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Devil's Trap
When Meg boasts that John is her prisoner,
the boys visit a friend of their father's to get information about demonic
possessions and ways to trap a demon. It turns out Meg is not what she appears.
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NotesWriterEric KripkeDirectorKim MannersGuest StarsNicki Aycox (Meg)Jeffrey Dean Morgan (John Winchester) Jim Beaver (Bobby Singer) Sebastian Spence (Tom) Other Guests:Filming Locations:Sunset Beach RoadKensington Place Completely Useless Trivia:SynopsisThe episode begins with a repeat of the close of last week. John's phone rings. Meg answers with "you boys really screwed up this time." Then when Dean asks where he is, she responds "you're never going to see your father again." Dean freaks and tells Sam they need to get out right away. The demons know where they are and that they have the Colt. They will be coming and the boys need to get out before they're found. In the car, Sam tries to prepare Dean for the possibility that John is dead, but Dean refuses to believe it. He's ready to take the Colt and go to Lincoln and see if John is still there, but Sam says they're not ready. Dean agrees, and takes them to the junkyard of their old friend Bobby.Sam reads the King of Solomon grimoire while Bobby and Dean chat. When asked about the grimoire symbols, Bobby says they're "like a satanic roach motel". A demon can be trapped within one and it will be unable to escape. Just then, they hear the junkyard dog barking. A sudden yelp, then silence. Meg breaks down the door with a well-placed kick, and then the fun starts. Dean tries to splash her with holy water and is rewarded with a backhand that sends him across the room. (knocked out again, poor baby!) Sam pulls Bobby behind him and backs away from Meg. She closes the distance, insulting the boys all the way. When they've got her where they want her, Dean steps into the picture and lets her know she's standing under the symbol. "Gotcha". They tie her to a chair, and Dean begins to question her about their father. She tells him repeatedly that John is dead, but Dean refuses to believe it. Bobby, meanwhile, has informed them that this is a demonic possession, and there is an innocent girl trapped inside her own body. Dean says that makes things easier. He has Sam perform an exorcism and continues to ask about John while she sits suffering and trapped. Just when she's about to bite the big one, she caves and tells the boys that their dad is in a building in Jefferson City. The big bad demon isn't there, but John is still alive. Sam wants to stop at this point, saying they can use her to save John, and Bobby steps in and says that the demon is the only thing holding her together since she was tossed out of the window (in the Shadow episode). If they exorcise the demon, she'll die. Dean says it doesn't matter. They'll be setting her free, and she's better off dead than suffering with a demon. They continue the exorcism and the demon is expelled with a flood of black vapour. All is quiet, but she moves her head and they realize she's still alive. They help her out of the chair and lay her on the floor, but she's in bad shape. She survives long enough to thank them and to tell them it's been a year since she was taken over, and she was aware of all the demon did in her name. Dean questions her about their dad, and she manages to tell them that he's in a building by the river, then she says the word "Sunrise" with her last breath. Bobby gives Sam the grimoire and sends the boys to Jersey City. Once there, Sam insists that they leave the gun in the trunk of the car. He draws a devil's trap symbol on each side of the trunk lid and explains that a demon is unable to enter or pass through the symbols, so the gun will be safe. Dean says they'll need it to get their dad. Sam insists that it will be a trap, and they can't risk losing the gun. They have to save the last three bullets for "the" demon. They can't waste them. Dean argues, saying that he doesn't care what their dad would want, he just wants to get him back. Sam responds angrily, saying that both he and John just want to kill the demon, and Dean used to want that too. Dean gets angry at this, and says that both Sam and John are too eager to sacrifice themselves to get the demon, but he will be the one to bury them. Finally, they agree not to take the Colt, and Dean drops it into the trunk. They find an apartment building called "Sunrise Estates". It's overflowing with people, children playing out front, babies in strollers, etc. Any one of the people could be possessed and stop them from getting in. They opt to pull the fire alarm which will get all the people out. The fire department responds, and Dean creates a distraction, saying "I've got a yorkie upstairs who pees when he's nervous." The fireman sends him away, and meanwhile Sam has broken into the fire truck and stolen two