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Supernatural – Season 10 Episode 20 – The Gripe Review

3 May 2015

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Hello friends and welcome to the regularly scheduled gripe review.

Last week was a departure from my usual eyeroll and head shake review because last week was Berens' commendable contribution to the show, and it was awesome. This week we’re back on track with Robbie Thompson and another Claire Novak storyline.

Looking at the episode objectively, there may not be that much difference between it and a typical Monster of the Week episode. It is possible to ignore Claire’s history and see her as a one-off character headlining a case. Had they not chosen Claire for the role we would have been served another teenager, most likely with the same attitude and command over the main cast, and a similar mission to save her and her innocent, civilian mom.

What sucks in this case however is Castiel's disposition toward the Novaks and how Claire being Claire makes things irritating from his side of the fence.

Something I have observed about Thompson’s writing is that when he wants to make a point he doesn’t just make it. He takes a mallet and pounds it into the ground, then hauls in a drilling rig and drills it further below the surface. Let’s say his goal is to show a) Claire is miserable because both her parents left her, and b) Castiel feels guilty about the part he played in it. In order to show these things Thompson doesn’t just hint at them in dialogue or through silent character interactions such as body language and eye contact. He goes full throttle by making them drop everything they usually say and do, and stuffs their scenes to the brim with action/speech that support those plotlines.


Hence we get a Claire who constantly harps about how her mother left her, her father left her, and Castiel was the cause of it all…on and on and on to the point that she stops being a character and turns into a pull-string doll. Worse than that, Castiel also becomes a one note player who is all about his self-reproach over the role he played in sacrificing the Novak family for the greater good. He stops being anything else and only emotes guilt ridden absent stepfather lines.

When Dean turned to Claire in one scene and said the one thing that had occupied my mind since she appeared on my screen, it felt more like lampshade hanging than a character talking to another. The fact that Castiel’s engagement with the Novaks helped stop the apocalypse was so obvious, yet so overlooked by all parties surrounding the whiny teenager, that when Dean finally voiced it I exhaled. It was as if he pointed at an elephant sitting snugly against the two of them and said, “Hey, there’s an elephant taking up space here, and Castiel saved the world.” Not that it changed anything since the plot had to follow its intended direction (the Claire-matters-most direction,) and characters had to tail it at all cost, but at least it was spoken.

Now to the gripes:


#1- Why can’t teenagers be fully developed characters?


I already answered this question in the intro. I know Claire's role in this episode was to parrot the mission objective to the Big Three (and us by extension,) so we'd understand how much it matters. Maybe Thompson himself felt the triviality of the case and was trying, through Claire's snide remarks and Castiel's constant tripping over his guilt, to convince us this was more than just a MotW.

That still doesn't explain why Claire can't show any emotion other than mockery and resentment. Is it because she's a teenager? Is that why she responds to everything (Dean's age, his preference in movies, his credit card scamming, Sam's idea to pin down her mom, his praise for her efforts to find her, and his revelation about his own mom,) with animosity and scorn? I saw the same thing in Krissy both times she appeared on the show and it made me wonder if - as I said before - this is the teen stereotype the writers think they should apply to any human being of that particular age.

Like any stereotype though, doing this to a character makes them plastic, unconvincing and annoying. You'd see a teenager on screen and know they will go on the rage-against-everything train. It makes characters seem manufactured by the same assembly line. Instead of engaging us in a story their mission becomes making the appropriate noise so the promos could present them as lol!menace to the main players.

#2 - When did Clair become obsessed with finding her mom?


This might be just my brain going blank over Claire's history because of how much I don't care about her, but did we ever see her create that map of her mother's movements in the previous episodes? The tapestry of newspaper clips, map sections, and photographs she had pinned to her wall looked more than just a week's work. She herself said she started it when she received her mother's diary while in one of the foster homes. This means long before she and Castiel parted ways last episode, so we should have gotten at least some hints about her search in the previous episodes.

#3 - How did Claire become family?

Throughout the episode we have Castiel lamenting his role in the Novak family's situation as well as doubting his attachment to Claire. It's as if he's voicing my thoughts on the matter that shouldn't matter. At one point, when he's asking if what he does makes sense Sam tells him of course, because Claire is family.

Not to be frugal but that was one of the most eyeroll worthy moments of this season for me. It strikes at the heart of my problem with this season. Family is the core of Supernatural. It's a running theme throughout all the seasons that connects all storylines and gives them emotional weight. And while it was implied that family doesn't end with blood, it was always something precious and important to the Winchesters, a high honour of sorts they only bestowed upon the closest and the kindest around them.


What has Claire done to earn it? Just because she shares the blood of the man who lent his body to Castiel isn't enough for me to accept her as a member of the Supernatural family. That undermines the entire premise of the mythology, makes a mockery of the show's past, and spits in the faces of John Winchester, Marry, Bobby, Castiel and Kevin.

#4 - Why is everyone playing the Miserable Life Olympics with Sam?

Again this episode we had Sam open up to an outsider about his past. As much as I love seeing Sam get at least some of his trauma off his chest, and show his honest, vulnerable side, the reactions he keeps getting make me want to scratch the wall with bare fingernails. Two weeks ago he told Charlie how he felt trapped in a hunters life, and she replied by claiming she understood him through first hand experience. This week he told Claire about his mother - how he had never gotten to meet her as a living person and only experienced encounters with her ghost - and her response was, "Well, my mom left me."


What does that supposed to mean? Is this another attempt at making the Winchester experience inclusive, portraying these bit characters as parallels to them? I wouldn't have minded if they were at least interesting, or likable, but thus far Claire has done nothing but whine and bitch about how the world owes her a hefty payment for the life she has lived, and thrown the blame at Castiel and Dean for the heck of it. She even devised a plan to kill Dean, and now belittled Sam's loss of his mother. If the writers wanted to endear us to her and make her a part of the show's circle of love, they should have done a better job. Just having them claim they share the pain doesn't make us believe it's so.

#5 – Isn’t Castiel’s guilt an insult to the show’s epic mythology of the past seasons?


The Rapture was one of my favorite episodes of all time. It was the episode that brought to my attention what a fascinating character Castiel was. A character with no body, but with an authentic personality completely opposite from the human he possessed. The sideways look he gave Claire when he told her he wasn't her father, and the way his goals misaligned with Jimmy's, greatly underlined the difference between what mattered to an ordinary person as opposed to what was important to an angel of the Lord. It proved the Winchester mythology to be truly epic, a quest so colossal, so fundamentally important to the human race, that the sacrifice of one family wasn't something the participants could afford to sweat over.

The trivial Claire storyline this season stomped all over that legacy and undermined not just Jimmy's selfless act, but the entire feat of stopping of the apocalypse and the Winchesters' biggest accomplishment. Carver and his writers, in their attempt to come up with relevant storylines for the late stages of the show, have become bulls in the china shop who swing their bodies around and break not just trinkets of established canon, but whole backstory values and character foundations.

#6 - How is Dean slamming a guy's head against the table a sign of him ‘snapping?’

Like in every episode this season we were reminded of how urgent Dean's condition is, and how close to losing it he has come..., because he frightened a suspect into confession. Sam and Castiel even benched him to keep him from falling off the deep end, much to Dean's protest and chagrin.


Don't know about anyone else but I was with Dean on this one. He didn't do anything outside his usual methods as a hunter and former Hell torturer. How is this any different from the way he behaved after he came back from Hell, or Purgatory? It's like they have one trick for Dean and use it for every story they give him because they don't want to mess with him too much. Apparently the writers don't understand that messing with him is exactly what would make him interesting and in urgent need of intervention. If he recovers from his demon curse after three episodes only, and the worst he suffers from the mark is terrorizing a crook a little too roughly, how are we supposed to take Sam and Castiel's worries over him seriously? How could we get on board with their decree that something immediate needs to be done to save Dean from imminent downfall?

#7 - General Robbie Thompson-ness

Of course as soon as I heard who wrote the episode I prepared myself for the usual, and I wasn't disappointed. The clunky dialogue, the long expositions, the villain posturing, the telling instead of showing, the Sam-knocked-out-and-tied-to-a-chair trope, were all there. After Dean frightened the bad guy at the bar the guy didn't just confess, he spilled everything with a cherry on top, even adding detail he wasn't asked about as if he was waiting for an opportunity to vent. This is so fake for a terrorized, shady person, and so obvious an attempt to pass on information to the audience as opposed to the characters on the show, I wondered why they didn't just have him look into the camera and recite it.


