the plagues of Egypt. Castiel confirms the staff of Moses was used to kill the cops and tells Sam and Dean that Heaven is in a state of chaos and God's weapons have been stolen. The three head off to find the thief and come face to face with an old enemy.

 

 

[DittyDotDot]

Not a huge fan of this episode. I do love seeing Old Blue Eyes again, though. I liked the beginning with Dean dreaming of Lisa, getting his "morning exercise" and breakfast--although, thought they went a little too far with the prostitute and pull-ups on Sam's side of things. I get it, Sam's different, I just thought it was a bit over the top compared to the subtle things they'd been doing up to this point. Plus, it seems like I've seen Sebastian Roche play this sort of character many times before so not all that interested in Balthazar in the end. I wish I could really be interested in the idea of an angelic civil war, but I'm not. I actually find the notion of angelic "nukes" being loose on Earth far more facinating, but they really didn't go anywhere with that, so whatever. Yeah, I just have the hardest time getting into this episode.

 

Best part for me...Sam's douchey "plastic piece of crap" gets smashed. Hee!

[Demented Daisy]

The heavenly weapons were a nice twist on the "cursed objects" idea.  But (here's a shocker), I agree.  The episode didn't live up to its potential.

[Hanahope]

So first off, dayum have we seen Sam half dressed before because oh boy I would think I'd remember that.  Whew.

so between the prostitute and his being fine with torturing a kid, Sam is definitely not his old self.  Dean knows it too, but also knows he's not a 'monster,' at least one he's familiar with.  So what is up with Sam?  It almost seems like he's got a piece of Lucifer still in him and twisting his personality. It could even be the 'angel' part since angels don't really care that much for humans, or most anyway.  Maybe Sam is possessed by an angel, but pretending to be human? That could explain why Cas didn't respond to him too.

not sure I'm interested in an angel war, but I like the idea of heavenly artifacts that have harmful powers.

Edited May 9, 2017 by Hanahope

[bettername2come]

Bless this episode for being the only one in existence to give us both Shirtless Dean and Shirtless Sam. Geez, Sam's barely off the floor when he's doing those pullups. Every time I rewatch the Shirtless Sam scene, I can't help but yell at the hooker to get out of there. I get it, he's gorgeous and wonderful in bed, but did she see the serial killer eyes? This is a profession where one should be on the lookout for serial killer eyes! "Damn, my head's been itching like a dirty jock." Those are terrible last words. "You like him better or something?" Duh, Sam. What show you been watching? "I think we can rule Moses out as a suspect." Oh, Castiel. Never change. Sawed-off Staff of Moses. Why does that concept amuse me so much? I love Dean standing up for the kid. And I enjoy seeing Sam's precious car get smashed and Dean and Cas doing a "who's on first?" riff almost as much. Angelic civil war is an interesting concept. "Frog in the throat." "Even I know that's a bad joke." Sebastian Roche is so charming and entertaining. He needs to be in more stuff I watch. Angels are as bad for walking into sigils as demons are for devil's traps. They really should've saved that salt. Aw, Ben went as a wendigo for Halloween. In the Impala? That's adorable. 

I have no memory of the soul-buying plot or if it comes up again, but I thought that was interesting.

Spoiler

Did Cas not answer Sam because people without souls can't pray or was he just plain ignoring him?

[RulerofallIsurvey]

On 7/12/2017 at 0:37 AM, bettername2come said:

  Reveal hidden contents

Did Cas not answer Sam because people without souls can't pray or was he just plain ignoring him?

 

Responding to this in All Eps so I don't have to use spoiler tags.  Cause I'm lazy like that.  :)

[RulerofallIsurvey]

I'd forgotten this was the episode with the Sam workout.  Actually, I'd forgotten a lot about this episode.  And well, part of it that after that Shirtless Sam workout scene, who could remember anything else right?  I mean, it's not like anything else really matters....::snort::  

Spoiler

But part of it also is SoullessSam.  I just didn't like him, so I've chosen not to remember a lot about these episodes.

