Review for 5x20 'The Devil You Know'

[galathea]

Ben Edlund’s The Devil You Know was more satisfying for me than last week’s episode, not only in terms of the plot, but also because it had some very strong and positive character work, especially for Sam. We don’t get Sam centric episodes all that often, so I am grateful whenever an episode takes the time to explore some of his issues in more depth. That’s not to say that the episode was perfect, far from it. I had problems with the finer points in the characterisation for Dean in particular, and I think the writing didn’t always support the characters as well they deserved, but overall I enjoyed the episode.



I think it’s fair to say that The Devil You Know is a trial by fire for Sam and Dean. It puts their newly found bond to the test and exposes its weaknesses, but also emphasises the solid foundation of their relationship. It’s easy for the brothers to have trust and faith in each other when they find themselves united on a common goal and agree on how to achieve that goal, but the question remains how their renewed brotherly bond holds together in a high stress situation that forces them on different sides and plays on similar issues as the ones that drove them apart in the first place. The Devil You Know explores that very question, and at the same time it confronts Sam with his anger management issues and sets the stage for the remaining two episodes.

Dean: "Listen to me. We need Pestilence to get at the devil, and we need Brady to get to Pestilence."
Sam: "Why? Because Crowley said so? Because we trust him now, like I trusted Ruby? Or like I trusted Brady back at school?"

The main point of conflict between the brothers in the episode obviously derives out of their collaboration with Crowley. Working with demons is an immensely sensitive issue between Sam and Dean ever since the Ruby debacle in S4, so their encounter with Crowley opens old wounds and puts both brothers on the edge. At the beginning of the episode Sam and Dean are clearly relaxed around each other and very much in sync – talking in unison moment and all – but that changes the instant Crowley shows up and propositions an alliance. Now, Crowley is not just any demon, the brothers have a personal history with him, and that’s one of the reasons why his suggestion is so controversial. Sam already mistrusted Crowley’s motives back in Abandon All Hope and given the disastrous outcome of their confrontation with Lucifer, it’s not unreasonable for Sam to think that Crowley deliberately set them up in an attempt to hand-deliver them to the devil and now just wants to finish what he started. Furthermore, given Sam’s history with Ruby, it’s understandable that Crowley’s suggestion triggers an instantaneous defensive demeanour in him – once bitten, twice shy and all that. So, all in all Sam’s incredulous and angry reaction to Dean’s willingness to consider Crowley’s offer is not surprising, especially given how often Dean argued against similar actions in the past.

Dean, however, comes into the situation from a more strategic perspective. The brothers’ conversation with Bobby at the beginning of the episode clearly shows that Sam and Dean have been unable to catch a break for weeks now, always one step behind Pestilence and Death, and they are running out of time and options. Crowley’s offer is the first tangible lead, and it would be stupid to just dismiss it without a second thought. Given that Crowley kept tabs on the brothers for months, he could have handed them over to Lucifer or alert him to the brothers' plans at any time, but he didn’t. That lends some credence to his motives at least. So, I think Dean’s decision to strike an alliance with Crowley isn’t really all that problematic or surprising. We have seen on several occasions that Dean is absolutely able to overcome his personal dislike of the supernatural, if the situation calls for it. For example, in Changing Channels he agreed to talk to the Trickster, despite his fierce hatred for the 'bloody violent monster', and in Hammer Of The Gods he considered to work together with a group of murderous pagan gods. Sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures. Besides, to work with Crowley doesn’t mean that they have to trust him, and Dean’s initial hesitation to leave Sam behind and follow Crowley in order to retrieve Brady clearly shows that he goes against his instincts here.

Talking about the scene where Dean leaves Sam to follow Crowley: While I don’t have issues with the fact that Dean comes to the conclusion that the mission is too important to pass Crowley’s offer up just because he doesn’t like his conditions, I do have a problem with the way the scene is executed. If there is one thing that has been shown as a consistent positive development in the relationship between Sam and Dean ever since their reunion in The End, it’s that they have changed their communication patterns. In every controversial discussion the brothers had over the course of the season, they approached the topic head on, honest and open, listened to each others’ arguments and then stroke some sort of compromise. So, Dean simply walking out on Sam here – with a demon of all things – without making the effort to talk his decision through with his brother first, feels like a step back from that development, and I don’t really buy that Dean would do that in this situation, especially since he knows that trusting demons is such a touchy subject between them. Personally, I think that the writers tried too hard to create a direct parallel to S4 here, although those two situations are nothing alike, and in the process they discarded the hard earned progress between the brothers. It’s one of those moments where the writers sacrifice continuity simply to make a certain point, and I am not happy about that.

