#redemption 2x13

[leveragecentral]

Alec Hardison really can be anything he wants to be <3

Leverage 1x11 // "The Juror #6 Job" || Leverage: Redemption 2x13 // "The Crowning Achievement Job"

[kajaono]

They break into NASA for the boyfriend!

[gleesongtournament]

Glee Song Tournament Redemption Round

[lindseymcdonaldseyelashes]

lindseymcdonaldseyelashes' Leverage Index

Thought it could be helpful to get all of my Leverage tags in one place for simplified browsing. Much more for Season 4 and Season 5 coming soon (and Redemption will probably get its own index page as well).

All Leverage

Leverage Season 1

1x1 - "The Nigerian Job"

1x2 - "The Homecoming Job"

1x3 - "The Wedding Job"

1x4 - "The Snow Job"

1x5 - "The Mile High Job"

1x6- "The Miracle Job"

1x7 - "The Two-Horse Job"

1x8 - "The Bank Shot Job"

1x9 - "The Stork Job"

1x10 - "The Juror #6 Job"

1x11 - "The 12-Step Job"

1x12 - "The First David Job"

1x13 - "The Second David Job"

Leverage Season 2

2x1 - "The Beantown Bailot Job"

2x2 - "The Tap-Out Job"

2x3 - "The Order 23 Job"

2x4 - "The Fairy Godparents Job"

2x5 - "The Three Days of the Hunter Job"

2x6 - "The Top Hat Job"

2x7 - "The Two Live Crew Job"

2x8 - "The Ice Man Job"

2x9 - "The Lost Heir Job"

2x10 - "The Runway Job"

2x11 - "The Bottle Job"

2x12 - "The Zanzibar Marketplace Job"

2x13 - "The Future Job"

2x14 - "The Three Strikes Job"

2x15 - "The Maltese Falcon Job"

Leverage Season 3

3x1 - "The Jailhouse Job"

3x2 - "The Reunion Job"

3x3 - "The Inside Job"

3x4 - "The Scheherazade Job"

3x5 - "The Double-Blind Job"

3x6 - "The Studio Job"

3x7 - "The Gone Fishin' Job"

3x8 - "The Boost Job"

3x9 - "The Three-Card Monte Job"

3x10 - "The Underground Job"

3x11 - "The Rashomon Job"

3x12 - "The King George Job"

3x13 - "The Morning After Job"

3x14 - "The Ho Ho Ho Job"

3x15 - "The Big Bang Job"

3x16 - "The San Lorenzo Job"

Leverage Season 4

4x1 - "The Long Way Down Job"

4x2 - "The 10 Li'l Grifters Job"

4x3 - "The 15 Minutes Job"

4x4 - "The Van Gogh Job"

4x5 - "The Hot Potato Job"

4x6 - "The Carnival Job"

4x7 - "The Grave Danger Job"

4x8 - "The Boiler Room Job"

4x9 - "The Cross My Heart Job"

4x10 - "The Queen's Gambit Job"

4x11 - "The Experimental Job"

4x12 - "The Office Job"

4x13 - "The Girls' Night Out Job"

4x14 - "The Boys' Night Out Job"

4x15 - "The Lonely Hearts Job"

4x16 - "The Gold Job"

4x17 - "The Radio Job"

4x18 - "The Last Dam Job"

Leverage Season 5

5x1 - "The (Very) Big Bird Job"

5x2 - "The Blue Line Job"

5x3 - "The First Contact Job"

5x4 - "The French Connection Job"

5x5 - "The Gimme a K Street Job"

5x6 - "The D.B. Cooper Job"

5x7 - "The Real Fake Car Job"

5x8 - "The Broken Wing Job"

5x9 - "The Rundown Job"

5x10 - "The Frame-Up Job"

5x11 - "The Low Low Price Job"

5x12 - "The White Rabbit Job"

5x13 - "The Corkscrew Job"

5x14 - "The Toy Job"

5x15 - "The Long Goodbye Job"

[deanstudies101]

2x13, Houses of the Holy

Critical theory: Faith, miracles, and redemption. 

Discussion question(s): What do we learn about Sam and Dean’s characters in relation to their respective belief or lack thereof? How does this tie in with the themes and motifs as we have defined them thus far? How do we feel about the introduction of angels as a concept, knowing what we know about the direction the show takes in this regard [for Iga, mostly just that they exist, for Kai perhaps some more detail?]? 

Key quotes: Dean, “But angels? I don’t think so. [Why not?] Because there’s no such thing, Sam.”; Dean, “Mom used to say that angels were watching over us. In fact, that's the last thing she ever said to me… but she was wrong.”; Father Greygory “Some people need redemption. Don't they, Sam?”  

Discussion: Episode of all time. Such a rich episode. Obsessed. 

Dean doubting it so much at the beginning is so beautiful—he struggles so hard to believe there’s good in the world, because he’s suffered so much. The figures that were supposed to be watching over him didn’t, so he doesn’t wanna give this one a chance to let him down, to abandon him. Then he saw what he saw and doesn’t know what to believe, he’s shook. Could angels not just be the spirits of those who aren’t at rest? Gregory truly believed he was carrying out God’s will (and we're inclined to agree, he literally prevented pedophilia, rape, etc.). However, Sam was willing to kill a guy because the ‘angel’ told him to… and he’s supposedly so worried about turning evil. Killing someone before they do the bad thing is exactly what Dean is refusing to do. Or, he’s been trying to convince Dean to kill him before he goes evil, so maybe this is Sam’s way of putting him money where his mouth is, ie. convince himself it’s okay to kill someone before they do the bad thing, if you truly believe they will do the bad thing. 

Dean is so scared to hope, to believe there is good. He promises to save Sam, but who will save him? :) 

Re: belief or lack thereof. Juxtaposition of. Dean doesn’t trust good things, because he doesn’t want to be abandoned… because he hasn’t experienced good things. Sam has, he has experienced good things, so he can believe there’s good things out there. Makes it ironic that Sam is cursed with the demon shit, because Dean feels like he’s cursed. 

Star student: Iga, Dean doesn’t want to give God an opportunity to abandon him. Iga, Sam is “fated to be the fucking devil or something.”

Notes: Kai and Iga are going insane over this episode and they don’t even know the half of it. I am eating glass. We quite like Sam in this episode actually (Jared did alright). Great use of Knocking on Heaven’s Door. 

