S10.E16: Paint It Black

[Tara Ariano]

Sam and Dean investigate a series of suicides committed by people who all killed themselves with self-administered disembowelment. The probe reveals the victims were all members of a Catholic church and had recently given confession. Meanwhile, Crowley captures Olivette, the leader of the Grand Coven; and Rowena pleads her case to once again be allowed to practice magic freely.

[catrox14]

[Tippi Blevins]

That was a waste of a Rolling Stones title.

Edited March 26, 2015 by Tippi Blevins

[Demented Daisy]

Hi, Dr. Frasier, aka Dr.... Well, I'm not sure, but she was the medical examiner in Heart.

 

Has this been the season of filler or what?  At least that's what it's felt like.  I knew the nun's backstory was going to be important, but I just didn't care.  I wish Dean's confession had been more... I don't know, but it didn't feel like he revealed anything that we didn't already know.

 

So... guest appearance from God by the end of the season?  ;-)

[kimrey]

This was...um...pretty awful.

How I didn't fall asleep duing the nun backstory scenes, I don't know. Because holy crap. That was boring.

Rowena? Also boring. But at least now they're tying her into Sam and Dean's story so maybe she could get more interesting. I don't know. But that was a lot of wasted time on her tonight.

I always like the brotherly scenes, but come on! Dean's attitude makes no sense. Cain told him he would KILL SAM. He would go crazy and kill his brother. The brother he is constantly with 24/7. This needs to be addressed. I also need to know why Sam has not said one word about the Cain/Abel parellel. I'm sure he's thought about it, but the writers need to actually put the words in his mouth. But that would require showing Sam's point of view and that's always been a pretty tough thing for these writers to do for some reason.

Dean's confession felt weird to me. I was expecting him to maybe say something about being afraid of dying AND hurting the people in his life (BY KILLING THEM). Why! Why are they ignoring what Cain said? This is driving me crazy!

Just...wow. Worst episode of the season? Probs.

Edited March 26, 2015 by kimrey

[Jediknight]

Highlight of the episode was Rowena's reaction to being told about Sam and Dean.  That got a chuckle out of me.

 

Other than that, this was a pretty boring episode.

[Tippi Blevins]

I think the highlight of the episode was that adorable hamster. Olivette got to keep her necklace in tiny size.

[2Old2BAFangirl]

Why so many filler episodes this season?  This one was boring - too much filler, not enough Dean and Sam for me.  I rarely am bored by Show - even when it's bad there's still lots of Dean to watch - this one didn't even have that going for it.  Meh.

[SueB]

Am I the only one freaking about Dean's obvious stomach pain at the end?  They made it clear the nun didn't stab him...so, is it yak attack time?

 

The Italian nun backstory was epic no.  I liked sassy nun and Dean's confession.  And Sam...he's so going witchy darkside I think.

 

I need a rewatch to process.

[Pete Martell]

I normally don't agree with the complaint that "this isn't about Sam and Dean!!!" because I feel like they have a heavy presence even in many MOTW episodes that have guest characters, but this was the first time I did feel like they were barely around, at least in the first half. 

 

Buckner and Ross-Lemming were at their peak of influence in the '80s and '90s, and you could see it here in those awful, endless flashback scenes that all looked like a bad syndicated drama from 20-30 years ago. Or, even worse, one of those softcore European movies dubbed into English that used to run on Showtime late nights. The only feint to modern production was that the awkward Aiden Turner knockoff seemed to be wearing a wig from a bad Hobbit cosplay. The half-hearted attempt at a "hot" sex scene there was better left offcamera. I never know if there's some CW quota for sexytimes that is passed off to this duo, or if it is just their own personal sickness belched oncamera. 

 

In theory I should have liked the idea of a quirky nun, in touch with the spirits, one who managed to survive to the end, but the actress just did not work for me, I thought the writing was cloying, and I thought she exemplified the worst of this team's attitude about women - Dean had to describe her as "hot" even though we only saw her face and they didn't even have any type of serious flirtation, and she was never mentioned again, no goodbye scene, nothing, even though Dean had sort of bonded with her. What was the point? To be honest the weird way she was presented throughout reminded me of that niche known as "nun porn" or "priest porn." The acting from her was also in that vein. I kept waiting for her to rip off her habit so that Dean could fuck the sin out of her. That probably would have been more interesting than anything else going on lately.

