Friday, April 16, 2010

Recap for "Point of No Return"

The 100th episode began with Zachariah (aka the angel we love to hate) in a bar, drinking away his sorrows just like the businessman next to him who got a pink slip. He bemoans not sealing the deal. Next thing we know, things start shaking. And we all know nothing good happens when things start shaking. Stuart, the fired businessman, says, "Earthquake?" Zachariah responds, "Nah. My boss." Zachariah is offered some new deal and he calmly finishes his drink and leaves the bar -- and its deal occupants -- behind.

Next we see a heartbreaking, man at the end of his rope scene with Dean. He's filling a box with his leather jacket, his car keys, his gun, and addressing it to Bobby. But before he can go any further with his plan, Sam turns up with Cas and Cas zaps them back to Bobby's. One of the most heart-wrenching things Dean has ever said was when he looked at Bobby, after Bobby had called him "son", and said, "You're not my father, and you ain't in my shoes." The look on Bobby's face -- before he got mad -- showed such hurt because he does feel like the boys' father. They're the only family he has left. But Bobby gets his point across about not giving up when he pulls out a gun and a bullet and admits that he thinks about killing himself every day but that he doesn't because he promised Dean he wouldn't.

Cas gets a pain in his head and disappears from the room only to reappear in a forest. He sees a spot in the ground moving, but before he can examine it too closely, he has to fight off two angels. When he does get back to the strange spot, a hand emerges -- one belonging to the now-back-alive younger Winchester brother, Adam. Turns out Adam was in Heaven, making out with a girl at prom, when Zachariah came and told him he was Michael's vessel and he would help defeat the devil.

Sam pleads with Adam to give them time to come up with another plan, and he asks what they've got so far. Loved the following exchage:

Dean: "We're working on the power of love."
Adam: "How's that going?"
Dean: "Not good."

I think the casting of Adam is fantastic. He looks like he could be Sam and Dean's brother, and he even has some of the same snark and resentment toward John. And how Jake Abel portrayed the real Adam is so much more believable than the fake Adam we saw previously.

Sam has locked Dean in Bobby's panic room (hello, payback!) to keep him from going to do something "Michael stupid". When he goes to talk to Dean, big bro says that he won't have Adam taking a bullet for him and that he's tired of fighting who he's meant to be. Sam says he believes that Dean will do the right thing, but Dean admits that he doesn't have the same faith in Sam. Damn, how many more of these heart-wrenching moments can we stand?

Sam and Dean try to tell him that the angels are liars, but Adam has a dream in which he talks to Zachariah and tips the angels off to where he is and is taken by the angels. He ends up in that same beautiful room full of beer, stacks of cheeseburgers and paintings on the walls that Dean once did. And Zachariah tells him he was just bait to get Dean because everyone knows Sam and Dean will come for Adam. They're like that with family. Dean manages to banish Cas with that angel-banishing symbol and takes off. But after Cas finds him and beats the living daylights out of him before bringing him back to Bobby's, Dean has learned the following lesson:

"Word to the wise. Don't piss off the nerd angels." :)

Of course, as Zachariah predicted, Sam and Dean ride to Adam's rescue. They're surprised to find out the beautiful room is an abandoned muffler factory in Van Nuys, California, but I thought that was so hilariously perfect. But this time, it's not just Sam and Dean taking on the superior forces. They have Nerd Angel on their side! And Cas proceeds to kick some butt, killing one angel and banishing the other four as well as himself.

They find Adam, Zachariah reveals himself, nasty exchange ensues, Zach makes Adam and Sam hemorrhage from the mouth, and Dean says "yes." But he has conditions -- he has a list of people he wants to keep safe, and Michael has to kill Zachariah. Zach laughs at this, but not for long because Dean pulls out one of those angel blades and kills Zach. Then he rushes for the door with Sam, with Adam following, as Michael arrives. Adam gets stuck in the room, and we assume that he is either dead or is now Michael's vessel. Guess only time will tell.

We end with Dean and Sam driving down the road, and Dean begins to come out of the defeated funk he's been in the past few episodes.

Dean: "Screw destiny. I saw we take the fight to them. Do it out way."
Sam: "Sounds good."

Is it me or was there only the one song on the jukebox in the first bar scene? A little surprising that they didn't work in "Point of No Return" by Kansas.

13 comments:

MJFredrick said...

I actually loved Cas kicking Dean's ass, because he was right. He gave up everything believing in Dean and Dean's disappointed him.

