The episode was written by Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming and directed by main cast member Jensen Ackles.
As the ritual goes on, Dean taunts Sam over his desperate attempts to find him, including tricking a man into selling his soul so he could interrogate a crossroads demon.
Castiel suggests that a guilty-feeling Dean take some time off as things are quiet, however, in Tulsa, Oklahoma, a mysterious red-haired woman sits in a hotel room under two men staked to the ceiling.
"[6] Samantha Highfill of EW stated: "The moment Dean became a demon in last season's finale, my first thought was: What is it going to be like when he comes face-to-face with Sam?
The answer, as we now know, is no, but the bottom line is that this episode finally gave us the Demon Dean moments we've been imagining.
"[7] Sean McKenna from TV Fanatic, gave a 4.4 star rating out of 5, stating: "If anything, the hour seemed to re-align things for all the characters and set them on a new course.
That can only mean it won't take long before some new supernatural being, like that mysterious red-haired woman at the end, steps up to cause problems.
Metatron is locked up, but probably not for long, and Castiel has an awesome, badass, and yet still totally awkward girlfriend whose every surviving week on this show is amazing, given its terrible track record with regard to killing female characters.
Now we’ll have to see how Dean fairs with his continuing Mark of Cain problem, and we didn’t see Cole so we can expect him to show up again.
There was also a delightful little teaser at the end of the episode to give us a glimpse at a new fiery-headed baddy credited as “Rowena.” More on her soon, I hope.