In another scene we have the gang in a motel room chatting about the case when a call comes in about a homicide. Dean, Cas and Claire go to investigate while Sam stays behind. There is absolutely no significance to this arrangement since all the three of them do is to go look at the body, get the necessary exposition from the officer in charge, and come back to the room with Sam in the same position doing the same thing, as if no time has passed. There's no action, no tension, and no story development other than characters finding out something we already knew. I could describe a dozen better ways this could have been written but not why Thompson chose the most blatant point A -> point B -> point A scenario.

Leave me a comment below if you feel like it. Sorry I have been less active in the comment section as off late. I read all your posts. However because of the Saturday vs. Sunday posting change, I have less time to spend on the post-review activities in my busy weekend schedule. I'm glad you guys still keep the conversation going. It's the whole point of these reviews and what gives me joy in writing them.

Tessa

tessa-marlene.tumblr.com/
twitter.com/tessa_marlene 

101 comments:

  1. Great review. I also don't see Dean acting any differently than he ever has. The only reason I think there is something wrong with him is because Sam and Cas keep telling "me" there is! I don't see it at all!!!

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  2. Tessa Marlene3 May 2015 at 17:04

    The only reason I think there is something wrong with him is because Sam and Cas keep telling "me" there is! My point exactly. I keep waiting to see something that shocks me and so far I haven't. Maybe I'm desensitized, or Sam and Cas are hit by an amnesia spell.

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  3. Stephanie Guyton3 May 2015 at 17:25

    Had equal like and loath feelings on this episode. Liked Team Free Will all together. Liked that we are still getting Sam's POV on his history. Even liked that got to see The Novak's ideal of heaven is simply being with each other and Claire. Loved seeing the softer side of MC and while thanks to Hannah he now is some tortured angel baby whining about the vessel he's in... #thanksHannah.... Loved that Dean pointed out that the Novak's sacrifice #SavedTheWorld.

    NEED to see the Decline of Dean more then them saying it's so. Not eating. More hyper and agitated. Maybe making plans for Sam and Cas if or when he's gone again as Demon or whatever may come as he did when he was going to hell.

    NEED to see Cas's room in the bunker. Did he decorate it or make it personal. #justcurious

    NEED to see if Jodi is now running the boarding house for teens of the MOTW episodes when does Chrissie or Tina move in. And wouldn't it have made more sense for Tina to go to Jodi then be out on the road all alone with the $$$ Sam/Dean gave her.

    Apprehensive on the Finale and how they play to crush our souls for the next few hellatus months BUT more interested in the potential damage a spinoff can do if handled by someone from this team. Need we forget Bloodlines... UGH!!

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  4. About #7: husband and I watched live and when Sam went into Tamiel's kitchen and the camera sort of went thru the room, we saw the kitchen chair and husband said, how long before Sam is tied to the chair. WELL, you were BOTH wrong: he was CHAINED to a chair. Nah nah nah. And for once he got himself out.

    And for #6: Dean was just so much himself in that bar scene when he questioned "ex-Sid" (I liked the actor as Sid in Exile of Main Street and can't remember the character's name here) and I LIKED that Castiel let Dean take the lead. Dean slammed the guy's head twice, first time sort of as a "hello" and the second time when the guy called Claire a bitch. I think Castiel KNEW Dean could not have killed "Sid" because they left together (but then again, "Sid" may have died of brain trauma after they left, who could know that really) but I also think Sam and Cas are looking for things. Last week, we had Dean taking out a nest of vampires; he found a "righteous" way to "feed" the Mark. Of course, the argument that he needs to "feed the Mark" is grounds to be worried, but not the way it was shown.

    I think Claire on her own decided to find out what happened to her Mom. Her statement "I want to tell her she ruined my life" was not borne out by the episode. Castiel showing up gave her the impetus to go out and look. She "knew" her mom would not have just dumped her. But she is so unused to finding that people come thru for her she could not express it. I have said this elsewhere, but she reminds me of MY daughter when she was that age and what other people find irritating just rolls off my back. Doesn't bother me in the least. I enjoyed Dean taking her out for miniature golf. That was sweet. He did not want to walk in on Sam and Castiel's search for Amelia. Not until he had an insight and knew what they were doing with. Yeah, I got Dean not giving her a drink, but that was because he is NOT a close relative. BUT he gave her her second gun (remember Randy gave her her first gun) and took her along. He made her part of her mother's rescue. I liked his interaction with Claire better than Sams' (and THIS is how you set up a fake identity for credit card fraud ... HELLO, what was THAT about? We did not see Claire ask what was their source of income. It seemed wrong to me that Sam did that.)

    Others brought up that powered-up Castiel and MOC Dean and Sam with an Angel Blade should have dealt with Tamiel easily. But the fact that Tamiel had been feeding on human souls meant HE was superpowered-up and it made sense to me.

    Did you see Mischa's tweet about a possible SPN spin-off "My Two Dads and Uncle Moose Too" because I thought that was cute?

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  5. Well I agree and disagree with you on some parts. While Claire can be annoying at times I still think she's justified in feeling like the world screwed her over and Cas should feel a little guilty over that. Cas I feel changed from the time Jimmy let him take over his body to the present. Before he thought like an angel and did what was necessary to save the world. No, after being a human and feeling how that feels, i think he changed to feel more like a human. He helps his friends the winchesters and he feels guilty about what he did to claire even though it was necessary. And claire is still a minor she can't really take care of herself yet so is cas just supposed to say, "yup i know i messed up your life but i did it for the greater good and now your on your own kid." That is not castiel. Well enough about claire lol. I do agree with you on the whole mark thing. Ugh I just need this storylineto be over and I hope this doesn't go over to the next season.

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  6. Tessa Marlene3 May 2015 at 17:53

    I see your point. However we can't help to consider a major storyline like this is a part of the overall mythology. If Cas has changed so much that he now cares about one family that suffered due to the stopping of the apocalypse, does that apply to the rest of his victims too? Or is Claire the special snowflake? Will Cas now go seek out every son, daughter, wife and husband of people he killed while being Godstiel, like the families of those people in that campaign office he trashed? Or before that when he went smiting on orders from Heaven? It's the inconsistency and the making a mountain out of one mole-hill, when the ground if covered with them, that bothers me.

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  7. Thanks for the review! You are absolutely right.

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  8. Thanks you very much. You are right.

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  9. Подсолнух3 May 2015 at 19:16

    Thanks for the review! You are absolutely right!

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  10. Can't quibble with any of the excellent review..and soon we can enjoy Charlie AGAIN. :(

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  11. Cat on a roof3 May 2015 at 19:36

    great review. I thought 10.09 was the worst episode, but I was wrong

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  12. But those other victims are faceless, while Novaks are not. It is quite human to care more about people closer to you. And they are closer just by the fact that he uses Jimmy's body as a vessel (not to mention Claire was briefly his vessel). Maybe it isn't quite fair, and we know it intellectually. But, that's how human empathy works and it's consistent with Castiel being more human now. When he was the angel of the Lord, he thought he saw the bigger picture, but his whole arc is that it's not that simple.

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  13. Thank you for your review. I couldn't agree more. 10.20 was poorly written and doesn't feel like supernatural to me :(

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  14. So much agree with you at #3 about Sam. It hurts to see that kind of respond. No one's got the right to depreciate him and what he's felt and what he's come through. Then I've got a feeling that Claire's not a human, but simply a wall that is deaf and cannot hear anything. I'm very disappointed at how writers portrayed her (well, to be honest first of all I'm disappointed they did bring her back and what's more they did it in such a dull way). Always thought someone,even a teenager, who experienced real difficulties and pain would never undervalue other's.
    Also need to say that I really like your reviews, especially this one, so let me thank you! You are sort of a Robert Berens of reviews, you're absolutely awesome!

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  15. Catherine Dubyansky3 May 2015 at 20:46

    Great review. Weak episode. It seems like Winchesters haven't got a place in own world anymore. Their tragedy, heroism and sacrifice, losts and wins are becoming deprecated and blurred. Honestly it's time to go. Let chicks armed Japanese or angelic sword saves the world.

