Has there been a more badass shot on Supernatural recently than Castiel giving Crowley a peek at his true angelic form? Eyes glowing blue, shadow wings spread, clutching that angel blade – warrior Castiel was back in a big way in “A Little Slice of Kevin.” Throw in the return of Crowley, Kevin and Ms. Tran, along with the additions of Delta the witch and Naomi the angel, and this was the best episode of Supernatural I can remember in quite some time. Everything seemed to click. We got Castiel back from Purgatory, the season-long quest took a big step forward, Crowley truly embraced his evil side, the flashbacks were integrated nicely and we had some intriguing new characters added to the mix. It’s striking how different a show Supernatural can be when it switches from procedural episodes to mythology episodes. Part of me wishes the show could get a 13-episode order and just cut out the nine episodes of filler. I love Sam and Dean as much as any fan, but you can’t tell me Supernatural wouldn’t be a better show if every episode was as good as “A Little Slice of Kevin.”
Castiel wins No-Shave November.
I thought for a moment that we would be forced to swallow yet another unexplained Castiel reappearance. Thankfully we got our explanation by episode’s end with the introduction of Naomi, the angel responsible for Castiel’s rescue from Purgatory. It seems she sacrificed the lives of many angels to use Castiel to spy on the Winchesters. There are a couple reasons why the angels would want to spy on Sam and Dean, but I hope we get an explanation before long as to why their surveillance was worth the lives of angels. Are they that interested in sealing the gates of Hell? Or do they once again have bigger plans for the brothers? We’ll see.
Castiel’s reappearance drudged up the guilt and frustration that’s been plaguing Dean all season. He felt guilty for Castiel getting left in Purgatory, but this was more than just survivor’s guilt. Dean has always taken it upon himself to protect everyone he loves, a job that he acknowledges he’s failed at looking at the show’s high body count. Right or wrong, Dean feels responsible for every body he and Sam have put in the ground. Letting down Castiel – the older brother Dean never had – was too much for the elder Winchester to bear. He let Castiel know as much near episode’s end, and in a great storytelling twist, Castiel revealed that he never intended to leave Purgatory. He viewed the place as his punishment for the sins he committed in Season 6. It was a wonderful callback to Castiel’s checkered past and a satisfying way to wrap up the Purgatory flashbacks.
No more Mister Nice Crowley.
When it was announced that Crowley would be the main villain for Season 8, I had my doubts. Crowley has always been a playful foil to the Winchesters, never more than a consistent thorn in their sides who’s always good for a one-liner. He never posed the distinct threat of danger to Sam and Dean like Azazel or Lillith did. Last night’s episode changed all that. I knew Crowley could be a twisted bastard, but he went full dark side last night: torturing Metatron (to the point he had slobber coming out of his mouth), leaving Kevin’s mom to die, killing two prophets-to-be (exploding one of them) and cutting off Kevin’s pinkie. Then we have the image of him blowing a pinwheel while Kevin read from the tablet, showing us that the character still has a sense of humor. For a couple seasons now Crowley has been able to come and go as he pleases. With the Winchesters threatening to put a permanent lid on Hell, you’re starting to see just how dangerous Crowley can be when provoked.
I always appreciate a little universe expansion.
Last night did a great job expanding the Supernatural universe. We learned that natural disasters occur when lower-level demons kidnap prophets. Our understanding of prophets grew when we learned there’s only one prophet at any given time. There’s a bullpen of prophets – the ones that Crowley kidnapped – and whenever the current prophet dies, a new one steps in to take his/her place. This revelation also brought a great blast from the past – Chuck! The loveable prophet from Seasons 4 and 5 hasn’t been mentioned in a long time on the show, so it was a thrill to hear his name brought up again. I was surprised that the Winchesters thought Chuck was still alive. It seems like they would’ve checked up on him once Kevin was revealed as a prophet and demons started hunting him. Regardless, Castiel said that Chuck must be dead since Kevin was a prophet now and that he hadn’t heard anything on Chuck in a long time. Sound familiar? Remind you of a certain absentee God that Castiel is always mentioning? “Swan Song” insinuated that Chuck was God when he vanished into thin air, but I was always skeptical. “A Little Slice of Kevin” didn’t totally confirm that Chuck is God, but it does make me wonder if we’ll see his character return to the show.
After killing off pretty much every supporting character, Supernatural is building a new stable of allies and foes for Sam and Dean, and this recapper is excited to see where Season 8 goes next.
Line of the week
“Which Castiel is it this time? I’m never sure. Madman or megalomaniac?” – Crowley
Next week on Supernatural
Castiel becomes bad cop while trying out to be a hunter!!!
