|| Supernatural Online Reviews 9x11 Updated Page-5| - Page 14

And I've said again and again that Supernatural as a series does have a willingness to try something new. It doesn't always work for the show, sure, but the decision to turn Dean into a demon is a choice that is definitely paying off.

Because there's nothing more intense to watch than two friends, two brothers on opposites sides. And it's not just silly drama this time. This is a far more dangerous situation that is much more life and death and so much more further explored in Supernatural Season 10 Episode 2.

Dean may still have some of those Dean-like tendencies that make him such a fun character to watch, but this new version is so much more chilling and scary. To see Dean as the bad guy is both fantastic and heartbreaking at the same time.

We want Sam to save his brother. That's the eventual end goal, because the brothers are the brothers and most likely they'll go out fighting together on the same side.

It even makes sense watching him pursue Dean at all costs. We've seen him and Dean do the same thing all the time.

So to hear Dean mock Sam's speech about taking him home? To see him smirk and grin with that Dean charm but have such an evil edge? To see him joke about Lester being a loser and then full on stabbing him like it's no big deal? To see him ready to throw down with Crowley in such a menacing way?

It's so different to see Dean, the hero, the good guy, be nothing like that at all.

And I'm glad that the show isn't wrapping that aspect up in just one episode. We're going to get to see that conflict and that something new grow.

That was always my biggest disappointment after Castiel become God and then the really scary Leviathan inSupernatural Season 7 Episode 1. I was excited to see a story where the brothers would have to face their best friend, maybe even have to grapple with possibly killing him to save everyone else. Plus, to see Misha Collins portray something so different from Castiel in those brief moments as this crazy and insane evil was a promising prospect.

But it was dashed away so quickly, so I'm really pleased that that isn't the case for demon Dean.

It even made me feel for Cole, who beat the crap out of Sam and was just trying to get revenge for the death of his father. (Wasn't it a great flashback to see Dean back to an earlier season look?) We're not supposed to like Cole. Our heroes are Sam and Dean. Do we understand where he's coming from? Sure, but it's that added layer of just how Dean acts and toys with him in the fight that makes you feel bad for him.

It's especially interesting that Cole as a character wasn't quickly dispatched either. Dean could have killed him and then Sam grabs Dean. But instead, like with demon Dean, the show is giving Cole time to grow and become something more. I'm curious as to where that part will go, certainly when and if Dean does stop being a demon.

Cole's coming back with a vengeance... after he does some studying.

Unfortunately, Castiel and Hannah's parts again felt like detractors from the Sam and Dean stuff. And that's disappointing because I like Castiel, but it's not quite as engrossing to watch him and Hannah hang out on a farm. Though it was interesting that he wouldn't bargain with Metatron for his soul.

But I'm kind of done with Metatron as the big bad and not sure if I really want him to come back as a villain to face off with again. He works much better in that cell for now, though I'm sure his words are eating at our trench-coated angel. Can Castiel survive this season? He has to find a way, right?

Overall, this was an intense hour providing a mesmerizing and freighting Dean right until the last moments. There's something terrifying (and I can only imagine for Sam) in listening to the elder Winchester brother talk so coldly about what he's going to do to Sam. And as much as I want Sam to save him, I can't help but be pleased at Supernatural's success with exploring a story that involves a demon Dean.

After 9 seasons of seeing the Winchester's work side to side despite their arguments, we finally see the brothers on two very separate sides of the spectrum.

Things start to tie together in "Reichenbach". We discover that the "hunter guy" from last week isn't actually a hunter, but a victim of Dean's wrath in the past. Turns out this guy saw Dean brutally murder his father back in 2003. Ah, so it's a story of revenge. Well he's a rookie, as he doesn't know anything about supernatural monsters and after Sam realizes he dropped a pocket knife on the floor, he is able to escape from his captivity and return to finding Dean. But what we don't discover is why Dean killed his father in the first place. This storyline isn't something memorable from previous seasons, so viewers are a bit confused as to what happened back in 2003 and why "normal" Dean would kill his father anyway.