I remember thinking first time through this season that something just wasn't quite right about Sam.  But I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was.  Jared does a really good job at portraying Sam just a little bit differently - but not quite so different that it was entirely obvious, imo, throughout these episodes.  Watching the second time through, after having seen the entire season, really makes me appreciate the subtle differences that Jared put into Sam's characterization.  

And Dean.  Poor Dean.  Well, Dean really had to step it up, since Sam seemed to be dropping the ball on the empathy side, right?  He does a good job of picking up Sam's slack and showing his confusion - although that's not quite the right word - but Dean's slow realization that something ain't right with Sam.

I didn't notice previously that when Cas shows up, Dean and Sam are in the same motel room in which Sam had the hooker.  Ew.  I do love the "we can rule Moses out as a suspect." line.  Lol.  Ya think?  Huh.  Interesting that Cas can't use his 'blood' for the angel finding spell because it's not human.  I'd think angel 'blood' would work better than human blood for something like that.  

Sam was weirdly fascinated by Cas' soul searching on the boy.  

I like the angel fight between Cas and stunt-angel #1 in the motel.  We don't get to see Cas fight like that so much any more.  I'd forgotten he was so good at it.  Balthazar had a good point about Cas tearing up the script - I thought that was an interesting concept to show the rest of the angels trying to grasp the 'no rules' now.  Shouldn't the angel banishing sigil have banished all the angels close by?  Including Raphael (I'm forever ticked that they tarnished a TMNT with him) and stunt angel #3?  Oh - and looky there - another angel stands conveniently right smack dab in the middle of the previous laid out ring of holy oil set on fire.  'Cause they obviously knew that's exactly where the fight between Raphael and Cas would end.  Sure they did.  

Angels buying souls is seriously disturbing.  The show has mentioned other times how 'powerful' souls are, but I think it's something they never really delve into.  I dont' know: maybe it's better that way, not having too much information and leaving a little to the imagination.  On the other hand, part of me would like to know what exactly the show meant, or at least more about it.  

[sarthaz]

Dean and I do share a more profound bond.

I wasn't gonna mention it.

[Katy M]

On ‎8‎/‎8‎/‎2017 at 10:00 PM, Runswithscissors said:

I remember thinking first time through this season that something just wasn't quite right about Sam.  But I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was.  Jared does a really good job at portraying Sam just a little bit differently - but not quite so different that it was entirely obvious, imo, throughout these episodes.  Watching the second time through, after having seen the entire season, really makes me appreciate the subtle differences that Jared put into Sam's characterization.  

I agree.  I remember seeing comments after Exile on Main Street that Sam was off, and I just didn't see it as anything more than, yeah, he was in Hell. He's messed up.  In Two and a Half Men, he was just a little bit more hard.  I chalked it up to "yeah, just in Hell."  Same with this episode.  He did a really good job at the subtle.

[trxr4kids]

I remember thinking after EoMS, geez what's wrong with Sam now, wasn't the demon blood taint, painful visions, DB addiction, being Lucifers vessel and diving into the cage enough, give it a rest already show, the poor dead horse was flogged enough. Jared gave a great performance with what he was given, so there's that.

[Iju]

i know a lot of the audience must have loved shirtless sam, but to be honest it fell flat for me. even my father, who was there at the time, couldn't believe that was all sam and even called out editing or photoshop, lol. it's not that it's not a fantastic body, which it is. in fact i'm still wracking my brain on how on earth could jared have achieved such a body. but it's just that it didn't fit him. i don't know, i'm a simple gal. i liked smaller, thinner sam that was in S1-3. i definitely would have appreciated shirtless sam then. oh well.

on a bright side, though, i have noticed how more and more attractive sam is getting on each episode. even my brother looked at sam in a recent episode and wondered what was so different looking about him. maybe the hair? 

already ep 3 and so sick of sam's lying and saying "I'm fine." obviously he's not. hell kinda does something to a man. and he's not saying a word. sigh. 

yaaaay cass! sam mocking him was funny. "Dean and I do share a more profound bond. I wasn't gonna mention it." watching cass in full powered angel mode is so epic to watch. i wonder how this angelic civil war is gonna be. will sam and dean have to help cass find the rest of the staff or will he do it himself?  raphael is so interesting but the actor who plays him has crumbled :( so now what will happen? balthazar is interesting too, hope he comes back.

