Sofia’s Review: Supernatural 9.21 – “King of the Damned

What was so great about this episode was the fact that all the key players were involved. We had some movement in both the Heaven and Hell storylines as well as some serious development with the Mark of Cain. This is the sweet spot of every season. It’s the time when all individual stories come to a head and prepare to rip the heart right out of you. Good times.

Castiel is now the “commander” of his own army of angels. That seemed to escalate pretty quickly, didn’t it? The last time we saw him he was with maybe 20 angels? And now he has a whole base complete with the devices we often see in war movies and don’t understand. And he has an office! Cass has certainly come a long way these past few weeks. And his mission is a noble one. He has been desperate to return Heaven and its angels to what they are supposed to be for a few seasons now. But at this point, it’s hard to remember what that is. Heaven has been corrupt since we first learned about angels back in season 4. As a viewer, it’s hard to watch Cass fight so passionately for something that seems so unattainable. Without God, it doesn’t seem like Heaven can ever be what God had envisioned. And do we even know for sure that God himself wasn’t corrupt?  But if there is one thing that is for sure, it’s that Metatron is not the answer to Heaven’s problems.

Thankfully, Cass seems to have enlisted the help of Gadreel. It looks like Cass has known all along that Gadreel could never be as hostile as he seems. Even though he killed Kevin, which is unforgivable, we know that it wasn’t a choice he made on his own. Metatron can be very persuasive when he wants to be. He has a way with words. (Lame angel joke) No one is ready to forgive and forget here, Gadreel has done some pretty horrible things since he took up with Metatron, but he is desperate to change his lot in life. This could be the way to do it. At this point, Gadreel just plans to report Metatron’s activities back to Cass. He has given Metatron his word which is something he won’t easily overlook. But as he learns more and more about Metatron’s plans, it’s a safe bet that his conscience will get the better of him and he will see that Metatron is not the answer.

Perhaps the biggest shock of the episode was the demise of Abaddon. Ever since Dean took on the burden of the Mark of Cain, he and Sam have been on her trail. But it was still a surprise to have Dean take her out on his first try. It really shows just what a powerful and scary force the mark really is. Just look at what Dean was able to do. A knight of Hell pinned him against the wall and he not only freed himself, but he was able to move the first blade telekinetically. That is some serious mojo. And when he stabbed Abaddon, the blade lifted her off the ground. Not to mention that after she was dead, he continued to beat her until Sam convinced him it was time to stop. It’s clear Sam is very worried about Dean and he didn’t even see everything Dean is capable of. He should be worried, he should be very worried!

Who else thought that Crowley would give in to Abaddon and lure Sam and Dean into a trap? The mention of “Poughkeepsie” in the “Then” segment should have been the hint I needed to realize Crowley was planning to tip them off, but I had long forgotten that bit of foreshadowing by the time we got around to it. And it’s not crazy to think that Crowley would be capable of deceiving Sam and Dean. In fact, it’s a specialty of his. But at the end of the day he stayed loyal to Moose and Squirrel. It must be those leftover human emotions messing with his system.

It was surprising that Sam and Dean decided to let Crowley walk free. Dean knew that they owed him one for the Poughkeepsie warning, but Sam had no idea. And at this point, they have no real reason to keep him alive. They were using him to find Abaddon and they found her and killed her. So why not kill him while they are at it? Well, there is some truth to choosing the lesser of two evils —  the devil you know. Better to have Crowley around to sort out the mess of divided demons that is surely waiting for him than to kill him and leave Hell in  a state of anarchy. And if they have Crowley as an enemy, at least they know what they’re dealing with. They know exactly what Crowley is capable of.

In fact, Crowley may be even weaker than normal now that he’s tapped into his long-lost humanity. Not only did he experience actual emotions, but he even gave his son Gavin some fatherly advice; even if it was about cheap whisky and cheap women. But letting Gavin go free into the 21st century has the potential for some really bad ripple effects. We all remember what changed when Balthazar, A.K.A. I.P. Freely, un-sank the Titanic. Now just imagine what kind of effect a young man for 1700’s Scotland could have. It will be interesting to see if this is a storyline that is pursued by the writers. And if it is, it’s really fun to think about what kind of effect this could have on Crowley’s life directly.

So, what did you all think of the episode? Were you as happy with it as I was? It’s been a while since I’ve had that jaw-dropping, heart-racing feeling I got from this episode. Especially when the Mark of Cain took over. That’s just good stuff!

Time for quotes and stray observations.

I couldn’t help but feel a little bad for Ezra. The poor guy was just pathetic.

Those were some serious man hugs between Cass, Sam and Dean.

“Spread the word, the king is back. And the kingdom is once again in sound footing. So all those with me, say ‘yo’.”

*Crickets*

Crowley: “No one in history has been tortured with torture like the torture you’ll be tortured with.”

Dean: “I think everyone is lying. It’s a gift.”

The whole scene with the hellhound in the cemetery was just so fun. And I love that her name is Juliet.

Crowley: “Squirrel, I hope you were nice to your father.”

Dean: “What?”

Crowley: “Dean, you need to get a move on. It’s a good days drive from Poughkeepsie.” Awwww. You do care.

Abaddon: “A boy and his blade. And still no match for the new queen.”

Spoiler alert: He does just fine with his blade.

Dean: “The first time I touched that blade, I knew. I knew that I couldn’t be stopped. I knew I would take down Abaddon and anything else if I had to. And it wasn’t a hero thing, it wasn’t. It was just calm. I knew. And I had to go it alone, Sammy.

Sam: “Of course. So it’s just another time when you had to protect me.”

Sam: “Look, I’m glad it worked out, I am. And I’m glad the blade gives you strength or calm or whatever. But Dean, I gotta say, I’m starting to think the blade is doing something else too.”

Dean: “Oh yeah, like what?”

Sam: “I don’t know. Like something to you. Look, I’m thinking until we know for sure that we’re gonna kill off Crowley, why don’t we store the blade somewhere distant. Lock it up somewhere safe, okay?”

Dean: “No.”

(Screencaps from Home of the Nutty.com)