Recap – “On The Head Of A Pin”, Part 2

Okay, now for the devastating part. Alastair chokes, blood comes spewing out, and he says “Sounds like something’s caught in my throat. I think it’s my throat.” Dean’s still acting tough, so Alastair goes for the jugular. “You know, it was supposed to be your father, he was supposed to bring it on, but in the end it was you.” Dean foolishly asks bring on what? Okay, you asked. The first time Dean picked up Alastair’s razor and sliced into that “weeping bitch,” that was the first seal. Dean at first doesn’t believe him, so Alastair knows some scripture should fix that. “And it is written that the first seal shall be broken when a righteous man sheds blood in Hell. As he breaks, so shall it break.”

 

 
 

Dean stares Alastair down, and then realizes he’s telling the truth. Dean turns away and oh, his look of devastation just kills us all. Alastair explains they had to break the first seal before they could break the others. Dean is too lost in “I broke the first seal” to really care what Alastair is saying. Alastair tells him when they win, and when they burn the earth down, they’ll owe it all to him. Dean’s lip quivers and he closes his eyes, for the shock is still too much.

 

Alastair tells Dean he wouldn’t lie about that. Then he notices the breach in the trap while Dean is still turned away fighting his grief. Dean chokes out, “No, I don’t think you are lying.” Then he pulls it together. “But even if the demons do win, you won’t be there to see it.”Dean whips around intending to go for the kill, but he’s too late, Alastair is free. “You should speak to the plumber about your pipes.”He punches Dean hard.

 

Time for the “hang on the edge of your seat” action scene, and it’s one of the best ever. Alastair beats the crap out of Dean, and then holds him up off the ground by the neck choking him. “You’ve got a lot to learn boy, so I’ll see you back in class, bright and early, Monday morning.” I’m assuming that’s his way of saying Dean’s going back to Hell. Dean’s eyes roll to the back of his head and he’s about to succumb when suddenly Castiel appears and plunges Ruby’s knife right into Alastair’s chest. He drops Dean and isn’t affected by the knife. “Looks like God is on my side today.” Castiel holds out his arm and twists it with his mind. It’s really cool to see Castiel’s tough look while doing this, but that doesn’t work. Alastair removes the knife, charges at Castiel, and Dean slips into unconsciousness on the floor.

 

Castiel and Alastair exchange blows with their fists, but Alastair is stronger and hangs Castiel on a hook, the sounds of squishing hinting impalement. Gotta love those sound effects. Alastair grabs Castiel by the throat and reveals he can’t kill an angel, but he can send him back to Heaven. He does the latinating in dramatic cadence and I wonder what happens if you just recite Latin in a deadpan voice. Does nothing happen? Castiel’s eyes and mouth begin to glow. Man, Cas is having a rough day.

 

But wait! Alastair starts choking and gets slammed up against the wall. Guess who arrives to save the day? It’s our newly amped up Sammy, giant hand extended out. “Stupid pet tricks,” an unimpressed Alastair says. Castiel falls to the floor, but is fully alert, so he gets to witness all the mind blowing stuff Sam does. The camera keeps cutting back to his stunned reactions, and they’re priceless. I guess he didn’t know about Sam.

 

Sam becomes the torturer, and gets the truth out of Alastair by just cupping his hand. Alastair doesn’t know who’s killing the angels. Sam clenches his fist next, inflicting more pain on Alastair in hopes of getting more. Man, it would have been good to know up front Sam could do this, huh Castiel? Might have saved you and Dean both some strife. Alastair sticks to his story, it’s not them. Sam makes a tighter fist, so Alastair comes back with some very convincing reasoning. If Lilith could kill an angel, she wouldn’t kill seven angels, she’d kill hundreds of them. Thousands. Castiel can’t believe what he’s hearing, not only because demons aren’t involved, but because Sam is doing this so easily. He has a reason to be worried.

 

Sam believes Alastair and releases the chokehold. Alastair takes delight in egging on another Winchester, challenging Sam to send him back to Hell if he can. Oh man, you’re gonna regret that. “I’m stronger than that now,” Sam announces with malevolent smile. “Now I can kill.” The camera cuts to Castiel’s horrified reaction as Sam flattens out his hand and goes for the kill. It’s brilliant.

Sam closes his eyes, and Alastair sputters like Azazel did when Dean shot him with the colt. Sam’s face twists in all sorts of psychotic ways, and it’s very obvious he’s enjoying this. Cool! Disturbingly cool, but cool! Alastair’s host corpse falls to the ground, a stunned look frozen on his face. Castiel looks at Sam like “WTF?” and Sam sheepishly looks back, communicating with one look, “Oh, you noticed that huh?” Hello, guys? Dean wounded on the floor? Remember?

 

 

Just when we weren’t shocked enough, the scene changes to a hospital room, and the rapid fire drama and angst here is killing me! Stop, I need to catch my breath! Dean’s on a respirator and judging by the nodes on his skull he’s in a coma. Sam’s by his side, looking at one sorry looking Dean and the monitors with worry. Aww, he cares. Castiel shows in the doorway, and Sam’s worry changes to anger. He chases Castiel in the hallway.

 

“Get in there and heal him. Miracle, now!” Castiel claims he can’t, so Sam goes off on him, mentioning how he and Uriel did this to Dean because they can’t keep a simple devil’s trap. Castiel insists he doesn’t  know what happened. Sam makes clear how all of this was pointless. The demons aren’t doing this. Castiel isn’t sure, but Sam very much is. He insists Alastair wasn’t lying. Sam briskly walks away to get back to Dean, and Castiel is left in the hallway wondering what the hell is going on. You fucked up, that’s what.

