Honestly? I don't think Dean has ANY right to condemn anyone else. I can't tell you how many times I've noticed that they have just straight MURDERED innocent folks who happen to have demons in them. I mean, seriously, any time that they have the time to do the Dispossession ritual and chose the knife instead is a time where they're taking someone else's life without remorse or reason. I get that sometimes that's the way it is but it just feels SO hypocritical for Dean to kill Amy for "dropping bodies" to save her kid when he's done far worse to save his brother.
This isn't the best look for him but I can never stay mad at him.
It's just not too thought out, in my opinion.
It's always amazed me how little thought they give to the folks who actually own the "meat suits" they're stabbing -- even after the Rise of the Witnesses -- yet remain firmly entrenched in the idea that they are the absolute good guys.
Better than most? Probably.
Better period? Not so much.
I don't let it ruin my day or my enjoyment of the show but the reality is a bit more grim than it is depicted.
14 Reviews
screw Dean's character development I guess
shwetafabm23 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The ep is an emotional serious one, which i've got nothing against it's just much more likely to be boring.
I like flashbacks. I liked Sam's arch even if boring.
The show doesn't shy from monsters being in the grey area which is great, i'm just sick of it kinda.
I like seeing stargate's cast so that was nice.
And now to Dean...um wow character regression much
Control freak, no boundaries, punching problem, bigot Dean
Now i am ok with anti-heroes, Sam is clearly the balanced sane voice of the show and Dean's character development of letting go and letting Sam make the decision of sacrifing himself has i guess now completely regressed. That's unfortunate i suppose but it does fit the character. This is the same guy who let that vampire go in season 2 and just a season back was willing to let her go also... Maybe...it's not fully explored with Cas jumping in and her saying she killed...again the writers make some weird decisions for Dean, if Dean who does have smarts believes, which he should, that the kid needed the brains he would probably not do it, and then to do it infront of the kid, what a dick.
Baffling ending
saphira-284548 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The episode was mostly nice and I really liked the flashbacks, I thought Sam's past friendship with Amy worked really well and was cute. Dean beginning to trust Sam despite his worries would have been a great lesson for him this episode. Unfortunately the ending ruined everything.
Dean killing Amy and leaving her kid an orphan is something that makes sense but only barely, and ignores a lot of Dean's character development. It's even worse on a rewatch, knowing the infuriating way they ended this chapter and what Dean ends up doing in season 8. What was even the purpose of it when all it did was making Dean a much worse character for a few episodes? Amy was a grey character who deserved better despite what a future episode will try to tell you about it.
Dean killing Amy and leaving her kid an orphan is something that makes sense but only barely, and ignores a lot of Dean's character development. It's even worse on a rewatch, knowing the infuriating way they ended this chapter and what Dean ends up doing in season 8. What was even the purpose of it when all it did was making Dean a much worse character for a few episodes? Amy was a grey character who deserved better despite what a future episode will try to tell you about it.
Great episode until the end
mikeydewsnap18 February 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Really enjoyed this episode until the last 10 minutes. The relationship between Sam and Amy was interesting to watch and their history made a lot of sense considering sam's character. But Dean... what the hell? Didn't he learn anything from season 2 episode 3?! Remember? When the brothers learned that good monsters exist in this world and Dean was worried that he'd killed good creatures in the past without realising it? Where was that in this episode? Very out of character of Dean and clearly only happened to create an artificial conflict between the brothers later on.
First Love and Betrayal
claudio_carvalho13 January 2013
Bobby rescues Dean and Sam from the Sioux Falls General Hospital and they recover their injuries in a hideout in Montana. When Sam reads in the news about the death of three scumbags in the Livingston Park in Lincoln, Nebraska, he steals the Impala and drive to Nebraska.
Sam meets a woman, Amy, in the woods ready to attack a driver. She hits Sam but he meets her,again at her home. Sam recalls when he was a young teenager and he falls in love with the girl Amy. However he discovers that Amy and her mother are Kitsunes that feed with human brains. When her mother is ready to kill him, he is protected by Amy. Now Amy explains why she killed her victims and Sam let her go. Now he has to convince Dean to spare Amy.
