S11E09 insta-reaction post

[amberdreams]

Spoilers, obviously.

O Brother Where Art Thou?  Where indeed...

I was sitting there watching with my customary interested neutrality (customary since Season 7) when I was hit with a tingle of Feels during the Amara Dean scene by the lake. When she moved closer to him and opened her mouth, as if she was about to suction his soul, then kissed him instead - I don't now, something about that moment (putting aside the obvious desire of all of us to lip-lock Dean) really got to me.

Plus it has me wondering even more whether Amara didn't take Dean's soul in that moment because she already has it (or their souls - if God and his sister have one? - are somehow merged). Hence he can sense when she is near.

And then I got even more Feels when Sam faced Lucifer and finally found out that his visions were not from God but Hell-sent by the Devil. And that, my dears, broke me alongside Sam.  I've been saying all along that it made no sense for God to be talking to anyone, let alone Sam, and that we were never given enough information about what Sam had seen in order to make our own theories - so this denouement made perfect sense to me, knowing it was Lucifer all along, influencing Sam from inside his cracked cage. And it did make sense for the return of the Darkness to have caused some upset in Hell, and the Cage to be weakened to some extent.

There are still lots of questions, for instance -

• Where's Michael in all this? (And Adam)

• Where exactly are Sam and Lucifer right now? Because they don't appear to be in the actual Cage - which makes sense if the Cage can only be opened by someone possessing all the Horsemen's rings. (Though of course, the current writers may well have forgotten that, or be planning to subvert it).

• Or I suppose, more to the point, where is Sam's body? Is Sam physically inside this pseudo cage with a physical/non physical manifestation of Lucifer? I'm guessing Lucifer isn't actually there, and he does indicate that his form isn't real (would go up in a puff of smoke topside, which is partly why he needs Sam). So maybe neither Sam nor Lucifer are physically there. Damn, this is starting to sound a bit like Schrödinger's cat!

• Surely Lucifer won't torture Sam's body, because Lucifer wants/needs a strong, vital vessel. Unless Lucifer believes he can heal any physical harm he does to Sam, when and if he gains possession of said vessel.

• How much has the Cage been weakened? Will the cracks get bigger?

• And of course, how are they going to get Sam out? And what state is he going to be in when they do?

Both Jared and Jensen were excellent in this episode. Amara is intriguing – her sincerity, her terrifying power and the depth of her desire to find God, combined with that particular actress’ sculptural look is a great combination. I really like the way they are writing this so that Amara’s seeking is shown alongside humanity’s seeking for God, letting us draw whatever parallels we chose. Both Crowley and Rowena had a real purpose in moving the story along. Similarly, the disposable angels were there for a reason, so it worked. Having Castiel absent also worked, because he had no role to play and therefore would have been a distraction.

I don’t think the episode was necessarily one of the best ever, but it was gripping, and worth watching just for the Dean and Amara scenes, and the Sam and Lucifer ones.

I’m really excited for all the possibilities for the rest of this season.

Comments

[kazluvsbooks.livejournal.com]

For a mid season finale, i thought it was excellent!

Re the cage: the spell just transferred Lucifer from one cage to another. A more neutral zone. Michael and Adam are still in original cage.

The whole cast knocked it out of the park, gosh they are good.

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

So you think Lucifer is actually in Crowley's cage? Because if it was that easy, why didn't the demons who were trying to spring Lucifer for all those years just transfer him then let him out of the new cage?

I get the feeling I'm over thinking this. Ha ha ha!

[sinfulslasher]

The way I understood it, Lucifer was basically summoned into Crowley's cage by Rowena, thanks to a spell found in the Book of the Damned. Since she is the only one who could read/decipher it, none of the other demons would've been able to get Lucifer out of his "real" cage that way.

So my theory is, Lucifer is actually in Crowley's cage (supposedly held by the wards...until he just "turned them off" and transferred Sam into the cage with him). I also think Sam is there in person/body. With the wards no longer working, Lucifer could possess Sam and then saunter outta there.

