Color me surprised! I went into âLOTUSâ with some incredibly low, sub zero basement low, if not totally despondent expectations. I mean, how in the world were they going to turn around this fiasco known as season 12? The synopsis had me believing this, to quote Comic Book Guy, would be the worstâŚepisodeâŚever. Given the fact that Iâve been hardly impressed to downright angry with the episodes all season long, not to mention bitterly disappointed by all the midseason finales over the last several seasons, as well as my fear that the Lucifer storyline has dragged on way to long, it was going to be a near impossible task to win me over.
Go figure, it happened, and we can thankâŚ*gulp*âŚBrad and Eugenie. Suddenly, Iâm on board again. I loved it.
Donât get me wrong, I wouldnât call âLOTUSâ epic or gorgeous, or even standing up to the series classics. But for season 12, Iâm calling it the best episode so far. I liked that everyone played their part. Sam and Dean got to be heroes (with a twist), Crowley and Rowena had moments that were quite enjoyable, and even Castiel was slightly better than useless, getting to deliver the big news of Lucifer’s offspring thanks to the angel radio. I also want the British Men of Letters to only be Mr. Ketch. Heâs awesome!
I know, this wasnât an epic emotional story that involved brotherly bonding or strong family moments. Emotional elements have never been Brad and Eugenieâs strength, so that expectation was never there for me. The episode dragged in parts like during the presidential scenes, which got too much air time, even if it was Lucifer. But overall the story had my attention the entire hour. It was actually fluid and moved very well. All the parts added up and had a logical progression instead of being a random mess. Tonally it was very even. It also moved forward a season that seemed aimless and going nowhere by merely presenting mytharc pieces in an interesting way. But best of all, the eye rolling moments were at a minimum. In todayâs âSupernaturalâ landscape, I call that a win.
So what made âLOTUSâ so extraordinary from all the other season 12 selections? Letâs take a deeper look.
The Book of Enoch Meets âJus In Belloâ
Once upon a time, Eric Kripke and Sera Gamble went with the philosophy that if the lore was researchable, it was game for the show. They could fashion their own variations of the lore, but it had to be something that was out there. Once of the pieces of work that has influenced âSupernaturalâ mythology from the beginning has been The Book of Enoch. For example, Azazel was from The Book of Enoch. Also, The Book of Enoch named Gadreel as the angel that deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden. Also, it implied that when Enoch was transformed to an angel, he became Metatron.
One big part of The Book of Enoch is the story of the fallen angels, who came to earth to have children with human women. These offspring were called the Nephilim. As someone who has read The Book of Enoch and used some references to it in a âSupernaturalâ fan fiction, I have been DYING for âSupernaturalâ to introduce a Nephilim story. Iâve read some great fan fiction stories on them. Itâs one of the major biblical stories this show hasnât touched. Consider it done! Brad and Eugenie, I thank you.
Another potential story that has been on my years long âwouldnât mind seeing listâ comes from something that Victor Hendrickson said in season threeâs âJus In Belloâ:
âReady like a court order to keep you in a Supermaximum prison in Nevada till trial. Ready like isolation in a soundproof, windowless cell, that between you and me⌠probably unconstitutional.â
At the time, especially with Sam and Dean already locked up in jail, that visual was frightening. What has been revealed about Guantanamo Bay since then has made the idea even more frightening. Watching Sam and Dean in Supermax lock up in the preview is finally going to play that out and so far looks it as chilling as I possibly imagined. I couldnât be happier that theyâre going there. Now thereâs some of that bold story telling Iâve been missing.
Think about it, this is the way it should be, Sam and Dean are in this giant mess together. No âone-brother-is-missing-so-the-other-goes-ballistic-looking-for-himâ scenario. Theyâre both in peril, they both get to experience the same ordeal at the same time. Of course, my enthusiasm could end up being short lived. I have some pretty high expectations for this story line. I mean, how long can the story go with Sam and Dean locked up and isolated in separate cells away from the world? We know theyâre going to get rescued. Theyâre the freaking leads of the show. This is a one episode shot. However, I want to see their situation get dire before their rescue. I want the trauma of past ordeals like, I donât know, being tortured in Hell, surface. I want to see the metaphorical âpaint peeling from the walls.â I know a lot of the episode will focus on Castiel and Mary. Iâm okay with that for one episode. But if theyâre going to go there, the story must deliver on all sides or it will turn out to be another wasted opportunity.
There was a lot more though to this episode than me seeing two of my personal wish list items being satisfied. I loved the satanic symbols that should have been there every time we saw Lucifer, like the crosses turning upside down as he walked by (creepy!) and the bible burning when he touched it. Even Castiel used the Bible thing on Kelly, the woman pregnant with Luciferâs child. She set it on fire! Why hasnât this been thought of before? Itâs these little details when telling a story about the Devil that should ALWAYS be there. âSupernaturalâ has gotten a little too careless in that regard.