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  16. Had, when Claire first got the journal; which was when her grandmother died and she went to the teen home and it was at that time that she knew what her mother's mission was -- to find Cas and try to put her family back together....had Claire prayed for Cas at that point, Cas would have come based on his promise to keep the Novaks safe, I may have had some sympathy for her. Instead, she was a TV trope teen of the worst kind. She ran away repeatedly, she lived with a shady character, she agreed to commit a felony for said shady character, she mouthed off and refused the very people that could help her find her mother, she tried to get Dean killed, and she still went off on her own without seeking the help of the very people that could help her. Then she meets up with the very people who could help her and sneaks out on them again. That is not sympathetic -- that is purely a stupid teenager with a stupid story.

    As far as Cas and his human feelings, the writers have made Cas a hybrid angel/human and Crowley a hybrid demon/human, and look what it has done for those characters. It has not only given them the biggest borefest stories in the show's history -- stories that have nothing to do with the supernatural -- it has ruined two very good characters. Neither of them have anywhere to go now. They cannot be connected to the Winchesters for most of the season, because they are there to give the J2s time off, so they are stuck in their statis condition with not much to do except explore their human feelings.

    In Cas' case, according to one line in a previous episode, "Hannah's taken care of it," meaning Heaven, and the audience is to assume that the "irreversible" spell that used Cas' grace and closed Heaven completely is now taken care of and the veil opened, allowing souls to migrate to Heaven, despite the fact that a huge deal was made of it when it was introduced. We know this, because now Amelia has joined Jimmy in Heaven in their home sweet home. I just want to point out that I find this pretty remarkable, given that the Novaks are now made 'special soulmates' (another diminishing of the Winchesters) that can share a Heaven, despite them looking like a normal family living like all other marrieds live and Amelia thinking Jimmy was completely nuts and was downright cold to him when he returned in The Rapture.


    What all this means is that Cas has no purpose in Heaven anymore and is left to explore his hybrid "human" feelings. My big worry about this is that they have made Dean a hybrid human/demon with this Mark storyline, and I hope his character isn't destroyed in S11 like Cas and Crowley's was this season. These writers have a good record of destoying well-liked characters.

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  17. I have a theory the writers are courting Tumblr so they can learn how to write teenaged girls. Since the internet has few filters, they find mostly selfish, unlikable children with no supervision. In other words, your typical Supernatural brat.

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  18. That episode totally sucked. And there is a perfect example of why Collins can't be in every episode, he is terrible.The only think that would make sense is if Misha is getting his own Castiel is the bestest spin off, then this crazy episode might make a lick of sense because it was the worst Supernatural episode of all time and thats going some.

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  19. I definitely think that is where Thompson gets his ideas for stories, and then runs back there to get his ego stroked.

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  20. That episode totally sucked. The focus on Claire this episode was pretty damn disgusting considering whats going on. Its like 'do you really want me as a viewer at all'. I have no interest in Claire. And this episode is a perfect example of why Collins can't be in every episode, he is terrible.

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  21. Catherine Dubyansky3 May 2015 at 21:13

    I've just thought... Maybe I should petition to the creators of "Pretty Little Liars" about a couple risky handsome manly characters, muscle cars, classic rock, bloody dangerous cases and tremendous fight? Why not? I feel an acute shortage of that. The other hand I see the overabundance of 'sweet', 'cute' and shipper's panties everywhere around SPN.

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  22. I hear you. I thought the same thing, but at this point, I would rather watch a Charlie episode than see Claire again --- and I can't believe I am saying that!!!!

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  23. Thanks for the review. When watching this episode I just couldn't get rid of the feeling that there is a mistake, that it's just plain impossible for that to be a part of SPN.
    I'm also surprised that we have THREE episodes dedicated to Claire of all people. THREE. I just don't understand what is it so interesting and special about her that's worth taking attention from the main characters. When the announcement of her returning was still new, I was expecting that she would somehow influence the plot, mb have a say with Cas' grace. But now I could say "She is useless" and feel no regrets.

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  24. Catherine Dubyansky3 May 2015 at 22:20

    When Cass grabbed Jimmy's body he was the part of plan that triggers Apocalypse. Jimmy's body was stolen not for saving the world just for talking with Dean. Five years have passed after Apocalypse, all this time the child prays… Well I can see writers try to justify all his past bullshit and betrayal. But I just can’t. It enrages as the crumbs in a bed. What makes Castiel different than any other monster who hurts people? Why the show tries to make me consider him a good man? When it's really a dangerous unpredictable weird supernatural soulless thing.

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  25. While Castiel may literally be soulless, he is not without remorse. What makes him different is his perseverance in trying to make amends. That has been a rather consistent character trait following the damage he caused as Godstiel. Far more consistent than that which Sam has been written, who alternates between tearful guilt and sociopathic coldness, according to what suits the current storyline.

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  26. Only three episodes left, I hope it gets better and ends on a strong note at least.


    This episode was ok. There has been worse episodes this season. Your gripes are all on point though. It was definitely watchable for me but definitely not a golden episode.


    I still am of the believe that season 10 is at least slightly better then season 9 so far. Not by leaps and bounds but a noticeable increase in writing in my opinion.


    Still I wish they would do something drastically new with the show. Each season is beginning to feel more of the same when rich mythology and ideas continue to be left on the table.


    I disagree that the writers are running out of ideas. Anyone can think of something new to do with this show. I have come up with tons of ideas myself without putting any real effort into it. I think the problem is that the showrunner and writers don't want to risk trying something drastically new in fear of splitting the fan base or something else.


    The show probably only has maybe two seasons left before the ratings are low enough for cancellation. I predict season 12 to be the last. Really wish they could have done more with the Men of Letters but that doesn't look to be the case.


    Give me something different, writers! PLEASE!

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  27. You're right about Castiel and The Rapture. When he repossessed Jimmy, he was just "reintegrated" into the Angel Collective and would've just as easily kept Claire as vessel; he took Jimmy again as a result of Jimmy's plea to save Claire. But he did not care (little Claire did a good job showing how uncaring Castiel was). Being human gave him insight into what he had done to the Novak family. He never felt guilt before about anything I bet (I think it is different from him feeling badly about Godstiel and the Leviathans; much different). His guilt NOW is "human."

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  28. Catherine Dubyansky3 May 2015 at 23:15

    Do you want to talk about Sam? Sam is a human and I can understand his mood swings, mind twists and other his troubles and I can believe in it. But I can't belive in Castiel.

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  29. I can understand what you mean about the soulmates issue, but MAYBE because of the service (unwitting and unwilling) they gave in stopping the Apocalypse they got to be together for eternity.

    I am still unsure about The Veil. It seems if that one playground sandbox is the "only" passage to Heaven that would've taken a LONG time to deal with the backlog from Metatron's Reign of Terror. BUT that passage to Heaven may be the only way for ANGELS to travel between Heaven and Earth; souls may have a different pathway. So however they deal with getting souls to Heaven will work in the canon.

    Agree that THIS Amelia was more "warm" than The Rapture's Amelia who was a bit of a cold fish imo.

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  30. Wow, you make me glad I don't go there.

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  31. I think those things give Sam a pass up to a certain point, but there are limits as to how much damage a person can cause before they are no longer forgiven. For me, the attempted murder of his brother was the tipping point. Their relationship hasn't been the same since. For Sam, it was the Gadreel possession.
    Look at how the two reacted to what they did. Dean vowed to kill Gadreel for his trickery, and he also set about getting Sam dispossessed. What did Sam do to make amends? He continued down his path of rebellion until he broke the world. Then, he gave a vague, "I'm sorry." Just exactly what he was sorry for we will never know. Everything? Choking Dean? Releasing Lucifer? Generic apologies can be a way of dodging responsibility for someone's most heinous acts. It's a whole lot different from giving a detailed account of the consequences of one's actions. And, no, I don't give Sam a pass for his "addiction."

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  32. Catherine Dubyansky3 May 2015 at 23:40

    Not totally. There were good scenes. J&J have fulfilled their job well. Newton has potential. Collins... Just curious what's next? Castiel now is a full-blooded angel but it's difficult to assume in appearance.

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  33. As long as Sam looks concerned, we know that the Mark of Cain is the REAL story. :)

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  34. Catherine Dubyansky3 May 2015 at 23:51

    OK. You hate Sam. It's your right.

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  35. OK. You hate Sam. It's your right.

    What is it with some fans that everything gets interpreted as hate? What I wrote was perfectly reasonable. Perhaps you should justify your "hate" against a character (Cas) who shows remorse when Sam shows so little.

