Supernatural - Episode 7.02 - Hello Cruel World - Recap / Review

Previously...the season 7 premiere rocked! Um, sorry. According to the show, Sheriff Mills rocked, the FBI agent did not, zombies were defeated, Sam needed a toothbrush, RoboSam was soulless, Death drywalled Sam's memories, Lucifer sucked and then didn't, Sam's confused by hellucinations, Sam's hand got bloody, Cas' baby wanted out now, Death gave us the lowdown, and Leviathans took over Cas. "Now this is going to be so much fun." Yep!

Picking up where the premiere left off, the vines of Leviathan take-over cross Cas' face while Bobby lies unmoving on the floor. You can't fool me show. I know Bobby makes it out of here. Dean though is worried until Bobby sits up. He wants to know the numbers, but LeviaCas can barely stand. In fact, he's oozing. Dean: "Your vessel's gonna explode, ain't it? Wouldn't do anything too strenuous. In fact, I'd call it a day and head on home, huh?" Bwah! LeviaCas: "We'll be back for you." That's what they all say, but this time it's actually threatening. As LeviaCas teeters outside, Sam deals with Lucifer hellucinations - it's choking time again kids. He says Lucifer isn't real. Lucifer: "Right, you think this fruit bat fever dream is reality. You come back, I'm sorry, with no soul like some peppy American psycho until Saint Dean glues you back together again by buying you some magic amnesia." Ha! When put that way Satan, season 6 does sound farfetched. Oh and "fruit bat fever dream" is now a favorite phrase. "I'm real. You're real. Everything in between is what we call set dressing." Yep, Lucifer is sufficiently creepy these days. Lucifer and Dean's voices overlap as they call Sam's name, and I settle in for quite a bit more of that this episode. Sam's sufficiently shocked and confused but he follows Bobby and Dean out.

Just in time to see LeviaCas go swimming. He walks into the municipal waters in an homage to Creature from the Black Lagoon. As he goes under water, a whirpool emerges and black goo shoots out. There go the Leviathans. Bobby and I agree, "Aw, hell." In case we didn't get the municipal thing, we pan to a sign saying Public Water Supply. Everyone is screwed as the title card gives us a close up of Leviathan ichor. (Still don't like it although I understand it now.) Bobby clarifies, "If they're in the pipes, they got themselves a highway to anywhere. " I guess I don't know enough about public water systems, but shouldn't they only be able to go as far as that water system goes. I mean, it's not like the water system in Missouri is connected to the one in California, right? Dean: "Awesome!" He sees Cas' coat floating in the pool. Miraculously it is in one piece and not covered in Leviathan. Dean: "OK. So he's gone." He swallows hard and folds the coat. Bobby reminds us that all their friends die but we got that memo after the 359th death. He tells them to vacate before the Leviathans sprout legs and walk on out. The three look dejected but I'm too busy yelling, "Oh please, Cas is not dead yet." Does anyone think he is? We're the Supernatural fandom. If a death is this anticlimactic, it didn't happen. See Crowley's "death" last year for proof. Cas is lying on the bottom of that pool , ready to resurface 1-2 episodes before winter break. Color me unimpressed with this "twist". I'm also confused because Crowley's Torture Warehouse looked high class in The Man Who Knew Too Much but here it's a dump. Odd. Not to mention, water supplies are protected by Homeland Security. Our good fairy Flo must be on vacation again as continuity is nowhere to be seen.

However, I am super impressed with the music. Black Water by the Doobie Brothers - perfect! It's a montage of a car wash for the Stockville Sharks (ha!), a woman filling a pitcher, and a little girl drinking out of a water fountain. The fountain turns black and the girl seizes before smiling up at another kid. Yep, it's the patented Supernatural creepy kid stare. Other kid, trust me, you don't need a drink that badly. The music continues as a man fixing his hot rod gets distracted and then possessed by his garage sink. He turns off the Doobie Brothers and I flash through Dead in the Water, Home, and Everybody Loves a Clown (car repair to music) in rapid succession. Any time a sink acts up, run. Just like lights flickering. Seriously, when your sink has an earthquake meltdown and everything else is fine, don't get closer! Thankfully we cut to Sleepy Sam. His hand's still bandaged and I wonder about it. By my measure it has been 3-4 weeks since he cut it based on Impala repairs. Why is he still mummy wrapped? Generally Winchesters use some gypsy cure, guaranteeing all injuries are cleared up in a week and nothing ever scars. Lucifer starts baby whispering and it creeps me the heck out. Thankfully, Dean wakes Sammy up instead. He's been out for 12 hours. Dean hands him a bottled water (the only safe kind) and a protein bar. "Hydrate and protein-ate." Not sure why I find that so funny. Dean checks out Sam's hand while Lucifer mocks and I laugh. Those are nasty looking stitches but nothing that indicates infection so again, why hasn't he healed already? Dean douses it with hunter's helper just to be sure. Bobby jumps in to rewrap Sam's hand and say he has no news on the Leviathans.

