Like every Supernatural finale, The Man Who Knew Too Much was penned by Eric Kripke. He may have stepped down as show runner, but from conventions and interviews we know that he is still very much involved in the show, and I think it’s only fitting that he gets to close the season. The episode brings the storyline about the fragile wall in Sam’s mind to its logical conclusion and, at the same time, it delivers a drastic turn in Castiel’s arc. The majority of the episode plays in Sam’s head, so naturally I loved it, and I can’t wait to see the after-effects of his ordeal next season. As is customary for a finale, we are left hanging with a huge cliffhanger, but for once I am confident that the writers will resolve the situation to my satisfaction in the first couple of episodes of S7.



You know, sometimes I wished the creative team behind Supernatural would take the opportunity to write two-parters – instead of single episodes – more often. I mean, to spread an important plotline out over two episodes would not only allow the writers to explore every angle of it in depth without rushing through the story, but it would also give them the time to follow up with the consequences of a storyline for the characters right away – before they forget to deal with these consequences altogether. Now, The Man Who Knew Too Much is one of those episodes that would have greatly benefited from a two-part structure in my opinion. I think there was a lot more story potential in the exploration of Sam’s fractured mind than the writers were able to cover in forty minutes, especially since they also needed to bring Castiel’s storyline to a head in the same episode. If the writers had opted for a two-parter, they would not only have had more time to delve deeper into Sam’s confrontation with his other selves, but they also could have played out Dean’s suggestion to dream-walk Sam’s mind in order to help him out of his coma – something I would have absolutely loved to see. Not to mention that they would have had the time to show the immediate consequences of Sam’s reunion with the damaged parts of himself as well, like for example, Sam’s state when he woke up or how he got from Bobby’s panic room to the angels’ hideout. But well, the episode is what it is, and I still love what we got.

hell!Sam: "Why is this so important to you?"
Sam: "You know me. You know why. I’m not leaving my brother alone out there."

So, back around midseason, when Dean set out to finally get his brother’s soul back, the writers established two important facts: Firstly, that Sam’s soul is so severely damaged from the torture it underwent at the hands of Lucifer and Michael, that reuniting Sam with his soul will most likely send him into a permanent coma or drive him insane and secondly, that the wall Death put up in Sam’s mind to protect him from said damage will not hold forever. Now, it has always been clear that the writers needed to resolve these plot points somehow – otherwise all that build-up would have been completely pointless – and while I had been happy with the immediate, if only partial fallout to Sam’s storyline in Unforgiven and Mannequin 3, I always hoped that the writers would bring this storyline to its logical conclusion, i.e. the wall breaking down. However, I was also apprehensive of that very narrative decision, because bringing the wall in Sam’s mind down for good is a somewhat difficult balancing act, and I wasn’t sure if the writers could pull it off in a satisfactory manner, especially after the mess they made of Dean’s post-hell storyline. I mean, on the one hand, the writers had to do justice to the gravity of the story they set-up for Sam, but on the other hand, they couldn’t just permanently incapacitate the character. I have to say though that for once my worry was unfounded, because so far I really like the way Gamble & Co handled said balancing act.

The writers already foreshadowed in Unforgiven that any damage to the wall will render Sam catatonic – presumably because his mind is unable to process the trauma of his time in hell – so it’s consistent that Sam’s mind shuts down as soon as Castiel destroys the wall, effectively sending him into a coma. I think the concept of a dreamscape that allows Sam to confront the parts of himself that had been locked away behind the wall is an interesting narrative device to visualise Sam’s internal struggle. In the dreamscape Sam’s fractured mind is represented by three different 'versions' of himself: First there is what I would call Sam’s base personality, which is basically his souled, albeit temporarily amnesiac self. Then there is soulless Sam, who obviously embodies the memories of the time Sam spent without his soul and, last but not least, there is hell Sam, who represents Sam’s memories of the cage. Sam’s journey through his own fractured mind and his attempt to put himself together again by incorporating his traumatic memories into his consciousness is compelling to watch, and I adore the fact that Sam manages to beat the odds and finds the inner strength he needs to come out of his coma in the love for his brother. ♥

