Bristol, Rhode Island: Samuel (Mitch Pileggi) and Sam (Jared Padalecki) hunt and Sam fires shots. He's wounded in his arm and stopped by police as they leave. They're agents and Sam beats the deputy up. Well, he practically tears him to shreds and doesn't care.
Present Day: Sam's catching up on the news and mentions Mel Gibson. Sam gets coordinates on his phone to Bristol where three women have disappeared. They're mysterious coordinates to a town but it doesn't mean they should ignore it. Dean (Jensen Ackles) reluctantly agrees to go and Sam notices the sign and recalls a memory , which is dangerous for him. The sign reads: "Where memories are made." The expression on Sam's face dates back to season 1.5 Bloody Mary, when he imagined he saw Jess on the street.
Dean finds the missing women were all brunettes and looking at the photo of one he says she has a wild side, "it's in the eyes." Sam thinks they had nothing in common but they did, you know something along the lines of Sam wishfully hoping they didn't. From Sam's mouth to God's ears, but he's done a runner. Oh, off on a tangent, sorry. A woman, Debbie (Pauline Egan) recognizes Sam. Dean makes a pitstop and notices the photos by the loo and sees Sam in one of them. Dean is Sam's new partner and claims the other one is in sex rehab, referring to Samuel, ha. She touches Sam's shoulder and Sam has a memory of them together. Dean: "She just cougar-eyed you." Sam's in the photo so was on a case in town. Dean is adamant they need to leave. Five men were missing a year ago and now it's women. Dean: "Why the gender bend." If I'm not mistaken that's almost an episode title for X-Files (Gender Bender.)
Dean tells Sam there's a reason why hunters never hit the same town twice. It was one of Dad's rules. Sam knows Dean is afraid he'll break his wall but he messed up here. It's all on him. Dean visits Nicole's roommate and finds Sam card there. Sam came by a few times. Sam is recognized by deputy Atkins (William C Vaughan) and is arrested. It's Sam's turn now (in 6.9 it was Dean's turn and yet no one took any prints etc.) Atkins claims sheriff Dobbs (Joe Holt) is missing but Sam doesn't remember. They usually go undercover as agents so why did Dean send Sam to the copshop if he's been here before?
Dobbs's wife, Brenna, (Miranda Frigon) sees Sam in jail and asks where her husband is. Dobbs knew they weren't Feds and so did she. She mentions Days of our Lives. Sam has amnesia and can find answers if he can get out. Also the way Sam said that was almost like he knew Dobbs was dead; especially when he apologizes. Sam has a penchant for brunettes, particularly after blond Jess. Debbie is killed. Dean asks Sam how it feels to be a fugitive - well same way Dean felt back then and hey harking back to 1.6 Skin, Dean was the fugitive first and also in the Pilot, Dean was arrested before Sam ever was.
Sam got around with women and Dean's impressed. Sam sees Brenna and Dean finds the connection between the missing women is Sam. The text and the Vics were a way to trap Sam. Sam needs the casefiles. In a flashback Sam sees himself and Samuel sharing what they actually do with Dobbs and Brenna. Sam calls what they do a 'business relationship' as "family slows you down." They were hunting an Arachne and it came from Crete. Vics included a man in the '30's. Sam has a flash of making it come to them and lots of webs around the house. Sam is watched. Dean sneaks up behind Sam who almost shoots him again. Sam doesn't recall anything to do with hell. They should call Bobby or Rufus and argue about Sam's memories returning but he has to make things right now he has a soul. His soul won't let him walk away.
Dean: "Let's Memento this thing shall we?" In a repeat of what Bobby said last episode, Like A Virgin. Sam does some stringing using the file, photos etc and has more flashes of memory, in using Dobbs as bait. Sam was just interested in the hunt and not in protecting Dobbs and didn't warn him what they were dealing with. The Arachne took Dobbs. Sam says he's got GPS on his phone and Samuel tells him, "You're as cold as they come." Not really, Samuel was much colder. He can talk after selling out his family. He and Sam found Vics still alive in their cocoons, including Dobbs. Sam insists they have to kill them as they've been converted. Yet more head lopping follows. Sam knows spiders, one bite can kill and the Arachne's worse.
