S09.E09: Holy Terror

[DittyDotDot]

Ugh.  This was a real chore to get through this one. I tried on three separate times to watch it and found myself wandering away and not paying attention. It's never a good sign when I choose to wash dishes--my most hated household chore ever--over being distracted with Supernatural--one of my most favorite distractionary diversions ever.

 

Anyhoo...I feel for you Sam, must be far more frustrating to live a life of confusing inconsistencies than it is for me to watch it.

 

Even though there's a lot of stupid throughout this episode, I think Kevin's death is the only thing that actually makes sense to me. I miss the boy prophet greatly and mourn his passing, but from the moment Dean called him family back at the beginning of the season, I was sure he was doomed. And, in true Supernatural fashion, someone else to get caught in the Winchester's orbit and paid the price for their mistakes. Too bad Kevin couldn't hear me when I suggested he run far, far away back in the Devil May Care thread.

 

Of course The-Angel-In-A-Sam has been listening in to each and every conversation, Dean, he's been popping up to give his comments on whatever's going on for months now...duh. Its been seriously frustrating watching Dean be the biggest dupe that ever duped all over again. I don't know when Dean lost all his instincts, but S9 seriously had me wondering how Dean survived as long as he did considering he seems to stop questioning everything and rarely seemed to be trying to find his own solutions to things. I know it's not over yet, but its not quite so bad after this, as I recall, and I'm seriously relieved the lies are over with at least.

 

Less said about Cass's role in this episode the better.

 

I really don't have anything nice to end on. Oh wait, I was slightly amused by Castiel's praying...slightly.

 

 

[catrox14]

I rather like this episode even though poor Kevin dies.  I love the scene with Dean confessing to not!EzekeSam. I thought it was a really well done scene. And upon rewatch I could tell that Sam wasn't really being Sam in that entire scene and that he was playing Gadreel playing Sam.  That was kind of awesome.

 

And gods. Jensen.  Your face is unfair in that final sequence. In 20 seconds, we saw the anger, the fear, and the regret in that closing shot of Dean's face.

[Goldmoon]

Poor Kevin.  Cas looks hot in a suit.

[GirlyGeek]

Yes, I'm kinda over TPTB dumbing Dean down to make this storyline work, but that aside I liked this episode. I Never cared much for Kevin so his death didn't effect me much other than the toll it takes on Dean. I liked the scene between Dean and "Sam" as Dean confessed and on first watch I thought it really was Sam! Great job notZeKe in playing notSam... Or something.

[RulerofallIsurvey]

2 eps tonight (still got to get through all of season 10 before S12 starts, and I'd like to go through S11 again also.)  Don't know if I'll comment on both, but here's this one:

• Kind of makes you want to side-eye any church groups - singing or otherwise - in the future, huh?  And I say that as a church person.  :)
• Did not see Cas showing up as Fed coming.  But where did he get the money for the suit?  He was bunking at the Gas and Sip and couldn't even afford a change of clothes last we saw.  I guess he could have saved up enough since then.  I mean, not like he was paying rent, right?  And I guess he boosted the car.  Can't see him hot wiring it though.  They must have left the keys in.  And I really can't believe he came up with the money to buy it outright.  A couple cute/light moments here, so that was nice.  
• Dean and Cas reminiscing/bonding over how hot April was and bad hookups was way more awkward and weird than Dean's over share to the Chastity group.
• So it's not Zam it's Gam.  You know, this whole reveal about Gadreel just makes me

Spoiler

dislike Guck even more.  

I don't know all the circumstances (and haven't we heard the "most trusted angel" moniker used on someone else?) but Gad makes a mistake - granted it's a doozy - and God locks him up for eternity?  Oh, and not just locks him up, but he's tortured?  In Heaven?  I thought that was the whole point of Hell, and kind of why Lucifer got cast out.  Otherwise, why not just lock him up in Heaven's dungeon too?  smh.  

Spoiler

Really, the show should have never brought God on the show.  I have a feeling in S12, I'm going to have to pretend that Guck never happened.

• Where the hell is Gam meeting Metatron?  I've been through the area of Kansas where the bunker is fictitiously located.  There ain't no huge interstate exchanges nearby.  It's all farmland.  I'm assuming Gam either had to walk or drive, since Cas and all the other angels have had to drive since the fall.  He would have had to drive at least 2-3 hours to get to a city large enough to have something like that.  One way.  And Dean didn't notice this (and the extra mileage on Baby?) at all?  But Kevin does.  How many times should they have listened to the prophet and they didn't?
• So all this time, all Cas had to do was cut another angel's throat and slurp down their grace?  How long has he known about this method of getting his grace/groove back?  And what took him so long?  They've already killed angels since the fall.  What about April?  Could have used her grace.  
• Was sorry to see Muriel go.  And sad to hear a bunch of angels (apparently good ones) died in the fall.  
• You said it Kev.  Trusting Sam and Dean gets you screwed over every time.  He was all of what?  20 by now?  Poor kid.   You deserved better.
• Kind of feel sorry for Gad after all is said and done.  He seemed to earnestly want a second chance.  He got the raw end of the deal in Heaven (so much for God's forgiveness, eh?) and now he's getting played by Metatron.  He ain't going to be around much longer.