Further reading under the cut, contains spoilers for S5

"Father, that's Michael, right?" (@godsquad)

[imtheiliad]

OK OK I'll start watching the show. What are your favorite characters, ships and episodes ✏️

hehehheeeeee

okay so i do strongly strongly recommend watching the show from the beginning all the way through. the first season establishes so many things that comeback even in season six so do not skip it. i will tell you that it is much different that season 2 forward, in season 1 there’s a entirely different energy, overall a little darker and more intense but definitely still fun.

i really do love each and every one of the ensemble and their respective pairings so much, i am just the most feral about eddie and buck both separately and together. Henren- just a wonderful loving amazing lesbian couple that has fought hard for what they have and love each other so much. Bathena- a beautiful second chance romance that is so loving and understanding of each other. Madney- a redemption and healing from intense relationship trauma this is just so !!!. And buddie- just,,,i could and have written essays on their love for each other. And then there are the other permutations. especially Hen and chimney the bestiest of friends a lesbian and a himbo if i have ever seen one. the buckley siblings are my everything my entire life i love them so much. and the kids! may, harry, denny, chris, and eventually Jee- they all have such unique stories and you get to see them grow and change too, 911 really does a fairly good job at remembering these people have children and including them in the stories and how that changes things.

all the begins episodes are top of line all of them go on the list.

other episodes- under the cut

1x01 2x01 2x04 2x08 2x13 2x18 3x02/03 3x10 3x15- yes this is eddie begins but i must reiterate that it is so good 4x03 4x04/05- yes this is buck begins, again it is so good. 4x06 4x09 4x12 4x13/14 5x06 5x08 5x12 5x13/14 5x16 5x18 6x04 6x06 6x10/11

[whumpismybae]

Do you have any recs for a villain being whumped? Maybe by a higher up or by the good guy as leverage? Thx :3

Hey nonny, you're actually my very first Ask I've ever gotten! :)

Uuh, the villains. Love them. I don't know why they always choose the hottest actors to play the bad guys 😅

Just be warned, some might end in character death...

Who came right to my mind is Billy Russo, played by Ben Barnes. He has a hard time throughout the series, getting in fights, especially with the anti hero Frank Castle, ending up beaten, bloody (1x13), and even shot (2x13).

Well, again with the wonderful Ben Barnes, he plays General Kirigan in Shadow and Bone. Very very (very) slight whump, but some small scenes throughout season 1 and 2. And I love some emotional whump, and this man is pretty sad if you tend to emphasise with the bad guys.

Well, this one is probably one of my favourite Whumpees, BUT, he's not particularly a villain. John Murphy from The 100. He starts off as the typical bad guy douchebag, but has the greatest character arc in my opinion and gets through soo much hurt all the seasons! Beaten (a LOT), stabbed (end of season 1, and beginning of s2, 6x01, 6x08), shot (5x13).

You've probably heard of Loki before, but if not, he also starts off as the villain but tends to get more anti hero. He gets beaten by the Avengers/his brother etc, in the Thor series, Avengers 1 and has some slight whump in the Loki series (but here he's getting into the role of the anti-hero).

Another "bad guy who will end anyone who comes in their way or hurts their loved ones" type are Damon and Klaus from the Vampire Diaries. Damon was already more of the bad guy from the very start, but Klaus was more like the villain. Well, he ended up in the "misunderstood bad guy" path aswell.

I hope some of these aren't familiar to you and could help you find what you were looking for. Most of my favourites are more like the anti-hero part with a great redemption arc. So except for Billy Russo and kind of Kirigan and Klaus in the beginning they weren't exactly Villains.

But I hope this helps 🥰 Thank you for your question

[themattress]

OUAT Observation

I want to conduct an experiment and list every major character (so important characters to the plot and/or characters whose actors had “Regular” status) who dropped out of the show, and then see how often they were referenced again or appeared again in any capacity.

Graham Humbert/The Hunstman: Wow. Following 1x08, the episode after his death, Graham was never mentioned again for the remainder of the season, and only showed up briefly in the finale as the Huntsman in a flashback. He fares no better in the later seasons, only getting one flashback appearance in 2x17 and one offhand mention from Emma in 4x03. I’m inclined to believe this is because of how awkward it would make Regina’s redemption if the circumstances behind his death were ever revealed, but it seems ridiculous given that Emma wouldn’t have her position as Sheriff of Storybrooke if not for him. He deserved better.

August W. Booth/Pinocchio: After Season 2, August received no mention in Season 3. He then showed up again and played an important role in Season 4B, only to go without mention once more in Season 5. He then appeared in back-to-back episodes 6x11 and 6x12, then disappeared for the remainder of the show. Maybe he should’ve stayed gone the first time...

Albert Spencer/King George: Following his arrest in 2x07, he received mention in the flashbacks of 2x10 and 2x20 and appeared in the flashback of 2x13. Otherwise, he only got mentioned in the Season 3 finale and briefly in 5x15, and only ever appeared again in 6x12.

Cora Mills/The Queen of Hearts: Cora died in 2x16, but was still constantly referenced by other characters for the remainder of the season. She then showed up in the flashback of OUATIW’s 11th episode, referenced throughout Season 3B and even appeared both in flashback form and as a ghost in 3x18, was mentioned occasionally throughout Seasons 4 through 6, showed up in the flashback of 4x20, and appeared in 5x12 and 5x19 where her character was definitively sent off. Despite all of this, Season 7 only referenced her twice, in 7x06 and 7x11, adding to the feeling of disconnect that season had to the rest of the show.

Ruby Lucas/Red Riding Hood: After just up and disappearing following 2x17, Ruby had mentions in 3x07 and 3x09, and then in 3x11 there was often an open slot in crowd shots where you swear she was meant to be digitally inserted in but wasn’t for some reason. Then in 3x12 she really was digitally inserted into a crowd shot, then had a brief cameo in 3x13. A waitress that was possibly her is seen from the backside in 3x17, then she played a major role in the two-part season finale. Following this, she disappeared again only to resurface in 5x09, which explained her disappearance and was later followed by her send-off in 5x18. Megan Ory is great, but her character was more important and should’ve just been recast.

Malcolm/Peter Pan: Pan was mentioned quite a lot following his demise in 3x11; coming up in 3x15, 3x16, 3x17, 3x20 and 3x21. He wasn’t mentioned much afterward in Season 4 and the first half of Season 5, only to then return in a major recurring role in 5B across 5x12, 5x14 (voice only), 5x17 (visual cue), 5x19 and 5x20, and given mention in 5x23. In Season 6, he was referenced in 6x11, 6x16 and 6x17, and appeared in his adult form in 6x19′s flashback. His Wish Realm counterpart appears in 7x21, mainly as fanservice since he does nothing.

Neal Cassady/Baelfire: Given that this character was a major driving force across the first three seasons of the show, it’s understandable he was referenced a lot afterward; in 4x01, 4x03, 4x04, 4x05, 4x08, 4x17, 4x20, 4x21, 4x22, 5x03, 5x05, 5x06, 5x08, 5x10, 5x11, 5x16, 5x20, 5x22, 5x23, 6x01, 6x06, 6x08, 6x09, 6x10, 6x11, 6x12, 6x17, 6x19 and 6x22. He also appeared in person in 5x12, and in the flashbacks of 5x14 and 6x13. In Season 7, however, he was only off-handedly mentioned in 7x04, 7x09 and 7x21. There’s that disconnect again!

