Saving a couple kids. Hunting a few Jefferson Starships. Angel trouble. A fight with destiny. You know, just another day in the life with the Winchesters.

Even though I saw this coming all the way back in episode 10, I still fell for the decoy. If this episode proved anything, it’s that the writers of the this series understand the concept that the magic is not real magic at all: it’s all about distracting the audience over here as the magician uses his slight of hand without anyone noticing.

The Winchesters are finally ready to hunt Eve. Dean only had enough phoenix ash in the bottle to make five shotgun rounds. Even with the slight assurance of having a possible fatal weapon to kill the Mother of All, eyebrows rose the moment Dean realized that it didn’t burn human skin. Was this a myth after all? There’s only one way to find out. The only problem is that they have no idea how to find her.

The comic relief in this episode reached the typical Dean/Castiel heights. This was a great decision on the writer’s part, considering the relationship between these two is about to get really crazy. And when I say crazy, I mean uncertain. The writers and creators of Supernatural are not blind. They know how much this relationship means to the fans. In both a platonic and non-platonic way (*wink*). And season 6 has done quite a service to this friendship. When they realize that the only way to find where Eve is hiding out is to find a monster willing to help them, Sam and Bobby look to Dean to call down Castiel for help.

Dean: Why does it always have to be me that makes the call, huh? It’s not like Cas lives in my ass. The dude’s busy. *Castiel appears behind him* Cas, get out of my ass!

Castiel: I was never in…your…

(Yeah, that’s not going to give the Destiel fans a fangasm…not at all.)

If the fans remember, one of the story lines introduced back in season 2 was that monsters may be monsters, but they are not all evil. This of course, has been a constant battle between the Winchesters ever since. Especially with Ruby. Last week, in “Frontierland”, we met a phoenix, that turned out not to be a bad guy. He was just avenging the death of his wife. This story line continues to be important as humans, demons and angels are throwing aside the rules of their species and working together to end this war. We also got to see the return of one of the monsters that Sam defended and saved back in Season 2. Lenor, a vampire that doesn’t consume human blood. Castiel brings her to Bobby’s and tells them the town that Eve is hiding out in, but not before pleading with Sam to kill her. Too slow at the uptake, Castiel does the honor.

Despite how “old school” this episode felt, just Dean and Sam Winchester hunting down another monster, we just crossed a very pivotal section of the storyline. They have never went after a monster quite like this one.

Can I just say that it’s wonderful to see Bobby out in the field so much again. It has been a relief to see Dean go back to being the Dean he always has been when Sam’s soul returned from Hell. But even I am shamed to admit that I missed how much Bobby has gone back to being Bobby: the veteran hunter that always has their back, whether he’s in a wheelchair or not. And we have been following Dean and Sam Winchester around for nearly six years, and we know their methods. Yes, they are resourceful and smart. But Bobby has picked up tricks after nearly a lifetime of hunting, and the Winchesters still have much to learn. But, that doesn’t mean that Bobby can’t catch up with modern times now and again.

Bobby: “I finally got the Police database. No thanks to this.” *holds up an iPad* “I asked for a computer.”

Sam: “It is a computer.”

Bobby: “No, a computer has buttons.”

I have made comment after comment about how appropriate the humor is in this series, and how much the writers know exactly what the fans love seeing. Not only humor that everyone can understand, but humor that also carries inside jokes that only the fandom can understand. Like the following example. The camaraderie humor that no series does better than Supernatural:

Bobby: “You think vampire was lying?”

Castiel: “I’ll search the town. Give me a moment.” *sits completely still*

Dean: “Cas, we can still see you.”

Castiel: “Yeah, I’m still here.”

Dean: “You don’t have to wait on us.” *Cas closes his eyes, trying again.* “Now it just looks like you’re pooping.”

Castiel: “Something’s wrong.

Dean: “What are you? Stuck?”

Castiel: “I’m blocked. I’m powerless.”

Dean: “You’re joking.”

Castiel: “Something in this town is affecting me. I assume it’s Eve.”

Dean: “So wait, mom’s making you limp?”

Castiel: “Figuratively, yes.”

Dean: “How?”

Castiel: “I don’t know how, but she is.”

Dean: “Well that’s great, because without your power you’re basically just a baby in a trenchcoat.” *Castiel looks out the window*

Sam: *whispers* “I think you hurt his feelings.”

Getting a lead to a strange medical patient who seems to be breeding and then dying all over the place, Dean and Sam investigate. It seems Eve hasn’t been up to anything good. Apparently, she has been creating new children at an alarming rate, using the town as a petri dish. Instead of making them the old fashion way, she has been creating two monsters in one by spreading a virus. And of course, Dean insists on a name for the vampire-wraith hybrids. “Jefferson starships. Because they’re horrible and hard to kill.” Don’t even get me started on this, except that I had to pause the episode for a full five minutes because I was laughing so hard.

There is no better way into Sam and Dean’s teddy bear hearts than two young kids, that just happened to be brothers. Being held prisoner by the Starships in the police station, Dean offers to drive them out of town to stay with family, where it’s safe. Castiel immediately pulls him aside. Although we have been hearing Castiel trying to get the Winchesters to understand exactly how important this war is all season, this is the first time that he truly tried to get through to Dean.

Castiel: “Dean, millions of live are at stake here. Not just two. Stay focused.”

