Supernatural S4E2: "Bobby, you're awesome."

“Are You There God? It's Me, Dean Winchester”

Being a girl with a religious studies major, I really like this season so far. We open with a scene of Olivia, a hunter, being attacked and murdered by ghosts. Meanwhile, Dean still refuses to believe in angels and/or god. Sam does believe, and even Bobby says nothing but an angel could have ripped Dean from hell. Dean is frustrated: “I don’t like being singled out at birthday parties, much less by God.” Sam replies, “Well, God wants you to strap on your party hat.” Man, do I love this show.

The boys read up on angels. Dean wants pie. On his way to get pie, Sam sees Ruby. She is terrified of Castiel, and warns Sam to watch himself. Sam replies that he’s not afraid of angels. He also forgets the pie, much to Dean’s consternation.

When Bobby tries to contact Olivia, they discover her bloodied corpse and learn that all of the hunters nearby are also dead. They figure out that a ghost killed Olivia, and moment later Agent Henricksen’s ghost attacks Sam, bitter and full of blame. Dean saves his little bro just in time.



As the episode continues, Bobby is attacked by two little girls who were apparently eaten by a monster while he stood on the other side of the door. Dean is attacked by Meg, who is the most interesting of the ghosts because she reminds us that the boys didn’t recognize that she was a human possessed by a demon. I had a flashback to Bobby’s disbelieving, “You boys can’t tell?” When the Winchesters did finally get around to exorcising Meg’s demon, the reason the poor girl died was because the brothers had thrown her out of a window earlier that week. So unlike the other ghosts, Meg’s death kind of was their fault.

Anyway, all of the ghosts are people that our favorite hunters couldn’t save, and they’re trying their damnedest to prey on that guilt. Oh, and Meg has a brand on her hand. Unable to fight off the ghosts, Bobby takes the boys downstairs to his panic room, which is made of solid iron walls coated in salt. It’s pretty awesome.



The gang has a debate about the existence of god. Dean can’t get behind the idea – there is no rhyme or reason to the world, good people suffer, how can god sit back and watch, the usual. After some brief research, Bobby finds that the brand on Meg’s hand is the mark of the witness. The ghosts were forced to rise. The mark figures into a little ancient prophecy known as Revelation, and is a sign of the apocalypse.

How can this not be the final season?

Back upstairs, Henricksen appears to Dean and reveals that, at the end of Jus In Bello, they didn’t all die in a flash of bright light – Lilith tortured them for a good 45 minutes first. This time it’s Sam’s turn to do the saving. The boys fend off ghosts while Bobby does a spell to release them. In the end, Castiel comes to see Dean, who complains that his guardian is a little late to the game. Castiel reminds him that angels are not protectors – he is a warrior, a soldier. (Just like Dean, ahem). The rising of the witnesses is one of 66 seals, broken by Lilith. Once the last seal is broken, Lucifer walks free. Dean sasses Castiel, but is sobered. So this is why “god” has sent his “angel army” to earth? Yikes!

“Show some respect,” Castiel commands. “I dragged you out of hell, and I can throw you back in.”