And lo, it is the episode of everyone coming back. And I know, it’s Supernatural and the Winchesters have come back enough times to start several religions but this is edging towards ridiculousness now. There’s “people can come back from the dead” and there are no consequences. Ever…. Well, with a certain prevalence for a certain demographic anyway.
So, Lucifer is doing one of those weird television things where all of his mighty power which made him a terrifying antagonist in previous seasons just went away because Michael went and slapped him a little and now he’s helpless
And locked in an iron maiden cage which is probably quite painful, but given the level of torture commonly thrown around on this show, Lucifer kind of looks like a wimp with all this screaming.
Super powered Michael has a plan, he’s read Lucifer’s mind and has seen an Earth that hasn’t been completely ruined (Trump doesn’t exist in Supernatural only having a satan possessed president, obviously an upgrade) and would quite like to cross over so he can ruin that one as well.
And to do that he has a useful holy guide - Kevin Tran. Yes, the prophet. This world’s Kevin is not dead! And he is providing mystical advice on how to move realms to a parallel world since Michael has been looking for a way to bail for a while. But one of the key ingredients to opening the portal if you don’t have a handy nephilim is with some Archangel Grace. Matthew isn’t really willing to give up some of that sweet divine magic. But now he has another archangel to hand and siphons off some of his divine shineness
Seriously? That’s all it took? The gang has been looking for a way to bring down Lucifer for a while now. They already knew how to take an Angel’s grace - they’d seen it been done to Castiel. They missed this? Damn someone wasn’t paying attention
The ritual works, opens the portal - to which Lucifer pulls a fast one and leaps through it. Haha, turns out the portal is a one trick pony and Lucifer is back
Except this Lucifer can’t even deal with sassy rich ladies. It seems having your grace siphoned off for portal spells drains a whole lot of your power. Lucifer can pretty much scrape up glowing red eyes but not more much. This is not a good look for Satan. Again, this would have been useful if someone had remembered this some seasons ago.
With Team Winchester, Castiel insists, despite Dean’s objections that he should go looking for Jack, checking in with the Angels to see if they have him
This leaves Dean and Sam to go on a mission because hey they have no good computer games, so they go looking for someone who is murdering witches, lure him out and catch him. It’s Ketch. Yes, Ketch from the British Men of Letters, the psychopathic killer who was shot in the head by Mary who is now back, apparently alive and torturing witches looking for Rowena
They catch him and he claims to be Arthur Ketch’s good twin brother, Alexander and how he totally wasn’t affiliated with the Men of Letters and just killed monsters for funsies and prophet (Dean does not approve of mercenaries).
Sam checks it out and technically it holds water. And hey it’s weird but that’s kind of normal in their lives. Dean doesn’t trust him and demands Ketch be properly imprisoned.
Back to Castiel - he goes to the angels who say they’re looking for Jack - because Angels are now seriously depleted after the events of several seasons; they’re facing extinction. And God isn’t making any new ones and apparently angels can’t just get it on and produce kiddies. They need a super powerful being to create more angels and Jack looks like a prime candidate. And they’d love it if Castiel would use his influence to get Jack on side with that
Castiel says no, because it’s what Castiel does and he would get kidnapped or properly stabbed he is saved - by Lucifer. That whole endangered thing means that angels are less willing to face certain death represented by a red eyed Lucifer and they quickly flee leaving Castiel to watch Lucifer almost collapse from the stress of glowing all red eye
Despite that even Castiel, not known for his most sensible decision making, doesn’t attack Lucifer because who knows exactly how weak he is and he is still Lucifer. Lucifer wants to talk to him and warn him of evil Archangel Michael with Awesome Cosmic Powers, way way way more power than this world’s Michael. And he’d quite like to drop all grudges and recruit his son to the task of making sure Michael doesn’t kill them all. Or so he claims anyway, I mean, lucifer, father of lies and all - but he seems genuine. Even willing to forgo custody and even seem to acknowledge Castiel as guardian of Jack - though he does want more information about his son. And I can see it: Lucifer is used to being an unchallenged being an having Michael so rudely knock him down the ladder has to worry him.
Oh aside:
“What are you doing back in this world?”
“What are you doing still alive?”
And acknowledge complexity pretty much sums up Supernatural
Next faction to check up on is Asmodeus - who is still alive and cosplaying of Colonel Saunders. And I don’t know if this nickname is better or worse because this is what Dean is telling him now. Yes the Saunders seems to be on purpose.
He also can’t find Jack which is annoying him muchly - but he does sense Lucifer and decides to swoop in and claim Lucifer and Castiel as useful hostages (Lucifer tries to bluff but he doesn’t have anything like the power needed to challenge Asmodeus)
Dean and Sam arrive in time to kill some demons but not rescue Castiel or Lucifer. Ketch also gets involved and Dean is right - the whole twin story was a lie, a great big stinking lie, though he has been hiding from the Men of Letters as they would execute him as a traitor. So yes he has been a mercenary. He’s also been looking for Rowena because way back in the day Rowena had been captured by the Men of the Letters; she escaped by trading Ketch a nifty spell that gives you a get out of death card. Which he’s not used hence why shooting him in the head has not overly inconvenienced him - but now needs a recharge as it’s a one shot only. This is why he’s looking for Rowena. Dean takes great pleasure in telling him that Rowena’s dead - but hey we just learned that Rowena had a get out of death spell so how likely is that to stick?
Also Ketch is now working for Asmodeus because he’s really faithful to that whole Men of Letter’s philosophy there.
So this is an episode in which… everything changed. And it looks like everyone who died has come back - with both Kevin and Rowena highly likely to return in the future; Mary almost certain to return and Castiel and Lucifer both re-established. Really I’ll be shocked at this point if Crowley doesn’t somehow return as well. Not sure we really needed the return of Ketch, to be honest, I didn’t rate him in the first place and his motivation at this point is all over the place
