Supernatural 8x22 "Clip Show"

A return to the classic Supernatural opening, sort of, this week, with a couple young people seemingly having a nice old time until something goes terribly wrong. Of course, it turns out that one of the young people in question is all the way back from season one's wendigo episode. That was only episode two of the entire series! Wow. Anyway, the dude ends up dead from like, bleeding eyes and a possibly exploding head. Dun dun dun!

Dean, I'm sorry for all the subtext.

Meanwhile, back at the bunker, Sam and Dean are in full research mode, trying to figure out what it could mean to cure a demon, per the third trial on the demon tablet. Castiel is moping around like a kicked puppy, begging forgiveness from Dean, the ever grudge-holder. Good luck with that unless you're about to kick the bucket.

They find something in the archives, though, that appears to be helpful. A video of an old exorcism from back in the '50s labeled "Weird!!!" Basically, this priest is doing an exorcism, but in a different way than normal. Namely, some different Latin and by also cutting his and and slamming his blood into the demon's mouth.

Not clear what exactly happened, but the point was he was trying to "cleanse" the demon or something, which we can take to mean "cure" in this case, I suppose. Later, he does a similar thing to another demon, only pumping him full of his own purified blood while doing the exorcism stuff, which apparently eventually gets the demon to be more empathetic again, then does the bloody hand face Latin, and voila, demon cured? Unclear on what happens to the person they were possessing though if they can just keep hanging out in the body.

Rather hilarious they needed popcorn for this.

Now that they have all of this info, they figure it's time to get themselves a demon to try it out on and finish the trials. Dean figures they should use one they already know the whereabouts of, so they dig up Abaddon from some episodes back and put humpty dumpty back together again. Well, except for her hands. Those, they cut off.

However, before they can get to the ritual, they get a phone call from Crowley, and here is where they act like FOOLS. FOOLISH FOOLS! They leave Abaddon alone in this warehouse, thinking she is down for the count because her hands are cut off and she has a devil's trap bullet in her head. Right. She is able to move her hands outside of her body and pulls the bullet out of her head. Dummies! Never leave demons alone!

They're about to be epic stupid. Sigh.

Anyway, their phone call with Crowley basically amounts to him telling them that people they've helped save in the past are turning up dead, and that they should check it out. They find another past save dead, and Crowley then tells him he's going to keep killing these people every 12 hours unless the boys decide to give him the demon tablet and quit doing the trials. Yeah, sure, that's gonna happen.

They say as much, so Crowley directs them to his next victim, none other than fan favorite Sarah from way back in season one. They think they've got it covered by putting up devil's traps and all other demon warding stuff, but when the time comes, she starts choking to death. Turns out, it was a spell. They search the room frantically for the hex bag that must be there, but alas, are unable to find it. Sarah is dead meat, which makes Sam feel really terrible, particularly when he finds out she's married and has a kid who's almost one year old. Ah, shizz. Another girl bites the dust. Never kiss Sam, kids, if you want to survive.

Crowley has some words that hit rather close to home for the boys - namely that the only reason the hunting they've done in their lives has had meaning was because of the people they saved, and when you take that away, what do they really have anymore? Sam is feeling rather defeated after all of this and thinks maybe they should just take the deal, but Dean says NO SIR, WE SHALL FIND A WAY! And maybe they will, when they're not being stupid and leaving super powerful demons alone to outsmart them. JEEZ.

Meanwhile! Castiel wants to make amends with Dean, so he decides to go to the local mini mart and basically get Dean's dream package - jerky, Busty Asian Beauties, beer, toilet paper... he even attempts to get him some pie, but we all know that Dean never actually gets his pie, so Cas is sadly thwarted in his good efforts. Metatron shows up before he throttles the kid at the convenience store for not having any pie and tells him that he's not so happy with what Heaven's become lately, and he thinks they should perform the trials to close the gates so the angels can figure their shit out.

The angel he wants to perform the trials? Castiel, of course, a fellow free thinker. The problem is, the first trial consists of Cas having to kill/pull out the heart of a Nephilim. You know, a child of an angel and a human. Apparently only one exists in the world. Cas doesn't want to do it, as it's not her fault, but when they follow her later, she gets rather uppity and tries to kill them, going all glowy eyed and strong-armed. So, he shoves his angel sword through her throat. Does that count as completing the first trial, because nothing really seemed to happen to him like it did to Sam after he completed his.

Random Thoughts:

- Are people outraged about Sarah's death? Is it the writers just playing into the whole thing about anyone whoever got it on with Sam in any way ends up dead? I just think it's sad that really the only girl that anyone ever liked with Sam on this show has now finally ended up dead. Also, her face looked crazy skinny. RANDOM!

- I got a laugh out of the call coming in from 666 being Crowley. One thing you can say about Crowley, he certainly has style.

- How did Crowley get the hex bag in their phone anyway? Hmm. Not sure about that.

- I mean. Boys. You really left Abaddon alone? Come on, son!

- Apart from Sarah, the people chosen to represent the past saves dying were kind of random. Maybe that was the point? Wonder if they actually chose those ones on purpose or if they had to scout around for which actors were available and did it that way?

Quotes:

Castiel: I like this bunker. It's orderly.

Sam: So, we have a dungeon.
Dean: Finally.

Castiel: Where's the pie?
Merchant: I think we're out.
Castiel. No, you don't understand. I need pie.

Sam: This is gonna be disgusting.
Dean: Uh huh.

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