I loved this episode. I really, really did. A lot. I only have
a few small things to say negatively (because when do I not?) but all in all
I thought it was an amazing return from hiatus for Supernatural. I missed this show while it was gone, and this
episode reminded me of all the reasons to love this show.
Okay, the first great thing this week: Sam and Dean’s
relationship. This is of course the biggie for this show. I’m always happy when
an episode has a focus on the connection between Sam and Dean. I loved to see
them joking around together during a few moments. Dean finding the old… magazine was so funny, especially when
Sam let Dean have his ten minutes. I also loved when Dean asked about Meg’s
hair and Sam was just like “Uh, dude?” but totally silently. Then at the end
when Sam teased Dean for quoting The Lord
of the Rings, and Dean told him that “the Rudy hobbit always gets a pass,”
I actually laughed out loud. It was nice to see a lighter, more natural side to
the Winchester brothers, because they have been so tense lately.
On the more serious flip side of that, we finally have some
actual honesty happening. I liked
that Dean noticed Sam’s bloody tissue, and then came out to confront him about
it pretty quickly. It never gets old to see Dean worrying about Sam. The scene
at the end was really touching, because Sam promised to be honest. I’m getting
a bit worried about these trials. I don’t want anything to happen to Sammy!
Actually… who am I kidding? I want to see Sam hurt, if only so I can watch Dean
freak out about it.
Now to praise the plot: I love mythology episodes! I love
angel/demon drama! I love hating Naomi. This angel tablet thing certainly does
add a twist. Does the angel tablet close heaven? Seems to make sense, but why
would God have made such a thing? Why does Cas want to protect it from Dean? I
thought it was wonderful to push Castiel so far with this mind control thing,
but I will admit I was glad to have him back in the Free Will world by the end
of the episode. I just really loved how this episode moved the plot forward in
a meaningful way, and added new twists as it went.
And… on that note… the guest stars this week. Or can we even
call Misha Collins a guest star anymore? He’s coming back as a series regular
next season! But, I digress. Alright, let’s start with Crowley. Any episode
with Mark A. Sheppard in it is a good one in my book. I love him. I love the
way he plays this character. When he first shows up to confront his little minion, he has one of my favorite lines in this whole episode: "If you want something done right..." he then kills his demon... "blah blah blah." Classic Crowley. Later, when Crowley shows up during the climax, he casts a properly menacing figure. Meg and Dean seem truly scared of him, and for good reason. The tension between Meg and Crowley was excellent. I also love the continued use of Crowley calling Sam "moose." Just really cracks me up for whatever reason.
Speaking of Meg... I have very complicated feelings about Meg. On the one hand, she has done so many terrible things to the Winchester boys. On the other hand, she's sassy as all hell, has great chemistry with the rest of the cast, and was pretty much our last female character that has had any real time to grow on this show. So... Do I like her? Not as someone I'd want to meet on the street, of course. But I am going to miss her on this show. (Here's hoping she comes back in another meat suit!) In this particular episode, she was at her best. "Aren't you a little short for a storm trooper?" So funny! Her scene with Castiel was really intense. Their attraction towards one another is inexplicable yet very powerful. "Megstiel" is totally canon, in my book. It was funny to hear Dean call them that, too. I also loved the scene when Dean and Sam were yelling at each other and Meg just kept interjecting. "Shut up, Meg!" was a refrain in that conversation. Her scene with Sam was also really touching, and I appreciated that it gave Sam an opportunity to talk out his feelings with someone other than Dean. I think he needed that. There was also the great moment where Meg didn't understand why Sam would stop after hitting a dog. Classic demon behavior.
Her death was really amazing. I loved that she sent Sam away to save his brother. And her "unicorn" Castiel. It was noble but also self-serving, since we know at the end of the day Meg does what she does to get what she wants. She didn't want to see Cas hurt, and she certainly didn't want Crowley to have any more power. If she had to die, I guess this was a pretty good way to go. I do have two small (read: big) problems, though. The first is that this show needs to retain its female characters. It's getting out of hand. The second is that it really rubbed me the wrong way that the boys literally just drove away and let her die. I mean, I get that they weren't keen on confronting Crowley, but it felt a little cold, even under the circumstances.