Dean brings up Sam's hellucinations. "Yeah well now on to our other big problem. How are you doing and do not say okay." In the biggest shock of the episode, Sam is honest. I'm stunned for a minute and have to shake myself back into the episode. Woo hoo! It's a Winchester breakthrough. We need a rule that no Winchester can answer "fine" to any question. Dean gets tetchy about Sam's disappearing act at the warehouse but Sam's all aboard the honesty train. "It means I'm having a difficult time figuring out what's real." He spills about hellucinations and Lucifer, but somehow thinks hiding things and not telling about the flashbacks are two different things. Winchesters have a skewed world view. "Look I just figured try to hold on to the safety bar and ride it out, you know." That works on roller coasters but not tornadoes and poor Sam is caught in a twister for sure. Dean freaks about Lucifer's taunt. "I mean seriously, how do you argue with that?" That's why it's so diabolical! Sam: "I know. It's a problem." That's an understatement. Dean colorfully asks why Lucifer would bother so I don't have to. In tandem Sam and Lucifer say, "You can't torture someone who has nothing left for you to take away." Creepy and how we know Lucifer's not really there. He winks. Dean: "Ok fine, but this Malibu dream mansion that he makes for you to take away is this post-apocalyptic mess?" Ooo I know this one Lucifer - "It had to be a mess Sam or you wouldn't believe it was your life." Sadder but true words were never spoken, just like in What is and What Should Never Be. Winchesters don't even get a break in dreams. Sam stares at where Lucifer flirts with him and Dean notices. "What? Are you seeing him right now?" Sam barely nods as he gets teary eyed. Aww, I feel for you baby. This is awful. Dean says Lucifer isn't real, but Lucifer says the same thing about Dean. This magnificent scene is only tempered by Bobby leaving at this point. I don't get it. Is he giving the Winchesters time to talk privately? It's all awkward. But awesome acting here.

Flo the continuity fairy returns and takes over TV. Scientists puzzle over Death's sudden eclipse, Biggerson's is now a pie bar, and Dr. Sexy is still a schmuck. I feel unnaturally excited about continuity but puzzled why we are watching LeviaGirl of the drinking fountain watch TV. She's wide eyed at the prospect of organ removal, which isn't good. Foreboding music transfers us back to Bobby's where Sam disassembles a gun. Um guys, is this a wise idea? Crazy people and guns don't mix. Bobby: "Well at least he's not curled up under the sink." No Bobby, he has a gun. That's worse. On second thought, after all the sink problems perhaps neither is a good idea. Dean: "No he's just sitting there silently field stripping his weapon." Dean turns on the GPS tracking on Sam's phone. Smart move. Now take the gun away. Bobby asks how's Dean's doing. I welcome it; Dean does not. "Seriously Bobby, it ain't like he's hexed you know. I mean what if this is the kind of crazy you can't fix." Bobby agrees but skims the deflection and asks how he is again. Dean: "Who cares? Don't you think our mailbox is a little full right now. I'm fine." That word again! Dean take a page from Honesty Sam or at least don't lie. Plus, awww, we care. Bobby rightfully calls Dean on his pot-kettle hypocrisy. "Right and weren't you p**d at him when he said the same thing just a couple of hours before he spilled his marbles all over the floor?" Dean says it's different because he's not crazy. Bobby and I both call bull. "Of course. Just lost one of the best friends you ever had. Your brother's in the Bell Jar and Purgatory's most wanted are surfing the sewer lines, but yeah, I get it right. You're fine." Dean agrees, Bobby stares, and I harumph all over since we're going backwards. Tell the freaking truth you hypocrite or adamantly state you're not talking about it. Bobby tries once more. I would have Gibbs-smacked Dean. "Of course if at any time you want to decide that's utter horse c**, I'll be where I always am. Right here." Aw Bobby, I love you. Now head slap Dean for his snarky response. Bobby calls him an "idjit" and smiles fondly at the back of his head.