 

I should have been more interested in the Men of Letters/Rowena connection, but this was the first time Ruth Connell really annoyed me as Rowena. Just too OTT as a default, overpowering the script. It's unfortunate, as Rowena is the one "type" of woman that this team generally gets right (see: Abaddon, Naomi), but the performance was not there. And everything with the coven leader was grindingly predictable -  of course she would be tortured, of course she'd die. And Rowena's eye makeup was way too Bette Midler circa Divine Madness. Tone it down.

 

What did I like? 

 

- The "two-face" thing was a genuinely good, nasty, cruel gore moment that we rarely see in the boring Hell of SPN.

 

- Well, it was nice that Sam saved the day. 

 

- The confession scene, once it got past the boring crudity from Dean, was strong

 

- The last car scene was one of the better brother moments this season.

 

And that's about it. 

 

These are the worst two back-to-back episodes I can remember. I've really lost a lot of luster for the show since the return from hiatus. It feels sparse and increasingly like a relic not worth repairing. It's going to take real effort to get me to care again.

Edited March 26, 2015 by Pete Martell

[7kstar]

I liked the Hamster. 

 

Dean's confession started out so stupid and got a little real at the end, the best line..."Not sure God cares about us."

 

@Sue B

Am I the only one freaking about Dean's obvious stomach pain at the end?  They made it clear the nun didn't stab him...so, is it yak attack time?

 

I kept waiting for Sam to notice that Dean is coughing and covering it up.  I guess now we won't know what Dean is really thinking until Sam uncovers it, which is another reverse from the early years.

 

On one small hand I get Crowley wanting to make his mother a bit more happier, since she is causing issues in hell...but on the other hand why should he?

 

I sort of re-watched a few bits but this one is easy to fast forward through.  Hope next week gives us something better.

Edited March 26, 2015 by 7kstar

[AwesomO4000]

I'm going to have to go back and see if Sam or Dean tried to pronounce Worcester (Mass.) or not. * It's easy to mispronounce. I think - if I'm remembering correctly - they also spelled it wrong on the title card thing. (I tried to check, but my recording just missed the part where it gave the town). The remark about the number of Catholics, however, was amusing (and accurate). The Catholic church in my home town was huge compared to all of the other churches.

 

The weird thing about this episode is that it somewhat showed us things rather than told us. It just seemed to take them too long to show it to us. It seemed like we should have been able to get all of that in half the time, maybe?

 

One good thing - Sam's hair seems to have been better. And speaking of Sam - he really is starting to panic. And he knows Dean doesn't believe in him or that they'll find a way.

 

* After checking I don't think they mentioned the town's name out loud. At least not in the beginning part.

 

But that would require showing Sam's point of view and that's always been a pretty tough thing for these writers to do for some reason.

 

Agreed. As is often the case, we had Dean more bonding with the Person of the Week and Sam more on his own. On the positive side, Sam did figure out how to kill the spirit. Oh, and it wasn't nearly as gross I expected it was going to be. I imagined something fairly awful concerning that candlestick.

 

Other random thoughts:

 

Also concerning however was the line from the spirit "There is not much difference between madness and devotion." Foreshadowing for the rest of the season or just that the bitch was going to be crazy? I mean the art lover in me was bummed that the pretty painting had to be destroyed, but the woman purposely chopping off her finger to put in the paint... that's just so wrong.

 

Also the actress playing Olivette seemed familiar somehow, but I can't quite remember how.

 

For a nun she was a darn good liar. She didn't even flinch when outright lying to Dean and Sam.

[Tippi Blevins]

Am I the only one freaking about Dean's obvious stomach pain at the end?  They made it clear the nun didn't stab him...so, is it yak attack time?

 

Yeah, I couldn't tell if he had stomach pain or was trying to hide a cough. Or both. He seemed uncomfortable. I've always thought his lifestyle--endless hours sitting in that car, eating greasy food--would lead to the worst hemorrhoids ever. Maybe he's having a flare up.