As far as Deanmon goes, he's still drinking, still messing with strippers, and still getting into crazy drunk fights. It seems as though Deanmon runs on adrenaline, and it's expressed fantastically by Jensen Ackles. The moment someone gets in his way, Dean reacts purely on his anger and begins swinging punches like there's no tomorrow. This emotionless Dean is so dynamic from the emotional Dean we have come to know and become accustomed to in nine seasons worth of episodes. It's something we actually enjoy- this new Dean is refreshingly new to the series, which is exactly what a show that's been running for 9 years needs.

And what a surprise! Crowley, the king of Hell who we know feeds on slaying and violence is not a fan of Deanmon! Well it seems like Crowley just can't handle the immense amount of anger within Dean. He tries to channel this anger through the business of Hell, trying to get Dean to become his prime lassie. He wants Dean to kill sinners for him, thus reeling in more souls. But Dean is not having it. He refuses to be Crowley's lapdog, claiming that he will do as he wishes and no one can stop him. Fellow demons smile at this rebellion towards Crowley, possibly hinting at a revolt in Hell, maybe? It sounds like a great idea, especially after the whole war in heaven era. We'll have to wait and see if this theory will come to life.

Oh! Speaking of heaven, Hannah pays a visit to Metatron demanding to retrieve Cas' lost grace. Looks like fan-favorite Cas is losing agility fast and Hannah wants to help (probably because we're seeing a little bit of human emotion going on in her character). Cas returns to heaven (not sure how since his grace is barely usable at the moment), and makes sure Hannah does not make a deal with the crazy Metatron. It's clear that he wants to remain humble, but Metatron threatens the existence of Earth, and there may be more to this story. But Cas, why aren't you helping Sam with the Deanmon situation AT ALL?

However the most intense moment that everyone was waiting for was the interaction between Sam and Dean. Yes, they already meet up (Thanks to Crowley helping Sam find Dean since he's tired of his rebel attitude) and it was pretty satisfying. Sam becomes the brother who wants to fix things and make everything go back to normal. Dean is not buying it at all. Well the guy who Sam escaped from happened to be following his route the entire time and finally meets face to face with Dean. They get into a fight, which isn't much of a fight since Deanmon is certainly no match for petty knives and guns. But as Dean spares this guys life (Which shows that Dean seemingly has some smidge of emotion inside), Sam manages to throw holy water all over Dean and handcuffs him with the demon cuffs. Yes! Sam captured Dean! It's such a satisfying moment, as viewers just can't help but love seeing the brothers together regardless of the circumstance. But even with them reunited in an old-school car, we can't help but notice how evil Dean has become. He shows no mercy, telling Sam that he wants to kill him so badly. Is it an act, or has Dean really gone to the dark side? It's fantastic to see Dean's character look so extremely dynamic, but only more episodes will tell what's inside the mind of the eldest Winchester.

Rating of Tonight's Episode: 9/10

Pros: Amazing dynamic performance of Deanmon, Winchester brothers interaction, Dean's rebellion of Crowley & Hell = Rebellion?

Cons: Angel's side story still a bit weak and detached in a way where it gets confusing and pushed to the side.

Oh man you guys. Shame on anyone who was skeptical about the state of this season post-premiere. *tugs at collar nervously*

Tonight's "Soul Survivor" hit every one of its nails on the head, and Supernatural was truly back on form. There was quite a bit to process so let's break it down.

Sam had Dean chained up in the dungeon [muffled cheers of Wincest shippers in the distance] in order to begin the blood purification process to de-demonize his brother. And our favorite black eyed sonofabitch was doing everything in his power to make the process as painful for Sam as he could. Demon!Dean threw out everything he had to hurt Sam: Mary, John, Sam's failures, Sam's use of a lonely dude as demon bait; he even went so far as to exaggerate (I assume) the pain he was in. It was grueling to watch Sam go through this, and no I didn't use the wrong brother as the subject of this sentence. The whole thing was reminiscent of the Sam detox scene from season 4 - just with less crying and more brother shaming. Sam's phone call to Cas, urging him to hurry to the bunker because he was afraid he was killing his own brother, was a cry for help on the basest of levels. He didn't have the strength to do this alone.