Ingrid/The Snow Queen: Following Season 4A where she was the Big Bad, Ingrid is only mentioned in 4x12, 4x19, and 5x02. Ultimately, she didn’t really leave much of an impact.

Elsa: 4x15. That is the first and last time Elsa was mentioned beyond Season 4A.

Maleficent: Despite Season 4B building her up as a major permanent presence in Storybrooke going forward, Maleficent was never seen again afterward. She received mention in 5x02, 5x09, 6x21, and 7x16....and none of these refer to her directly by name.

Lily Page: In one of the most notorious instances of a character receiving a lot of build-up for being important and then just disappearing without closure, Lily was never seen again after Season 4, the season that introduced her and built her up, and she was only mentioned in the final episode, 7x22, with her dangling plot thread reduced to a joke. (Seriously? Zorro!?)

Will Scarlet: In another one of the most notorious instances of a character receiving a lot of build-up for being important and then just disappearing without closure, Will literally dropped off the face of the Earth without further mention after Season 4. As a result, everyone has come to agree that OUATIW takes place after Season 4 rather than before as was planned, as this perfectly explains his sudden disappearance without contradicting any hard facts.

Isaac Heller: While the position of the Author remained important, the prior Author himself wasn’t spoken of again following his arrest in the Season 4 finale and subsequent 5x01 until reappearing in 6x16 where he was let out of jail in exchange for revealing a major plot point. 

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice: Following his death in 5x01, we see him in 5x07′s flashback and in the Underworld in 5x15, plus hear references to him in 5x05, 5x06, 5x11 and 5x13. Additionally, his Wish Realm counterpart appears in 7x21 and gets to play a significant role.

Merlin: He dies in 5x10, and then is referenced in 5x13, 5x15, 5x17, 5x23, 6x08, 6x16, 6x18, 7x01 and 7x21. But here’s the thing: all but one of those (5x17) has him referenced as “the Sorcerer” rather than by name and is generally tying in with Henry’s position as the Author. This gets me asking...in the end, what was the point of the Sorcerer being Merlin? Why not just make the Apprentice the Sorcerer, given that he ends up with a more lasting presence? No wonder Elliot Knight was pissed off after leaving the show; his character got screwed!

Violet Morgan: Despite being Henry’s first girlfriend and a recurring character in Seasons 5 and 6 (and an adorable one, at that!), Violet only receives an offhanded mention in 7x20. 

Hades: The Big Bad of Season 5B only gets brought up in 6x01 and 6x18 afterward.

Robin Hood: While dying in 5x21, Robin still gets brought up in the two-part season finale, and then in 6x01, 6x09, 6x10, 6x11, 6x12, 6x13, 6x14, 6x18, 7x10, 7x11, and 7x14. His spirit makes an appearance in 7x21, while his Wish Realm counterpart appears in 6x10 through 6x14 and has a brief voiceover in 6x22. And so his legacy, however dubious, was honored.

Mr. Hyde: Remember in the Season 5 finale, where it looked like he was going to be a major villain going forward? Well, after dying in 6x04, he only gets mentioned in 6x05, 6x06 and 6x09. He ultimately ended up being as pointless as the Land of Untold Stories he came from.

Gideon: Despite so much of Seasons 5B and 6 being dedicated to this fucker, he only appears in 7x04 and is mentioned briefly in 7x18. The disconnect...it’s so disconnecting!

Fiona/The Black Fairy: She is never referenced in Season 7 at all. Yes, really. The villain that A&E hyped up as the Ultimate Evil, the creator of the Dark Curse who was thus billed as the one behind almost everything that went wrong in the show...and she is totally forgotten.

Belle: While she dies in 7x04, the show never lets you forget about her as she is now Rumple’s primary motivation and thus comes up in 7x06, 7x08, 7x09, 7x15, 7x17, 7x18, 7x20, 7x21 and 7x22, the last of which also having her appear one final time in spirit form. Given that she wasn’t initially meant to be a major character and the writers clearly gave up on making her interesting by the end, it’s bizarre that so much of the final season and Rumple’s characterization ends up being built around the memory of her. It just feels off.

Victoria Belfrey/Rapunzel Tremaine: After perishing in 7x11, she is brought up again in 7x12, 7x13, 7x14, 7x15 and 7x20...although all things considered, I wish that she wasn’t.

Ivy Belfrey/Drizella Tremaine: After she leaves in 7x15, she’s mentioned in 7x16 and 7x18.

Nick Branson/Jack/Hansel: He gets brought up again in the episodes following his death...and then isn’t at all in the two-part series finale, because really, who cares about this guy?

[afaims100arrowversefavs]

My 250 Favorite Arrowverse Episodes: Part 3: 200-176

Taken from „Arrow“, „The Flash“, „Supergirl“, „Legends of Tomorrow“, „Constantine“, „Black Lightning“, „Batwoman“, „Stargirl“ and Season 1-3 of „Superman & Lois“:

In honor of Seaosn 4 of "Superman & Lois" being the end of the Arrrowverse, the end of DCTV like we knew it and the end of The CW like we knew it, a final time before the final season all Seasons ends of all the 250 best Arrowverse Episodes (according to me):

I did include "Stargirl" this time, since it has as much connection as "Superman & Lois" to the rest of the Arrowverse, but One Hit Shows like "Gotham Knights" and "Naomi" (anyone still remember this one?) are not on this list, neither are Arrowverse unrelated DC shows:

200. The One with the Nineties (The Flash 7x6)

The One in which: Cisco and Chester get stuck in die 90s.

139, Written by: Kelly Wheeler, Emily Palizzi, Directed by: Jeff Byrd

199. Menagerie (Supergirl 4x12)

The One in which: Pamela discovers a new form of headwear much to our heroes dismay.

77, Written by: Robert Rovner, Daniel Beaty, Greg Baldwin, Directed by: Stefan Pleszczynski

198. Grinning from Ear to Ear (Batwoman 1x14)

The One in which: Dueala his issues, so has Sophie.

14, Written by: Denise Harkavy, Directed by: Michael Blundell

197. The Flash is born (The Flash 1x6)

The One in which: Barry gets revenge on his childhood bully.

6, Written by: Jaime Paglia, Chris Rafferty, Directed by: Millicent Shelton

196. The Legion of Doom (Legends of Tomorrow 2x10)

The One in which: Phil gets kidnapped by the Legion of Doom.

26, Written by: Phil Klemmer, Marc Guggenheim, Directed by: Eric Laneuville

195. Don’t Run (The Flash 4x9)

The One in which: Caitlin gets kidnapped and Barry locked in.

78, Written by: Sam Chalsen, Judalina Neira, Directed by: Stefan Pleszczynski

194. Land of the Lost (Legends of Tomorrow 2x13)

The One in which: Amayas pets a T-Rex while Sara visits Rip's head.