jackets, hats and masks. They enter the building, checking each room with the EMF meter. Dean quips "I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up!" They find a room with a high reading on the meter, and knock on the door. The two possessed people inside come to the door and unlock it, and the boys kick it in sending the two flying. They squirt them with holy water from their firemen's tanks and lock them in a closet using ample amounts of salt to make sure they stay there. John is in the bedroom tied to the bed. Dean checks him and finds he's still breathing. He gets his knife out to cut the ropes but Sam stops him. There's no way to know if John has been taken over or not. Sam pulls out the holy water and sprinkles John liberally on the chest, which wakes him up. He can't believe it's the boys, and says they've been keeping him drugged. He asks where the Colt is, to which Sam replies that it's safe. They cut him loose and start out, but before they can escape we see a bystander outside as well as a fireman get taken over by demons. The boys are cut off before they can leave, so they lock the door and salt it while ducking axe swings and splintering wood. They climb down the fire escape (ironic, isn't it?) and think they're home free, but as Sam steps into the street he's sideswiped by Tom. Tom punches him forcefully in the face, and Dean tries to stop him with a powerful kick to the face, but as always his efforts are rewarded with a force that sends him flying across the street and through the windshield of a parked car. Tom continues pummeling Sam and only stops when we hear the report of a gun. Black vapour fills the air, and Tom falls to the ground. One more bullet gone. Cut to Dean's face for the best hero shot of the episode. Colt still smoking in his hand, look of determination on his face. Beautiful. The three boys go to an out-of-the-way building to hide out and lick their wounds. Sam liberally salts the windows and doors, while Dean ponders the day's events. Sam thanks him for the save, to which Dean answers "I guess you're glad I brought the gun now!" He then tells Sam in an almost poignant moment of realization that the two he killed today were people. Sam assures him there was nothing he could do, and he responds with "for you or dad, the things I'm willing to do or kill… It scares me sometimes." As he says it, John comes out of the back room refreshed and restored. He tells Dean that he shouldn't be worried. He and Sam can get obsessed sometimes, but Dean watches out for the family and always has. Dean asks if he's mad that another bullet was wasted, and John answers no. He's proud of him, he did the right thing. Dean is surprised, but the conversation is interrupted by flickering lights and the sound of the wind picking up. The demon has found them. John sends Sam to double check the salt lines, and he goes to the window to see if he can spot the demon. He asks Dean for the Colt. Dean is suddenly suspicious. John demands the gun again, and Dean says "He'd be furious." John asks who, and Dean replies that he knows the real John would be angry that a bullet was wasted, and this isn't really their dad. He aims the gun at John as Sam re-enters the room. Sam asks what's going on, and John says Dean has lost his mind. Dean says he believes that John is possessed and has been since they rescued him. John demands Sam's trust and Sam, having fought with the decision for several minutes, sides with Dean. John tells them to go ahead and shoot if they're so sure, but Dean hesitates. John's head drops to his chest for a second, and when he looks up his eyes are demon-green. His voice drops and takes on a cocky swagger. One look sends both boys flying to the wall and pins them against it. The gun skitters across the floor. He picks it up, lamenting the trouble it has caused. Sam confronts him and threatens to kill him, to which demon John responds "that would be a neat trick." He sets the gun down on a table and says "Make the gun float to you there, psychic boy!" Sam fights, but is held too strongly against the wall. Demon John then turns to Dean, gloating on how he could have killed them any time that day, but this was worth the wait. He goes on to say that their dad is there, "trapped inside his own meat suit". Dean struggles, frustrated by his own impotence, and demon John continues to berate him. He tells Dean that the demon he exorcised from Meg was his daughter, and Tom was his son. Then he says "How would you feel if I killed your family? Oh wait. I forgot. I already did!" All Dean can use are words, so he threatens the demon but he just laughs. Sam cuts in with "I want to know why". Demon John turns to him and says that his mother and Jess got in the way of his plans for Sam and others like him. Dean interrupts with a quip about how he can't stand the monologuing, and the demon points out that Dean's MO is to use humour to hide the pain. He goes on to say that Sam