God, Can You Hear Me?

Episode Commentary: Good God, Y’all

Hell has come to earth. Their friend and mentor, Bobby, is recovering from a self-inflicted knife wound and what do Sam and Dean do – go on vacation – Winchester style. In the last episode of “Supernatural,” Castiel infuses the brothers with Enochian sigils to hide them from the angels. We learn that he’s cut off from his heavenly powers and in the interim, searches for God using Dean’s mystical GPS amulet.

After bringing on Armageddon and with Bobby temporarily out of commission, the boys go to a small town to help out one of Bobby’s demon hunting pals. It seems that the town believes its demon infested.

One problem: it’s not.

Humans are picking each other off to a fantastic soundtrack and the boys’ witty banter (supplied by Sera Gamble) is as apt as ever. As the songs and dialogue become companion commentators on the town’s condition, Sam and Dean have to deal with this messed up town.

In a place reminiscent of Raccoon City, the boys meet up with fellow demon hunter Ellen, who gives them the appropriate familial greeting. In the meantime, the Winchester family dynamic is at work. There are still brotherly trust issues between Sam and Dean. After all, through all of season four Sam was feeding off demon blood and chose his addiction over his resurrected brother.

This wouldn’t be “Supernatural” if there weren’t some serious action-packed fighting scenes – and blood – lots of blood. But it’s the fallout from the mistaken demon-possessed townspeople on a grandiose, oedipal scale that is the most heart-wrenching.

The scenes between Ellen and her daughter are traumatic and as the realization of what the people did to each other settles, as we see that one of the horsemen of the apocalypse has been manipulating these events all along.

Once again, it’s difficult to tell the good from the bad guys. And Sam yet again has a choice to make.

What makes this show work so well is the aftermath of the episode. In order for Dean and Sam to work like the well-oiled machine again, they have to reconcile the previous season while dealing with the hell they created.

Will Dean trust Sam again? Will Sam be able to trust himself? The way this plays out in the following weeks will be an intriguing adventure for both the characters and viewers – stay tuned.