Fun times ahead! I really hope we get to see Samifer again. Jared was awesome in that role.

Considering who wrote this ep, I was more than a little surprised how damn good it was. Seriously, when I saw the names of The Duo That Shall Not Be Mentioned, I was like, "awww man, dammitalltohell." But! They actually managed to write a good script (for the most part).

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Indeed, the Terrible Twosome actually didn't cock it up totally, thank goodness!

Mmm I'm not sure if Lucifer actually has a physical form at all at the moment, given that there's no need for him to be in a human vessel in Hell - that's for television LOL. So if he is in Crowley's cage presumably it's in his angel true form - or it's an illusion/his spirit? IDK.

[kazluvsbooks.livejournal.com]

yes ditto to this :D

[herminekurotowa.livejournal.com]

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Exactly! LOL

[amypond45.livejournal.com]

Great review! I'm still processing, and am most intrigued by why Amara couldn't suck out Dean's soul (it seemed like she was a little surprised when that happened?) Maybe he's not human any more?

It seemed to me that Sam was there physically, the way he was in "Taxi Driver," and the way Lucifer talked it sounds like he'll be possessing Sam pretty soon (which will be hella fun for Jared!) I'm guessing since Sam already said yes once, he can't exactly take it back. Once a vessel, always a vessel, right?

Which still leaves the question of how Sam (or Lucifer!Sam) will get out of the cage (as I'm pretty sure he will!)

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

I think Sam is physically somewhere in 'a' cage in Hell but I don't think he's in The Cage - because it was a different cage from the one we've been seeing in Sam's visions (and he'd recognise it, wouldn't he?), plus if it was that easy to get Sam into the real cage, surely it couldn't be that hard for Lucifer to get out. Also, if Sam is possessed by Lucifer, he then doesn't have to escape from The Cage because Sam isn't in it. If you see what I mean.

[caranfindel.livejournal.com]

I think Sam would have to say yes again. Gadreel asked his vessel after he was evicted from Sam, even though the vessel had said yes before.

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

Good point.

[madebyme-x.livejournal.com]

I enjoyed the heck out of this episode, there were a few nitpicks, but I was gripped too!

For me the episode flew by, and on the whole the balance of the story lines worked, and they held my full attention and everyone had a purpose for being there under one story line. I really enjoyed the Dean and Amara scenes, I thought Jensen did a great job of showing how conflicted Dean is; there's an obvious bond and attraction to her that he seems powerless to resist ("I can't be resisted"), but at the same time he clearly knows he shouldn't be feeling it and he's wary and unsure of her motivations, as we all are. Loved it.

I was so grossed out by how perfectly revolting and manipulative Lucifer was - I love to hate him! Mark P was perfect and I was delighted to see him again, because this whole story line would have sucked without him (and didn't he say something about needing a meatsuit because topside he'd be smoke, so I guess he's some kind of hell embodiment of Lucifer's last meatsuit or something, which I'll take because I want Mark P and not some other meatsuit or possessed demon etc.)

Sam's single man tear broke me, and while Lucifer being behind the visions wasn't a total surprise, the emotional turmoil and trauma of Sam was enough to keep me riveted and horrified. SAM!!!

Have Rowena and Crowley set Sam up? Or do the three of them have a back up plan? (Rowena did seem calm and collected when those wards failed) Will Cas save the day? I can't wait to find out. Bring on January!

[amberdreams.livejournal.com]

"didn't he say something about needing a meatsuit because topside he'd be smoke" - yes he did, and I was like you - I took it to mean he isn't currently in a meatsuit, just projecting the appearance of one (for TV and for Sam LOL). I'm all over the place in what I'd like to see because I'd love more of Mark's Lucifer, but obviously we won't get that if Sam says yes...and part of me also wants Sam to say yes because that could be a great story line (with the potential of leading us towards the End Verse) and I did love Jared's Samifer BUT then we'd lose out Broments because it would pit Dean and Amara against (possibly) Lucifer and God.

But then again - whoa! How awesome would THAT be?