I had to do a little dance when it was over, I was so excited. This show has really come into it's own - season 1 was very "monster of the week", but since then, the backplots have been getting better and better. This episode significantly advances the angels' storyline, answering some maddening questions I've had this year. Astute (and obsessed!) fans will note that it answers some older questions as well. We see a side of Dean which many would prefer not to speculate about. The cinematography this season has been amazing, particularly when the angels are around. Some great examples of that this episode. The beautiful and talented Julie McNiven was back this week, kindling hopes that she will be around in the long run - hooray!
9 Reviews
And it is written that the first seal shall be broken when a righteous man sheds blood in hell. As he breaks, so shall it break.
zombiehigh1828 November 2011
Warning: Spoilers
I don't know how to comment on this one, Not matter how I manage to put words together, no words seem to do this episode its right. Just when I thought this series can't go any darker, "On the Head of a Pin" was dark and down right scary and The amount of info revealed here were both shocking and horrific.
1- The Yellow Eyed Daemon "Azazel" tempted John Winchester to make the deal to save Dean, later we found out that John was in Hell, only to learn now that John was supposed to break the first seal. However John declined, so the daemons went for plan B, Dean has to go to Hell. Alastair and later Castiel revealed to Dean that he broke the first seal by bowing down and accepting to do the torture himself in Hell. KRIPKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, Now I'm angry. How can you do this Dean? Give the guy a break, didn't he suffer enough? Doesn't he deserve something good to happen to him? Now how is he supposed to function any more? Dean was already being crushed under all that was happening to him. He was seemingly suffering from Pamela's death (another weight on his shoulders) and now the angels are asking him to do what he hated most! The torturing scene left me worried sick about him and I don't know where can we go from there. Jensen Ackles deserves an award for this episode. You can read different kinds of emotions by just looking to his eyes. He can effortlessly swing from being afraid, angry, hurt, devastated and scary.
2- Sam, Oh my god Sam! We knew you were doing something wrong, but sucking daemon blood! You know that's beyond wrong. Jared Padalecki had lesser screen time than usual but he really used the moments he was given. The look in his eyes before sucking Ruby's blood was like that of a teenage addict waiting for his next fix (Ruby I knew you were manipulative and I hope Dean kills you, for he sure will). Sam's strength is getting scary and you wonder where this will lead us?
3- I'm really glad Alastair and Uriel are dead. I hated them both. Alastair's voice was getting on my nerves (I don't say Christopher Heyerdahl was bad, no he was terrifying, but I'm glad Alastair is dead). As for Uriel, I was shocked to know he was the traitor on Castiel's garrison since he appeared to be Heaven's devoted soldier. (That was a nice twist).
4- I still can't love Anna, Julie McNiven is a good actress. And I know Anna saved the day and saved Castiel, but to me she is no different from Ruby. Both are manipulative and can't be trusted.
5- And Last but not least, Castiel. Misha Collins was definitely the star of the show. How can he show all kinds of emotions by just the look in his eyes while managing to keep a straight face? I guess Jensen Ackles has finally found his match and they have an amazing on screen chemistry. Misha Collins has more than earned his recurring role on Supernatural. Let's get back to Castiel. The Angel who first appeared to be intimidating, is now having faith issues, he is experiencing doubts about every thing. He is growing attached to Dean and is beginning to question authority that his superiors are putting a leash on him. The obedient soldier is currently considering disobedience and doesn't know what to do. And after Uriel's treason, he has no one to trust. He clearly is not on Lucifer's side but not on Heaven's side either. It will be interesting to see how he goes from here.
