Supernatural “Soul Survivor,” was written by Brad Buckner and Eugenie Ross-Leming and directed by Jensen Ackles (Dean). Ackles has become a good solid director and this is the fourth episode he’s directed. His style is very spare – no flashy shots, and feels like a much more experience director. Most importantly, he delivers great performances from the entire cast.
Ackles has remarked recently that it gets harder rather than easier to direct as he learns more about what he doesn’t know. He also remarked that he spent more time on composition in this episode, and it shows. There’s a beautiful shot of Sam (Jared Padalecki) on the phone to Cas (Misha Collins) and you see Dean tied to the chair down a long corridor created by the open doors to the dungeon. Meanwhile, Cas is out in an open field, and you see a billboard with a star on it in the background. Both beautiful touches – dark versus light, emphasizing how trapped the Winchesters are with their past and each other.
Buckner and Ross-Leming have delivered some good episodes, but have also been known to completely ignore canon in the past, but this was a pretty solid episode. A quick shout out to Jerry Wanek and his production design team. The Bunker continues to be a beautiful set, but in this episode we have Cas and Hannah (Erica Carroll) stopping at a gas station called Lil’ Levi’s. The sign is beautifully done in the classic 50s style, but it is also a shout out to Ackles’ nephew Levi. The fandom has rallied around him, donating to the Dallas Buddy Walk every year – which you can do here, should you be inclined. This continues the tradition of Ackles including a family member in some way in each episode.
Of course, the centerpiece of this episode is Sam saving his brother. Likely for that reason alone, fans will make this a favorite episode. The episode cleverly weaves together a number of past elements and really brings a number of plot elements to fruition earlier than we might have hoped. In the past, I sometimes felt that Jeremy Carver might have rushed a plot element – after dragging it out – but “curing” Dean this quickly feels like the right move structurally for the show.
The episode examines the line between good and evil in a really interesting way. We know that Dean has really struggled with that line in the past. We see what Sam did – that we were teased with in the first episode of the season. As I surmised then, torturing a demon was nothing new for the Winchesters. However, not only telling someone about the ability to sell your soul to a demon but actually showing them how to do it? That is definitely crossing the line. As Dean says to Sam, “that line that we thought was so clear between us and the things that we hunt’s not so clear now, is it?” By making the stakes Dean’s soul, the show draws the viewer further into this dilemma. In the end, Dean kills Lester (David Nykl) but saves his soul – the soul that Sam had condemned to Hell – and saves the life of his wife. Dean has crossed a Winchester line by killing a human, but was it for the greater good?
Meanwhile, Cas and Hannah are also struggling with crossing a line. Cas is steadfastly refusing to kill another angel to take their grace so that he can live. Hannah is clearly falling in love with Cas – and emotion which it doesn’t appear he shares. He is focused only on the mission of saving Dean and catching the rogue angels. Crowley (Mark Sheppard), however, has other plans – and no problem crossing lines. He shows up and kills Adina (Jud Tylor) and gives her grace to Cas – who tries to stop him. Hannah simply watches as he takes Adina’s grace – she is willing to cross this line – even with the help of the King of Hell – if it means saving Cas. Crowley tells Cas that he’s saved him purely for business. He wants Cas to help Sam cure Dean. He tells Cas that he’s not sentimental, so if that means, killing Dean, so be it. Having Dean as a demon has caused Crowley nothing but problems.
Being besties with Dean has had ramifications for Crowley. I loved the scenes in Crowley’s throne room. Sheppard definitely brought his A-game for Ackles. Each of the subordinates are really great too. We see the one demon urge Crowley to finish Cas off – yet here Crowley is at the end saving Cas. Is Crowley also sentimental about the angel? I loved the one demon pitching himself as Crowley’s new wingman and Crowley dusting him. Of course, the demon who immolates himself is just bad for business, morale, and general subservience amongst Crowley’s ranks. Yet, we have Crowley clearly thinking nostalgically about his time with demon-Dean. And if he truly wasn’t sentimental and wanted to send a message, why not at least simply try to kill Dean? Why save Cas to save Dean?
The one drawback to wrapping up a number of story threads is it leaves me a little unclear of where we go from here. Cas tells Dean that things between Heaven and Hell seem reasonably back in order and that he can take a break. Crowley seems busy with the day to day running of Hell – which is boring to us as well as him! Not the scenes we see in this episode of course, but surely not what Crowley’s storyline will be this season, especially given that Sheppard is now a regular. Of course, the episode ends with the appearance of Rowena (Ruth Connell) – a new demon in town – or at least in Tulsa. When I first saw her red hair, I immediately thought that we somehow had Abaddon (Alaina Huffman) back. So, we would seem to have a new big bad for the season, who will no doubt cause trouble for both Heaven and Hell. One thing I would really like to see this season is a better integration of the plot, rather than the Winchester plot and the Cas/Crowley plot. Let’s get them all working on the same page.
