(As I mentioned in my post announcing this rewatch project,Β there will be spoilers!)
Season 4, Episode 3: In The Beginning
I remember this episode!
Dean is sleeping in a motel and Sam sneaks out. I hate that Sam is keeping a secret like what heβs up to with Ruby from Dean!!
Sam meets up with Ruby and they drive off.
Dean wakes up from a nightmare of his time in Hell.
βHello Dean.β Castiel! βWhat were you dreaming about?β
Dean asks what he wants. Castiel tells Dean he has to stop it. Stop what? Dean asks. Castiel reaches out and touches Deanβs forehead, and he wakes up on a park bench. A cop tells him to move it along.
Dean grabs his phone but canβt get a signal. He heads into the diner across the road and we see from the bench sign that heβs in Lawrence (where he grew up!).
He sits beside a man in the diner and asks where he is. Like, what city and state? The man tells him heβs in Lawrence, Kansas and asks if heβs okay. Dean tells him he had a tough night. The man orders a coffee for Dean.
Dean pulls out his phone and asks the man where he can get reception.
The man laughs. βThe USS Enterprise.β
Dean gives him a look and thanks the man who brings over his coffee. Seeing his clothes, Dean laughs and tells him nice threads. βYou know Sonny and Cher broke up, right?β
The man beside Dean looks surprised. βSonny and Cher broke up?β Dean looks around and realizes something isβ¦different. He sees the date on the newspaper: April 30, 1973!
Someone calls out βWinchester!β Dean and the man beside him both turn.
Β The old man who called out was talking to the man beside Dean. He calls him John. Dean is sitting beside young John Winchester! Who seems to be a little creeped out by Dean staring at him.
βDo we know each other?β he asks Dean.
Β βI guess not,β Dean says, taking a sip of coffee.
Young John tells him to take it easy and leaves. Dean stares after him.
As young John walks down the street, Dean follows him. He turns a corner and meets Castiel. Dean asks if itβs real and Castiel says very. He says time is fluid, itβs not easy, but they can bend it occasion. Dean asks what heβs doing there.
βI told you, you have to stop it.β
Stop what?Β But Castiel disappears again.
We see young John at a car lot, ready to buy a VW van. Dean shows up and tells him thatβs not the one he wants.
Dean says he was just passing by, and never got to thank him for the coffee. He wants to repay the favour, and points young John to a 1967 Impala. He pops the hood and tells young John all about it. John is easily convinced.
Dean asks what heβs buying the van for β and young John says he promised someone.
John sticks out his hand and introduces himself to Dean, shaking his hand. Dean gives his name as Dean Van Halen, lololol.
Young John checks out the car some more. Dean tries to ask about cold spots and sulphur, but young John doesnβt know what heβs talking about. Dean tells him to watch out for himself, and walks away.
When the salesman comes back out, young John says heβs taking the Impala.
We see him pull up to a house, driving the Impala. Yes!
Dean follows, in an old car, watching. A young blonde girl comes out of the house and sees the car. Young John calls her Mary. Itβs Sam and Deanβs mom!
Later young John and young Mary are inside a diner, with Dean watching from outside.
Theyβre talking about young Maryβs dad, who seems to have a problem with John. Mary tells him her dad is just being protective. Sounds like John is a mechanic, from a family of mechanics. While Mary says sheβll be right back, we see John pull a ring out of his pocket!
βWhy are you following us?β Young Mary confronts Dean outside.
She punches him! She says she saw him outside her house. Dean grabs her arm and sees a charm bracelet with some familiar symbols. βAre you a hunter?β he asks. Mind blown!!
John and Mary pull up to Maryβs house. They kiss goodnight and John drives off. Dean approaches her and Mary says sheβs not sure that he should come in. But he does.
He meets Maryβs parents β his grandparents. Maryβs dad says he doesnβt trust other hunters.
How precious is it that Maryβs parents are named Samuel and Deana?? Sam and Dean!
Deana says sheβs inviting Dean to dinner and tells him to wash up. We see them seated around the table eating. Samuel asks Dean if heβs working a job. He says maybe, telling Samuel he doesnβt trust other hunters either. They share a look.
Mary asks why he was following her and John. Dean says he thought something was after her boyfriend.
Uh oh, Deana laughs at the idea of John Winchester mixing it up with spirits. We hear that Samuel doesnβt think much of John Winchester. Deana tells them to cut it out.
