All Hell Breaks Loose: Part I Review

 

The first half of the season finale begins with this episode, and as usual, much of the time is spent setting the stage for the showdown in the second part of the story. That doesn’t mean that the episode lacks tension or revelation; there’s a healthy dose of both. It’s closer to the truth to say that the pace is measured to build towards something much bigger.

In keeping with the season arc and the nature of the series itself, this episode focuses on Sam and his role in the demon’s plans. Logically, Dean’s part of the story is directly dependent on what happens with Sam, since Dean’s obligations and notions of self-sacrifice are tied to their father’s insistence that Dean take Sam down if he changes sides. Sam must make a choice before Dean’s path is entirely clear.

The episode is designed to take Sam down the path to his decision point, and that means quite a bit of juicy and surprising exposition from the yellow-eyed demon. In retrospect, the demon’s plan is relatively straightforward. He has an army in mind, and he needs a leader for that army. He chose an entire generation and seeded specific individuals with his own blood to give them demonic abilities.

Logically, the demon is thinking straight: he needs to find the right person for the job, but once that happens, he can’t have the leadership undermined by in-fighting. Hence the competition in this episode. Sam appears to be his favorite (perhaps related to whatever past history the demon had with Mary), and everything he’s done from Jessica to Meg to the present has been a matter of training and testing.

In the process, the demon adds some intriguing information to the mix. Apparently this is not the first time he’s prepared a generation to battle in his name, which could tie into the connection with Mary as well. This plays very nicely into the generational aspect of the series, beginning with John Winchester’s decision to train his sons in the business.

The fight for control took a bit of time, and it was easily the least interesting aspect of the episode. That’s not to say it was without merit; it just took some time to gain momentum. The finalists were a nicely diverse bunch, and their eventual fates were directly dependent on character traits, not stereotypes. It makes perfect sense that the two soldiers would be the last two standing.

Sam’s choice comes in the final act, when he eventually gains advantage and has the opportunity to win the contest. It’s underplayed, and may not represent the final statement on the issue, but Sam consciously chooses not to kill Jake. This is a critical point, because for all that Dean was terrified at what he might have to do, in the end he’ll feel responsible that he wasn’t able to protect Sam when it counted.

The war is still gearing up, because as Dean discovered, the hunters are now the hunted. This could serve two goals. First, the support system is being wiped out. But more importantly, this could explain where the demon is getting his army. What if the demon plans to use the souls of dead hunters as his army in the coming war? Given the end of this episode and what has happened since the season premiere, it would be devastating. But it would also set Dean against John and Sam, which would be thematically pleasing and more than worth it.