29. Written by: Keto Shimizu, Ray Utanarchitt, Directed by: Ralph Hemecker

193. Attack on Central City (The Flash 3x14)

The One in which: Gorillas attack Central City.

60, Written by: Benjamin Raab, Deric A. Hughes, Todd Helbing, Directed by: Dermott Downs

192. Love is a Battlefield (The Flash 6x11)

The One in which: Valentine’s Day and mind reading flowers dominate Date Night.

125, Written by: Kelly Wheeler, Jeff Hersh, Directed by: Sudz Sutherland

191. Livewire (Supergirl 1x4)

The One in which: Leslie wants to skin a Cat.

4, Written by: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Caitlin Parrish, Directed by: Kevin Tancharoen

190. Fadeout (Arrow 8x10)

The One in which: Oliver Queen is dead.

170, Written by: Marc Guggenheim, Beth Schwartz, Directed by: James Bamford

189. Beyond Redemption (Arrow 4x4)

The One in which: Sara is back but not in good way and there is police corruption going around.

73, Written by: Beth Schwartz, Ben Sokolowski, Directed by: Lexi Alexander

188. Pilot (Arrow 1x1)

The One in which: Oliver Queen is alive.

1, Written by: Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, Directed by: David Nutter

187. The Good, the Bad and the Cuddley (Legends of Tomorrow 3x18)

The One in which: Beebo fight a Demon.

51, Written by: Marc Guggenheim und Phil Klemmer, Directed by: Dermott Downs

186. Draw back your Bow (Arrow 3x7)

The One in which: The Arrow has a stalker and love is all around us.

53, Written by: Wendy Mericle, Beth Schwartz, Directed by: Rob Hardy

185. Suicide Squad (Arrow 2x16)

The One in which: Dig meets Task Force X.

39, Written by: Keto Shimizu, Bryan Q Miller, Directed by: Larry Teng

184. Uprising (Arrow 3x12)

The One in which: Team Arrow has to save the city without Oliver’s help.

58, Written by: Beth Schwartz, Brian Ford Sullivan, Directed by: Jesse Warn

183. Years End (Arrow 1x9)

The One in which: Oliver wants to bring Christmas back and the Dark Archer is having fun.

9, Written by: Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, Directed by: John Dahl

182. The Dress (Superman & Lois 3x9)

The One in which: Lois wants to give a away a certain dress.

39, Written by: Kristi Korzec, Directed by: Stephen Maier

181. Armageddon Part 1 (The Flash 8x1)

The One in which: Ray visists Central City and Barry meets a hater.

152, Written by: Eric Wallace, Directed by: Eric Dean Seaton

180. Last Sons of Krypton (Superman & Lois 1x15)

The One in which: Brotherly love is not what happens here.

15, Written by: Kristi Korzec, Michael Naducci, Brent Fletcher, Todd Helbing, Directed by: Tom Cavanagh

179. My Name is Oliver Queen (Arrow 3x23)

The One in which: Oliver is victorious and drives off in the sun-set.

69, Written by: Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Marc Guggenheim, Jake Coburn, Directed by: John Behring

178. The Calm (Arrow 3x1)

The One in which: Oliver and Felicity try to go on date and Ray Palmer is introduced.

47, Written by: Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Marc Guggenheim, Jake Coburn, Directed by: Glen Winter

177. Legends of Today/Legends of Yesterday (The Flash 2x8/Arrow 4x8)

The Ones in which: The Hawks and Vandal Savage make time travel necessary.

Part 1: The Flash 2.8/31, Written by: Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg, Aaron and Todd Helbing, Directed by: Ralph Hemecker, Part 2: Arrow 4.8/77, Written by: Greg Berlanti, Marx Guggenheim, Brian Ford Sullivan, Directed by: Thor Freudenthal

176. Pilot 1+2 (Legends of Tomorrow 1.1-2)

The Ones in which: Rip Hunter recruits a bunch of losers to become legends.

1&2, Written by: Marc Guggenheim, Phil Klemmer, Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisgberg, Directed by: Glen Winter

[amaranthhiding]

Dean’s Angel Kink and Sam’s Witch Kink (Part 2)

—What I See in Destiel and Samwena (this has more depth and less kink than I made it sound like)

You can find part 1 here.

In the beginning of episode 2x13 Houses of the Holy, we see a despondent woman named Gloria channel surfing on her TV.

A being of light that she thinks to be an angel appears to her, telling her to kill a man who we later find out literally has skeletons buried in his basement.

When Sam interrogates Gloria, she tells him with an enraptured smile that she thinks she was chosen for redemption.

Dean is so not buying any of this.

First of all, bless Sam for always seeing more in people than meets the eye. For not seeing her as a nameless hooker who has lost her mind.

That little smile on Sam’s face as he imagines someone being totally at peace with themselves is heartbreaking⁠—because imagining it is all he can do at this point in the timeline. He’s as far from at peace with himself as it’s possible to get.

Only three episodes prior in 2x10 Hunted, Dean revealed that John’s last words were that Dean might have to kill Sam. Sam found out that his own father was genuinely considering the possibility that Sam is past saving.

And as if that piece of information alone wasn’t already poisoning Sam against himself enough, he was then actually hunted by one of his own kind. A hunter whose declared goal it is to make the world a better place by getting rid of evil.

No, Sam is anything but at peace with himself at this point.

So getting a glimpse into the mindset of this woman who is genuinely content with herself in 2x13 Houses of the Holy was something that affected him deeply.

Dean doesn’t seem to share the sentiment, though.

Later in the episode, Sam believes he is the next one chosen by this supposed angel.

Again, Dean is not buying any of it. He believes they’re definitely not dealing with an angel but with the spirit of a recently deceased priest who was shot for his car keys right outside the church.

In another heartbreaking reveal, Dean finally admits why it is that he refuses so adamantly to believe that angels could be real.

“She used to tell me when she tucked me in that angels were watching over us. In fact, that was the last thing she ever said to me.”

"There was nothing protecting her. There's no higher power, there's no God. I mean, there's just chaos, and violence, and random unpredictable evil that—that comes out of nowhere...”

God, that scene hit hard. Both Jensen’s and Jared’s acting this episode is absolutely amazing, and there’s just so much going on on the characters’ faces in moments like this.

Of course Dean can’t believe in angels if those were his mom’s last words to him. If a lifetime spent with one horrific event following the next has taught him that the only way that there’s good out in the world is by creating the good yourself (saving people, hunting things).

Nobody can really blame him for not wanting to believe in angels or a higher power of good under these circumstances. And he’s right when he says that luckily there is no reason they’d have to settle this argument with anything less than hard proof, because they can prove if there’s a spirit at work here.

So their next plan is to split up, with Sam performing a seance to find out if there’s a spirit in the church while Dean follows the shady guy that the “angel” told Sam to kill.

This leads to some witchy Sam goodness even in an episode that has otherwise very little to do with witches.