Now, I know that some fans feel that Sam just waking up from his coma after a short internal struggle – and relatively sane at that – is somewhat anti-climactic, especially given how severely Dean had been warned against resouling his brother. However, I think we have to take two things into consideration here: Firstly, the sternest warning came from Castiel, who - as we now know - had been burdened by his own feelings of guilt where Sam's soul was concerned and secondly, Death stated in Appointment In Samarra that the soul is surprisingly strong – it can be tortured, but not broken – and that always left the door open for a non-fatal resolution to Sam’s dilemma in my opinion. Mind you, I don’t think Sam’s post-cage story is finished yet. After all, we have yet to see the effect Sam’s trauma has on his current mental state. Sam may have been able to pull himself together enough to function, but if the visions of himself on fire and the way he staggers towards the angels’ hideout are any indication, his control is hanging by a thread. So I have no doubt that the repercussions of the events in The Man Who Knew Too Much will carry on well into S7, and I will reserve full judgment on the resolution to Sam’s post-hell story until I have seen how the writers will conclude it in the upcoming season. Still, so far I am satisfied with the pay-off to this storyline.

Anyway, as I already said, I find Sam’s journey through his fractured mind fascinating, because like all episodes that take place in a character’s head, it tells us a lot about Sam as a person. First of all, I assume that Sam’s initial memory loss is the result of the shock of the wall coming down and the subsequent dissociation of his mind. I love that Sam subconsciously weaves little clues into his dreamscape that help him to slowly recover the memory of who he is – like the Lovecraft book in Robin’s bar, the motel room with the case file wall or the Impala. I think it’s especially telling that, even though Sam is bereft of any conscious memory at the beginning of the episode and could imagine any dreamscape he wanted, his subconsciousness recreates Sam’s life as a hunter – he is on the run from law enforcement, knows how to fight, lives in a shady motel room, has fake IDs and so on. Now, of course the more familiar the dreamscape is to Sam, the more likely it will jog his memory, so this (unconscious) choice makes absolute sense, but I think combined with Sam’s later refusal to hide in a happy dream life with Jessica, it also shows that hunting defines Sam’s life on a very fundamental level now. Sam often emphasised these last couple of years that he left his dreams of a normal life behind, and the specific design of Sam’s subconscious dreamscape just drives that point home for me.

As I side note: I have to admit that I find it a bit random that the first 'familiar' person Sam’s subconsciousness conjures up is Robin, the bartender, one of soulless Sam’s victims. I mean, narratively Robin fulfils an important function – she gives Sam someone to explain himself to, someone to exchange ideas with – but at the beginning of the episode Sam is separated from the part of himself that represents the time he spent without his soul, so theoretically he shouldn’t have access to the memory of her. Why would she of all people remain in Sam’s subconsciousness once the wall shattered? Is she a fragment of the memories Sam recovered when the wall was damaged in Unforgiven? Does she represent a subconscious connection to his soulless self? After all, once he finds Robin, he finds soulless Sam, too, or well, soulless Sam finds him. I just wished the significance of Robin, specifically, as Sam’s companion in the episode would have been clearer.

In any case, I love Sam’s confrontation with soulless Sam and hell Sam. One point that stands out to me in those confrontations is that both of them condemn Sam as weak and in both instances Sam proves his respective counterpart wrong by rising above himself and succeeding where they – and with they I mean parts of himself – anticipate him to fail. Now, as we have seen in the first half of the season, soulless Sam is basically Sam stripped down to his animalistic instincts and his cold, calculating intellect – a combination soulless Sam deems to be invincible. And yet, Sam easily outsmarts his soulless counterpart, effectively demonstrating that the soul is stronger than intellect and/or instinct alone. I have to wonder though what would have happened if soulless Sam had indeed killed Sam first? Would Sam have died in the real world, unable to live on once his core self was destroyed? Or would the two 'fragments' of Sam have reunited in that case as well, only with soulless Sam as the dominant personality, as he so confidently claimed? And if the latter was the case, how would that have worked? After all, technically Sam would still have had a soul then. I really wished there had been more time to go into these details during the episode. Anyway, I hope that the direct confrontation with his soulless self allowed Sam to realise that while soulless Sam is indeed a part of him, he is only an incomplete fragment of Sam’s real personality. It might help him to finally forgive himself for his actions whilst being soulless.