At the Stockville shark locker room (of car wash fame), some Leviathan-pumped jocks go mental on their teammates. They're hungry and not about to wait for a table. Blood spatters as we flip to the Sioux Falls General Hospital. Hey, Sheriff Jodie, glad you're back. Doctor Gaines exposits appendectomy and promises happy pills. Flash back to Sam, Interrupted. Boop. The scene flips and we're back at Bobby's. Dean's got the groceries; Sam's got the snark. "So it looks like we've got some bad news for a change." BWAH!!! He shares the Stockville massacre but I'm concerned about how Kansas shares a water supply with Sioux Falls. If it were Iowa or Minnesota, sure, but Kansas is an entire Nebraska away. No time to ponder Supernatural's grasp of geography because Sam wants Dean to check it out but Sam isn't up for hunting. Bobby overwhelms Dean's objections due to Sam's "psychotic break." Off goes Dean while LeviaGirl and Car-Fixer LeviaDad chat up local gossip. LeviaGirl is ticked because 9 year olds don't know anything. LeviaDad is worried about ticking off LeviaBoss. (See, that's Cas right there. He's sucking murky water as LeviaBoss.) LeviaDad tells LeviaGirl to control the Leviabrood. "They ate the swim team." (Flashes of Buffy's Go Fish) or else LeviaBoss won't be pleased. The consequences of that are unmentioned, but we learn that Leviathans know what their hosts know. That's bad news for the Winchesters because not only is LeviaBoss' host a demolitions expert but LeviaCas is chock full of Winchester info. LeviaGirl decides become Dr. Gaines, since apparently Leviathans believe everything on TV. "Is it true that surgeons can just cut into whatever body they want?" Time for real research guys. Perhaps you should enslave a librarian. Leviathans have shapeshifter properties and she morphs into Dr. Gaines.

Back in Stockville, Dean enters a crime scene where the biggest crime is someone actually says "schizznickle". It's positive for Leviathan ichor and it's back to the hospital. All this scene jumping makes me seasick. LeviaDoc sedates Sheriff Mills' batty roommate, calling himself Dr. Sexy. I laugh and roll my eyes at the same time and the seasickness is back. LeviaDoc has perfect movie star teeth - the better to eat you with. Sheriff Mills shows brains by pretending to be asleep and then tempts fate by following LeviaDoc . "Hmm, not weird at all." Yeah, that's the Winchester world. At Bobby's House of Musical Sets, Sam answers Dean's phone call. I was hoping it was Sheriff Mills. She's the candidate for monster brunch. Dean exposits while Satan peruses the tabloids. "You know, I really think Prince William has found the right girl." Bwah! Sam and I have trouble processing both conversations. Dean says the 2 LeviaJocks are heading coincidentally to Sioux Falls. Sam wonders if they have Eve possession powers. Lucifer plays with a knife. Ha! Dean asks how Sam is doing and he glances at Lucifer before saying, "You know, okay." Aw Sam, Dean's supposed to learn from you on this, not the other way around. Lucifer's offended that Sam's just okay. "Man, I'm having a great day!" He stabs the table with the knife and I jump. But I'm more jumpy for Sheriff Mills who follows LeviaDoc to the organ transplant room. Women don't last long on Supernatural. Why tempt fate? LeviaDoc weirdly strokes his victim before having a liver snack. I no longer eat while watching Supernatural. Sheriff Jodie races away only to faint in front of the nurse and awakens in her hospital bed with the nurse and LeviaDoc over her. They give her drugs to sleep and I am revolted by the good doctor. Kim Rhodes does an excellent job of quietly freaking out and she's freaking me out too, but she's tougher than me. "You can kiss my a** Doctor Monster Face." Bwah! Unfortunately the drugs in her system take her out again.

Since no setting lasts more than 3 minutes, it's back to Bobby's where Sam confronts Lucifer. Sam tells him to end it, but Lucifer claims he's in "the sweet spot" and having too much fun. He's traded the knife for a fireplace poker and basically say it only ends when Sam shoots himself. He points out Sam's new fascination with gun cleaning and Sam yells "Shut Up." That brings a concerned Bobby running. "Hey Sam, you having a little bag lady moment?" HA! He hands Sam a beer because he really needs something else to mess with his head now. Even Dean didn't hand him hunter's helper earlier. Sam's completely freaked out so Bobby reassures him that he's beaten Lucifer before and he will again. He says Sam got out of hell and they are together, which would be convincing if Lucifer wasn't ramming a poker through Bobby's gut. Sam cannot catch a break and he looks like he's going to lose it. The phone interrupts and hallelujah Sheriff Jodie finally has the presence of mind to call. "Bobby Singer, my surgeon is monster." (snicker) Bobby doesn't recognize Jodie Mills is Sheriff Mills so probably no hidden romance there. She tells Booby to get to the hospital "before he eats me, Singer." Bobby lays it down for Sam. "Either Sheriff Mills is having an Obama-care insured opium dream or something's eating folks down at Sioux Falls General Hospital." One or the other. Alas this leaves Sam on his own and nothing good comes from that. Lucifer agrees.