I love the continuation of the Crowley and Castiel buddy comedy. Agent Zappa! The fact that they beat Sam and Dean to the morgue was pretty impressive, and Crowley is outdoing them all with his Armani suits. We can tell he’s having fun. I really love how well the relationship between Rowena and Crowley has evolved. Aww, the King of Hell has a soft spot for his mother. I normally hate Rowenaâs antics, especially when her overacting is involved, but I loved Crowley showing up just in time to explode her gold digging fiancĂŠ. Rowena is stunned, covered in the brains and guts of the man that just two timed her, yet her words to Crowley are priceless. âThatâs the sweetest thing youâve ever done for me.â She even manages a proud smile. Yep, thatâs her boy! The visual was great and I did laugh out loud.
I loved Mr. Ketch. I hear ya, Iâve been the biggest opponent of the British Men of Letters so far. Iâm still skeptical of their intent but talk about making an entrance! But why does Mr. Ketch get to use the grenade launcher and not Dean? Itâs not fair! His dialogue was awesome too. I died laughing over the âBing-bang-boom, meet Bob, he’s your uncle,â line. I have no idea why the Brits use that expression to say everything will be alright, but it was great to hear. I want to know more about the British Men of Letters toys, even though the Magical Exorcism Egg was kind of contrived. It reminds me of a recent joke on âHonest Trailersâ for âThe Flash.â Star Labs can come up with any technological device that the plot requires. Seems we have the same thing going with the British Men of Letters. I hope thatâs not used as a fall back too much, but some new toys would be cool.
When in the world is Sam going to accept that Crowley is one of the team? His contempt for Crowley is old and so overdone. Come on, Crowley has saved him a few times, like going into his head to free him from Gadreel. Sam last season pandered to Lucifer, the being who miserably tortured him for like 100 years, for the sake of the mission. Crowley has done far less to him and actually been a valuable ally. Dean has no issue with him. Even Castiel sees his usefulness. For sake of Samâs practical, âdesperate timesâ mentality, this behavior has to stop.
Speaking of Sam though, Iâm extremely happy that heâs the one that ultimately got to exorcise Lucifer with the Magical Egg thing (Magic Egg, it gets funnier each time I hear it). The VFX in that scene was amazing. Huge kudos to the crew for pulling it off. Iâm glad that they showed the extra intensity that should go into exorcising an arch angel. I also applaud the show for remembering that only Rowena could put Lucifer back in the cage. Itâs those details! Another detail I appreciated, when the SUV was about to explode during the alteraction with the Secret Service. Everyone ran and took cover except Castiel. I would have enjoyed seeing him engulfed in flames and then coming out unscathed. But what we got worked too. He was pretty close to the fire and didn’t flinch one bit during the whole explosion. That’s some great acting by Misha!
As for Lucifer, Iâve read the speculation. Lucifer didnât go to the cage and heâll be back. Thereâs even speculation that he ended up in the Secret Service agent that ultimately captured Sam and Dean. Iâm going to believe that Lucifer is back in the cage. Iâm really tired of his rampage on Earth storyline. Taking on vessels is tired and old. I like the idea more that he has created enough havoc on earth to where everyone has to deal with the consequences now. I think Lucifer mind controlled the Secret Service agent, like he did to his super fan as Vincent. Now he has his revenge against Sam and Dean with their incarceration to a secret prison that no one can find. Itâs just desserts given Luciâs own time in the cage, donât you think? He also will have his offspring roam the earth. Maybe with that connection he can do a lot of damage from the cage. It isnât over, but Iâm convinced that Luciferâs time on Earth is.
I do have a nitpick, and itâs the use of the âact of stupidtyâ card to once again force a situation. Itâs implausible to me that Sam and Dean would have stuck around with the President after the exorcism. They knew the Secret Service was outside or would be there soon enough. They know that as hunters that quick exits are the norm. Were they staying behind to help Castiel and Kelly get away? Couldnât she have stayed and ordered the goons off? Ditto for Castielâs careless falling for the âgoing to the bathroomâ trick and losing Kelly. Angels wonât be able to find her? They sensed the Nephilim being conceived so why donât they sense its location? Yeah, I donât get it, but hey, the end result is enticing to me in both cases, so weâll just file that under âcontrived setup.â Itâs happens so much anymore that Iâm reduced to shoulder shrugsâŚand itâs turned into an interesting drinking game.
The Red Headed Monster
Merry Christmas! Have some egg nog! (Hmm, spiked egg nogâŚ)
Overall grade, a B+. This is my favorite midseason finale since season sixâs âAppointment in Samarra.â Iâm interested to see what happens next. Thatâs a vast improvement over last week. Heck, it’s a vast improvement over all season.
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