Wow, if this isn't one of the most intense episodes of the past few seasons of Supernatural , I don't know what is! Tuesday night's supernatural episode, "Soul Survivor" (directed by Jensen Ackles!) follows Sam's efforts to transform his brother from Demon into a human. It's not easy. In fact, to say it's difficult is one of the biggest understatements in television history. The episode begins with Dean terrorizing his brother as he attempts to restore Dean's humanity, as Dean has no interest in becoming human again. He goes on and on about how he's going to kill Sam when he inevitably escapes. But Sam has been trying to cure Dean by injecting him with divine blood, as The Boys learned in season nine that's how to cure the demon Huon. The only problem with this treatment is: it could potentially harm Dean more than cure him, because it causes him tremendous pain. The time he was injected.
Sam calls Castiel for help, but the angel is busy for a while dealing with his deteriorating health and other matters (such as thwarting a possible romance with Hannah). Sam worries that he's killing Dean instead of helping him, and Castiel tells him that he has to prepare for the absolute worst outcome: Dean's death. Dean continues to try to trick Sam psychologically, telling him that he knows what Sam did while trying to find him. Flashbacks show Sam convincing a depressed man to sell his soul to get revenge on his wife in order to summon the Crossroads Demon and capture her in an attempt to gain information on Dean and Crowley's whereabouts. Dean tells Sam that Sam is a worse monster than himself.
Dean laughed at Sam and asked him if he would have the courage to do what was necessary if the demon cure didn't work. Is he willing to kill his brother? (Answer: There are no roads to hell, heaven, purgatory, or anywhere else). Sam said he had to keep trying because family was all they had. Dean replies in one of the episode's most heartbreaking moments: "And we got nothing." This line is powerful proof that there really isn't anything human inside the Devil's head. At this moment, it felt like healing was completely useless.
Damon later escaped from prison, thanks to the divine blood that made him human enough to break free of his chains. As he hunts Sam, the young Winchester continues to wonder if he can actually kill his brother, but of course, despite Dean's "Here comes Johnny" moment in The Shining - no Wrong, he broke a door with an ax - Sam couldn't stop killing him. Fortunately, Castiel arrived in time, subdued Dean, and helped Sam administer more treatment.
Finally, surprise! surprise! The treatment worked! It actually works! Regardless, we've only seen three episodes of Demonic Dean, though we imagine many more will feature the dehumanized old Winchester. I’m not complaining, thank the Lord he’s gone! (Perhaps his love of karaoke will endure, I pray for that trait.) Although Dean has been cured of his demonic streak, Castiel does remind Sam of an important fact: Dean still possesses Cain's imprint. Will this make him more susceptible to demonic weaknesses, or will we get a repeat of his growing bloodlust from season nine? If that's the case, Cole, who's bent on revenge, had better be on guard.
Image: Diyah Pera (2)/CW; thecwspn/Tumblr