At the hospital, LeviaDad and the LeviaJocks look for LeviaDoc. Too many Leviathans in this scene. LeviaDoc runs through the hospital meal plan and adds a little head nurse and admin for an appetizer. So he still uses Dr. Sexy but understands "out-of-the-box" thinking? Was Dr. Gaines a Dr. Sexy fan too? LeviaJocks morph into hospital staff, but LeviaDad has other plans. "You won't stay? I would love to grab us a good anesthesiologist." Ha! Meanwhile, Sam plays with guns again as the Impala roars in. Dean either parked on the porch or he has superhero reflexes since it takes him 2 seconds flat to walk through the door. Anyone else guess this isn't the real Dean? He takes Sam's beer, reports on LeviaJocks, and tells Sam he's back up. Yep, definitely not Dean. Sam questions the plan too. Dean: "I know. You're bonkers but luckily I just need you to keep the engine running and wait by the back door. Just don't let Satan change my presets." BWAH!!! Makes me wonder what music Lucifer listens to. Meanwhile, Bobby hauls a wheelchair bound Sheriff to a taxi. She calls him a hero; he calls roofies. He'll stop by after visiting the morgue. The morgue's efficient; the body's already autopsied. I refuse to flip back and forth anymore, so the following scenes are out of order. Bobby reopens the body but unfortunately LeviaDoc walks in. He claims to be investigating the hospital but no dice. The Leviathans know Bobby from Cas. Unfortunately, forensic tools and silver bullets don't work. LeviaDoc shows off his jagged fangs and forked tongue. It's wicked awesome and the closest we get to monster-shaped monsters. Running is Bobby's best option.

In the Impala, Dean asks if the devil is riding shotgun and it's Honesty Sam again. I prefer him. Dean suggests getting professional help but I'm not sure about that conversation. "Hey doc, I'm seeing Lucifer who tells me I still haven't left the cage where I've been since he took over my body, but I fought him long enough to trap us in a cage with my half-brother Adam who happened to allow the archangel Michael enter him." My guess - that conversation doesn't end well. Sam wants an option that doesn't lead to a pill coma (or a rubber room). Dean asks about other options, bringing up Martin from Sam, Interrupted. Sam: "I'm not Martin." Dean: "No, but you are crazy and that don't wash off." I laugh because it's not Dean. Sam is devastated as HellDean says he will never be okay. They pull up to an office building with 5 people in it. He tells Sam to come along and keep it together "because if you are seeing Lucifer, then you can be seeing all kinds of c**, you just don't know." Sam: "How is this helping?" Ha! HellDean mocks his pain and they enter Morning Star Endeavors LTD (again Bwah!), which magically turns into a warehouse. In cool morphing, HellDean becomes Lucifer. Sam is shell shocked and shoots a wall. Lucifer is happy and continues to goad him. He wants Sam to shoot himself in order to end it all.

Sadly, RealDean gets back to Bobby's too late. It's GPS tracking time. Again, smart move. He walks in the warehouse calling Sam's name. LuciferDean: "Oh look, another me." Ha! Sam pulls a gun on Dean. "I thought I was with you, Dean." He can't be sure which Dean is which and Dean replies, "Okay, then we're going to have to start small." Lucifer whispers Sam is very suggestible and Sam shoots at him. Dean: "Woah, woah, Sam! This discussion does not require a weapons discharge!" BWAH!!! Sam points the gun down as Dean slowly approaches. He reminds Sam that he's been to hell too, that he knows torture, and how it feels different in hell. Dean takes Sam's hand and the gun and pushes on his wound. "This is real. Not a year ago. Not in hell. Now. I was with you when you cut it. I sewed it up. Look." Lucifer zaps in and out as Dean increases pressure. Dean reminds Sam that this pain is different. "I'm different, right?" Sam agrees and gouges into his hand himself. As Lucifer still flickers, Sam realizes he is indeed there. Dean: "Hey, I am your flesh and blood, brother. Okay? I'm the only one who can legitimately kick your a** in real time. You got away. We got you out Sammy." Well, Cas did. "Believe in that. Believe me, okay. You gotta believe me. You gotta make it stone, number one and build on it. You understand." Sam nods. Both brothers have gone through the ringer but it's real and an amazing scene. Kudos to both Jensen and Jared for this one.