"The Girl Next Door" is an episode that I did not like at all. I did not like Dean's attitude luring Sam and stabbing Amy, betraying his brother. The writers did a poor job in this story and I believe that this murder will certainly bring a conflict between Sam and Dean. Last but not the least, I am impressed with the astonishing beauty of Emma Grabinsky. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "The Girl Next Door"
Sam meets a woman, Amy, in the woods ready to attack a driver. She hits Sam but he meets her,again at her home. Sam recalls when he was a young teenager and he falls in love with the girl Amy. However he discovers that Amy and her mother are Kitsunes that feed with human brains. When her mother is ready to kill him, he is protected by Amy. Now Amy explains why she killed her victims and Sam let her go. Now he has to convince Dean to spare Amy.
"The Girl Next Door" is an episode that I did not like at all. I did not like Dean's attitude luring Sam and stabbing Amy, betraying his brother. The writers did a poor job in this story and I believe that this murder will certainly bring a conflict between Sam and Dean. Last but not the least, I am impressed with the astonishing beauty of Emma Grabinsky. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "The Girl Next Door"
Good example of a bad habit the show has
CubsandCulture16 April 2020
On its own this is a good episode. It has nice bro melodrama and Ackles does well enough to keep the episode feeling like a thriller. But it is an episode built around ad hoc flashbacks to give the current episode more emotional weight or investment. I really hate how the show repeatedly uses this device of contriving events in the past that only are brought up as a way of telling the current episodes. Sometimes they end up double down on idiotic aspects of the show. OF COURSE Sam's first kiss is with a monster. This is the worst use of the device but it is one of the most trite examples.
Everything tastes better with cheese
zombiehigh1830 December 2011
Warning: Spoilers
If anything this episode left me both confused and disheartened. I was high on expectations for this season after the strong start and the amazing last episode. But now I find myself conflicted between loving it and hating it all the same. I read various reviews and comments to come out with a solid view on it, only to find out that I'm now more confused than before.
Here is what I expected after last episode, I expected a heavy struggle in the hospital, I expected a more intense getaway, I expected to see Sam struggle more with his hallucinations, I expected to see Dean hovering over an unconscious Sam and worrying about him and I expected to see Mark Pelligrino again. But none of that happened, Though I happen to understand why the creators chose to tone down the events after an intense beginning, I'm still disappointed.
So I'm going to point out what I liked about this episode:
1- It's good to know that Bobby is not dead. I loved his come to the boys rescue at the hospital and his soft reaction to Dean saying "I'm a gimp", Dean needed that soft touch in his time of distress. However I would have really appreciated a little explanation on where he was earlier when his house was turned to ashes.
2- It is always nice to have Colin Ford on the show, the boy is getting better and better and he is conveying Sam's mannerisms perfectly.
3- We got to see Sam's first kiss. We also got to see how young Sam dealt with his father, it seemed that the two have been having problems with each other since forever, However pointing out John drinking habits left e a little annoyed, as if John's image could afford more cracks to it.
4- This is the second directorial attempt for the multi talented Jensen Ackles. He is doing a great job, I loved his use of lights and the amazing flashbacks.
5- "New rule, You take my baby, You get punched"
6- Finally, The Levaithans are getting more and more interesting, though they let me down, for taking them that long to figure out the Winchesters are in hospital, they made up for that by their high intelligence and their ability to infiltrate in various positions and track down the Winchester brothers using their fake aliases. And of course the scary final scene and Yes everything tastes better with cheese.
So Why am I confused? Here is my long and detailed answer:
1- Sam, We have seen the guy identify with freaks before, but it seems it has been going longer than we expected. His first crush was with Amy who turned out later to be a monster herself but a friendly one who killed her mother to save Sam. So Sam owed her his life but is conflicted between ending her to stop her from killing more people and paying his debt by letting her go for she had her reasons to go on the killing spree for a while. Sam, a few weeks earlier, didn't trust himself as a hunter and he still does not but he also has to clean up his mess. He had to keep the thing secret from Dean, for his brother will definitely try and stop him.