A similar problem applies to the scene where Sam locks up Dean in the bathroom in order to confront Brady without interference from his brother. The fact that Dean brought Brady back to the house, although he knew how Sam would react to his presence, shows clearly that Dean is willing to trust that Sam can control his emotions. Dean even explicitly explains to his brother that he trusts him to stay focussed on the mission, and I don’t think that gesture of trust is lost on Sam, especially since it emphasises that Dean’s earlier decision to go with Crowley has not been motivated by personal issues with Sam. So, between Dean’s open gesture of trust here and their new policy of honest communication with each other, I would have expected for Sam to at least make an attempt to explain his action to Dean, instead of just letting him go stir crazy with uncertainty about what is going on. While I think that Sam himself wasn’t sure about the outcome of his confrontation with Brady and that he needed that confrontation to be on his own terms and not Dean’s, I still feel that Sam could have chosen a different, less offending way, to approach his brother.

These two instances – Dean walking out on Sam without explanation, Sam locking Dean out without explanation – are the weakest points in the episode for me, because they feel like a step back from their development for no good reasons. While I think the writers intended to show with these moments that the brothers’ reconciliation is a work in progress and that their issues are bound to resurface every once in a while, especially in situations that are highly loaded due to their personal past, I still feel that the context the writers create here isn’t plausible enough to justify either brothers’ actions. Or let’s say, it doesn’t justify how they go about executing their decisions. I think the script simply fails the characters at those points and that’s regrettable, because otherwise The Devil You Know could have been a really outstanding episode.

In any case, despite the tension the situation creates between the brothers, in the end their interaction still carries over a lot of momentum from their reconciliation in Point Of No Return. Throughout the episode the strength of Sam and Dean’s trust in each other is tested, but proves to be enduring. For example, despite his visible disappointment and frustration with Dean’s decision to go with Crowley in order to retrieve Brady, Sam complies and stays behind without further protest. Sam isn’t exactly known for his patience and rational behaviour when he is angry, so the fact that he waits for them to come back shows that he makes an effort to trust Dean’s decision – and that trust is validated. Dean might turn his back on his brother in favour of pursuing Crowley’s plan of action, but his willingness to comply with Crowley’s condition to shut Sam out only lasts as long as they need to actually achieve their goal and capture Brady. He knows that it poses a risk to confront Sam with Brady, but he does it anyway, trusting in Sam’s ability to overcome his personal issues – and again, that trust is validated by Sam. Last but not least, when Sam finally takes his revenge on Brady, Dean doesn’t leave, he doesn’t turn away, on the contrary, in a clear show of solidarity with his brother he literally has his back. Sam and Dean might still have a long way ahead of them, but they do make an honest effort to work past their problems. ♥

Sam: "I’m strong enough."
Bobby: "You ain’t. He’s gonna find every chink in your armor, Sam, and use it against you. Your fear, your grief, your anger. And let’s face it, you’re not exactly mister anger management. How are you going to control the devil, when you can’t control yourself?"

My favourite aspect of the episode is clearly how it further develops this season’s recurring theme of Sam’s anger management issues and his attempts to overcome them. Back in Sam, Interrupted Sam not only acknowledged the extent of his internal anger for the first time, but also realised that he is unaware of the triggers/causes for his feelings and has difficulties to control them. Now, Sam demonstrated in Point Of No Return that he is absolutely able to overcome his own issues, if his concern for himself is outweighed by his concern for someone else. Back then, his focus on Dean allowed him to control his anger, no matter how deeply his brother hurt him. However, it is one thing for Sam to control himself for the sake of his hurting brother, but a different thing entirely to control himself opposite an enemy, who knows how to push all the right buttons. We have seen many times how easily demons were able to goad Sam into physical violence and anger, using his fears, his pride or his grief against him. It figures that Sam, who is very goal-oriented, would find the final motivation to actively fight this behavioural pattern in a personal ambitious aim, namely being able to break Lucifer’s possession.

I think Sam’s suggestion that he might need to sacrifice himself in order to trick Lucifer into his cage makes a lot of sense in terms of end game strategy. It’s doubtful that Lucifer will walk into the cage willingly or is stupid enough not to notice that the brothers lead him into a trap, so Sam controlling him into doing it might actually be the only viable option. We know that it is possible to break a possession, however difficult, and not only possession through low level demons either, after all, John overcame Azazel, one of the most powerful demons in hell. Both Bobby and John found the strength to break free from their possessions when Dean’s life was in peril, which demonstrates that a strong emotional trigger is very effective. Furthermore, in I Believe The Children Are Our Future Julia, the mother of the antichrist, was able to shake her possession when the demon was distracted/exhausted from the birthing process. So, a combination of personal motivation (Dean in danger) and the right timing (Lucifer being distracted) might give Sam an actual chance to succeed – if he can control his emotions, that is.

