S11.E03: The Bad Seed

[Tara Ariano]

Rowena tries to consolidate her power to protect herself from the Winchesters, while Sam and Dean search for a missing baby connected to the Darkness. Meanwhile, Castiel struggles to heal; and Crowley tries to find a way to use the Darkness for his own personal gain.

[Mick Lady]

Filling my role-

 

catrox in three, two, one...

[catrox14]

[SueB]

Well I loved it! Crowley is so in over his head. Rowena was delicious. Team Free Will - 1 part beer, 1 part research, 2 parts beat down and 3 parts angst.

B-L again with the low-brow Asian fetish and Dean scoping out a babe on a rescue mission.

[2Old2BAFangirl]

I really liked this one!!

A little too much Rowena for me but still a fun episode!!

And I can't help it - when Dean said "Hey" to that girl and she told him to get a life; I yelled at my tv "Did you not see that face, woman?! How do you not stop and say Hey yourself to that face?!" Lol

[catrox14]

 

B-L again with the low-brow Asian fetish and Dean scoping out a babe on a rescue mission.

 

 

I was really hoping that was going to be Gabriel trying to contact Cas or Dean via porn like he usually does.  I'm still hoping that's the case and that Cas just closed the computer before Gabriel's face popped up.

 

So an angel and a demon walk into a bar....and all I could think of was, where is Zachariah when we need a really great dick angel. 

 

IMO the best scene by far that fucking punched me in my heart from out of the blue was the last moment between Dean and Cas when Dean said he had it coming. Holy shit. Jensen just nailed that moment so beautifully. I legit teared up on that one.

 

I have to rewatch to see if I get more out of it because to be honest.....my initial reaction is a big fat....meh other than the Dean/Cas scene at the end.  

Edited October 22, 2015 by catrox14

[Wynne88]

Why exactly did Dean think he had it coming?  I'm drawing a blank.

[Jediknight]

I kind of like the name Mega Coven.

[catrox14]

Why exactly did Dean think he had it coming?  I'm drawing a blank.

 

For beating the shit out of Cas and almost killing him in the Prisoner when he was jacked up by the Mark.

[SueB]

I kind of like the name Mega Coven.

Oh my. (J/K).

[Ferniesfreckles]

Ugh, poor Jensen, having to direct such bilge.

Usually he gets a decent script and cool storyline to work with. "He had it coming"???? That's complete bullshit. Jensen did too good of a job looking pissed-off and annoyed during that last scene.

Poor manny, we hardly knew ye.

Yeah, Crowley's gonna be running to the Winchesters pretty soon. One thing I didn't really understand, why was Crowley showing Amara all about Hitler? To show the worst of humanity?? Just an outline of human history?

Well, at least Crowley last week and Rowena this week really brought home the point that they are not very good people. I can hate them both again and genuinely wish them harm.

Edited October 22, 2015 by Ferniesfreckles

[catrox14]

This is the scene that broke my heart. I'll just leave this here and live in my feels. Fucking Jensen. With one stupid flick of his eyebrow and I'm in tears.  I have to wonder if this is the scene Jensen spoke about at comic-con that he thought he was making worse. 

http://yourfavoritedirector.tumblr.com/

 

Edited October 22, 2015 by catrox14

[Wynne88]

Why exactly did Dean think he had it coming?  I'm drawing a blank.

 

 

For beating the shit out of Cas and almost killing him in the Prisoner when he was jacked up by the Mark.

 

Ah, so.  I had totally forgotten that.

[catrox14]

 

Usually he gets a decent script and cool storyline to work with. "He had it coming"???? That's complete bullshit. Jensen did too good of a job looking pissed-off and annoyed during that last scene.

 

Yeah that pissed me off. Dean blamed himself for his fight with Charlie too when the Mark had him under it's grip.

[Mick Lady]

First thoughts:

 

When the boys asked Cas where Metadouche would be, Mick said-"A library, like the" Library of Congress" 

 

Second, when Sam held a gun to Rowena's head, he said, "A Taurus Judge?! Really? It holds .410 shells or 45 long colts. A gang banger gun. Nothing the boys would use!"

[catrox14]

First thoughts:

 

When the boys asked Cas where Metadouche would be, Mick said-"A library, like the" Library of Congress" 

 

Second, when Sam held a gun to Rowena's head, he said, "A Taurus Judge?! Really? It holds .410 shells or 45 long colts. A gang banger gun. Nothing the boys would use!"