 

Oh and were those flashbacks corny on purpose or did they just come out that way?

Edited March 26, 2015 by Tippi Blevins

[Pete Martell]

Has the priest been on the show before? He looked familiar.

 

I liked him. I'm glad he wasn't evil/didn't die, as they usually do on here. 

 

It would have been nice if Sam or Dean had mentioned "Houses of the Holy"...

[AwesomO4000]

Has the priest been on the show before? He looked familiar.

 

I liked him. I'm glad he wasn't evil/didn't die, as they usually do on here. 

 

I thought he did die? Maybe I'm remembering wrongly, but I thought there was a priest that died and he's the only one I remember.

 

Edited to add: Yup. Just watched that scene again. The crazy spirit girl killed him because he forgave Dean, and so for that she decided he had to die and made him kill himself.

Edited March 26, 2015 by AwesomO4000

[kimrey]

Has the priest been on the show before? He looked familiar.

I think he reminded me of the priest/demon from Sin City in season 3.

[Pete Martell]

Oh. I must have zoned out. Thanks.

[Pete Martell]

Oh and were those flashbacks corny on purpose or did they just come out that way?

I don't think it was intentional.

 

I kept waiting for them to start talking about their favorite margarine.

[Tippi Blevins]

Exactly! I turned to my friend and asked, "Is this where Fabio shows up with the I Can't Believe It's Not Butter?"

[supposebly]

So, the nun from 1520 Florence, Italy wrote her journal in accented English? Or does Sam read Middle Italian these days?

 

I've got nothing else at the moment.

Edited March 26, 2015 by supposebly

[Eliza422]

Also the actress playing Olivette seemed familiar somehow, but I can't quite remember how.

If you watched stargate sg1, she was dr. Frasier... Edited March 26, 2015 by Eliza422

[cassandle]

That was a waste of a Rolling Stones title.

 

I was really surprised that it took this long to use that song but now I have no idea what it was supposed to refer to.  Nothing was literally painted black, no one's love died never to come back (unless the murdered dudes count but I'm pretty sure Mick Jagger didn't murder his love in the song)….  Are they saying Dean's "whole world is black"?  It shouldn't take this much thought to figure out the title.

 

Has this been the season of filler or what?  At least that's what it's felt like.  I knew the nun's backstory was going to be important, but I just didn't care.  I wish Dean's confession had been more... I don't know, but it didn't feel like he revealed anything that we didn't already know.

 

I really like the scene once he grew serious but yeah, we already heard him admit he was afraid to die/go to hell how many years ago? 

 

 

So... guest appearance from God by the end of the season?  ;-)

 

I've been wondering for years if they were ever going to bring God back and I would not be the least bit surprised if that's how they fix all the angel/heaven nonsense and remove the MOC.  Since God is the one who gave it to Cain in the first place I would think He's the only one who can take it away. 

 

Oh. I must have zoned out. Thanks.

 

This was me during the nun's endless yammering.  I'm pretty sure I dozed off because all of a sudden Rowena was slapping around the other witch and I couldn't remember a damn thing the nun had said (nor did I bother to rewind and find out).

 

The only other thing I have to add is: of course the "hot nun" had a little thing for you, Dean.  Her vows didn't render her sightless :) 

 

(Edited because punctuation is important.)

Edited March 26, 2015 by cassandle

[Pete Martell]

I was really surprised that it took this long to use that song but now I have no idea what it was supposed to refer to.  Nothing was literally painted black, no one's love died never to come back (unless the murdered dudes count but I'm pretty sure Mick Jagger didn't murder his love in the song)….  Are they saying Dean's "whole world is black"?  It shouldn't take this much thought to figure out the title.

 

Maybe they meant the priest robes and nun habits.

[cassandle]

That's as good of an explanation as any.  I find it a little sad I care more about the title than anything that happened in the episode.

[7kstar]

Yes, we've heard Dean say he doesn't want to die...but the part about maybe he needs to go deeper, make different connections..that was interesting if they do something with it.