is John's favourite and that even though Dean fights so hard for the family, they don't need him like he needs them. Dean's chin wiggle let's us know that this is hitting a little too close to home, but not one to let it show he responds with "I bet you're proud of your kids, too. Oh wait. I forgot. I wasted 'em!" (cheeky grin) Demon John doesn't rise to the bait. He gives Dean a long hard look, and Dean grunts in pain. The sound of his heartbeat becomes louder. Blood begins to flow. An alarming amount of it, running down his chest and to the floor like water from a fountain. He struggles but knows there's nothing he can do. In a moment of desperation he calls out to his dad, saying "don't let it kill me." The demon just smiles, and blood continues to flow. Sam fights, tries to make the gun move, but to no avail. With a final "Dad, please", Dean's head lolls to the side and he ceases his struggle. Demon John lowers his head, and when he lifts it again his eyes are back to normal. Johns voice says "stop it", Dean stops bleeding and Sam is freed from the wall. Sam jumps to grab the gun and aim it at his father, whose eyes again reflect green. "If you shoot me, your father dies." He says. "I know" Sam responds, then re-aims the gun and shoots John in the leg. A flash of light and John falls to the floor like a marionette whose strings have been cut. Dean, no longer pinned, slumps to the floor. Sam checks to make sure he's all right, and Dean asks about their father. Sam reassures him that it's okay, but Dean insists that he check. Sam looks over, and John shouts his name. John is frantic and tells Sam to shoot him through the heart, saying "I can still feel it inside of me!" Sam hesitates, torn. Fighting to contain the demon, John shouts for him to fire, and Dean whispers "Don't you dare, Sammy." Sam lowers the gun. The demon leaves John's body in a torrent of black vapour and disappears between the floorboards. John knocks his head against the floor, giving Sam a look of accusation. Disappointment. Shame, perhaps. Cut to the car. Sam is driving, John sits in the passenger seat nursing his injured leg. Dean is in the back, barely conscious. John lectures Sam for not shooting, saying "killing the demon comes first. Before me. Before everything" Sam answers with "No sir, not before everything…" He explains that they still have the Colt and each other, they'll just have to start over. His sentence is cut short by a deafening CRASH, as a semi truck slams into the passenger side of the car, tossing the boys around like so much scrap paper. The truck pushes them dozens of feet before coming to a stop, the driver sitting calmly in the cab, his eyes a familiar black. The radio continues to play as the camera pans across the faces of our heroes, each one covered in blood, all unconscious… |
ReviewI HATE THIS!!! IhatethisIhatethisIhatethisIhatethisIhatethis!How the H-E-double-hockey-stix am I going to make it through the summer? Okay, settle down now, it's review time. I'm very wound up, and I have a strict policy not to read anyone else's comments before I write my review, so today I'm going to say screw the synopsis, I'll do it tomorrow. I have to write this quick so I can go talk to my homies in the forum. Here's the meat an' potatoes of it: Obviously, this episode was freakin' awesome! I'm still shaking. I really like the lighting on this show.They let Dean have a 5:00 shadow, and then they darkened everything down so he looked all menacing. Very cool. We got to see Dean at his most vulnerable ever, and more than once, too. I love that for the first time we got to see him lose his cool. And I mean really lose it. After the phone call with Meg, he hangs up and tells Sam they have to go. They grab their stuff and race to the car to get out of town. Dean is all about going to find Dad, kill the demon, and save the day. No plan. No idea of where to go. Just get it done. I love that mindless determination. It took Sam to calm him down and get him thinking clearly again. Then, of course, there's the scene with Meg. He gets to hit her hard enough to hear her neck crack. I've wanted to do that for a long time, I'm glad he got his chance. Then at the end, when he's bleeding and the demon is laughing, he begs his father to fight it. It was an incredibly vulnerable moment and he sounded like a little child. Like when it comes down to where the rubber hits the road, he has the realization that there's nothing he can do to save himself, and I'm guessing for the first time he really understands this. His torture scene was excellent, instead of just screaming like most people would, he let us know how much pain he was in without the melodrama. Also, I really respect the fact that he never gave in. He never got to the point where he would just lay down and die, even after he was down and John was shot, his first words were "check on Dad". I'm glad we got to see the moment of understanding where he confesses that