Supernatural: The Gamblers (15x11)

Okay yeah, overall I really enjoyed that!

Cons:

So, we learned a new piece of mythology this week, that being that Chuck, as the Creator, is also the creator of all of the other deities in every other religion in the world. Apparently he's attached himself to "the religion with the best syndication deal," that being the Judeo-Christian one. This makes sense in terms of the show's overarching mythology, in that Chuck has to be the ultimate Creator of everything... but it's also a little icky to have God as played by a white guy, be the creator of every other deity, as if the "Christian" God came first, and the Bible is the True Account of what happened, while every other religion is just a story that came later. I feel torn, because I understand why, in terms of the story they are telling, they've chosen to make this clear. But the optics are not super great.

The subplot is about Cas discovering Jack is still alive, but there's this kind of stupid fake-out where at first it looks like Jack is a bad guy who is eating people's hearts... turns out, he's acting on Billie's instructions and is killing monsters in order to gain strength. I feel like the fake-out and the whole FBI thing was kind of an unnecessary element, only there to pad out the run time.

(Also, I'm petty about this, but Cas' name should be spelled Cas, not Cass. I will never let this go! It's fandom tradition to be irrationally angry about this inconsequential detail.)

Pros:

Despite my slight qualms about the optics of Chuck creating all of the other religion's deities, I did really like Fortuna. And I like the idea of God's creations being instrumental in his own destruction. Obviously that's what's happening with the Winchesters, but they can't do it alone. And it was so powerful to have an outside observer, someone who doesn't know the Winchesters, affirm their identity as heroes. It's important that they lose the game against Fortuna, but she decides to help them anyway. Why? Because Sam wasn't playing for more luck for him and Dean. He was playing for the freedom of the other people in the bar. And he did that with Dean's approval and support. The fact that they cared about the other people makes them heroes.

Also, can we just talk about the Sam and Dean of it all? Dean wants to hustle pool, and he declares himself to be better at it than Sam. Sam is better at literally everything else, and that makes Dean proud - but this one has to be on him. Sam agrees, but then later when Fortuna makes Sam play, Dean lets Sam take a shot as well. They are at a stage where they support each other and are willing to let each other take risks. Dean is no longer jumping in front of every bullet for Sam, and vice versa. That's what I call growth!

I also appreciated that the story didn't go exactly the direction I expected. I thought Dean was going to start playing, and he'd get caught up, and addicted. Instead, Dean got the luck he thought he needed, and was ready to peace out. Sam was the one who got caught up in the tragedies of these other people's lives, and wanted to stick around and help. I really liked that. And the fact that Dean backs Sam's play, and lets him take a risk to help the innocent... man, that is heroic, and it's making me feel some kinda way.

Over in the subplot, I just have to say that I love Castiel for calling himself "Agent Lizzo." What a darling. And his dedication to finding Jack was obviously amazing. Their reunion and hug was - gosh, what can I even say?? And then Sam and Dean coming back, Sam's hug with Jack, Dean cupping Jack's face and then looking over at Cas, silently asking for confirmation... all of this was just so sweet and perfect and I missed Jack so very much.

So we're here, about to endure the very last hiatus of Supernatural. Only a handful of new episodes left. I was pretty happy with this installment, and I'm honestly pretty excited to see how things wrap up! I really, really hope they can stick the landing!

8/10