Slash Fiction dove right into the fray from the opening scene bank robbery and kept the quick pace throughout the episode. No dragging bits, no wasted moments, all around well timed and greatly executed.

I have to say I loved the Sam and Dean copies. These doppelgangers were played as close in character to Sam and Dean as they could be but were distinct characters all on their own. Jared and Jensen impressed with this acting job, and I'd bet they had fun doing it to. (On a side note - it was episode six of season one where we first encountered a shapeshifter in Dean's form AND where the first of many not-so-real Winchester deaths was faked).

The exchange in the diner between Levi!Sam and Levi!Dean was classic Supernatural humour at its best. A little bit of self-mockery goes a long way and it was great fun to watch. Particularly the description of Sam's salad - "dead plants with creamy goo"¦self-righteousness on a plate" - and that Dean thought the burgers were better than sex. 

We learned a bit about the brothers from watching their doubles. First of all, Sam's head is still a cup full of crazy, brimming and ready to overflow. So, despite his reassurances that he's fine and the fact that we haven't actually witnessed anymore hallucinations, we know he's just really good at tamping them down but they're still present. This is vital information that will become prevalent at a later date, no doubt. 

With regard to Dean, Levi!Dean didn't reveal much to us, but wow, what a bomb he dropped on Sam. I suspected this would be coming out in Slash Fiction given the previous knowledge that Leviathans take on the memories, thoughts, feelings, etc. of the people they double.  

"We can't be killed, you stupid little chew toys."

Chet, the Leviathan that Don kindly gift wrapped for the Winchester's last week spent most of his time chained to a chair and losing his head this episode. But in between experiments on how to destroy and/or inhibit the Leviathans, he was a wealth of information. Jet's chattiness may be surprising to some, but as we know the bad guys that are the most powerful, are also overly cocky and like to expound ad nauseum the details of their plans and/or methodologies. Apparently, even the wisdom of X number of hundreds of thousands of years experience doesn't give rise shutting up and not tipping off the other team as to what you're all about. Oh well, bad for them, good for our boys.  

Sam, Dean and Bobby now know about the intricate system for flagging the boys' alias' and tracking them as well as to ensure they pour some Draino into the motel showers from this point on to prevent further cloning. I'm glad it was addressed exactly how Team Levi came to know ALL the alias' the Winchesters used, because this had been a point of contention for me in an earlier episode. 

It was disturbing that none of the known weapons and potions had any effect of the Leviathan's, but not that surprising. Taunting Bobby until he sliced Chet's head off, probably not the brightest move for Jet but I cheered when his head rolled on the floor, ala Paris Hilton in "Fallen Idol." Unfortunately this is only a temporary fix and a problematic one, because it requires closeness between hunter and leviathan. 

Levi!Bobby was another great element in Slash Fiction. Bobby was seemingly unphased by what his clone was saying but we were also able to get a glimpse inside Bobby's head. It's good to know that despite everything, he still has hope. With luck, this won't be dashed out anytime soon and will keep him moving forward in this long battle. 

Somehow it's perfect that cleaning fluid is the kryptonite to these black-goo oozing monsters. Wonder what effect scrubbing bubbles would have? 

Clones

Anyone else reminded a little bit of Ronald when we were introduced to Frank? On paper, the episode has a number of similarities to "Nightshifter" (which is a favourite of mine) and for me, it was of similar calibre as well. Kevin McNally was excellent in his scenes with the brothers. He played paranoid techie hunter with just the right mix of intelligent wit and borderline crazy. The character of Frank was delightful and I hope we get to see him again. 

Frank dropped a few truths on the boys in roundabout ways, such as the rock star aliases are too distinct and easy to track and that cell phones need to be rotated frequently. Given the expansive network the Leviathans have developed in their short time out of Purgatory, it would be prudent of the boys to follow all of these tips with great vigilance. 

"Nobody puts Baby in a corner."

It is one thing to mess with Dean and Sam by cloning them and making them wanted serial killers. It's something else entirely when you mess with the Impala. Dean's face when he was told he'd have to hide the car, and Sam's face anticipating Dean's reaction to this was priceless. 