As a side note: I admit that although the notion that Sam would be able to control Lucifer once he takes possession of his body – if only for the split second it would need to trap him again – might stretch believability a bit, I can’t help but feeling extremely thrilled at the prospect, mostly because it opens a lot of very beautiful parallels. Firstly, over the course of the season it has been reinforced time and again that Sam giving in to Lucifer is inevitable, so Sam deliberately saying yes in order to trick the devil back into his cage, would put a nice spin on this recurring theme. Furthermore, it would build a reverse parallel to last season’s finale in which Sam was tricked into releasing Lucifer in the first place. It would be a perfect final step of redemption for Sam. Secondly, Sam explicitly states that he will not go through with the plan unless Dean and Bobby agree, and there is no doubt that Dean will fiercely reject the idea. So it would be the ultimate test of faith for Dean to trust his brother to be strong enough to break through Lucifer’s possession, which would make a fantastic parallel to Sam’s leap of faith in Dean in Point Of No Return and put the brothers on even ground. Obviously the problem remains how the brothers would manage to de-possess Sam in time to prevent him from being trapped with Lucifer, it will be a nerve-wracking finale if it comes to this scenario, that’s for sure.

But I digress, so, while Sam’s strategy to trick Lucifer back into his cage definitely has its merits, it is also very risky, because even if the right circumstances present themselves and he has a chance to overcome the possession, Sam might still stand in his own way. After all, as Bobby rightly points out to him, he is barely able to control himself, so to try and control the devil is hubris on Sam’s side. The fact that he deems himself strong enough although he knows that he is emotionally unstable, clearly shows that not only Sam’s anger issues might cause a problem, but also his overconfidence. Last year pride and overconfidence have been Sam’s downfall, and while he has shown a lot of growth over the last couple of months, it’s no guarantee that he doesn’t fall into the same trap again. Self-awareness and self-control are what Sam needs the most, if he wants to pull off that delicate balance act of controlling Lucifer.

The first opportunity for Sam to take a lesson in self-control presents itself in his confrontation with Brady. His instinctual reaction when he realises that his old college friend has actually been a demon is pure rage, understandably so. However, it’s exactly the kind of uncontrolled outburst that Sam cannot allow himself in the presence of Lucifer. After all, in Abandon All Hope he encouraged Sam’s anger, which clearly shows that he can use it against him, maybe in order to control Sam, maybe he even feeds off it. Now, Sam’s first encounter with Brady takes him by surprise, and it's only Dean’s interference that keeps him from doing something rash. After he cooled down again though, Sam confronts Brady deliberately, in order to put himself to the test. He even removes Dean from the picture, because he has to master this situation on his own, without his big brother as back-up, or the test wouldn’t be real. There is no doubt that Sam is prepared to kill Brady, no matter how important he might be to the mission, and yet, his demeanour is calm when he enters the room. He subjects himself to the hurt and the mockery, intentionally pushing his limits to see if he can control his reactions. Brady obviously gets to him, he finds all the right triggers, but although Sam is clearly tempted to go through with the kill, he pulls himself back from the brink and lets the demon go for the moment. Moreover, despite the fact that Brady is covered in blood, there isn’t even the slightest hint that Sam’s addiction rears its head, so ultimately he not only proves to himself that he can control his anger, but also that the grip he has on his addiction is solid. Sam takes yet another step forward towards greater self-awareness and personal growth after his downfall in S4 here, and that’s fantastic to see. ♥

After all is said and done though, Sam finally gets the chance to take his revenge on Jessica’s killer. Once they got the information they needed, there was really no reason to keep him alive, not to mention that it is an act of mercy in case the real Brady has still some level of awareness after all these years of possession. The injuries Brady sustained in this episode alone rendered his life beyond saving in any case. I think it’s worth noting that even though Brady tries to rile Sam up again, he still barely reacts to Brady’s taunting – and at that point Sam has no external reason to remain calm. And when he finally makes the kill, there is no overt rage in his action. Personally, I think that Brady’s words reveal nothing new to Sam. Sam has been living with self-loathing and self-reproach ever since he realised the extent of his failures, so Brady trying to call him on his own inner darkness simply has no real impact. Nobody will ever punish Sam as much as he punishes himself, he already stated that in Fallen Idols.

Brady: "You were becoming a mild-mannered, worthless sack of piss. Now, come on, we couldn’t have that. You were our favourite. So I hooked you up with a pure, sweet, innocent piece of tail, and then I toasted her on the ceiling."