A phone interrupts the moment again. Bobby exposits his experience and plans to meet them at the house. I smile because Bobby acts like it's their house too. The brothers, foreheads still crinkled, head out. And it all goes to hell in a hand basket. Just when you thought things couldn't get worse, you're reminded that nothing goes right for them. Instead of a house, Bobby now has a crater, a demolition special. Smoke and dust curls along the property as Dean repeats, "Oh no." He finds a charcoaled book, which might be John's journal or one of the hundreds Bobby kept on hand. Sam joins him but there's no sign of Bobby. Dean sends Sam to the right as he tries Bobby's phone. It goes straight to voicemail, which surprises me. Dean: "You cannot be in that crater back there. I can't...if you're gone, I swear I am going to strap my Beautiful Mind brother into the car and I'm going to drive us off the pier. You asked me how I was doing? Well, not good. Now you said you'd be here. Where are you?" Aww, it's the most gut-wrenching phone message since Dean tried to call that heartless man he called father in Home. I don't know how much more the brothers or I can take. So of course things get worse.

As the brothers search for Bobby, who should pop out near Sam but LeviaDad. The Winchesters are on the Leviathan most wanted list. Annihilation is the name of the game. Dean blasts his head with the shotgun, but alas all that does is make him go monster face. Again pretty cool. He throws Dean against a car, breaking his leg. Sam gets a punch in but then gets tire ironed out himself. Dean grabs a control box and a metal car lands on top of LeviaDad. Best Death Ever! Well, that and wood chipper. Black ichor oozes from beneath the vehicle as Dean slides to an unconscious Sam. "Sam, Sammy, hey! C'mon now. C'mon, I'm the one with the broken leg. You got to carry me." Dean calls 911 and they are both winged away in an ambulance. Sam awakes and sees Lucifer. Again. I liked you last episode Satan but you've overstayed your welcome. Even you admit the jig is up. Go away. He says no and Sam passes out again. Dean freaks again when he realizes they are headed to Sioux Falls General, aka LeviaCommand Center. He protests and begs but no dice. Unfortunately, we transfer back to Bobby's just in time to see black goo head back under the car and LeviaDad's hand twitch. I call foul! I realize Leviathans are the strongest, baddest, oldest things they've encounter. I get that they have millions of years of experience and wisdom and extra special powers. Still, why do they need this guy to survive a car dropping on him. C'mon, how many leviathans could the Winchesters legitimately take out through falling car or something similar? Leviathans are smart enough to learn from this death and would be out for revenge. It may be early in the game to kill one off but it would make me happier. Winchesters should be allowed to win every once in a while and it's this kind of stuff that frustrates me.

Next week - It's hospitals and monsters and brains, oh my!

Review: Overall, this was an excellent episode. It had a frenetic pace so nothing ever got boring. The acting was top-notch, even surpassing the premiere which was phenomenal. Jensen did an absolutely excellent job with the phone call and the warehouse scene, while Mark Pellegrino kicked it as Lucifer. But special kudos go to Jared for portraying a scared stiff Sam at the end of his sanity. I've never been so moved by Sam's plight nor so scared for him. It's one thing to be defeated by a foe. It's another to realize it's your own brain going after you. For once, I wished they had cut back on the action a tiny bit and allowed those scenes to breathe more. Another plus was how Bobby rocked for both brothers. He showed he was there for them and knew them at the core. SPOILER - I'm so glad he isn't dead. I also liked how they legitimately incorporated Sheriff Mills, who's always fun. We got information about the Leviathans and they're shaping up to be a good foes. Finally, the PTB score big points for the Black Water montage. It worked perfectly.

However, there are things that I didn't like. The biggest flaw was constantly jumping back and forth from one setting and one part of the action to another. Some scenes lasted as little as 2 minutes before cutting somewhere else only to come back to the original scene 4 minutes later. The episode unnecessarily chaotic. I understand this may have been the goal but it wasn't the right time for it. They had a heavy emotional drama going on and all the cuts lessened the impact for me. I also dislike the Cas "death" scene. We already had the fake Crowley death. It was good then. It has a "been there" feel now. We all know Cas is coming back. Why even go there? All in all this was a great episode and season 7 is still on track as one of the better seasons. Score = A-

Best scene - the warehouse by leaps and bounds
Best shock (if you didn't track spoilers) - Bobby's house blowing up / Sam is honest about hellucinations
Worst shock - LeviaDad resurrects himself
Best line - For me: "You can kiss my a** Doctor Monster Face." For the show: Dean's Believe Me speech in the warehouse

Screencaps by cjab 1234 and Supernatural Fans Online

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