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  36. evave2: You are filling in blanks for the writers. Not something the audience should have to do.


    There was such a BIG deal was made about the veil being closed; Kevin hanging around the MoL bunker, visiting the other ghost and finding out where his mother was held captive, and then having Kevin go off with Momma because the veil was closed, that it should be addressed by more than one line -- if that line even addressed it. That certainly was a much bigger plot point than 5-minute Claire a half a decade ago and wondering whatever happened in to the Novak family.


    Having to call in the Winchesters also made Cas look weak. The Winchesters dropping everything and running to help Cas made the Mark and 'Dean is getting worse," "Dean snapped," not seem not all that important at the moment either. Having the little girl kill the Grigori made all of TFW seem like they aren't up to the job -- unless Claire is now considered part of TFW. She may be, since she is the surrogate daughter of the bunch.

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  37. Catherine Dubyansky4 May 2015 at 01:04

    I've noticed when somebody touches Castiel' mess - Sam is reminded immediately. Why does not Crowley for diversity?..
    Anyway I don't need remorse of Sam because he has paid high-price for all his voluntary and involuntary mistakes. Even his 'sorry' is redundantly for me.
    And I don’t need remorse of Cas. I cannot feel empathy to the immortal impassible creature. I don't not care, sorry.

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  38. Great reviwew. Thank you

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  39. "That still doesn't explain why Claire can't show any emotion other than mockery and resentment. Is it because she's a teenager? "

    Yes, it is, actually. And I imagine her "animosity and scorn" is because the three men she was interacting with ruined her life.

    "Like any stereotype though, doing this to a character makes them plastic, unconvincing and annoying."



    Not doing it in this case would make Claire Laura Ingalls.


    Claire has good reasons to be like she is. guess what? This is what traumatized kids are like.

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  40. "he was the part of plan that triggers Apocalypse. "


    Not as far as he knew at the time.

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  41. I've noticed when somebody touches Castiel' mess - Sam is reminded immediately. Why does not Crowley for diversity?..

    Are you asking why Sam is brought up in these conversations instead of Crowley? By nature, their roles hold them to different standards. As a psychopathic villain, Crowley is not expected to feel remorse. In fact, his relatively newfound humanity has been causing him some trouble because of that; it affects his efficiency as a ruthless monster. A hero, on the other hand, however flawed, is expected, to encompass something approximating the virtues. An unrepentant hero is as despicable as a villain, in my opinion.

    Anyway I don't need remorse of Sam because he has paid high-price for all his voluntary and involuntary mistakes. Even his 'sorry' is redundantly for me. And I don’t need remorse of Cas. I cannot feel empathy to the immortal impassible creature. I don't not care, sorry.
    I believe Cas has also paid a high price for his wrong doings. The word mistakes sounds like they were accidents, which they were not. These acts were deliberately committed by both characters. Without remorse, the punishment just makes the person resentful and bitter. Imagine a relative of yours is murdered and the perpetrator serves five years for involuntary manslaughter. The killing was intentional and the criminal is released feeling angrier and more rebellious than ever. He has learned nothing from what he did. Did your relative receive justice? I believe Sam's continued anger and rebellion is why he continues down the same path. Because he hasn't felt the pain of making amends and truly comprehending the grief he has caused others.

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  42. If anything Claire should have been more pissed off at the world, and not have been so forgiving to Cas.

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  43. Tessa Marlene4 May 2015 at 03:27

    Claire has good reasons to be like she is. Guess what? This is what traumatized kids are like.She's not a real kid though. She's a character on a TV show that, in order to attract the viewers' sympathy, needs to show a softer side. For example, if they had shown her mourn for her mom in private - maybe a scene where she her diary, or looks at her picture, something that gives us her vulnerable side and proves she cares about at least one person other than herself - it would have worked better. Having a character hopped on one emotion, a self centered emotion at that, regardless of how justifiable that emotion is, makes them irritating. They'd be like those homeless people that follow you on the street and keep asking for money because they are broke. You know they are telling the truth and you might even help them a few times, but after a dozen times or so of hearing the same story you may not care anymore and eventually might even feel harassed.

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  44. Tessa Marlene4 May 2015 at 03:27

    You're welcome. Glad you liked.

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  45. No, the three men she is interacting with actually did not ruin her life. She ruined her own life by the choices she made; i.e., she had the journal when she first went to the home for teens and instead of doing something constructive, she continually made poor choices and she repeatedly ditched the very men who could help her because of her own self-absorbed mistakes. See my comment further down.


    There are proper ways to handle situations, even poor ones, and even for teenagers. Robbie Thompson apparently does not know that and it is quite obvious he doesn't know how to write realistic characters. Claire is a cardboard cutout of a TV trope teenager, and her sorry does not match up with the prior Novak family history. It was Jimmy's choice to become a vessel, and it was Jimmy's choice to beg Cas to reclaim him as a vessel in order to protect his daughter, and it was her mother's choice to ditch Claire and go hunt up an angel to see if he would give Jimmy back....travel around the country looking for AN ANGEL. The whole thing could have been solved by one prayer to Cas from either of them, and Cas would have responded because he promised no harm would come to them. An all around dumb idea for a 3-episode arc.

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  46. Tessa Marlene4 May 2015 at 03:37

    I still am of the believe that season 10 is at least slightly better then season 9 so far. Not by leaps and bounds but a noticeable increase in writing in my opinion.I agree. At least it has a little more focus and direction. The whole angel war + Gadreel + Abaddon + Mark of Cain + Metatron storyline of season 9 made my head hurt. I think the problem is that the showrunner and writers don't want to risk trying something drastically new in fear of splitting the fan base or something else.You may be right. Still, aside from them permanently killing off one of the Big Three I can't think of anything that would piss the fandom off they've already haven't done. They effectively destroyed the bond between the brothers in seasons 8 & 9, the bond between Dean and Castiel in seasons 9 & 10, and made their own secondary characters run circles around the main cast. Maybe if they do something drastic the fandom would actually celebrate it because they at least won't feel bored.I predict season 12 to be the last.I certainly hope that is true. Even the best things have to end at some point. And it's better to do it when you're still on top (or at least not too close to the bottom.)

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  47. Tessa Marlene4 May 2015 at 03:45

    I'm also surprised that we have THREE episodes dedicated to Claire of all people. THREE. I just don't understand what is it so interesting and special about her that's worth taking attention from the main characters.Not much surprise on my part, considering we had 3 episodes with Charlie, and 4 with Cole, not to mention the one-off appearances of Kate and Jody. If this season could have a nickname it would be the attack of guest stars.

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  48. Tessa Marlene4 May 2015 at 03:50

    And this episode is a perfect example of why Collins can't be in every episode, he is terrible.Not true. I mentioned in the intro to this review what the real problem is. The script handicaps his character and makes him OOC and one dimensional. What is he supposed to do with a Castiel that has shed all of his trademark personality traits and turned into a mopey surrogate father?

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  49. Tessa Marlene4 May 2015 at 03:55

    Actually I have been on Tumblr and found it surprisingly enlightened and aware. Maybe if the writers stepped out of their own closed-off twitter circles and ventured into wilder territories they would get wiser about the many dimensions of today's youth and stop writing them all like Adam Glass' niece (I'm suspecting her because Glass actually said Krissy was modeled after her.)

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  50. I think we have visited different areas of Tumblr. Its drama also tends to leak beyond its borders. :)

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  51. Tessa Marlene4 May 2015 at 04:05

    I'm disappointed they did bring her back and what's more they did it in such a dull wayI agree 100%. I liked child Claire and wished they had left her in my memory the way she was. The same goes for season 7 Charlie vs. her later appearances.Also need to say that I really like your reviews, especially this one, so let me thank you! You are sort of a Robert Berens of reviews, you're absolutely awesome!*blushes* Thank you. You have no idea how much that means to me. I'm glad people like and relate to what I write and think about the show. Makes me feel less like the odd one out.