 

 

Ohhh I'm going to look at that gun again. If it's a different gun than what Sam had back in when he was going to use it on her the first time then maybe.....just maybe that's a clue that nothing is quite what it seems.  NO, as a matter of fact, I AM NOT GIVING UP MY THEORY until you pry it out of my cold, dead brain and even then I'll carry it to the afterlife, where I'll be an unhappy ghost and you'll have to send Dean to "punish" me. 

[catrox14]

Also, I just want to leave this here, for....science...because...damn,

[Mick Lady]

Heh! You'd love for Dean to come "punish" you!

 

Let me know if it's the same gun.

[7kstar]

Well I loved it! Crowley is so in over his head. Rowena was delicious. Team Free Will - 1 part beer, 1 part research, 2 parts beat down and 3 parts angst.

B-L again with the low-brow Asian fetish and Dean scoping out a babe on a rescue mission.

So when will Rowena and the Darkness meet?  I mean Mommy dearest has to see if she can best her son in controlling something she knows nothing about.

 

It had a nice mix of good and bad.  A bad joke, A demon and An Angel go walking into a bar for a drink...

The secret is revealed...so the brother angst can start up next week. 

 

The one question I have,  could God have foreseen that his death is coming.  Only one thing stands in it's way...a Dean Winchester?  Team Free Will?

 

I liked some of the things Jensen did with his directing choices.  Do I wish he had a better script...sure but I think he tried to make it stronger.  Since my expectations are pretty much voided out, I'm enjoying this season so far. 

 

So ready to see Rowena and Crowley FALL.  :)

[Mick Lady]

Ohhh I'm going to look at that gun again. If it's a different gun than what Sam had back in when he was going to use it on her the first time then maybe.....just maybe that's a clue that nothing is quite what it seems.  NO, as a matter of fact, I AM NOT GIVING UP MY THEORY until you pry it out of my cold, dead brain and even then I'll carry it to the afterlife, where I'll be an unhappy ghost and you'll have to send Dean to "punish" me. 

 

I'm pretty sure Mick thought it was different, he would have said so otherwise. He's a gun nut!

 

But I notice too. I carry 24/7, not because I'm a nut, (our neighborhood has a, I don't know, zero crime rate) but because three times I stepped out of our back door on to our deck, and confronted a bear! Twice Black, and once a Grizzly! Scared me to death!

No, I didn't shot them. But a shot in the dirt sent them running.

Edited October 22, 2015 by Mick Lady

[catrox14]

Yeah, that certainly wasn't Sam's regular gun. The only wank I have is that it's for those witches bullets. 

[AwesomO4000]

It might be a different kind of Taurus, but I know that in some of teh fanfic I've read, and I think in one or two of the official novels as well, it's mentioned that Sam's gun is a Taurus, but whether or not it's a dfferent kind than shown in the episode, I couldn't say.

 

Ah, according to Supernatural Wiki, the Taurus previously seen was a Taurus model 92. The imfdb (the internet movie firearms database: which that is a thing? Huh, who knew.) specifies it as a Taurus PT92AFS which Sam was apparently still using as of episode 2 this season - there are photographs (so that would tend to not suport the "wrong" theory, Sorry, catrox.) Like Dean's Colt, it too has pearl grips (though they call Dean's ivory - not sure if that just means the color or not.)

 

So all of that to say it would be odd indeed if Sam had a different gun this episode, as apparently he's had the same one for pretty much the entire series apparently unless he uses Dean's custom Colt M1911A1 for whatever reason. And they both have a favored sawed-off shotgun as well.

 

Yeah, that certainly wasn't Sam's regular gun. The only wank I have is that it's for those witches bullets. 

 

Interesting - apparently Sam likes a Taurus brand gun.

[Demented Daisy]

Oh my. (J/K).

 

I totally heard that in George Takei's voice.

 

First thoughts:

 

When the boys asked Cas where Metadouche would be, Mick said-"A library, like the" Library of Congress" 

 

Well, great minds, then, because I said the same thing.  ;-)

 

I know it's an unpopular opinion, but too many mentions of God for him not to show up eventually.  Amara totally has the knowledge on how to lock her away.  Who's got money on Dean getting it out of her?  

 

That was a rather meh episode.  So.  Much.  Talking.  

