Sera Gamble Tribute Rewatch Twitter Party

It's been awhile since the last Supernatural Rewatch Twitter Party.

But the Twitter party is back on!

Join us in paying tribute to the awesome Sera Gamble 

Sunday June 10 at 11am - Australian Eastern Standard time.

We will be rewatching...

1.12 Faith

5.13 The Song Remains the Same

7.23 Survival of the Fittest

These are all signature episodes by Sera. They are great examples of her brilliant writing and demonstrate why she is one of the most consistent and talented writers of Supernatural. 

As you may notice, they are episodes from different periods of the series.

Season 1's Faith, not only is one of the strongest foreshadowing episodes of the series, pointing towards Dean's purpose and destiny, but it is also the episode Eric Kripke said made him realise just how far the show could go. 

Season 5's The Song Remains the Same follow's on from the foreshadowing of Faith when we meet the Archangel Michael, for whom Dean was born a vessel. It's also part of the brilliant 

Supernatural Back To The Future series of episodes.

Season 7's Survival of the Fittest is the last episode Sera wrote for Supernatural and puts the brother's into a situation that they've never faced, while putting us in good stead for season 8...though we may chew our finger nails to the bone while waiting!

If you're unfamiliar with our Twitter rewatch parties this is how it works....

 We will be watching the episodes at the same time as each other, so get your DVDs or downloads ready. We will count you in so that we all press play simultaneously. Then of course, we'll be live tweeting the episodes! 

You're most welcome to join the conversation, that's really the point of the Twitter rewatch party! 

Oh and don't forget to grab some munchies and drinks!

Come for one episode or 3. Everyone is welcome!

To join the party, follow my twitter account AmyInSydney and my jail account sweetondean. 

Also follow my coconspirator Tiny Winchester at Tiny; Tiny Panic Room and Tiny Flatbread 

Don't forget when tweeting, to use the hashtag #SeraGamble

So, get your DVDs or downloads ready and join us in paying tribute to and farewelling in style, 

the wonderfully talented Sera Gamble

Sunday June 10 at 11am AEST on Twitter! 

Be sure to check your timezone via the world clock here.

Plus stay tuned! We will be announcing our Jeremy Carver twitter party a bit later. So watch this space!

Review - Supernatural season 7 finale - 7.23 "Survival Of The Fittest"

Warning - contain episode spoilers 

See here’s the thing when dealing with Crowley, he will always find a way to bone you. 

Supernatural season finales, is there anything as exciting and harrowing? I must admit I spent the whole week sweating on it. I’d managed to stay relatively spoiler free. I didn’t read any of the preview articles. I didn’t watch any of the preview clips. Then the Upfronts came along and I’m afraid I’m weak willed and couldn’t stay away from Jensen in that grey suit, shiny tie and hiatus scruff…so bam...suddenly I knew more than I wanted to know about where the brothers were going to find themselves at the end of “Survival Of The Fittest”. Between Mr Ackles and his extra tall buddy, apparently masquerading as Grizzly Adams, I was spoiled rotten; both in plot possibilities, prettiness and the wonderful visual of the boys voting with their 5th extremity. Thank you Jensen. That will forever be seared into my mind’s eye to muse over………………

What was I saying? Oh right. Finale.

So Saturday comes along (remember I’m an Aussie) and I wake up extra early, feeling slightly nauseated and in a flop sweat. The closer it gets to the time the more I’m overcome by a sense of dread. I mean I literally feel like I might throw up a little. I’m so concerned about Sam and Dean Winchester I’m having a minor panic attack! Is this normal? I know most of you would say, yes, yes it is and I know nearly everyone outside of my Supernatural family would say, no Amy it certainly is not, please get a life. Then I would explain to them how I have a life, rich with stories of love and loyalty, of brothers and family, of heroes and villains, of rising above expectations, of falling to temptation, of shiny black cars and the myriad of emotions and frailties that make up humanity and they would walk away shaking their heads as I grinned triumphantly! But I digress. I was so nervous before watching this finale I didn’t know what to do with myself. Then Carry On Wayward Son started and then I cried….

I never compare season finales to each other. I never say, oh it wasn’t quite “Swan Song” or it didn’t grab me like “No Rest For The Wicked.” I let every season finale stand on its own merits. They each sit within the structure of an overall season arc. It’s like comparing apples and oranges, they taste different, so why bother. “Survival Of The Fittest” launched us with a jetpack strapped to our backs, screaming towards season 8. Holy fudgin’ crap. What a kicker! For some reason I didn’t see it coming even though I’d discussed ad nauseam what the end might be and Purgatory was certainly on the discussion list. I knew Dean would find himself in a tricky situation, I just didn’t think it would be alone in Purgatory with Sammy back on Earth not knowing where Dean had gone. We were left with them apart and normally that would leave me in a state of horror. But not this time. On the contrary. I’m so damn excited about what this opens up that I can’t stop thinking about it. Sure we’ve done the brother’s separated and in Hell before, but that was through self-sacrifice and to some degree choice. We’ve also done the brothers separated through emotional conflict but that was once again, through choice (and you’d be right in assuming I don’t like that). This time Dean was simply zapped away, caught in the jet stream of Dick Roman’s whatever the hell that was. Sam’s left behind with no real clue what just happened to his brother, though being the brainiac he is, it’s not going to take him long to reach the conclusion Dean has been sucked into Purgatory. But they weren’t prepared for this. They weren’t prepared to be separated. It wasn’t discussed, they weren’t expecting it, they didn’t want it. This makes the whole thing feel very different to me and I dig it! I gotta say though, who the hell would want to save the world? Look what happens when you do! First Sam goes to Hell after stopping the Apocalypse now Dean goes to Purgatory after stopping the Chompocalypse. That sucks ass! But it’s so goooooooood! Ooooo it’s so good! The possibilities!