 

I liked that Sam wasn't stupid, but the let's make Dean say stupid stuff for a laugh is so bad, I can't even muster up a laugh.  I just cringe and wonder if the writer's are really this lost for material.  If they are, then it's time to wrap it up with a strong storyline.  I don't think the actors can't deliver good stuff, but the bad writing is really too difficult to overcome.

 

Have a few more thoughts but I don't think they belong in this thread.

[AwesomO4000]

If you watched stargate sg1, she was dr. Frasier...

 

Of course! And yes, I watched Stargate SG1. I didn't have Showtime, but I watched the reruns (on TNT?) as soon as they came out. Dr. Frasier's death on that show was unexpected and a sad, sad thing. I didn't recognize that was her in the get up they had her in here. Also Olivette wasn't much like her no nonsense character on SG1.

[catrox14]

Godsdamn you Jensen.  You KILL me.  His confession broke my heart.

 

That said.  I have literally no idea what the fuck they are doing with Dean.  How could that ghost be stronger than him?  I am so confused. and not in a good way. 

 

That Rowena vs Olivette scene went on WAY too long.

 

Am I the only one freaking about Dean's obvious stomach pain at the end?  They made it clear the nun didn't stab him...so, is it yak attack time?

 

I was noticing that as well. Why the fuck didn't Sam notice?!  So if he is under yak-attack then does that mean he's basically decided to die rather than kill Sam? But doesn't Dean realize he can't die or he'll become a demon again?? FFS SHOW.  MAKE SOMEONE TALK ABOUT WHY DEAN BECAME A DEMON!? /head desk head desk head desk

 

 

Ohhhhh.....thinky thoughts....off to the spec thread

Edited March 26, 2015 by catrox14

[Phebemarie]

I think the only reason the title was chosen was because the word paint made for a clever connection to the ghost's tale of woe.  

[cassandle]

Yes, we've heard Dean say he doesn't want to die...but the part about maybe he needs to go deeper, make different connections..that was interesting if they do something with it.

 

Yeah, that was the part of that scene I really liked.  I sort of wish he had gone into the confessional pretending he was going to make a false confession for Sam's benefit and made the whole thing serious and real.  I get that it wouldn't have worked with the plot but that brief moment he let his guard down in the safety of the confessional was nice and I wish it had lasted a little longer.  Not to sound like a shmoopy Dean Girl but I like that Dean so much better than makes-eyes-at-a-nun Dean.

I think the only reason the title was chosen was because the word paint made for a clever connection to the ghost's tale of woe.  

 

Ha!  Thank you!  I had completely and utterly forgotten, only a few minutes after the show ended, that there was a painting involved in the plot.  Wow.  I was so NOT paying attention.

[AuntTora]

For the first time ever, I fell asleep during an ep. Woke up and watched a few minutes, and then I was just angry. That was really bad, right? Sam's hair was TERRIBLE. But next week looks a lot better. Even Sam's hair!

[catrox14]

Oh. Another question.

 

Okay so Rowena or Olivette, I can't remember who, said that the First Blade is the only thing that could kill them all. Did I hear that right because if I did...UM WTF??   It has to be Dean with the Blade.  Not just anyone with the Blade.  

 

Another thought.  What if Dean KNOWS he'll become a demon, and maybe thinks being a demon will be than being a human with the MoC because demon!Dean made a decision to stay away from Sam.

[SueB]

It was Rowena with that comment.

 

And I think Dean IS sort of saying 'good-bye' to Sam.  Look at his face as he is goofing around with the Not!Apology.  He's just savoring every moment of hunting with his brother.  And he doesn't want Sam wasting time on a "cure" that's not going to happen. 

 

I think Dean is faking it until he can't fake it any more.  He's not in denial, he's trying to store up good memories.  And Sam sees him oing the whole 'at peace' thing and is pissed.  But I think Dean has been dying since he killed Cain.  He's just not showing it to Sam. 

 

Putting it differently;

- He executed Cain versus rage monster

- Last week he saved the victim who was trying to kill him

- This week he held off the nun's knife but didn't turn it on her -- he had to hold out on his rage while fight off a ghost-possessed nun (who would have super-human strength).