 

 

So that takes us through the rest of the sordid tale of angel intrigue and betrayal. Uriel is on a park bench praying while Castiel stands next to him completely lost. Uriel comes out of his “revelation” an d says their brothers and sisters are dying and their superiors want them to stop hunting the demon responsible. Castiel lets Uriel know that Sam Winchester says the demons aren’t doing this. You should listen to him guys, Sam’s got that whole demon blood connection thing going for him. 

 

 

Uriel wants to know what could it be. Castiel theorizes the garrison is being punished by the will of Heaven because they’re losing the war. He thinks their Father isn’t giving the orders anymore. “Maybe there is something wrong.”You think Cas? Is it possible you’re getting that because Anna told you? Uriel angrily leaves, refusing to be a sitting duck. Castiel sits on the bench at the playground alone, looking like a sitting duck, one who also looks like he lost his best friend. The only thing that could go worse for him right now is if a woman shows up and beats him with her purse because he looks like a creepy pedophile that hangs out at playgrounds in broad daylight. Lucky for him, that doesn’t happen.

 

 

Castiel stands outside a gorgeous house on a hill under a street light and summons Anna. Good idea, for you could use a little rogue angel mojo right now. Anna appears and I don’t know why she doesn’t jump him over those lost puppy dog eyes right now. He’s irresistible, and needy! He tells Anna he’s considering disobedience. “Good,”she says. “No, it isn’t,”he replies upset. For the first time I feel” Ooh, he doesn’t know what he feels. It’s Commander Data! She isn’t reassuring by telling him it gets worse and choosing his own course of action is terrifying. She touches him and he looks ashamed, so she realizes he still thinks lowly of her. He’s there, isn’t he? You need to lighten up a bit Anna.

 

 

Castiel tells her he doesn’t know what to do. “Please tell me what to do.” Man, how can my heart be breaking so much for an almighty angel? He’s really like a child, isn’t he? “Like the old days?” She says. “No. I’m sorry, it’s time to think for yourself.”She flies away,  he looks down in sorrow, and then suddenly, he starts thinking for himself! You go Cas! He gets that “ah ha!” look in his eyes and stares at the faucet on a nearby drinking fountain.

 

 

Castiel is back at the warehouse and inspects the trap. He finds the breach, and turns off the faucet with his mind. I must learn to do that. Uriel arrives, and Castiel actually finds irony in the moment. “Strange how a leaky pipe can undo the work of angels and we ourselves are supposed to be the agents of fate.” Wow, that’s deep. Uriel credits Alastair for being powerful, and Castiel claims no demon could undo that trap. He takes Uriel down memory lane about how they’ve been friends a long time, fought together for eternity, are brothers, blah, blah, you’re a fucking jerk Uriel. Okay, he didn’t say that, but I would have. He asks Uriel to tell him the truth. Oh come on Cas, didn’t you learn what the truth did to Dean? “The truth is, the only thing that can kill an angel,”an angel killing dagger comes out of Uriel’s sleeve, “is another angel.”

 

 

Despite the fact that Castiel’s suspicions were right, he’s still stunned. Then he gets angry, confirming Uriel broke the devil’s trap and sent Alastair after Dean. “Alastair should never have been taken alive. Really inconvenient Cas. Yes I did turn the screw a little. Alastair should have killed Dean and escaped and you should have gone on happily scapegoating the demons.” That’s the trouble with diabolical plans Uriel, someone always gets wise. Cas might be naive, but he’s not an idiot. “For the murders of our kin?”Castiel asks. Uriel admits his work is conversion because they’ve played this waiting game for too long. Castiel remains true to “their father” but Uriel isn’t even sure he exists. “He stopped being that, if he ever was, from the moment he created them, humanity. Those vagrants. Those whining, puking lava.” Yeah, well right back at ya Uriel.

 

 

Castiel wants to know if Uriel wants to convert him. Yep. Together they can be powerful enough to raise their brother Lucifer. Uriel still remembers how strong and beautiful he was, and how he was punished for not bowing to humanity. “Lucifer isn’t God.” Castiel says. “God isn’t God anymore,” Uriel counters. Man, talk about a crisis of faith. Mine are never this bad. Castiel wants to know if Uriel was going to kill the whole garrison. “I only killed the ones who said no.”  He pleads Castiel to join him. “Help me spread the word. Help me bring on the apocalypse. All you have to do is be unafraid.” Castiel looks at him with those doubting eyes, and admits, “For the first time in a long time, I am.” Then he reaches back and punches Uriel through a brick wall! That’s a good answer!

 

Uriel gets up and the two angels begin pounding the crap out of each other. It rocks. Uriel throws Castiel through an air duct and Castiel gets up in one really graceful move and comes back for more. He punches Uriel, but Uriel comes back with a lead pipe, and that does the damage. Now I know how to take out an angel. Castiel is on his knees, realizing he’s been bested, but he won’t waiver. “You can’t win Uriel. I still serve God.” Uriel doesn’t like hearing that. “There is no will” /punch/  “no wrath” /punch/ “no God” Squish?

 

 

That angel killing blade goes right through Uriel’s throat, and it’s Anna delivering the blow. “Maybe, maybe not, but there’s still me.” She removes the blade, Uriel falls to the floor, and Anna and Castiel both watch as he bursts into a white light. The camera goes for the aerial shot and shows a dead Uriel, and the imprint of angel wings on the warehouse floor. Awesome! Best angel death ever, and it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. Castiel and Anna share a sorrowful glance, and fade to commercial.