Sam’s confrontation with hell Sam builds an interesting contrast to the one he has with soulless Sam. Essentially, hell Sam is Sam stripped down to the parts of himself that are most vulnerable and damaged, and where soulless Sam is all fight, hell Sam is all flight. He tries to stop Sam from reclaiming his memories of the cage, convinced that he is too weak to deal with them, even offering an illusionary life of happiness with Jessica or Robin – but again, Sam proves that he is stronger than his fear and willingly accepts the burden of his hell memories. More importantly though, he accepts that burden for Dean, as he is unwilling to leave his brother alone in the real world. ♥ This is the second time this season that Sam chooses Dean (and hunting) over safety and/or normality - the first time was in The French Mistake, where he could not fathom living in world where he and Dean are not brothers - and the fact that Sam would rather risk his mental stability than to abandon Dean is heart-warming. Sam finding the inner strength and determination to accept whatever horrors his memories of the cage may entail in his commitment to Dean is without a doubt my favourite moment of the episode, and I love especially how it links back to Swan Song, where it was also Sam’s love for Dean that allowed him to overcome Lucifer’s hold on him. Ultimately, Sam’s strength is just as intrinsically tied to the bond with his brother as Dean’s is, and that’s a good conclusion to take from this episode. ♥

Overall, I really have to say that watching Sam in the second half of S6 has been an absolute joy – well, to me at least – and that’s not only because it was such a relief to have Sammy back, but also because of the mature way Sam conducted himself in the aftermath of his soulnessness. Now, Sam’s redemption arc in S5 might not always have been the steadiest or most consistent one – especially in the first half of the season – but he clearly started a journey towards greater self-awareness last year. He confronted his anger management and control issues; he made amends to his brother and, in the end, fully redeemed himself by sacrificing himself for the greater good. In S6 Sam’s character development picks right up where S5 left off – once he is resouled, that is. From Like A Virgin onwards we see a matured Sam, a Sam who seems less restless and more content with his life – feelings of guilt for the actions of his soulless self notwithstanding. He is affectionate and attentive where Dean is concerned and a lot less confrontational, even in cases where he does not agree with his brother, like for example in Let It Bleed, where he disapproved of Dean’s decision to mind-wipe Lisa and Ben, but let the topic drop when he saw Dean’s pain. This Sam has the best of his old character traits – his compassion and gentle demeanour – but he seems more in control of his more negative impulses now, like his anger or his tendency to be self-involved. I hope this kind of characterisation continues next season, and I am extremely curious to see how the recovery of his memories will influence Sam.

Balthazar: "Castiel? Are you alright?"
Castiel: "First Sam and Dean, and now this. I'm doing my best in impossible circumstances. My friends, they abandon me, plot against me. It's difficult to understand."

In The Man Who Knew Too Much we meet a Castiel who obviously hardened himself against the collateral damage of his actions, prepared to do whatever he must in pursuit of his goals – just like he promised in his final prayer to God in The Man Who Would Be King. While he still tried to reach out to Dean last episode in an attempt to mend things between them, he is now clearly past any such considerations. And that’s hardly surprising. At this point Castiel not only feels denied by his friends, but also abandoned by God and betrayed by his allies, so I think it is only consequent that he pushes ahead with his plans at all costs, because that is the only thing left to do for him. After all, everything he has done, everything he feels he has sacrificed in this war against Raphael, would have been for nothing, if he just walked away now. Again, I feel reminded of Sam’s journey in S4, particularly in Lucifer Rising, where Sam knew no other way out of the dilemma he had created for himself than to walk the path he was on to the bitter end, even if that included actions he would never have considered before.

Now, there is no doubt that, aside from killing Balthazar for betraying him (even though that betrayal had been for Castiel’s sake), Castiel’s most radical and appalling action in pursuit of his goals is to purposefully bring down Sam’s wall to make sure that Dean is too distracted to come after him. I mean, if Castiel just wanted to make sure that Sam and Dean are out of the picture, he could have done a number of things without hurting either of them. For example, he could have erased their memories about the heavenly war or even their memories of angels altogether. He could have sent them into the past or into an alternative universe for a while to keep them busy. He also could have put them to sleep for a couple of days or just lock them up in the 'green room' until things are over. But instead Castiel decides to strike out against Sam where he is most vulnerable – and that is personal. It’s an action not only designed to throw the brothers off Castiel’s trail, but also to inflict maximum hurt on both Sam and Dean. I think Castiel lashes out in this particular manner because he feels hurt and abandoned by the brothers, but that does not change the fact that he is the one who betrayed them in the first place. It just goes to show that, just like Raphael, Castiel has truly lost any and all perspective on his own actions. It’s the classic cautionary tale of a man – well, angel in this case – who in his attempt to destroy the enemy, becomes the enemy.