1- The Yellow Eyed Daemon "Azazel" tempted John Winchester to make the deal to save Dean, later we found out that John was in Hell, only to learn now that John was supposed to break the first seal. However John declined, so the daemons went for plan B, Dean has to go to Hell. Alastair and later Castiel revealed to Dean that he broke the first seal by bowing down and accepting to do the torture himself in Hell. KRIPKE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, Now I'm angry. How can you do this Dean? Give the guy a break, didn't he suffer enough? Doesn't he deserve something good to happen to him? Now how is he supposed to function any more? Dean was already being crushed under all that was happening to him. He was seemingly suffering from Pamela's death (another weight on his shoulders) and now the angels are asking him to do what he hated most! The torturing scene left me worried sick about him and I don't know where can we go from there. Jensen Ackles deserves an award for this episode. You can read different kinds of emotions by just looking to his eyes. He can effortlessly swing from being afraid, angry, hurt, devastated and scary.
2- Sam, Oh my god Sam! We knew you were doing something wrong, but sucking daemon blood! You know that's beyond wrong. Jared Padalecki had lesser screen time than usual but he really used the moments he was given. The look in his eyes before sucking Ruby's blood was like that of a teenage addict waiting for his next fix (Ruby I knew you were manipulative and I hope Dean kills you, for he sure will). Sam's strength is getting scary and you wonder where this will lead us?
3- I'm really glad Alastair and Uriel are dead. I hated them both. Alastair's voice was getting on my nerves (I don't say Christopher Heyerdahl was bad, no he was terrifying, but I'm glad Alastair is dead). As for Uriel, I was shocked to know he was the traitor on Castiel's garrison since he appeared to be Heaven's devoted soldier. (That was a nice twist).
4- I still can't love Anna, Julie McNiven is a good actress. And I know Anna saved the day and saved Castiel, but to me she is no different from Ruby. Both are manipulative and can't be trusted.
5- And Last but not least, Castiel. Misha Collins was definitely the star of the show. How can he show all kinds of emotions by just the look in his eyes while managing to keep a straight face? I guess Jensen Ackles has finally found his match and they have an amazing on screen chemistry. Misha Collins has more than earned his recurring role on Supernatural. Let's get back to Castiel. The Angel who first appeared to be intimidating, is now having faith issues, he is experiencing doubts about every thing. He is growing attached to Dean and is beginning to question authority that his superiors are putting a leash on him. The obedient soldier is currently considering disobedience and doesn't know what to do. And after Uriel's treason, he has no one to trust. He clearly is not on Lucifer's side but not on Heaven's side either. It will be interesting to see how he goes from here.
The Formation of Damnation
ttapola31 July 2011
"Then": Lilith is trying to break 66 Seals to free Lucifer. Castiel rescued Dean from Hell, where he had broken under Alastair's torture and taken on the task of torturing other human souls – and he had *liked* it. The guilt has been eating him alive. While Dean was in Hell, Sam started drinking Ruby's blood to increase his demon-controlling powers, at the cost of slowly losing the feeling of his own humanity. Before Dean was returned to Earth, Castiel's superior Anna was cast down from the Heaven for disobedience and expressions of free will. She lost both her Grace and memory in the process, but regained both. After that, she vanished in a flash of light that consumed Alastair's host body. Alastair returned, but was captured by the angels, at the expense of psychic Pamela's life
This episode grabs you from the first scene and never lets go before the end credits. The opening is a short, but impressive scene that starts the plot of the episode: Castiel finding one of her sisters dead among huge wreckage, without a clue as to how demons could possibly have killed her. And she wasn't the first. The angels' only source of information is Alastair, but they can't break him. Maybe someone else can Any more info would be spoilers (though I see the plot outline already contains more information). Really, the episode is best experienced with knowledge of only the setup. Besides, to review this with the detail it deserves would exceed the 1,000 word limit.
There is so much going on they couldn't even fit all the scenes in. Some scenes, especially those between Alastair and Dean, are quite long, but they really are worth every single second. The intensity in these scenes is actually insane. We actually need intercut scenes of other characters – and from the opening credits we can see that Genevieve Cortese, Robert Wisdom and Julie McNiven are all here – to be able to catch a breath. And that is before the shocking twists and resulting ferocious action scenes start piling on! Several times, it seems that the episode cannot possibly get any better – and then it just switches to a higher gear. This is as massive a turning point to Supernatural as "Luke, I am your father" was to Star Wars. The script, the acting, the framing of the shots, the editing, the music – TV is rarely this good.
