Supernatural: Prophet and Loss (14x12)

It's frustrating that we're wasting time on Nick, but I will admit that the pandering and the angst totally worked for me and I got all weepy. I'm easily manipulated.

Cons:

But seriously. Nick? He's such a useless character and I don't want to waste time on his story. I thought last week was a setup to get him out of the narrative for a while, but evidently I was wrong. He escapes from custody and goes back to his house where he confronts the ghost of his wife, and then we learn that he feels connected to Lucifer and wants him back. Just... yeah, like, I'm not surprised, but could we not have saved this for a later moment in the season? Or even shelved it for a while and brought it back in the recently announced Season Fifteen? Yeesh. These moments just sucked a lot of time away from what this episode should have been focusing on.

Also... Jack wasn't even in this episode. He was barely mentioned. And again we see that the bunker is empty, as Cas appears to be there alone. Can't we get some throw-away lines about where everyone is? It's annoying that they can't manage to squeeze that in.

This was a good Buckleming episode, which is a relief, since I always get a twinge of anxiety when I see their names flash across the screen. But it still had the same problems that all of their episodes tend to have, in that it was awkwardly paced in some parts. It's like every scene needed to have just thirty more seconds to breathe, to let characters react to things. Even the excellent angst scene at the end could have used just one more beat before Sam hugs Dean. It's a small thing, and it's the kind of thing that I don't tend to notice unless I notice that it's slightly off.

Pros:

But like I said, the angst was working for me.

I'll also say, in the interest of being totally fair, that Mark Pellegrino is a good performer, and I do like the concept of Nick being drawn to Lucifer. He sees the ghost of his wife and yearns for the devil instead. I also like that we can't be sure if that was really a ghost, or just Nick's delusion. These ideas aren't crap on the surface, it's just annoying to spend so much time on it when we're clearly more interested in other things.

I know that a lot of people in the fandom were disappointed with the Cas/Dean interactions this episode, because there had been an interview or something that had promised a big "turning point" for their characters. I hadn't heard about that promise ahead of time, which ultimately I think was a good thing, because I wasn't disappointed by what we got of Dean and Cas here. I actually think it was pretty great.

First, Cas being so excited to hear from Dean, and assuming that he's changed his mind about his suicidal plan, was just so cute. This isn't even a Destiel thing, necessarily, but I just love that Dean is startled that Cas is so happy to hear from him. Dean doesn't really know what to do with open and honest affection, and it's sad and adorable at the same time. I also like that Dean wants to avoid goodbyes before locking himself in the box, so when he talks to Cas on the phone, he tries to keep it strictly about the case he's working. But right at the end, he seemingly can't help himself from saying "it's good to hear your voice." He was fully planning on that being the last time he ever speaks to Cas. Just like with his little hug and "take care, Sammy," Dean couldn't stop himself from saying some version of a goodbye to his loved ones.

And then there's the moment in the hospital. I love that Cas' reaction to Dean's plan isn't despair or resignation, it's just pure, simple, anger. He's livid that Dean would even consider this idea, and we're getting a real emphasis on the fact that Dean is betraying his principles through this plan. He's giving up. There's this great cutting line where Cas decides to go try and help Donatello, because if there's even a glimmer of hope, he has to try. "You taught me that," Cas says to Dean, his tone biting. I just love that so much. Also, after the Winchester moment at the end, Cas comes out to join them, and Dean includes Cas in his "I believe in us" declaration, which is precious.

It was fun to see Donatello again. He makes for an interesting counterpoint to other characters we've seen without their souls. Namely, Sam. Donatello might be amoral, but he's pretty much harmless. The whole concept of Donatello being somewhere between life and death, so other prophets are being awakened, was actually pretty cool. It reminded me of when Buffy briefly dies and we get Kendra the Vampire Slayer. The focus wasn't really on the case this week, nor should it have been, but I thought the concept was cool, and I like the fact that it brought back a dangling thread and did something to resolve it, while also giving Sam and Dean a vehicle to talk about this awful situation. The scene with the guy who had lost his twin was particularly potent, as of course Dean is trying to brush past the parallels, while Sam is just trying at every turn to goad Dean into changing his mind.

That scene in the impala where Dean apologizes for not always being the best brother to Sam... that just gutted me. We know that John Winchester will be making a reappearance for the 300th, so I'm actually really encouraged that they talked about him here in a less than positive light. Dean carries around guilt that he often took John's side because he was trying to keep the peace. We also learn that John sometimes sent Dean away, and that Sam probably felt somewhat abandoned during those times. Sam has still not given up on convincing Dean to stop with this crazy plan, but he does absolve Dean of his guilt, telling him that Dean was the one person who was always there for him, and that he let go of his pain over their childhood a long time ago. But he also asks Dean to stop trying to do the deathbed apology thing, because Sam needs to keep his mind off of what's going to happen.

Throughout the whole episode, we get this recurring theme of Dean tiptoeing around Sam's feelings about this plan. Dean is scared, obviously. We see that he's having nightmares about being in the box, and he's shouting Sam's name. (Jensen killed it with his performance in that opening sequence, by the way). But Dean also knows what he's doing to Sam, and he's kind of... apologetic about it. At the end of the episode he makes a comment about going out on a high note, and then he says "sorry" to Sam for bringing it up again. I love that. He's the one who's about to position himself for an eternity of torture, but he knows that he's hurting Sam terribly, and he hates that too.

Jared slayed me in that final scene. He's resentful and angry and his heart is breaking, and he plays all of those emotions so well. I love that he hits Dean and then just sort of collapses into his arms. His entire world is falling apart. Dean is the only thing that he can't stand to lose. I also like that in situations like this, you can see hints of their relationship reverting to an old childhood mode - Sam is a kid who needs his brother, and Dean immediately shifts into that caretaker mode. He says what he needs to say to get Sam to calm down, he promises to believe in their strength, but he's also firm: Sam needs to prepare himself for the worst case scenario, and be ready to let Dean go if it comes to that. He also does this adorable little pat to the side of Sam's face and says "don't hit me again, okay?" I just... loved everything about this exchange.

I think I basically said this in last week's review, but I want to reiterate that nothing going on here is particularly shocking or original. I knew that Dean wasn't really going to get in a box forever, and I knew they were going to find a way to put the A-plot on the back burner so we could tell different stories for the next few weeks before ramping it back up for finale time. It's the same story every year. But I love Dean Winchester and I love Sam Winchester and I want to watch them react to these traumatic and interesting scenarios. I want the angst, and I'm not going to complain that they're pandering to my specific wants here.

So there you have it. Next week is the 300th. There's a lot of pressure, a lot of speculation, about what's going to happen, and I'll admit I'm incredibly nervous - and curious - to see what's going to happen!

8/10