[Aeryn13]

Gee, the Nepotism duo has like two modes: offensive and boring. This fell more on the latter side but still, what a colossal waste of time. And why does poor Jensen always gets stuck with their less then mediocre scripts?

 

The worst in terms of offensive was IMO the totally random scene of Dean checking out that girl in the middle of things. What was the point of that scene? And if you want to make a point of Dean getting shot down because what, he is apparently not attractive (is it sour grapes or penis envy? both would be equally valid coming from the nepotism duo), then don`t have the actress look like she is mighty interested. Yes, it would normally be a directorial thing but he can`t much help how he looks, can he?

 

Also, busty asian beauties. Urgh.

 

A demon and an angel walk into a bar might be amusing on some level but it shows how far both species have fallen. Does anyone remember what it was like when angels were first introduced? Or demons for that matter? Now, they are fucking shells of themselves.

 

Crowley and Amara was predictable. The only interesting bit was God tricking the Darkness instead of defeating it by Force. A trick can be used by others, too. Not just God.

 

And Crowley does indeed not see the big picture. Namely, Amara sees no real point in the whole of creation. She doesn`t look at it from even an evol point of view. Just a "whatever" POV.

 

The Crowley "secret"? Eh. Rowena going "I did the spell, what happened...what has Dean Winchester unleashed" was somewhat eye-roll-worthy. Welcome to being the last one to find out about the Darkness, Rowena. Every random street rat seems to know. Not to mention you just said YOU did the spell so YOU unleashed it.

 

All this episode yielded was Cas being freed. And it was done via clumsy "I beat you under the influence, you beat me, all cool" spiel. Your parallels suck, writers.  .  .  

 

Not even a scene between Amara and Dean to tide me over. In the first entire three episodes, those 2? minutes of screentime between them was the entirety of scenes I enjoyed so far. That makes 40 minutes times 3 episodes = 120 minutes and there were 2 that I liked. Great ratio. Bit room for improvement, though.

[TexasGal]

I kind of like the name Mega Coven.

Every time she said the name I was giggling.  Which I THINK was what they were going for.  But, I love Rowena and her over the top evilness.

 

I was really hoping that the Trickster was going to make an appearance when the computer randomly started showing porn.

[SueB]

Attention all Jensen Ackles fans! This is a much watch BTS that's on iTunes:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QXQTm5NO-X8&feature=youtu.be

[Partly]

A lot of set up and “return to normal” in this episode.

 

Rowena – just wants to be in charge only she goes around killing all those who would follow her.  Mega Coven – HA!  Smart enough to not keep the book and the codex together, but no smart enough to kill the Winchesters when she has the chance.

 

Although, I think it’s always easier for humans to break deals than for the supernatural to do so.  Have we ever seen a supernatural creature make a “deal” and then renege on it?  I know that some can twist deals to make them not quite what was expected, but still what was promised. 

 

Also love the fact that Rowena was quick to try to leverage Dean against Sam when she found out the Dean didn’t know about the deal Sam made.  Didn’t work because Dean’s not going to blame Sam for not killing Crowley or what happened to Cas.  I also love the whole “Keyword: Secrets”.  Heh. 

 

Amara – so Darth Amara comes back and talks to Anakin Amara and says, “I am what you are becoming”.   Darth Amara seems very sure of what’s going to happen. On the other hand Anakin Amara is learning, but we still don’t know what she’s thinking or, more importantly, if she has any free will in the matter.  She knows more than Crowley is teaching her, so is the knowledge/beliefs/destiny of Darth Amara “preprogrammed” into her?  I hope not, I still like this idea that Anakin Amara will have some choice over what she does.  Of course, her whole “Feed me” attitude seems to be the point of her existence.  So it’s a bit hard to say if she is capable of being anything but darkness/nothingness.  Have to wait and see.

 

Love the little Angel and Demon scene.  “Power to the people.” – “Well not actually PEOPLE.”  I wonder if any of the rank and file Angels/Demons will see the Winchesters are the way to overcome Darkness?  Probably not, but it would be interesting.

 

Dean and Sam working together – good to see nothing’s changed.  Dean is always the bait – which is good, because it means that he’s him and not some odd version of himself.  The same way he’s not willing to let Cas heal him in the end.  To Dean, it’s his way of “equalizing” things.  Way back in the second season when Dean beat up Sam, he offered Sam a “free shot” to make it equal.  Sam didn’t take it, but to Dean it would have made it even.  I” hit you, you hit me” and then it’s done.  Cas healing him would made that unbalanced. 

