Charlie has something in her bag – something ominous (yet
sexy) men with nifty tattoos and sexy accents want back – and that have been
following her for a long time to get it. She escapes – with a bullet wound.
On to a wounded Metatron being the worst possible passenger.
The car is driven by Castiel who is looking more and more grim the longer
Metatron babbles. There’s something about Castiel wishing a slow death on
someone that is immensely appealing. He tells Sam all about his urge to murder
in between discussing the Mark of Cain – and Sam trying to hide the fact from
Dean. But Dean is, for once, willing to talk about the Mark and tells Sam what
Rowena told Crowley.
This also means recapping Sam on what Dean did on his
holidays
Charlie calls for help since she’s wandering around with
the book of the Damned (a book that can undo damnation which is awfully useful
with the Mark) and a bullet wound.
They ride to the rescue and Dean is all adorably excited
and back to himself (and Sam’s all gleefully happy for him. Awwww). They meet
up with Charlie who has the ickiest of all books and Dean reacts with maximum
creepiness towards it. Keeping him away from the book is a good plan. They also
keep the book in a warded box to stop the big bads finding it
The big bads would be the Stein family who did lots of magical
naughtiness back in the day. The same research also makes it clear that using
the book also causes big bad consequences
So? Since when have the Winchesters ever worried about the
big bad consequences of their actions? In the early seasons we virtually ended
every season with a “oh look, the Winchesters unleashed hell” moment.
This time Dean wants them to destroy the book especially
since it is calling to the Mark and when evil calls to evil bad stuff happens.
Charlie and Sam are less fans of this idea since they have no other answer to
remove the Mark. They’re not losing Dean – especially not Sam (which Dean
throws back in his face because Sam hasn’t always sang that tune) and Dean
refuses to let the book fall in the wrong hands. His.
Dean leaves and Charlie questions why Dean pointed out that
Sam was willing to leave Dean before. Charlie reflects that such terrible
choices and painful experience seem to be a staple of Hunter lives – and how
her own life has changed so much from what she hoped it would be. Sam reflects
both on how he was always telling himself that one day he’d stop hunting and
return to his “real” life- but this is his real life now and he can’t do it
without Dean.
Dean goes shopping for snacks and happens to go to a shop
where the Stein guy has murdered the shop assistant. Stein and his goon grab
Dean and he has a proper evil exposition moment. Dean fights back, Stein
escapes and goon gets repeatedly shot – but he’s resilient.
As the Steins converge on the cabin everyone’s hiding in,
Dean insists they burn the book. Fight scene commence! In which the Stein guys
end up dead, very quickly, and the book ends in the fire.
Back to Castiel and Metatron where Metatron is absolutely
loving the sensory and sensual rush of being human – and is stunned that
Castiel doesn’t miss being human because of it. He also wants to be Besties.
Castiel wants to scoop out his brain with the power of his glare alone. While
in a diner an angry cupid attacks them – but Metatron saves Castiel’s life
This changes nothing and Castiel is still happy to
torture Metatron who has, wisely, taken steps against the secret of Castiel’s
hidden grace being discovered by torture. They go to try and find Castiel’s grace
while Metatron mocks Castiel’s ridiculous idea of kinship among angels and asks
a very pertinent question – just who or what IS Castiel now? And what does he
actually intend to do? These are clearly big sensitive doubts that Castiel
doesn’t want poking.
At which point Metatron completes one of the anti-angel spells in his own blood, leaving Castiel gasping on the floor. He then picks up the demon tablet where he stashed it and Castiel retrieves his Grace
Metatron decides to leave as Castiel re-powers. Complete
with awesome – but raggedy – wing effects.
He returns to the Winchesters feeling guilty and praising Sam for destroying the book. And this is the first time Castiel and Charlie meet! She’d also like to see Castiel use mojo to heal Dean – which he can’t, but he can heal her. Castiel also lies to Dean about Metatron because… yeah.
Pizza and beer time – and Sam angsting because he faked
burning the book. Which he decides to take to Rowena
ROWENA?!
This is the worst idea ever in the history of
Supernatural.
Another Charlie episode! This always leaves me slightly
leery. I love Charlie, but am also saddened that she appears so rarely (and, in
doing so, feels like the token attempt to try and counter how very straight
male this show is) and dread that this could be the inevitable episode where
she dies so Dean can be tragically sad over her body (and if you don’t think that
day is coming you have not been watching Supernatural).
When Charlie is around her episodes are usually… whacky, almost non-canon. They
remind me of comics writers putting gay characters in “alternate worlds”
Which is why I’m especially intrigued by this episode and
Charlie being involved in a main plot line – is Charlie going to be around for
longer? More often? More involved? Is
she going to hang around more? And if this is the case is her death all the
more inevitable (who wants to lay odds on Dean going dark side and murdering
Charlie?)
I also quite like that Metatron, magicless, not
particularly physically adept, is still dangerous. Ultimately, Metatron’s power
comes from his vast knowledge and formidable intellect.
I was glad to see Sam being the one with the big
emotional revelations for once, since it’s usually Dean quietly
self-destructing in the background. We’ve always seen Sam as one who has been
willing – eager – to give up the fight. He always clung to the hope that he
could leave one day, that it was Dean that kept forcing him back and holding
him to life as a Hunter. But over the seasons and now clearly said, Dean may be
the force that kept Sam hunting but now Sam is, irrevocably, a hunter he’s also
the force that keeps Sam being Sam and being in the life he now lives. It’s a
really nice arc when we consider Sam’s growth as a character, the times he’s
tried to end the fight – either by becoming “normal” or by passive suicide and
what that now means.
Can someone explain why this episode didn’t just go :
“Rawr we’re the Stein family!”
“I have the Mark of Cain… I killed Cain himself.”
“Aaaaaaaargh?!” *horrible squishing noises and blood
spatter and Charlie making a quip about blood stains*