Sam takes a break during the process to go play sentimental in Dean's room. If Dean was about to die from the process, Sam was taking a moment to remember just why he was taking such a risky chance. Photos of the brothers with Bobby and by themselves, photos of John and Mary, every one of the images a happy one - there was even a nearly finished piece of pie - if Sam didn't take the risk he would never have any of that "normalcy" with Dean again. His emotional fortitude resolved, he goes back to continue the purification.

And wouldn't ya know it Dean broke out of the dungeon. Dammit Sammy can't you do anything right?! All kidding aside, I kinda wish the CW had used clips from this episode more sparingly. The Shining/Wait Until Dark-esque scene was properly tense and would have been genuinely scary if we weren't all expecting it from minute one. I'm going to take a minute to give Jensen Ackles his directorial props here - he's clearly come into his own behind the lens and all of the claustrophobic scenes in the bunker were beautifully set up.

Sam, when he finally gets an upper hand on Dean, knife to his throat, can't go through with killing his demonic brother because of course he can't, but luckily a recharged Castiel shows up in the knick of time to grab Dean and help launch a thousand new Destiel fics.

As my 10th grade English teacher used to say when she was teaching Shakespeare: "Climb on down into the gutter with me, kids." [ed. note: I'm the worst and I'm not sorry.]

They finish the treatments and Dean wakes up no longer a demon. He's obviously a little discombobulated, but he's lucid enough to make jokes. It's nice to have him back, although looking at his face you could see all the math he was doing in his head. Calculating where he was, what he remembers, what he clearly must have been doing - the slow burn realization that terrible things were carried out by his hands. Hey, we all wanted regular Dean back, and that's got to include a mountain of self-loathing.

This is especially clear in the conversation he has with Castiel near the end of the episode. Dean seems convinced that his relationship with Sam is over. To be fair to Dean, it's what he would have done. Heck, it's what he has done. Every time Sam has had a major screwup, Dean has been the first one to initiate the "We're through" moment. They patch things up every time, but Dean on more than one occasion has shut his brother out for being, well, weak. Being on this side of things, being the one who needed to be locked in a room and cleansed of evil, Dean assumes that his brother will do the same. But Cas, and the audience, we all know that's not true. Will things be strained? Absolutely. Will Sam be purely callous and spiteful towards his brother. Maybe a little, but not to the extent Dean was in the past. Let's be real - the worst Sam has ever been towards Dean was last season's silent treatment. But that wasn't because Dean had screwed himself up, it was because Dean had taken away part of Sam's independence, something that Sam - the brother that took off to go to Stanford - could never abide. Here's hoping that the Impala Talk that's due (hopefully at the end of the monster of the week episode that's coming) will help clear up some of these issues.

Now the B plot of the episode - split between Castiel and Crowley but eventually converging - dealt with the end of the fallout from last season. Hannah (who I 100% now like because she's cool people haters can take a walk) was trying desperately to make Castiel understand that him dying was really not the best option for Team Heaven. He may not like the thought of taking more grace, but there's shit to get done and he clearly can't do it all lethargic and melting on the inside. On the flip side of the conversation, we saw Hannah make not so much a move but a slight step towards having something more with Castiel - as she's an angel it's probably not so much sexual as it is a purer form of love and companionship. But Cas took her words, rearranged them, and gave her a basic "yeah the timing is so not right, get your head in the game, Bambi." Poor Hannah. Every suggestion shot down.

