Man, why does this show keep doing this to me? Thursday at 10:00 comes around anymore and Iâm a jittery mess, going back to the TiVo for a rewatch. This one earned a third re-watch, then one the next day and I think Iâm up to number ten now. I lost count around seven.
This episode is even more action packed than the last one, and that was huge. As a matter of fact, with the exception of âMystery Spotâ and âA Very Supernatural Christmas,â no episode is more crammed with details in the entire series. As a result, I even have to break this recap into two parts. Itâs that long. Things are intense from the opening teaser, so letâs get started.
Thereâs a nice scene of destruction that looks like a bomb went off. Cars are in all sorts of positions, windows blown out, parts lying everywhere and the car alarms ringing. Our familiar trench-coated angel walks among the carnage and with one raised hand silences the mass confusion. So, weâre twenty seconds into the episode and Castiel is already awesome. I already have good feelings about this episode. He searches and then sadly finds what heâs looking for. A woman, in a flowing dress of white, is dead on the ground. He pulls back her dress and finds the stab wound right through the base of her neck. âGoodbye sister,â he says solemnly, and the cops arrive behind him.
![](/images/OnTheHeadofaPin/416vlcsnap-00017.jpg)
Cops arrive to investigate, and Castiel is gone. Damn I need that skill. Every time my son yells âMom!â all I need to do is go away in a flash and all my problems are solved. Helicopters hover over the scene and the spotlight scans over the area from right to left. The massive imprint of wings on the pavement on both sides of the woman appear. Okay, we get it, sheâs an angel.
Birds, doom, logo. In this episode, they mean it.
The Impala zooms on a dark road at night, and Iâm in love. Man have I missed that beauty. Of course we donât see her much, just like Sam, but her few scenes are golden. Thereâs an interesting camera angle from the floorboard, and we see itâs Sam whoâs driving like a maniac. Sammy? Wow, he has turned.
Deanâs in the passenger seat and he looks tired. And weary. And depressed. Sam is all gung ho about meeting Ruby outside of Cheyenne and tracking down some leads to get to Lilith. Dean is apathetic about the whole thing, and I donât blame him. The words âRubyâ and âCheyenneâ make me cringe too. Sam wants to know what Deanâs problem is. Um Sam, HEâS DEPRESSED. Itâs a basic human condition, look it up sometime.
Dean is still stinging about Pamela and how they dragged her into this even though she wanted no part. Sam, who seems to have gotten over Pamâs chilling words, says she knew what was at stake. âOh yeah, saving the world. Weâre doing such a damn good job of it. Iâm tired of burying friends, Sam.â Sam changes the subject, since heâs itching for a Lilith revenge filled showdown. âIf we catch a fresh trail-â and Dean finishes the sentence with âwe follow it, I know.â Except Deanâs words are loaded with indifference. Uh oh, Deanoâs not in a good place right now. Of course his words that heâs getting tired pretty much confirm that too. Sam wants him to get angry. Dean looks somber, for all he wants is a nap.
Sam opens the motel room door, and Dean, again in very resigned voice, says âHome, crappy, home.â These guys really should splurge on a Hampton Inn or something nice, complete with in room whirlpool tub. It would do wonders for the damaged psyche. Sam turns on the light, and Uriel and Castiel are there. âOh come on,â Dean says. Now heâs angry Sam! Uriel is talking, Castiel is standing off to the side looking pious.
