Sympathy For The Devil is the season premiere of Season 5. It aired on September 10th, 2009.
Summary[]
There was something about being there... It felt pure. This episode summary is an official CW press release. It may contain errors. DO NOT CHANGE! |
Picking up where the finale left off, Dean and Sam watch as the Devil (guest star Mark Pellegrino, "Lost") emerges from Hell. The brothers and Bobby (guest star Jim Beaver) deal with the aftermath of Lucifer rising and the stunning news from Chuck the Prophet (guest star Rob Benedict) that Castiel was blown to bits by the archangels.
Plot[]
Sam and Dean are trapped in the vestibule as Lucifer breaks free of his confinement following Sam killing Lilith and breaking the last of The 66 Seals. Just as a blinding light and high pitched sound force them to their knees, they are transported into an airplane flying over St. Mary's Convent in Ilchester, Maryland, where Lucifer was confined. The pair spot Lucifer's release as the church is destroyed.
Landing safely, although unsure how they were saved, they travel to Kripke's Hollow and the devastated remains of Chuck's house. After hitting Sam with a plunger, he explains that the archangel had blown Castiel apart, to the brothers' dismay. Chuck senses the angels as Zachariah and a contingent of angels arrive. Zachariah tells Dean that the time for games is done as he is needed to battle Lucifer, who is seeking a vessel to possess. Sam is shocked Lucifer needs a vessel as Zachariah explains as an angel that is required. Dean is angry and not willing to help the angels, as they are responsible for jump-starting the Apocalypse.
Zachariah defends that statement since Sam is fully responsible and tells Dean that he had the chance to stop him but it failed. He tells Dean they are on the same side since they have a common enemy in Lucifer and Dean needs the angels to help him defeat him. Dean still refuses and Zachariah starts to warn him about his rebellion until he notices Dean's hand is bleeding. He has already partly drawn an angel banishing sigil on a sliding door with his own blood. He pulls out the sliding door to reveal the sigil, then slaps his bloody palm onto it and Zachariah and his angels disappear. "Learned that from my friend Cass, you son of a bitch."
At a motel room, Sam arrives with some Hex Bags to hide them from the angels, which Sam reluctantly admits Ruby taught him how to make. Sam says he isn't feeling any after effects from the Demon Blood. He tries to talk to Dean about what has happened, about freeing Lucifer, but Dean refuses to engage with him. Dean suggests they treat it as any hunt, and they set about finding Lucifer.
A brief scene of a man named Nick, who seems to be having nightmares or hallucinations is shown. After hallucinating that his bed is full of blood, he finds his dead wife (actually Lucifer) lying beside him in bed, whispering to him, "You're special".
Becky Rosen, obviously a fan of the Supernatural books written by Chuck Shurley, judging by the posters in her room, is writing some Wincest fanfiction, when Chuck instant messages her and asks her to pass a message to Dean and Sam. She thinks its a joke until he reveals his stories are real, to her delight as she thought so. She meets the brothers and is amazed to see Sam in person before she delivers the message, however the message - that the "angels have lost Michael's Sword" and that it is to be found "in a castle, on a hill made of 42 dogs", doesn't appear to make sense.
Bobby arrives in the Impala, with research about the Archangel Michael, Lucifer's older brother and the strongest of the angels. Sam confesses to Bobby that it was his actions that freed Lucifer, and Bobby coldly tells him that once the hunt is over, he wants nothing to do with Sam. Sam leaves to do some research. While researching further, Dean gets an idea, and going through some of John Winchester's old things. He finds a receipt for a storage facility that fits the message from Chuck.
Bobby then attacks Dean - revealing that he has been possessed. Just then, a woman arrives with a henchmen. It is Meg, the demon that once worked with Azazel and possessed Sam during the events of Born Under A Bad Sign. Meg says the demons want Dean dead so he can't stop Lucifer. She kisses Dean and tells him Bobby is still alive while possessed and orders the latter to kill Dean with Ruby's Knife, but just as he is about to strike, Bobby manages to battle the demon and stab himself instead. Sam returns and helps dispatch the other two demons, but Meg escapes by leaving her vessel.
Nick wanders through his house, distraught. His wife and child have been murdered during a home invasion. As he grieves, he starts hallucinating again.
Sam and Dean drop off a gravely injured Bobby at the hospital and race to John's Lock-up. Once there, they find some dead demons, and Zachariah with some angel muscle.
