Supernatural: All in the Family (11x21)

Eugenie Ross-Leming and Brad Buckner are the bane of some Supernatural fans' existences. These are the people who brought us "Route 666" and "Man's Best Friend With Benefits," among other weak installments. They're also the writers who killed off Charlie, and a lot of people haven't been able to forgive that, myself included. As such, whenever I see that an episode is going to be penned by this writing team, I brace myself to be pissed off. However, this wasn't one of those episodes that's going to reinforce their reputations as bringers of evil. It was a decent installment, all in all.

Cons:

The less infuriating yet still undeniably problematic element of Buckner and Leming's episodes is that they try and cram too much information into one hour of television. Despite the amount of stuff that actually happens, the dialogue can often be choppy and repetitive, as the same information is repeated in different ways throughout the episode, and sometimes small things get too much focus and big things get sidelined. It makes for a bit of an unbalanced final product, although it's not anything substantive that I can put my finger on.

In this episode, Sam and Dean team up with Chuck, Metatron, and a new prophet named Donatello. They decide to save Lucifer, in order to get him on board the Anti-Amara team. In order for this to work, Dean distracts Amara by meeting with her in private, while the others rescue Lucifer. All I can say is... the Dean/Amara thing is really unsettling. Now, I do understand that it's meant to be unsettling, but it's not working for me in the world of the story. I don't understand why Amara, God's sister and our primary antagonist for the season, needs to have a romantic connection with one of our leads. I can think of so many more interesting ways to approach Amara's character. Maybe they could keep the part about Amara and Dean being connected, but instead of Amara disturbingly commenting on the "sensations" that Dean makes her feel, she could be annoyed by the connection. She could be frustrated, wanting to kill Dean and be done with him in the same way that Dean wants to kill her. I don't know... every time we get one of these Dean/Amara scenes where they stand a great distance apart and speak in measured sentences to each other, I just get more and more frustrated and grossed out.

Pros:

I basically already gave a plot summary - this episode was all about gearing up for the final showdown between God and Amara. We learn from Metatron that God's plan involves sacrificing himself so that Amara will leave the Earth alone, but by the end of the episode, with Lucifer newly freed from Amara and ready to join in the fight, it looks like God is ready to take a real stand against his sister. Let's talk about some of the awesomeness in this plot.

Chuck's relationship with Sam and Dean is just excellent. At the start of the episode, Sam is fanboying over God, while Dean is hurt and angry that God left them alone for so long. This was a powerful acting moment from Jensen. The way the script was written, he could have played the scene angry and gruff, but instead he showed Dean's utter vulnerability, crying as he accused God of abandoning them. For him to show such weakness in front of Sam and God both was a really intense thing. I saw someone on Tumblr point out that Sam and Dean's reactions to God were the opposite from how they felt about their father back when John Winchester was still alive. Sam is excited and seeking God's approval, while Dean feels betrayed and acts distant. There were too many great moments with Chuck to count. I love the fact that he starts acting like a fairly annoying roommate, borrowing Dean's laptop and robe without asking, taking long showers and humming songs that keep Dean up at night. He tells God to cool it, which Sam is horrified and amused to find out about. Dean is playing it cool and distant, while Sam is freaking out over being in God's presence. Rob Benedict does an amazing job playing this casual, unassuming guy and then flipping the switch and becoming the Almighty. The best example of this is when Sam and Dean broach the subject of Lucifer, wondering if God's son might be able to help with Amara. He tells them no, angry at the two of them for releasing Lucifer from his cage. Twice. After his refusal to consider the idea, he exits the room with the following statement: "thus spake the Lord." It was said with just the right mix of irony and power. Kudos for pulling off a moment that might have fallen seriously flat. You really get the sense just from that one line that Sam and Dean are out of their depth.

This episode opens with a brief surprise in the form of one Kevin Tran. Chuck proves that he is in fact God by transporting Sam and Dean to the bunker and then making Kevin appear. Kevin assures them that he's okay, given the circumstances, and tells them to trust in Chuck. Chuck then allows Kevin to ascend to Heaven, freeing him from the Veil where he has been stuck all this time. I still maintain that Kevin's death was one of the more idiotic decisions that this show has made, but I liked to get some final resolution from his character all the same. It's comforting to know that he's alright.