First things first. So we’ve despatched Dick. The Levis have been neutered, with Dick sent back to Purgatory (WHERE DEAN IS!) and the rest of them left wandering the earth Dickless, practically impotent. Their story reached a climax and exploded. They couldn’t pull off their master plan for creaming humanity. It was all cocked up by those pesky Winchesters. Awww come on! It’s my last chance to get in as many dick jokes as I can! Ok I’ll stop now. Sorry….(Yeah, I’m so not sorry). Anyhooo…. I enjoyed the Leviathan as the big bad this season, but I think their one failing was their lack of interest in the Winchesters. It made them feel less of a threat because their threat was global and in being about everyone, it lost the personal touch. Also, the Leviathan represented people we might have come in contact with, as in the corporate douche-bag up on level 5, so in some ways they were too familiar to be really scary though in other ways that familiarity made them all the more frightening. But, for me they lacked the creepiness of say Lucifer. Actually I found Lucifer disturbingly hot; (even though we know he burns cold), my bad, but I’m sorry, the Devil was smokin’, so he’s probably a bad example for me to use! But do you see where I’m struggling to get to? The Leviathan were almost too worldly to be otherworldly and in that sense lacked a bit of punch. But I did enjoy them or I should say, Dick. I love Dick Roman. He was smarmy and smug and so awful he was wonderful. James Patrick Stuart relished that character. You could see how much fun he was having with Dick Roman. Totally great villain. Also, the Leviathan plan was masterful and they were certainly different and I applaud the Supernatural creative team for pushing the big bad a bit and creating something that wasn’t your typical monster. Can I ask a question though? This might be a dumb one. It came to me while watching that last scene of Dean being surrounded but the critters in Purgatory. If the Leviathan are goo, how do they normally get around? Ok, so they shifted into humans on earth, but I wonder what form they take in Purgatory? Are they just a slick of ooze sliming their way across the ground? That doesn’t seem very frightening! Unless they’re like the Blob! The Blob! Oh we need a Blob monster next season. How cool would that be! Whoa….I digress!

So the boys burnt the flask. No surprise there, it’s what I thought would happen. Bobby did indeed request that the boys burn the flask and put him out of his misery. It was his choice. How it was done was beautiful and unexpected though. To not see Bobby flame out and to only see the glow of the flames on the boy’s beautiful, tragic faces was a masterful touch. It made it a far more personal to just have Sam and Dean experience it (and Cass silent on the stairs I guess), and it also saved us the distress of seeing one of our favourite characters go up in smoke. Watching Bobby die the first time was enough for me. The burning of the flask held the emotional wallop I knew it would and once again I bawled my eyes out for the loss of Bobby Singer. I was never in love with the GhostBobby scenario, as much as I enjoyed the moment we saw him again and the extra time we got to spend with him. In hindsight, I’m not really sure what the reasoning was in bringing him back. He helped the brother’s work through the clues, but they could’ve got there alone and frankly I would’ve preferred that they did and though he offered more information on what he remember from Dick’s office prior to being shot in the custard, most of that Frank had already worked through via the numbers. So really, in the end, what was the point? I love Bobby to pieces so from that perspective it was good to see him, but the circumstances were so harsh and so unfair. Still, I don’t feel his original death was marred by his reappearance as a spirit with vengeful tendencies. I still look at “Death’s Door” as being his true out. The question now of course is whether he’s gone for good, or as much as anyone ever is in Supernatural. Being as we are about to explore Purgatory, I imagine there’s a chance he could pop up again. I prefer to think of him in Heaven with his wife and all the people he’s loved over the years, it seems unfair that after everything he’s done, after everyone he’s saved, he be in Purgatory with monsters. But it’s been said before that we really don’t know where spirits go when they flame out. Are they put to rest? Or as they were spirits and didn’t move on after death, does that put them in the realm of Purgatory? Because Bobby possessed a maid, does that put his eternal soul in jeopardy? I hope not. I don’t want Bobby’s story to keep dragging on. I’m kind of done with it now. We’ve said goodbye to him twice, I don’t want to say goodbye to him again. I guess there’s the chance that when we get Dean out of Purgatory, if Bobby is there he could ride Dean’s coat tails out, but….to be very honest with you….I don’t want that. As much as I love Jim Beaver, as much as I love Bobby Singer, I don’t want to have an easy out. Is this the end of Bobby Singer? A big part of me says yes and I’m cool with it. Thank you Bobby and R.I.P.

Seeing Dean in Purgatory at the end of the episode left me wondering if he’s going to think he deserves to be there. He’s alive I gather, though that’s weird because everyone else in Purgatory is dead. I’m hoping he doesn’t get overcome by the malaise of the season and start to think this is his destiny. He believes he’s a monster, a killer. He carries guilt about everyone he’s ever known who got caught in the crossfire of his life and ended up dead. He carries guilt for each and every soul he tortured in Hell. Is this the place he always thought he’d wind up? Will his stint in Purgatory help him get over some of those feelings of self-loathing and give him a new view on life when he emerges? In biblical terms, Purgatory is where the soul goes to be cleansed of all past transgressions in preparation for ascension into Heaven. This could be a good thing for Dean. A bloody good cleansing. As much I was freaking out about Dean being in Purgatory, in the dark and murky woods, surrounded by God knows what, part of me got a little thrill. I like nothing more than seeing Dean go into full on Hunter mode. The guy is so skilled and so smart, seeing him faced with insurmountable odds and conquering them is a joy to behold and let’s face it, we know he’s going to be ok. I just hope that he’s not shell shocked when he emerges. I hope this experience isn’t another one that damages his psyche. I hope it makes him stronger somehow. I’m wearing my rose coloured glasses again aren’t I?

Seriously though, I have absolutely zip idea how this is going to play out. One must imagine there are a lot of monsters down there who’d like to see Dean Winchester dead. Are you kidding? A bunch of them are there because of him. But who else is there? There were monsters and spirits who weren’t evil that would’ve ended up in Purgatory. What about all the people Ash couldn’t find in Heaven? Angels? The dead ones, are they there? They don’t have souls, so you’d think not but who knows. Is Adam there because Michael has a hold of his body and so his soul has been expelled? Dr V? She must have gone back to Purgatory. Who and what is actually in Purgatory? See how exciting this is! I see either Dean tracking down friendlies or the friendlies coming to find and help Dean. But what a great big fat unknown. There’s an opportunity here for the writers to create a whole new Universe, with new lore and exploration and development of existing lore. I’m so thrilled by this twist. It’s an absolute corker.

