Supernatural – Things are going to get much worse

My apologies for being a bit tardy with this week’s post. Supernatural was trumped, briefly, by my strange fascination with all things Canadian. When a gypsy jazz band from Quebec that does adaptations of ’80s pop songs makes a stop in my town, I just can’t resist. So, please check out The Lost Fingers when you get a chance. Now, on with your regularly scheduled Supernatural post.

The big revelation this week had to do with Crowley and how the boys might be able to get Sam’s soul back. Right there with that, though — and maybe more telling in where the future of this season is heading — was the revelation that their case of the week was just one of a number of skinwalker sleeper cells. We keep getting hints about various factions building their forces for the coming battle. This one really drove home the point of what that means. Skinwalkers as a viral outbreak in cities across the world. It’s a scary scenario, made all the more scary when you consider that any number of monsters could be planning something similar. That battle that is coming promises to be rather ugly.

The skinwalker cells also get right back to the major problem the boys face where Crowley’s deal is concerned. It sounds simple enough: bag an alpha and Sam gets his soul back. Right off the bat, we should question whether Crowley will even honor that deal. Because, really, what leverage do the boys have if he doesn’t? Even assuming that he will, the bigger problem is in finding an actual alpha. Given the state of the world, they are essentially looking for a needle in a needle stack.

I’m pretty confident that Sam will get his soul back, but I’m left wondering how that will come to be. Will they actually track down another alpha to deliver to Crowley? Or, before that comes to pass, will they find some way to get the upper hand on Crowley and force him to relinquish the soul? Either are perfectly plausible, but if I’m making a guess, I lean to the latter. For the simple fact that it also deals with the problem of Crowley backing out of the original deal.

As for the Sam without a soul, I’m curious to hear what other people think of him. I liked the little pow-wow where the boys tried to clear the air (again), and the idea that Sam without his soul is a whole different person. I can see how it could get tiresome if it goes on for too long, but for now I find the whole thing kind of fascinating. The loss of his soul makes Sam a complete wild card. His decision making skills and instincts are completely shot, and every time Dean leaves him alone he has no idea what could happen.

At the end of the day, “All Dogs Go To Heaven” was a pretty solid monster of the week episode that brought some intriguing revelations about where we’re headed. The big shootout with the skinwalker cell was particularly good, especially Sam’s guns-blazing entrance. I’ll chalk this one up as a win, and add that I am now completely sold on the decision to bring the show back for season six.

Clacked by Brett Love
on Nov 13, 2010 @ 15:15 EST5EDT