2- Dean, Oh my God, Am I angry with the guy? Yes and No. Yes Dean was very cruel with Amy and I hated killing her, especially in front of her son. No, I understand why exactly he did what he did. Dean is worried about Sam he is waiting for the other shoe to drop since apparently Sam is still suffering from his hallucinations and he saw him check out earlier so as much as he might want to trust his little brother he knows he can't, not only because of his current state of mind but for other various reasons. Because Dean learned to deal with shades of grey before and he knows that is eventually a very dangerous road, he knows once you have killed you will kill again, being a good person doesn't mean you will not go down the dark road, He has seen that before with Sam and Cas, He has seen Lenor kill again, he himself was back on torture when he had to. He can understand what Amy had to do to save her son and he would have done the same to save Sam but after his failure with Cas he can't afford to let another monster threaten people's lives again. He had to hide it from Sam for the same reason Sam hid it from him, because Sam will stop him and allow me to get a head of my self and say when he explained later to Sam why he had to lie, because he was doing his brother's dirty work, the job the younger Winchester would not do. But why didn't he kill her son? Well that's a very interesting question. Dean's callousness with the kid reflects Dean's state of mind perfectly. He is indifferent to the boys words about killing him, he asks the boy to look him up in a few years if he lives that long. Dean is so depressed that he knows he already lost the game and no matter what nothing will turn better for him and his end will be nasty, besides it would have been too cruel to see Dean kill a child and we would have massively hated that. Finally, Killing Amy might not be a very good thing to do but I also like to think the boys are only flawed human beings with their share of mistakes and this is not their first mistake.
Here is what I expected after last episode, I expected a heavy struggle in the hospital, I expected a more intense getaway, I expected to see Sam struggle more with his hallucinations, I expected to see Dean hovering over an unconscious Sam and worrying about him and I expected to see Mark Pelligrino again. But none of that happened, Though I happen to understand why the creators chose to tone down the events after an intense beginning, I'm still disappointed.
So I'm going to point out what I liked about this episode:
1- It's good to know that Bobby is not dead. I loved his come to the boys rescue at the hospital and his soft reaction to Dean saying "I'm a gimp", Dean needed that soft touch in his time of distress. However I would have really appreciated a little explanation on where he was earlier when his house was turned to ashes.
2- It is always nice to have Colin Ford on the show, the boy is getting better and better and he is conveying Sam's mannerisms perfectly.
3- We got to see Sam's first kiss. We also got to see how young Sam dealt with his father, it seemed that the two have been having problems with each other since forever, However pointing out John drinking habits left e a little annoyed, as if John's image could afford more cracks to it.
4- This is the second directorial attempt for the multi talented Jensen Ackles. He is doing a great job, I loved his use of lights and the amazing flashbacks.
5- "New rule, You take my baby, You get punched"
6- Finally, The Levaithans are getting more and more interesting, though they let me down, for taking them that long to figure out the Winchesters are in hospital, they made up for that by their high intelligence and their ability to infiltrate in various positions and track down the Winchester brothers using their fake aliases. And of course the scary final scene and Yes everything tastes better with cheese.
So Why am I confused? Here is my long and detailed answer:
1- Sam, We have seen the guy identify with freaks before, but it seems it has been going longer than we expected. His first crush was with Amy who turned out later to be a monster herself but a friendly one who killed her mother to save Sam. So Sam owed her his life but is conflicted between ending her to stop her from killing more people and paying his debt by letting her go for she had her reasons to go on the killing spree for a while. Sam, a few weeks earlier, didn't trust himself as a hunter and he still does not but he also has to clean up his mess. He had to keep the thing secret from Dean, for his brother will definitely try and stop him.