 

Looking forward to next week!

[Primetimer]

Also, Sam and Dean scry a river about Castiel, but Rowena's so over it.

Read the story

[SueB]

Minor nit on the PTV recap: It's "Book of the Damned", not "Book of the Dead".  The Book of the Dead is the book we Catholics put out every November and write our Dead to be prayed for on (yes, that's a thing).  The Book of the Damned is way more interesting.

[Demented Daisy]

There's also the Tibetan Book of the Dead, the Egyptian Book of the Dead....

[Omegamom]

"FEED ME, SEYMOUR!"

Crowley is so out of his depth, and he's beginning to realize it.

Lots of exposition. Also lots of "we care about Castiel" feels. That scene at the end...

The "Mega-Coven"! Poor Rowena doesn't get just how lame everyone thinks that name is.

Heaven and Hell are at loose ends, no Hannah, Crowley locked away with his new toy. Are we going to have the lower echelons ganging together to try to stop things?

Of course, where would we be without secrets and brotherly angst?

I think Crowley's plan was to indoctrinate Amara (n.b., not Amira). The old "give me a child until he's eight and I shall have him for life" thing. Unfortunately for him, he's used to corrupting humans, not ancient amoral creatures from before Creation with infinite power who really don't give a hoot about good and evil.

By the way, Rowena, don't go blaming Dean for the Darkness. It was your spell that unleashed it.

And, of course, Metadouche would be hanging out at a library somewhere; Library of Congress is a good idea.

May I just add that show writers have abso-effing-lutely NO idea how city women behave late at night? Yeah, yeah, I'll just go walking down this alley at night with my nose buried in my phone. Naw, I'm not already nervous and uptight, i don't have my key ring in my fist with the keys poking out, and, of course when a man confronts me, I won't run straight to the street with, hopefully, people around, I'll just go deeper into the alley and then into a dark, abandoned building with no idea whether there are other exits. Thirty years ago in Chicago I had better safety-for-women instincts than that. Sheesh.

[Frost]

 

Crowley locked away with his new toy

This whole medieval castle thing confuses me.  Crowley seems to hanging around the Earthly plane - as evidenced by asking if Amara's snacks are already dead meat suits so that when she sucks out the demon's soul the body just inanimates.  I can't see why demons would need meat suits in Hell.  So why this physical manifestation?   I get it from the 'easier to film' perspective, but has the show ever had a reason?  I also wish there had been a mention about demon souls being less satisfying or filling than human souls.  I guess it would make me feel better if Supernatural at least thought human souls were a higher quality.

 

I'm not into victim blaming and in a perfect world women would be just as safe as a man wandering around a deserted alley at night (that is to say, not very), but come on.  This woman was absolutely oblivious to her surroundings in a rabbit warren of dark, secluded alleys and empty warehouses.   She should have been nervous even before she heard Cas.

 

I took the single woman Dean said 'Hey' to as a counterpoint.  She was doing what you're supposed to do:  walk tall and confident and assertive.  I do wish there had been something said about being around a college campus or 'Gee it sure gets dark early this time of year!'.  I thought that scene didn't really fit in.  I was left wondering why all these women are wandering around alone.

[Omegamom]

Oh, yeah, poor Cas! Sam called his pimpmobile "crappy", and Cas was just so sad!

I am obviously with you, Frost, on Cas's target. But I'm not victim blaming, I'm blaming clueless writers. Eugenie either doesn't remember what it's like for young women in the city, or she's long since forgotten.

[catrox14]

 

I guess it would make me feel better if Supernatural at least thought human souls were a higher quality.

 

Oh I've long thought that Carver doesn't think human souls are better than demon souls. He spent most of his tenure on Being Human trying to show the humanity of the monsters on that show.  I've said before that I think he's trying to finish that show, here.

 

I think Crowley and now Rowena are the only characters he personally actually cares about or gives thought towards and gives anything interesting. Even going back to Mystery Spot he took Sam to an uber dark place.  Heck I think he would off Sam and Dean if he could get away with it. LOL

[catrox14]

Just something I noticed here.  The wound on Dean's face looks a bit like the Mark of Cain...only it's dripping. I can't help but wonder if that was intentional. 