[FierceCritter]

Sorry about the necroposting.

But GOOD GOD, the inguinal ligaments!!!!

<-- fans self

We now return you to your regularly scheduled thread.

[AwesomO4000]

On 4/21/2018 at 2:11 PM, Iju said:

i definitely would have appreciated shirtless sam then. oh well.

There was shirtless Sam in season 1 and 2. In "Hell House" and in "Heart." And in "Heart" we got the whole biting - in a "not too hard, just hard enough to" way (TM Dean)***, enthusiastic love scene to go with it.

*** I remember being amused after seeing that scene in "Heart" with "wait a minute... how did Dean know Sam does that?" And that someone somewhere has probably written a fanfic where Dean and Sam compared notes.

1 hour ago, FierceCritter said:

But GOOD GOD, the inguinal ligaments!!!!

Hee... yeah but too bad about the serial killer eyes. I agree with @bettername2come above. If I'd been that hooker, I would've been getting the heck out of there... maybe even said "keep the tip," because, yeah.... Sam was giving off some creepy ass vibes there. Like he was imagining what she might look like as vampire bait, or what it might feel like to snap her neck.

[The Companion]

Even though I am the same age as Sam, I feel like a creep ogling him because he is so much younger at this point in the series than I am but it gets less creepy with each season, right? 😆

I have said it multiple times that angels are demons with better PR. Here we are with a crossroads angel out there selling revenge. 

The deaths were gross and gory and everything you expect from a gross out on this show. I have trouble believing the last guy put the biblical reference together, but I definitely did not want them to take off that hat when he went down. 

The angels really are bad about standing in the middle of those holy oil circles. I thought I saw a molotov cocktail as well just in case (Jason Mendoza would approve but isn't this oil rare?). 

Less human Castiel was funny. Sam remains wrong. I hope this plot line doesn't get dragged out.

[Katy M]

53 minutes ago, The Companion said:

I have said it multiple times that angels are demons with better PR. Here we are with a crossroads angel out there selling revenge.

And at least you know where you stand with the demons.

54 minutes ago, The Companion said:

but isn't this oil rare?). 

I think when Cas went to Israel to get some in Free to Be You and Me, he brought back a lifetime supply.

[ahrtee]

1 hour ago, The Companion said:

The angels really are bad about standing in the middle of those holy oil circles. I thought I saw a molotov cocktail as well just in case (Jason Mendoza would approve but isn't this oil rare?). 

It's magic, like the oil that kept the Hanukkah lamps lit for 8 days when there was barely enough for one.  Or a magic jar that automatically refills itself.  😊

[The Companion]

8 minutes ago, Katy M said:

And at least you know where you stand with the demons.

I think when Cas went to Israel to get some in Free to Be You and Me, he brought back a lifetime supply.

Perhaps that is the answer. The angels don't end up in the circle, they just pour out a ton of circles from their miraculous jug of perpetual oil. 😆

[Myrelle]

4 hours ago, The Companion said:

Even though I am the same age as Sam, I feel like a creep ogling him because he is so much younger at this point in the series than I am but it gets less creepy with each season, right

This is exactly how I felt about Dean.

I couldn't wait for him to turn 30(although it did make me feel so much better when Jensen turned 30-one whole year earlier than Dean!)

And now?- both character and actor own my soul; and that saying about fine wine seems to have come into existence for Mr. Ackles, AFAIC.  