2- Dean, Oh my God, Am I angry with the guy? Yes and No. Yes Dean was very cruel with Amy and I hated killing her, especially in front of her son. No, I understand why exactly he did what he did. Dean is worried about Sam he is waiting for the other shoe to drop since apparently Sam is still suffering from his hallucinations and he saw him check out earlier so as much as he might want to trust his little brother he knows he can't, not only because of his current state of mind but for other various reasons. Because Dean learned to deal with shades of grey before and he knows that is eventually a very dangerous road, he knows once you have killed you will kill again, being a good person doesn't mean you will not go down the dark road, He has seen that before with Sam and Cas, He has seen Lenor kill again, he himself was back on torture when he had to. He can understand what Amy had to do to save her son and he would have done the same to save Sam but after his failure with Cas he can't afford to let another monster threaten people's lives again. He had to hide it from Sam for the same reason Sam hid it from him, because Sam will stop him and allow me to get a head of my self and say when he explained later to Sam why he had to lie, because he was doing his brother's dirty work, the job the younger Winchester would not do. But why didn't he kill her son? Well that's a very interesting question. Dean's callousness with the kid reflects Dean's state of mind perfectly. He is indifferent to the boys words about killing him, he asks the boy to look him up in a few years if he lives that long. Dean is so depressed that he knows he already lost the game and no matter what nothing will turn better for him and his end will be nasty, besides it would have been too cruel to see Dean kill a child and we would have massively hated that. Finally, Killing Amy might not be a very good thing to do but I also like to think the boys are only flawed human beings with their share of mistakes and this is not their first mistake.
Mixed reactions. Entertained by Dr. Who ref. Possible spoilers
boltar46923 November 2013
I agree with most of zombiehigh18's points.
I wound up watching major chunks of this show a while back as my 21-year-old grandson is a major fan of this series. He's in the midst of re-watching the whole thing on NetFlix so I occasionally catch an old episode these days.
I gather this episode abounded with in jokes. I remember spotting some of of those now and again in the series, but don't recollect most episodes as crawling with the stuff. I remember seeing this episode sometime or other, but not being stopped in my tracks by "Amy flaming Pond?!" multi-age scenes, as I was just now while looking at Jewel Staite's history, prompted by the disasterathon running at the moment on Syfy.
Too bad they didn't sneak some fireflies or some other Kaylee reference into the episode - or did they? All things considered, about as entertaining and angst-ridden as most Supernatural episodes.
I wound up watching major chunks of this show a while back as my 21-year-old grandson is a major fan of this series. He's in the midst of re-watching the whole thing on NetFlix so I occasionally catch an old episode these days.
I gather this episode abounded with in jokes. I remember spotting some of of those now and again in the series, but don't recollect most episodes as crawling with the stuff. I remember seeing this episode sometime or other, but not being stopped in my tracks by "Amy flaming Pond?!" multi-age scenes, as I was just now while looking at Jewel Staite's history, prompted by the disasterathon running at the moment on Syfy.
Too bad they didn't sneak some fireflies or some other Kaylee reference into the episode - or did they? All things considered, about as entertaining and angst-ridden as most Supernatural episodes.
Bad Writing, Bad Episode
galet0929 January 2014
Warning: Spoilers
One of the worst episodes in my least favorite season of Supernatural. I hated the Leviathan storyline to begin with, the scene in the previous episode of the doctor performing surgery and then eating the woman's liver was monstrously disturbing beyond belief, However, for the moment I will give my review of this particular episode.
First of all, Dean killing Amy was WRONG on so many levels. To go behind Sam's back after he agreed to trust him, and then he goes and kills her, will definitely create more trouble between the brothers.
Not only should Dean NOT have killed Amy, he took away the kid's mother as well and obviously scarred the kid for life. It's as if Dean was playing God and he felt it was his duty, never mind that Amy promised him she would not kill again ever. I know the motto or creed of the hunter is to kill all monsters, but It's too bad it's going to take a couple more seasons before they realize that not all monsters should be killed.
I hated this episode as I said and felt the writing was poor, cold and unjust. My rating is 2 stars.
First of all, Dean killing Amy was WRONG on so many levels. To go behind Sam's back after he agreed to trust him, and then he goes and kills her, will definitely create more trouble between the brothers.
Not only should Dean NOT have killed Amy, he took away the kid's mother as well and obviously scarred the kid for life. It's as if Dean was playing God and he felt it was his duty, never mind that Amy promised him she would not kill again ever. I know the motto or creed of the hunter is to kill all monsters, but It's too bad it's going to take a couple more seasons before they realize that not all monsters should be killed.
I hated this episode as I said and felt the writing was poor, cold and unjust. My rating is 2 stars.
