Supernatural Rox
 

All Hell Breaks Loose, Part I
Original Air Date 05/10/2007

Sam is abducted by the Yellow-Eyed Demon and taken to a ghost town with others who have special abilities. The Demon intends to initiate war against the human race, and he tries to get Sam to join the fight by showing him what happened to one of his parents.

Notes

Writer

Sera Gamble

Director

Robert Singer

Guest Stars:

Jim Beaver (Bobby)
Frederic Lane (Yellow-Eyed Demon)
Samantha Smith (Mary)
Gabriel Tigerman (Andy)
Chad Lindberg (Ash)
Aldis Hodge (Jake)
Katherine Isabelle (Ava)
Jessica Harmon (Lily)

Other Guests:

Hannah Dubois
  (Acheri demon)

Filming Locations:

Maple Ridge
Boundary Bay
Deer Lake Park

Review

While it's no secret that I am completely enamoured of Jensen and his acting prowess, I have to say that both leads were excellent in this episode. Dean was completely at wits end through the whole thing, and Sam really showcased his leadership abilities and his wisdom for all things demon-related. Both Jensen and Jared really outdid themselves for this episode, and I can't wait to see what they come up with for next week's finale!

The first ten seconds or so of the episode, Sam is taken from the Sunnyside diner, a tiny little rat-hole of a truck stop. In the few seconds that Dean looks down to check his suddenly intermittent radio, the demon manages to appear, slit the throats of at least three people, grab Sam and disappear without Dean noticing. Oh, and of course taking the time to leave a giant steaming pile of sulfur on the back door window. I have to say that although I understand the logic behind it, I can't see why Dean would continue to call Sam's name after what is so obviously demonic activity. Did he really think Sam would be cowering outside the back door, hiding from the big bad demon? Then again, I suppose it's a lot more dramatic to have him shouting Sam's name through the darkness. It just seems like he spends a lot of the episode shouting "Sam".

Sam awakens in Cold Oak, South Dakota. Yes, South Dakota. I know it was supposed to be Massachusetts, I don't know what happened. (Although I like to think that Jared had too much trouble saying Massachusetts so they had to change it, lol) Although the old frontier town is long deserted and far away from civilization, Sam finds that he's not the only occupant. As he wanders the muddy streets he finds Andy and Ava, two of the other "special" children we've met in the past, as well as two new ones; Jake and Lily. We learn that Jake was transported all the way from Afghanistan, and that Lily's power is to stop a person's heart with only a touch. We also find out that Andy has been practicing, and along with thoughts he can now project images as well. Sam tries to explain the connection between them all and the demon, but his news is met with disbelief. Meanwhile, Dean is desperately trying to find some trace of Sam. He meets up with Bobby who tells him that there have been no occurrences of demonic activity at all in the past month, things have been unnaturally quiet. While the two men speak, Ash calls Dean's cell and tells him to come to the Roadhouse ASAP. He's got something big to share that may help them find Sam but he doesn't want to talk about it over the phone. Again, Dean seems to spend this whole scene using his "angry" voice. While I agree that it fits with his nature to push and push until he gets what he wants, I wish that there had been a moment where he shows how worried he is. You know what I mean; that little look of uncertainty he gives sometimes that says he's going to pretend he knows exactly what he's doing but down deep he's really afraid he's screwing things up. We never saw him worry over Sam the whole way through this episode, maybe that's what was missing.

In Cold Oak, Jake has left the group to look for a way out. He sees a pale face in the door of the schoolhouse and goes in to investigate. Inside he finds a few dusty chairs and a chalkboard, but no little girl. As he turns to look around the small room, the sound of chalk squeaking on the chalkboard can be heard behind him. When he looks back to it, it's covered with lines of "I will not kill" repeated over the entire surface. The girl appears behind him and attacks with fiercely long claws, but Sam comes to the rescue with an iron poker from the nearby wood stove, then informs them that they've met their first demon, an Acheri. I have to say that this was a really beautifully shot scene. I'm thrilled with the way the camera circled around Jake while the words were being written on the chalkboard! It was one long single shot with only a few seconds for them to change over the clean chalkboard to the one with the words, and I can't imagine how they made the switch so fast and so quietly! I seem to recall that there were hinges behind that section of wall, so I assume it swung back to change boards, but I can't imagine mounting a board that size so fast. I tip my hat to the crew that pulled that off so seamlessly! Also, nice job by the FX guys changing that little girl from sweet little blonde angel to disturbingly vicious rot-faced demon. Gross, but cool. Overall, the scene had a very nice flow that did a great job of translating the feeling of being slightly confused, particularly because the camera varied it's speed as it circled around Jake. It's certainly one of my favourite moments from this episode.