![](/images/OnTheHeadofaPin/416vlcsnap-00029.jpg)
Uriel tells Dean heâs needed. âWe just got back from needed!â Dean yells. Uriel tells Dean to watch his tone, and that just makes him madder. Sam steps in, hoping to calm tensions, letting them know they just got back from Pamelaâs funeral. Dean reminds them who psychic Pamela was. âCas, you remember her, you burned her eyes out. Remember that, Good times!â Castiel isnât smiling. Come to think of it, he never does. When that does happen, I bet we will all fall dead from having our insides melt. Dean further reminds them she died saving one of their precious seals. âSo maybe you can stop pushing us around like chess pieces FOR FIVE FREAKING MINUTES!â
![](/images/OnTheHeadofaPin/416vlcsnap-00031.jpg)
Uriel reminds Dean they raised him out of hell for their purposes. âYeah, what were those again? What exactly do you want from me?â Wow, Deanâs a bit raw, isnât he? Uriel doesnât care, for he tells him âStart with gratitude.â Castiel steps in now, for he knows Dean isnât taking this well and heâs the only one that can reason with him. He knows this is difficult to understand, but Uriel buts in, âAnd we donât care.â Castiel goes back to being unhappy wallpaper, and Dean finally notices something is different.
Uriel finally cuts to the chase. Seven angels have been murdered from their garrison, the last one tonight. Dean asks if theyâre demons, Uriel with one glance confirms the suspicion. How are they doing it? They donât know. Sam fields this one, since heâs got sound mind going for him. âIâm sorry, but what do you want us to do about it? I mean a demon with juice to ice angels has to be out of our league, right?â Aw Sammy, always thinking logically.
![](/images/OnTheHeadofaPin/416vlcsnap-00044.jpg)
Castiel steps forward now, this time not getting resistance from Uriel. Heâs a much fresher sight for sore eyes. They want to find whoever it is. They have Alastair, but he wonât talk. âHeâs like a black belt in torture, heâs out of your league,â Dean reminds him. Now for the punchline. They want his student to get the job done. Dean defiantly says no. âYou canât ask me to do this Cas, not this.â Uriel steps in front of a sympathetic Castiel, complete with evil smirk âWho said anything about asking?â Dean looks at Sam, wondering what to do now, but thereâs sound of flapping wings and Samâs all alone. âDammit!â He yells. Man, I wish this network would allow swearing. You know Sam has stronger words than that in mind.
![](/images/OnTheHeadofaPin/416vlcsnap-00045.jpg)
Abandoned warehouse, and Alastair is strung up in one mother of a devilâs trap. Castiel assures Dean the trap is old Enochian. I looked it up on Google, and they sound like a bunch of whack jobs that know their stuff when it comes to magic. I know, there will be at least one on the boards somewhere ready to curse my name for saying that, so please donât take offense all you practicing Enochians out there. Iâm having enough trouble with the Sam vs. Dean fans. Dean says âfascinatingâ and starts to leave, announcing heâs hitchhiking back to Cheyenne. Uriel does his angel zooming thing and blocks his path. âAngels are dying boy.â âEveryoneâs dying these days,â Dean counters. Ha! Deanâs got you there junkless.
Deanâs still refusing to do this, and good cop Castiel admits itâs too much to ask. âBut we have to ask it.â One look into those dreamy blue angel eyes and Dean softens (as do we all), and asks to speak to Castiel alone. Uriel says heâll seek revelation, see if thereâs any additional orders. Dean, oh classic Dean, shows up with the perfect smart ass line. âWell get some donuts while youâre out.â Even Uriel laughs at that one.
Dean turns back to Castiel, who really needs to lighten up a little. Dean calls him out on that. âIf you guys donât start walking, youâre gonna get flabby.â Castiel continues with his inquisitive stare. âIâm starting to think that junkless has a better sense of humor than you do.â Castiel deadpans, âUriel is the funniest angel in the garrison. Ask anyone.â While Iâm laughing, does anyone think theyâre paralleling Castielâs issues with human emotions much like Data on
Star Trek The Next Generation? He couldnât grasp simple humor either, and went through moronic exercises to get there. Donât do that with Castiel, please show?