Dean asks Samuel if heβs working a job. Mary tells Dean about it. Sounds like there are some demonic omens going on. Dean gets a sense of what it was like to work a job without modern conveniences like the internet. Samuel doesnβt want Dean working the job with him.
We see Mary and Samuel working the job. Samuel is dressed as a priest, and Mary goes off to talk to someone in the front yard. When Samuel gets to the front door, it turns out that Dean has already beat him to the scene β Dean is inside, also dressed as a priest! Dean introduces Samuel as his associate, who offers his condolences on her husbandβs death.
Dean leaves them and goes over to young Mary, who is talking to Charlie, the dead manβs son. Charlie tells them that his dad drank sometimes, got rough with his mom sometimes. A stranger showed up a week ago β it sounds like Charlie made a deal with a crossroads demon, who said he could make the beatings stop.
Dean asks Charlie if the stranger asked for anything in return. Charlie says he made a comment about coming to call in ten years, and says maybe heβll want something then. Yup. Crossroads deal.
Charlie doesnβt know what he wanted. Mary and Dean walk away. Dean says he pimped his soul to a demon and doesnβt even know it.
Mary goes back and asks Charlie what the stranger looked like. When Charlie describes him, he says for a moment he could have sworn his eyes were yellow. Thatβs Azazel!!
Back at Maryβs house, Dean tells them about this demon. Samuel says theyβve never heard of a demon with yellow eyes. Dean says he has, and it killed his family. Dean says theyβre all in danger, and heβs gonna kill it. He tells them about the Colt. Samuel clearly thinks itβs a fairy tale, but Dean tells them itβs real. Dean pulls out Johnβs journal, which has a list John made of anyone he thought came into contact with Azazel.
When Samuel sees that some of the dates havenβt happened it, Dean plays it off and says his dad can see the future. They find a date showing where Azazel will strike next, somewhere three miles away.
Dean says he knows they think heβs crazy, but he knows where this demon will be and he will stop it.
He finds Mary listening to records and goes to say goodbye. He tells her, for what itβs worth, it doesnβt matter what his dad thinks β he likes John Winchester. He thinks theyβre meant to be.
He asks her what John is like. Mary tells him that heβs sweet and kind, which is clearly not the kind of John Winchester Dean knows. βHeβs everything a hunter isnβtβ.
She knows that John is going to propose to her. She thinks it will happen tomorrow. She is excited and says she loves him, and then she says she wants to get out of this life β the hunter life. She wants a family and to be safe. HEARTBREAKER!
She says the worst thing she can think of is for her children to be raised into this life like she was. She wonβt let it happen. Oh boy.
Dean tells her that even if this sounds really weird, will he promise her on November 2, 1983, donβt get out of bed. No matter what she hears or sees. She looks a little shaken but says ok.
Dean leaves.
That night, we see him driving to the location written in his dadβs journal. Suddenly Castiel appears beside him.
Dean asks him why not bring Sam back here? Castiel says Dean had to do this alone. And Sam is not looking for Dean right now. Dean asks if he does this, does the family curse break? Mom and Dad live happily ever after?
Castiel says if Dean alters the future, they will never become hunters and all the people they saved will die. Dean says he realizes. And he cares, a lot, but these are his parents. He isnβt going to let them die again. Not if he can stop it.
But Castiel is gone again.
Dean breaks into Daniel Elkinsβ safe, stealing the Colt so he can kill the demon. Elkins pulls a gun on him and tells him to leave. Dean tells him heβs a hunter and needs the gun just for a few days. He needs it to save his family. He tells him to shoot, if he wants to stop him.
Dean tells him about the Campbells β hunters in Lawrence β thatβs where the gun will be when heβs done with it. Elkins lets him go.
We see Samuel, Mary, and Deana cleaning guns and Samuel tells her about Dean heading out to kill some demons. It turns out the person in trouble is a friend of Maryβs. She gets upset and says they have to go help.
We see the demon trying to make its deal with Maryβs friend β yellow eyes! Before it can, Samuel bursts in and shoots the demon. But of course that doesnβt kill it. The demon throws Samuel against the wall and then Mary shows up, attacking the demon! Then Dean walks in, aiming the Colt at the demon while he uses Mary as a shield. Then the demon throws her aside and smokes out.
Outside, Dean asks what the demon said to Mary. Samuel comes out and asks Mary if sheβs ok. She just wants to get out of there. Dean is pissed off at himself that the missed the shot, didnβt get the demon. But Samuel says he did a good job in there.