[DittyDotDot]

11 hours ago, RulerofallIsurvey said:

Did not see Cas showing up as Fed coming.  But where did he get the money for the suit?  He was bunking at the Gas and Sip and couldn't even afford a change of clothes last we saw.  I guess he could have saved up enough since then.  I mean, not like he was paying rent, right?  And I guess he boosted the car.  Can't see him hot wiring it though.  They must have left the keys in.  And I really can't believe he came up with the money to buy it outright.

Perhaps he shoplifted the suit? Or better yet, used his puppy dog charm to get someone to take pity on him? He does seem to be looking at Sam and Dean for lessons on how to do things. ;)

11 hours ago, RulerofallIsurvey said:

I don't know all the circumstances (and haven't we heard the "most trusted angel" moniker used on someone else?) but Gad makes a mistake - granted it's a doozy - and God locks him up for eternity?  Oh, and not just locks him up, but he's tortured?  In Heaven?  I thought that was the whole point of Hell, and kind of why Lucifer got cast out.  Otherwise, why not just lock him up in Heaven's dungeon too?  smh. 

Not that God hasn't made his mistakes, but are we sure it was God who ordered the torture, though? I mean, sure, God probably did lock him away at first out of anger, but it was the arc angels who were running heaven once God skipped out. They did seem to get more wrong than right with regards to what God wanted and all. It's hard to say though since this show does seem to lean harder on a vengeful God rather than a forgiving one the New Testament seems to portray. 

Not sure why they would be torturing Gadreel anyway, though. I'd think the gratification for hurting someone would've worn off centuries ago and it's not like he had any information to give up. Seems like a big waste of time, to me.

11 hours ago, RulerofallIsurvey said:

So all this time, all Cas had to do was cut another angel's throat and slurp down their grace?  How long has he known about this method of getting his grace/groove back?  And what took him so long?  They've already killed angels since the fall.  What about April?  Could have used her grace. 

Well, it doesn't come without side effects, but we can talk about that later.  However, I do think it's considered distasteful by angels, like cannibalism is for most humans. 

12 hours ago, RulerofallIsurvey said:

Kind of feel sorry for Gad after all is said and done.  He seemed to earnestly want a second chance.  He got the raw end of the deal in Heaven (so much for God's forgiveness, eh?) and now he's getting played by Metatron.  He ain't going to be around much longer.

Is he being played by Marvatron, though? I mean, I think he knows not-so-marvy Marv is up to no good, but chooses to throw in with him for his own reasons. To me, Gadreel is just another character trying to do what he thinks is right, but going about it all wrong. 

[RulerofallIsurvey]

4 hours ago, DittyDotDot said:

He does seem to be looking at Sam and Dean for lessons on how to do things. ;)

Have mercy on all of humanity!  Lol!

4 hours ago, DittyDotDot said:

Not that God hasn't made his mistakes, but are we sure it was God who ordered the torture, though? I mean, sure, God probably did lock him away at first out of anger, but it was the arc angels who were running heaven once God skipped out. They did seem to get more wrong than right with regards to what God wanted and all. It's hard to say though since this show does seem to lean harder on a vengeful God rather than a forgiving one the New Testament seems to portray. 

Even if SPN!God didn't order the torture, he left.  And he left the archangels in charge with apparently, no clear instructions (we've been told in the past).  And even if he did leave clear instructions and the archangels went off the books, it's still God's fault because he didn't check back in - EVER - to make sure that his instructions were being followed or that things were running the way he wanted.  That's no way to run a company, military, country, or creation.  

So, yeah - still SPN!God's fault.

4 hours ago, DittyDotDot said:

Not sure why they would be torturing Gadreel anyway, though. I'd think the gratification for hurting someone would've worn off centuries ago and it's not like he had any information to give up. Seems like a big waste of time, to me.

Maybe some angels just get off on it? I know, it seems more of a demon trait than angel.  But there are different kinds of angels, right?  Like Uriel - or was that Raphael? - one of the ones who used to do all the smiting back in the old days and missed it, and was really gung ho to get the Apocalypse going.  