 

All three are acts of super-control.  And it's probably pissed the Mark off.  Now Dean did appear to eat last week but nothing this week. 

 

I think Dean is going to be like an animal that crawls off to die somewhere when he thinks it's time. But until then, he's on his farewell tour. 

 

And I guess I think that if he turns demon he'll just stay away from Sam. Or maybe he thinks he needs the Blade to resurrect him.  And that this won't happen so he'll die die.

Edited March 26, 2015 by SueB

[AwesomO4000]

 How could that ghost be stronger than him?

 

I was amazed Dean was able to hold off the ghost so long myself. That was an ooooold ghost, and if I'm remembering correctly, don't ghosts get angrier and stronger with age? If anything, I was thinking the ghost should've been able to stab him easily, so I'm wondering if Dean was using a little mark of Cain juice there to keep that from happening.

[SueB]

I was amazed Dean was able to hold off the ghost so long myself. That was an ooooold ghost, and if I'm remembering correctly, don't ghosts get angrier and stronger with age? If anything, I was thinking the ghost should've been able to stab him easily, so I'm wondering if Dean was using a little mark of Cain juice there to keep that from happening.

I think so.  That's why it took a toll. 

[mertensia]

Yeah Dean is getting ready to turn Knight of Hell. I wonder if he'll be more subtle about it than in 99 Problems whee he roared off....Does this mean he's saying goodbye to Baby, too?

I liked that the nun was all "yes I deal with a lot of ghosts and help them" matter of factly like "duh guys; what else does a nun do?"

[Iguana]

Oiy, this show. You know I love you, Supernatural, but sometimes you make it so hard...

This ep was just...not good. The ghost's bad Italian accent made me cringe every time she spoke, which she did far too much. And would a 15th century Italian ghost know modern English? And while I appreciated the attempt at "show, don't tell" with flashbacks with the painter, the execution failed miserably. It reminded me of an even worse than usual episode of The Red Shoe Diaries, if any of y'all are old enough to remember that show, and if not, believe me when I say that is not a compliment. The voiceover was painfully overwrought, the acting was from the "smell the fart" school, and I didn't feel any of the obsessive passion that was supposed to drive the relationship between the painter and the ghost. If the show can't sell the obsession and crazy, the finger thing just comes off as ridiculous. I was eyerollingly bored by the flashbacks, and by the conversations between the ghost and the hot nun. And since the ghost story was a fail for me and the endless Rowena crap alternated between dull, irritating, and campier than a Boy Scout Jamboree, I just didn't care about anything that happened in this filler ep.

I also didn't like the lack of Sam and Dean, although Jared and Jensen must have liked their lighter shooting schedule for this ep. I did like Dean's confession and his semi-flirtation with the hot nun, and that Sam's instincts about the journal were right and he figured out he needed to burn the painting. But I have a hard time hand waving that Sam can read Renaissance Italian.

[Eliza422]

 But I have a hard time hand waving that Sam can read Renaissance Italian.

 

I was just about to post this - and not only Renaissance Italian, but hand written...I can barely read English when it's hand written on older documents - like the Declaration of Independence.

 

This whole ghost plot was all kinds of stupid.

[Primetimer]

Dean might be a dick to women, but he goes to confession, so it's cool.

Read the story

[Demented Daisy]

Maybe I missed it -- did they explain why a Renaissance Italy-era, ghost nun was wearing the same habit as a modern-day, American nun?

[rue721]

This episode was deplorable. I knew I'd want to read this thread, so I did watch the whole thing (more or less). But wow, watching television shouldn't be that difficult! Or difficult at all, really!

 

I wonder whether the number of viewers dropped significantly from the first half hour to the second half hour.

 

The thing that stood out to me was Sam saying that he didn't think the Mark was a terminal diagnosis. What is wrong with these people? Of COURSE it isn't terminal, it made Dean functionally IMMORTAL because it made him a Knight of Hell (among other things). If Dean dies as a human, apparently he becomes a self-healing demon. Like Cain. And Dean was actually READY TO DIE quite a while ago! At the end of S9, he said so outright. But if he dies, he becomes a demon, so that's not an option. UGH I DON'T GET IT.

