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Family Matters is the 7th episode of Season 6. It aired on November 5th, 2010.

Summary[]

Dean Purgatory Blade.png There was something about being there... It felt pure.

This episode summary is an official CW press release. It may contain errors.
DO NOT CHANGE!

Dean becomes suspicious of Samuel's (guest star Mitch Pileggi) motives, but Sam isn't sold on the idea that their grandfather is doing anything wrong. The brothers go along on a hunt with Samuel and the other Campbells, but things go terribly awry.

Plot[]

Familymatters01

Castiel examining Sam.

Dean brings the battered Sam to be diagnosed by Castiel who then deduces that Sam has no soul (after conducting a painful procedure by reaching into Sam's chest). Sam explains that he hasn't slept since his return while Dean criticizes him for not figuring that was a clue to something being up. Dean and Castiel leave out with Dean asking if "Sam" is still even Sam, Castiel answers that it is an interesting philosophical question. Sam has Castiel heal him and Dean is still wary of him since he let him suffer.

Dean and Castiel take Sam to Campbell Compound where they visit Samuel and the Campbells who are all preparing for a hunt. Samuel is surprised to meet the angel he heard of and the Winchesters tell him they need to diagnose him. Samuel is shown to still have his soul and admits that he knew something was wrong with Sam all along, but not what it was. Sam and Dean join in on Samuel's hunting mission to get the Alpha Vampire, and Christian starts to get suspicious of Sam and Dean's actions. Dean and Gwen are told to hold back to kill any straggler Vampires while the rest of the Campbells go storm their base.

As the action starts, Dean leaves Gwen to go to the base when one of his cousins yells at him for help inside only for him to watch her die. Dean then see the Campbells kidnap the Alpha.

After missions end, Sam and Dean formulate a plan to follow Samuel to where he takes monsters to be interrogated by tracking his phone signals. Samuel tortures the Alpha but it has no effect. As he leaves, the Alpha, sensing the brothers' presence called them forward. He recognizes Dean and proves resistant to torture but tells them he will answer their questions. He informs that Samuel is looking for Purgatory, which he confirms is real and that is where the souls of monsters go after death, and he also seems to be fascinated by the fact that Sam has no soul. It's revealed that the Alpha indeed knows of Purgatory's location and that the vampires, as well as many other creature colonies are readying for war. Samuel, Christian and Gwen interrupt the two and set up another Campbell to guard the Alpha while they discuss things.

The Alpha escapes and kills Tyler, the guard, and Dean, Samuel, Sam, Christian and Gwen split up to recapture it. The Alpha snaps Christian's neck and puts its hold on Sam, planning to turn him into a vampire since he will make the perfect vampire. Christian appears behind it and detains it, he is shown to have black eyes. As Christian and the Alpha disappear, Crowley appears and explains that he's had Christian possessed for a long time now. He explains that he plans on controlling Purgatory as well as Hell like he presently does, and that Samuel has been working to interrogate and deliver creatures (Alphas mostly) so Purgatory's location can be found. Also that he had resurrected Sam and Samuel with his new found powers as Hell's King. Crowley leaves as Gwen, Sam and Dean, all shocked by Samuel's actions, start to question him. Samuel explains that as Crowley resurrected them, he could easily kill them once again and put Sam right back into the cage, and so he has to do what Crowley says. Sam and Dean agree to his terms, but Sam promises Dean that they will give Crowley what he deserves in the end.

Characters[]

Main Cast[]

Recurring Cast[]

Guest Stars[]

Co-Stars[]

Featured Supernatural Beings[]

Trivia[]

  • Antagonists: Alpha Vampire and Crowley
  • Mark A. Sheppard (Crowley) is uncredited in this episode. This is presumably to preserve the surprise of Crowley's appearance. The same thing is done with Mommy Dearest when Crowley makes a surprise return from the supposed dead, Season 7's Party On, Garth when Bobby's ghost is confirmed to exist for the first time and Season 13's Devil's Bargain when Gabriel is revealed to still be alive.
  • The title of this episode is from a television show which ran from 1989 to 1998.
  • It is unknown why Gwen was left oblivious to Samuel's motives, unlike all the other Campbells. In ...And Then There Were None it is shown in conversation that she is unaware of Samuel's more shady doings, indicating that he keeps her out of such things due to her greater conscience.
  • Several new unnamed Campbells appear in this episode, all knowing of Samuel's actions.
  • It is interesting to note that Castiel had to reach into Sam's body to detect his soul, whereas in My Bloody Valentine, all he had to do to detect Dr. Corman's soul was lay a hand on him. (Dr. Corman was dead at the time, so this may have been a factor.)
  • Crowley said he'd had Christian possessed for some time now. However, earlier in the episode, when "Christian" barged in on the "angel cavity search", Castiel didn't notice he was possessed (angels can see demons' true faces). This was either a production/continuity oversight or one of the earliest indications that Castiel was "in flagrante with the king of Hades".
    • This might be the case since Castiel later help Crowley in faking his death.
  • This episode was originally titled "All in the Family". This would later become the title of a season 11 episode.
  • Sam mentions that Samuel "thinks velcro is big news." Velcro became commercially available in the late 1950s, and Samuel was killed in early May 1973, so this was just a joke.
    • The "Jaws in a goldfish bowl" comment might have been lost on him, though. Jaws came out in 1975.
  • Eve is alluded to in this episode.
  • The location the Alpha Vampire is captured in is the same location from Dean's vision while he was a vampire in Live Free or Twihard. This indicates that the Campbells were possibly able to use Dean's vision to locate the Alpha Vampire.
  • The Alpha Vampire's capture may have taken place in Aurora, Illinois as that is where Dean's vision indicated that he was.
  • When Samuel demands Crowley let Christian go he calls him his nephew, which contradicts Sam in Exile on Main Street when he said Christian is their third cousin.
    • This is most likely an honorary title because Samuel is so close with him and it is easier than calling him his first cousin twice removed.
  • While not revealed until Season 7's There Will Be Blood, the Alpha Vampire escapes Crowley's clutches sometime between the end of this episode and when Castiel destroys Crowley's Monster Prison and all inside it at the end of Caged Heat, three episodes later. He is eventually killed by Sam with The Colt in Season 12's The Raid.
  • The CW's official summary for this episode mistakenly does not cite Jared Padalecki as Sam at all.

Quotes[]

  • Dean: "Since when do you give a crap about vampires?"
  • Crowley: "Since... Uh... What's today, Friday? Let's see... mind your business.

  • Sam: You didn't think I'd come back.
  • Dean: I figured 60/40.

  • Dean: [to Samuel] So what's so important that you're the King of Hell's cabana boy? What did he offer you: girls, money, hair?

International Titles[]

  • German: Familienangelegenheiten (Family Matters)
  • French: Entretien Avec Un Vampire (Interview With The Vampire)
  • Hungarian: Lélek nélkül (Without Soul)
  • Polish: Sprawa rodzinna (Family Matter)

External Links[]

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