All Hell Breaks Loose, Part II
Original Air Date 05/17/2007

The fight between Sam and Jake is over and Dean is left to handle the fallout, but being involved could cause him a great loss; and the hunters are menaced by the Demon and his spirits until aid arrives from a totally unexpected source.

Notes

Writer

Eric Kripke
Michael T. Moore

Director

Kim Manners

Guest Stars:

Samantha Ferris
Jim Beaver
Fredric Lane
JDM
Aldis Hodge
Ona Grauer

Other Guests:

Kaare Anderson

Filming Locations:

Maple Ridge
Boundary Bay
Deer Lake Park

Completely Useless Trivia:

Dean ends the season with an almost identical head laceration to the one he started it with.

Review

Aah, the warm strains of Carry On My Wayward Son once again. I guess Kripke is finally over his irritation with the fans and this song, and I have to say I'm glad! We get a then/now preview for the first time in a long time, and it gives us a quick refresher about the Colt, the crossroads, the yellow-eyed demon, and Sam's death. As if to drive the point home, the opening shot is of Sam lying lifeless on the bed and Dean looking on in silence.

I can't tell you how pleased I am that the scene we were shown in the director's cut is the very first scene! The CW clip was just enough to let us know how deeply Dean was going to be hurting, and it really whet my appetite for the episode without giving away too much. We all knew, of course, that this episode was going to be full of out-of-the-ballpark excellent acting from Jensen, but even so I was caught by surprise by his intensity. It was reminiscent of an injured animal, with moments of deep sorrow and pain interspersed with explosions of anger as he lashed out at everyone and everything around. The look in his eyes when he's talking to Bobby makes it hard to believe he could ever smile again.

The YED visits Jake in his sleep, congratulating him on killing Sam and telling him his family will die horrible deaths if he doesn't do what he's told. Jake seems to agree, albeit reluctantly. The soldier in him makes him want to fight against this bully he's faced with, but underneath the façade he's weak and unsure.

Back in the ramshackle house, Dean talks to Sam's body. He has nobody else left in the world and he simply can't bring himself to let go of his brother. He talks as though Sam can hear, knowing that only he would understand, that he's the only one close enough to Dean to know what he's feeling. He confesses that he failed at the only real responsibility he's ever had: keeping Sam safe. Once the words are out in the open, other feelings come pouring out; remorse, self-recrimination, despondency and sorrow. When he gets to the point where he fully realizes he can't fix this, he lashes out in anger, demanding answers where there are none. I have to say that I really appreciate the way this scene was shot. It has an almost tangible feeling of intimacy, with Dean in the desolate town of Cold Oak, nothing living around for miles in any direction and his only company the dead body of his brother. With only two or three shots of Sam's face included to show that he isn't listening, the entire scene is done from the same camera angle, and to top it off the camera focuses in tight on Dean's face, filling the TV screen with his tears of despair. This lends the illusion that we the viewers are the invisible guests, who, having pulled a chair up close have turned our attention solely to Dean, to the exclusion of everything else in the room. This kind of sensitivity is one of the reasons I really like Kim Manners as a director. The episodes he's worked on almost always have a deeper emotional connection that the script alone could provide.

The realization of his failure has taken Dean beyond despair, and he repeats "what am I supposed to do?" in hopeless frustration. But even as Dean asks the question, he already knows the answer. He revs up the Impala and races furiously down the gravel roads until he reaches his destination. Grabbing the necessities out of the trunk, he throws together a remarkably familiar box of oddities: graveyard dirt, a black cat bone, and of course a photograph of himself. Walking to the centre of what we now see is a crossroads, he buries the box and waits. .for an unreasonably long time. Looking around impatiently, he calls for the demon to show her face. Suddenly appearing behind him, the red-eyed deal-making demon has once again taken the form of a brunette in a cocktail gown. Again, I love the way this was shot. When he buries the box, he obviously expects an immediate arrival just like last time. When she doesn't appear, he turns to look down each road, the camera racing to follow his eyes, then slowing to focus on the road, then racing to the next direction, and slowing again. The almost jerky movement mirrors his restless expectation. Then when she does appear, it's directly behind him, a place the camera had shown us was empty just a second earlier. It's an absolutely brilliant entrance! While I still disagree that this demon has the power to appear and disappear while inhabiting a human body, I have to admit that this time it's particularly effective. Unlike Crossroad Blues, there's nothing anywhere nearby for her to have been hiding behind, and we were just shown that there's nothing visible for hundreds of metres around. Her appearance can't be argued or dismissed, and it forces us to acknowledge her power as a demon. Very well done! With her arrival comes the sick feeling in my stomach that tells me something very bad is about to happen. Although the body is different, the sensuous and flirtatious attitude proves she's the same demon he spoke to before. Practically drooling and licking at the desperation Dean is projecting, she tells him to give her a moment so she can "stop and smell the roses". Not amused, Dean is all business. His brother's life for his soul, plus the extra ten years of course. But wait. She's not buying it this time. She knows she's got him in a tight spot, why would she offer him ten free years? Defeated, Dean asks for nine years, then eight. When she still refuses, he drops it to five. Even then she tells him no deal, knowing she's holding all the cards and he has nothing to bargain with. When she turns to leave he calls her back in complete surrender, asking her terms. She offers him Sam's life plus one year, with the stipulation that he doesn't try to trick her or weasel out of the deal. If he tries anything at all, Sam will drop dead on the spot. As his answer to her terms, Dean simply grabs her, pulling her into a kiss. Back in Cold Oak, Sam's eyes pop open and he sits up, looking disoriented and confused.