I have to say that for once I am not at all bothered by the retcon the episode delivers in regard to Sam’s time in Stanford and his relationship with Jessica, on the contrary, I think it works extremely well as a psychological trigger for Sam's issues and elevates the tragedy of his story to a completely new level. Unlike the retcon to Mary and John’s love story in My Bloody Valentine, Brady’s confession that the YED arranged for Sam and Jessica to meet doesn’t really change the basis of their relationship. They still fell in love and maintained a long-term relationship all on their own. That wasn’t fabricated. The YED made a wager – he probably based Sam’s possible reaction to losing Jessica on John’s reaction to losing Mary – and it paid off. The fact that it wasn’t the YED himself who killed Jessica, but Brady, does not contradict previously established facts, as we never actually got to see who was in her room that night. Azazel was still responsible for Jessica’s death, and Brady’s explanation for his motives fits exactly with what the YED told Sam in All Hell Breaks Loose I. Furthermore, the new information makes Sam’s encounter with Lucifer-as-Jess in Free To Be You And Me, where 'Jess' told Sam that she was dead the moment they said hello, even more unsettling. The fact that Jessica was a sacrificial lamb right from the start really adds to the tragedy of her character.

As for Sam, the reveal that Stanford and all it stands for – choice, freedom, control over his life – was an illusion all along is really heartbreaking. Over the last couple of years Sam often said that deep down he always knew that he never really fit in at college and that trying to run away was a mistake, but I think part of him still cherished that short time in his life where he felt happy and safe. Now even that memory of happier days is tainted for Sam and he has to realise that in the end he never really escaped. Whatever his choices, he has been doomed from the start. Furthermore, while he always blamed himself for Jessica’s death anyway, even before he knew that the YED used her just to get to him, he now also feels responsible for his former best friend’s demise. It just seems to be impossible for Sam (or Dean) to ever catch a break from the tragedy that follows them around.

What else was noteworthy:

(1) The phone conversation between Bobby and Sam is a really heart-warming scene. ♥ It’s rare that the show highlights the bond between Sam and Bobby – usually it is Dean who looks to their fatherly friend for emotional support and/or guidance – and I think that’s regrettable, because the writers rob themselves of an opportunity to convey Sam’s thoughts and feelings more often. And Bobby is especially interesting as Sam’s confidante, because he not only trusts him with personal issues, but is also able to talk with him about things that he can’t talk about with his brother. Anyway, I love that Bobby reacts with sympathy to Sam’s hurt and disappointment at Dean’s leaving with Crowley, but also tries to see Dean’s perspective. Furthermore, he openly calls Sam on the flaws in his plan to control Lucifer, confronting him with some truths about himself that Sam might be aware of, but likes to block out in his eagerness. In the end Bobby’s words provide Sam with the push he needs to make an active effort to change his patterns.

(2) I love Crowley! ♥ Of course it doesn’t hurt that Mark Sheppard gives a fantastic performance as the sarcastic demon with choleric tendencies, but the great thing about the character is that he is very straightforward. Every once in a while I simply enjoy a character that I can take exactly as it is presented on screen, with no hidden agendas (or so I assume) and no deep internal character drama connected to it. Obviously he is not trustworthy, and we don’t expect him to be, but his agenda is believable enough and he makes no secret of the fact that his alliance with the Winchesters is about necessity, rather than trust or good will. His only goal is self-preservation and there is no doubt that he will go any length to achieve that goal and that includes stabbing Sam and Dean in the back. In any case, I have been especially amused by the fact that Crowley managed to circumvent Sam and Dean’s efforts to magically stay hidden from demons with a simple tracking device. Shows us how much more pragmatic demons are than angels. I bet Zachariah wished he would have thought of something simple like that – if he were still alive, that is. *g*

(3) Given that The Devil You Know is a bridge episode, the writers now have to cram an awful lot of story into the last two episodes, after all, the brothers still need to defeat Pestilence and Death and then trap Lucifer in his cage. Even if the scripts are very tightly written, that will be hard to pull off without rushing the story. The pacing of this season is very uneven, to put it mildly. I really wished the writers wouldn’t have wasted so much time with shallow and inconsequential episodes in the first half of the season, thus cutting their time for the climax of the apocalypse storyline short. A frustrating side-effect of the rushed finale is that there is no time to write a proper arc that would allow the brothers to actually find the way to defeat the devil on their own, instead they get all the information they need handed to them by other characters – Gabriel tells them about the rings, Crowley tells them how to get Pestilence and Death – which is really lazy storytelling.