he knows those he killed were people possessed, and not demons. That he recognized he had no choice, and knows that there are no limits to what he'll do to keep his family safe. Sam had a lot of great moments in this as well. He was the voice of reason, unlike last week when he would have willingly raced into a burning building to shoot a demon who was impervious to bullets. I guess Dean's lecture hit home, because today the shoe was on the other foot. He had to reign Dean in several times, reminding him that staying alive is more important than racing headlong into the fray. I loved how the indecision played across his face when he found Dean holding the gun on their father. His logical mind knew that John had been in the hands of evil and could likely be possessed, but at the same time he had been raised to obey John no matter what, and here he is telling Sam that Dean has lost his mind. Very well played. And to top it all off, we only had to watch his twitchy-lip look for a second or two. Thanks for that, Jared! John got to have the most fun of all in this episode. He got to be tied down to a bed, fulfilling many a girl's fantasy, I'm sure. He got to drop the vengeful father routine for a little bit and play a little 'how stupid are you boys, thinking you can kill the unkillable'? And I must say he did a masterful job of it, too! We got the obvious clue that something was wrong when he came out of the back room and his eyes didn't reflect that little dot of light like the boys' did. We've been trained to look for that by past episodes like Something Wicked. Then, when Dean called him on the bullet thing, his voice dropped and his New York drawl came out. A little swagger, a little gloating, and what do we have here? Yup, you guessed it. Yellow eyed demon. Of course we had been given that little tidbit from the episode spoiler photos, but it was still fun to watch it take place on the screen. Finally, I loved the scene where he's screaming for Sam to shoot him through the heart. Sam and Dean have both had the chance to come to the realization that killing this demon is not worth dying over. That if they lose another family member, the price is too high. John hasn't had that chance yet. He's spent over 20 years with a driving passion for nothing other that to kill this thing. Nothing got in his way, not even raising two very young children. Now he is suddenly faced with the idea that there is another option, and it will be interesting to see how he handles it. Okay, final scene. Yeah, I really don't know what to say about this. It was a fantastic scene, shocking, surprising even though I knew it was coming. Now I have to wait all summer to find out if anyone survived the wreck, and even if they do, will they be all messed up? I guess I just have to hope that someone calls 911 and gets my little Dean to the hospital before he bleeds to death. John is in even more trouble, he got the worst of it. The question now is, do they get a nice little ambulance trip to the hospital, or is the truck driver going to take them to some empty warehouse somewhere and kill them slowly? On the upside, all the Impala needs is a little (okay, a LOT) of body work and it will be fine. I say it'll be good recuperative exercise for the boys while their broken bones are healing. (remember boys, shirts off, spots of grease in tempting places and lots of trickling sweat, okay? Good on ya.) That's it for tonight, I'll revisit this tomorrow and see if I want to add anything. For now, I have to get to the forum!!! Okay, I just remembered something I meant to say but forgot. I'm very displeased with their portrayal of demon possession. It's a little too close to the Matrix when the Agent takes over a person's body. With the demon, their eyes suddenly shift to deep black, and voila! they're possessed. I would think that taking over a living, breathing human would be much harder. There should be some sort of fight. Also, they set a precedent in Phantom traveler when they said people who are nervous flyers are open to possession and if Dean would only calm down he'd be safe. I have always been led to believe that a person can't be possessed unless they are open to it in some way. (ie: use a ouija board) Then again, I've also been told that vampires can be killed by a stake through the heart, so maybe I shouldn't complain?!? It occurred to me as I was re-watching the conversation between the boys and the demon, that Dean was doing his version of the chicken dance in his boxers. Sam asks why, and the demon turns his attention to Sam. Dean thinks to himself 'no way I'm gonna let it hurt my bro', and says "c'mon lets get this over with", so the demon turns it's attention back to Dean. Then he taunts the demon, daring him to fight. I think Dean was hoping that by keeping the demon's attention, he'd be giving Sam a chance to escape somehow. I find it ironic that after all his big speeches about Sam being overly eager to