Dean gets to the point. He wants to know whatâs going on, why is Uriel suddenly barking the orders? Castiel admits his superiors began to question his sympathies, aka his closeness with people in his charge. In other words, you Dean. Heâs showing emotion, which are doorways to doubt, which can impair his judgment. Yep, Data,
ST:TNG. Dean tells Castiel, âYou donât want me doing this, trust me.â Castiel, being the feeling android, I mean angel, he is responds âWant it, know, but Iâve been told we need it.â
![](https://thewinchesterfamilybusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/images_SeasonFour_OnTheHeadofaPin_416vlcsnap-00068.jpg)
Dean starts to fall apart a little. âYou ask me to open that door and walk through it, you will not like what walks back out.â Castiel understands. âFor what itâs worth, I would give anything to have you not do this.â Dean closes his eyes and accepts he really doesnât have a choice. The directing on this scene is outstanding, the way they go back and forth between the two profiles, drawing out the greatest possible heartache of both these men. Itâs the Kim Manners school of directing, and Mike Rohl gets an A.
![](https://thewinchesterfamilybusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/images_SeasonFour_OnTheHeadofaPin_416vlcsnap-00072.jpg)
![](https://thewinchesterfamilybusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/images_SeasonFour_OnTheHeadofaPin_416vlcsnap-00077.jpg)
Dean enters the room with a cart, and chained up Alastair starts singing Fred Astaireâs âCheek To Cheek.â Smartass. Christopher Heyerdahl is a fantastic, very creepy Alastair in this one, more so than last week, and he was great then. I heard he does a lot of evil parts, and the man is a master of his craft. Dean pulls back the cover to reveal the implements of torture, and Alastair laughs at him. He finds the true absurdity of the situation. âThey sent you to torture me?â Dean has his game face on, and demands to know a name of whoâs killing the angels. âDo you think Iâll spill my guts?â Alastair asks. âOh, youâll spill your guts one way or another,â Dean admits, âI just didnât want to ruin shoes.â We know from past episodes that Dean wisecracks the most when heâs terrified. Given all the clever lines with Uriel and Alastair so far, he must be out of his mind in fright.
![](/images/OnTheHeadofaPin/416vlcsnap-00084.jpg)
Alastair taunts some more, telling Dean heâs too scared to do this. âIâm here, arenât I?â Dean says. âNot entirely,â Alastair replies. âYou left part of yourself back in the pit.â Remember that for later. Dean holds firm, and starts going through the instruments. Alastair taunts more, understanding that Dean would want payback for everything he did to him. Dean shows no reaction. âHow about all the things I did to your Daddy.â That gets Deanâs attention. Oh Dean, you are so out of your league.
![](https://thewinchesterfamilybusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/images_SeasonFour_OnTheHeadofaPin_416vlcsnap-00086.jpg)
Meanwhile, back at the crappy motel, Ruby walks in. Avert your eyes! Thatâs the scariest thing weâve seen yet. Ruby can still smell the angels, and isnât too happy about dealing with them again. Sam gets right to it, he needs her to tell him where they took Dean. Ruby doesnât understand what the big deal is. Dean slices up Alastair, the angels get the goods, everyoneâs happy. Sam knows the problem though, and heâs worried. âHe canât do it. He canât the job done. Something happened to him downstairs Ruby. Heâs not what he used to be, heâs not strong enough.â Ruby says, âAnd you are.â Sam is determined. âI will be.â
Tell me Sam, how do you know this about Dean? We know you arenât wrong, but is it brotherly intuition or your freaky psychic stuff? Either way, if youâve known this all along, then your words during the confrontation in âSex and Violenceâ were true. Itâs good to see you wanting to cover your brotherâs back this time, but ouch.
Back to Dean, and this is where the scenes cut back and forth in wild succession. If you have a hard time keeping up, you arenât alone. Alastair talks about how John was on his rack for close to a century, and he offered John the same thing he did to Dean every night, heâd put down his blade if John would pick up one. John never budged, and Alastair admits he was made of something unique. But then came Dean and âdaddyâs little girlâ broke in thirty. Dean is drinking whiskey by this time, doing his best to ignore the taunts. The angels gave him whiskey? They took him away so fast itâs not like he brought his own bottle. Even Ruby demanded sobriety from Sam.