Dean races back to Cold Oak and is beyond relief when he finds out Sam is alive. So relieved in fact, that he pulls Sam into a hug. Yes girls, a hug. It's one-sided though since Sam, still in a lot of pain, cuts it short. Too bad Dean didn't have the presence of mind to include a request for Sam's other injuries in his deal. When Sam asks what happened, Dean lies, bold faced and believable. He tells him that Bobby patched him up and he recovered on his own. Sam returns the favour a few minutes later, when telling Dean about the yellow-eyed demon. He says the demon told him in a dream that he only wanted one of the psychic kids to survive, and when Dean asks if he said anything else, Sam tells him no, nothing. Nothing else at all. Clearly Sam isn't ready to share the news about their mother yet. Although he is freshly back from the dead and still hurting, Sam is impatient to get back into the fight. He wants to find Jake and stop him before it's too late. Dean tries to stop him, telling him that they have time, that they should take a few days to rest and recover, but Sam isn't having any of it. He makes Dean take him to Bobby's place. Bobby is understandably shocked at seeing Sam alive, and he gives Dean a look that says they'll be discussing it in the very near future. He tells the boys what's been happening in the world, that there are demonic signs and omens all over the country, with the glaring exception of a small area of Wyoming. He asks Sam to look over his findings, and tells Dean to help him bring some books in from the trunk. The second they get out of Sam's earshot, Bobby demands to know what Dean was thinking, making a deal for Sam's life. With a truly heart-wrenching mix of anger and worry in his voice, Bobby yells at Dean, pointing out that he has just done exactly what his father did when Dean was at death's door. How will Sam feel when he finds out? But Dean isn't worried, he thinks it was worth it. From his point of view, he is supposed to be dead two times over, and Sam's life is worth more than his anyway. Bobby jumps on that, asking if he really has such a low sense of self-worth, and asking if he's that screwed up in the head. I'm happy Dean has finally heard these words from someone who cares about him. I realize that his willingness to place his life on the line for the safety of those around him is a huge part of his character and without that sense of self-sacrifice he wouldn't be half the man he is. However, I think it's obvious to all that this facet of his psyche comes from his belief that he deserves to die; that he is not as valuable a member of society than his brother, or even than the innocent people he fights to protect. He needs to be told that he is needed and that he is equally as important as Sam. It still angers me that his father would put such a burden on his shoulders at so young an age, and never once in his life tell him he's doing a good job, or that he is important too. Maybe Dean will listen to Bobby and finally understand. Both Bobby and Ellen are becoming like surrogate parents to the boys, I hope they can undo some of the damage John inflicted in their youth.

As Dean and Bobby are winding down their argument, Ellen arrives. They're understandably surprised to see her, thinking she had been killed in the Roadhouse fire, but suspicious as well. Bobby feeds her a shot of holy water to make sure she's herself, and she chases it down with whiskey to calm her worries. She barely escaped the Roadhouse fire and is still in shock at the loss of all the friends and other hunters that weren't so lucky. At least Ash had time to call her and tell her to look in the safe before he died. She pulls out a map that shows the same section of Wyoming that Bobby had pointed out earlier, however Ash's map has five X's marked on it. When they check into it they find that the X's mark five churches that Samuel Colt built and that they're all connected with iron railway tracks that form a giant pentagram. A hundred square mile devil's trap. That's why there is no demonic activity in that area, the demons can't pass through the lines of the trap. Sam puts two and two together and realizes why the yellow-eyed demon needed a human helper. The moment of understanding is punctuated by Jake's arrival at the outskirts of the devil's trap, where he stops to finally meet the demon in the flesh.