 

Do Bruckner and Ross-Leming actually watch this show? That question doesn't even really make sense, because of course all the writers must at least *watch the show,* right? But whenever I see an episode of theirs, the question pops back into my mind anyway. Soul Survivor especially made me think that they'd seen a few episodes from S3 or so and decided to wing it. This one made me think the same.

Edited March 26, 2015 by rue721

[Altered Reality]

Maybe I missed it -- did they explain why a Renaissance Italy-era, ghost nun was wearing the same habit as a modern-day, American nun?

See, I wondered why the modern-day nun was wearing such an old style habit.  Most orders gave up/modified their garb after Vatican II.  That style they were wearing is a form of medieval dress and for some reason (I'm sure there's a reason, I just don't know why) that style stuck for centuries.

 

And I think it's a bit sad that the only thing I paid any great attention to in this episode is the fashion choices of nuns!  This is the second episode in a row that I didn't find much to capture my attention (aside from the pretty, that I always notice and yes I'm shallow and I'm okay with that ;D).

[catrox14]

 

Dean might be a dick to women, but he goes to confession, so it's cool

 

I just can't with this "Dean is a dick to women" thing. Dean isn't perfect but IMO he's not a dick to women in general. He's barely a sexual being these days anyway. He tried to hook up via the dating app and he didn't even ping she was a hooker. Something ain't right with him still. Now Demon!Dean was total dick to Ann Marie and the stripper but that was demon!Dean. regular! Dean flirts a lot and has consensual sex with random partners. He's not abusive or cruel. He doesn't lead them to believe there is anything more happening. He's been respectful in general with the women he has had relationships with; Cassie, Lisa. He's a smartass bit IMO respects and admires Sheriff from the Benders, Jody, Donna, Charlie, Mrs.Tran, etc etc.  He doesn't slut shame see Suzy the porn star and strippers. He thought the nun was hot. So what? He thinks a lot of women are hot. He didn't hit on her that I can recall. 

 

Sorry but man this whole "Dean is a dick to women" is just so overblown and annoying. 

Edited March 26, 2015 by catrox14

[catrox14]

This episode was deplorable. I knew I'd want to read this thread, so I did watch the whole thing (more or less). But wow, watching television shouldn't be that difficult! Or difficult at all, really!

 

I wonder whether the number of viewers dropped significantly from the first half hour to the second half hour.

 

The thing that stood out to me was Sam saying that he didn't think the Mark was a terminal diagnosis. What is wrong with these people? Of COURSE it isn't terminal, it made Dean functionally IMMORTAL because it made him a Knight of Hell (among other things). If Dean dies as a human, apparently he becomes a self-healing demon. Like Cain. And Dean was actually READY TO DIE quite a while ago! At the end of S9, he said so outright. But if he dies, he becomes a demon, so that's not an option. UGH I DON'T GET IT.

 

Do Bruckner and Ross-Leming actually watch this show? That question doesn't even really make sense, because of course all the writers must at least *watch the show,* right? But whenever I see an episode of theirs, the question pops back into my mind anyway. Soul Survivor especially made me think that they'd seen a few episodes from S3 or so and decided to wing it. This one made me think the same.

 

Not a fucking thing makes sense right now and I am SUPER disappointed. I'm trying to hold out hope they have a reason for this apparent lack of continuity.

 

My fanwank is it seems Dean has never told Sam that Cain didn't kill Abel out of jealousy but to save him from going to Hell, and that the Mark is not a curse, but like a THING that Lucifer created to make Cain a Knight of Hell. It's more a like a sentient being attached to Cain and then Dean. Nor, it seems, has Dean told Sam that the Mark will literally kill him if he doesn't kill.  Right now that is a HUGE GIANT SIZE OF THE GRAND CANYON plot fail. 

 

Assuming that what Sam finds on Websummon (bleh I hate that name. RIP Search the Web :() is the standard Cain vs Abel lore which says the Mark of Cain is a curse from God and will protect Cain from death but dooms him to wander the earth alone, Sam might be thinking the curse can be lifted therefore it's not terminal.