And while we are talking about Castiel breaking down Sam’s wall, there is one thing that bothers me: In the final moments of the episode, when Dean tries to reach out to Castiel and implores him to let go of his power, he tells Castiel that he already lost Lisa, Ben and Sam and doesn’t want to lose him as well. And I admit, I couldn’t help but feel resentment at Dean’s words, because he makes it sound as if Sam and the Braedens have just been random casualties in the never-ending war against the supernatural. As if it wasn’t Castiel himself, who was directly responsible for the losses Dean suffered. Now, I am quite aware that Dean tries to appeal to Castiel in order to prevent the angel from self-destructing and taking half the planet with him, so telling Castiel off for his actions would have been counterproductive in this situation, but still. Castiel willingly endangered Sam’s life by breaking down the wall in his mind, and I want that to have consequences for the angel. This is the second time that Castiel deliberately destroyed Dean’s effort to keep Sam safe – the first time was when he let Sam out of the panic room in When The Levee Breaks – and if this is not addressed in S7 in some capacity, I will be very upset. I mean, one of the reasons why I have never been able to truly buy into the friendship between Dean and Castiel is because, for me, their relationship is based on a lie of omission. The fact that Castiel never came clean about his betrayal of Dean’s trust in S4 always impacted my feelings for the character negatively, and if Castiel’s actions in the S6 finale are just swept under the rug as well, I don’t think I could ever feel sympathy for the character again.

But I digress. In the end Castiel’s plan to open purgatory and use the power of the souls within to defeat Raphael is successful, but the victory comes at a high price, namely Castiel’s sanity. High on power and soul energy, Castiel renounces his heavenly as well as his human family and declares himself the new God, complete with the demand for human worship and all. I suspect though that Castiel’s sudden delusions of grandeur are less a result of his victory over Raphael and more a side-effect of his 'soul diet'. After all, Castiel took the living souls of millions of hungry monsters into himself, and it stands to reason that those souls affect him on a very fundamental level. I think it is very likely that Castiel’s sense of self is drowned out by the cacophony of souls within him. Kudos, by the way, to Misha Collins for conveying the change in the angel perfectly – his voice, his body posture and facial expressions change to such a degree that there is barely a trace of the old Castiel left – and that really drives the point home that the Castiel as we know him is not present at the moment. The question remains, where will the angel go from here? We know from Balthazar that trying to sustain this much power will most likely kill Castiel, so the situation is definitely not permanent, but until it is resolved, we have an almighty being with a grudge running rampage. And that certainly does not bode well for humanity – or heaven and hell, for that matter.

One last word: I know that a lot of fans are upset about the way Castiel’s character developed this season. The emotions run high in fandom and the rumour mill works overtime where the angel’s future fate in the show is concerned, especially since Sera Gamble announced that Misha Collins' contract has been changed from recurring regular to guest star for S7. Personally, I am not at all worried and for once that has nothing to do with the fact that I am not particularly emotionally invested in the character. I mean, like with everything in Supernatural, I still want his story to be consistent and in keeping with the character as I perceive him. To me, Castiel’s story in S6 has been interesting and perfectly in character. I always felt that he is just as flawed as his human friends and the misguided decisions he made in the aftermath of the (aborted) apocalypse are not at all difficult to understand or far-fetched. Like so many before him, he started out with the best intentions, but then lost his way – and I find that believable, angel or not. Now, there is no doubt that Castiel’s transgressions so far have been severe and he might even do worse at the beginning of S7, but redemption and forgiveness are major recurring themes in the show, and I really doubt that the writers will deny the character either. So, just like with Sam’s post-hell story, I will reserve full judgment on Castiel’s story until I have seen the resolution to it in the upcoming season.