4 hours ago, DittyDotDot said:

Well, it doesn't come without side effects, but we can talk about that later.  However, I do think it's considered distasteful by angels, like cannibalism is for most humans. 

I just wish we'd been given a line a few episodes ago that alluded that it was even a thing, before it was an actual thing.  You know, like Cas could have mentioned to Dean before he got kicked out of the bunker that there was a way for him to become an angel again, but it wasn't kosher and he didn't want to go that route.  

4 hours ago, DittyDotDot said:

Is he being played by Marvatron, though? I mean, I think he knows not-so-marvy Marv is up to no good, but chooses to throw in with him for his own reasons. To me, Gadreel is just another character trying to do what he thinks is right, but going about it all wrong. 

I'm not sure he's not getting played by Marvatron a little bit, but definitely agree with the bolded part - which makes his story thus far so tragic.  Kudos to the actor for conveying that so well.

[Dobian]

They killed Kevin!  Bastards.

[DittyDotDot]

Well, that sucked ass! I don't know if I should find it comforting that my feelings for this one hasn't changed? 

Now on to the bitchy part of the season...yay?

[bettername2come]

"I'd like my brother back, please." Wouldn't we all. I feel so bad for Sam in all his confusion. Once again, he can't trust his own mind. Castiel looks good in a well-fitting suit. "So hot. And very nice. Up to the point where she started torturing me." Why is Gadreel (so glad I can use his real name without spoilers) so shocked that all the angels fell? Isn't that common knowledge? I like Castiel's prayer montage. "Top of the Christmas tree Castiel." Just eating someone else's grace seems weird. Uh oh, Kevin is realizing something's up. "Yesterday, Cinderella." You realize you're the wicked stepsister in that analogy, Dean? "I always trust you. And I always end up screwed." "Hey, do you notice anything off about Dean, lately? Between you and me, I'm a little bit worried about him."

His last words are him trying to look after Dean. I loved one thing about seasons 7, 8, and 9 and they treated him like crap and killed him off before he could legally buy beer. He deserved so much better than he got. I miss him. I miss him so much. I think his death upsets me more than any other on Supernatural. 

Edited August 17, 2017 by bettername2come

[Hanahope]

Ah nooooo not Kevin!  At least Dean gave him a full hunters funeral.  

God of the Old Testament wasn't very nice or forgiving.  It took Jesus in the New Testament.

i don't care that much about the angel war, but I'm curious as to how we get Sam back in one piece.

[Wayward Son]

Count me in the actually likes this episode club @catrox14. 

I enjoyed the Castiel of this episode! He was emotionally mature i.e. learnt from his time as a human so far and sought to help with the damage he (unwillingly) caused. He was smart (going along with the Angels theory in order to be freed) and got to kick some ass. I also thought the prayer scene was done extremely well and the explanation for why it worked made sense for BuckLemming. I mean it is still odd that any angel would respond to the vague prayers of a random human, but at least they explained why Cas didn't have every Angel in heaven show up and try to kill him. 

The Sam, Dean and Kevin side of things was equally compelling. Jensen did an excellent job of conveying Dean struggling to cope as everything began to unravel around him. You could see Dean's struggle with being forced to send Castiel away and the sheer terror when he learnt of the real Ezekiel's demise. Jared did a good job of conveying Sam's confusion about the loss of time and the random swaps between "Sam" and not Sam". I remember being convinced that not!Sam was Sam the first time I watched the confession scene. It makes you wonder just how often Gadreel has been posing as Sam over the past few months. 

All and all one of the better episodes for S9, which is surprising since it's a BuckLemming episode. 

[Iju]

okay, my head hurts. so when dean was talking to sam in that room, that was dean??? or was that sam before gad took over? either way i am so SHOOK.

i freaking hate the angels not believing cass. meta trolled them all for at least thousands of years and they can't believe he was tricked as well? it comes to a point of them being blind by anger comes to an end. it's extremely annoying by now.

and poor kevin. he was treated so mediorely the whole season and he dies so terribly. i'm so upset, why they do that to kevin :(

[The Companion]

Ugh, poor Kevin. I guess he did get the family treatment with all the lies and secrets and "trust me" stuff. Poor guy asked point blank what the deal was and got the run around and then killed. 

Finally my point (made with demons) is true. If humans can't see demons/angels, maybe Sam and Dean shouldn't just trust them when they claim to be a particular one in a different body. 

I did like Castiel manipulating and fighting his way out. I am finding Metatron's story to be. . . weird? He was hiding and minding his own business until they find him but now he wants to take over heaven and become God? I don't know. It just seems like a lot of ambition for someone who has been behind the scenes so long.