The penultimate episode of the ninth season of “Supernatural” aired tonight, and sadly there was no Led Zeppelin. But there was a fun yet heavy episode written by Andrew Dabb, directed by Guy Norman Bee, and featuring a guest actor that made me beam.
Our episode opened with a young angel going to town on a banana split, when suddenly another Heavenly host burst in and exploded the whole joint. We later learn that the second angel claimed to be smiting in the name of Castiel. Agents Spears and Aguillera arrive at Fort Cas to do a little digging, and there they learn not only that the smite-bomb was only the first of many, but that the mole from last week’s episode has flown the coop and left a trail of credit card crumbs. Dean stays with Cas’s minions while Sam and the Commander track down the traitor. Elsewhere, Metatron and Gadreel meet up for ten frames with the leader of the last remaining faction of independent angels.
The “Actually I Do Get That Reference:”
- I live alone, and sadly that means that there is no one to share a drop-jawed stare of recognition when none other than Matt Salinger appears in an episode of “Supernatural.” That might not mean much to a lot of you, but as the oldest living “Supernatural” fan, I greatly enjoyed Curtis Armstrong facing off with wide receiver number 84, Danny Burke, one last time. Yes, our angelic Switzerland was led by a fellow castmate from “Revenge of the Nerds,” and that just tickled me to no end.
- There were so many pop culture name-drops in this episode. A good excuse to reference the Metatron’s insertion of a millennia’s worth of knowledge into Castiel’s brain, I suppose. And beyond that, a likely clue to the viewers that Metatron was doing a good bit of chain yanking. But it was worth it for me, as the nerd in me always feels a little more validated when I get multiple Tolkien references, a Spielberg nod, and a first-grader joke thrown into one episode.
The Levity in the Gravity:
- This was a pretty heavy episode. Even though I can’t really say there were surprises, some of the events that went down tonight were monumental not just for season nine, but will leave a lasting impression on the Supernatural universe. So I am thankful that Andrew Dabb allowed for a couple guffaw moments.
- Dean’s reaction to the aliases that had been assigned by Castiel is my new favorite reaction gif. I’ve been raving about Jensen Ackles’s performance all year, but my favorite Dean will always be funny Dean, and for my money Ackles has the best comedic chops in the lot. Mark Sheppard could maybe give him competition, but still.
- Castiel’s disgust with wordplay was so ridiculously vehement that I chuckled for a good portion of that segment of the episode. Me too, Cas. Me too.
I’m still not entirely thrilled with the course the season has taken. Sam’s quibbling over Dean’s dishonesty and commandeering skirt between two sources; is Sam concerned about the Mark of Cain, or is he clueless as to the cause of Dean’s attitude and still just being the indignant baby brother? Had one of those two issues been made clearer, or had he given voice to understanding the Mark’s effect on the elder Winchester, maybe all this angst would have been less eye-rolly. We do understand by this point that Metatron had to give Castiel an army in order to take it away, but the pacing on that plotline seems a little drawn out. And the same can be said for Gadreel – if he is indeed dead by Dean’s hand, did he ever have a point to stick around after healing Sam? I’ll eat my words if he has a part in the finale, but as I see it now, that device could have been assigned to literally any other angel in this season.
Next week we’ll know if Gadreel is dead or only severely wounded. If he lives, will he stick with Team Free Will after one of them tried to saw him in half with a nasty ass bone knife? What’s Crowley up to in the end of things? Will Dean let him live? What about Metatron? Will he meet his end with the aforementioned nasty ass bone knife, or will all of the Heavenly host realize his ruse and mess him up like whoah? Is the Mark of Cain permanent? Is Dean going to be a butthole forever now, and if so, will the brothers ever stop acting like bratty teens? Can Death pop back in? I really like Death. Stay tuned next week, when we’ll learn these answers and more.
My only prediction for the finale? We’re going to be hit with a cliffhanger the likes of which we have never seen, and the fandom will go slightly mad until next October.