It’s back - and
whatever else you have to say about Supernatural I have to praise the
sound track
And these “the story
so far” just get steadily more ridiculously epic.
So last season
Lucifer died, Gabriel died, nearly all the angels died, Heaven is near death
because of lack of angel batteries, a load of alternate world characters are
hanging out and we have an Alternate world Archangel Michael who is made of
awful.
He’s currently asking
random people from all walks of life, what they want. And then getting all
judgy if they’re not sincere
He interrupts a
devout muslim during prayer to ask him what he wants - and being a good man he
says “peace” and “love.” And Michael scorns him - because if he believed in
peace he would have stayed in Syria, a war zone, and saved his friends who died
(waaait… in the name of peace stay and fight? This does not seem consistent or
logical). And if he believed in love he wouldn’t have cheated on his wife
And here we have the
problem with the “good” Archangel Michael. His standards are too high. He
doesn’t understand that humans can hold lofty goals that they don’t quite live
up to - but that those goals are still very real and passionate and noble.
No-one can live up to Michael’s impossibly stringent ideals especially since he
fails to recognise Trying. And because of this he intends to purge everything.
Well that’s the idea
I think. But then he goes to the angel Anael (playing preacher Jo) who claims
to like shiny shiny fashion labels but Michael calls her out on lying when she
really wants love and family. Like a human which he’s so against. Which I guess
kind of fits - he disapproves of humans because they can’t match their own ideals.
And he disapproves of angels for emulating these lesser creatures
Except then he
decides to be totally on side with a vampire because it’s honest about his
intentions - it just wants to eat. Well… yes? I just want to know how this is
going to be developed. Because as it stands Michael seems to value… honesty?
But even that has to be viewed as being caused by a, to be generous, extremely
simplistic world view which lacks things like understanding of the greater good
or working for something better - it’s simplicity that rests at the very bottom
of Laslo’s hierarchy of needs but it’s not exactly… aspirational? This creature
is honest because it’s starving is not exactly a… moral basis
I mean they could
work on this - it could even flash back to the whole idea of the apple in Eden
and knowledge being evil: the ideal world would be where everyone is reduced to
basic needs. Except I don’t see Supernatural going there because it’s a
level of depth the show tends… not to have? And it would be inconsistent with
what we’ve seen of this world’s Michael and the many Archangels and angels in
general up to and including Metatron. None of them are really upheld the idea
that the true and proper position of humanity is to be bestial.
Aaaand… I’m going to
say it. Despite the weird wardrobe choice I really don’t think Jensen Ackles is
carrying this
So, that’s Michael -
over at team Winchester we have Mary and Alternate Bobbie, some girl called
Maggie who will probably end up with Jack at some point mainly because they’re
opposite sex of similar age and in close proximity which in televisionlandia
makes things inevitable. See also Mary and Bobby
I’m not actually
against Mary and Bobby, I do think they’ve be kind of awesome together.
There’s also lots of
Alternate world soldiers who are kind of extras and just there for the time
being. They have an arsenal of specialist weapons for various monsters and are
sending out all kinds of co-ordinated missions to kill the big bad
Except Sam who is
driving himself to exhaustion trying to find Dean (Ketch is in London doing the
same and Castiel in Texas)
Jack is all kinds of
angsty because his grace has still not regenerated so he’s basically a normal
human and really really not used to living without super powers. Bobby is
training him and Sam is all close and comforting but Jack is clearly having
self confidence issues and thinks he’s useless.
They also have Nick
in a room, in the middle of a warded circle. Nick would be the human host of
Lucifer - when Lucifer was killed last season his host survived. He’s healing
but clearly fragile, perhaps wracked by guilt and not in a great place after being
possessed by the devil. He doesn’t remember a lot but does remember that New
Michael “wants to do it right this time”.
People who are not
doing it right is Castiel who has decided to meet a demon to ask where Dean is
- only to be ambushed by a horde of demons because Castiel hasn’t bothered to
check if this is a trap. He’s quickly overwhelmed
Y’know, once on this
show an angel could kill demons with a touch and demons would run the other way
before daring to challenge one.
The leader of the
demons calls Sam and demands he come and meet him in an oh-so-obvious trap. Sam
rallies the troops and heads off - insisting Jack come along because he needs
it, he needs to think he can help
Bobby disapproves -
and I admit my heart kind of melted a little because Bobby is treating Jack
like he did Sam and Dean and he’s protective and maybe there’s even an edge of
Sam being a bit too John Winchester in his “get over issues by fighting” and I
just love it. Bobby’s back, he’s actually back.