Alastair goes straight for the core. âJust not the man youâre daddy wanted you to be, huh Dean?â Dean goes on with his work, and Alastair so aptly says âNow weâre getting somewhere.â You are indeed, for even I see the small cracks in Dean just through the flare in his eyes and his tightened jaw.
![](https://thewinchesterfamilybusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/images_SeasonFour_OnTheHeadofaPin_416vlcsnap-00102.jpg)
Dean grabs the holy water and pours, and Alastair isnât impressed. âGrasshopper, youâre going to have to get creative if you want to impress me.â Thatâs a Kung Fu reference for those that didnât watch it in reruns on cable. Iâm sure only a fraction of us actually remember it airing in the 1970âs. It came on past my bedtime though, so Iâm not that old! Dean really tries a speech of his own, talking about how he dreamt over and over again this moment. Heâs got a few ideas, including putting the holy water into a needle. He comes up to Alastair and announces, âLetâs get started.â
Castiel waits outside in the warehouse, listening to Alastairâs screams. His head dramatically turns toward the camera and heâs not happy.
The camera swipes across the âimplements of destructionâ and up to Deanâs face. Heâs apprehensive, toughens up and turns around. He asks Alastair if he wants more of the stuff, for thereâs plenty left. Alastair has a clever answer. âGo directly to Hell. Do not pass go, do not collect $200.â Dean actually smiles. Watch that, for we donât see too much of that this episode.
Now Ruby is lighting a map while latinating, and Sam watches with those giant arms folded. Man, even those bare arms look ripped. Iâve seen a recent shirtless picture of Jared from Friday The 13th. Heâs even bigger now than in âHell House.â Itâs not for the hormonally weak. Anyway, Rubyâs eyes go black, the map ignites in flames and Samâs actually worried. Really Sam, after all the shit youâve seen in your life, a little fire is bothering you? Ruby assures him fire is our friend, and then the map burns up except the part where Dean is. Rubyâs acting superior, boasting that the angels arenât used to hiding their dirty business and know that theyâre being spied on. Yeah, as weâre learning, these angels arenât an organized bunch.
Sam doesnât have much to say about Rubyâs pride, for he has something on his mind. âRuby, itâs been weeks, I need it.â Ruby plays him, pulling the âyouâre not happy about itâ card. âYou think I want to do this?â Oh Sam, yes you do. You just have your excuse now to have it. Granted itâs a good one, but itâs still an excuse. He walks to the bed, and oh, that look of desperation. He knows what he wants is wrong, but heâs still going there. He wants the power. He wants that feeling of control. Heâs even letting Ruby kiss him and call him Sammy. Sheâs your drug dealer Sam. Just face it.
![](/images/OnTheHeadofaPin/416vlcsnap-00125.jpg)
Rubyâs got him and she knows it. While straddling his lap, she tells him he can have it. After all, who can say no to those yearning eyes? While kissing him she pulls out the knife and slices her arm, all while Sam watches with eager anticipation like a baby waiting for motherâs milk. Or a junkieâÂŚyou get the point. Sam looks for the okay, and then starts sucking on the wound. Ew, gross. Whatâs even grosser? Rubyâs smile of evil satisfaction. Her diabolical plan is working. I hope Sam uses those demon powers to kill her someday.
![](/images/OnTheHeadofaPin/416vlcsnap-00133.jpg)
Dean has Rubyâs knife now, and Alastair has a point. âDo you really think this is going to fix you? Give you closure?â He finds it sad. Dean stabs him with the knife soaked in holy water and Alastair still teases. âI carved you into a new animal Dean. There is no going back.â Dean has a smart answer. âMaybe youâre right, but now itâs my turn to carve.â While thatâs going on, an invisible force turns the faucet on, loosens a bolt in the pipe, and water drips on the edge of the trap, breaking the seal. Uh oh!
