Thoughts on Supernatural 11.09: O Brother, Where Art Thou?

Could a title have been more apropos? As difficult reviews go, this was up there. Not because I disliked the episode – quite the opposite in fact; it was a fantastic episode from opening to final credit.

Which makes it all the more challenging to find the right words to describe the emotions, the dramatics, the visual impact and the final, nail-biting seconds of the mid-season finale. Nevertheless, I’ll try – so let’s see what my still-recovering mind can scrounge up.

NEVER TRUST ROWENA. If this wasn’t on a neon sign and/or posters throughout the Winchester bunker and emblazoned in Men of Letters literature everywhere possible before – it needs to be now. Really, this was a foolish but inevitable endeavour from the beginning. These game board pieces had to come together to bring about the final product, as we’ve known since the Darkness started to show her true, hungry, mad self and when it’s in the self-interest of the usual enemies for survivals sake, well, a deal is in order. Generally.

The coming together of these players was well done. Crowley was viscerally against anything involving Lucifer and yet, more against being eaten by Amara who slapped him around easily in her teenage skin. Mark Sheppard, as always, plays this cackling King so well – you could almost see him calculating the pros and cons of either side of these options. Particularly when Crowley learned of Amara’s genealogy (for lack of a better term).

Finally, the nitty gritty of the vision, the Cage, the who, how, what, when and where. Dean and Sam hash it all out and Sam is more passionately convinced these visions are from God than ever (burning bushes aren’t signatures, let’s all make a note of that, and can be forged) which finally persuaded Dean to at least explore a possibility of a conversation with Lucifer. The plan was well thought out: Crowley can’t afford to free Lucifer, so it is in his interest to ensure the Cage stays firmly and totally locked; he has access to the Cage and really, if it’s a chat with Satan they need, then there is no reason Sam can’t be outside those bars like a detective talking to a psychopath in an isolation prison cell.

Of course, this is exactly how it should have, and nearly did, all play out. Except for two not-so-minor details: the Cage sucked Sam in and it wasn’t God talking to Sam. This was a twist I didn’t expect. Lucifer (or another dark entity sending the visions)? Definitely. Rowena doing something wonky with the markings? Yes. Sam giving in to the vessel requests? Maybe. Lucifer getting out? Yes. Sam going into the Cage? Yes. But Sam going into the Cage after a conversation with Lucifer and realizing he wasn’t getting the information he need and discovering it was Lucifer all along who planted the visions? Umm….no.

The entire event of raising Lucifer was a creative way of getting to exactly what the season has seemed to be heading toward in the most unanticipated way. The writers manipulated the expectations cleverly and played with the anticipations throughout the episode. It took time to put together the deal between Rowena, Crowley and the Winchesters; as well for Rowena to find the spell translations, yet there wasn’t the loss of time within the episode itself or a sense of deadline: this took place fairly quickly. Lucifer himself arrived in flourish and flame and was – not unexpectedly – suave, charming and mostly unhelpful for all his chatter while passing the time building to his offer. Again, a deal from Lucifer wasn’t unanticipated either, not really.

My comments should not be interpreted to mean that the episode was predictable; rather that the writers played very well with what was expected and what would be expected in exchanges between characters like Sam and Lucifer after all these years to build in Red Herring anticipations until we’re finally – and surprisingly – dropped suddenly off the cliff at the end. Very well done.

After so many years, it was eerie to see these characters together again. Nevertheless, it was a welcome delight to watch Jared and Mark play off one another: Mark Pellegrino plays such a fun Lucifer, so charming and manipulative – he knows he has something the other guy wants and he entertains himself watching them wiggle on the hook asking for the favour. Meanwhile, Sam is encountering not only the traumatic past the cage and Lucifer represent but he is fulfilling his Godly visions and might be able to ascertain something to stop Amara, so he is acting humble and hesitant for much of the conversation. Quite a dichotomy.

What is there left to say that can sum up this exchange? It was captivating, tense and I could barely blink for fear of missing something in this encounter that has been built up for eight episodes. Lucifer may have been in the Cage, but he had full control of the entire situation and everyone knew it, including Sam. The final moments were the most intense and twisted, particularly the last seconds when Sam seemed to believe this was exactly how he knew things would play out – only to discover, horrified to discover more aptly, that he’d been manipulated from the start. For one brief instant it seemed our boy had the upper hand and it slipped away just as quickly only to leave him in his nightmare. What a way to end.

The tonal value of Amara’s presence as an adult was set very well in the opening scene – the first time we see her as an adult, in this reality at least, and the result of her is just inevitable. Where young Amara was prone to tantrums as much as she was cunning, adult Amara and her destruction is inescapable. The moments of Amara approaching the preacher and his acolytes at the water fountain is gruesome yet somehow remarkable. Amara herself cuts a beautiful picture in the black column dress while asking and demanding things with the naivety of a child and the power of a titan. Watching blood run from the fountain as the clouds gather and lightning strikes sets a tenor for the episode in look and attitude, both of which are delivered: shadowy, grisly and intense.