sacrifice himself, here Dean was doing exactly that. Is this what he thinks his role in the family is? He's the one who always gets thrown across the room, and if somebody's getting knocked out, you can be sure it will be Dean. Does he think that's all he's good for, to run interference for Sam? I was just watching the Dean scene at the end for about the hundredth time, and I want to say how much I enjoy the background soundtrack for that section! Listen closely and you'll not only hear Dean's heartbeat, but also the sound of water trickling and jungle animal sounds. I love the wildcat thing! It sounds like a linx or maybe a bobcat. It really added a lot to the evilness of the demon. What is the point of wearing an egyptian protection amulet if it doesn't protect you from a big bad gonna-wring-you-dry demon? Everyone says there is some significance to the necklace, but I sure didn't see any! On the flip side, I've specifically seen it NOT protect Dean from any of the following: electrocution, getting konked on the head (numerous times, I might add!) Bloody Mary's eyeball pressure, bugs of all kinds, dopplegangers, evil psychiatrists messin' with his head, gunshots, vampires, and the list goes on. What else is left to be protected from? I have to tell you, I'm awed by the sheer range of talent demonstrated in this episode. We see Dean acting cocky, determined, furious, shocked, and afraid. We see him stare down the demon that murdered his mother and still manage a flippant remark. We see him on the brink of death, insisting that his father is the more important one. We see a chink in his armour when the demon wearing his father's face tells him that he is less important than his brother, and his daddy doesn't love him as much. That little look of vulnerability flashes across his face for just a second before he switches to cocky Dean, but it's enough for us to see the truth. I can't even imagine how one would learn to express that emotion in such a tiny moment of time. That goes for Sam, too. We see Sam desperately trying to call the gun to his hand with the power of his mind, knowing he should be able to do it, yet still failing. We see his anguish when he can do nothing but watch as his brother is brought to the brink of death. We watch the emotions play across his face as he fights with the decision to either kill the demon, or save his father. I was impressed beyond words by these two boys, and I hope they win scads of awards for this episode. There are a few things I wonder about, though. For example, what will happen when (if?) the emergency crews arrive at the scene of the accident and find a trunk full of weapons? How do they explain Dean's dramatic loss of blood with few visible wounds and no blood pool in the car? Will the demon truck driver get the Colt before anyone can stop him? Will John, assuming he survives the accident, have gained any knowledge regarding the demon? Will he retain any tidbits of information, or be privy to the demon's plan? Will Sam, having been faced with his own failure, start to practice and hone his mental abilities? Will Dean be able to put what the demon said behind him and move on, or will he always be haunted and hindered by the thought that his father doesn't love him as much? Will the demon disappear again, or will next season be a constant battle with bigger and badder enemies? I guess these questions and many more that will arise from the forum chatter will have to wait until the fall, although I'm sure they'll be the subject of many a fanfic. Until we know more, I bid you adieu. ...Okay. I've heard a lot of complaints about the disappearing/reappearing blood on Dean's chin and I want to tender my opinion on the subject. I can totally forgive them for this little oversight, and I'll tell you why. This is how I see it going down: Jensen: "This blood is so cool! Look how it runs down my chin and makes me look way injured!" Director: "Okay Jensen, now I need you to pass out and let a glob of blood drip from your mouth onto the floor" Jensen: "…but I don't have any left. It looked so cool running down my face that I used it all up!" Director: "Jensen, honey, (because everybody calls Jensen 'honey', even the male *married* director…) if I told you once, I told you a thousand times: SAVE SOME BLOOD FOR THE END!!!" Jensen: "Okay, I'll try." Makeup team comes in and cleans him all up for a retake. Jensen: "Damn, this blood looks good!" Director: "Okay, pass out and let's see that blood drip." Jensen: "Oh crap." Makeup team comes in and cleans him up for yet another take. Director: "Jensen?" Jensen: "Yeah, yeah, I know." Director: "How about if we just shoot that bit with the blood all by itself?" Jensen perks up: "Great idea! I can use the whole batch in one go!" Director: "Action!" Jensen passes out, lets a wicked awesome huge glob of blood drip onto the floor with a SPLAT! Director: "Perfect! We'll splice those together and no-one will ever know." |