Then there's Donatello, the new prophet. He survived Amara's fog when it swept through and destroyed an entire town, killing thousands. Donatello was an atheist prior to suddenly becoming a prophet, and he's struggling to keep up under the strain of all this new information. I loved the moment when Donatello met Chuck, and awkwardly asked if it was going to be a problem that he hadn't believed in God until just ten minutes before. Chuck just shrugs it off. He doesn't mind: "I did include free will in the kit." Metatron shows up later and freaks Donatello out even more, talking about how he was there when Donatello was designed and created. "I wrote your name on the inside of the angel's eyelids." That's an unsettling thing to hear, to say the least. As the episode ends, Donatello has successfully helped the boys to rescue Lucifer. He's not sure where he's going to go from here, but Sam and Dean tell him to stay sharp - they might need him again. I'm glad to see a new prophet pop up just as we see Kevin make his final exit. It gave good symmetry to the episode. I rather liked Donatello, too - lots of good humor with him.

Metatron had another strong showing this week. His humor was as good as ever, but Curtis Armstrong continued to bring further nuance to the character by sharing God's plan of sacrifice with Sam and Dean, and promising to do whatever he can to help save God. God always believed in him, and he wants to help. Metatron is interesting because he's a character who's familiar with God from way back in the day, and yet who still shows a reverence towards him that one would expect from a distant worshipper. I haven't forgiven Metatron for his earlier actions, and I might have liked Sam and Dean to point out the fact that he's to blame for the chaos up in Heaven to this day. But even without that, I think we got a good sense that Metatron is never going to be one of the "good guys," exactly, but he can be an ally, and he can do what he can to help God. As Sam, Donatello, and Lucifer make their escape, Metatron decides to stay behind to hold Amara off long enough for them to get away. He hardly slows her down at all, and Amara kills him with ease. This rather abrupt end to his character is an example of the rushed nature I noticed about this episode. But even if I wish we could have lingered on his death and his impact a little longer, I still thought that taking one for the team was an appropriate way for Metatron to make his exit.

Misha Collins continues to kill it as Lucifer. Not a trace of Cas to be found this week - I did like the moment when Amara gives Dean a vision of Casifer, all beat up, and points out that Lucifer is not doing so well, and neither is his vessel. Dean has a lot on his plate right now, and he spent most of the episode caught up in grappling with God's presence and in confronting Amara. But he reminded the others on a couple of different occasions that Cas had to be a priority when trying to rescue Lucifer. Are we going to get Cas back next week? I certainly hope so, now that Lucifer has been rescued by our good guys.

Honestly, I think the most intense moment of the episode for me was at the very end - Lucifer and God come face to face. Chuck tells Lucifer "you've changed," and Lucifer responds: "you've changed." The vulnerability mixed with anger mixed with love in Lucifer's voice and face when he says that is just... it's incredible. What a momentous thing, these two seeing each other again after all this time. It was that moment, more than anything else, that got me really pumped for the next two weeks.

My underdog MVP for the week is Sam Winchester. I mean, Dean was the one with the tearful speech to God, Metatron was the one to make the ultimate sacrifice, but Sam Winchester just... he just walked into that place and he rescued Lucifer, dragging his arm over his shoulder and helping his injured enemy to the car. Do you have any idea how brave that makes him? This is the monster that tortured him for years inside the cage. The guy who tricked him into thinking that God was speaking to him and then trapped him yet again in his grasp. For Sam to set aside his own fear and do what's best for the team is just outstanding. Also, on a smaller note, when God saves them all again and takes them back the bunker, Sam refers to it as "home." I love evidence that Sam has fully accepted his status as a Man of Letters. It really warms my heart, even considering everything else that's going on.

This episode didn't really feel like part one of a three-part finale. It felt more like the setup for an epic two-parter, and despite its flaws, the setup was enough for me to be looking forward to how this all wraps up.

8/10