(4) I can’t help but wonder if the writers will build the upcoming arc for S6 around Sam and Dean’s efforts to get Castiel and Bobby back. I mean, with Castiel’s extended absence – which suggests that his banishing ritual in Point Of No Return was more permanent than expected – and Bobby possibly gambling away his soul to Crowley in an attempt to help the brothers to locate Death, both of their closest allies would have sacrificed themselves for the brothers’ cause. Come to think of it, if we add Ellen and Jo’s and maybe even Gabriel’s sacrifice, Sam and Dean lost everyone even remotely close to them, step by step, in the fight against the apocalypse, leaving them alone and reliant only on each other in the final fight. That seems fitting, but also very bleak. Anyway, saving Bobby and Castiel would make for a simple, but nice overarching storyline for the upcoming season, while still leaving plenty of room for a slow healing arc for the brothers, with monster-of-the-week type stories on the side. I would totally be okay with that.

In conclusion: The Devil You Know is a solid episode that achieves a very positive and important forward movement for Sam’s character, maintains the brotherly efforts on their road to reconciliation and puts all the puzzle pieces for the finale into place. I just really wished the character writing had been more consistent overall, as it is, the episode missed the opportunity to be really great.

Comments

[llywela13.livejournal.com]

Hey, you made it!

It's actually quite funny to see how many of the same points we've made. Yours is so much more nicely written than my hasty scribble, though - you took the time to polish in detail! I just scrawled and posted quick, while I had time. Well done, you.

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

Yes, I did. I was sneaky and mailed my review to my office yesterday evening and just took some time in between to finish it off. *g*

I think it's not surprising that we make similar points, because a) shared brain, duh and b) our fangirl sessions usually are the groundwork for our reviews, just as you said the other day, they help to structure our thoughts. :)

I dunno, I quite liked your hasty scribbles, my hasty scribbles are usually way less eloquent and well thought out than yours. LOL The review isn't quite as well rounded as I wanted it to be, but I think I covered the main points.

[chiiyo86.livejournal.com]

A similar problem applies to the scene where Sam locks up Dean in the bathroom in order to confront Brady without interference from his brother.

I see your point, but in Sam's case I think maybe it must be taken into account that he can be still a little drunk... He doesn't act over-the-top drunk, but alcohol could be still messing with his emotions and judgement.

Obviously the problem remains how the brothers would manage to de-possess Sam in time to prevent him from being trapped with Lucifer, it will be a nerve-wracking finale if it comes to this scenario, that’s for sure.

Yes, that's what worries me about this plan. It's not that I think that it's totally impossible that Sam could fight Lucifer for the necessary split of second, but what happens to him next? How does he get away??

The fact that Jessica was a sacrificial lamb right from the start really adds to the tragedy of her character.

I find extremely sad and horrifying to think that when Jess opened her door that day, she probably did it full of trust because it was only good old Brady... She must have died totally uncomprehending what happened. :(

I can't believe that we have only two episodes before the end of the season!

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

I think maybe it must be taken into account that he can be still a little drunk...
Heh, he doesn't seem all that drunk to me. Sam's case is less severe to me than Dean's case - Sam's position for communication is more difficult than Dean's - but he still could have dropped his brother a reassuring line or two. I mean, he really needed Dean out of his way to make sure he could do this on his own, without his big brother as back-up, and it's doubtful that Dean would have allowed him to lock him up willingly. I just thought he could have gone about it with a softer attitude, after all, he knew how much Dean would worry. :) However, in the end it only matters that both brothers validated the other's trust in them, which is especially laudable because of their differences.

How does he get away??
ROFL I have no idea, at all. Also, we know that angelic possession leaves their vessels mentally/physically destroyed, unless the angel makes sure not to hurt them, which I doubt Lucifer would care about in Sam's case. So even if he is de-possessed, will he still be okay?

I can't believe that we have only two episodes before the end of the season!
Tell me about it! It's just unthinkable. Somehow I am relieved to know that we'll get a next season. To think we only had 2 more episodes ever would be even worse. LOL Although I really need the hiatus to have some time for fanart. As it is, I only just manage to get the reviews done. :)

[chiiyo86.livejournal.com]

To think we only had 2 more episodes ever would be even worse.

Lol, I know! I started the season thinking I had made my peace with the idea that it could be the last, that I was ready to let go. But in fact I'm not ready at all! I'm glad we'll have Sam and Dean back. :)

[galathea-snb.livejournal.com]

ROFL me too. I thought I would be totally okay with the show ending, especially since I was so disappointed around mid-season, but no, I am not really okay with it now. *clings to Sam and Dean*