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  52. Tessa Marlene4 May 2015 at 04:21

    Claire: Yes, stereotypical teen and her arc was nothing more than the stereotypical teenage fantasy of no matter how horrible I am, someone will see deeper beneath the troubled innocent girl and tough exterior and love me anyway.Kind of hard to do when we don't see anything from the 'troubled innocent core' and a full helping of the sour faced exterior. But I think you're absolutely right. This might be what the writers are aiming for. They're just forgetting that for any form of emotion to form inside the viewer toward a character they first have to give a damn about that character, which is damn hard to do when they only operate on one gear.All of it, total crap writing which makes Thompson the worst writer on the team, even below the Nepotism Duo, IMO. That's how much I hate hearing that he will be writing an episode.You have no idea how much I agree with this Between this episode, the Charlie extravaganza, and Fan Fiction, I'm wishing he gets a job at NBC or some other niftier place and leaves the show.Most of these other characters can hunt, have families or people that care about them, can take on monsters without any training or knowledge of the supernatural, and even have day jobs and do hunting part time.Yup, everyone is a Winchester now and there's nothing special about what they do. Their skills don't matter because even a teenager can do it, and their tragedies don't matter because everyone else now claims to have had it worse than them. They might as well quit and hand their roles over to Charlier (who is much much better at hunting and research and hacking on top of it) or Claire and Jody's gang and go spend time on the beach.

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  53. 'Attempted murder'?? I believe this 'attempted murder' (eye roll) came during a fight between them, with Dean giving as good as he got, and immediately after the forced detox (seems consent has never mattered that much for Dean) which could have killed Sam (something Dean was okay with) and Dean repeated calling Sam a monster and beating him about the place. Unfortunately, for some, the three seconds that Sam had his hands around Dean's neck were too much for some fans. Poor Dean must be very delicate.

    Just wondering, how do you feel about Dean punching Sam past the point of unconsciousness in season 6 (one blow can kill a person), or punching him off his feet in season 7. Or trying to shoot him in season 8? Or okaying his death via Crowley in season 9? Chasing him around the bunker with a hammer to cave his head in in season 10, and this was at a time when he was human enough to get out of a devils trap and handcuffs? Or do the three seconds take precedence over all that for you??

    And even if you consider Sams apology 'generic', it was still more than we got from Dean (or Castiel) in relation to the huge role that he played in starting the Apocalyose. And Sam did atone for what he did via jumping into the Cage, and in doing so, not only made amends for what he did but also what Dean and Castiel did (something Dean nor Castiel ever acknowledged).

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  54. So you believe Sam deliberately set Lucifer free? And do you not think that Sam 'felt the pain' during the time he spent in the Cage, or every time Dean told him hiw much of a monster he was or hiw he couldn't be forgiven / trusted etc (ironic considering what Dean did!)! Your prison analogy should read '3 people were equally involved' in the death of said relative (and the family of said relative know this), one person gave himself up to the police and did hard time for it, the other went out and did the same thing again and the third never admitted his role but instead sat at home feeling maudlin while drinking beer and eating barbeque.

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  55. Sam didn't consciously set Lucifer free, but the acts leading up to that were indeed deliberate. Just as a drunkard chooses to drink and then chooses to drive, they are responsible for any lives they may take. He had been warned and continued down that path anyway.
    Adding two other perpetrators to my analogy doesn't add to its cogency or excuse Sam. The point of the analogy was to illustrate the importance of repentance in effecting change in someone's life. I remember Dean weeping in the hospital room when he found out he broke the first seal. Yes, he and Sam were equally responsible in breaking seals. However, Dean did everything possible to stop what was set in motion. Sam, despite being warned, continued feeding his demon powers that led to the release of Lucifer. While Sam did work to stop the breaking of seals, his arrogance led to his downfall.
    Castiel was also guilty in allowing Sam loose. For that, he was unrepentant. He didn't develop that character trait until after Godstiel.

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  56. As were Castiels acts deliberate, and the deliberate act of Dean selling his soul. The acts of all three of them led to the release of Lucifer, not just one.

    And really, Dean and his single manly tear is enough to show remorse for you, but apologising, taking measures to stop it getting worse, actually stopping it from getting worse and spent centuries in the Cage isn't?? If only Sam knew that all he needs to do is to have a bit of a bawl now and then and it's instsnt forgive and forget!

    Both Sam and Dean worked to prevent further seals being broken. They both believed that killing Lilith would stop the final seal from being broken. They both believed they were to be the one to kill Lilth (Dean because the Angels told him he was the one, and Sam because Ruby told him) so I guess they are both arrogant?

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  57. Is there some rule that rebuttals in defense of Sam must contain eye-rolls, accusations of hatred, and general derision of opposing viewpoints?

    Yes, nearly killing someone is called "attempted murder," and, yes, susceptibility to asphyxia means Dean is delicate. I guess. Sam didn't seem all that worried about Dean with his "forced cure," which could have killed Dean, and which Sam seemed okay with. In fact, Sam took some sadistic glee shoving those needles into his arm. I guess Sam doesn't worry all that much about consent, either.

    Just wondering, how do you feel about Dean punching Sam past the point of unconsciousness in season 6 (one blow can kill a person),
    The theory is that was to knock him unconscious for transport. He was soulless and uncontrollable. A menace. Since Dean stopped immediately after he fell unconscious, I am inclined to believe it. A true rager wouldn't have stopped hitting. If that was why, I am ok with it.

    or punching him off his feet in season 7.

    If you are talking about the dreaded Amy episode, that was wrong.

    Or trying to shoot him in season 8?
    That was the penny episode, right? They have used the Supernatural to whitewash so many things in this show, I don't buy it as an excuse anymore.

    Or okaying his death via Crowley in season 9?
    I need a refresher on that one.

    Chasing him around the bunker with a hammer to cave his head in in season 10, and this was at a time when he was human enough to get out of a devils trap and handcuffs?

    I'm fine with that, because Sam had imprisoned and tortured him for who knows how long. Just about anyone would be ready to kill under those conditions.

    Or do the three seconds take precedence over all that for you??
    I can list just as many horrible things Sam has done.
    I went over Dean's guilt trip over the apocalypse in the previous post. Sam's sacrifice has had much ado made over it. Not only is it mentioned, but we had to go through two seasons of soullessness and Hell pain.

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  58. Now you're being condescending, and you are repackaging what I have already said as a counterargument.

    As were Castiels acts deliberate, and the deliberate act of Dean selling his soul. The acts of all three of them led to the release of Lucifer, not just one.
    Already stated in my previous post.
    You have twisted my words about repentance. Dean didn't just feel bad, but he worked to stop the damaged from worsening. No, tears aren't enough, if there is more you can do to stop or mitigate the harm you've caused.
    I further stated that Sam also worked toward stopping the breaking of the seals, but the ONE thing he was told NOT to do, use his demon powers, he did. Because he knew better. If it happened once or twice, it wouldn't be such a problem, but it is a lifetime pattern. He doesn't learn from his mistakes and other people are harmed by his refusal to listen.
    As stated earlier, the problem with the apology is it wasn't specific. If you have ever listened to someone clarify a generic apology, it very often turns out to be very different from what you think. Or the more they talk, the less apologetic they become.

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  59. Just pointing out how funny it is that its only attempted murder when one person does it!

    The 'sadistic glee'? So demons needs more consideration than humans now?

    It's been shown in many episodes that you can know someone out with one punch. Dean punched Sam past the point of unconsciousness. Sam was out by punch 5, Dean punched for 13. And at that stage he wasn't uncontrollable, he was perfectly rational, calm, admitted there was somethung wrong and asked for help.

    Dean was told that what Crowley was doing re Gadreel could kill Sam. Dean okayed it.

    So, you're okay with Sam imprisoning Dean to try and cure him being used to justify Dean trying to murder him. But that's what Dean did to Sam in season 4, imprisoned him and tortured him. But, per yiu, that's not okay.

    Actually, you didn't go over Dean's role. You said that Dean cried. We don't even know it was because of the role he played in starting thr Apocalypse. From what I can recall, he was crying because he tortured souls, not because of his role in starting it.

    Sam's sacrifice got mentioned? But I thought Dean was credited (twice)with saving the world, Sam never did. And if thr soullessness and hell pain constitute 'mentioning' then the show has excessively dealt with Dean storylines since seasin 2, since him selling his soul,is what kicked the whole thing off.

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  60. I'm not twisting your words in the slightest. However, you're expecting unrealistic behaviour from Sam and condemning him when he doesn't live up to it.

    When Sam was told to stop using his powers he did. And he didn't use them for a while. Then he was put into a situation whereby using his powers was the only option. If he didn't then people, including Dean, would have died. Would that be preferable? If he didn't use his powers then they would not have been able to kill Lilith which is what both Dean and the Angels wanted.