Of course Dean is not entirely on his own, Castiel was sucked into Purgatory with him. I’m pretty sure Cass just went on a recon mission when he disappeared. We needed to end up with the visual of both the boys alone. It wouldn’t have done to have Cass by Dean’s side while Sam is shown by himself in the lab. We needed the synergy of the two shots of the brothers in their isolation. Cass zapping away was for creative and cohesive emotional resonance. Dean, like Sam, was suddenly all alone. Did you notice Cass’ voice at the end when he spoke to Dean? Sound familiar to you? It was deep, gruff and straight talking Castiel. No bees. No craziness. I think that feeling like Dean is offering some form of forgiveness and helping the Winchesters to put an end to Dick and not destroying everything as he feared he would, has brought Cass back. I said in my write up of “Reading Is Fundamental” that I thought Cass was hiding behind his craziness because to do otherwise was to face what he’d done. I think we saw this idea come to fruition when he said he couldn’t help because he’d destroyed everything and he’d destroy everything again. He was terrfied to try; terrified he’d blow it. I’m glad Dean yelled at Cass to clean up his mess. It may not have seemed to get through to him in the moment, but I’m sure that it did. Add to that watching the boys suffer as they put Bobby to rest and Dean’s “Bottom of the ninth and you’re the only guy left on the bench, sorry I’d rather have you” speech and Cass seems to be coming back from his place of self doubt to be more like the Angel we remember. He was the only one who could help, so he had to help. It was his fault. Dean was right, he needed to “nut up” and I’m glad he did. How he helps in Purgatory is yet to be seen. Can he pop back and forth between the dimensions of Purgatory and Earth? Or is he stuck in there with Dean, which will be interesting seeing as their relationship is still not quite solid. I’m intrigued to see what has become of Cass, what his abilities are in relation to Purgatory and to what level he is reborn and is able to assist.

But I don’t want Castiel to grip Dean tight and rescue him again. I don't want an Angel-easy-out. It’s Sam I want to save Dean. It's Sam's turn. I'm sure his being unable to rescue Dean from Hell has always weighed upon him. This is his chance to put a little something to rest. Plus I'd just love to see Sam save his big brother. Neither of the Winchesters have been able to rescue the other from the major threats…i.e. being in Hell. Sure on smaller issues they’ve had success. Like in “Faith” when Sam took Dean to the healer or in “Appointment in Samara” when Dean got Death to restore Sam’s soul or “The Born-Again Identity” when he brought Castiel to restore Sam’s mind. Under those circumstances they’ve been able to save each other and they’ve always found a way to save each other emotionally, but neither could find a way to get the other out of Hell. But now, here's Sam's chance. Sam knows how to crack the door to Purgatory. They've done it before. The trouble is, what gets out if he goes in? That’s if the story goes that route. Sam’s never done very well on his own, neither has Dean for that matter, they aren’t whole without the other brother, but he's not as totally alone as Crowley attests to. He does have a few friends still alive that he can call on for help, or support. There’s Sheriff Mills, there’s the hunter Garth. There are people out there for Sam. Crowley is wrong on that count. But Sam’s been through a hell of a lot this season, his mind is only just starting to repair and now he’s without Dean and doesn’t know where Dean is or if he’s alive. The guy’s on shaky ground at best, how will he deal with this blow? Man, poor Sammy. Something tells me he’s going to go at this problem like a dog with a bone, because there’s no way he’ll rest until he knows his brother is ok. Remember how he was when the Trickster/Gabriel killed Dean? Gah! I'm scared for him! But on the flipside, I have so much faith in Sam and his strength and his smarts and his love for his brother. I’m pretty excited to see where he goes with this problem. I’m also interested to see how long the writers keep the brothers apart.

And even though the brothers are apart, they kind of are still together, because you know their primary focus will be worrying about the other and finding a way back to each other. Dean also has the task of staying alive and Sam has the task of cleaning up the Leviathan mess and rescuing Kevin and possibly Meg from Crowley but you know neither brother will be far from the other’s mind. So, that’s why I’m ok with this separation, because it’s not coming from a place of anger between the Winchesters and I can only see it making them stronger both as individuals and as a team. I’m not one of those fans who’s all, oh Dean needs a story, Sam needs a story, for me it’s THEIR story. I’m happy when we explore both of their characters individually and see their individual development, but it’s their relationship that holds the most joy for me and I can’t wait until we see them restored. Having said that, I do hope we get at least a couple of episodes to explore this separated scenario. I hope the writers are brave enough to believe we can cope with that. I know I can, because the aftermath will be epic.

And speaking of Crowley, why does he need Kevin. What’s he want with a Prophet. I get why he took Meg, she’s been a naughty girl in his eyes, but Kevin? I’m scratching my head at why he’d need the protector of the Word of God. I’m really starting to pitch a tent in the Crowley’s not a demon camp. I don’t know what he might be, but I’m starting think he’s not what he seems. He has way too much power. Look at the power he was wielding in this episode. He got out of his contract with Dick, which you’d imagine he couldn’t have as demon contracts are unbreakable, he seems to know everything, he has a veritable army at his disposal, he appears to be more powerful than the Leviathan, than Lucifer. He totally boned the Winchesters again and got everything he wanted. Is he just damn clever or is he something else completely? I’m pretty sure our frenemy Crowley will be a major player in season 8 and seeing as I totally love him, that can only be a good thing.

Of course the other character that featured in “Survival Of The Fittest” was The Impala! Baby is back and looking purdy! I may have fist pumped the air and hollered WOOOOHOOOO, when she came down the highway! How lovely was that first scene…silent, except for some birds tweeting, until you start to here her thrumming in the distance and then Born To Be Wild kicks in. It was perfect. Did you notice when she was hooning down the highway and bursting through the gates of Sucrocorp there were two guys in the front seats? And did you notice that we didn’t see the lines “Don’t die” “Yeah you too” that were in the promo? I heard a lot of people complaining that we saw Meg drive the car but not Dean, but go back and look. I think they cut a scene. I think Sam and Dean are in the front seat and somewhere between the burst through the gate shot and Meg driving through the sign shot, they cut out a scene. I reckon after crashing through the gate they originally pulled around the back, Sam and Dean got out, told Meg she knew what to do…maybe there was a snarky line about not hurting his car from Dean, Meg tears off, Sam, Dean and Cass are at the back door of Surcrocorp, they do the don’t die lines we saw in the promo and go inside, maybe Sam goes in that way and Cass and Dean another way – that’s how they split up – and then cut to outside again and Meg drives through the sign. This is how I think it went down before they had to lose some time in the edit! Because there are definitely Sam and Dean look-a-likes in the front of the Impala right up until Meg gets out. Go look! Wait…finish reading first. I promise I’m nearly done.

So there we go. “Survival Of The Fittest” was a doozy and I think it was pretty awesome finale. Once again, everyone’s performances were spot on. Jared’s alone Sam at the end was excruciating to witness. Season 7 has come to an end and we are left with a lot of very cool and exciting questions. How will Sam find out that Dean is in Purgatory? Will his fragile, barely healed mind be able to cope with this latest crisis? How will Dean survive Purgatory? Who or what is in there with him? Any old friends that might help? How hot is he going to look fighting for his life? How will he get out? Will Sammy be able to rescue him? What’s Cass’ role in getting Sam and Dean reunited? What’s with Crowley and what’s he want with Kevin? Will the boys rescue Meg? Is Bobby gone for good? Who’s going to tow the Impala out of that sign and was Sammy paying enough attention to Dean to be able to fix her, or will her repairs go on Burt Aframian’s credit card? Why didn’t everyone run when Dick started pulsating! If they’d just got out of range, we wouldn’t be in this sticky mess! Sorry…just had to get one more in there. But the biggest question of all…..HOW ARE WE GOING TO SURVIVE UNTIL OCTOBER?!