But angel sword or not, I thought only an angel could kill another angel. Will that sword work on Lucifer, then?

Natalie J. Damschroder said...

Good point, Mary, with the continuity about the swords. I thought the one Uriel had was the only one, and now they all have them, so maybe the point is that they're angel MADE. :) Reality seems quite malleable under the power of the angels--nothing is fixed. Which is hopeful, actually, regarding the upcoming showdown.

I have to admit, I hated Dean through most of this episode. When he told Sam he couldn't believe in him? I know how damaging Sam's heaven was to Dean, but the timing just felt off. Sam has done nothing over the last 8 months to indicate weakness. On the contrary, hopped up on demon blood, he fought the addiction to defeat Famine, even as Cas had fallen prey to his vessel's cravings. So I can begrudgingly acknowledge any argument supporting how things played out, but that one thing jarred me too much.

And, of course, I cheered way too loudly when he offed Zach. (That cracked me up, when Zachariah introduced himself as Zach!) I feel like Dean's reversal at the final moment has started the climb toward the final battle, and we shouldn't be "depressed" anymore. :)

Maureen Child said...

WOOT!! Zachariah's dead! he sooo had to go!

I too loved Cas kicking Dean's ass. He actually deserved it. Giving up is not in his nature so I'm glad to see they're turning him around.

Can't wait to find out if Adam is dead or Michael. Want Cas back.

And ew on the scenes from next week's. Are we going into some cannabalistic thing here on the show??

Trish Milburn said...

I wonder if Dean being able to use the angel sword is related at all to the fact that he was able to kill the whore in last week's episode when he shouldn't have. Is the fact that he's Michael's vessel enough?

Natalie, I kind of agree with you. Dean was not sympathetic in this episode, and I almost feel like that not believing in Sam bit was simply put in there to heighten the tension -- or maybe it was foreshadowing. You know, when Sam is faced with the choice, we'll all be on the edge of our seats wondering which way he'll go.

I will admit to a bit of cheering at Zach's demise too. He was such a d*&k.

Trish Milburn said...

Maureen, I was squigged out by the previews for next week too. And is it just me, or does it seem late in the season to be having one of those stand-alone, non-apocalypse episodes? Maybe they felt they could do it because now there's another season -- which I admit I'm intensely curious about.

Natalie J. Damschroder said...

We can't infer anything from the promos. I read the writeup on IMDb (accidentally!) and next week's is most certainly NOT stand-alone! :)

Anonymous said...

I thought the acting was great in this (and also think the guy who plays their half bro is a good fit) but, oy, so bleak. My favorite part may have been when Dean winked at Sam just before killing Zachariah :-)

Trish, I've been noticing all season that the music seems to have faded some since earlier seasons. They don't seem to use it as often and I'm not usually as thrilled with their choices.

And about the "ew" on next week's scenes. I have to doublecheck, but I'm 99% sure I get recap next week. And my I think my last one was the "hunger" one. Aaaaaaah! I'm like the most squeamish person ever and I keep getting the ones that gross me out the most. Except a recap of strictly dialogue as I will probably have my eyes covered.

Natalie J. Damschroder said...

Re: the music--it dropped off after the second season because they kept getting ridiculous cuts to their budget and couldn't afford the use fees. This season seems to have had more than last, maybe the last two. It makes me more gleeful when we get it because it became so rare.

OMG Tanya you're right! That's so unfair, that you get all the ickiest episodes! Did you have Metamorphosis, too? That was the worst one last season, I think.

Anonymous said...

I was SO glad to see Dean's fighting spirit return! And Bobby didnt' die, as I feared. (Hopefully he stays that way.)

Zac is so loathsome. I cheered out loud when he was killed.

Loved that Cas carved the symbol into himself. Would've liked to have seen his chest for longer.

Unknown said...

Adam does look like he could be their brother. During one part when he looked up - he reminded me so much of John.
I've been missing the music too! It so weird that as the show seems to get more popular that they would cut the budget? The music was almost like a character in itself those first few seasons - now we have almost nothing!

Natalie J. Damschroder said...

Popularity doesn't necessarily translate. Season 3, especially with the writer's strike, was when it was first noticably absent, and then more in season 4--they don't get very much for a 30-second ad during Supernatural, and if expenses rise faster than revenue does...it's complicated, I guess.

MJFredrick said...

Pamela, YES! There was a scene at Bobby's, I think, where I thought he could be JDM's kid. Great casting on this show, along with everything else.

Anonymous said...

Pam - I miss the music too!