Sam gives a rousing speech about sticking together to stay safe, but Lily doesn't listen. As the others go into an old house to search for salt, iron and weapons, Lily hangs back and sneaks away. She doesn't get far, the sound of a child's laughter in the woods let us know what's in store for her; the rest of the group find her hanging from the windmill.

Dean and Bobby arrive at the Roadhouse to find it burned to the ground. Bits and pieces of people caught inside attest to the speed at which the fire spread, insinuating either foul play or demon activity. Dean sees Ash's watch on one charred wrist, letting us know that he's not going to find out the big secret any time soon. Poor Ash, I sure liked that guy.

Sam mentions to Andy how much he wishes Dean were there to help, and Andy suggests a way to "call" him. Although he's never tried it long distance, he thinks he may be able to project an image of their location to Dean. He takes a receipt that Dean signed (as D. Hasselhoff) and uses it to home in on Dean. At the Roadhouse, Dean reacts much like Sam does when getting a vision. Intense blinding pain with only a quick flash of vision leave Dean feeling confused, but a second or two later the feeling is back with more strength. He sees the bell with the oak tree engraved on it and a quick vision of Sam. From Dean's ever-so-specific description of "a bell, a big bell, with some kind of engraving on it" Bobby pulls Cold Oak, South Dakota out of his ass and the two are off to rescue Sam.

A really beautiful crane shot of Cold Oak at dusk finds Sam and Jake pilfering iron off of an old rusted tractor. Sam hammers away at one wheel trying to loosen a thick spoke, while Jake simply tugs at the other wheel freeing the thick chunk of iron with relative ease. When Sam questions it, Jake reveals that he has super strength and has lifted as much as 800 lbs with no problem. I find that Jake has a real deadness about him; regardless of what he's saying, his eyes don't show any emotion. It's very creepy and it makes him a very intriguing character.

The foursome has fortified their house with lines of salt and they have a few makeshift weapons to provide a feeling of safety. They wait uncomfortably, Jake standing, ever alert, with the other three trying not to doze off. Sam is the first to succumb, and the second his eyes close he sees the yellow-eyed demon standing behind Jake. He shouts a warning, but nobody hears him and he realizes this is a dream. The YED takes him outside and tells him the deal; only one person can leave the town alive, and to survive Sam will have to kill the others. The demon only needs one soldier to lead his otherworldly army, and Sam is his favourite from this generation. Yes, of course there are other generations, but let's just worry about this one. The demon then takes Sam back to the day his mother died, showing him the nursery and the events of that night. His past self cuts his wrist open, dripping blood into baby Sammy's mouth. Mary runs in after realizing it's not John and recognizes the demon saying "it's you!" before he pins her to the ceiling and lights her on fire. As Mary screams, the YED snaps his fingers and returns a confused and disoriented Sam to the Cold Oak house where Jake is shaking him to tell him that Ava is missing.