Meanwhile in hell, Crowley was having a rough time. Some demons were trying to force him to be more of an efficient leader (#borednow), some demons were like puppies with no bone to gnaw on and wanted to be Crowley's new bestie (#roasted), and some were so dissatisfied with his leadership that they lit themselves on fire in protest (#actuallyroasted). Crowley, determining that he had to attempt to solve at least one of his problems, goes and gets Cas, re-graces him, and tells him to fix Dean. Oh Crowley, hon, you need to do a bit of black soul searching because this move isn't going to make you happy at all.

A strong outing for the show - while I wish we had gotten more Demon!Dean craziness, I'm relieved that the old Dean is back in action. Plus, with the Mark of Cain still branding Dean's arm, there's bound to be some residual badness coming down the pipe.

HANG ON. STOP. WAIT. I FORGOT.

The ending. The coda. What the - who the - the redhead who I desperately was hoping was Charlie but turned out to be some sort of crazy ceiling murder lady - what was SHE ABOUT?!

The mystery of it all. I can't take it you guys.

The demon Dean arc was certainly one of the freshest and most entertaining ideas Supernatural has had of recent, especially considering the series has been on for nearly 200 episodes.

It can be hard to sometimes keep that Impala engine of new ideas going, but the writers and brain-trust behind the show keep finding ways to fuel up the story just a little more.

The whole concept of Dean as a demon has been both off-putting and engaging, and that certainly rests on the shoulders of both actor Jensen Ackles (who also directed Supernatural Season 10 Episode 3) and the fact we've gotten to know the ins and outs of the character for over nine years.

Demon Dean has that Dean charm and mannerisms, but with that evil twist of pummeling you to a bloody pulp while saying all the nasty things that can tear at you emotionally. And it's done with a smug smile to top it off.

Except, Dean's been apart from Sam for a while now, so to see the two Winchester brothers essentially have to face each other in at the Men of Letters bunker was an exciting concept.

Because the real question was if Sam could even save Dean from being a demon. Curing a demon was clearly possible, and it had nearly been done with Crowley, but would it save Dean? Would it kill him? Would it do nothing?

If anything, I loved the back and forth between the brothers. Seeing Dean try everything to goad Sam, to say those nasty things about ruining his life or that Sam might be more of a monster than he made an impact. At the same time, seeing Sam try to ignore the words, to feel anguish at not being sure if he could help his brother and the prospect that he might have to kill him was also just as relevant.

Plus, I loved Sam's responses about not wanting to debate Dean or telling him he hates demons after Dean said he hated shots.

But things ramped up from the verbal to the physical after Dean managed to break free, and I enjoyed the whole cat and mouse game. There was some real tension created from watching Dean strut around, hammer in hand, while Sam would hide behind corners and peak out. It felt like some old-school horror, while even reminding me of The Shining.

The door breaking scene alone reminded me of Jack Nicholson slamming through and saying "Here's Johnny." But I've got to admit that "I like the disease" quote coming from Dean made for a great line as he prepared to come right at his brother.

I guess it's really lucky Castiel came in at just the right time to stop demon Dean and finally help Sam rid the elder Winchester brother of that black-eyed burden once and for all. Except, I was kind of disappointed it seemed easily fixed.

I know they still have to deal with the Mark of Cain, but I was liking this evil version of Dean, at least for the time being.

Maybe, Dean wasn't fully cured and his demon ways will come back again? There was just something so fresh about that demon tale that I find it a little hard to believe it's all over. Or maybe I'm just not quite ready for it to be done so soon after it began.

If anything, the hour seemed to re-align things for all the characters and set them on a new course.

Crowley, while I wasn't as enamored with the sentimental flashbacks this time around, seemed especially bored. And perhaps that statement about the way he was choosing to run Hell, along with the demon on fire, may have pushed him to quit sitting around. Crowley's a schemer, and he seemed way more chipper in ruthlessly stabbing that one angel to give her grace back to Castiel.

He's bound to come back for Castiel again, but what is his new plan this time?