Well, thanks for reading and supporting me. During hiatus I'll have some projects that I'm working on that will hopefully keep you entertained. I have the All Hell Breaks Loose III convention in Sydney next weekend with Misha, Jim, Richard, Traci and Ghostfacer Travis Wester, so that should be a hoot and I’ll be writing that up for you. Plus I’m off to VanCon in August (insert epic squee here) so I have that to look forward to as well and believe me, there will be reports! Then it'll be season 8 and I'll be back writing the episode reviews!

Oh one more thing. I’d like to thank Sera Gamble for 7 years of beautiful story telling. She’s one of my favourite writers of the series and many of her episodes are amongst the ones I go to constantly. “Faith” is probably my favourite episode ever and those of you who know me are aware of how I’ve chosen to express that. I love her work. I find her personally inspiring both as a would-be writer and a female television professional. I will miss her voice terribly and I wish her all the best. I’m excited to see what she does next and I know I’ll be following her career with interest. I’d also like to welcome aboard Jeremy Carver, he too is one of my favourite writers and I couldn’t be more thrilled with his inclusion back into the fold for season 8. Very few writers have delivered such beautiful narrative as Jeremy has and I’m sure the show will flourish under his deft touch. Who else can see this show doing a Smallville….10 seasons anyone? 

So, let me know your thoughts and theories on the episode and I’ll see you soon with a write up of the shenanigans at the Aussie con…we are a little naughty us Aussies!

Bye for now….keep the faith, October will be here before we know it! 

- Amy

Supernatural Season Finale

I was trying to remember just when I started watching Supernatural. I know I saw the first DVD of the first season and went out and bought the first season for myself. And I didn’t get to finish it before the second season started, so I was recording those shows on the VCR (yes, my love of SPN predates my love of Tivo). 

That had to be 2003, I guess, and my passion knew no bounds. SPN was appointment TV. I had T-shirts and a messenger bag and kitchenware, for crying out loud. As the mythology got more twisty, my husband started enjoying the show more--and I less. I own every season on DVD but never even opened the last two. And this last season, with so much of what I loved about the show stripped away, I would even forget it was on until I saw it on the Tivo. That made me very sad. 

While I’m happy for the actors and writers to get another season, I think it’s time for me to say good-bye to the show, and maybe go back and rewatch those DVDs that made me love it years ago. 

I’m so glad to have been a part of the Supernatural Sisters and I thank all of you who visited!

So, onto the season finale...

Wow, there’s a lot of THEN going on. Nearly the entire song of “Wayward Son.”

Crowley is trapped in Dick Roman’s office. I so love Crowley. He’s so nonchalant about his blood being the key to everything. Dick offers Crowley Canada, gives him a vial of blood from a regular demon to give to Sam and Dean, telling them it’s his. Crowley goes for it and produces a contract so long it rolls onto the floor. He pulls out a magnifying glass and says, “I do so love this part, don’t you?”

Now to Sam and Dean, in search of a righteous bone. They flick on the radio long enough to hear a news team talking about stocks and Dick Roman and that he’s holed up in Sucrecorp. Meanwhile Bobby, in the body of the maid, learns the same thing.

Sam and Dean enter a mausoleum or something, reading biographies of nuns to figure out who is the most righteous while Crowley and Roman hammer out the details of the contract, whcih takes them all night. 

Okay, this jumping back and forth is making writing this hard. Dean and Sam cast the spell, but nothing happens. Then there’s a knock at the door and here comes Meg. Apparently Emo Boy (Castiel) zapped her back from the other side of the world. Dean walks out to Castiel, who’s listening to “Vincent” in the car. (I didn’t know that. My husband supplied it.) Castiel is worried about monkeys being used for cosmetic testing. And, wow, does Jensen get better looking every year or what?

Castiel comes in and sniffs the righteous bone, and correctly identifies the nun it belongs to. Castiel’s been waiting to hear from the garrison, but when he went to look for them, they’re all dead. If any are alive, they’re in hiding. He suspects Leviathans. Dean and Sam are worried about Kevin. 

Meg notes the supplies on the counter and Dean and Sam say they’ve summoned Crowley, but he didn’t show up, but then he does, of course. He confronts Castiel, and asks why he’s still alive.

“I don’t know,” Castiel says.

Rain Man Castiel is going on about insects being the reason he hasn’t gone back to heaven, since insects are creating miracles every day. Crowley hands over the vial, but Sam is suspicious. Crowley admits his deal with Roman, and tells them the vial is his. The brothers don’t know if they should believe him but take the vial.

And here comes the maid/Bobby, with a newspaper with Roman’s face and what looks like a knife wrapped in paper. She touches something in the back of a truck and Bobby is cast out of her body. It’s iron. She begs him to let her go, but he sees Roman’s picture and possesses her again.

Meanwhile, Dick and his assistant are walking through the halls with their smartphones and talking about 3 rules to contract negotiations: 1) bring breath mints, 2) get it in writing 3) have a plan for when they screw you.

Poor little prophet boy Kevin is locked in a room and they bring him a pretty blonde girl who doesn’t seem to know why she’s there.

Sam and Dean are casting the spell when Cas returns with sandwiches that he made from farm products himself, including killing the pig for the ham. I’d forgotten they couldn’t eat processed foods. 

Dick opens a box with a severed arm and calls it Mr. Roman. I’m confused, and dang they’re jumping around a lot. They dress up the little blonde girl and bring food to Kevin, who says he’s a vegan. Then he tries to pick the lock of the room.

Dick Roman is holding a board meeting. “The last time we were in one room, it was inside that angel.” He talks about the slaughterhouses going online next month. Kevin overhears the plans and hurries for the exit, but of course he’s caught. In the board meeting, Dick introduces the little blonde girl to everyone. 

Outside, Dean and Sam have a feed to the Roman corporation and see that there are more than one Dick Roman. So he cloned himself?

They injected the girl with something and she spits up and collapses. They’re genetically....I don’t know. It’s science. I hate science. Something to do with breeding people to make them the best food source.

Outside Sucrecorp, Sam recognizes the maid from the hotel and knows it’s Bobby. He leaves Dean watching the feed and goes after Bobby. He warns Bobby he’s going to get the maid killed, and Bobby fights back, CHOKING Sam! He sees his own reflection in the side of a van and casts himself out of the maid, who collapses. Sam picks her up and takes her to the hospital.