Hilariously, we are shown that Sam has strong opinions when it comes to magic, really not liking to settle for inferior spell materials while Dean seems to have zero issues with that.

And that after I already watched Sam bristle over seeing water dowsing being called witchcraft in episode 3x09 Malleus Maleficarum (the episode I discussed in part 1 of this post).

Know who this bristling over magic not being done in a specific, pre-defined way reminds me of?

Rowena.

(Rowena’s spell in 11x09 O Brother Where Art Thou? vs. Sam’s seance in 2x13)

Anyway, even with a SpongeBob placemat, Sam successfully performs the seance—only to find out that Dean has been right all along.

They are dealing with a spirit, not with an angel. The disillusionment on Sam’s face is palpable.

In the meantime, Dean proceeds to be random, unpredictable good that comes out of nowhere and saves this woman from the evil guy he was tracking.

In peak irony, her reaction to the rescue is, “Thank God.”

Dean arrives back at their motel room to find a rather downcast Sam who isn’t dealing well with having his hopes crushed like this.

He had to believe in a higher force of good out there because being chosen by that force would have meant that he himself doesn’t have to walk down the path of evil.

That John’s worst fears would never come true.

Well, we know how things turned out.

We know that Sam—with nothing but the best intentions in mind to save the world from the Apocalypse—kind of ended up going darkside.

That by drinking demon blood, he gained incredible power levels that went far enough to make him immune against demonic powers and allowed him to exorcise demons through the power of his mind.

And that, in the end, all of this didn’t prevent the Apocalypse, but caused it by setting Lucifer free.

(Sam with black eyes holding out a hand in 4x22 Lucifer Rising, Rowena with purple eyes holding out a hand in 13x19 Funeralia, Rowena casting the spell that frees Lucifer from the Cage in 11x09 O Brother Where Art Thou?)

But even after all of that, Sam got rehabilitated and pulled back to the side of good. Because he has always had a shield throughout all of his life.

What I think Sam meant to say with this is that his shield deserves a shield, too.

That he wishes there was a higher power protecting his protector.

(Castiel in 8x08 Hunteri Heroici)

Because Sam knows that Dean has always put on a strong facade for Sam’s sake, but deep down, Dean craves to be protected, too.

That’s why, whenever Dean has come into contact with something angelic, he had a very particular facial expression that I’ll call his “angel face”.

We’ve seen it in various iterations, from when Dean believed that Sam was right after all in 2x13 Houses of the Holy, and that they were dealing with an angel rather than a spirit—that Dean had just witnessed a divine intervention sparing him but killing the evil guy in a freak accident.

To, of course, his first actual encounter with an angel in 4x01 Lazarus Rising.

To the angel stripper in his dream in 5x13 The Song Remains the Same.

To everything regarding Anna (Anna’s reveal that she’s an angel in 4x10 Heaven and Hell.)

I don’t think Dean would ever openly admit that he sometimes craves being the protectee instead of the protector, especially not to Sam. Not after growing up thinking he always had to be the strong one for his little brother, regardless of the fact that Dean, too, was a terrified young child in a motherless world filled with monsters.

In fact, he’d deny that deep-seated need adamantly, I’m rather sure.

And then play it off with a joke.

But often his body language speaks more than his words. The inversion of Dean and Anna’s positions during this scene in 4x10 Heaven and Hell is interesting, isn’t it?

Something hilarious that I noticed while rewatching scenes from these episodes is a kind of running gag regarding hands.

In one of the earlier scenes of 2x13 Houses of the Holy, we see Dean in a motel room, enjoying the bed’s “Magic Fingers” massage function.

It’s even his left hand that he’s holding up as he says this.

He also jokingly offered Sam “glow sticks” when Sam talked about the supposed angel encounter in the same episode.

And then later seasons of the show gave us these scenes, of Dean discovering the angel handprint on his left shoulder after he got rescued from Hell in 4x01 Lazarus Rising:

Of Anna covering said handprint with her own right hand in 4x10 Heaven and Hell:

Of that same right hand performing a gesture of titanic pleasure in the same episode:

To glowsticky acts of healing like this one in 15x08 Our Father, Who Aren't in Heaven:

If I didn’t know angels were never planned to be a part of the show this early on, I’d think all of this was done on purpose, starting as early as season 2.

Knowing what I know, though, all I can do is squint and tilt my head.

Let me tell you, noticing a reference that was never made is even stranger than not understanding that reference.

Before I wrap this up, let’s get back to Sam and his witchy delights one more time, though.

When Dean was still very much in “so not buying this” mood in 2x13 Houses of the Holy, Sam insisted that he wants to follow the supposed angel’s orders because:

Whether this was or wasn’t referenced by accident, I’ll never know, but episode 13x19 Funeralia gave us this counterpart:

While I do see the appeal that ships pairing Sam with an angel can hold—the validation Sam would receive from being told how very much not evil he is by an angel, especially after the events of 2x13 Houses of the Holy—I see his deepest longing elsewhere.

In contrast to Dean, Sam never needed a shield because he always had one.

Most of his life, Sam was pushed into a passive role by outside forces. He was the little brother, the one in need of protection rather than doing any of the protecting himself. The one who always got told by John and Dean what to do, and whenever he wanted to make a decision on his own (like going to college), it led to crisis.

He was the special child who was made to swallow demon blood as an infant, and there was nothing he could do against this supposed evilness resting inside of him, no matter how many good deeds he performed, how many people he saved.

He was the Boy King prophesied to bring the Apocalypse, and by trying to counteract that fate, he ended up inducing it.

The helplessness, the complete and utter frustration he must have been feeling his whole life long for always ending up in that passive role, for never being able to actually change anything...

(next four images from episodes 13x15 A Most Holy Man, 13x19 Funeralia, 13x12 Various & Sundry Villains, 13x19 Funeralia)

I’m not even sure I can put into words adequately enough how meaningful it is for Sam to be able to convert Rowena from evil to good.

Of course Sam also bonded with Jack, but despite rumors to the contrary, Jack never actually was evil. Rowena proudly was—for a time.

But a lifetime spent with Dean “No chick-flick moments” Winchester enabled Sam to see straight through Rowena “Love is weakness” MacLeod’s bullshit from the get-go.

She had been hurt so deeply in her past that she had muted most of her feelings in self-defense, unable to find another way of coping with them—thinking that self-imposed solitude, gaining as much power as possible, and masking all other feelings with humor would be the only way to shield herself from a repeat of that hurt that had almost ruined her.

And in the end, finding that her life has become so much staler than what she had been hoping for.

(next three images from episode 12x11 Regarding Dean)

She discovers that she wants all those emotions back that she had locked out in self-preservation so many years ago.

That perhaps, love isn’t weakness after all... if directed at someone worthy of it.