The YED explains what he needs from Jake. He tells him that fifty miles inside the tracks lies a cemetery with a door that needs opening. Jake will need a key, and that key turns out to be the Colt revolver that John gave up at the beginning of the season. The demon hands it over with a smile, telling Jake that it's the only gun that can shoot him dead. Jake, naturally, cocks the gun and points it at the demon, the last remaining bullet showing through the front of the cylinder to prove it's still loaded. The YED raises his hands and says sarcastically: "Oh my! I'm shocked at this unforeseen turn of events!" Frederic Lane does such a great job as the YED! The playful attitude is downright scary and when he threatens Jake with the lives of his mother and younger sister, he says he'll let them live long enough to taste their own intestines. Gross. Frederic gives equal intensity to all his dialogue, whether freaky or flippant, and that's what makes him such an excellent villain! The threat works with Jake, he's willing to do whatever it takes to keep his family safe. Too bad it wasn't Sam that won the fight. Sam would understand that his brother's life would be a necessary sacrifice to keep the world safe, and I have no doubt that Dean would agree. Jake enters the cemetery and approaches the door without noticing the four hunters hiding behind gravestones. It's Sam that surprises him, tossing a casual "hi Jake" at his back. Jake turns, not fully believing it's Sam. He says he's sure Sam was dead, and when Sam looks to Dean for reassurance, Dean can't meet his eyes. Jake isn't worried at the number of guns aimed at him. He tells Sam that Ava was right, when he gives in to it, the powers grow. Jake tells Ellen to put her gun to her head, and backs up the request with a little demonic mind control. Ellen fights it, but her arm obeys and turns the gun. Jake then uses her as leverage to force the others to lower their guns. Before any of them can even blink, he turns and shoves the Colt into the lock on the door behind him. The two large wheels of the lock start to spin in opposite directions, circling the handle of the revolver. Bobby and Dean grab Ellen, and Sam shoots Jake four times in the back. Enough to stop him but not to kill him. Sam walks around to face Jake's fallen form, looking him in the eye. Jake begs for his life, but Sam has no sympathy. He shoots him point blank in the face, looking down with an expression of pleasure that is completely out of character for the Sam that we know. The others see this and stare in shock, and even Dean looks a little worried. The wheels of the lock come to a stop, the criss-crossing lines coming together to form a pentagram. Dean pulls the Colt from the door, but it's too late. A clanging sounds from behind the door letting us know that the lock has been opened. The for hunters dive for cover behind nearby gravestones, and the doors burst open releasing a giant cloud of demon-black smoke. The event sends a current of energy streaming down the railway lines that incinerates the five churches standing at the points of the pentacle. Their destruction breaks the devil's trap and allows the demons to move freely across the lines. One demon is particularly thrilled to be able to cross. The YED steps through a break in the rails, the thick iron bent upwards, severed ends still glowing golden from the heat that split them.

Ellen, Bobby and Sam try to close the door before more demons can escape, but the doors are heavy and even as they fight to close them spirits can be seen wandering slowly out. Dean checks the Colt and finds the bullet still inside. He turns to see the YED behind him but doesn't have time to fire before the demon whips the gun from his hand. As punishment, the YED sends Dean flying across the cemetery, coming down hard on a tombstone and opening a huge gash across his temple. (A gash, incidentally, that would give any normal person a concussion and have them on their back seeing double for days, but which Dean shrugs off with only the thought of an aspirin.) Sam sees Dean struggling to get up and abandons the door in favour of his brother. He's not much help though, the demon pins him to a tree before he can do anything. He turns his attention back to Dean and pins him to the gravestone. He kneels down and thanks Dean for making the deal to save Sam. He says he always liked Sam best and had hoped he would have beaten Jake. He then goes on to quote the saying "if a deal sounds too good to be true, it probably is", insinuating that Sam is no longer himself. Dean doesn't know how to react to this, but the look on his face is evidence enough to the doubts he now has. But the demon isn't satisfied with this. He's having too much fun playing with Dean's fragile emotions. He throws Dean's own words from earlier in the season back at him, saying "you of all people should know that what's dead should stay dead". With a final blow to the shreds of Dean's ego, the YED thanks him again, saying "I couldn't have done it without your pathetic, self-loathing, self-destructive desire to sacrifice yourself for your family." He aims the Colt at Dean, preparing to finish the job he started at the end of last season, but he still hasn't learned his lesson about unsolicited monologuing. His long delay has given John Winchester the time to climb up and out of the gates of hell. As the demon aims the gun, John grabs him from behind, pulling the demon from the human body it inhabits. The effort knocks John to the ground in shock, and leaves the demon undamaged. He simply circles around and re-enters the body. It did, however, give Dean the time to recover the Colt. The YED stands and turns just in time to see Dean fire the last bullet at him in what is a really sensational set of effects! As Dean fires, we watch the bullet exit the barrel in slow motion chased by fire, the tiny engraved cross on its tip glowing gold with the heat of the gunpowder. As before, the result is a lightening flash of skeleton beneath flesh as the bullet hits home, however instead of the white flashes we saw when John was shot, this time the flashes are hellfire red. I assume this is because John was only shot in the leg while Dean aimed for the chest. Tiny rivulets of fire race over his chest as the bullet does its work, and although it takes a bit of time, the yellow eyes eventually weaken and fade to their natural blue. As this is happening, Bobby and Ellen manage to get the Hells Gate closed and the lock resets itself. As the dust settles and everyone pauses to catch their breath, they realize that there is a fifth member to their little group. John Winchester. Wordlessly he smiles at Dean, putting a hand on his shoulder, and turns to Sam with a similar smile. His love and pride are evident, and a tear courses down his cheek before he backs away. A brilliant golden light engulfs him and his spirit flickers and disappears.