And now, for the real highlight of this week's episode... CASTIEL! Everything he did in this episode astounded me. I was so amazed by Misha Collins' work. First off, the humor. His deadpan delivery of lines such as talking about the "strange haired demon" (a woman with hair rollers in) and "You know, I can hear you both. I am a celestial being" was so hilarious. His scene with Meg was passionate and amazing. I could really sense his complicated emotions towards her. He cares for her deeply but cannot understand why. He looked hot when he was checking her out. God damn. If I had one nitpick about the story this week, it would be that we didn't get to see Castiel react to Meg's death. That might have been really interesting to see. There was one moment that I really loved, when Cas asked Naomi: "Do we have to kill her?" He clearly had feelings for Meg strong enough to break through his brain washing, at least a little bit.
I really admire the acting and the editing of his scene at the end when he was going back and forth between Naomi and Dean. It was very tense and kept me engaged the whole way through. He looked so torn about Dean, and then it was so amazing to see him fight back to save him. I was sad to see him ride away on the bus at the end, but it was a good montage scene and I'm excited to see where this storyline takes us.
Speaking of Meg... I have very complicated feelings about Meg. On the one hand, she has done so many terrible things to the Winchester boys. On the other hand, she's sassy as all hell, has great chemistry with the rest of the cast, and was pretty much our last female character that has had any real time to grow on this show. So... Do I like her? Not as someone I'd want to meet on the street, of course. But I am going to miss her on this show. (Here's hoping she comes back in another meat suit!) In this particular episode, she was at her best. "Aren't you a little short for a storm trooper?" So funny! Her scene with Castiel was really intense. Their attraction towards one another is inexplicable yet very powerful. "Megstiel" is totally canon, in my book. It was funny to hear Dean call them that, too. I also loved the scene when Dean and Sam were yelling at each other and Meg just kept interjecting. "Shut up, Meg!" was a refrain in that conversation. Her scene with Sam was also really touching, and I appreciated that it gave Sam an opportunity to talk out his feelings with someone other than Dean. I think he needed that. There was also the great moment where Meg didn't understand why Sam would stop after hitting a dog. Classic demon behavior.
Her death was really amazing. I loved that she sent Sam away to save his brother. And her "unicorn" Castiel. It was noble but also self-serving, since we know at the end of the day Meg does what she does to get what she wants. She didn't want to see Cas hurt, and she certainly didn't want Crowley to have any more power. If she had to die, I guess this was a pretty good way to go. I do have two small (read: big) problems, though. The first is that this show needs to retain its female characters. It's getting out of hand. The second is that it really rubbed me the wrong way that the boys literally just drove away and let her die. I mean, I get that they weren't keen on confronting Crowley, but it felt a little cold, even under the circumstances.
And now, for the real highlight of this week's episode... CASTIEL! Everything he did in this episode astounded me. I was so amazed by Misha Collins' work. First off, the humor. His deadpan delivery of lines such as talking about the "strange haired demon" (a woman with hair rollers in) and "You know, I can hear you both. I am a celestial being" was so hilarious. His scene with Meg was passionate and amazing. I could really sense his complicated emotions towards her. He cares for her deeply but cannot understand why. He looked hot when he was checking her out. God damn. If I had one nitpick about the story this week, it would be that we didn't get to see Castiel react to Meg's death. That might have been really interesting to see. There was one moment that I really loved, when Cas asked Naomi: "Do we have to kill her?" He clearly had feelings for Meg strong enough to break through his brain washing, at least a little bit.
I really admire the acting and the editing of his scene at the end when he was going back and forth between Naomi and Dean. It was very tense and kept me engaged the whole way through. He looked so torn about Dean, and then it was so amazing to see him fight back to save him. I was sad to see him ride away on the bus at the end, but it was a good montage scene and I'm excited to see where this storyline takes us.
Misha Collins' presence this week also gave Jensen Ackles some amazing acting moments. During the scene when Castiel was beating him, I was blown away by the intensity of Dean's reactions. He was begging, pleading... the stuff he was able to convey with just his eyes was astounding. Earlier in the episode, when Cas first showed up, Dean looked so shocked but relieved to see him. Then, later, at the moment when Cas pulls the knife out, Dean looked as if his entire world had just ended. A lot of it reminded me of the infamous scene in Stull Cemetery, when Sam/Lucifer beat the crap out of Dean. This time, however, he had no way of knowing what was going on with Cas. The most powerful moment for me, however, was after Cas had broken free of Naomi's control. He reaches his hand forwards towards Dean to heal him, but Dean thinks he's about to die. The raw terror and pleading in his voice as he says Cas' name was really amazing. Kudos to Jensen's acting chops this week. Dean really is the center of this show in a lot of ways, since his strong ideas about family and trust are what bind everyone together.
So... if you haven't figured it out already, I loved this episode. It blew me away. My biggest complaint would be that I wanted more.
Can't wait to see what happens next!
9.5/10
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