(next three images from episodes 15x03 The Rupture and 2x13 Houses of the Holy)

Though regaining her ability to love also meant regaining her ability to feel guilt, which was far too intense and confusing for her to navigate on her own.

Through saving her, Sam saves himself.

She empowers him with the ability to be active for once, not stuck in helpless passiveness where he can’t change a thing.

They show each other that the supernatural power resting inside both of them can be used for good.

Without her, Sam never would have dared to tap deeper into magic for fear of a repeat of the demon blood thing that made him go darkside.

Without him, she never would have started to transform Hell into something much kinder than it has ever been before.

All of this is why he cried so much more over Rowena than over anyone else on the show other than Dean.

One of the meanings for the name Castiel is “Shield of God”. Castiel is a shield of protection.

One of the meanings for the name Rowena is “White Spear”. Rowena is a spear of empowerment, for herself as much as for Sam.

All of this is why I see both Destiel and Samwena as the ultimate endgame. As a deeply satisfying conclusion to an intricate narrative that spans more than a decade. As two sides of the same coin that is entwined with both brothers’ personal history and the dynamic between them.

And both of these relationships don’t only carry an emotional depth that takes one’s breath away, no, hilariously they also encompass both brothers’ kinks.

You don’t have to agree with me. I’d actually feel deeply honored if there’s anyone out there who read up to this point even without agreeing with me. I respect your opinion, and I thank you for respecting mine enough to listen to my long-winded explanations of what I see in these ships.

(And I haven’t even mentioned Castiel’s incredible character development through all of this, mostly because Cas has always been my focus character while watching the show when it aired. Him I think I understand, while all of this here is a journey of discovery and broadening horizons for me as well, triggered by me trying to write my first Samwena standalone fanfic. This post is long enough as is anyway, Castiel’s character development would make it burst at the seams—and this post was meant to be more focused on Sam and Dean after all.)

[pebblesrus]

catalogue of posts

edits | fanvids: eliot vs. moreau | eliot & quinn | qwat au intro

index of tags, for all tags used

about eliot:

full eliot spencer timeline

eliot’s “age of the geek, brother” to “age of the geek, baby” transformation

eliot spencer’s reputation

eliot spencer vs. other people in his field

how eliot has changed post leverage pre redemption

eliot spencer does not think he can be redeemed, that’s been established

eliot spencer is not a serial killer he’s an ex contract killer

character overlap between harry and eliot

why moreau let eliot go (tags)

eliot & moreau, were something

nate as the first person eliot lets use him after moreau

on eliot being touch starved

eliot would have gone back to, and eventually died for moreau, if leverage hadn’t happened

about parker:

the leverage team didn’t teach parker how to love. maybe how to say it, but she always knew how.

parker is upset about her depiction in the mastermind book because it reduces her to only a thief.

about hardison:

hardison is just good

how hardison used his fear to become stronger

parker and eliot’s “it makes us us” was about hardison.

best character growth of leverage was hardison going from “i can’t hack a hick” in the tap out job to using the quagga mussel in the last dam job

qwat au:

qwat au quinn, about literally anything, it’s a game and he’s winning

hardison introducing quinn | hardison introducing quinn & meg

parker & quinn: heist | moreau murder

meg heist | baby heist

the blue line job

character study: quinn/parker vs. eliot/hardison

eliot’s and quinn’s intricate rituals to touch feed another man

eliot and quinn caring about each other, angrily

why quinn is safe for eliot to share his pain with 

eliot vs. quinn sleeping habits

posts about specific episodes: 

[2x13] the future job: how hardison’s reaction to parker crying is just as important as eliot’s

[2x13] the future job: rand probably thinks the team took him down because he made parker cry

[3x01] the jailhouse job: hardision is always there for his people

[3x15] the big bang job: why eliot didn’t get shot in the warehouse

[3x15] the big bang job: why eliot brought hardison to the pool (tags)

[3x15] the big bang job: the way eliot interacts with the guard vs chapman vs moreau

[4x07] the grave danger job: eliot not properly dealing with how he feels

[4x09] the cross my heart job: why it’s important

[4x14] the boys night out job: eliot not being chill (tags)

[4x14] the boys night out job: shelley is gay also “you can’t make that promise to more than one person”

[5x09] the rundown job: eliot still gave parker and hardison an out

[5x15] the long goodbye job: parker controls the elevator 

[5x15] the long goodbye job: parker wrote the stories (tags)

[5x15] the long goodbye job: the most important lesson hardison taught parker/eliot: you are not alone

redemption: 

all redemption related posts

harry mentions the tower collapse in ep2

nana calls out the ot3

fics:

au where eliot goes back to damien moreau after everything falls to shit at the pool scene.

au where eliot never left moreau: the pool scene

5 times the ot3 entertain quinn and the 1 time he thanks them for it in his own special love language.

[shirtlesssammy]

2x13: Houses of the Holy

Providence, Rhode Island

A woman sits in the dark, smoking cigarettes, and watching TV.

The lights start to flicker and the television flickers back to an evangelical preaching. Her house starts shaking and her angel statues start falling. There’s suddenly a bright light and the woman watches it in awe. 

Sam Winchester, decked out in white scrubs, greets his patient, Gloria. Sam wants to talk to her about what she saw that night. Gloria tells him that she stabbed a man in the heart “because it was God’s will.” Sam wants to know if God talked to her (too busy fucking with your life, Sam) but she says no and that an angel came to her. The angel told her that the man she stabbed was guilty. She needed no other proof to do it. 

Sam later finds Dean enjoying some music and magic fingers. 

Dean’s on lockdown because he robbed a bank in Milwaukee. They discuss the case. It really seems that Gloria is just a religious nutjob. And Sam would agree if she wasn’t the second person in town to have murdered someone because an angel told them to. “Supernatural maybe. But angels? I don't think so,” Dean insists. BLESS. 

They then have a very fun conversation about how unicorns don’t exist (And Truly, BLESS Andrew Dabb. This dude took this one off joke and made it reality.) In any event, Dean firmly doesn’t believe in angels. (In a far off voice I hear: This is your problem, Dean. You have no faith.) 

Once they stop arguing about angels, they decide to check out the victim, Carl’s place. They head to the basement to see what secrets he had hidden. 

Sam finds scratch marks on the wall. On a closer inspection, he also finds a fingernail. They start digging up the dirt floor and find a skeleton. 

In a lonely apartment, a man lays on his bed, drinking himself to oblivion. His lights start flickering and the room starts shaking. Suddenly there’s a bright light.

Cut to the man, Zach, walking to another house and stabbing a dude right in the gut. 

Dean’s listening to the police scanner when Sam walks back to the motel room with food. He also has news that three people disappeared from the library where Carl worked. Dean has other news --the not-angel struck again. 

They head out to the victim’s house and sneak inside. Sam hacks into the dude’s computer and Dean browses his catalog collection. Sam finds locked emails that turn out to be to an underage girl. 