The relief Dean feels at the death of theYED is evident by the return of his humour. He thinks everything is okay now, but there's one more hurdle he has to cross before the night is done. Sam isn't ready to give up on the reason for his recovery yet, particularly since Jake was so surprised to see him alive, and he questions Dean about it. Dean tries to lie, but Sam can see through it. Sam is upset and tells him he shouldn't have done it, but Dean bares his soul through his eyes, telling Sam that it's his job to keep him safe. Sam tries to make him understand that they're a team, that they are equally willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to keep the other safe. He goes on to say that Dean has saved his life so many times, this time it will be Sam's turn to find a way to save Dean. I think for the first time Dean understands this idea that he's not the only one with a sense of responsibility, and that Sam is no longer the kid brother who needs looking after. Perhaps with Sam's help, Dean can learn that there's more to life that the threat of death. Hopefully the future will see them form a relationship that puts them on more equal footing, partners instead of the burden being shouldered by Dean alone.

Well, this episode really hit the ball out of the park. When Dean was talking to the deal-making demon, I was thinking how I wish they had more time to spin that scene out a little longer, it was so unusual to see Dean in such a position of desperation and need I really wanted to watch more. By the end of the episode, the swings were coming so hard and fast that there wasn't even time to breathe, every angsty heart-wrenching moment was followed immediately by another even heavier moment. Just when you think it's all over and it's okay to relax, we're hit with the "we're brothers" speech from Sam. All I can say is Well Done! Every actor turned in a stellar performance. Samantha Ferris didn't get as much opportunity to shine as the others, and quite frankly I'm surprised that she has first billing among the guest stars. I would have thought she'd be second to Jim Beaver. Jim had his fatherly moment with Dean which was one of the highlights of the episode for me, and Frederic Lane aced his role as super-creepy comic relief. Even Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who didn't have to say a word did an excellent job of expressing a myriad of emotions as he smiled at the boys. Jared did a fantastic job of lying on the bed playing dead, but his overly zealous execution of Jake and his impassioned speech with Dean weren't half bad either! lol. Then there's Jensen. Yes, yes, yes, I know I'm always talking about how talented this guy is and you're probably tired of hearing it from me, but I have to tell you: this guy is REALLY talented!!! I'm sure it's obvious from my reviews that I look at everything with a critical eye. I'm rarely swept away by the action, instead I tend to observe and analyze and I'm usually paying more attention to the background or the special effects than I am to the actors. So for me to say this about Jensen, you know it's got to be true. Jensen Ackles is one of only a handful of actors who can reach out of the screen, catch me by the heartstrings, and completely immerse me in the emotion of the moment to the exclusion of all else. It has nothing to do with his looks, or the lines he's reading on the page, regardless of how well or badly they might be written. I think what captures me is his willingness to commit one hundred percent to the scene, regardless of what it is he has to do. He jumps with both feet into the deep end without holding back, and every thought, every emotion is etched on his face for all the world to see. That's something precious and I really hope others appreciate it as much as I do. I heard the rumours about his Emmy nomination for this episode, and now that I've seen it for myself I can see why the rumours started. I certainly hope the rumours are true, because in my opinion there's no-one more deserving of the honour.

Well, that's it boys and girls. Another season gone by, and another long summer ahead. I'm sure there will be less speculation this year, since they really did a good job of tying up the demon storyline. However we are left with a number of questions to keep us busy, such as: was Sam really brought back as something evil? How will he save Dean from certain death at the end of season three? What really happened to John, did he go to heaven, or is there hope for a reappearance sometime in the future? How will the hunters round up all these escaped demons and send them back to hell? What will become of the other human spirits that we saw walking through the gates? And most important of all, will Dean take his shirt off in season three? I'm kidding, of course. (I meant to say "jeans".)

All Hell Breaks Loose, Part II Original Air Date 05/17/2007