by Demi Moumas, Reporter
The boys are back in town and with more problems than ever! I am pretty stoked about this season. The friction between the two Winchester is mounting while danger looms around the corner. Once again Heaven and Hell play roles in the plot, but so does a vampire named Benny. With all the different fires going on around Dean and Sam, it makes me wonder if they’ll be prepared for the fire sparking between them. This episode is sure to be one of those game changers.
An injured Samandiriel opens up this episode (and yes I looked his name up to spell it). He tries to send a message to Naomi, the angel leader of this season. Crowley is having the young angel tortured for information. The torturer knows that Samandiriel contacted the ‘angel radio’ when he forced the rod out of his head. So to cut him off, he puts it back in forcing the angel to scream in pain. I really felt for the angel. I don’t like things being forced into me either.
Back with the Winchesters, Sam is still mad at Dean for defending Benny and trying to justify Martin’s death. Dean tries to get Sam to see what he did was for the best but that’s not flying with the younger Winchester. Granted Dean made Sam think that what happened to Jessica was happening to Amelia, but during the whole thing with Benny they could not find common ground. It seems they still can due to unresolved anger between them. Sam gives Dean a choice. It’s Benny or him. The older Winchester doesn’t give him an answer, only leaving with a comment on making the drive. This is think shows how much Dean has developed as a person. Before he would argue with Sam, hell even punch his lights out, instead he calmly leaves the room and his brother before he does any of that. It only took a year of killing monsters for your life in purgatory, good job though.
The focus turns to Castiel, who healed a crying baby in the park. He is then kidnapped to Naomi’s office where she informs him of Samandiriel’s capture. Naomi tells him that Crowley has the younger angel. Our wayward angel jumps at the chance, figuring that the crossroads demon would have warded against angels. Naomi sends him off making sure he knows that this was ‘his’ idea, not Heaven’s or hers. So Castiel goes to the person who would help him the most, Dean. He also ends up scaring the poor man awake causing him to spill his beer all over the couch. The excuse for hearing Samandiriel’s call despite having his ‘angel radio’ shut down is that he figured his penance was going well and opened it back up. This should have been a warning bell, considering that Castiel rejected even Dean’s help. When Castiel mentions Crowley, Dean’s attention sharpens and he agrees to help. Going to the computer, Dean starts to search for signs of a tortured angel after closing down his bustybabes.com website (naughty, naughty Winchester!). Castiel explains that a tortured angel would scream and cause a ripple effect of strange incidents. One, which Dean finds (while evading the question of where is Sam) includes winds and a tornado wrecking homes in Nebraska.
Sam on the other hand is still in the motel in Texas, where Amelia comes to visit him. She confronts him about spying on her through her window and why he was here. Sam explains that he thought she was in danger and that he was just checking in. The whole situation reminds me of Lisa and Dean, but without the kid being in the middle. Amelia then tells him that she was good, for the most part until she saw him again. Then Sam steps over the line and starts making out with a married woman. That’s a no-no Mr. Winchester.
I really do feel for Alfie, or as we know him as Samandiriel. He is getting tortured to the point that he is crying a bit. The demon torture can almost rival Alistar. While not as creepy, he continues his job on Alfie, causing some of the glass around him to shatter and the angel to go into a trance and start chanting in Enochian. Somewhere in Nebraska a rose bush set on fire along with the human near it.
Dean and Castiel drive into town and began their investigation, starting with the burnt victim. They find out that through the bush the victim was able to hear the Enochian words that mean ‘obey’. Castiel explains that the pain that Alfie must be in to manifest through the bush and make it combust like that would be immense. Dean seeing the seriousness of the situation suggested they start at the bush and head out. When they see ugly, they know they’ve found Crowley.
Sam on the other hand wakes up to Amelia. On one hand he found the sex good, on the other he knew it was a mistake because she was with her husband. Amelia tries to get Sam to understand that even though she has a life and husband, that he is the one she thinks about every morning, noon, and night. Wow girl, then what the hells are you doing with your husband? If you think about Sam so much you should have went after him instead of settling. She tells Sam if he stays she would be with him, if he goes that he shouldn’t come back not even to check up on her. Sam says that they both need to think about such a big decisions because this is too much for the both of them to decide right then. So, Sam gives Dean an ultimatum and now Amelia is giving Sam one. It just comes right round in a circle doesn’t it Sam?
Our favorite hunter and angel appear at the ninth abandon warehouse and hit the jackpot. Demons are crawling all over the place. Castiel suggests going to get Sam, but Dean deflects him and takes him to Kevin to get some demon vaporizing TNT. I feel really bad for Kevin after seeing him in this episode. He looks stressed and dazed for working on translating the half of the tablet for them. Dean is back to being an ass and demanding more from Kevin even when the items for the formula are hard to get. Castiel steps up and tells them he’ll get what they need. Way to be useful angel!