Dean is baffled by this spirit or demon they’re dealing with. Sam points out it’s like an avenging angel. Oh, Sam, if you only knew angels are dicks. Dean connects the two victims --they both go to the same church. 

They meet with the priest posing as new parishioners. They discuss this whole angel crap but the priest is a believer (obv.) and talks openly with Sam about what angels are thought to be like. They look at a painting of Michael, the archangel, while the priest describes his belief that they’re “more loving, than wrathful.” 

As they’re leaving, Dean notices a memorial on the steps of the church. It’s for Father Gregory, who was shot there two months prior in a carjacking. Dean thinks they’re dealing with a vengeful spirit, but Sam still humors the angel aspect of it all. Dean knows that Sam prays everyday (and I sit weeping in the corner, thinking of Purgatory.)

An angel statue begins to quake. Sam looks at it with curiosity, only to be overtaken by awe as bright light suffuses the room. He passes out. 

“I saw an angel,” Sam gasps to his brother later. He reports that the angel spoke to him and told him to kill a man. The kicker is, the doomed guy on Sam’s hit list hasn’t actually committed any crime...yet. Dean’s unimpressed by Sam “Minority Report” Winchester’s insistence that he’s been chosen by the angels and God for this mission. I give Dean a high five, then methodically throw rocks through every single one of my windows as I think about the next thirteen seasons. 

Their mom used to tell them every night that angels were watching over them. “She was wrong,” Dean says bitterly, “There’s no higher power. There’s no God. There’s just chaos. Violence. Random unpredictable evil that comes outta nowhere. Rips you to shreds. You want me to believe in this stuff? I’m gonna need to see some hard proof.” (I gallantly resist making a dirty joke about Castiel’s “hard proof.”) 

Ahem. Anyway, Dean’s solid on the ghost theory. At the priest’s crypt they find wormwood growing - it’s a sign of a restless spirit. LOLLLL early seasons. Sam agrees to hold a seance. 

They head out of a corner grocery a little while later, stocked with SpongeBob mats and candles for the seance, when Sam sees THE SIGN. Light glows around his mark - the guy he’s supposed to kill. While Ace of Base plays in my head, Sam makes a move  to kill - er, stop - the ghost-tagged perp. Looking to forestall Sam’s murder-to-be, Dean tells Sam to run the seance and tails Sam’s suspect on his own. Dean watches the guy pick up a date, and then they’re off again.

Meanwhile, Sam’s obediently running the seance.

The priest appears in the crypt, horrified to see what looks like THE VERY DEVIL WORSHIP taking place. “I can explain,” Sam says before utterly failing to explain anything. And then light fills the room. The priest wonders if it’s an angel, but Sam sorrowfully notes that it’s only Father Gregory’s ghost. 

The glowing angelic vision suddenly distills into a normal human figure. Father Gregory wonders why Sam isn’t killing his marked man. After all, he’s an angel and he commanded it! Sam glumly explains that NO, Father Gregory is just a normal ectoplasm-slinging ghost. 

Dean loses the trail of the marked man, while Father Gregory explains that his kill orders are redemption for the killers and every one of his marks is guilty. “This is vengeance. This is wrong,” the older priest declares and I look VERY HARD at the rest of the show. 

Meanwhile, the guy Dean was tailing parks his car in an abandoned alley and attempts to attack his date. JAB HIM IN THE EYEBALLS, LADY! Dean bashes his head in just in time and saves the date. The guy drives off and Dean follows quickly on his tail.

The old priest offers last rites to Father Gregory, who begins to flicker. 

Sam watches in full puppy eyed mode as Father Gregory disappears, presumably to high five ghosts in Heaven. 

Dean chases the Bad Guy through the streets until a truck pulls out in front of Bad Guy’s car. A metal pole bounces off the truck, pierces the windshield, and impales the guy right in the chest. 

Later, Sam morosely packs his bag back at the motel. 

For What the Fuck is this Motel Room Design Science:

Sam’s sad that there wasn’t an angel watching out for people on Earth. Dean pulls out his flask, takes a big swig, and promises to watch out for Sam. “You’re just one person,” Sam tells him. He’d hoped there was a higher power guiding their lives. One who’d grant Sam salvation. 

“Knocking on Heaven’s Door” starts to play, while Dean confesses his current emotional state. He proposes that the insane way the Bad Guy died MIGHT have been God’s will. I kick Chuck right in the nuts. 

Quakin’ Quotes:

Aw, dammit! That was my last quarter. Hey! You got any quarters?

There's a ton of lore on unicorns too. In fact, I hear that they ride on silver moonbeams and they shoot rainbows out of their ass

You’ve got faith. I’m sure it makes things easier

One of the perks of the job. We don’t need to operate on faith

Men cannot be angels

There’s so much evil in the world, Dean. I feel like I could drown in it.

 Want to read more? Check out our Recap Archive!

[gleesongtournament]

Glee Song Tournament Redemption Round

[prose-for-hire]

Imo drusilla should've been a season long big bad in one of the later seasons. I was watching Surprise (2x13) earlier today and I just loved the way her and Buffy almost mirror each other with Dru's visions and the slayer dreams, it would've created a very interesting dynamic between the two that I would've loved to see being played out in more depth. I also think Dru should've been taken more seriously because she is so underutilized as one of the most dangerous and unpredictable villains in the show and I would've loved to see more of her and her story

This !! Yes !!

I completely agree, she was brilliant and there is so much potential with her as well as you said about her mirroring Buffy.

Drusilla was brilliant and deserved a true episode all to herself much like Spike’s fool for love where her past is explored. Then she could have been a big bad afterwards

I’d also like getting her to have a kind of redemption or for the audience to find a lot more sympathy for her and give her the credit she deserves !!

[according-to-the-laura]

StackedNatural Day 102: 2x13, 13x12

StackedNatural Masterpost: [x]

February 1, 2022

2x13: Houses of the Holy

Written by: Sera Gamble

Directed by: Kim Manners

Original air date: February 1, 2007

Plot Synopsis:

Avenging Angel, Sam’s faith versus Dean’s faithlessness, some of the best accidental foreshadowing of the entire series, Sam is Chosen, a righteous spirit, God’s will.

Features:

An angel causes people to cheerfully go out to murder, and when the Winchesters investigate one of them falls under its sway.

My Thoughts:

This episode is a contender for the coveted “Highest Density of Quality Accidental Foreshadowing” award, whose other option is 1x12 Faith.

Sometimes I really have to remind myself that they were not planning to bring angels or heaven into the narrative until right before it actually happened because episodes like this set it up so beautifully. I love that they keep similar mechanics of the rattling/glass breaking and white light for the “angel” talking in this episode, and actual angel possession in season 4 and beyond. And of course we can’t forget Sam pointing past Dean and saying, “Father, that’s Michael, right?” in a framing that has him pointing directly at the Michaelsword himself. Delicious.