Better yet though was the entire ride in the newly acquire vehicle. First, Dean attacking the squeaky unicorn hanging from the rear view mirror and then the music! Oh yes, this was a throwback to Dean singing REO Speedwagon back in Season 2 but even better. Whoever was responsible for this genius moment of comic relief, congratulations, the desired outcome was definitely achieved. I was in stitches watching Dean mouth along with the radio and Sam's disturbed looks to his brother before ultimately turning the radio off. Classic Winchester Road Trip Moment!

Jody Mills

Admittedly, I suspected Jody to be a clone for a good portion of this episode, and wouldn't have been at all surprised to see her sprout a wide mouth full of human-eating teeth. But she didn't. Instead, she inadvertently discovered that Borax is the Leviathan's own brand of Pepper Spray. It won't take them down but it sure does slow them down. Wonder what happens if they drink/are injected with it? 

The Jody/Bobby relationship played just right for me. It wasn't overly gooey or romantic, but rather maintained the gruff Bobby style and Jody used an equally touch approach to get in the house and in her address to Bobby about letting someone be nice to him. It would be nice to see Bobby have a relationship like this in his life (and Levi!Bobby revealed that Bobby had similar thoughts in the back of his mind about Jody), but I have to wonder how long it would be before Jody was 6 ft. under or worse. Either way, it's a surprisingly sweet burgeoning friendship-and-maybe-more between Jody and Bobby and I look forward to her next appearance. 

FBI

Oh, FBI, how I've missed you chasing our brothers down. Not. The two FBI agents were unconcerned with the murders, more focused on the paperwork serial killers meant and a little slow (yes, two wanted killers would easily be able to wrangle flights with their faces all over TV and likely on every watch list out there). This made me suspicious of them instantly. As it turned out, only one of them was a Levi spy. 

It was a relief that the FBI manhunt for Dean and Sam began and ended in one episode. It would have been too much like seasons two and three to have it continue for the long term. And honestly, one group of people hunting the brothers down is enough to worry about, without the threat of federal lockup. It was handled in an efficient manner, having the sheriff witness Levi!Winchesters morph into the boys he already had in a cell and then eat people. Equally helpful was his daughter the coroner, who aided in the cover-up and the so-called death of the Wanted Winchesters (what is this, three times they've been "dead" to the FBI?). It was unfortunate that the good Sheriff and his daughter were eaten though. Helpful law enforcement members don't last long on this show (I'm looking at you, Jody!). 

Dick

The boss man has been revealed. Dick. He's smart enough to call off the cloning Dean and Sam plan, take two because he knows that would be pushing the envelope. It will be interesting to see what he has in store for them next. 

We also learned a vital piece of information in his limo: Leviathans and demons are unmixy things. Despite Crowley's attempt to woo himself a powerful business partner, Dick refused to work with demons, citing that he would kill them if he didn't have an already full agenda. What's great about this? Well, the opportunistic Crowley won't risk having his reign as the King of Hell ended by these Leviathans so, as we've seen him do before, he'll likely join Team Free Will in dealing with the Leviathan problem.  If you can't have angels on your side, well, the King of Hell and his demonic underlings are probably the next best thing (in this case, anyways). 

Truth Time

After weeks of waiting, here it is - the big Amy reveal - FINALLY. Understandably, Sam is upset with this information (though I notice he didn't doubt Levi!Dean's information even for a second nor did he ask Dean for verification - did he suspect?). The boys are splitting up again? Okay, I don't like this but it feels organic given the situation. Sam is pissed and Dean is guilty enough not fight him on the issue. That said, despite the situation with Amy and the lying, Sam will probably realize they can't afford to be divide at a tense time like this and from next week's promo it doesn't look to be a long lasting scenario. I still maintain that Dean did what was necessary when it came to Amy, except for the lying to Sam bit. Despite the fallout from this incident, it is good to finally have that out in the open rather than festering in the dark. 

 

Final Thoughts

I loved this episode. So far, my favourite of the season, right up there beside the premiere. It was a tight episode plot wise, and, of course, that looming cloud of Amy's death is no longer a hovering threat. Some episodes this season have been admittedly weak or (in one case) outright bad (in my opinion, of course) but building on the momentum of last week, this was rock solid. 

It may be too soon to say, but I do feel like season seven is finally getting its footing. Fingers crossed episode eight keeps the trend happening!