Along the way Mary offers
more reassurances to Sam and he asks her to stop - he can’t hear any more
“it’ll be fine” or “we’ll find Dean” when they know that may not be the case.
She gives him a whole speech about needing to believe and I think it all kind
of underscores just how awkward Mary is as the Winchester mother. Because as a
parent we kind of expect her to be The Most Upset about her son being missing
but at the same time Dean is still something of a stranger to her while Sam and
Dean have the most overwhelming co-dependent relationship of anyone EVER.
So to Texas where
Castiel is beaten up and imprisoned and Maggie and Jack are captured in the
first two minutes. It turns out Hell is in chaos because Crowley and Asmodeus
are both dead and there’s just no other candidates for the throne. This guy
(Kip?) wants the job and decides to do it he needs Crowley’s deal with Sam:
that he gives Sam some low key help and info now and then while Sam doesn’t
come after him and turns a blind eye to the odd naughtiness here and there. And
I think it’s hilarious that the whole messy complicated relationship between
Crowley and the brothers (well, Dean) that the demons think Crowley struck a
deal
Sam is more than a
little confused because they never had such a deal. It was Just Complicated.
Also he’s not making such a deal with a cut price Crowley-wannabe. And Kip even
admits he’s a Crowley-wannabe and not even close to the real thing. Of course
he could be himself - warrior in Genghis Khan’s horde who burned half a
continent. Would Sam prefer that? He’s going this route because Sam’s also
right - he is a cut-priced Crowley and no-one is impressed with him or afraid
of him. But they’re afraid of Sam… and I think I really like this. After all
after all the Winchesters have done in the last 14 seasons must finally be
having a major cultural effect on the various beings they’ve been massacring.
It’s reasonable for demons to be afraid of the Winchesters and equally
understandable that a new king of Hell needs to address the Winchester presence
As a threat it’s
actually pretty good. And the deal seems tempting. I was actually surprised
when Sam said no - and Mary and Bobby come in and there’s a lot of massacring
of demons
Including lots of
fist fights. Um… a few seasons ago a human deciding to fist fight with a demon
would be as squished as…. A demon picking a fight with an angel. But nope, the
demons die and above all Sam manages to give Kip a good stabbing with an angel
blade.
Yes the would-be-king
of hell is killed in a wrestling match with Sam.
Sam then has a whole
dramatic speech to everyone present that anyone who wants to be King of Hell
has to come through him because he’s having no more. To which the collecte
demons still alive all fleed for the hills, leaving their hosts behind
Part of me thinks Sam
is putting a big target on himself with this but, really, Kip hunting down Sam
expressly to establish his credentials as king shows the target was already
there. The epic preceding seasons means any would be hellish ruler has to kill,
placate or otherwise neutralise the Winchesters. Sam is just acknowledging and
formalising what is already there and in doing so kind of claiming the power of
that. There’s no real chance of a king of hell establishing themselves in the
background and surprising the Winchesters when Sam has kind of made addressing
the Winchesters as an important stepping stone in the path for hell.
Denouement time! So
Jack pretty much epicly failed during the fight and needs Bobby and Sam both to
give him pick me ups and remind he will get his power back and before that he
is loved and cared for and has a family and that’s super awesome.
And Castiel and Sam
have a moment which is kind of about apologising but really about Sam and cass
having some air time together. And this is kind of one of the major things I
think this season is going for and what will make it more interesting even if,
this episode, was a little lacklustre.
I think this season
may be Sam’s turn. Too often in the last few seasons, the more reasonable,
logical, intelligent, practical, level headed and simply STABLE Sam has taken a
back seat to the more impulsive, flamboyant, violent, flashy Dean. We see this
by relationships alone - Mary, Castiel and Crowley were all Dean’s more than
Sam’s. And I think they set Jack up to bond more with Sam but even that failed
because Sam’s quick acceptance was a non-storyline - Jack winning Dean over
despite his objection became the focus. So now Dean is out and about - and it’s
Sam fighting the new king of hell (something Dean would have done before), it’s
Sam announcing any new king would have to come through him, it’s Sam with
complicated emotional moments with Mary, it’s Sam having heartfelt
conversations with Jack and Mary and Castiel, it’s Sam who everyone is calling
“sir” and acting like a general
This is Sam’s chance.
And equally it’s time for Supernatural to take a step back and address
the last fourteen seasons. The whole fact we have demons terrified of Sam seems
willing to look at the Winchester reputation and make it part of their story
and development.