 

[AwesomO4000]

This whole medieval castle thing confuses me.  Crowley seems to hanging around the Earthly plane - as evidenced by asking if Amara's snacks are already dead meat suits so that when she sucks out the demon's soul the body just inanimates.  I can't see why demons would need meat suits in Hell.  So why this physical manifestation?   I get it from the 'easier to film' perspective, but has the show ever had a reason?  I also wish there had been a mention about demon souls being less satisfying or filling than human souls.  I guess it would make me feel better if Supernatural at least thought human souls were a higher quality.

 

I haven't been able to see the episode yet except the very end - I'm on the road again - but I still have an idea about why this is, and part of it is this...

 

Heaven and Hell are at loose ends, no Hannah, Crowley locked away with his new toy. Are we going to have the lower echelons ganging together to try to stop things?

 

Crowley is generally very wary. If he's down in hell, not only will the freaked out demons potentially bother him, they might be able to see what he's planning / doing. I think he much prefers his secluded castle where there is potentially less of a grapevine, and there aren't as many demons around to see what he's doing. And besdies he doesn't seem to much enjoy the mundane things about running hell. What better way to shirk those responsibilities than to hole up on earth somewhere?

 

Damn typos... This laptop keyboard is smaller and differently arranged for some things... which would be more of an excuse if I didn't normally look at the keyboard as I type anyway, but ehn...

Edited October 23, 2015 by AwesomO4000

[mertensia]

Cate Elta, eh? Shoutout to Danneel.

Of course you had nothing to do with the Darkness, Rowena. You just keep telling yourself that.

Rowena's a fool. She knows something's different with Dean, she's curious, she should have put a spell on him and made him go with.

[Partly]

Rowena still doesn't know about Darkness does she?

And I think she made a deal and she couldn't take Dean. Although she also is so very self-centered until Darkness causes her in problems, it won't be on her radar.

[DittyDotDot]

So, an angel and a demon walk into a bar, huh? I don't think philosophizing is the Horrible Duo's strong suit, they should really stop doing it. Not that I could actually tell you what their strong suit is anyway.

 

Kudos to Jensen for making it look way better than it had a right to.

 

Actually, I will give them credit for the banter. It's nice to see some of that return.

 

 

I kind of like the name Mega Coven.

 

Rowena was delightful tonight. I really wanted to hear what ever song she had in mind for their little road trip. I'm sure it was all sorts of horrible. ;)

ETA: Why is Crowley still holding court in a craptastic warehouse? First, why is it literally a court? Second, shouldn't the King of Hell be able to get better digs?

[Omegamom]

He should get another luxurious English gentleman's mansion, IMO, like he had when he was King of the Crossroads. The warehouse-turned-medieval-castle just looks...hokey and uncomfy to me.

[SueB]

ETA: Why is Crowley still holding court in a craptastic warehouse? First, why is it literally a court? Second, shouldn't the King of Hell be able to get better digs?

It's a court for the same reason Rowena's tea set was pure gold when she lived there.  It's his/her ideal of royalty - which was the highest position in the land when Fergus was born in 1661.  I've always found Rowena and Crowley to be the epitome of nouveau riche (again the gold tea set a dead give away along with the extended pinky when Crowley drank tea and Rowena carries her purse). The Victorian-era nanny is later in time but along the same theory.

 

Second Watch thoughts (at feakin' last):

 

Well I was delighted. Jensen said this was exposition heavy, and it was, but I found the hour passing quickly.  Mind you I'd still like to drop B-L off a cliff for the continued Asian fetish and the NO HOMO moment, but those were relative nits.  I'll go by character and/or relationship for my comments:

 

Uncle Crowley - What a delight.  He was really transparent in his plotting but I think we learned a TON from his little chats with his "poppet".  I think he needs to expand the pantry to include non-demons or hope she takes off soon because I think he realized there's no place for him in her new universe.

 

Rowena - Had the BEST lines.  She stole every scene she was in IMO.  Except when "negotiating" with Dean - that was a tie because he was pretty intense there.  Still her comeback "Your turn!" was sort of the winning blow.  I was a little surprised she didn't attempt to kill the boys after she escaped. But maybe she needs the book in her hand or hex bags to pull off that big of a spell.

