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Supernatural: The Devil You Know

Bobby: "You're Crowley."
Crowley: "In the flesh. Of a moderately successful literary agent out of New York."

We've come full circle. What happened to Jess in the pilot episode was a huge open plot thread, and it has just been sewn up. (Is that a mixed metaphor?) Poor Jess. Poor Brady, too, since he must have been alive in there and suffering for years, like Meg.

Mark Sheppard as Crowley was a joy to watch. He was so incredibly sincere and so incredibly slippery that I kept expecting him to double cross Dean and/or Sam at any moment – but he didn't. Just at the point where I started to believe he was telling the truth about his motivations, he showed up at Bobby's and started talking him out of his soul. I absolutely do not believe Crowley was telling Bobby the whole truth. Although, oddly, I do believe that Crowley will be able to provide Death's coordinates in response to a wish, because it makes story sense.

Did Crowley lie about the Colt? Is he secretly working for Lucifer? What sort of demon is Crowley? Yes, I remember that he's the boss of the Crossroads Demons, but how can he vanish and reappear like an angel? You don't suppose he's one of those evil angels in disguise? No, couldn't be; he had his own very large hellhound. But it would be a fun twist.

I kept expecting Sam to lose it. Jared kept making his angry face, which looks a lot like constipated face. In fact, nearly anyone would have lost it under these circumstances – much less Sam, the devil's true vessel with rage issues. So at several points and especially at the end, I was thinking, good for Sam. He actually justified Dean's faith in him.

But when Sam started talking about walking Lucifer into the trap, I thought NOOOO! Sam was possessed before and had no control over his own body. What makes him think he could wrest control away from Lucifer himself? And if he did manage to do it, which I totally doubt, what would happen to Sam? Trapped in a box, possessed for eternity? At least this gives us a positive explanation for Sam saying yes to Lucifer in Detroit, though.


How did Bobby overcome that demon, by the way? I just assumed it was his massive coolness, or possibly strength of will against an enemy he knew and understood. Maybe not.

This was a dense episode, even though a lot of it was set-up. I'm so glad I avoid spoilers, because I have no idea what's coming. Except Death, of course. Someone's going to die; the entire season has felt like build-up to losing somebody. And it sure looks like it'll be Bobby. (If you know, please don't tell me!)

Bits and pieces:

— The line of salt in the alley felt symbolic. Sam did indeed cross the line, but Dean laid it down for him in the first place, and in the end, Sam came back to Dean. Brady was wrong.

— The wall mural in the alley behind Brady was fascinating, and almost certainly had to be created specifically for this episode. It showed a man wearing a ring, sitting in a barber chair being shaved with a straight razor.

— Crowley said that War and Famine are now withered husks.

— Niveus Pharmaceuticals. I'd never heard the word "niveus" before. It means "snow white."

— Brady kicked Dean repeatedly. How come Dean didn't have internal injuries? Not that it matters, since Heaven would just toss him back.

— Did Crowley call Brady "Uncle" or was I imagining it?

— There was a long, creepy ad for next week's episode, and they showed it twice.

— Gold acting stars for Mark Sheppard, of course. And for Eric Johnson (Brady), who seems to have gotten acting lessons since I saw him last in Smallville. Or maybe, like Jensen Ackles, Smallville just wasn't an adequate arena for his acting talents.

— (Come to think of it, Eric Johnson and Jensen Ackles both played Lana Lang's boyfriends for one season, too. We've come a long way, baby.)


Quotes:

Dean: (in a sterile face mask) "Check it out. I look like the king of pop."

Crowley: "They burnt down my house! They ate my tailor!"

Crowley: "Where's your moose?"
Dean: "He's cooling off."
Crowley also called Sam Dean's dog, while he called Dean "tiger" and "mate." I think he's playing favorites.

Crowley: "Might have given said toad the impression that you left your post last night because you and I are – wait for it – lovers in league against Satan. Hello, darling."

Crowley: "Stay!"
Dean: "You can control them?"
Crowley: "Not that one. Brought my own. Mine's bigger."

Crowley: "Let's just say when they're getting their Grammys, they shouldn't all be thanking God."

It's hard for me to rate arc episodes that end in a cliffhanger, but I still think this one was excellent. Four out of four really big hellhounds,

Billie
---
Billie Doux adores Supernatural which is a good thing since apparently, it's eternal.

10 comments:

  1. A decent enough episode. Agree that it was all set-up but that’s to best expected this late in the game. Without doubt it benefited from the Awesome Power of Mark Sheppard! Ben Edlund clearly enjoyed writing for him. Perhaps a little too much but I not complaining. With any luck they’ll bring him back next season as the new Big Bad.

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  2. Great episode, loved it. Just want to add that Yellow Eyes could teleport - he used that trick to dodge a bullet from the Colt when Sam tried to shoot him. Powerful demons can probably manage it.

    Still no Castiel. Is anyone else worried about him?

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  3. The imagery of the last scene in the alley killed me. The Impala was completely in the dark. There was a light hanging overhead. Between the dark Impala and The Light there was blood smeared on the brick wall. Sam walked past Dean straight towards the pitch black darkened Impala.

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  4. I thought it was a great episode. Mark Sheppard just adds awesomeness to any show he guest stars on. What could they possibly come up with as the big bad next year? What tops the devil? Gods? Jacob and the man in black? Very curious to see how this all comes together. Great review Billie!

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  5. Yeah, I'm thinking Lana Lang was the albatross around both Jensen Ackles' and Eric Johnson's necks. Because I knew Jensen was a good actor prior to watching Supernatural, but, while I liked Jason, I never really noticed Jensen on Smallville. It took him getting off that soap opera to really show his talent. But, when I saw Eric Johnson act, I realized that it was stupid Lana Lang holding both actors back.

    Kat

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  6. I love Crowley, such a delight and the actor plays him wonderfully. And this episode was amazing and I´m glad we resolved the whole Jess plot from season 1.

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  7. "THEY ATE MY TAILOR!" is one of my favorite lines in the entire show. Although that could just be Mark Sheppard's delivery of it. I love Mark. :)

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  8. I just watched an old X-files episode - "Fire" with a guest appearance by a very young Mark Sheppard. He was suitably creepy and awesome.

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  9. Couldn't the word "uncle" be the word of yielding? Crying "uncle" was how you gave up in a fight, e.g. a wrestling match, at least when I was a kid.

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