Back at the cabin, Meg demands to know why they left when they were so close. Sam tells her, “Dick made more Dicks.” As Dean gives him a look, Cas wonders if they should get a cat. “Doesn’t this place feel one species short?” (He can have mine. She just peed on my new couch. Again.) 

Dean wants to know when Cas is going to help. But Cas doesn’t want to fight anymore. Dean demands that Cas clean up his mess, but Cas wants to play Twister, then disappears. Meg says, “Nice, you’ve scared off the Empire’s only hope.” Since the Leviathans were in Cas, he can see past the meat suits to the real Leviathans. 

Bobby appears and tells the boys they should have burned the flask. He’s jonesing to go back after Roman, an itch he can’t scratch out. He’s afraid of grabbing another poor bastard and getting them killed. He tells the boys when it’s their time, go. He thought he could outsmart the vengefulness.

The boys stand over a fire with Bobby’s spirit and the flask, and crap. Hard to type when I’m crying. There goes the flask--what the hell was it made of to melt so fast? And there goes Bobby, illuminating Dean’s face as he goes. Cas watches from the stairway.

After the commercial, Cas is setting up another board game when Dean asks him to be his wingman. Angel, get it? Wingman? OH YES THE IMPALA!! YES YES YES!!!! Just so you know my love for the Impala, my phone is called Metalliphone. 

Oh, there’s a conversation going on. Probably should pay attention. Cas feels cursed, that resurrection is punishment, worse every time. Dean still wants him on the team. Cas senses forgiveness in Dean’s speech. Cas agrees to do his best. 

Oh please play “Back in Black!” 

Huh, “Born to Be Wild.” Not the same. She drives like a tank, you can see it as she skids, then SLAMS THROUGH THE SUCRECORP sign. That is NO WAY TO TREAT MY CAR! Meg gets out with a bunch of Borax (I bought some of this the other day. It’s used in a lot of homemade cleaners on Pinterest.) Meanwhile Dean and Cas are sneaking in, trying to figure out which Dick is real. Meg is strutting around when someone comes up behind her and sends her flying. Apparently Crowley wants her back in hell. Now.

Sam gets to where Kevin is held and Kevin says they can’t leave until they blow up the lab because Dick’s going to kill all the skinny people (THANK YOU, Kevin. THAT I can understand.) Sam agrees to blow up the lab. 

Dick is in the lab taste-testing the coffee creamer when his scientist gets beheaded. Dean and Cas confront Dick, and Dean stabs him with a weapon but nothing happens. Dick demands to know if they really thought they could trump him. Dean shows him a second weapon while Cas comes up behind him and stabs him through the neck with a third. Dick starts pulsing--he’s a bomb! No one moves, and he explodes! Black slime everywhere. 

Kevin wants to go, worried about more chompers. Crowley appears and tells them he has an army of demons outside. “Cut off the head and the body will flounder.” They’ve had one king and don’t know what to do without him. He tells Sam they’re just another animal, hard to kill, but the Winchesters love a challenge. They need to keep them from organizing. 

Dean and Cas are gone, and Crowley’s minions take Kevin. Crowley won’t tell Sam where Dean and Cas are, and he leaves Sam in the middle of the slimy lab, alone.

Dean is on the ground in the forest, and Cas orders him to wake up. He’s in Purgatory, where all monsters go to prey upon each other. Dean wants to know how to get out but Cas thinks they’ll be ripped to shreds. Creatures with red eyes appear around Dean and Cas disappears. 

The brothers are alone...and apart. 

Okay, that was a pretty awesome, if busy episode. What did you think?

Supernatural Love

Once upon a time, I fell in love with a show. And like any kind of love, I wanted to share news of it with others. So when I realized there were other romance writers who also loved this show, the idea for a group blog devoted to said show was born.

The show in question was Supernatural, of course, and what a ride the blog has been. We've talked about monster-of-the-week episodes versus big story arc episodes, whether or not we liked the females cast on the show, our favorite hilarious quotes, how many times the Winchester boys could possibly say the word "dude" (sometime I'm going to watch all the episodes and count this), and "OMG, where are they going with this storyline?!" We've laughed at "bitch/jerk", "idjits" and how the boys always seem to stay in the crappiest motels known to man. We've squeed when we met Jared, Jensen, Misha, etc. We've increased our love for classic rock songs. We've snorted at the funny outtakes and goofy videos online (seriously, I'll never be able to hear "Eye of the Tiger" again without thinking of Jensen). We've cried when beloved characters have been killed (Bobby -- wah!). We've just developed a deep and abiding love for the show, its creators, the actors, basically anyone affiliated with it in any way. We're the Supernatural tribe, and that's okay. More than okay. It's pretty dang cool.

Thank you for being part of our tribe. So I'll sign off with something I hope will make you laugh. I know it does me every time I see it.

http://youtu.be/HsyMtYoSkC0

More Than Entertainment

Most TV shows have "water cooler" moments, where people who enjoy watching chat excitedly about something that happened on the previous night's episode.

Many also have devoted fandoms, often young people, who create fanfic and fan art and fanvids and so on.

But very, very few achieve the all-ages cult following that Supernatural has achieved.

How many TV shows have worldwide conventions featuring guest stars who were on one episode? The opportunity to meet some of those actors, all of whom are tremendous personalities, gave me some of the best memories of my life.

How many TV shows are responsible for building dental clinics and refurbishing orphanages in Haiti? Misha Collins, of course, gets all the credit for turning the fandom into a force for good, but the fact that the fandom exists made Random Acts possible.

Who would have guessed that Jared Padalecki could turn a birth announcement into $80,000 for St. Jude Children's Hospital?

"Experts" are always talking about how technology and the Internet and social media are distancing us from our communities, but this blog has helped me make great friends in Texas, Colorado, Tennessee, and Georgia, and connect with fans in Brazil and Australia and Russia and South Africa. How can you put that in a negative light?

Watching a good TV show is relaxing and entertaining. Talking about it is fun. Dissecting, analyzing, debating, and speculating is fantastic, and it has made the last few years some of the best. It's stimulated my creativity and helped me write books I love, and even better, stimulated other authors' creativity so I had great books to read.

I love you all, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing all of this with me. Trish, Tanya, MJ, and Terri, no matter where our paths take us, whenever I hear Carry On, Wayward Son, I will think of you.

After, of course, I imagine Sam and/or Dean Winchester with no shirts on.

