Family Matters

Family Matters is the 7th episode of Season 6. It aired on November 5th, 2010.

Summary
Dean becomes suspicious of Samuel’s motives, but Sam isn’t sold on the idea that their grandfather is doing anything wrong. The brothers go along on a hunting trip with Samuel and the other Campbells, but things go terribly awry. Samuel's intentions are revealed.

Synopsis
Dean brings Sam to be diagnosed by Castiel who then deduces that Sam has no soul (after conducting a painful procedure by reaching into Sam's chest). Dean and Castiel take Sam to Samuel and the Campbells who are all preparing for a hunt. Samuel is shown to have a soul and that he knew something was wrong with Sam all along, but not what it was. Sam and Dean join in on Samuel's hunting mission to get the Alpha Vampire, and Christian starts to get suspicious of Sam and Dean's actions. Dean and Gwen are told to hold back to kill any straggler Vampires while the rest of the Campbells go storm their base. As the action starts, Dean leaves Gwen to go to the base only to see the Campbells kidnap the Alpha.

After missions end, Sam and Dean formulate a plan to follow Samuel to where he takes monsters to be interrogated by tracking his phone signals. Samuel tortures the Alpha but it has no effect. As he leaves, the Alpha, sensing the brothers' presence called them forward. He tells them that Samuel is looking for Purgatory, where the souls of creatures go after death, and he also seems to be facinated in the fact that Sam has no soul. It's revealed that the Alpha indeed knows of Purgatory's location and that the vampires, as well as many other creature colonies are readying for war. Samuel, Christian and Gwen interrupt the two and set up another Campbell to guard the Alpha while they discuss things.

The Alpha escapes and kills the guard, and Dean, Samuel, Sam, Christian and Gwen split up to recapture it. The Alpha snaps Christian's neck and puts its hold on Sam, planning to turn him into a vampire. Christian appears behind it and detains it, he is shown to have black eyes. As Christian and the Alpha disappear, Crowley appears and explains that he's had Christian possessed for a long time now. He explains that he plans on controlling Purgatory as well as Hell like he presently does, and that Samuel has been working to interrogate and deliver creatures (Alphas mostly) so Purgatory's location can be found. Also that he had resurrected Sam and Samuel with his new found powers as Hell's King. Crowley leaves as Gwen, Sam and Dean, all shocked by Samuel's actions, start to question him. Samuel explains that as Crowley resurrected them, he could easily kill them once again and put Sam right back into the cage, and so he has to do what Crowley says. Sam and Dean agree to his terms, but Sam promises Dean that they will give Crowley what he deserves in the end.

Major Characters

 * Dean Winchester
 * Sam Winchester
 * Castiel
 * Samuel Campbell

Minor Characters

 * Christian Campbell
 * Gwen Campbell
 * Crowley
 * Alpha Vampire

Featured Supernatural Beings

 * Angels
 * Vampires / Alpha Vampire
 * Demons

Trivia

 * Antagonists: Alpha Vampire and Crowley
 * Mark A. Sheppard (Crowley) is uncredited in this episode.
 * The title of this episode is from ﻿a television show which ran from 1989 to 1998.
 * It is unknown why Gwen was left oblivious to Samuel's motives, unlike all the other Campbells.
 * Several new unnamed Campbells appear in this episode, all knowing of Samuel's actions.
 * It is interesting to note that Castiel had to reach into Sam's body to detect his soul, whereas in My Bloody Valentine, all he had to do to detect Dr. Corman's soul was lay a hand on him. (Dr. Corman was dead at the time, so this may have been a factor.)
 * Crowley said he'd had Christian possessed for some time now. However, earlier in the episode, when "Christian" barged in on the "angel cavity search", Castiel didn't notice he was possessed (angels can see demons' true faces). This was either a production/continuity oversight or one of the earliest indications that Castiel was "in flagrante with the king of Hades".
 * This episode was originally titled "All in the Family".
 * Sam mentions that Samuel "thinks velcro is big news." Velcro became commercially available in the late 1950s, and Samuel was killed in early May 1973, so this was just a joke.
 * The "Jaws in a goldfish bowl" comment might have been lost on him, though. Jaws came out in 1975.
 * Eve is alluded to in this episode.

Quotes
Dean : "Since when do you give a crap about vampires?"

Crowley : "Since...Uh...What's today, Friday? Let's see...Mind your business."

- 

Sam: You didn't think I'd come back.

Dean: I figured 60/40.

Familienangelegenheiten