What else is noteworthy:

(1) We don’t see all that much of Dean in The Man Who Knew Too Much, but just like Sam was there for Dean when he went through a personal crisis in Let It Bleed, Dean is there for his little brother here. I love that Dean holds vigil at Sam’s cot in the panic room – talking to him, checking his vitals – distraught and desperate for his brother to wake up. It’s apparent that he hasn’t left Sam’s side ever since his brother collapsed and, at least temporarily, Castiel’s strategy to distract Dean from interfering with his plans by striking out against Sam works like a charm. To lose Sam so close on the heels of losing Lisa and Ben – just when he had allowed himself to believe that Sam was going to be okay and that the wall would hold – visibly devastates Dean, and that makes it all the more admirable that he pulls himself together and goes after Castiel anyway. I think even without Bobby reminding him that giving up is not what Sam would have wanted, Dean would eventually have resumed his fight against Castiel & Co on his own, not least because if he learned anything these last couple of years, it’s that he cannot continue to allow his enemies to use his family against him. When push comes to shove, he does not allow Castiel to manipulate him through Sam, just like he didn’t allow Crowley to manipulate him through Lisa and Ben, and while I love protective big brother Dean like the next fangirl, in this instance he could not (and should not) have made a different choice.

(2) As a fan of the show Eureka, I have been pleasantly surprised by Erica Cerra’s guest appearance as Robin, Sam’s dreamscape companion. I think Erica plays her part as the hesitant good Samaritan well and her on-screen chemistry with Jared is great. I admit, I was actually a tad disappointed when I realised that her character is just the echo of a memory in Sam’s head and has long been dead when we meet her. I would have loved to see her as a recurring character on the show, especially since I want to see Sam in a beneficial relationship outside of his relationship with Dean for a while now. I mean, Dean has always been the more sociable of the brothers. He is not only closer to Bobby and Castiel than Sam is – both Castiel and Bobby even openly confirmed that – but he also built an intimate relationship with Lisa and Ben, and we have yet to see Sam in a similarly cordial relationship other than the one he has with his brother. I really want to see Sam with a real friend or confidante of his own and Robin seemed like a good candidate, so I was sad that she was only a hallucination.

(3) I am pretty stoked that Crowley survived to live another day, or well, season in this case. I am looking forward to the trouble he will undoubtedly create for Sam and Dean in the upcoming season. While I don’t really think that it makes much sense for Castiel to spare Crowley – after all, he betrayed him as well, and I don’t really see what possible use he could have for the demon now that he is all powerful – I am more than willing to just hand wave that, because the prospect of more Crowley makes me happy.

In conclusion: I love The Man Who Knew Too Much, mainly because of the insight it offers into Sam’s fractured mind. I think though, that we will only understand the full scope of the events that unfolded in the finale, once we have seen the S7 opener. Anyway, this is the first season finale since All Hell Breaks Loose II where Sam and Dean are both alive, together and not at odds with each other, so I have absolutely nothing to worry about during the summer hiatus. It’s a very relaxing prospect! I am looking forward to S7 immensely, especially since Sera Gamble announced that they will finally move on from the angel-heavy mythology and focus on new, fresh storylines. I can’t wait to see what the writers cook up for the next season.

Looking back at S6 as a whole, I can honestly say that I loved it, mostly because of its cohesive narrative structure – which is a huge step up from the previous season – and because it finally allowed Sam and Dean to fully restore their brotherly bond, which has been my greatest desire ever since their relationship was fractured in S4. Granted, the soulless Sam storyline was emotionally exhausting and uncomfortable at times, but it posed interesting questions about humanity and self-identity in the Supernatural universe and resulted in the damaged soul/wall storyline for Sam, which I find very exciting. Additionally, I loved Dean’s domestic arc with Lisa and Ben. I think it was way more interesting in terms of exploring Dean’s character than his storyline as Michael’s vessel ever was. Even Castiel’s 'dark arc' this season was appealing to me. Actually, it’s the first time ever since early S4 that the presence of his character in the story had any merits for me. Last but not least, I absolutely love that the season was constructed like a classic film noir mystery, complete with archetypical noir characters and a convoluted story full of misdirection. The writers could have simply stuck with the standard seasonal structure of the past five seasons, but instead they decided to take a risk and try a new format, and I take my hat off to the writers for that. Sera Gamble more than earned her laurels as a show runner with this season for me. ♥