Waving Goodbye

The problem with going third after other intelligent, articulate ladies is that it feels like goodbye has already been pretty well summed up! Nonetheless, let me add my (cyber)voice to theirs in saying thank you so much to everyone who has ever visited or left comments on the blog. It's been fun--which may explain how the time has flown by so quickly! I can't believe how many seasons the show has been on (and, correspondingly, how many years have passed in my real life). I have to say, sometimes I feel a twinge of surprise that the show's still on the air and frown at some of the changes (such as the glaring absence of the Impala for most of this season!) But there are still really funny episodes (such as the recent The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo) and episodes that make me tear up (such as when we said "goodbye" to Bobby) and moments that surprise me. I will definitely keep watching! (I will also be reading Terri's Hollyweird, partly inspired by SPN, as soon as I meet my looming deadline! Have you bought your copy yet?)

Thanks for joining us here! May your apocalypses be few and your musical playlist always be kick ass.

A Sad Adieu

I’m so sad to be bidding Supernatural Sisters adieu. Each one of us will be saying goodbye this week. I just want to say how much I’ve enjoyed the camaraderie of my sister fangirls. It has been a pleasure to share our love of the show, to debate the pluses and minuses of each episode, to better get to know the SPN community and, of course, to rhapsodize about our love for Jensen and Jared.

As writers we may view the show from a slightly different perspective. We know what it takes to build three dimensional characters you can fall in love with, the finesse necessary to write believable relationships the viewer or reader will willingly invest in, the art of escalating conflicts to keep things from being staid while furthering a character’s story arc, the challenge of keeping storylines fresh, the skill of juggling humor, horror and human emotion and the thirst to push our boundaries as artists. The writers of SPN do all of this and so much more which is why we became the Supernatural Sisters.

As the show has grown and evolved, so have we. It has been a privilege and a thrill to see my sisters achieve so many successes. And I know there are tons more to come. I only have three regrets. One, we never got to do that set visit. Two, Jim Beaver never got back to me with that interview. And three, we never had a Supernatural Sisters get-together at a con. Maybe we could still pull off that last one….

In the meantime, thank you to our readers, the authors who’ve guest blogged and the Supernatural super stars who’ve granted us interviews.

I’ll still be watching. Nothing short of the actual Apocalypse could keep me from finding out how things finally end for Sam and Dean Winchester. 'Til then, see you later idjits.

Love & hugs, Terri Clark

Supernatural Sisters Must Say Goodbye

It's hard to believe we've had this blog going for over three years. When we started, we were five authors early in our careers, super-diehard fans for Supernatural, eager to discuss all the aspects of the show we loved so much.

We've had recaps, guest posts, interviews with guest stars and related celebrities (or "celebrity-adjacent" as Harry of Ghostfacers would say :) ). We've run contests and debated storylines with some of our favorite fellow fans, and we've loved every minute of it.

Unfortunately, times have changed. Supernatural is continuing, but alas, the Sisters cannot. We've exhausted much of our passion for the show, but more importantly, the demands and responsibilities of our careers and families have grown so much that we aren't doing this blog justice.

We're not disappearing completely. The blog will stay live indefinitely, as some of our most popular posts are three years old, and we're always eager to bring new members into the fandom.

Our books will continue, too. Though we've tried not to make this a place for Blatant Self-Promotion (or BSP), we've occasionally mentioned new releases, especially those that were inspired by the characters or worldbuilding on the show. We invite you to check us out online, chat with us on Facebook and Twitter, and, if you are so inclined, read our books. :)

This week, we will each have a post saying what the show and this blog have meant to us, culminating in our final episode recap/review. We hope you'll all comment on that recap so we can share our final episode with you.

Thank you so much, every single person who's ever visited Supernatural Sisters, but especially our regular readers and commenters. The journey we've taken with a TV show has been far richer and more exciting with all of you along for the ride.

Trish Milburn/Tricia Mills
Tanya Michaels/Tanya Michna
MJ Fredrick
Terri Clark
Natalie J. Damschroder

Review Supernatural 7.22 “There Will Be Blood”

Warning -  Contains spoilers

So what, we keep going while he’s out there like this? 

Do we have any other option? 

After the sometimes baffling and very complex episode last week, this week we were served a pretty straightforward, let’s just get in there and set up the season finale kind of episode. “There Will Be Blood” laid a lot of ground-work for the big shebang and while on the surface it didn’t appear to be particularly action packed, for me it was a satisfying hour of television that seemed to be over only minutes after it begun. We were reintroduced to a couple of well loved villains, got more time with Dick and his creepy henchman Edgar, witnessed further disturbing developments with Bobby’s anger management issues and were party to some thoroughly enjoyable brotherly interactions that were topped off by Dean’s no junk food freak-out. I’m with you Dean, you don’t win friends with salad.

Though as a whole, I found this a mostly enjoyable outing, there were couple of moments that made me scratch my head and I might just get them out of the way up front before I move on. This episode was written by Andrew Dabb and Daniel Loflin who, throughout season 7, have not been able to recapture the lofty heights of previous work like, “Weekend At Bobby’s” and “Frontierland”. I feel like they’ve become all sizzle and not enough sausage, putting too much emphasis on the snappy one liners and witty pop culture references and not paying enough attention to the detail, and though I think this was possibly their best effort for the season, there were a couple of stinkers in there that made me want to grab them by the scruff of their necks and rub their faces in it. First up, how come Bobby could zap his way into the vampire house to scout it? The boys have been popping that flask in the car so they can slip away…a few feet if you go by the service station scene…to have a natter about Bobby going bad and yet he can zap practically across the street with no effort at all, flask still tucked into Dean’s spunky new leather jacket (I’ll get to that later). Bookdal and I had a little chat about this on twitter, surmising that maybe he’s learning, maybe he’s getting stronger, but it’s when your viewer is sitting there trying to connect the dots with maybes, you know you’ve had a fail. Now, if Sam and Dean had looked at each other with WTF faces and we’d found out that indeed Bobby can now zap without the flask, that would have been an awesome and powerful moment, because that would mean there’s no more stashing him…but alas…nup. The other thing that kind of bugged me was the little boy and the Alpha. Um, ok we know he’s a creepy monster and all but now I’m not entirely sure what else he is and I like him and I don’t much care for him having little boys around for nefarious reasons. That simply squicked me out. I know there was little girl twins in Dean’s confusing and never explained vamp dream and I know vamps are all about creating new families so they don’t live out eternity alone and then something about young pure blood, but wasn’t the Stockholm Syndrome chick enough? I think adding in a wee boy went too far up the ick meter and then caused the awkward, wait we’re not going without the kid scene followed by the even more awkward motel hallway scene where Dean explained what just happened to Sam even though Sam would’ve been standing right beside him at the time. Exposition much? It reminded me of Kripke lambasting himself for the exposition in the Pilot at last year’s Paley event. Lastly, let me just get this out of my system, I hated, hated to the power of a bazillion, the “See you next season” line. I hated it when Crowley said “…haven’t seen you all season” to Cass and I still hate it. Who says that? It’s not a natural way to speak and it was forced and awkward. We’re smarter than that. That was a great big clunky meta shout-out in the middle of a serious and dark moment and it made me want to bang Dabb and Loflin’s heads together. If the Alpha had simply said, “See you next time” that would’ve been cooler and creepier and we’d have still got it, the Alpha will be back. There are times for meta and that wasn’t one of them. It totally took me out of the moment and jarred me back to reality. Ok…I feel better. Moving right along.

