Recap of Supernatural
Season 4, Episode 2:

Are You There God? It's Me, Dean Winchester

Written by Sera Gamble.

Directed by Phil Sgriccia.

Air Date: September 25, 2008.

Sam, Dean, and Bobby are haunted by the spirits of people they failed to save. This is the "Rising of the Witnesses", one of the 66 seals broken before Lucifer is released and the Apocalypse comes.

Body count

For this episode = 1 human and 5 ghosts.

For the series so far = At least 263 humans (of which 3 were witches), 14 demons, 24 ghosts, 10 vampires, 6 changelings, 3 gods, 2 shapeshifters, 2 werewolves, 1 crocotta, 1 djinn, 1 rakshasa, 1 rawhead, 1 shtriga, 1 wendigo, 1 zombie, and 1 dog.

Tropes

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• And I Must Scream: Meg makes perfectly clear that she was fully conscious when possessed by a demon and wanted Dean to free her.
• Arbitrary Skepticism: As in the last episode, Dean still refuses to believe angels and God exist. Or the Devil.
  Dean: I thought Lucifer was just a story they told at demon sunday school. There’s no such thing.
  Castiel: Three days ago you thought there was no such thing as me.
• Captain Obvious
  Sam: Where are we going?
  Bobby: Someplace safe, you idjit!
• Come Out, Come Out, Wherever You Are
• Cold-Blooded Torture: Ghost!Henrikssn claims that that in "Jus In Bello" (S03, E12), Lilith tortured her victims before killing them, including flaying Nancy alive. This doesn't jibe with what the episode showed, though.
• Crazy-Prepared: Bobby and his salt-coated, fully-stocked, iron panic room.
• Creepy Twins/Finishing Each Other's Sentences: The little girls who haunt Bobby.
• Daylight Horror: The junkyard
• Do Not Taunt Cthulhu/Good Is Not Nice
  Castiel: You should show me some respect. I dragged you out of Hell. I can throw you back in.
• Driven to Suicide: Meg's little sister.
• Falling Chandelier of Doom: Bobby has one made of iron which Dean uses to banish a ghost.
• Ghost Butler
• Hand Gagging: Done by a couple of little girls to Bobby.
• Have You Seen My God?: Dean asks where God is.
• How Many Fingers?: Dean asks this of Sam.
• I Got You Covered: The brothers have to fend off the ghosts while Bobby does his spell.
• I'm Not a Hero, I'm...:
  Meg: So you think you're some kind of a hero?
  Sam: No.
• In Mysterious Ways:
  Dean: If you say "in mysterious ways" so help me I will kick your ass.
• Mind Rape: Meg was fully conscious as the demon used her body to kill; Agent Henriksen was forced to watch as Lilith tortured and killed everyone in the police station, including Nancy, whose skin was flayed in strips. We know this is true for Meg, but Henriksen may be lying, given how "Jus In Bello" ended.
• Our Angels Are Different: Lampshaded.
  Dean: I thought angels were supposed to be guardians. Fluffy wings, halos—you know, Michael Landon. Not dicks.
  Castiel: Read the Bible. Angels are warriors of God. I'm a soldier.
  • Also; "I'm not here to perch on your shoulder."
• Questioning Title?
• Running Gag: Dean likes pie.
• Rustproof Blood: Although Olivia has been dead for three days, she's still very red.
• Sealed Evil in a Can: Lucifer, who Lilith is trying to release. This is actually a lot closer to Scripture than many Christian sects that refer to Lucifer/Satan as the "king of hell"; in the Bible, as here, Lucifer/Satan may be the most powerful being in Hell(here, the Cage), but he's just as much a prisoner as any of the damned souls.
• Shout-Out: From The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. "If you're going to shoot, shoot. Don't talk."
• Speak in Unison: Sam and Dean. "A sign of what?"
• Talking in Your Dreams: Implied with the sudden cut to Dean waking up after his conversation with Castiel.
• Wall of Weapons: In Olivia's closet.
• Wham Line: The Apocalypse and, later on, Lucifer walks free.
• What the Hell, Hero?: Loads of this from the ghosts.
• You Do Not Want To Know: Averted; Castiel says Dean doesn't want to know, but he needs to know, what's coming.
• You Monster!

Supernatural