Without even appearing in the episode, John Winchester made a huge impression on last night’s episode of Supernatural.  Unlike Grey’s Anatomy, Supernatural doesn’t need Jeffrey Dean Morgan to appear as a ghost to get its point across.  Even though Dean was right about John’s long lost son Adam Milligan being a trap, he was also wrong, because it turns out John really did have another kid.

Not only did we learn a lot more about John’s secret past, but we learned more about his relationships with his sons.  He showered Adam with affection and baseball games not because he loved him more, but because John wanted some level of normalcy, and he knew he could never have that with Sam and Dean after what happened to their mother.

John Winchester was fiercely protective, trying to shield Adam from the truth, but in the end, that failed.  Adam was killed by a lowly Ghoul because he wasn’t prepared for the world of demons.  Sam and Dean, as much as they may resent the life they’ve been given, are only alive because of what John taught them.

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I’ve put another review and a fan chat from twitter together. Hope you don’t mind:

The Fiery Demonic Passion of Sam and Lilith

The best part of last night’s Supernatural wasn’t when they cried, it was the entire episode. I must not be a real fan, because I’m not complaining a lot. In “The Monster at the End of This Book,” Supernatural took a surreal turn down the meta-highway by becoming the single most self-referential episode of television I’ve ever seen.

Supernatural talked about the show’s best and worst episodes, the underground cult following it has, it’s sexy doctor competition, the Sam vs. Dean debate and even slash fiction. The conversation between Sam and Dean about what slash is may have been the funniest thing Supernatural has ever done. But in the midst of all of this brilliant meta-comedy, the drama and the show’s season-long storyline moved into a dark, dark place.

All the Sam Girls out there finally got some love as he was front and center for this episode. His conversation with Chuck simply and effectively explained everything: the prophet of the Lord writing the Supernatural books didn’t want to include Sam’s blood drinking storyline because it might make him too unsympathetic. This might be an easy copout for the writers, but it does make sense.

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I love that the creators, writers and producers are willing to poke fun at themselves. No doubt they crafted “The Monster at the End of This Book” with the idea of bashing the Internet fan sites and fan faction that pair both the brothers together – sexually – among other adventures. But along the way they probably thought … hey, why not give ourselves a jab and give a few cracks about the writing and the less-than-stellar ideas that have come across the show over the years (although season four as been pretty rock solid from pillar to post so far).

But what began as an interesting plotline about comic books, psychics and a jab at just about everyone that’s a fanboy, turns serious as we find out that Lilith is coming … and she’s got a little kinky dental hygienist possessed in order to seduce and offer up a deal to Sam (Jared Padalecki). A deal that would end the war and she’d stop unlocking the seals if Sam and Dean (Jensen Ackles) sacrifice themselves for the good of humanity. Why would she do this after such a long time? Because she found out she doesn’t survive the journey to the apocalypse and as self preservation is her top priority she offers up the deal. One that Sam initially agrees to but he was never planning on following through on it.

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It’s hard to figure out where to start when writing about last night’s episode of Supernatural? Do I begin with the Earth-shattering revelation that Dean was the one who broke the first of the 66 Seals, thus beginning the quest to bring Lucifer back to the world?

Or how about the fact that Sam is drinking demon blood by the pint and killing demons with a simple flick of the wrist? And then there’s Castiel, his doubts about what he’s doing, and his temporary allegiance with Anna. There’s also the little matter of two major Supernatural characters from this season being killed off.

But if I had to pick the one Supernatural moment that trumped all of the others, it would be Alastair’s revelation that Dean broke the first Seal.

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Last night’s episode of Supernatural will probably go down as one of the most important in the show’s history. It marked a turning point in the relationship between Sam and Dean, the moment when their fears and anger and rage boiled to the surface. We can blame the Siren on the epic battle between the Winchester brothers, but the underlying feelings were real.

The Siren made them fight, but I don’t believe the Siren also forced them to say the things they said to each other. Dean said Sam has changed and that he’s keeping secrets and doing things behind his back. Sam accused Dean of being weak and unable to face the truth about what they have to do. When you look deep inside the boys, nothing they said was a lie.

First, it’s important to examine the circumstances. The Siren had the ability to take the form of whatever its target most desired. In an episode full of strippers, for Dean, the thing he most desired was a guy who loved 1967 Chevy Impalas and classic rock. The person Dean wanted most was a little brother just like him.

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I’m growing a little worried about Dean. At first, his seemingly juvenile obsession with porn and sex was amusing, a harmless little hobby. But lately, it’s taking on a disturbing new tone.

In last night’s episode of Supernatural, Dean proudly boasted that three of the female cheerleaders at the high school they were investigating were legal. If he discovered this through some normal method, it might be OK, but since he was snooping in the principal’s office for dead kids, it means he actively chose to seek out the ages of the cheerleaders. It was a funny line, but it’s also kind of gross.

If that’s not enough, the flashbacks also let us know that, even in high school, he was calling his female teachers “sugar” and hooking up with multiple girls in the janitor’s closet. I think it’s about time someone sat him down and had an intervention.

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Between the douche bags, magic tricks and gay S&M sex dungeons, the major storyline this season on Supernatural actually moved forward last night. Ruby showed up to inform Sam (and us), that Lilith has now broken 34 of the seals, putting her past the halfway point to raising Lucifer.

It was a significant moment for the season, and perhaps even more important, it put Sam back in the driver’s seat. While the brotherly dynamic is what truly drives Supernatural, the first half of the season focused largely on Dean. This isn’t a criticism since he was pulled out of Hell by an angel, which needed a lot of explanation.

But now we see Sam’s role in this. Instead of stopping a seal from being broken and going off to have a beer like Dean, Sam is getting proactive, even though it’s taking him down a dark path. He has already made some unpleasant decisions, but killing Lilith is the ultimate choice.

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Back in “Yellow Fever,” some people wondered if Dean didn’t get sick because he was a dick. Creator Eric Kripke denied it, but now I think the genius did protest too much. After last night’s bombshell reveal that Dean enjoyed torturing souls in Hell, it seems slightly obvious that Dean is a little bit of a dick.

I’m not trying to tick off the legions of Jensen lovers in the Supernatural community, but this twist certainly puts some tarnish on the image of the show’s golden boy. Kripke went ahead and made one of the lead characters rather unlikeable and made him do something that is not easy to forgive. From a storytelling perspective, I find this utterly fascinating.

Dean fans may not love that their man took pleasure in causing others pain, but it’s a great move for an already strong show. Supernatural is now willing to go to much darker places than ever before and it’s not afraid to make the Winchesters flawed.

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