Castiel waits outside, hearing the screams, and he feels something. Heâs not alone. Without turning around, he knows itâs Anna. He comments sheâs in her old human body and if you remember in âHeaven and Hell,â it was evaporated by the bright light. Anna says sheâs sentimental and called in some favors. Wow, who does she know that could do that? The only thing I can think of starts with a G and ends with a D. Castiel mentions they still have orders to kill her, but Anna knows he wonât. I do wonder, and I suspected it by Castielâs first glance of her in âHeaven and Hellâ if these two had a thing. If they havenât, they should. They have chemistry, and them being together will wipe the thought of her and Dean doing it out of my mind.
Anna asks where Uriel is, and Castiel answers he went to receive revelation. She says âRight.â She knows something! Back to Dean, who removes the knife, and Alastair with bloody teeth jokes, âYou know, itâs your professionalism I respect.â Thatâs a line out of
Little Shop Of Horrors BTW. Dean angrily shoves him away and Alastair knows whoâs starting to crack.
![](/images/OnTheHeadofaPin/416vlcsnap-00154.jpg)
Back to Anna, who asks Castiel why is Dean doing this. âHeâs doing Godâs work,â he firmly believes. âTorturing? Thatâs Godâs work? Stop him Cas, please, before you ruin the one real weapon you have.â Castiel doesnât want to question orders, but Anna points out they might not be coming from God. She guesses one of their superiors, but not him.
More Alastair torture with the holy water going down his throat, and then Anna continues to prod at Castiel, asking if this is what the Father he loves would ask of him. Castiel listens, and boy can we tell sheâs making sense to him. Anna tells him what heâs feeling is called doubt, and the scene goes back to more torture before coming back to them. She takes Castielâs hand. âThese orders are wrong, and you know it. But you can do the right thing. Youâre afraid Cas, I was too, but together we can-â Castiel cuts her off. âTogether?â He yanks his hand away. âI am nothing like you. You fell.â He orders her to go, she tries to plead. He repeats âGo!â and she flies away, leaving him all alone. The shot fades out to show Castiel, looking swallowed by the rest of the room. Awesome, and it so tells how heâs feeling right now. Isolated and alone.
![](/images/OnTheHeadofaPin/416vlcsnap-00164.jpg)
Torture scene again, and Alastair lets Dean know he isnât getting deep enough. Heâs ready to drop something big, but Dean puts salt down his throat, and itâll have to wait. Sam is driving the Impala fast in the rain, his eyes are fixed forward, and man is this spooky. At first the light hit his eyes they are hazel. As the scene progresses, with each swipe of the windshield wipers the eyes get slowly darker until theyâre almost black. Whoa. Thatâs some great editing there.
![](/images/OnTheHeadofaPin/416vlcsnap-00173.jpg)
![](/images/OnTheHeadofaPin/416vlcsnap-00174.jpg)
![](/images/OnTheHeadofaPin/416vlcsnap-00175.jpg)
Coming up…part 2! https://www.thewinchesterfamilybusiness.com/article-list/537-recap-qon-the-head-of-a-pinq-part-2.html
Hi Alice
Great review as always! I’m finding lately that I barely have time to read reviews on the episodes, I can only imagine how stretched you must be writing the damn things! Just wanted to say that I appreciate your efforts and always look forward to hearing your thoughts on each episode. I’m sorry to hear you are having Sam vs Dean probs, that particular aspect of fandom always gets my blood boiling. Don’t let it deter you – you are a fantastic writer, please keep writing!
I loved this episode. Sure it was angel heavy but I think that served a point and certainly drove the mytharc forward. Alistair was certainly a highlight for me. What a delicious role that would have been to play – I’m so glad we got to have a fantastic actor to pull it off.
Jensen, Jared, Misha et al were great as always.
Is it wrong that I love Sam’s powers? And that I was so excited to see his eyes turn black? I’m just a little worried about the epic bill that may be coming. (PS I want him to kill Ruby too!)
And poor Dean – the supernatural world just keeps laying the smacketh down on him doesn’t it?
Can’t believe there’s only six episodes to go for this season.
đ đŽ đż