Throughout the episode, Amara reminds me at times of a child seeking a parent’s attention – she is frustrated, hurt and emotional. In this way, not only does Emily Swallow play the character very well, but the character is well written. Her reactions to the world are representative of someone who hasn’t been involved/in the world before and can’t comprehend the way things operate – it doesn’t make sense. One scene in particular that stands out is when Amara goes to the church to pray, and after a second or two, her response is that it didn’t work. This is more like a little girl making a wish and expecting a gift to manifest instantly than a traditional comprehension of praying. Again, Amara functions like a young girl in the “instant gratification” stage of development than anything else. She doesn’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want to live in a pure-bliss reality.

The longer Dean and Amara stood together, the higher my uncomfortable levels rose. My god, they have chemistry in such a terrible way! It’s intense, binding and makes me want to snatch Dean and run away somewhere safe. This was an odd seduction if ever there was, but in a good way. The dialogue reveals so much about Amara and as far as exposition goes, Supernatural has mastered the art of keeping it interesting. Never mind that Dean and Amara together keep the viewer on the edge of their seats just for shear instability and unknowns that are the foundation of the entire relationship. Having said all that, the more Amara talks and the more we learn about her and that she is more a searching, hurt soul than an evil that needs vanquishing. She’s not a good guy, undoubtedly, but she isn’t the same as many of the villains the Winchesters have crossed before either.

Amara insists her and Dean will be “one” at some point – however she intends that to happen and doesn’t understand why he would refuse her. For Amara, a hedonistic world without rules and pure bliss – her world – is a better place. This is what her soulless victims seem to turn into, as we’ve witnessed, by and large. The connection between Dean and Amara cannot be denied. When these two are in a room (or a field, as the case may be) together, the electricity is intense. The meeting here was no exception, even when Dean tried to kill Amara this time – or at least tried to stab her. This didn’t dissuade our Dark Lady much and ended with the two kissing passionately. Whatever her vision for their “togetherness” maybe in the future – I doubt it will end the way she sees it. As we know, Dean doesn’t follow those pre-laid plans other people lay out for in the best of circumstance.

Amara cannot be killed by the Angel-Blade, but Dean was able to overcome his don’t-stab-Amara tendency to attempt to kill her. Or, did he really know on some level it wouldn’t work? This entire scene made me anxious. Dean looked confused and unhappy, but the souls in Amara are an interesting bit of information as well. We know she took in a number of demonic souls – does this mean an answer to defeating her lies in there somehow? Who else is rolling around inside Amara? Where does the answer to Amara lie then: loving her, killing her, ensouling her or humanizing her? Theories?

As has been especially consistent this season, there are some spectacular images throughout this episode. This plot affords a dark pallor through most of the story and the grim tones and shadows are done beautifully.

Hell and Lucifer’s cage in particular are darkly manifested, striking pictures. The sigils (lit up or dark) with the fire around the Cage, which appears on a platform, while Lucifer prowls and Sam hesitantly lays out his case offers nothing less than we’ve come to expect from the art/set department and underscores the enormity of the moments, the darkness of the players and power in the room.

A similarly dark and powerful display is Amara’s exchange in the church later with the kindly priest. The environment should be warm and safe, particularly with such a welcoming man inviting new spirits and being generous with time, information and patience. Yet, the dark picture of Amara in the church brings enough foreboding that the subsequent images: the disfigured statues, the bloody pews and parishioners’ bodies, finally with the priests’ soul sucked before he is killed at the foot of the pulpit; are all dark and disturbing but unsurprising. And each of these scenes – the before and after of the church, if you will – contracts strongly and are painted starkly into the plot, reinforcing the story spectacularly.

Finally, every exchange with Amara in the field cuts a strong picture but individually the two that stand out most are her encounter with Dean and the final engagement with the descending angels. Each moments speaks to two separate levels of Amara. One, Dean and Amara alone in the wide, colourless field with Amara still the dark figure but so much less imposing and more alone looking that she has been throughout the episode to this point. Two, as the angels begin to descend Amara is an arresting figure once again – though alone she is powerful, dangerous and unstoppable against the sky, field and oncoming clouds of Heavenly forces.

This episode was rich with optical highlights as the entire season has been. Almost every scene had something worth noting. What was your standout moment?

Forty-two intense, flowing minutes ripe with drama, dark storyline and as many answers as questions. Season eleven has been delightfully exceptional and this white-knuckled-heart-clenching, stomach-dropping, can’t-breathe-right mid-season finale did not break pattern. Just reflecting again on the episode makes me anxious. Sam is stuck in the Cage with a manipulative Lucifer, Rowena was in on the game – though Crowley wasn’t – Dean doesn’t yet know what’s going on. Who’s going to make that call? Many angels are about to die at Amara’s hand and she’s got eyes on Dean for their bonding opportunities. Questions we’re left with? Did Sam know Rowena’s seals would fail and/or plan with her to get into the cage? What about Michael? Will Dean ask Amara for help with Sam in the Cage? Where is God, exactly? And finally – where the heck is Castiel when all this is going down?!

So yes, it was awesome. What did you think? Thoughts, theories, questions and speculation below!

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