I love that Sam is set up as the believer and Dean as the faithless one when Dean is going to be narratively aligned with Heaven and Sam with Hell. It makes the tension and stakes so much higher, especially when Sam meets angels in season 4 and they all fucking hate him.

It’s also super sad that one of the reasons that Sam believes in God and Angels is that he wasn’t old enough to remember being promised protection from angels and having that proven wrong, which also means he doesn’t remember even an ounce of stability in his life at all. Of course he prays, it’s probably the only thing that’s ever stayed the same from day-to-day for his entire life. Devastating that this angel turned out to be a spirit, and in season 11 he’ll think God was speaking to him and it will turn out to be Lucifer. No wonder he thinks he’s unclean.

The ambiguous Sign From God at the end of the episode where the would-be rapist is impaled by the pole becomes a completely unambiguous actual sign from god with the context of the rest of the series. Chuck literally wrote everything that happens in the first few seasons into his books. So while it’s a little on the nose, in the grand scale of the narrative, that’s the point. Chuck, God, is a hack writer. He sent that sign because he wanted conflicting emotions for his protagonists. This is the kind of thing I’m talking about when I say that the entire series is improved in retrospect by making Chuck God. Everything has a million more layers of meaning.

Absolute banger of an episode.

Notable Lines:

“Because it was God’s will.”

“Angels? I don’t think so.” “Why not?” “'Because there's no such thing, Sam.”

“Well, I like to think of them as more loving than wrathful. But yes, a lot of Scripture paints angels as God's warriors.”

“I mean, what's next, are you going to start praying every day?” “I do. [...] I do pray every day. I have for a long time.”

“I'll tell you who else had faith like that — Mom. She used to tell me when she tucked me in that angels were watching over us. In fact, that was the last thing she ever said to me. [...] She was wrong. There was nothing protecting her.”

“Some people need redemption. Don't they, Sam?”

“there's so much evil out there in the world, Dean, I feel like I could drown in it. And when I think about my destiny, when I think about how I could end up…”

“The way he died, if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes I never would have believed it. I mean ... I don't know what to call it. [...] Maybe . . . God's will.”

Laura’s (completely subjective) Episode Rating: 9.9

IMdB Rating: 8.1

13x12: Various & Sundry Villains

Written by: Steve Yockey

Directed by: Amanda Tapping

Original air date: February 1, 2018

Plot Synopsis:

Dean falls victim to a couple of witches, sisters Jamie and Jennie Plum who manage to steal a powerful book of spells from the Winchesters. When Dean and Sam go after the book, they get help from a powerful and surprising ally when Rowena, back from the dead, intervenes to assist them.

Features:

Witch sisters with a love spell snag Dean, Cas and Lucifer break out of prison, Dean fully punches Sam in the face, Rowena is alive, Samwena bonding hours, siblings making bad decisions because of a dead parent, Cas learns from his mistakes.

My Thoughts:

This is an episode we skipped on our watch through for time since it doesn’t have a ton of overall plot relevance (actually shocking because usually @weedsinavacantlot would NEVER skip an episode with this much Cas when he’s this petty). So I got to watch everything pretty much fresh! I had seen a couple gifs of Dean saying he’s in love and of Sam and Rowena in the car, but not much else. Oh, and the scene where Cas kills Lucifer, because Nic and I accidentally found it looking for a different set location and stopped to take pictures so they showed me the scene on their phone. ANYWAYS.

We love a completely non-subtle brothers parallel. Let's show two siblings who have gone totally off the rails trying to save a parent and leave a trail of death in their wake until they eventually destroy each other. Jensen is a great actor so even though it’s obviously a spell he’s still completely charming when he’s in “love” with Jamie. And it’s nice to see him be so light and bubbly even if it’s the effects of a spell. I don’t totally buy Sam’s reaction as pro-destiel - I saw a few posts several months ago talking about how he didn’t get confused until after Dean started using she/her pronouns (would link one if I could find it but it’s definitely lost to the ether) - but I don’t NOT buy it either. This is Yockey, after all, and Sam was talking about Cas immediately prior to Dean announcing that he was in love.

Rowena coming back didn’t really hit the way it was supposed to because I also didn’t see the episode where Lucifer roasts her, but her scene in the car with Sam and at the end when they’ve gotten the book were excellent. Ruthie is one of the best actors they’ve been lucky enough to cast for a recurring role and she has really excellent chemistry with Jared. This is a Rowenagirl/Samgirl episode. Also, Rowena thinking Dean got pegged made me choke on my drink. If I didn’t have subtitles on I would have assumed that she said “what’s bi is bi”, not “what’s by is by” in that scene. God bless.

Steve Yockey does the fucking reading, and I love that he made space to explore Sam’s insane amounts of trauma while also subtly calling out the other writers for never bringing it up. I’m a Deangirl at heart, but I’m weak and I can’t obsess about Sam as much because he gets so much less attention from the main narrative. I really think Jared is at his best when he’s given a script that pulls Sam together as a complete character with the weight of everything that’s happened to him on his shoulders. And he wants to talk to Dean about it but he can’t! He gets shut down every time!

At first I was a little bit torn with the Lucifer and Cas stuff in this episode - one of my notes says “there are two wolves inside me, one wants to watch the Cas scenes and one wants to ignore the Lucifer scenes,” because I find Mark Pellegrino more and more annoying the later we get in the series. I changed my tune because Cas got to be a raging petty bitch and he deserves it. And even within that he finds space to be so proud of Jack. I really thought he was going to say “he looks like me”. And then even though Pellegrino Lucifer sucks in season 13, the team-up breakout kicked ass extremely hard. I LOVE when Cas gets to smite a demon. It doesn’t happen nearly enough times. And then he gets the rawest kill line. There will never be another character like Cas.

Notable Lines:

“Excuses aside, you’re saying you’re too weak to overcome even your weakest creation.”

“​​He’s thoughtful. He’s emotional. Remarkably intuitive. You – you know, he resurrected me just out of instinct. Isn’t that a beautiful gesture? [...] Jack would rather kill you than hug you. Seems relevant.”

“I’d much rather have a living son, even one that hated me, than a dead hero.”

“I guess I don’t deal with it. Not really. I mean, I pushed it down and, um, the world kept almost ending, so I keep pushing it down, and I don’t know. I really don’t talk about it, not even with Dean. I mean, I could. You know, he’d listen, but… That’s not something I really know how to share.”

“You won’t ever be able to change what happened. You won’t be able to change how helpless you felt, or how helpless you feel. You’re still gonna get scared. And that feeling… that feeling never goes away.”

“This is me, learning from my mistakes.”

“I know what Rowena is dealing with. And she’s not the only one who… feels helpless.”

Laura’s (completely subjective) Episode Rating: 9.3

IMdB Rating: 8.2

In Conclusion: today was about watching Sam go from full of righteous hope to completely helpless :(

<< Previous Day  |  Next Day >>