On the first viewing, it may appear that Christopher Heyerdahl at his most demonic best and the shifting Jensen Ackles own this episode, but others do their best as well, just more subtly. Jared Padalecki portraying Sam's inner turmoil, Julie McNiven making you consider Anna's deep theological and philosophical thoughts, Genevieve Cortese making you believe Ruby can be trusted while simultaneously giving you that unnerving feeling the she absolutely cannot be trusted, Misha Collins expressing Castiel's doubt and desire to get rid of it, Robert Wisdom revealing what motivates Uriel – all gripping stuff. This time, the 10/10 is the only possible choice. Utterly unmissable.
This episode grabs you from the first scene and never lets go before the end credits. The opening is a short, but impressive scene that starts the plot of the episode: Castiel finding one of her sisters dead among huge wreckage, without a clue as to how demons could possibly have killed her. And she wasn't the first. The angels' only source of information is Alastair, but they can't break him. Maybe someone else can Any more info would be spoilers (though I see the plot outline already contains more information). Really, the episode is best experienced with knowledge of only the setup. Besides, to review this with the detail it deserves would exceed the 1,000 word limit.
There is so much going on they couldn't even fit all the scenes in. Some scenes, especially those between Alastair and Dean, are quite long, but they really are worth every single second. The intensity in these scenes is actually insane. We actually need intercut scenes of other characters – and from the opening credits we can see that Genevieve Cortese, Robert Wisdom and Julie McNiven are all here – to be able to catch a breath. And that is before the shocking twists and resulting ferocious action scenes start piling on! Several times, it seems that the episode cannot possibly get any better – and then it just switches to a higher gear. This is as massive a turning point to Supernatural as "Luke, I am your father" was to Star Wars. The script, the acting, the framing of the shots, the editing, the music – TV is rarely this good.
On the first viewing, it may appear that Christopher Heyerdahl at his most demonic best and the shifting Jensen Ackles own this episode, but others do their best as well, just more subtly. Jared Padalecki portraying Sam's inner turmoil, Julie McNiven making you consider Anna's deep theological and philosophical thoughts, Genevieve Cortese making you believe Ruby can be trusted while simultaneously giving you that unnerving feeling the she absolutely cannot be trusted, Misha Collins expressing Castiel's doubt and desire to get rid of it, Robert Wisdom revealing what motivates Uriel – all gripping stuff. This time, the 10/10 is the only possible choice. Utterly unmissable.
The First Broken Seal
claudio_carvalho13 June 2010
Warning: Spoilers
After Pamela's funeral, Sam and Dean follow a fresh trail to Cheyenne, but they meet Castiel and Uriel. They tell that seven angels from their garrison had been murdered and they want Dean to torture Alistair to know the name of the demon responsible for the deaths. Dean refuses but they force him, telling that he is the most qualified interrogator. Dean begs to Castiel to call off the assignment but the angel tells that he was ordered to do that. Meanwhile Sam meets Ruby and drinks her blood to increase his power. Alistair incites Dean recalling the period that he was in hell and tells that he had been the first broken seal. Meanwhile Anna questions the faith of Castiel raising doubts in his judgment. When the demon trap is broken, Alistair overpowers the trap and attacks Dean; however Sam arrives and uses his power to get the requested answer from the powerful demon. They discover that the angels might have been murdered by a traitor and not by demons.
"On the Head of a Pin" is one of the best, if not the best, episode of this excellent Fourth Season. In this engaging story, there are many revelations, like for example, how Sam is empowering; how Dean is weak after the period he spent in hell and why the angels have rescued him; and the most important, who is killing the angels to help the ascension of Lucifer. The return of Anna could not be better. My vote is ten.