Zachariah reveals they misled Chuck; in truth Michael's Sword is at the storage lock-up - it's Dean! Zachariah explains that Dean is to be the vessel for the Archangel Michael, so he can defeat Lucifer. When a shocked Dean refuses to be an "angel condom", Zachariah states he has enough of Dean's jokes and breaks one of Sam's legs. Zachariah declares he is through screwing around and says Heaven will have its leader as Dean realizes Michael needs his permission to possess him, which is why Zachariah is telling him this. Zachariah confirms that they need Dean's consent to this and offers to heal Bobby but says that Bobby will never walk again if Dean refuses. Dean appears tempted but still refuses.
Zachariah then strikes Dean with Stage 4 stomach cancer and as he coughs up blood, Zachariah stops Sam from breathing by taking away his lungs. He approaches Dean and tells him to give in but the latter tells them to just to kill them as Zachariah states he states he's getting started. Just then Castiel appears, he kills Zachariah's henchmen with the Angel Blade. Zachariah questions how he is alive as Castiel hint that it was the same being who put the brothers on the plane and that brought him back. Castiel orders Zachariah to make Sam and Dean whole again, and then to leave. Scared of the being that Castiel implies brought him back, Zachariah complies and flees.
Castiel is elusive about how he has been brought back from death, but before he leaves he touches Sam and Dean, carving Enochian sigils into their ribs, that will hide them from all angels, including Lucifer and himself. Sam asks Castiel how he's still alive but he disappears before answering.
Lucifer then appears as Nick's wife Sarah and tells him that he is a vessel, and that Lucifer wants his consent to possess him. Unsure of his dream, Nick questions why he would do that as Lucifer says he is misunderstood, that he was punished for "loving God too much". He says that, to let Nick's family be brutally murdered by a man who broke into Nick's house, God must either be uncaring, or a sadist. He tells Nick possession will be painful, but that Lucifer will help him get justice for his family. Nick assents to possession.
At the hospital, Bobby yells at a doctor who tells him he won't walk again. He says they need to keep fighting, but is pessimistic about their chances. Dean makes a stirring speech, saying they should take them all on - angels and demons - and try to win. As Dean and Sam leave the room, Bobby admits that it was the demon who said that he wanted nothing to do with Sam, and that no matter what Sam has done, he will never stop contact with him.
As they walk to the car, Dean admits the speech was for Bobby's benefit. Sam again tries to get Dean to talk about what happened. Dean admits that he feels deeply hurt and let down by Sam, and even though he knows Sam is sorry, he doesn't know if he can trust him again.
Characters[]
Main Cast[]
Recurring Cast[]
Guest Stars[]
- Jim Beaver as Bobby Singer and Bobby Singer demon
- Rob Benedict as Chuck Shurley
- Kurt Fuller as Zachariah
Co-Stars[]
- Mark Pellegrino as Nick
- Rachel Miner as Meg
- Bellamy Young as Sarah and Lucifer
- Emily Perkins as Becky Rosen
- Genevieve Padalecki as Ruby (corpse)
- Katherine Boecher as Lilith (corpse)
Featured Supernatural Beings[]
- Angels (Castiel, Zachariah, Zachariah's Foot-Soldiers)
- Archangels (Lucifer; Michael and Raphael, mentioned only)
- Cherubim (misrepresented in lore book)
- Demons (Meg, Bobby Singer demon, Meg's Minion; Sam Winchester, Ruby, corpse and mentioned; Abraxas, referenced only)
- Horseman (War, Famine, and Death, referenced; Pestilence, hidden visage)
- Primordial Entity (God)
- White-Eyed Demon (Lilith, corpse)
- Special Children (Sam Winchester, mentioned only)
Continuity[]
- Meg previously appeared in Born Under A Bad Sign.
- This is the first appearance of Becky Rosen.
- This is the first appearance of Nick.
- This is the first appearance of Sarah.
- This episode takes place immediately after Lucifer Rising.
- In Unhuman Nature, it is revealed Nick's family were killed by Abraxas on Lucifer's orders.
- During Prophet and Loss, the ghost of Sarah reveals she witnessed Nick give Lucifer consent.
Trivia[]
- Antagonists: Lucifer, Zachariah, Demons.
- This marks the first episode in which Misha Collins has a starring role on Supernatural.
- This is the first appearance of Castiel as a main character.
- Despite it being previously stated that the brothers' last name never made it into the books, Becky Rosen knows their last name, Winchester, in this episode.
- This is one of the only two episodes in season 5 where Lucifer is not portrayed by Mark Pellegrino. The other is The End.
- The identity of the archangel that killed Castiel is revealed in Free To Be You and Me.
- Bobby is the only human that has survived Ruby's knife trying to kill a demon inside of him. In Season 4, Sam used the fact that the knife kills the human host as well as the demon as a reason to use his psychic powers.