Similarly, we know Castiel and Hannah are on their trip to find the rogue angels (not exactly my favorite), but Castiel's renewed sense of self with that stolen grace sort of hit the reset button for him. I'm curious where his story is going to go, and if there might be some romance in the air for the angel. There were plenty of hints at it during the hour.

But like Castiel said to Dean, things seem pretty much back to normal in Heaven and Hell for now. That can only mean it won't take long before some new supernatural being, like that mysterious red-haired woman at the end, steps up to cause problems.

And of course, after a little rest, drinking and fast food, Sam and Dean should be ready to take up the task. Though I would think they need to talk a bit about the whole demon ordeal... if it's truly all fixed and over.

The whole concept of Dean as a demon has been both off-putting and engaging, and that certainly rests on the shoulders of both actor Jensen Ackles (who also directed Supernatural Season 10 Episode 3) and the fact we've gotten to know the ins and outs of the character for over nine years.

Demon Dean has that Dean charm and mannerisms, but with that evil twist of pummeling you to a bloody pulp while saying all the nasty things that can tear at you emotionally. And it's done with a smug smile to top it off.

Except, Dean's been apart from Sam for a while now, so to see the two Winchester brothers essentially have to face each other in at the Men of Letters bunker was an exciting concept.

Because the real question was if Sam could even save Dean from being a demon. Curing a demon was clearly possible, and it had nearly been done with Crowley, but would it save Dean? Would it kill him? Would it do nothing?

If anything, I loved the back and forth between the brothers. Seeing Dean try everything to goad Sam, to say those nasty things about ruining his life or that Sam might be more of a monster than he made an impact. At the same time, seeing Sam try to ignore the words, to feel anguish at not being sure if he could help his brother and the prospect that he might have to kill him was also just as relevant.

Plus, I loved Sam's responses about not wanting to debate Dean or telling him he hates demons after Dean said he hated shots.

But things ramped up from the verbal to the physical after Dean managed to break free, and I enjoyed the whole cat and mouse game. There was some real tension created from watching Dean strut around, hammer in hand, while Sam would hide behind corners and peak out. It felt like some old-school horror, while even reminding me of The Shining.

The door breaking scene alone reminded me of Jack Nicholson slamming through and saying "Here's Johnny." But I've got to admit that "I like the disease" quote coming from Dean made for a great line as he prepared to come right at his brother.

I guess it's really lucky Castiel came in at just the right time to stop demon Dean and finally help Sam rid the elder Winchester brother of that black-eyed burden once and for all. Except, I was kind of disappointed it seemed easily fixed.

I know they still have to deal with the Mark of Cain, but I was liking this evil version of Dean, at least for the time being.

Maybe, Dean wasn't fully cured and his demon ways will come back again? There was just something so fresh about that demon tale that I find it a little hard to believe it's all over. Or maybe I'm just not quite ready for it to be done so soon after it began.

If anything, the hour seemed to re-align things for all the characters and set them on a new course.

Crowley, while I wasn't as enamored with the sentimental flashbacks this time around, seemed especially bored. And perhaps that statement about the way he was choosing to run Hell, along with the demon on fire, may have pushed him to quit sitting around. Crowley's a schemer, and he seemed way more chipper in ruthlessly stabbing that one angel to give her grace back to Castiel.

He's bound to come back for Castiel again, but what is his new plan this time?

Similarly, we know Castiel and Hannah are on their trip to find the rogue angels (not exactly my favorite), but Castiel's renewed sense of self with that stolen grace sort of hit the reset button for him. I'm curious where his story is going to go, and if there might be some romance in the air for the angel. There were plenty of hints at it during the hour.

But like Castiel said to Dean, things seem pretty much back to normal in Heaven and Hell for now. That can only mean it won't take long before some new supernatural being, like that mysterious red-haired woman at the end, steps up to cause problems.

And of course, after a little rest, drinking and fast food, Sam and Dean should be ready to take up the task. Though I would think they need to talk a bit about the whole demon ordeal... if it's truly all fixed and over.