Crowley comes in to the torture room to see what Viggo needs to get more info from Alfie. Viggo doesn’t need more instruments or anything. He needs a translator of Enochian. When Crowley says that he can help it makes me wonder. Most demons don’t know Enochian enough to translate so extensively it but apparently Crowley does. How does he know enough? I really want an episode that lets us looking into Crowley’s past more. Viggo shows Crowley what he had tapped into. The demons have tortured Alfie so much that dug into the hardwiring so to speak. When Crowley twists a little more, Alfie says ‘You celestial being have been created to be an angel of the Lord’. The two demons don’t care for who created this hardwiring only how much they can learn from him.
While Dean is waiting for Castiel to get back, he annoys Kevin enough for the kid to put his headphones on. Just as he is saying stuff about Kevin’s mom being hot to the oblivious young man, Benny calls. The vampire apologizes about what happen to Martin, which thankfully his granddaughter explained to Dean already. Benny then asks Dean to come to where he is because he is hitting a rough path because of what happened. The Winchester suggests that he will be there after this case and Benny agrees. I feel for Benny in this scene. He had everything going good until Sam brought Martin into the mix and screwed it all up. After the call, Dean inquires about Kevin’s mom. The younger man explains that she’s safe away from him, because she was distracting him. Dean starts to see how this is affecting Kevin for the kid to kick his mom from him. He really starts to feel for him.
When Castiel returns with the ingredients he also brings Sam with him. Dean takes a bit of offense to Sam being there since he told Castiel that they could handle it. Apparently, Castiel didn’t think they could and went and got Sam. It is funny to see Castiel scold both of them like they were just teenagers. The three of them head back to the warehouse after they get the vaporizing bomb done with. Castiel explains which seals need to be erased for him to get in then hands over his blade telling Sam it kills demons too. So…if it kills demons why wasn’t it used three seasons ago with Alistar, Meg and Ruby? In charge the Winchesters to say the most adorable angel in heaven!
As the Winchesters continue to counter the seals and gank the demons, Alfie continues to suffer under the torture of Crowley himself. They get Castiel into the building only to have him not be at full power. The torture of Alfie continues causing Castiel to flash back to what Naomi does not want him to remember. The Winchesters desperately tries to get into the room while both angel allies are experiencing pain. It is then Alfie reveals that there is an angel tablet to Crowley. Well of course there is, God would not leave things unbalanced like that. It is just bad karma. The King of Hell flees the room as the Winchester get through and attack the demons that are there. Castiel frees the younger angel then takes Samandiriel and goes to the Impala.
At the impala, Castiel and Samadiriel have a talk. The younger angel tells Castiel he told Crowley their secrets. Heaven is not what the angels’ know it as, neither is Naomi. Samandiriel tells Castiel they are control them. It is then Naomi calls him up and tells him to kill the younger angel. I had a serious what the hell moment here. Why is Naomi telling Castiel to kill Samandiriel? What the hell doesn’t she want him to know? Due to her, Castiel kills the younger angel. Naomi summons him back and tells him that Samandiriel was a traitor. She knows that he told Crowley about the angel tablet. She feeds the Winchesters exactly what Naomi tells him to say. During their talk Dean sees that something is wrong with Castiel, especially when the angel starts to cry blood. He then takes Samandiriel to heaven.
Later, Sam and Dean are in the cabin angel-proofing it so they can talk about the strangeness of Castiel. Both are worried about him and try to figure out what’s wrong with him. Think boys, there are only a few things that can screw with an angel like that. Anyway, Dean tells Sam to go back to Amelia because he is tired of the fighting. He explains that he could never separate himself from hunting like Sam could. This scene makes me feel so bad for Dean. Hunting is in his blood, he can’t stop it no matter how hard he tries. But Sam says that with everything that has happened he can’t go back to her now. Dean does the same with Benny; he cuts the vampire out since Sam is doing the same with Amelia. The episode ends with Dean sharing a beer with Sam, so it is back to the Winchester brothers, just the two of them doing the family business.
This episode made me have so many feels it is not funny. The angst between Dean and Sam escalates and finally levels off a bit. I like how it is always about the people the brothers are hanging out with. Both of their relationships suffer because they chose each other instead of their lover or friend. This leads to my feels with Benny. Poor vampire baby! I blame Sam whole-heartedly for whatever terror might come out of Dean breaking his friendship with Benny for. Dean and Benny had a good thing going and I feel as though Sam’s distrust broke it. And for what reason! I see no reason behind this! Damn you Sam, damn you. Castiel’s story in this makes my heart break too. We see bits and pieces of Naomi doing something to the angel making it seem like torture. It is also confirmed that she is part of a larger story sect that is becoming more apparent as time goes on. I cannot wait until this side-story is brought to the forefront enough that the Winchesters have to deal with it. The one thing I didn’t like about this episode is that the whole visiting Kevin issue seemed to have been thrown in when they could have had Castiel just disappear and reappear with the bombs. It was really pointless but it also showed Dean the desert that Kevin has set himself on…so it had a pro and a con. I really don’t think my heart can take anymore drama from this show. Really I don’t know.
ComicsOnline gives Supernatural – “Torn and Frayed” 4.5 heart aching feels out of 5.
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