Not bad not great
mm-3921 October 2011
Not a bad episode! Dean is portrayed as a meanie in this one. Sam and Dean escape the creatures from the hospital. Sam goes on a mission for a creature that saved his life years ago. Sam finds out this female creature killed people to save her child. In the end, Dean kills the creature which Sam could not. I believe this episode will cause future conflicts between the brothers. Good episode had the viewer wondering what will happen next? One finds out that Sam is sane and rational in spite of Dean's doubts about his brother. Nice to see the series back on track. Bobby was absent from this episode. The series seems odd now without Casiel. I give "Defending Your Life" an eight out of ten
Lets just forget what darkdemntress since shes a misandrist in all reviews
pimpwitoutahand6 November 2022
Its a flipflop episode that contradicts previous episodes that certainly a mishap throughout the entire series but a soul crunching episode nonetheless and hits deep to sam and the betrayal within family regardless of his own feelings. Stellar episode but missing stars due to the flipflopping on character development. I certainly think this was a episode to pave the way to the brothers dynamic and most likely a way to see how both could sway from their principals to meet what they truly need in the heat of the moment or just to appease their own satisfactions so they can be able to look themselves in a mirror at the end of the day.
Dishonest Hypocrite
Johnny_West25 August 2023
Dean the megalomaniac control freak brother who demands to know every single detail of Sam's life, and who goes nuts if Sam leaves out a detail, shows what kind of dishonest hypcrite he really is. How many times has Dean gone bonkers if he finds out that Sam did not give him a detailed explanation of every dream, nightmare, memories, thoughts, etc.?
Sam is trying hard to trust Dean (big mistake), and tells Dean about Amy Pond (not the Doctor Who sidekick). Sam met her back when they were both children, and Amy saved Sam from getting killed by her Mom, a kitsune.
Amy is a kitsune who eats the thyroid glands of humans. She tells Sam she is working as a mortician so she only eats dead people. Kind of gross, but Sam lets her slide because she was the first girl he ever kissed.
After he tells Dean the story, and asks him not to pursue Amy, Dean agrees, out of love and respect for Sam. Pathetically, it turns out Dean is a lying sack, and he tracks down Amy and shows her no mercy, and betrays his brother Sam.
I would have liked this show better without Dean. Every time Dean got sent to hell or otherwise met Death, I hoped he was being written out of the show. Dean was an annoying character who always thought he was better than everyone else. His motto was "do as I say, not as I do."
Sam is trying hard to trust Dean (big mistake), and tells Dean about Amy Pond (not the Doctor Who sidekick). Sam met her back when they were both children, and Amy saved Sam from getting killed by her Mom, a kitsune.
Amy is a kitsune who eats the thyroid glands of humans. She tells Sam she is working as a mortician so she only eats dead people. Kind of gross, but Sam lets her slide because she was the first girl he ever kissed.
After he tells Dean the story, and asks him not to pursue Amy, Dean agrees, out of love and respect for Sam. Pathetically, it turns out Dean is a lying sack, and he tracks down Amy and shows her no mercy, and betrays his brother Sam.
I would have liked this show better without Dean. Every time Dean got sent to hell or otherwise met Death, I hoped he was being written out of the show. Dean was an annoying character who always thought he was better than everyone else. His motto was "do as I say, not as I do."
Weak!
Aries_Primal8 September 2023
Warning: Spoilers
I don't know where to start from... Made up not killable monsters, rushed plot, cannibalism and eek stuff... Or the fact Dean got his lower leg cracked as a salthy stick and day after that he was running around again. Broken bone, if not too bad, heals for three months, not for a day. I know the show is called Supernatural, but those two are still humans and honestly first seasons were a big deal, this is a joke. Leviatan by the way, is a dragon, not a worm-human, so sloppy and not serious. It's more than obvious next seasons are made for money, but come on, don't kill the essense of the show!
Bad
darkdementress16 August 2021
Did they really force the 15 yr old actress to wear a shirt with her boobs hanging out? You they are did.. absolutely disgusting! It's one thing to have a consenting adult with their cleavage out the entire episode which I always think is awful and the show is full of it but to do it to the little girl and I'm pretty sure she was actually 15 at the time. Repulsive.! Shame!
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