Hallelujah! Part two of S8 is full steam ahead! Written by Jenny Klein (@jennydelherpes) “Torn and Frayed” gives us(the fandom)everything! The Winchester men sorting out their issues, Castiel (Misha Collins)randomly helping mankind and unfortunately, closure with Benny(Ty Olsson) and Amelia(Liane Balaban for now. Let’s sort out this episode, shall we?
Castiel healing a crying child touched my heart. This is the REAL Cass to me: simple, kind, fixing boo boos. The puzzle surrounding Naomi (Amanda Tapping) continues after she yanks Cass back to Heaven, instructing him to rescue Samandiriel (Tyler Johnston). She emphatically demands that Heaven nor she can take credit but that it’s Castiel’s idea. So our choices regarding Naomi are: 1) is Naomi a “good” angel, on the up and up, working for God, Heaven and humans or 2) is she something dark? What do you think fandom? Let me know!
Dean knocks on Sam’s motel door and Sam almost slams it shut. Thus starts tonight’s “As the Winchesters Turn” soap. Sam is still righteously angry at Dean who admits that using Amelia as a lure was wrong. I don’t think that Dean realized how deeply Sam feels for Amelia. Sam’s reaction seems to gut punch him but it also starts Dean thinking about clean breaks which is woven through all the relationships in this episode. Such an impasse here with Dean protecting Benny and Sam protecting his emotions. After Dean leaves, Amelia shows up where the most believable scene between she and Sam takes place. I’ve truly not felt a real connection between Sam and Amelia but Jared, Liane, Jenny and director Bob Singer made this touching and real. After the love fest ends, Amelia gently draws a line in the sand for Sam: come back and we’ll be together. Don’t and that’s the end. A clean break.
Cass seeks out Dean who is sleeping with a beer bottle. Rousing Dean by watching him sleep gets the “it’s just creepy, Cass!” Proudly Cass lets Dean know that he’s been doing good, doing penance but that Samandiriel needs to be rescued. Lying that he heard the angel’s cries for help over angel radio, Castiel’s demeanor changes. This angel doesn’t want to lie and certainly not to Dean.
I have to call Samandiriel’s (aka Alfie’s) torture scenes the worst/best of the season. I closed my eyes during the screw tightening, it was horrible! Thumbs up to Mark Meloche, (@rotomonkee), VFX supervisor for the wonderful awfulness! Viggo the torturer finally hits an angelic nerve. Samandriel screams for help, which ignites a bush and catches a man on fire but not before he hears Samandiriel speaking. From a religious point, God spoke to Moses in the form of a burning bush. From Klein’s eyes, this is a Monty Pythong reference. The down low here is this hardrive contains sensitive angel info, most damaging to Heaven and the angels.
Cass and Dean pop in on Kevin who’s working tirelessly to decode the demon tablet. Mrs. Tran is a distraction so Kevin has sent her away which strikes a chord for Dean. Kevin can’t enjoy life until he finishes his given task. Dean compares their lives instantly: John possibly left his boys for the very same reason. Kevin banishes his Mom and Dean can’t have close relationships while he still has a job to do. On the other hand, Sam tries to have a life outside of hunting, a trait that Dean covets. Cass makes an angel run for demon TNT ingredients and picks up Sam also. Sam promises to leave as quickly as Samandiriel is returned.
Entering a deserted factory, the guys destroy the angel sigils which allows Castiel to enter and also gives the Winchesters new anti-angel mojo. Cass continues to flashback to Naomi’s torture sessions and Samandiriel’s screams physically hurt Castiel. In the end, Cass bleeds from his eye which appears to be where Naomi probed him. Remember when Anna was “reprogrammed” and tortured? Could this be happening to Cass? We’re also seeing a less powerful, more vulnerable angel which Jeremy Carver, Supernatural show runner has stated would evolve. Thoughts anyone?
Crowley (Mark Sheppard) vamooses before the three break in to destroy the demons. Cass whisks Samandriel off with Naomi in his ear, forcing Cass to kill him. Samandiriel pleads Naomi’s case, he’s been compromised, given out information that would hurt the angel squad. He basically begs Cass to “kill me”! With severe regret, our lovely angel does stab Samandiriel. Naomi demands that his body be returned to Heaven so Cass does just that. No black wingspread for Samandriel, just a whoof as the two disappear. I hope that this isn’t the last of Alfie! He was homespun and sweet! So more questions: why did S’s body need to be returned, will he come back and who IS Naomi?
In the middle of this melee, Dean commits to seeing Benny, to help him out of the vamp’s “rough patch”. But in the end, Dean breaks it off cleanly. He tells Benny, “This is it, the end of the line.” Benny accepts this with his head bent and a “Thanks for the ride” response. I’m hoping that the next meeting between the three will not end badly. For now, a clean break between Dean and Benny. Sam chooses to also break with Amelia, not going back within the time frame the two had set earlier. For me, Sam truly chose the high road, he sacrificed his feelings with respect and in response to what Amelia said to him. So this relationship is done.
This episode embodies emotions, relationships and endings. Klein wrote an excellent story. For Castiel, I hope that we see him sooner than later. The story ends with Dean and Sam, comfortable in their roles as brothers but no beer clink to celebrate a job well done. There’s no talking about their personal stuff or explaining, “yeah, Benny is gone, done” or “I won’t be seeing Amelia ever again.” Clean breaks…. really nothing more to say. Til we LARP tonight…. stay supernatural!
In the Supernatural Hunt 