"Traditional," or pre-Season 4, exorcism removes the demon from a host and sends it back to hell, where it can climb out again and inhabit a new host. If the host was alive when possessed and hasn't been mortally damaged while possessed, the host will survive.

When they use the knife it does kill the demon's "soul", prevents it from jumping to another host or returning to hell to climb out and possess somebody else, but also the demon dying almost always kills the host.

Which was why Sam was learning to "pull" demons; the demon's "soul" died upon extrication, did not return to hell or body-jump, and if alive at the time of possession and not mortally injured while possessed, the host almost always lived. "Pulling" was a more final solution for dispossessed demons, and left more hosts alive.

I don't remember, or never knew, what Ruby did to the colt to rehabilitate and reactivate it.

when the black clouds sink into the ground burning

But isn't that what they show after an exorcism? And we know, from Meg, that that isn't destruction.

Traditional exorcism, the black cloud (assumptive "soul" of the demon) leaves the body of the possessed through the mouth, and exits the scene, sent back to hell. Leaving the body the same way voluntarily enables the demon to body-jump. The knife and the colt prevent the demon's soul from leaving the body, killing both the demon and the host.

So the black clouds they've showed Sam pulling have been misleading? They go nowhere? Except potentially into Famine's tummeh.

No, *those* black clouds that settle into the smoking ash are Dead.

The ones that shoot out of the mouth and head into a vent or whatever are still viable. Or whatever you want to call it.

But Beverly, in Alastair's death scene they distinguish between Sam sending demons back to hell (which is what I assumed the pulling was doing) and him killing demons.

I just don't recall the scenes with the clouds sinking.

It might just be my headache talking, but I'd read what he did to Alastair and Lilith as markedly different to all the rest.

It looked different? Maybe because they're higher-level demons? But I thought the point he tried to make when Dean caught him at it, early on in S4, was that he didn't kill the host, but he did kill the demons. I could be wrong, though.

I'd have to look at early S4 to figure which ep features the sinking black cloud/ash, etc.

I thought there were three scenarios: cloud in vent means the demon is under its own steam and will possess again; cloud to floor means demon to hell and it will be a bitch for it to come back (Sam and exorcisms); internal light show end of the demon road (kill shot from Colt, knife, or hopped up Sam).

Approximately.

Now that you put it that way, you may be right.

Mommmmmmmm! ita's making me think!

I know the Great Pumpkin episode featured Sam HaneSamhain (aghhh, it burns!) billowing out of his host and burning to ash around the body.

ita, I think the first two are the same, actually. An exorcised demon cloud looks the same, and often goes up, as a voluntarily exiting one. YED voluntarily left John's body and seeped through the floor of the cabin.

Sam pulling demons left the hosts alive, and left the demon a smoking puddle of black goo, with flickering embers here and there, on the floor. No return to hell to rise and possess again.