There are two things that don’t really get resolved in this episode. What is the effect of the Mark of Cain going to have going forward and how much of demon-Dean was really Dean? Dean clearly resisted becoming human again, unlike Crowley who reveled in the return of his emotions. Cas says to Sam, “Only humans can feel real joy but also such profound pain.” This is something we’ve seen Dean struggle with since season four. Sam tells Cas that after he feeds Dean, he’s going to get drunk – the standard Winchester way of tamping those emotions down.
When Dean re-emerges, his first words are concern for his friends – “You look worried fellas” – and while Sam welcomes back his brother and smiles and Cas also smiles, Dean does not look particularly happy. This is perhaps my favorite scene of Padalecki’s in the whole episode – the love for his brother is just so clear on his face. Ackles is also amazing in this scene as you clearly see that Dean is really back just from his expression as he looks up and looks discomfited - is it shame that crosses his face? Dean’s first concern when talking with Cas in the aftermath is that Sam wants a divorce. Once again, he’s caught up in the co-dependent relationship, and his first concern appears to be Sam’s acceptance. And I have to ask what he was looking at when his brother welcomed him back…
We see that Hannah is starting to be influenced by emotions the longer she is in her human vessel. She pushes for Cas to steal someone’s grace and insists that his preference to die for his principles is meaningless. Cas’ reply is that “sometimes enough is whatever you have.” Is this his way of telling her that he doesn’t feel the same way or getting her to accept that he only has enough energy to solve the two problems in front of him. I’m waiting to see how Cas will handle Hannah’s attachment to him. He is clearly pushing her away, trying to get her to focus on their mission while he thinks he’s dying. That hasn’t really changed as this stolen grace will also falter, but surely he will understand her attachment due to his own for the Winchesters. He certainly gives Hannah reason to hope by telling Adina to kill him but let Hannah go.
The brothers bond is sorely tested in this episode, but it’s the airing of grievances that has been needed for a long time, and using demon-Dean to do it, was perfect. However, was demon-Dean saying what was in the darkest part of Dean’s heart or was he saying the things that would wound Sammy the most? He definitely was trying to get Sam angry – and it worked. Demon-Dean tells Sam that he tried to get as far away from him as possible, but was that for himself or to protect Sam and give Sam what he said he wanted for most of last season? Even demon-Dean seems to think that Sam doesn’t really want to be with his brother. Demon-Dean tells Sam that his very existence sucked the life out of his life, but haven’t we seen in the past that Sam is what gave Dean purpose? And as we should all know by now, demons lie.
There’s a nice moment when Sam visits Dean’s room and looks through his family pictures, reminding himself of who his brother really is. Was anyone else troubled by the mold-free piece of uneaten pie that must have been sitting there for some time? Nice touch, but a continuity problem… Regardless, this scene is nicely paralleled by demon-Dean kicking open the door and it giving him pause – this after all was the home with his brother that he had claimed. The final scene in the bunker is Dean looking at the same photos – and then hiding them before letting Cas come in. Dean is already hiding his feelings again.
During the cat and mouse game that Dean and Sam play, there’s a beautiful shout out to The Shining and Jack Nicholson breaking down the door with an axe. Sam begs Dean to let him finish the treatments. It’s because Dean is so close to being back to human that he was able to get out of the demon-handcuffs and walk out of the devil’s trap. Dean tells Sam that he doesn’t want to be cured, he likes the disease. When Sam finally gets Ruby’s knife to Dean’s throat, he taunts Sam to do it. Sam has said repeatedly that they should let each other go. Dean has seen what Sam is capable of – though he still resists accepting that Sam is doing these things only for Dean and wouldn’t for anyone else – so for me, it’s clear that Dean both wanted and expected that Sam would kill him – for Dean, a fate better than having to live with his feelings.
All in all, this was a powerful episode that aired a lot of the feelings that have been brewing for so long. Now we just have to hope that we get one more scene in which the brothers really acknowledge it and don’t hide behind it was the demon talking. Certainly, when Sam tells Cas that he just wants to get drunk, that isn’t a promising sign, and when Cas tells Dean to take some time for himself, Dean’s face clearly shows that the last thing he really wants to do is spend time alone in his head, thinking – and feeling.
What did you think of the episode? Will you miss demon-Dean? Did you find this a satisfying conclusion to the arc? What are your theories on the rest of the season? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