    And Sam did learn from his 'mistakes'. We saw that in season 8 when he didn't repeat thr mistakes of the past and make a deal for Dean. And he was ripped apart for that too.

    I imagine the apology could never be specific for some. Would you have preferred him to list out all the things you feel he should apologise for and then do nothing. Or would you rather he apologise and then seek to make amends? And at least there was an apology, regardless of how generic you believe it was. Perhaps Sam would have been better off not apologising and spending the next season pointing the finger of blame at someone else?

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  61. I think the circumstances were different considering how viciously Sam had treated Dean the past year. And Dean is just a demon and deserves no consideration as his brother? Yes, that's right. Sam disowned him, didn't he? And he never took that back or apologized for that, either, yet we are supposed to believe he is so worried about Dean now.
    Are you talking about Dean okaying Crowley killing Sam when he went in to dispossess him? Seriously? You know it worked? Dean didn't okay Crowley killing Sam. If he had, he would have been dead.
    Yes, I'm okay with that because Sam had disowned his brother. He no longer had a say in what happened to him.
    Dean cried over torturing souls in front of the Impala. In the hospital, he asked Cas if what Alastair had said was true about him breaking the first seal. Cas confirmed it. That is why he was upset.

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  62. Either you don't understand what I am trying to say or I am not explaining it well. Let's take the Gadreel possession, for example. I believe that Dean was 100% in the wrong. I believe that Sam had every right to be hurt and angry over having his choice taken from him. What he didn't have the right to do was devastate his brother.
    If he couldn't discuss it rationally, he should have separated from Dean and waited until he could. I believe that Dean, for his part, made proper amends, except for apologizing, unless I missed it. After Sam had time to think, he could lay out a plan of his expectations for the future. They need to have an agreement (one that sticks). These non-agreements are pointless.
    I think Dean understands the wrongness as far as having a bad occupant take up residence, but I don't think he even begins to understand the violation of what he did to Sam. It's time for both of them to grow up and act like adults.

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  63. Catherine Dubyansky4 May 2015 at 09:49

    He knew more than Sam or even Dean who spent 40 years in Hell. Damn, even though the angels and demons knew what would happen unlike Winchesters we still blame Sam & Dean for Apocalypse but not Castiel and other angels&demons which has had manipulated boys before and after their birth. It's pretty unfair as my taste. Sam and Dean had acted on the circumstances or under the influence of emotion, fear or pain - as befits a human. And they are the ones who have paid by their skins for their decisions and for the whims of supernatural pieces of shit.
    Although I should say that I don’t hate Castiel. I hate what the writers have done with him now. He was really cool, interesting and complex character when he was an angel of the Lord, the member of TFW, rebel and betrayer, Godstiel. His storyline ended even nobly. After his comeback in 7th he is like a sluggish fish.

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  64. 2 corrections though. Mary not Marry and the scene with the dead body did give info. Cas said he thought it wide for an angel blade and he didn't know what the 2 marks were helped Dean when Claire dropped the putter realize sword making the marks the hilt but looking at the sword when Dean lifted it from Claire's bag made me wonder why only 2 marks considering the look of the hilt. And Dean calling Claire a genius for putting the putter in the hole. Why? She was just explaining the putt rules nothing more yet Dean pats her on the back for his revelation?

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  65. Sorry, DogsAreGreat but Dean's 'feels' are not the second main character on the show, though many fans believe they are.


    He did say it rationally. He wasn't shouting and roaring or making threats or berating Dean. He said that under the same circumstances he wouldn't do the same thing Dean did. He didn't say he wouldn't save him. Sam has saved Dean many times in the past. He said that Dean believes that he's Sam's hero. However, Dean does end up doing more harm than good when it comes to Sam. Sorry if that 'devastate's him but it's true. Were it not for Dean in season 2, Sam would be at peace in heaven with Jessica and his friends and family. Ditto with season 8. Dean does things that he believes that in Sam's benefit but they rarely are.


    What amends did Dean make? All he did was give Sam the cold shoulder and say he'd do it again. And, once again, they did have an agreement made. Sam stuck to it, and guess what? Fans came down hard on Sam for sticking to it.


    Your use of the words 'bad occupant' is interesting. Do you think the violation would have been better or more understandable if he had tricked him into being possessed by a better angel or a good demon? Don't forget, until Dean tried to tell Sam about him, Gadreel had actually done everything that Dean had asked of him.

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  66. Treated him 'viciously'?? For half a year he wasn't himself, then he said something to him that Dean didn't like (but was completely understandable) and for the rest of the year he treated him perfectly normal. Dean was the one who was lying to him to get him out of the way. Compare that to how Dean treated Sam in season 5. Dean was a demon who needed to be cured. Were he any other demon he'd have been killed, so he was already getting more consideration. Do you think that Sam should have kissed Dean's booboo's after every injection? And Sam didn't disown him. He gave Dean a choice, Dean choose the partners and Sam went with it. I'm not sure why so many people are up in arms over that. Dean did the same thing with Sam in 5.01 and again when he declared Benny a better brother than Sam had ever been. Where was the apology / acknowledgement/ redemption for that?


    I'm talking about Dean knowing that what Crowley was doing could kill Sam, and he still okaying it. Whether or not it worked is irrelevant. Sam using his powers worked, didn't it?


    So crying and being upset about something = redemption? If only Sam knew that all he needed to do to absolve himself was shed a single manly tear! Somehow, I don't think fans would accept that.

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  67. Tessa, Lucy and Hellboy are expressing that they find Claire's bratty behavior suitable. I also find it suitable. You mentioned in the review that she said she wants to yell at her mom for ruining her life. It was SO obvious to me that she wanted to FIND her mom, because she believed something had happened to her mom. It seemed to me that all the "good" people/beings in her life had trashed her life, and she was damn MAD about it. For the CHARACTER'S sake, finding that her mom had been kidnapped and had NOT abandoned her was a GOOD thing. ALSO I KNOW you found it stupid that SHE was the one who killed Tamiel, but I thought Tamiel had just fed on soul and was AMPED up. Castiel, who was now a regular angel, could not compete with him anymore than Raphael could compete with Castiel when he was ramped up on human or purgatory souls. MOC Dean and Sam could only give him a little bit of competition. It took the THREE of them to get Tamiel into a place where Claire, whom he'd ignored as unimportant, could stab him.

    Different emphasis, but it works for me.

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  68. Martin Anders4 May 2015 at 13:52

    The whole thing could have been solved by one prayer to Cas from either
    of them, and Cas would have responded because he promised no harm would
    come to them. An all around dumb idea for a 3-episode arc.


    Point of correction - Claire did pray to Cas. And Cas acknowledged that he had heard her, he just didn't do anything about it. And Castiel's promise to preotect them from harm wasn't contingent upon their prayers - he should've kept an eye on them and kept them safe either way.

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  69. Martin Anders4 May 2015 at 13:57

    In this episode, Claire did show her vulnerable side - when Sam gave her hope of seeing the dead again and when he convinced her that her mother didn't abandon her. And after Dean's speech about Jimmy being a hero. Notice how she doesn't bring up her mom's abandonment after the first and stops blaming Castiel after the second?

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  70. Martin Anders4 May 2015 at 13:59

    For an amped up angel, Tamiel was pretty sub-par.

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  71. Well, it was something he didn't notice. I notice in a lot of episodes eagle-eyed Dean susses out the clues (like in Jump the Shark, especially) and if Dean had noticed that in the first place Castiel and Sam would have known they were dealing with a Grigori (is it Gregori or Grigori?) and he felt that was important so at that point he rushed off to the farm. (Him calling her a genius was just a pat on the back to somebody who had helped him recognize what he was looking at; I don't think he THOUGHT she was a genius, not really. Can't Dean give compliments every once in a while?)

    He knew Claire was a wild card and if he left her alone in the motel room she'd probably steal a car and head over there herself. So he armed her and took her along, and good for her that he did because she got to see her mom and her mom saving her life probably put a whole bunch of stuff into perspective. Claire was "calmer" about everything because she saw her mom's devotion to the family. I personally was glad Jimmy and Amelia got to share Heaven. It made sense to me. (To whomever questioned why Karen wasn't with Bobby, it appeared to me, from the show, that Karen wasn't the main relationship of Bobby's life. He loved her, but his connection was to "his boys" and he could not change that. I bet in his Heaven he was sitting waiting for "Sam and Dean" to come over for a little time off. Just my impression.)