- It is revealed that Dean is Michael's true vessel.
- When Sam and Dean are transported onto the plane, they find themselves watching a Looney Tunes episode that features the character Yosemite Sam. In the animated short, Yosemite Sam was being taken to Hell by the Devil, foreshadowing Sam Winchester finally accepting his role as the vessel of Lucifer and jumping into the Cage.
- The episode title is named after a song by the Rolling Stones.
- When Dean tells Zachariah "Cram it with walnuts, Ugly," it's a reference to the Simpsons episode "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show". Homer Simpson says it to Roger Meyers Jr while auditioning to be the voice of the Meyers' latest cartoon character.
- The radio in the car into which Sam and Dean are transported mentions "Governor O'Malley", most likely then-Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley.
- On Becky's bedroom wall there is a street sign that reads "Winchester Blvd." Located on Winchester Blvd. in San Jose, CA, is the Winchester Mystery House. It was built by Sarah Winchester, the eccentric widow who married into the Winchester family, which according to contemporary mediums, was cursed. Family members were said to be haunted by the spirits of Native Americans, Civil War soldiers and others killed by Winchester rifles. She reportedly built the house in an effort appease the revenge-seeking spirits.
- During Lucifer's talk with Nick, its mentioned that Nick's family was brutally murdered in a home invasion that Lucifer blames God for and uses to convince Nick to say "yes." The murders and Nick getting revenge for them later play a major part in the plotline of Season 14 where Nick, after being freed of Lucifer's control, learns that the murders were never solved. Nick eventually discovers that his family was murdered by the demon Abraxas and comes face to face with Abraxas in Damaged Goods. Abraxas reveals that Lucifer ordered the murders so that he could manipulate Nick before Nick kills him.
- Lucifer claims that Nick is special and a powerful vessel. Lucifer told Azazel to look for a special child (Sam Winchester) which is a term for the Special Children Azazel created, it's unclear if there was originally a plan to make Nick a Special Child because he was called that. Later, he admits that Nick is just a Plan B because Sam wasn't available. As revealed in Season 14's Damaged Goods, Nick was chosen for no other reason than the fact that Abraxas threw a dart at the phone book to determine who to target so that Lucifer could manipulate them.
Deaths[]
- Numerous unnamed people (mentioned only)
- Sarah (mentioned only)
- Teddy (mentioned only)
- Bobby Singer demon
- Meg's Minion
- Zachariah's Foot-Soldiers
Featured Music[]
- "Thunderstruck" - AC/DC
Quotes[]
- Castiel: (To the Winchesters after Zachariah leaves) You two need to be more careful.
- Dean: (Dumbfounded at the sight of the supposed-to-be-dead Castiel) Yeah ... I'm starting to get that, your frat brothers are bigger dicks than I thought.
(Castiel touches Sam and Dean on their chests, causing them to groan in pain.)
- Dean: What the hell was that?
- Castiel: An Enochian sigil. It'll hide you from every angel in creation, including Lucifer.
- Dean: What, you just brand us with it?
- Castiel: No, I carved it into your ribs.
- Dean: (Upon being asked how he plans to get rid of both the angels and demons) I got no idea, but what I do have is a GED and a "give 'em hell" attitude and I'll figure it out.
- Lucifer: I'm an angel.
- Nick: An angel.
- Lucifer: My name is Lucifer.
- Nick: [...] Sure... naturally... Could you do me a favor there, Satan, and remind me to quit drinking before I go to bed?
- Meg: I always knew you were a big, dumb, slow pain in the ass, Dean, but I never dreamt you were so VIP. I mean, you're gonna ice the Devil? You? [laughs] If I'd known that, I would have ripped your pretty pretty face off ages ago.
- Dean: Ruby.
- Meg: Guess again. Go back.
- Dean: Meg?
- Meg: Hi. But these are the days of miracle and wonder, Dean. Our father's among us. You know, we're dreamy again for the first time since we were human? It's Heaven on Earth. [...] Or Hell.
- Meg: Not so easy without those super special demon powers, huh, Sammy?
Gallery[]
International Titles[]
- Brazil: Simpatia para o Diabo (Affinity with the Devil)
- German: Mein Name ist Luzifer (My name is Lucifer)
- Hungarian: Barátság az ördöggel (Friendship with the Devil)
- Polish: Współczucie dla diabła (Sympathy for the Devil)
External Links[]
- IMDB page for this episode
- Partial translation of Sigils on Sam and Dean's ribs
- Supernatural: "Sympathy for the Devil" Review IGN.com