[The Companion]

11 minutes ago, Myrelle said:

This is exactly how I felt about Dean.

I couldn't wait for him to turn 30(although it did make me feel so much better when Jensen turned 30-one whole year earlier than Dean!)

And now?- both character and actor own my soul; and that saying about fine wine seems to have come into existence for Mr. Ackles, AFAIC.  

Yes, I look forward to not feeling weird about checking them out. 😆

[Jynnan tonnix]

10 hours ago, The Companion said:

Yes, I look forward to not feeling weird about checking them out. 😆

I'm to the age where I just go with it. Especially given that I was introduced to the series around five years ago, and watched the early seasons with a far greater age gap...The way I see it, I'm still pretty much the same person, and find beauty in mostly the same things as I would have when I was young. If all I'm doing is enjoying some fantasies which, maybe, make me feel younger again, where's the harm?. Heck, my head can still be turned by people even younger than J & J were when they started the show, and I'm 60. Beauty is beauty. It is what it is, and if it all stays inside my head, I'm not going to apologize or feel creepy.

[MagnusHex]

I was kinda annoyed at first to have Lisa's first scene being Dean making out with her in bed when it's been established that Dean's gonna leave Lisa and Ben temporarily. This is because I was concerned that Lisa might only return for the sake of sex scenes like this (aka fanservice).

But then we got Jared Padalecki working out. Half-naked. GENDER EQUALITY, FOLKS. lmao You got me, Supernatural. Can't complain now. Jared's packing too. Nice pecs. He's no Jensen when it comes to looks (which isn't even a knock on Jared since Jensen could easily make the "Hottest Men Alive" list), but damn. Also, I just found out about the Walker reboot with Jared in the starring role. Goddamn. Good for him (though I couldn't stop laughing at all the Sam jokes in the comment section for Walker's trailer). "Take off that hat, Sammy. You look ridiculous."

This episode grossed the heck out of me at times, but I kinda respect the increased level of violence they allow on the show, because damn, having someone literally turned into an explosive meatbag of blood splattered across the floor and child-torture aren't something I could see Broadcast Standards & Practices approving, even in 2010.

And I don't really mind the idea of an angel civil war as well, which I'm actually on board with because it's refreshing focusing more on angels (whom we only had about two seasons' worth of highlight prior to season 6) instead of worrying about your more generic demons every episode. We didn't really get to see much of Raphael last season, so I'm hoping they'll do something interesting with him this time, along with how his traditionalist views would clash with Cas'.

I also like the plagues because I always tend to like it whenever the plagues are involved. There's just something wicked fun and epic about those biblical plagues, twisted as that makes me sound, and I like them even more when done with a unique spin on it like in this episode. But I do agree - Moses' stake was underused this episode. Where are the other plagues, man? I want to see darkness and flies too. The boils' a classic though, or as Jonathan put it in The Mummy (1999): "Last but not least, my favorite plague: boils and sores."

But even if it's underused, I wouldn't mind seeing those angel nukes become the new MotW. Like I said, now that we're done with your typical demons, I don't mind tapping into the more biblical lore as the setting this time. They've got quite a lot of material to mine from the Old Testament.

I kinda accidentally learned about what Sam's deal is... something to do with a lack of a soul? Yikes. Guess a little Marvin Gaye wouldn't help. *ba dum tss* But yeah, I'm hoping we don't get dragged into another moping contest again because I had enough of the Sam and Dean conflicts in season 4.

Next time, we've got Crowley. Woot. Heard he's a fan-favorite down the later seasons. Can't wait. I liked him in season 5.

Oh, and almost forgot, Castiel remains the most awesome thing of the show so far, but like that needs to be said, pfft. C'mon.

3.5/5

[ahrtee]

Ah, I wish I could start watching all over, unspoiled....

 

[DeeDee79]

5 hours ago, ahrtee said:

Ah, I wish I could start watching all over, unspoiled....

 

Good times!