While Sam desperately tries to get through to his brother, Castiel continues his rocky journey to reach the bunker.

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SERIOUSLY?

Note: The following review goes into detail about the episode. SPOILER ALERT!

After waiting months to see “Demon Dean” in action, the first couple of episodes of Supernatural’s tenth season pointed towards it being a great direction for the show to go in. Jensen Ackles was clearly having a blast playing this demonic version of Dean, and it looked like the freshest angle the show has taken in years. Fast forward to the end of “Soul Survivor” and it now appears like all of that build-up has been thrown away. Dean has been cured and the Winchester’s are back together… after only three episodes!

There is the possibility that this is all one big fake-out, but it really didn’t play out like that. Sam strapped Dean to that chair in the bunker and immediately got to work on the demon reversal ritual. Dean said some truly horrible things to his brother throughout the course of the episode, yet again showcasing how different Dean had become. The parts about their mother and family were especially hard to watch, considering everything they’ve gone through over the years. This all led up to a great cat and mouse game between the brothers when Dean broke free. There were moments where it looked like Dean would actually hurt Sam, and it was that kind of antagonism that made “Dean-mon” so highly anticipated.

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So, with the ritual seemingly curing Dean at the end, is that really it for his dark side? They spent a huge chunk of last season setting up everything about the Mark and the First Blade, so it seems a bit weird for them to abandon it so soon into the season. The Mark will still be driving Dean to kill, so at least that will add a bit of excitement to things, but I’m really hoping that there’s some big double bluff going on. Perhaps the ritual weakened the demonic part of Dean, so much so that he had to repress that side of himself until he recovers his strength. Or maybe it’s all just part of Crowley’s master plan. Unfortunately, I have a feeling that this is indeed the end of Dean’s time as a demon, and the writers just wanted to return things to the Winchester status quo.

The Castiel side of things was fine this week, although I was starting to think he wouldn’t arrive at the bunker until the mid-season finale. I’m enjoying watching his relationship with Hannah grow. Their time together is very reminiscent of his early days with the Winchesters, accept he is now the one teaching someone about humanity. Castiel’s deteriorating health was also replenished by an unlikely source this week, although Crowley force-feeding him that other angel’s grace will surely come at a cost. Crowley often seems like he’s playing a different game than the people around him, and time will tell if that’s the case here again.

THE BREAKDOWN

After so much build-up, it appears that the Dean’s demonic detour has prematurely ended. I can’t help but feel very deflated at this turn of events, but I’m retaining some hope that there’s a cracking twist waiting for us at the end of this arc. Castiel has been given a bit of a recharge and hopefully he sticks around to help clean up the mess. We got a very cryptic scene right at the end involving what looks like a new otherworldly foe. There’s very little to go on at the moment, but there was a very ominous feeling to the whole thing. Whoever she is, hopefully she’ll help us get over the disappointment of losing such a promising arc.

Are Dean’s demonic days truly behind us or are we witnessing some sort of long-con? Let us know what you think in the comments below.

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