Though the Leviathan are the big monster arc for the season, the emotional arc has been all about loss, culminated in the most devastating loss of all…pie. Okay, maybe that’s not the most devastating, but surely it was the last straw. For me, it’s always the brother’s emotional trials and tribulations that I find compelling and though those pesky Leviathan definitely have the Winchester’s attention, it’s what to do about Bobby that’ll be keeping them up at night. This is the big story, what to do about Bobby. Oh Bobby. I can’t see any way he can be saved, short of reincarnation and I’m still not sure how I feel about that. We get too many easy outs on this show. I think we may have used all our get out of dead free cards. Bobby can’t carry into next season being all narky and evil, because we did that good-friend-gone-bad thing with Cass, so what’s the option? I have a couple of theories. I do so hate to share my theories because 9 times out of 10 they’re wrong, but as I’m amongst friends…. It goes two ways, either Bobby is somehow destroyed in helping to finish off the Leviathan, preferably in defence of the boys or we have the big cliff-hanger, what ever that may be, and then as a post script, we see Bobby, having done in Dick, understanding his time is up and asking the boys to burn the flask. He smiles at them as he flames out. Cue wracking sobs. That possibly sounds a little too nice for Supernatural though huh? Whatever it is, it has to continue Bobby’s heroic arc. He still has to get the heroes send off. He can’t be remembered any other way. Yes, at this stage, I can’t see him being anything other than a goner, as much as that hurts. He’s getting worse and worse, he’s now run off wearing a maid to get Dick (sounds like some porno), leaving the boys to grieve for him again and again and again. Poor Dean, just standing there staring into the safe as Sam moved around checking for EMF. Sam’s thrown the whole we can make this work thing out the window. I remember thinking at the time, that’s overly optimistic, that’s going to change. As usual, Sam has ended up going down the logical road, looking at stats and lore and coming to a bad conclusion. Where as Dean is typically trying not to think about it, defending Bobby even though he knows Sam is spot on. Lord have mercy on all our souls, when will the pain stop. Please make it stop. Oh right, it won’t, this is Supernatural. I really hate what’s happening to Bobby…not hating it in an, I hate the show went there way but in an, I hate Bobby and the boys have to go through this way. It’s too sad. Poor Bobby. Poor Sam and Dean. One thing though, he really has to stop appearing to Dean in the bathroom, it’s getting kinda pervy…..though if I were a ghost…..never mind.

I’m so in love with the Leviathan plan. I love that they’ve now attacked junk food and that in poisoning the entire population of the world and making everyone drug-addled morons, they’re also going about poisoning every other supernatural creature that has a taste for the long pig. Clever. Dick and his gooey gang are highly enjoyable. I was totally bummed out when Edgar met his end. He was cool. He was a great bad guy. His stand off with the Alpha Vamp was fun to watch. Two ancient monsters going head to head…then…Edgar’s head was on the floor. Had to happen I guess, glad Sammy got the kill. But still. I liked Edgar.

Obviously Dick is on to the boys. He’s nabbed Crowley. Ah Crowley, always good to see you. Crowley and Dick will be the battle of the smarm. Once again, Crowley has a lot of power. His blood is the key to everything, the boys want it and obviously, Dick doesn’t want them to have it. What would stop Dick from just obliterating Crowley and being done with it? Or does Crowley’s blood also have some value to Dick? Is it not just about stopping the boys getting their hands on it but needing it himself? The high-tech Devil’s Trap was awesome. If I had higher ceilings, I’d be tempted to get one just like it! Do we believe Crowley doesn’t know that Cass is still alive? He was obviously fishing. God love the brothers for not even flinching and protecting Cass. I’m not so sure Dean would have done that a while a go….there’s those baby steps again. I thought his reaction spoke volumes.

About Dean, apart from his sadness over Bobby at the end there and his utter frustration over having to eat his greens, he seemed almost buoyant. Sure he’s still drinking, but he always has. I think that’s in the blood and will never change. Maybe that big crash and burn isn’t going to happen, maybe he’s actually dragging himself out of that hole, or more likely, being more successful at burying it all, because of late, he’s seemed a little better. I’d say having Sam back and sane, is a very big part of that. I think he can handle just about anything as long as Sam is by his side. I love watching them work together again, poke fun at each other and look to each other, with and for support. And was the implication they had both ‘enjoyed’ John’s old Playboy magazine? Ah brothers… Can I also say, I adore it when John gets a mention.

I keep seeing commentary that the Winchesters aren’t showing signs of recovery in their relationship and I simply don’t get it. Sometimes I feel like I’m watching a different show to everyone else! This place they’re at now is the best they’ve been since Dean went to Hell, in my opinion anyway. They seem like a team again. Like they have a purpose. They’re bitching at each other like siblings. I also like that they seem more equal now. Feels right, seeing as we’re 7 years along and they’re 7 years older. I totally dug the scene where Dean got the idea to steal that poor schleps blood….as not right as that was. The horror on Sam’s face. The smug grin on Dean’s face, followed by yet another dick joke. It was really fun…if a little creepy. The guy just sat there looking back and forth, back and forth, slurping on his mega slurpy as the boys talked about Bobby. “This is for hurricane Katrina you said?” “Yes, yes I did.” Then as the cop car cruises past honking his horn to the music, I swear Dean starts to seat boogie. Another thing that might be helping Dean’s mood is that in some way, he has all his people back. Yes, Bobby is a ghost about to go darkside and Cass is, well, strange and neither relationship is what it was, but somehow maybe just having them around, seeing them, being able to speak with them again, is making Dean feel a little more complete. In fact he’s feeling so good, he went and splurged on a new leather jacket and doesn’t it fit him nice. This might be sacrilegious, but I like it better than the original one. Yes, yes, the original one was John’s and it had lots of sentimental value blah, blah, blah, but Dean is a man now (oh boy howdy is he), so I think it’s appropriate that he goes and gets his own jacket (and not just because the other one got pinched). He was even sensible and got one with lots of big pockets, perfect for stashing wooden stakes and the like. I wish we got to see him go shopping for it. I’m not sure why, but I have feeling that would be adorable.

