Supernatural - 2x9 "Croatoan" Rewatch
Added 2024-02-25 11:33:21 +0000 UTC
Comments
So these were in my notes last time when I wrote them:- My thoughts on this episode: Sam’s visions, wherever they are coming from, it- 1) got Sam to the place where the demons wanted them; since it seems to be a test to see if Sam was affected by this virus or not. 2) made sure that Dean would not actually kill the demon that was supposed to report back to the higher up demon or whatever, because Sam would prevent him from it. So, that is the purpose of giving Sam the vision ... Not sure whether you realize what the car means, it is a representation of Dean’s psyche/self. So when he gave the car to the Sarge, he had already given up, he was truly giving away his life. Also when you said Baby needs a wash, well ... that too was an indication of where Dean is at in his mental state, however you want to interpret it. This very obvious trope of using Baby's cleanliness as Dean's mental state was again used during Deanmon era - Baby was very dirty with a lot of accumulated trash in it, and the other one when Cas died in episode 13.01 where Baby was so shrouded with dirt that the angel Miriam wrote "bitch" on the mirror. When this episode aired in real-time, this was the mid-season finale. We had to wait for a month's hiatus to find out what John told Dean. So them leaving the ending where it was at - a major reveal as the cliffhanger - is par for the course for the show ...
rose mnor
2024-03-06 08:03:36 +0000 UTCI would say Azazel won the episode - he got what he wanted. He tested Sam to see if was immune, and he got that result. Sometimes the bad guys win episodes!
Sharon Owen
2024-02-26 14:23:32 +0000 UTCI see the visions as a way of Azazel connecting with Sam and his special kids. He had the vision to try and save Andy and his twin - because he doesn't want his special children being killed. The same with the one in a few episodes time with Ava. This one was a trap for Sam, so he could test if the Croatoan virus was going to affect him or not. I'm not sure why he had the vision in Home though as the demon wasn't directly involved. But it could be the strong connection he had with the place.
Sharon Owen
2024-02-26 13:57:43 +0000 UTCI think that too.
Michele
2024-02-25 23:08:32 +0000 UTCI love this Crossroad Blues too. I voted for it. I also love Croatoan. It's another meaty episode. I like it when the writer's show us what's going on inside our boys' heads. I have a slight issue with the writer for this episode. I've seen him in interviews and panels and behind the scenes stuff and he tends to discredit how much viewers care about the details. That he's okay with tweaking things to fit the story he wants to tell, even if it doesn't fit the lore, character stuff or logic gaps. Maybe some viewers don't, but many do. So, the fact that it turns out that the demons wanted to test Sam means that they wanted to make sure that he came to that town. They set it up for him. So how could they know for sure that Sam and Dean would come to the town and not some other hunters? Did they somehow make it so that Sammy had the vision? They needed him to be there and they needed him to get infected. How else could they make sure that he got there? There was nothing on the news about anything happening in that town. Nothing had happened yet. That was never explained. Could there be any way that they are able to influence Sam because of the demon blood Yellow Eyes gave him? Dean was really spiraling here. It could be because he was envisioning what he might have to do to Sam, and this was all too real with the fears he had about how it might go down. It was hitting too close to home for him. You'll see why they needed to test it in season 5. The End. It also comes up before then, I think.
Michele
2024-02-25 22:32:38 +0000 UTCAt least in the case, I always assumed the vision was sent to get Sam to that location so they could test him.
KAREN GAUCK
2024-02-25 20:04:31 +0000 UTCTotally agree that the demons won the episode.
AdoptDontShopPets
2024-02-25 18:45:10 +0000 UTCI looove this episode. But before I get into that, to answer your question about do we think Crossroad Blues is myth arc, mow or hybrid… I think either myth arc or hybrid. Because it absolutely leads us into the many many times and scenerios of the boys dealing with terrible consequences. Those actions of the boys led us to Dean in hell (needed for seals to break), which lead to Cas appearing which lead to them using free will and on and on. Would Dean have remembered about crossroad deals without this and seeing it happen? This case provided Dean with the way to save Sam. You made a great point (which I hadn’t actually looked at that way) about when John said that to Dean about Sam, maybe he meant Dean may have to kill him after Lucifer possessed Sam. For some reason, I always only looked at it from the viewpoint of before that. So you actually now made me not so firm on thinking it had to be demons who told john. hmmmm..... Re are Sam’s powers “good” since they can be used for good… I think Azazel was smart enough to make them appear that way… especially for Sam. He wasn’t about to give Sam a power that kills someone when he touches them, for instance. (Like the other special child had.) If they seemed evil, Sam would have not wanted to use them and would never try to develop them. That was Sam’s entire reason for trusting Ruby and doing anything to grow stronger. (which as we know is what broke the final seal.) My head canon of where the townspeople went is that they are infected and sent to spread it, but only once they are somehow demonically activated. Remember, that is what kicked off the apocalypse in The End. It wasn’t a showdown with Lucifer and Michael that started it… it was the virus. I think it was just a test run here in this town.. to one, make sure it worked and spread as desired, and two, make sure it wouldn’t affect Sam (and the other special children.). We even see Croatoan brought up iin the end of s5… that Pestilence bringing swine flu was never the goal… that their end game was the croatoan virus in the vaccines. This was all a piece of the much bigger plan. It breaks my heart how much Dean already wants to give up. (Though I can’t really blame him.) He has so much weight on his shoulders already, and it’s just going to get so much worse. I totally think this episode was myth arc… and unfortunately I think Azazel won this one.