 

Sam evidently does not know what Dean knows and since he and Dean have not shared their separate knowledge with each other, they are going at it from cross purposes, which is FUCKING STUPID.

 

I

Edited March 26, 2015 by catrox14

[supposebly]

 

Since God is the one who gave it to Cain in the first place I would think He's the only one who can take it away.

 

I'm fairly certain, it was Lucifer. I really don't need God to make an appearance. Lucifer in his white suit however is always welcome.

 

Sam evidently does not know what Dean knows and since he and Dean have not shared their separate knowledge with each other, they are going at it from cross purposes, which is FUCKING STUPID.

 

I couldn't agree more. What's also vexing me is how Dean keeps talking about how he is going to die more or less similarly to like he talked about it in season 3 and it's NOT the same thing! Why are they treating this like it's just a regular old dying thing? Why do we seem to know something that Sam doesn't seem to know and why is Dean keeping this from him?

Why did Sam cover up looking for solutions last episode while this episode, he talks a big game about beating it? Why are they behaving so inconsistently?

 

At least, Dean should tell Sam to lock him up in the bunker dungeon when the time comes, so Sam is at least safe. And have we forgotten that Dean might go after Cas too? Or does Dean think as long as he doesn't have the blade he won't resurrect? Cain certainly didn't need the blade to be stronger than Cas or blink in and out of prison cells, so I don't really see how Dean could think that that is the only thing keeping him from going postal. Or at least, he should consider the possibility.

 

As to the episode, well, I was bored, and I really really hope Crowley isn't being played by his campy mother. I do see flashes of self-reflection in him but that might be my wishful thinking or Mark Sheppard hoping for the same thing. He better have something up his sleeve but right now, I'm not exactly enamored with what they are doing to Crowley. I need my King of Hell to be opportunistic and always one step ahead.

 

Rowena, well the only good thing was the hamster.

 

Hot nuns, ugh, what are they, twelve? Enough has been said about the badly accented tale of .....whatever.

 

The one thing I liked was how Dean was super-transparent in that he couldn't even pretend that he doesn't believe that they can beat this or that he trusts Sam with this. Well, my dear Mr Winchester, it's not helping if you withhold crucial information. Does Sam even know about the yakking that happened in season 9? It's both of their lives on the line!

 

This plot is done by making them look and behave like idiots that don't communicate crucial information and I don't understand it.

 

And may I just say, the teaser disembowelment looked very halfhearted.

Edited March 26, 2015 by supposebly

[catrox14]

I really don't think Dean told Sam about the details of the Mark and what it did to him. Maybe he doesn't have the heart to tell Sam that he will die until he's come to terms with it himself. I guess I can understand that. Something like a cancer patient that needs to process his/her own feelings about a terminal condition.

I'm thinking that Dean doesn't entirely understand the process of how he became a demon. Crowley, Cain and probably Lucifer are the only ones that understand the process. I mean sure Dean knows he'll die without killing anyone, but he might be thinking since he's been cured of his demonity he might want to go off and die by himself , like SueB mentioned, thinking he can actually die.

Edited March 26, 2015 by catrox14

[gazebo]

I want that gorgeous blood red coral necklace that Oliviette was wearing.  It was so distractingly beautiful that I barely paid attention to the Rowena/Oliviette scenes.  Amazing that that necklace still looks so beautiful even on a hamster!  See, this is what happens when you go from a regular TV to a beautiful, big, flat screen TV.  Everything looks awesome!

 

I have to say, that has got to be the most beautiful ghost I've ever seen on SN!  That actress looks like she came right out of the Renaissance period!  Again, thank you very much, big flat screen TV!

 

How come Hot Nun and Sam knows how to read Italian?  Ok, maybe the nun studied languages in college before she became a nun, so she knows some Italian (just speculating).  But how come Sam knows Italian that he can read that ancient diary?  Is it 'cause Sam's now a Man of Letters?  Did the bunker give Sam some special powers?  I guess we'll never know.