Dean tells Samuel he needs to talk to him alone β and we see him telling Samuel that if they donβt kill this demon, Mary will die. Dean tells Samuel the truth β he knows it will sound crazy, but heβs from the future, Mary is his mother, and Samuel is his grandson. His name is Dean Winchester and he was born in 1979. His parents are Mary and John Winchester and Mary gets killed by a yellow-eyed demon in 1983. If they donβt catch it and kill it now, Mary will die.
Outside, we see Mary and John. She tells John to take her away, now. He looks a little confused.
Inside, Dean is trying to prove to Samuel that he isnβt making this up. Samuel says thereβs something about Dean β he believes him. He asks how they find the demon. Dean says with the list in Johnβs journal. Samuel asks about the Colt β Dean takes it out.
Samuel asks to see the Colt, but Dean pushes it away, saying he doesnβt let anyone else hold it. Samuel insists β and then reveals that he is possessed by the yellow-eyed demon! Uh oh!
The demon taunts Dean, saying he must have friends in high places to be brought back in time.
He asks if heβs one of his psychic kids! He leans in closer, and says no, he isnβt. But maybe he has a sister or brother? The demon tells him this is why heβs here.
He doesnβt want the souls of the people heβs making deals with β he wants their children. He says theyβre strong and pure. He wants his own master race.
We see Deana overhearing this conversation in the kitchen. Dean asks why make the deals. The demon tells him he needs permission. He talks to Dean about bleeding demon blood into the kidsβ mouths β to make them strong. The demon says his endgame is bigger than whatever Dean thinks it is.
Azazel says heβs going to cover his tracks good but Dean says heβll still kill him. Maybe not today, but heβs the one that kills him (itβs true).
The demon laughs. Deana tries to go for the Colt. The demon stabs his vessel, and Deana cries out, going for the Colt. The demon throws her across the room and then grabs her and breaks her neck. RIP Deana.
Dean runs for the Colt and chases the demon, then sees his dead grandmother.
He runs outside, knowing the demon is going for Mary.
We see John and Mary sitting in the Impala, with John preparing to propose. Mary says there are things he doesnβt know about her. But he takes out the ring, saying he will always love her for exactly who she is.
Then Samuel (Azazel) shows up and pulls Mary from the car. Young John gets out to help and Samuel breaks his neck!! RIP young John Winchester.
Mary holds Johnβs dead body and looks up, seeing the yellow eyes. The demon says heβs killed her parents too, showing the knife wound in her dadβs side.
Mary says sheβll kill him but the demon says they can make a deal. Heβll bring John back to life. She asks for her parents too but the demon says no. He says she can be done with hunting forever, no more monsters or fear, but she asks what it will cost.
He says she can keep her soul. He just needs permission. Heβll swing by in ten years for something. Mary asks what itβs for. He says as long as heβs not interrupted, nobody will get hurt.
Mary thinks about it. The demon says otherwise she can spend the rest of her life desperate and alone. He says heβs offering a good deal.
Dean drives up in time to see Mary make the deal. Before Dean can kill him with the Colt, the demon smokes out, leaving Samuelβs dead body behind. Dean and Mary share a look, and then John comes to.
Castiel shows up and puts his hand on Deanβ shoulder. When Mary turns back, Dean is gone. John sees Samuelβs body and Mary hugs him.
Dean wakes up back in the motel room. Castiel is there. Dean says he couldnβt stop any of it. She still made the deal and died in the nursery, didnβt she. Castiel says he couldnβt have stopped it.
Castiel says destiny canβt be changed. All roads lead to the same destination, but he sent Dean back for the truth. Now he knows everything the angels do.
Dean looks over to Samβs empty bed and asks where he is.
Castiel says they know what Azazel did to Sam but they donβt know why. Dean asks where Sam is and Castiel gives him an address. He says Sam is headed down a dangerous road and they donβt know where it leads β so stop it or they will.
TO BE CONTINUED!
Lore:
-demons
-angels
Overall Thoughts:
This was a good episode. I donβt think itβs one of my favourites, but I liked that we learn more about Mary Winchester and that she turned out to be from a hunter family, and that John was the one who was totally innocent and unaware of that life (until Mary diedβ¦).
And clearly whatever is going on with Sam is going to be important to the overall story this season.