Sam and Jake scour the town, leaving Andy behind to. well mainly just to get killed, I guess. Ava watches the two leave, then goes back into the salt-protected farmhouse. She breaks the line of salt at the window, then puts her hands to her head, summoning the Acheri demon. A cloud of black smoke enters through the narrow break in the salt line and transforms into the little girl from the schoolhouse. She plunges her claws deep into Andy's chest and he dies screaming and sputtering blood. I'm betting that Gabriel Tigerman had a great time playing this scene, with the screaming and the gushing blood and the gory splatter against the window to cement his demise. It looked like a lot of fun to me! Not to say that his usual sloppy, slacker, drug-fogged dialogue isn't equally fun, but this seemed extra meaty to me. I'm going to miss Andy, he was just as much fun as Ash. I guess Kripke is spring cleaning in preparation for season three, let's just hope that Bobby makes it out alive! After Andy dies, Ava lets out a bloodcurdling scream, bringing Sam running to the rescue. Sam notices the salt is broken and is instantly suspicious of Ava. She starts to deny it, but eventually admits that she's been in Cold Oak for the past 5 months and has been killing all the other special kids that the demon sends her way. (It bugs me that she calls them "children like us", they're 23 years old for crying out loud! They're not children anymore! I don't know anyone over 15 that would still refer to themselves as a child.) She tells Sam that if he'd give in to his destiny that, like her, he'd find he has other abilities besides just getting visions. She can now control demons, and she proves it by once again calling the Acheri. Before the demon can materialize in the room, Jake arrives, grabs Ava from behind and snaps her neck like a piece of kindling. The demon disappears and Sam is safe. With Ava and the demon gone they should be able to leave, but Jake stops Sam. The YED appeared to him as well and told him the same story of how only one person can be left standing. Sam begs him to be strong, to stick together and fight the demon as a team. He makes a show of good faith by putting his knife down and Jake follows suit, putting down his iron spoke. Sadly, Sam miscalculated on this one, forgetting that Jake possesses super strength. Jake gives him a vicious uppercut to the jaw sending him flying through the nearby fence. Dazed, Sam struggles to get up, and when he fights back Jake delivers a bone-crunching punch to Sam's right shoulder. Sam ducks the next punch, cradling his arm, and Jake punches a hole through the fence that snags his fist. Before he can get it free, Sam takes the opportunity to land a few punches of his own, eventually sending Jake through the fence as well. With Jake on the ground, Sam picks up the iron spoke and uses it to knock him out. Tempted to finish the job, he stops himself short of delivering the killing blow. Just in time to miss the fight, Dean and Bobby arrive and call Sam's name. When he turns his attention to his brother, Jake retrieves the knife and plunges it deep into Sam's back. Dean's shout of warning comes too late, and he runs to catch his brother as he falls to the ground. The amount of blood on Sam's back attests to the severity of the wound and despite Dean's assurances that everything will be okay, Sam simply fades away leaving Dean hugging and rocking his dead brother's body in anguish.

Whew. That was a serious case of angst overload. As always, I'm blown away with Jensen's ability to show such deep emotion with complete conviction. I don't question for a second that this character has just lost the person closest to him in all the world. I'll say it again though; I would've loved to have seen him show that hint of fear beneath the anguish. After all, this leaves him alone in the world and without purpose for the first time in his life. While we can assume he'd continue to hunt without Sam, I don't think his heart would be in it anymore and he'd probably end up getting killed. Then again, maybe the loss of his brother would serve to ignite a deep desire to see every unholy creature wiped from the face of the earth, and Dean would become an unstoppable force that sends demons screaming out of his way. Either way, it wouldn't be a healthy way to live.

Jared was really good throughout this entire episode; I really appreciated how his character took a stand and became the leader of the group, and especially how he didn't display any of the mother hen traits that I so dislike. He was strong, confident, and thoroughly proficient in his defense of the group. The final scene was his piece de resistance, though. Granted, all he did was go limp in Dean's arms, but still - he did it so well! After Jensen caught him he gave a quick eye roll, then gave himself completely to the embrace. He didn't try to hold up his head or stop himself from falling when Jensen swayed him around. He didn't offer any resistance at all; just allowed himself to be moved around like a rag doll. I can't imagine that would be easy, it's rooted in our nature to stop ourselves when we're pushed or moved by someone else. It would take a conscious effort to relax, and with so many people watching (and undoubtedly teasing) I think it would really be a challenge.

All in all, this episode didn't disappoint. While it didn't give me the same feeling of panic and desperation that last season's finale episodes gave me, I assume that's because I knew so much more about this episode going into it than I did last season. For instance, while the cliffhanger from Devil's Trap left a lot of room to worry if any of the Winchester boys would survive, this season I already know the answer to that question. There is none of the fear and uncertainty that I felt last season. Nevertheless, there are other things to worry about. How will they stop the deluge of demons pouring out from the gates of hell? Is the world lost to all that is good? Are all Americans doomed to live in darkness and despair? Will they finally get to kill the yellow-eyed demon that they've been hunting for so long, or will he disappear once again? I have faith that these questions and more will be answered, and I will certainly continue tuning in every week to see what agonizing plot twists they come up with next to torture us with.
 
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