 

It's good to see Dean soldiering on even though he probably thinks he's doomed.  On the surface he seems to be well adjusted and it was kind of sad that he could only speak to the priest about what he's feeling inside.  Dean should really be talking to his brother, and I think Sam desperately needs Dean to talk to him.

 

The cheesy flashbacks scenes of Isabella falling in love with Piero was pretty superficial and bland, except when she cut off her thumb for him and then stabbed the hell out of him.  Still, I thought Isabella

looked incredibly lovely.

 

I think Rowena is going to go after Dean and Sam to break into the bunker to get all the magics back, and I think Crowley will probably stop her because of his ridiculous love for Dean.

 

Now where can I buy that gorgeous coral necklace?

[supposebly]

 

I mean sure Dean knows he'll die without killing anyone, but he might be thinking since he's been cured of his demonity he might want to go off and die by himself

 

He might. Still, he became a demon from being human the first time, I think he should at least consider the possibility it will happen again. Also, especially considering what Cain said to him. I certainly think there should be a discussion with Sam and Cas and a plan B? Even a bad plan? Or just something? Just crawling into a corner is just not good enough if there is a distinct possibility that he will crawl out again and go postal on his brother and Cas.

 

We've been getting variants of go-down-swinging and acceptance-speeches that make no sense in the face of: I might go postal and kill you all.

Shouldn't there have been a speech about: Can we do something to prevent me from killing you all even if for now, we have no way to get rid of the mark?

 

Meanwhile, we have Sam thinking the worst that can happen is Dean dying? Is that actually what Sam thinks? What DOES Sam expect to happen?

[catrox14]

He might. Still, he became a demon from being human the first time, I think he should at least consider the possibility it will happen again. Also, especially considering what Cain said to him. I certainly think there should be a discussion with Sam and Cas and a plan B? Even a bad plan? Or just something? Just crawling into a corner is just not good enough if there is a distinct possibility that he will crawl out again and go postal on his brother and Cas.

 

We've been getting variants of go-down-swinging and acceptance-speeches that make no sense in the face of: I might go postal and kill you all.

Shouldn't there have been a speech about: Can we do something to prevent me from killing you all even if for now, we have no way to get rid of the mark?

 

Meanwhile, we have Sam thinking the worst that can happen is Dean dying? Is that actually what Sam thinks? What DOES Sam expect to happen?

 

I'm thinking Dean might think that since Cas has the FB, he's really not THAT much of a danger to everyone , since he's actively not killing in spite of the Mark starting to make him yak again.   It's something he should be talking to Sam about but where's the fun in that (says Carver).

 

Of course I'm of the mind that Cain is still alive.  Supposing that Cain is alive, maybe Cain told Dean that he'll come and kill him like Cain wanted Dean to kill him, and this going to become Dean's farewell tour a la s5.  I swear to gods if they bring back Lisa and Ben...I'm gonna lose it. And I don't mean because I'll be happy.

Edited March 26, 2015 by catrox14

[Gudzilla]

When I saw the hamster this is all I could think of.

 

 

Let's not talk about the wheel.

[cassandle]

Oh, what I would have given for some crazy Vincent D'Onofrio to liven up this episode.

 

 

I'm fairly certain, it was Lucifer. I really don't need God to make an appearance. Lucifer in his white suit however is always welcome.

 

Ah, okay--I'm mixing up the Supernatural version and the Biblical version.  

 

 

Of course I'm of the mind that Cain is still alive.  Supposing that Cain is alive, maybe Cain told Dean that he'll come and kill him like Cain wanted Dean to kill him, and this going to become Dean's farewell tour a la s5.  I swear to gods if they bring back Lisa and Ben...I'm gonna lose it. And I don't mean because I'll be happy.

 

Lisa and Ben who?  I try to pretend those episodes never, ever, ever existed.  

 

One other small thing I liked about this episode was the moment at the end in the car when Dean actually smiled.  Naturally that had to spiral into angst and secret-keeping but for a brief moment he was honest-to-goodness happy (and not cocky happy like when he thought the nun was into him).  I really, really miss the happy, "Hey, Tuesday!  Pig in a poke!" Dean.