We are three episodes in to the ninth season, and the first two did a great job of setting a high standard. Season greight was going to be a tough act to follow, but it set up a continuity the likes of which the show had never seen and set us up to return to the reality of Human!Cas as we saw him in season five, and all the zombie Croatoans. If you’ll remember, this was the reality put in place when Dean refused to be a vessel. Maybe it was negated by throwing Lucifer in the pit, but if not, it could have been one of the best continuity arcs in all of genre television.
And then came episode three. I didn’t post my review last night because I had to get up at the buttcrack of dawn today. At ten o’ clock last night, I was glad for the opportunity to ponder, review my notes, and come to a more diplomatic opinion than the one that immediately followed the episode. But no, no, it’s still the same. This was a terrible episode.
There were a couple moments that made a good impression, and I’ll certainly get to those, but I’m going to forsake my usual format because the review would be under one bulletin point that would read “Seriously?” Ninety eight percent of the events that went down struck me as either contrived and predictable or wholly out of character, and sometimes both. Which is really bad,
The Brothers Winchester realize Cas is in danger and decide to find him. They have one lead, no tracking device, and no communication, but somehow manage to find him about a thousand miles away in what seemed to be depicted as about three days. Cas had been staying at a church shelter but left when he realized the angels were on his scent. He then goes on a completely implausible road trip where he lives under a bridge, can’t afford a can of beans but somehow gets a tattoo in a legitimate shop, doesn’t get necrotic flesh from an angel wound even though he wears the same hobo clothes for a couple days, and sleeps with a woman he’s known for approximately three minutes. The woman, shock me shock me shock me, turns out to be an angel who wants Cas’s head on a platter. She almost gets it, but the Winchesters arrive in the nick of time (kind of), and our heroes three retreat to the batcave for burritos and lies. Ezekiel arbitrarily becomes self serving and announces that since Cas’s presence puts him in danger, either Cas goes or Zeke bolts and takes Sam’s chances of survival with him.
The episode had some bold imagery, from impaled priests to exploding zealots, and Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins gave standout, career defining performances. Dean’s reaction to Cas’s death was heart wrenching, as was Cas’s reaction to being expelled from the batcave. While both of those moments were consistent with the growth of the characters, I struggle with believing that Dean would be so quick to send Cas into the dangerous unknown. Yes, Dean will probably always choose his brother over any one or thing, but to decide that Cas’s fate is sealed in two breaths seems unlikely. Hold on, Cas, Kevin’s gonna take you somewhere safe. Cas, here’s the name of a hunter that will keep you hidden until I can come for you. Sure, the final expulsion was on a cliffhanger note, but it was gratuitous. The last two seasons have been about defining family, and Dean just crapped all over it in one sentence.
I’m sorry, fellow hunters. I truly do not like saying bad things about my favorite show, but loving something unconditionally isn’t how I roll. And if I did, I certainly wouldn’t write about it every week. Well, yeah I would, but not on this site. The entire 42 minutes felt like writers’ room dart board. A woman praying aloud is a shittier plot device than narration – OK, I never went to church but who prays out loud? Who does that? And then there was the reaper bounty hunter whose sole purpose was a reveal – the angels are here and they are pissed. We already knew that. And with any amount of plot development, the Winchesters would have realized the gravity of the situation as well.
I’m always open to thoughts, though, and if you loved any part of the show other than the final shot, please let me know. If I’ve missed the light, I’d love to see the episode with a new filter and get more out of it.