Despite the spookiness of the holiday, most Halloween-themed TV episodes tend to be light and funny, focusing on the treats more than the tricks.  Even Buffy the Vampire Slayer moved away from the darkness to embrace some Halloween fun every couple seasons.  Of course, Supernatural has never been a show that follows the expected path, as last night's surprising, twisted and occasionally nasty episode proved.  After an hour that found Sam using his demonic powers, Dean hiding a mysterious Hell-related secret, and cranky angel Uriel threatening to obliterate a town, few viewers were left laughing.

What are we going to do about Sam Winchester?  Despite warnings from Dean, Castiel and Uriel, he succumbed to temptation and used his mental mojo to send Samhain back to Hell in last night's episode.  It was definitely a bad-ass moment, but one that's bound to have consequences.  The look on Dean's face as he watched his brother embrace his dark side was heartbreaking, but Dean isn't the person Sam has to worry about.  He should keep his eye on Uriel, who doesn't seem like he'll hesitate to kill Sammy the instant he stops being useful.  Looking at things from the angel's perspective, I can't say I blame him.

Sam (Jared Padalecki) may not have used his powers at all were it not for his awkward introduction to Castiel and Uriel.  When it became apparent that the angels were willing to smite the entire town to stop a witch, the younger Winchester lost a bit of his faith in God's plan.  It's strange to see Dean becoming a believer and Sam questioning his faith, but it makes for some interesting drama.  It's possible Sam could have found another way to kill Samhain, but with the supposed good guys chomping at the bit to blow the town to smithereens, it's not hard to see why he took the easy way out.

"It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester" left us with two big mysteries, with the first being exactly how much Dean (Jensen Ackles) remembers from his time in Hell.  He claims he doesn't recall anything from those four months, but both Lilith and Uriel have hinted otherwise.  The other question I've been pondering involves the strange white light Samhain tried to use against Sam.  We previously saw Lilith try to use the "demonic ray-gun" against the younger Winchester in the season 3 finale, but he seems to be immune to that particular power.  Is the white light something only the most ancient, powerful demons can create?  Does Sammy's immunity have something to do with the YED blood running through his veins?  I hope we find out sometime before the end of season 4.

Last night's episode of Supernatural proved that there's more to Halloween than astronaut costumes and candy filled with razor blades.  It's the one night that allows everyone to be themselves, even if they have to hide behind masks and makeup to do it.  Sam and Dean are both struggling to embrace who they are, but they seem unwilling to come out and admit their true thoughts and fears to one another.  If the brothers can't learn to open up, they're going to have much bigger things to worry about than the 66 seals.

Read our Recap of Supernatural Episode 4.7 "It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester"


- Don Williams, BuddyTV Staff Writer
(Image courtesy of the CW)