Review: Supernatural 7.02 Hello, Cruel World

Hello, Cruel World is very very solid episode. Once again it's jam-packed with goodies! Let's skip the recap and get straight into the discussion.

This is the way I see it -- Leviathan is scared, powerful but scared. Like Voldermont. That's why he wants to establish his territory, his authority, his army, quickly, before Dean and Sam figure out a way to kill him or send him back to Purgatory. Leviathan wants the threats to be eliminated now.

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It's a cruel cruel world for our heroes, in every sense of the term. Sam is dealing with his hallucination of Lucifer and he is incapable of identifying what's real and what's not. As for Dean, he lost one of the best friends he ever had; he has to take care of his Beautiful Mind little brother; Bobby is missing; they have a new big bad to deal with; and their headquarter is burnt down.

During the course of the series, Demons and Angels have never touched the Singer Salvage, but Team Leviathan did the ultimate oh-oh -- they strategically removed our heroes from their only comfort zone -- Singer Salvage. Leviathan knows Dean, Sam and Bobby are the only hunters who could destroy him, so he wants to take them out of their comfort zone making them vulnerable as quickly as possible. The Singer Salvage has always been the one place Dean and Sam rely on when they need help and shelter. This is where they regroup, rest, and think. This is where the Panic Room is. This is the Watch Tower, this is the CTU, this is the Stargate Command, this is the headquarter! I really hope the headquarter will be rebuilt!

It isn't the first time Supernatural deals with the post-hell experience -- Sam was tortured by Lucifer and Michael. He is freaking out as he is seeing through the crack of his walls. Whereas Dean was the torturer of souls in hell, he felt incredibly guilty for his action and when he learnt that he broke the first seal, that killed him. Unlike Dean when he was out of hell in season four, Sam is talking about his problems with Dean and Bobby and admits that he is seeing the hallucination of Lucifer and it is driving him crazy. Talking is healthy and I am glad this is not a dragged on secret. Will we finally see Sammy cry like Dean in season four? I was expecting a hug in the warehouse scene!

Ben Edlund, writer for awesome episodes such as Ghostfacers, The End and The Man Who Would Be King, is at his best form! He has once again nailed this to the wall! His humours and pop culture references were all over the episode. The dialogues were very well written. I really really REALLY LOVE the way Sam's hallucination is written. It's a torture for Sam, half-knowing Lucifer is not real, but he doesn't know that for sure, this is killing him. But I kinda wish Pellegrino would stick around, because he is so enjoyable to watch. His scenes with Sam were awesome! Also kudos to Guy Bee who directed this episode. I think he handled the emotional scenes very well. I always like Guy, I can't wait to see his next episode..

Hello, Cruel World also addressed the trust issue between Dean and Sam, and I feel that we are finally moving on with this. Yes, it sucks to come back from Hell, it sucks to be a Winchester, it sucks to be a hero, it sucks not knowing who to trust. But if you can't rely on your family, if you don't care and love, the world will end. I think I am finally seeing the light, if you will. There were plenty of brotherly moments in this episode. I particular love the 'breakfast in bed scene' where Dean gave Sammy a bottle a water and protein and checked his wound. And I love the warehouse scene where Dean asked Sam to believe him -- Dean got Sam out of hell, Dean was real. Lucifer was not. Over the years, Sam has transformed from being a psychic kid to Samifer, from Soullest Sam to Beautiful Mind Sam. On one hand, yes, things will never be the same again for the brothers. But on the other hand, some things will never change -- Dean and Sam will NEVER give up on each other.

Let's quickly touch Castiel. Yes, let's touch him. He is not dead and we will definitely see Misha again as Cas or CrazyCas. Picking up from where we left off last week, we saw LaviathanCas having a hard time adjusting his new meat suit, he went to the water and I don't know what you call it -- rejuvenate? According to the Bible (and don't ask me to specify which version), Leviathan was a sea monster. So perhaps water gives him strength and he is hiding there while his troops do their job. And because Dean is keeping Cas' signature trenchcoat, we will either see Cas in a whole new outfit... or naked. Or there will be a scene where Dean gives him his trenchcoat back. I am calling it now!

Bobby has been the closest thing Dean and Sam have to a father. I know I don't talk about Bobby enough but I love Bobby. He is the Chloe in CTU, the Walter in SG1, the Dr Emil in Smallville (ok… Bobby is more important… but you get my point.) You can kill everyone else, but don't you dare touch Bobby! Bobby isn't just a father figure to the boys because Dean said so. Bobby is really embracing this idea too. I'll go a far as saying Bobby is a better father than John. Bobby is so so important to the boys, especially to Dean, I love how Dean puts it at the end of the episode, "If you are gone, I swear, I am going to strap my Beautiful Mind brother into the car and I'm gonna drive us off the pier." That's how I imagine the show should end, right? I mean, Dean can be very suicidal… I can so see him getting drunk before driving off the cliff.

OH MY GOD

We haven't seen the boys with the medic since the beginning of season two. It only happens when they are REALLY desperate. This is usually when they get help from Bobby or Cas. But calling the medic is REALLY desperate. Like... oh crap desperate.

Is it just me or are you also seeing a mini cliffhanger every week so far this season? Each episode so far was written in continuous format rather than a stand-along episode. Typically, the writers would wrap things up in one episode because most episodes were treated as a monster of the week type of episode. Usually we would only get a mini cliffhanger if the episode was part of a two-parter episode, and then we would get a major mid-season cliffhanger. I am not saying I don't like the monster-of-the-week episodes or the fillers, I just really like the mini cliffhanger format this season. I really like the subtlety of change.

One more thing, Dr Sexy is officially one of the recurring themes/ in-jokes of the show. Not that I didn't think so before, but I love how Dr Sexy is randomly mentioned in different episodes.. randomly. AWESOME!

Don't miss the Jensen Ackles directed The Girl Next Door next week, featuring guest star Jewel Staite. This promo includes a jingle.. Bonus!