TVSquad

(S03E15) The penultimate episode of season three went a long ways toward answering many of our questions. The season long question of whether or not Dean can get out of his deal remains up in the air, but we now know what has to be done to save him. All of those little bits were enough to sell this episode, but just for kicks and giggles, the fine folks over at Supernatural tossed in some answers about the controversial Bela. And even that wasn't enough. The monster of the week managed to tie both of those stories together, and give a shout out to John. There was a lot going on, and we'll get to it all, after the jump.

Gallery: Supernatural

There was a lot to like about the Doc Benton story. To start, great casting. Billy Drago (Brisco County Jr.) is perfect for parts like that. It's a credit to him, and the writers, that Benton doesn't even start speaking until 42 minutes into the hour, but you already have such a great feel for who he is and what he's about. Better than that though, the story really worked well with our bigger picture story.

As they revealed the history with John, and Benton's dabbling with alchemy, it all started coming together. Live forever, beat the deal, or at least buy a little time. Sam jumped right on the idea, but Dean was having none of it, and that felt just right. I totally buy into the idea that Dean would choose going to hell over becoming a monster. Just as much as I buy into the idea that a desperate Sam, who really doesn't know what he is going to do without Dean, is at a point where he will grasp at every last straw.

In a bit of an echo from last week, we once again saw the boys split up. With Sam wanting to pursue the alchemy idea, and Dean set on recovering the Colt, it had to be that way. Luckily for Sam, this week Dean was able to return in the nick of time. That big showdown with Benton was great. Both for how it resolved, with the refrigerator in the grave, and for Dean's explanation of why he couldn't become a monster. The only negative I have regarding the Benton story was the tiny little part for Kavan Smith (Stargate Atlantis). It just seemed like an awfully big guest star for such a small part. I would have much rather seen him in his own episode where he got a little more to do.

Meanwhile, back at the deal... With time running out, we're finally getting down to brass tacks where the deal is concerned. Are we all in agreement now that the only way to save Dean is to take out Lilith? And I suppose the added benefit will be that in the process they will free the rest of the people she is holding contracts on. The torture scene with the demon (Adrian Holmes, also a Stargate alum) offered an awfully big hint at Lilith being the one. Who else but the big cheese would be so scary that he'd rather go back to hell?

Something that wasn't so obvious was Bela's role in all of it. We'd had mysterious hints at her past before, but the actual story was a path I never quite got to. I have been operating under the assumption that at some point the boys were going to bail Bela out of a jam and she would change her ways, becoming a recurring part of the team. The story almost got there, but it was all too little too late. As much trouble as Bela was for the boys, it was still a little sad to see it all come crashing down around her, especially as she pleaded with Dean for help.

Bela did finally redeem herself somewhat, giving up Lilith as the holder of the contract. I don't know that it makes up for stealing the Colt for Lilith, or trying to kill them, but it's something. There is still some story that could be explored with Bela, perhaps returning as a demon at some point. Alas, given the fact that it's already been announced that Lauren Cohan won't be back for season four, this was probably the last we'll see of "that skinny, stuck up, English girl."

Ah yes, that quote came from Rufus. Another example of some great casting. Steven Williams completed the Stargate tri-fecta, but for me he will always be thought of, first and foremost, as Mr. X. I really liked his scenes with Dean, serving as something of a hunter of Christmas future. His growled counsel was harsh and to the point, "Folks like us, there ain't no happy ending. We all got it coming." And it's something that Dean should take to heart. He now knows what he has to do to get out of his deal, but should that happen, there are other changes he still needs to make. Things that he should have learned from the last year facing damnation.

A couple more fun casting notes, Terence Kelly, who played the M.E, was also in the season one episode "Dead Man's Blood" and is yet another former guest star from Stargate. Marilyn Norry (Nurse) and Craig Veroni (guy leaving racquet club) are also part of the Stargate club. Acting in Canada is a very small world.

So, it all comes down to next week. The big showdown for Dean's soul. When we learned that the strike was going to shorten the season I was worried that there wouldn't be time to really tell this story. Now that we are on the verge of finishing it, I think it all worked out. Given a few more episodes I could have gone for some more development with Lilith. Maybe even something more elaborate where her revised deal with Bela was concerned. At the end of the day though, they've managed to hit all the big notes and set things up for a big finale. I can't wait to see it all play out.