Dean: “Are you kidding?”

Castiel: “There’s a greater purpose here.”

Dean: “You know what, I’m getting a little sick and tired of the greater purposes. I think what I’d like to do right now is save a couple of kids. If you don’t mind.”

When it comes to kids, there is no contest. It was an important moment between the two of them. A pivotal one. This is the moment a wedge started to drive them apart, of all the secrets that Castiel has been keeping and how much Dean refuses to listen to him.

While they are getting the kids to safety, Bobby and Castiel try and get the location of Eve from the Starship they captured. Even without his angelic moo, apparently Castiel is still a badass. All it takes is five minutes to get Eve’s location from him. Somehow, being a human and torturing a monster for information does not comfort my doubts about Castiel’s intentions. Dean and Sam head into the diner that Eve has been hiding out in as Cas and Bobby wait outside, as back up. Eve immediately senses their plans and takes away their phoenix ash bullets. So much for that plan…

Finally face to face with the mother of all monsters, the Winchesters are surprised to hear her defense. Her actions have not been to destroy, but to retaliate.

Eve: “My children hunted a few of you. You hunted a few of them, I was happy…my children, no thanks to you, started getting kidnapped and tortured. Even my firstborns. I was pushed into this. After all, a mother defends her children.”

Failing to believe her, Eve levels the playing field. What could be more disturbing for Sam and Dean Winchester than see their own mother as the creator of every monster in the world? The answer is nothing. Eve likes making a point, and to protect her children, there was no better impact that she could make. Although they are both her sons, their reactions have always been different seeing her face. Being only six months old, Sam doesn’t remember their mother before she died. The only contact he has had with her is with young Mary in the 70’s, and seeing older Mary in Heaven while in Dean’s memories. It may be Eve wearing a mask, but for a moment, he can’t look away from her face. Dean instantly reacts, looking away and about ready to wring her neck.

Eve: “She died to protect you, didn’t she? See, you understand a mother’s love. I’m no different.”

Although family may be their greatest weakness, I would advise any future monsters to not take advantage of that flaw. Their enemies over the years failed to realize exactly how pissed off it makes them. And how much more efficient it makes their planning.

I know I wasn’t the only one not surprised to hear the mention of Crowley again. As many of us expected, Crowley is very much alive and the Eve is gunning for him. Apparently, Crowley doesn’t want Purgatory just for the location. He wants it for the souls.

Eve: “Fuel. Each soul a beautiful little nuclear reactor. Put them together, you have the sun. Now think what the King of Hell could do with that vast untapped oil well. How powerful he’d be. Now Crowley wants to siphon off my supply, and torture my children to do it. Okay, fine. I’ll quite playing nice. I’ll turn you all.”

As we heard in the very beginning of this season, the story is all about human souls. When we first meet Balthazar in “The Third Man”, he comments on the importance of the human soul and how priceless it is. From that moment, I knew it would be important. These writers never throw in a comment like that without it being pivotal to the story. This season was always going to be about the worth of human souls.

Eve was quite pleased with herself, especially after her new and improved baby monsters were able to slip past a couple of the world’s best hunters. The little brother they saved, and drove to the next town. The one that infected his big brother, and then his uncle…and eventually the rest of the town. In their despair, Eve makes them an offer. Find Crowley, and she will let them live. Once again, it’s no surprise what their answer will be. Dean and Sam Winchester have learned and lived with the consequences of working with the non-human. Even with the lives of Castiel and Bobby in her hands, Dean refuses.

Dean: “Beat me with a wire hanger, the answer is still no.”

(Yup, a Mommy Dearest reference. Don’t you just love this show.)

For some reason I wouldn’t understand until only a few seconds later, Dean provokes Eve to “Bite me”. Apparently, she is not as familiar with just how smart the Winchesters could be when they are backed into a corner. Biting Dean in the neck, she immediately backs away, coughing on his blood…and the phoenix ash that he chased with a shot of whiskey. Goodnight, Mommy.

With Eve finally dead, Castiel instantly tamps into his angelic mojo again and kills all the Starships in the diner. Racing to the next town to stop the next Jefferson Starship outbreak, they find all three of them dead. Killed by demons. Dean and Sam catch Bobby and Castiel about Crowley still being alive and Castiel leaves immediately.

Even with the harsh words that Dean and Castiel have shared back and forth throughout this season, Dean is the only one refusing to believe that Castiel has anything to do with Crowley’s apparent “death”. After all, who would want to believe that an ally they have had for the passed 4 years would not only be keeping this many secrets from them, but be lying to them as well?

Next week’s episode is “The Man Who Would Be King” written and directed by Ben Edlund, writer of this season’s “Clap Your Hands If You Believe” and “The French Mistake”. It is also a Castiel-centric episode in which we finally find out the truth between the partnership that he has created with Crowley and exactly why he has been making these harsh choices all season long. Dean has put so much trust in Castiel over the last few years, that the truth is going to impact him more than the rest.

If what we are expecting is true, that Castiel had anything to do with bringing Sam back soulless, I have a feeling that Dean will never forgive him.

Make sure you don’t miss next week’s episode and Castiel’s fight with destiny.

Written by Candace Wilson. Find her on Twitter @J2sCandy and on Tumblr www.jaxthevampire.tumblr.com

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