BunkerGirl
2024-02-25 17:43:04 +0000 UTCYeah like you said it's hard to say how much was her idea or Singer's or even a compromise. I'd say Sera Gamble is definitely a good writer, not a very good showrunner though.
BexFangirl
2024-02-25 14:30:32 +0000 UTCOh and I could get behind Crossroads Blues being a motw, it feels like it for me. But I'd also be fine with hybrid, since it's so important for the arc of the season (if we look at starting the season with a demon deal and ending it with one.)
BexFangirl
2024-02-25 14:27:13 +0000 UTCI like this episode, especially the look into Dean's headspace we get once again. Regarding who one Croatoan I could also see arguments for both. My first thought would have been Sam, because he basically talked Dean out of shooting the guy (who yeah was a demon in the end, but a bullet wouldn't have changed anything, so...). But also he got Dean to finally talk to him more (which technically could also be seen as partly next episode, because we haven't seen it yet, but yeah) I do think the crossroads episode is a very important one and I like Dean's struggle we see there too. For my personal enjoyment that episode is an okay/good episode, but I'm not that big on wanting to rewatch it.
BexFangirl
2024-02-25 14:25:21 +0000 UTCI always wondered if the virus and the people really just go away like that or if (especially the sulfur traces in the blood) got manipulated/erased by the demon? Because he said that no evidence was left behind or no lose ends or something... But then the timeline for the people would be a little weird because they disappeared right after Sam got infected and not after the three hours which was when the demon would know that he was immune.
BexFangirl
2024-02-25 14:21:34 +0000 UTCI love this episode so much! 😄 someone gets infected - Dean: sorry but ur already dead. Sammy gets infected - Dean: anyone touch him and I’ll kill you all 😁😂 but seriously the plot line is so strong here with the gotta kill your brother before he goes darkside, and of course Dean won’t, but it’s the first time he is really facing it though. He was definitely suicidal tho, he is playing with his gun in a locked room, saying he is too tired to go on. And he just GAVE BABY AWAY TO A STRANGER! Poor boy is really in a bad place 😔 we definitely start to see how much they both depend on each other for strength. - Sam needed to be immune because the plan for the Croatoan virus was to decimate humanity worldwide to start the apocalypse. We see the effects in The End, but we also see the demons distributing the croatoan virus hidden in flu swine vaccines in 2 Minutes To Midnight (and Bobby, Cas and the boys have to blow up the factory to stop it.) If the virus was looses worldwide it’s just convenient for the vessel to be immune. -and I think the Azazel won this episode 😂 (even though he wasn’t on screen), Dean not shooting the boy might be a moral victory but it’s hardly a win and in the end only the doctor was saved 🤷🏻♂️ Great reaction Shelley, thank you! 😄👍🏻So glad you enjoyed this so much. The next episodes are standard motw to me but as always there are some awesome character moments to look forward to😄
MidnightSilver
2024-02-25 13:38:43 +0000 UTCSam:"it's over for me, it doesn't have to be for you, you can keep going, you can live!" Dean: "who said I want to?, I am tired of this job, this weight on my shoulder" This is only season 2 and he's already tired of the hunter life and wants to stop living!! Yet some people say this man was never suicidal, that's why dean's happy ending should've never been in death, it's so fucked up to deliver a message (intentionally or unintentionally) that your suicidal character can only find peace in death! I will never accept that or forgive the show runners for that, dean should've found joy/peace in life with the people who love him the most sigh. Yeah this episode is where dean says "you're a handsome devil but I don't swing that way" to a guy who is probably infected with the virus and would probably kill dean if he got out of the car, sarcastically throwing one liners like these in the face of his enemies to mask any fear and to come off as cocky and confident is the dean Winchester's trade mark, he does it all the time, in season 3 henriksen say something like "nothing makes me happier than seeing you in cuffs" and dean reply with "you kinky bastard we don't swing that way", it's just a defense mechanism to seem brave and unphased I actually like Sera gamble's writing a lot, I would say her and Ben edlund are my two favorites from the og team, I didn't like some of her decisions as a show runner in season 7 that's all, like the decision to kill both bobby and cas and to take supernatural back to the season 1 with Sam and dean alone isolated on the road and burn bobby's house and the whole Leviathan thing, although tbf she wasn't the sole show runner, she was co show runner with Bob singer so it's hard to say what was her and what was singer's but as a writer she rocks
Hasnaa
2024-02-25 13:23:06 +0000 UTCI would say that crossroad blues is a hybrid. It may be a monster of thr week and have nothing to do with the A plot of the season, but it is massively important to the narrative of deals with demons this season, and is more lore and attention on the subject leading to deans deal which is a massive turning point in the whole series, so for me it’s a hybrid
Kit
2024-02-25 13:15:02 +0000 UTC