Title (Brazil): "Na Cabeça do Alfinete" ("On the Head of the Pin")
"On the Head of a Pin" is one of the best, if not the best, episode of this excellent Fourth Season. In this engaging story, there are many revelations, like for example, how Sam is empowering; how Dean is weak after the period he spent in hell and why the angels have rescued him; and the most important, who is killing the angels to help the ascension of Lucifer. The return of Anna could not be better. My vote is ten.
Title (Brazil): "Na Cabeça do Alfinete" ("On the Head of the Pin")
Christopher Heyerdahl in another scene stealing show
boomer-kris25 December 2020
More chilling today then it was back when it first aired
CubsandCulture9 March 2020
In light of the US engaging in war crimes, including pointedly torture, I have always wondered how different this episode would be if it was released in say the 80's. Dean being tortured in hell, and then torturing others in return is too specific to hell's iconography to think the thought wouldn't have occurred in a different cultural context. But as it is it is impossible to miss the parallels present between the show and the terrible things done by the Americans. There's even a waterboarding like sequence. It is all very intense and at least in this episode the proper weight and condemnation is placed in the horrible act. Returning to it today it is even a starker reminded of the horrible things the US did, and continues to do, in the war of terror. It goes a long way to giving the show the proper weight and really sets-up Dean paralyzed by regret that plays out a lot in the later episodes.
Apart from that this episode is a strong development in the angel storyline and Cas gets a character direction-finally-in this episode. This is the start of impressive run of the show where basically every episode is a classic for the next several *months.*
Apart from that this episode is a strong development in the angel storyline and Cas gets a character direction-finally-in this episode. This is the start of impressive run of the show where basically every episode is a classic for the next several *months.*
GREAT episode all the way
jackiehedstrom30 October 2022
This is when we all fell in love with Castiel. When he really became Castiel, the way we know him.
And Jensen also gives an impressive performance, delivering emotion beautifully - we get deapth to Dean here on a whole nother level.
This episode lifts the angels higher than they ever were later on - they are so much more than demons, they are superior. In later seasons that got very flattened, probably because a majestically powerful angel befriending out heroes was a difficult status quo to carry on with constantly.
Misha is so perfect as the feeling, unwillingly compassionate rebel angel (and good looking too!) that Supernatural could never do without him after this. But I also noticed that this episode was written by Ben Edlund, who also introduced Crowley to the show. And actors need good dialogue and story to shine - so cudos to Ben aswell.
And Jensen also gives an impressive performance, delivering emotion beautifully - we get deapth to Dean here on a whole nother level.
This episode lifts the angels higher than they ever were later on - they are so much more than demons, they are superior. In later seasons that got very flattened, probably because a majestically powerful angel befriending out heroes was a difficult status quo to carry on with constantly.
Misha is so perfect as the feeling, unwillingly compassionate rebel angel (and good looking too!) that Supernatural could never do without him after this. But I also noticed that this episode was written by Ben Edlund, who also introduced Crowley to the show. And actors need good dialogue and story to shine - so cudos to Ben aswell.
Lot of information
shwetafabm12 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
This ep had a lot of bombs.
It was entertaining, especially when you don't know what's to come.
Spn turned into something different for sure in S4, it's different and thrilling but comes with its limitations.
The whole hell thing is just too big a concept first of all, the weird torture scenes, Dean's the star pupil, it's just a tad cringey.
The whole angel mythology....i kinda hate it but then i kinda think what else could they possibly do, it just gets more ridiculous as time goes especially when that blade becomes omnipresent
Unwatchable... seriously, it was almost painful
sapha13 January 2018
I'm late to the Supernatural party, and I am really enjoying the series so far! ... but this episode was just unwatchable.
Or to be more specific, Alastair's almost comically absurd Brando impression was unwatchable, and so completely and utterly out of place with the tone of the episode! In previous episodes this actor's bizarre choice to parody The Godfather was merely irritating, but the fact that Alastair features so heavily here completely ruins what could have been one of the best episodes of the season. In the end I chose to watch on mute with subtitles, I recommend that you do the same!
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