Sam fired without hesitation which were the shots heard at the opening of this episode. Dobbs returns as "Spiderman." Brenna wants Sam home and can tell she's in trouble and is in the shed. Dean: "My Spidey senses are tingling." Sam and Dean find themselves in cocoons and Dean finds a shard of glass . Dobbs accuses Sam of wanting his wife. He wasn't turning when Sam shot him and fire didn't hurt either. They're all like him too. Brenna doesn't want to hear Sam's excuses. Dean says he killed Spiderman and everything that happened last year wasn't Sam. Sam knows it was him and he's said that before. Dean keeps making excuses for Sam and what he did as soulless Sam in case he breaks the wall, but Sam has to atone for his mess. Dean's trying to make him feel better and tells him not to be a bitch. Sam has a fit and burns in hell.
This episode was a revelation, not only in terms of soulless Sam's past catching up with him but how much of a cold, calculating and emotionless individual he really was. Something we saw back in 6.5 after his treatment of Dean and here it highlights what he did on the road even without Dean. Thus Dean is justified in wanting Sam, no demanding his soul back. He makes excuses for Sam in that it wasn't really him; but Sam knows better. It was him and this has been repeated by the two many times over and Bobby takes Sam's side too as far as this topic is concerned. Sam didn't so much as flinch when using Dobbs as bait, something the 'old' Sam has never done or would do.
Some funny moments in Sam's need to satisfy himself, sexually - and engaging in numerous one night stands following Dean's trend and in his footsteps but it wasn't funny in the sense of his playing with their emotions, but just his instant gratification. In that respects Dean is impressed, to the point of being proud of his 'romantic' pursuits. He encouraged Sam enough in the past to be reckless as far as chicks were concerned and soulless Sam obliges. Romantic used loosely like Sam's morals, ha.
In some ways, this episode also showed how Dean used to be similar to Sam - but with a soul. He wasn't ruthless when it came to looking out for Vics, rather he was focused and one tracked when it came to hunting. Dean has evolved immensely as a character and grown. He shows his caring side; something he never shared, let alone talked about. It was good seeing Sam now and then, kind of side by side in the same episode. Soulless Sam concerned with hunting and never gave a damn about the consequences of what would happen if the Vics were already converted into spiders.
In his haste to 'gank' he let loose more mutants to go on their way and gather more prey. Sam's flashbacks were filmed in glorious black and white which makes a change and more effective to portray Sam without a soul - his world then would have been black and white: no right and wrong for him, just getting the job done. Here only Sam's flashbacks were filmed as such in season 4 Monster Movie where the entire episode was filmed in black and white, so it was a nice plot device which worked well here.
The coordinates being sent mysteriously to Sam via text was so like Dad when he used to send texts with coordinates when there was a case he wanted them to tackle. Usually these were sent to Dean.
Jensen was in the daytime soap Days of Our Lives and he'll probably never get away from that being mentioned in this show. Jared plays evil, cruel Sam so masterfully and gets to expand on his acting range too from lovable Sam, who never did wrong.
Sam: "...Trying to catch up, so Mel Gibson really took a turn for this past year." Dean: "Or he's possessed...seriously think about it." Sam was meant to be catching up on the news. This is a reflection of something Dean would be concerned about, not Sam. Agents Roark and Wynand, are references from the novel Fountainhead by Ayn Rand - one of Jensen's fave books.
Arachna from Greek mythology was a goddess who became the world's first spider. Once mortal and the daughter of a shepherd, she excelled at weaving. Her pride got the better of her when her weaving was admired and she refused to acknowledge Athena as her teacher. Athena challenged her and was shocked by her depiction of Greek gods in a less than flattering light and struck out at her . Arachna was overcome with her emotions and hung herself. Athena felt sorry and brought her back as a spider. "For being so vain you will hang and spin forever," were Athena's words to her.
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