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  72. I know what you mean, but he still gave them all they could handle BUT he did not do that "smitey" thing where he burned somebody's eyes out because he was dealing with three attackers. Maybe on the whole Gregori weren't as powerful as Garrison Angels? I mean, I remember when Crowley shot Castiel with an "angel bullet" and left Ion to watch Castiel and Castiel, Garrison Commander, pulled the bullet out and KILLED Ion. Castiel is one bad-ass angel. So my only explanation for why he did not do that was that Tamiel had a little something "extra" due to just feeding on Amelia (and it appeared two other women in the barn).

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  73. Martin Anders4 May 2015 at 14:07

    The problem isn't finding new ideas, the problem is having the commitment to see them through. Every season finale, the writers throw a shocking curveball, which, if seen to completion, could change the whole dynamic. However, they feel that they've found the "winning" formula - the boys have to travel the country with each-other and no-one else, there has to be some cause for conflict between them and they have to sacrifice themselves for each-other. The seasons always end in game-changing finales and then the writers spend the next season making sure that nothing changes.

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  74. I thought she believed absolutely that "everybody" had let her down (and Castiel admitted that he had dropped the ball on protecting the Novak family) she was unable to believe that her Mom hadn't just dumped her to "find herself" and could not admit to hoping her mom hadn't. You are right about the two speeches though. It's the equivalent of Dean saying "our family is so screwed we might as well save others" so Claire accepted that these guys DID save the world and because that was important she got some peace.

    I did NOT hate Claire.

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  75. The "Watcher-Angels" appear to have been sort of a first-draft of angeldom. Maybe he wasn't as powerful as Castiel to begin with? Also this is probably another point in your angel-power confusion but remember when Dean and Sam captured Gadreel and beat the crap out of him? Should have had broken hands there TOO.

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  76. Martin Anders4 May 2015 at 14:15

    There is more to it that just the smitey thing. Dean almost broke an arm punching Cas in the past and even the cupid was similarly invulnerable. Even when running low on grace, Castiel was much stronger than Dean. Angels have been shown capable of throwing there opponents through the walls. I could understand Castiel not being able to defeat an elite angel - I can't understand Tamiel having this tough of a time fighting two humans or those humans doing better than Cas.

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  77. Martin Anders4 May 2015 at 14:39

    I've been quite critical of the show's trend of making instant hunters out of the guest stars in the past, but the one thing I take comfort from is the depiction of those new hunters as novices.



    Truth be told, despite making hunting look easy enough for the new guys to pick it up, the show makes it clear that they are not as good at the job as the Winchesters. Jody is a sheriff first and whenever she gets involved in hunting, she calls on the brothers for help. She hasn't exactly been able to figure out cases on her own. Sheriff Donut (I forget her name) didn't even notice the supernatural element the first time around and needed the Winchesters the second time. Cole jumped into things without doing the requisite research and found himself in trouble because of that. He needed Sam and Dean to save him. Garth was always shown to be an incompetent hunter and he remained incompetent even after being turned into a werewolf. Krissy and her team seemed to be shaping up to be this, but they were only taking out newbie vampires and were completely fooled by their evil mentor. Charlie - before they turned her into a Mary Sue in season 9 - was a regular Damsel in Distress and needed Sam and Dean to rescue her.



    All in all, people who seem to pick up hunting as a hobby and become supposed experts at it, don't seem to be that good at it.

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  78. Martin Anders4 May 2015 at 14:55

    Had, when Claire first got the journal...


    When exactly did Claire get the journal? Between all the retcons and continuity errors, I'm not sure anymore. Did she have it when she ran into Cas during the mid-season? If so, why did she say that her mother was off finding "herself" and not "Castiel"? Did she have it hidden somewhere since she was shown going in and out of places without any possessions? Or did she later go back to one of the group homes to collect her things and found the journal then?


    As for "praying", Castiel's promise to Jimmy wasn't contingent upon his family begging for help - he was supposed to keep an eye out either way. Cas dropped the ball on that one. Besides, Claire did pray in the beginning and Cas heard her and didn't answer - so she came to the obvious conclusion - Cas wasn't interested in helping her.

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  79. Martin Anders4 May 2015 at 14:59

    It *should* apply to those families. The same way the Winchesters should care about all the possessed people they've killed so far.

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  80. You're right: I am just trying to put the fight into angel canon. If you asked the show they would probably say something like what I did, and you could rebut them as easily as you did me. All I got is Gregori MAY be lesser beings than regular angels but this one was amped on human soul. So maybe "less" than a cupid so that's why nobody got a broken hand. But that understanding only works with mental contortions.

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  81. The brothers don't seem to be very good at it anymore, either. Maybe it's because they are too 'old' and need to retire to a beach somewhere.


    I take no comfort in that at all, because it is just an excuse to have the Winchesters included in other characters' episodes, and it does not dismiss the fact that they adopted everyone they meet into the 'family,' that hunting can be learned in one afternoon at the library or, in Charlie's case, reading the Winchester Gospels online; and, as Tessa says, each and every one of them have a tragic story, just like the Winchesters. Well, Donna's jerk ex dumping her because she eats too many donuts isn't too tragic, but we haven't seen her complete story yet. I am sure there will be a tragedy in there somewhere.

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  82. I readily confess to NOT being objective where Claire is concerned. I hate the character. Thompson did try to make her sympathetic in this episode, but her one-dimensional know-it-all whining and snarly face didn't work for me, and I point to the "melancholy" look in the cab and her "Just going," remark. As Tessa said, there was no warmth in her performance at all, or how about flouncy off with a "Well, my mother ditched me," (paraphrased) when Sam was talking about his mother dying when he was a baby.


    I view Newton's acting as very inexperienced and not particularly good at all. She is able to read her lines (with direction, I am assuming), but there is nothing beneath the reading of lines. personality-wise but a cold, self-absorbed person. Personally, I would rather watch Charlie, and I hate her with the passion of a thousand suns.


    And the death isn't goodbye line -- I took that as one of the fifty anvils that Claire will grace our screens next season.

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  83. Martin Anders4 May 2015 at 16:13

    This is a bit of a repetition, but after re-watching the fight, here's my analysis.

    Cas tackles Tamiel and tries to stab him, but Tamiel disarms Cas and shoves him aside. Sam grabs Tamiel from behind and Dean gets in a few shots - all of which seem to hurt, judging by the grunts - before getting kicked back. Tamiel escapes Sam's hold and knocks him away while Dean attacks him once more with the angel blade. Tamiel blocks his blows and throws him back once more only to be attacked by Sam who gets in a few good shots. After Tamiel throws him against the wall, Dean attackes with the blade once again and gets disarmed, at which point, Cas finally gets up to tackle him again. The tackle is reversed and Tamiel is about to stab Cas when Claire stabs him from behind.

    Now, here are the few things I noticed - Tamiel doesn't use any angelic powers like super-strength or invulnerability against the humans. Cas wasn't able to hurt him at all while both Sam and Dean got a few punches in.

    If Tamiel is supposed to be as strong as a normal angel - say Uriel in season 4 and Sam and Dean are at their normal strength, then he should've been able to throw them through the walls and break their bones with his punches or kicks. Also, in this case, Cas with his own grace is now somehow weaker than regular humans whereas, we've seen in the past that even Cas with fading grace can hold his own against other angels.

    If Grigori angels are not that muchc stronger than humans, then it makes sense for Sam and Dean to fight him on par, but then a fully powered Castiel should've been able to beat him easily. Cas being so weak doesn't make sense.

    If Cas is still weak from regaining his grace and Tamiel is at full strength and somehow Sam and Dean are much stronger than usual, then the fight could make sense, but the MoC would only explain Dean being strong, not Sam.

    Then there is the possibility of retcon - where Cas is now as strong as any other angel, who are now no stronger than regular humans. Tamiel is stronger than regular angels and therefore, a little stronger than regular humans.

    Which explanation here seems the least detestable?

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  84. I must have missed the part about praying. Was that the first time we saw her this season? Was it when Cas was human?


    Doesn't take away the fact that Claire had her mother's journal -- you know, the John journal -- when we first met her and she still ran from those who could help and continued to make bad choices. That is all on the character. A know-it-all, angry, cold, self-absorbed person who thinks she knows everything is not someone I care to watch on TV, unless they are red-shirted pretty fast and brutal. As far as I have seen, the show has always been about the choices a person makes (free will), and hers were consistently the wrong ones.