One thing I’m still not digging about the brothers is that they’re still getting written as a bit dumb. Now that Bobby is back in the fold, he’s feeding them all the answers again and I don’t like it. Sure, he’s got nothing better to do than think (and scheme) but, really? Sam and Dean, expert, experienced hunters couldn’t put the pieces together like Bobby did? Sammy did what he does best and sorted through the web to find out about Sucrocorp, but they couldn’t figure out the rest? This is why I’ve been enjoying them having some alone time, because it makes them rely on their resourcefulness and not outside help and I’m disappointed that once again, the outside help is making them look less than smart. The other thing was, they really fell for Emily’s story hook, line and sinker. Surely they’d know by now that a very pretty, slightly creepy girl, locked away in a room for twelve years, who looks surprisingly balanced, is a bit suss. Guys! That’s horror movie 101! And another thing, why won’t they talk to Bobby? Why won’t they sit him down and have an honest conversation with him? Ok maybe he can’t sit but you know, tell him they’re worried, try and make him see what’s happening, try and make him see sense. Locking him in the safe is just going to piss him off…which it did. They’re not helping Bobby’s bad mood by treating him like a ditchable prom date. For a couple of guys who like to angstily hash out everything, I can’t understand why they aren’t trying harder to talk him down. Though I guess Dean did in the bathroom. Seriously Bobby, stay out of the bathroom. But Sam and Dean needed to be talking to Bobby. Too late now….

As I said up the top, Dabb and Loflin write some great one-liners and witty pop culture references and “There Will Be Blood” was no exception. They do funny good. I loved Dean saying Edgar and the Alpha were Pacman and True Blood. I thought vamptonite was brilliant. There were a couple of great Dick jokes, “What makes Dick so hard to beat”. The whole Dean not dealing with having to eat healthy food, going into toxic shock because he needs his road food, “I can’t live on rabbit food, I’m a warrior” was great fun. Jensen hit every note perfectly and Jared’s reactions with Sam were spot on. I love a good Sam eye-roll.

I’d also like to mention the design this week. The vamp mansion was glorious. The set dressing was lush and rich and it was so beautifully lit. I particularly liked the Alpha’s red tie and spiky pocket hanky. That just topped everything off for me. Gee it was great to see him, I dig that character and the way Rick Worthy plays him. Creepy but soooooo smooth. The pink room was gorgeous and the art on the walls! Huge odd animal paintings. I totally loved them, if you didn’t catch them go back and look and I really liked the buffalo motel room, it had an epic bedspread!

“Let There Be Blood” left us locked and loaded for the season finale. We have the blood of the father of fallen beasts, we have the blood of the fallen Angel, we’ve been promised the blood of the ruler of fallen humanity….though why do I think that Crowley has something up his perfectly tailored sleeve with his, no mine last, routine….now all we need is the bone of the righteous mortal. Still can’t wait to see who that is and where they get it from….sure hope Sam and Dean have some part in putting that puzzle piece together. So are we ready? Are we ready for Carry On Wayward Son? I’m not, but then again I am. I want to see how this story finishes, if it indeed does. I want to know what’s going to happen with Bobby, what’s going to happen with Cass, that Kevin will get out alive, if the Leviathan all drop dead if Dick does, what on earth the promised (or rather threatened) cliff-hanger is and that Sam and Dean come out the other side knowing they have each other. That’s the most important part for me. I can’t believe the season is just about to finish. Boo.

Well…what did you think of the episode? Do you have any Bobby theories? 

Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next week for the season 7 finale! *Meep*

Until then, please enjoy this cap of Dean winking…. 

And here's the promos for next week's season finale!

There Will Be Blood

Argh! Something is wonky with my TiVo, and it was recording a rerun of Deadliest Catch instead of the first run episode of Supernatural. I also realize that I've missed a couple of other episodes. I was confused about how and when Bobby made a reappearance. And after reading Tanya's recap of the episode with Felicia Day, I may have said many ugly words to my TiVo. I love Felicia Day! Wah! Note to self -- do a Google search to figure out why TiVo is acting wonky.

Anyway, I realized what was going on when I started watching at about the 25-minute mark. As you can imagine, I was confused for a while. I came in at the point where Sam and Dean are talking to a vampire on a bench drinking what looks like a Big Gulp. Evidently, something wonky is going on because the vamp doesn't act like a vamp. I find out later that Dick Roman and his Leviathan buddies are putting something in the vamps' food supply (??) that's making them dumb. Later Edgar the Leviathan reveals that they plan to take out the vamps, werewolves, shifters, basically anything that feeds on humans so all the humans are left for the Leviathans. Wow, I'll be so glad when the Leviathans are gone.

Anyway, after a little online research, I figure out that there are three things that Sam and Dean need to make a weapon to kill the Leviathans. Something from Castiel, something from Crowley, and blood from the Alpha vampire. There's also a girl named Emily who Sam and Dean are helping, evidently because she'd been kidnapped as a child by the Alpha. Only she's playing Sam and Dean, and she's really on the Alpha's side. Dean, being Dean, makes a smart-ass comment about Stockholm syndrome.

When the Alpha's henchmen grab Sam and Dean, the boys try to tell the Alpha what Dick and his crew are up to, but the Alpha insists he's on good terms with Dick. But you see a hint of question in his expression, so it's not a surprise when Edgar shows up and the Alpha brings up what the boys said. Fighting ensues, and the boys, who have managed to free themselves, cut off Edgar's head. The Alpha gives Sam and Dan a glass of his blood for their weapon and sends them on their way, but not before agreeing to let a little boy he has taken go with them.

Meanwhile, back at the motel, Bobby jumps into a cleaning lady's body, figures out the code to the safe that holds his flask (to which his spirit is evidently attached), and heads off to presumably kick Dick Roman's ass. You know, for killing him. When Sam and Dean return to find Bobby and the flask gone, they worry about where Bobby is and what he's going to do, but they have no idea where to look for him. They talk about being partway to being able to take down Roman, and how the plan rests with Crowley now. "What could go wrong?" Dean asks.

Cut to a scene where Dick is calling up Crowley into a devil's trap and telling him they need to talk.

Word is that someone on the good side is going to bite it in the season finale, and I'm afraid it's going to be Castiel. I really don't want to see him gone for good, but then I want him and Bobby back to the way they were. My favorite episodes are the ones where Sam, Dean, Castiel and Bobby were working and wisecracking together. I miss that.