Let’s Speculate: Supernatural 9×17, “Mother’s Little Helper”
Warning: If you have not seen tonight’s episode, “Mother’s Little Helper,” then beware spoilers ahead!
Episode Summary: In Misha Collins’s directorial debut, he tackles an Adam Glass script that delves into the history of Abaddon and the Men of Letters. The episode begins with a rather domestic murder, which revolved around a frustrated wife killing her picky, tv-watching husband. This murder sets up the separate storylines for Sam and Dean. Dean appears to be in a super focused research mode, but we learn he’s really just on a bender, as Dean is wont to do. Dean tells Sam to investigate the case on his own while he hangs back and “researches,” i.e. drinks bottles of hard liquor and flirts with Crowley. Sam figures out that something is going on with the case and suspects souls are being hijacked or destroyed. There were several flashbacks during the episode to both the current Mark of Cain story and the former Soulless Sam story.
During his investigation Sam comes across a former nun who knows about demons, Abaddon, and the Men of Letters. Her story shows how Abaddon was planning to take souls to build an army and featured Henry Winchester. The story reveals how and when Josie was possessed by Abaddon, as an act of sacrifice to save Henry because she loved him. While Sam is listening to the history lesson, Dean and Crowley are hanging out a bar. Crowley is doing some marriage/psychological counselling for Dean and when he leaves to go to the bathroom, a hunter appears to go after him with a knife. Dean, of course, stops the hunter. We learn in a later scene that the hunter is a demon and was there to prove that Dean would actually save Crowley – Crowley says he and Dean are besties but he also says that now Dean is “ready”. The episode ends with Sam telling Dean that Abaddon is collecting souls for an army and the brothers sit as separate tables as they continue to research how to find and take down Abaddon.
Speculations and Questions:
1. We know that Crowley is really planning something not good, right? Also the soul thing? That was a Crowley/Castiel story, right? I’m telling you Crowley/Abaddon are not enemies.
2. Dean’s coldness – is it really his reaction to Sam’s words or are we in Mark of Cain territory now? Does the mark drastically change the emotional state of the bearer? Does it take the soul?
3. I think Abaddon saved Henry because he had a wife and kid. I think the love thing was a copout and cheap.
4. So now we see Sam is becoming increasingly affected by Dean’s coldness. That upset facial expression after their phone call was very telling.
5. Why the souls? Will this dovetail into the Metatron/Gadreel story? Didn’t Death state that it was all about the souls? Is this show actually admitting that seasons 6 and 7 existed?!
6. I have been saying since the beginning of season 8 that this season and last are master parallels of seasons 4 and 5. I am sticking to my theory.
Congratulations to Misha on his debut!
Share your thoughts with us!
Nice review, Bookdal. I usually don’t get all Meta because a lot of other folks on this sight are much more insightful on such things. But, any meaning to using Milton, IL as the town (and I think it was the name of the bar Dean was at, too?). As in Milton’s Paradise Lost, which is about Adam and Eve, the Garden of Eden,
the origin of Satan?
Kudos for not rehashing every detail we all already saw.
1. I don’t know Bookdal. Abbadon’s endgame isn’t clear, but she does want to be the resident badass. Crossroads Crowley is too weak to lead hell in her mind.
2. D. All of the above? It looks as though Dean is still stinging from Sam walking out after Kevin telling to shove off and work it out. It was a breakthrough moment for Dean but Sam was too tired to deal.
3. Maybe?
4. Little brother always notices more than he lets on and now it shows.
5. I think so? Questioning the re-entry. Sam Winchester knows about pain, and he was shouting loud, but these locals weren’t tortured by Lucifer.
6. Totally.
Congratulations to Misha on his debut!