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  85. Martin Anders4 May 2015 at 16:23

    Given that you admit to not being objective and hating the character, I'd take your conclusions about her with a pinch of salt. For example, you are focusing on her "know-it-all, whining, snarly face" and you ignore her "do-I-dare-to-hope" face and her "grateful" face. You read her final expression as "melancholy", but it could just as easily be read as hopeful and peaceful after she finally realized that there were people who cared for her and she wasn't as alone as she thought. What you saw as a flouncy insult to Sam, I saw as her refusing the life-line Sam was throwing her.

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  86. Martin Anders4 May 2015 at 16:30

    I must have missed the part about praying. Was that the first time we saw her this season? Was it when Cas was human?

    Yes, you missed that part. It was when Cas first found Claire this season and he was an angel at the time. Cas also said that he'd heard her prayers and chose not to respond - indicating that he was an angel when she prayed as well.

    Doesn't take away the fact that Claire had her mother's journal -- you know, the John journal -- when we first met her and she still ran from
    those who could help and continued to make bad choices.


    The fact that there is no definite answer to when she got the journal undercuts your point. Besides, the last time the Winchesters and Castiel came around, her life went to the crapper, so she is bound to look askance at their offer to help.

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  87. Martin Anders4 May 2015 at 16:33

    The brothers are still better at hunting than anyone else alive at the moment - that's one big difference.

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  88. I have lost patience with trying to fill in the blanks for the writers, Thompson's episodes requiring that from viewers the most. The only purpose of this underwhelming fight scene was so that the teen girl could make the kill as her first step into becoming a hunter. That is there is to it.


    Dean snapped -- we must bench Dean into babysitting - OMG, Sam is worried Dean's bloodlust will get out of control at any moment, yet no sign of the Mark kicking up in the fight. Maybe the Mark doesn't like angel blood?


    Dean punched, Sam punched, Cas tried to punch, Claire makes the kill and saves the two top-notch hunters and the fully powered angel warrior, and Dean gives her a book to read and a sword to keep so that she will be titled Hunter Claire next season.

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  89. Claire said the motel manager sent the journal to Amelia's last known address, which was Claire's grandmother's house. That means she had the journal and the postcard at the foster home she was sent to following her grandmother's death (for two years now, actually).


    The last time the Winchesters came around was to save her ass from being fed to the bad guys as rape bait and Dean killed her beloved surrogate father Randy -- the guy who gave her up for $5,000 of debt. It was her choice to go off by herself, meet up with low life's in a bar and arrange to have Dean killed. Then it was her choice to go it alone again and decide to go find her mom. All her choices, and all very bad choices.


    If you are talking about The Rapture child, that whole deal was between Cas and Jimmy -- that's the part where Claire was there. I don't remember them pressuring Jimmy in any way. Now, mind you, I may not be remembering everything correctly, since I thought The Rapture was a shitty episode and only watched it on air date. I didn't care about the Novaks then, I don't care about them now, and I won't care about Claire next season.

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  90. Martin Anders4 May 2015 at 17:15

    You seem to attach way too much importance to "making the kill".

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  91. I think this is a
    good article and most of all I agree about accepting Claire as a member of the
    Supernatural family.

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  92. How did Sam ruin Claire's life? How did Dean? Does Clair still not realize her "pseudo-daddy" had sold her off to that rapist?!?!

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  93. I guess you're right saying it goes not only for Claire.. I love season 7 Charlie and like her in season 8 as well, but what happened to such an amazing character in season 10 is.. you know, way too sad. She was bright and alive, now she's just a nerd&a bit mary-sue hunter. Talking to Sam in a teacher-like manner (just saw the sneak peek). She loses herself. Or I better say, the writers make her lose herself. Another reason to dislike Thompson and co ('cause I cannot stop loving Charlie anyway).


    And what you write, it kinda makes me feel less weird about all those weird things happening now on the show. It somehow proves that what I see does exist and I'm not the crazy one (maybe Carver or Thompson is).

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  94. Castiel and the angels were solely responsible for setting Lucifer free. Zachariah even mentioned that they had allowed 66 seals to break, strongly implying that they could have stopped those seals from breaking if they had been so inclined.
    I hated Sam teaming up w/Ruby in S4 too, but his actions weren't even unconscious when it comes to Lucifer b/c he had NO CLUE that killing Lilith would raise Lucifer. He didn't know that b/c Castiel didn't tell him. Both Sam and Dean wanted to kill Lilith. Even if Sam had ditched Ruby and went and killed Lilith w/Dean, Lucifer still would have risen.
    Sam and Dean were completely innocent when it comes to raising Lucifer. Sam only thought he was damning his own soul; he didn't know he would bringing about the Apocalypse and that's b/c no one told him or Dean.

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  95. I hated Sam's speeches in ST and TP too as well as his general behavior post-possession, but Dean never made amends for what he did to Sam. That never happened. In fact, by the end of the season, it seemed like Sam was apologizing to Dean for being upset.
    At the end of the day, my problem w/Sam in S9 had more to do w/the crappy writing he was receiving than anything about Sam as a character. I happen to love Sam, and I think if "Sam" could have spoken, he would have expressed his feelings much better than Carver chose to do in S9. "Sam" was yet again a victim of horrible writing and outright character assassination IMO, but I've become used to Carver throwing Sam under the bus.

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  96. Martin Anders5 May 2015 at 10:43

    Claire said the motel manager sent the journal to Amelia's last known
    address, which was Claire's grandmother's house. That means she had the
    journal and the postcard at the foster home she was sent to following
    her grandmother's death (for two years now, actually).

    What Claire actually said was that the motel manager sent the journal to Amelia's last known address - grandma's house - from where it was forwarded from foster home to foster home. Further, in her last appearance, Claire didn't have any belongings and at that point, she said that her mom left to "find herself", not "find Castiel". So, it is not certain whether Claire had the journal at that time, hidden somewhere, or whether she simply picked it up from one of her foster homes later.

    The last time the Winchesters came around was to save her ass from being fed to the bad guys as rape bait and Dean killed her beloved surrogate father Randy -- the guy who gave her up for $5,000 of debt. It was her choice to go off by herself, meet up with low life's in a bar and arrange to have Dean killed. Then it was her choice to go it alone again and decide to go find her mom. All her choices, and all very bad choices.

    Also her choice - not to stick with the guy possessing her dad's body and a raging psycho who can just massacre a room full of people on a whim and get away with it - all of whom are regularly involved in dangerous and life-threatening situations. That one doesn't sound like a bad choice at all.

    If you are talking about The Rapture child, that whole deal was between
    Cas and Jimmy -- that's the part where Claire was there. I don't
    remember them pressuring Jimmy in any way. Now, mind you, I may not be
    remembering everything correctly, since I thought The Rapture was a
    shitty episode and only watched it on air date. I didn't care about the
    Novaks then, I don't care about them now, and I won't care about Claire
    next season.


    Jimmy's options were to either offer his dying body for possession or give up his daughter to the same tortuous existence he had been living for the past year, indefinitely - I'd call that pressure. But, even if he'd eagerly given up his body, Cas still made a promise to keep his family safe - one that he utterly failed to keep. Which is why it is Castiel's responsibility to do what he can to fix their lives.

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  97. Elena V. Zakharova5 May 2015 at 14:08

    Tessa, thanks for your review. Indeed, this Tompson's plot is as "my first funfic" written by a schoolgirl. It was awkwardly to watch this ep. Claire Novak looks as such a marysue with her sudden hunter's abilities... As a matter of fact, all 3 Claire's eps are senseless and unnecessary for the main storyline of the season, alas.

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  98. Martin Anders5 May 2015 at 14:11

    What "hunter's abilities"?

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  99. Elena V. Zakharova7 May 2015 at 14:36

    Reseaching skills, wielding of weapon...

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  100. Great review I pretty well agree on all points. Was not happy with the episode at all. Overall it seemed pointless and the idea of them not knowing that Angels were on earth seems ludicrous. Oh well hopefully the next week and the finale will be better done and thought out.

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  101. Martin Anders7 May 2015 at 16:05

    She didn't do much research beside what Dean told her to do - in fact, she was quite bored by it. And it doesn't take much wielding to stab a guy in the back.

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