It's too bad Howie Mandel didn’t appear in this week's episode of Supernatural, “Appointment In Samarra.” His “Deal or no deal” line would have been perfect as both Sam and Dean attempted to make their respective supernatural bargains.

Frankly though, I’m surprised that Dean even tried at all.

Wasn’t it last episode that he lectured his grandfather on the negative consequences of demon deals? I guess Death’s power to retrieve Sam’s soul and build a wall protecting it from his hellish memories is the best option out there.

Whatever Dean’s reasons for changing his mind though, he risked death to see Death in order to play Death for a day. What brotherly love.

On the other hand, Sam didn’t want his soul returned.  His decision to seek angel help from Balthazar was intriguing. The possibility of his soul killing him or turning him to “Jell-O” didn’t coincide with Sam’s survival plans, so he was willing to reach out to someone he had previously threatened to kill.

So diverged the episode into the two aforementioned storylines.

Dean’s plot was an interesting premise that allowed him to understand the problems of meddling with life and death. I can’t imagine having to take on the job of ending people’s lives. It really would be an emotional and tiresome career.

Unfortunately, Dean’s experience felt slow to the point and I found the cat and mouse game Sam played with Bobby far more entertaining. It delivered the jumps and surprises that are a staple of the horror show. Soulless Sam is very creepy when he’s intent on his missions.

As a side note, Robert Englund who played Dr. Robert also has portrayed the famous horror character, Freddy Krueger. As fun as it was to have him appear on the show, I wished his role in the episode was more than simply the “family doctor.”

Yet, it was the final moments that made up for an average feeling episode.

That’s right. Sam’s soul is back in his body!

It will be interesting to see how Sam acts with his soul intact and whether or not:

1. He even remembers hell
2. He remembers not having a soul
3. He’s back to his emotionally caring and compassionate self

Too bad we have to wait until January 28 to find out. Until then, here are a few questions to ponder:

What’s the deal with the soul collecting? Why does Death care? With Crowley gone, is the search for Purgatory over or simply on hold? When are the brothers going to play a part in the angel rebellion? Finally, how long will that wall around Sam’s soul last?

Sean McKenna was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. He retired in May of 2017. Follow him on Twitter.