 

Amara - Actually stole the episode.  The little girl who played her did a fantastic job. And the writing here was very good IMO.  She perfectly side-stepped all of Crowley's attempts to pin her down on key topics.  I also liked how she did watch the Hitler drivel Crowley gave her but when left alone she was off exploring God's creations (in the slide show).  They're doing a good job of keeping her amoral.  But at the end of the day, she thinks God's universe is not worthy and she's going to REPLACE it with her own.  I'm thinking everyone dies and she starts over again with whatever way SHE wants to form the universe.  The angel/demon bro's were right - they will be out of a job.

 

Cas - Poor abused Cas.  I'm so glad they fixed him. I loved his umbrage at Sam's insult to his car.  He remained adorkable while still being under a spell.  I didn't much care for the "chase" scene (see below) but I liked the bunker stuff a lot.  

 

Sam - Did you notice him saying God may be closer?  I think he believes God sent the cage-vision.

 

Dean - Oy. So he's zoning out to thoughts of Amara, speed-dialing Crowley, taking care of his best friend, and carrying around some guilt.  Well, it wouldn't be our Dean without the self-loathing.  I mentioned on Twitter that I thought him not letting Cas heal him is a sign of Cas' influence on Dean.  It was penance and that's a classic Cas move.  I also think Cas LET him get away with not being healed because even though Cas didn't blame him, he understands the need for penance sometimes.  It's a much better solution than ignoring his sense of guilt (which he still carries) over having the Mark in the first place.  On the Crowley front, I'm surprised that he didn't think the relationship was over after he stabbed Crowley in the hand.  Just goes to show... he's a pragmatist. 

 

Team Winchester - That toss of the purse behind the back!  Nice teamwork boys.  And the unison "NO!"s to Rowena on that "roadtrip"? Again, delightful.  I wasn't happy they made a fuss over Sam not mentioning he tried to kill Crowley. I didn't think it was a big deal.  And frankly they are both keeping bigger secrets right now (cage-vision and "bound" status).

 

Destiel - I love the bond between them. Dean's proud smile when Cas got the analogy right regarding the tomato puree.  The Blankey! Making sure Cas was okay.  I just love them being close again (but I don't need a romance).  And for those who say Jensen has an issue with Destiel, please see how he DIRECTED this episode and then shut the hell up. Kthxbye.

 

Team Free Will - It's like a salve on my heart every time the three are together.   

 

Director Ackles: First of all, the little short subject on iTunes is so very very lovely.  Everyone gushes over Jensen and rightly so.  I thought the episode was well done except for the chase scene.  I just didn't feel that scene.  Cas ran so goofily.  I wonder if this is the part where Jensen said he kept making it worse. IDK. I just know it seemed like a poor plot point (Cas chases some random girl in a dark city alley) and he wasn't able to make that scene suspenseful like it needed to be.  I'm not sure anyone could.  

 

Bottom Line: I found Amara fascinating.  I like where we left Team Free Will. Crowley to come crawling to them soon.  Rowena is going into hiding I think.  In short a nice setup for the first half of the season. 

[7kstar]

 

Well I was delighted. Jensen said this was exposition heavy, and it was, but I found the hour passing quickly.  Mind you I'd still like to drop B-L off a cliff for the continued Asian fetish and the NO HOMO moment, but those were relative nits.  I'll go by character and/or relationship for my comments:

 

Uncle Crowley - What a delight.

Rowena - Had the BEST lines.  She stole every scene she was in IMO.  Except when "negotiating" with Dean - that was a tie because he was pretty intense there.  Still her comeback "Your turn!" was sort of the winning blow.  I was a little surprised she didn't attempt to kill the boys after she escaped. But maybe she needs the book in her hand or hex bags to pull off that big of a spell.

 

Amara - Actually stole the episode.  The little girl who played her did a fantastic job. And the writing here was very good IMO. 

 

Director Ackles: First of all, the little short subject on iTunes is so very very lovely.  Everyone gushes over Jensen and rightly so.  I thought the episode was well done except for the chase scene.  I just didn't feel that scene.  Cas ran so goofily.  I wonder if this is the part where Jensen said he kept making it worse. IDK. I just know it seemed like a poor plot point (Cas chases some random girl in a dark city alley) and he wasn't able to make that scene suspenseful like it needed to be.  I'm not sure anyone could.  

 

Bottom Line: I found Amara fascinating.  I like where we left Team Free Will. Crowley to come crawling to them soon.  Rowena is going into hiding I think.  In short a nice setup for the first half of the season. 

I think Jensen did a great job with some parts I don't think anyone could save.  Cas in the alleyway. The standard girl too stupid to save herself horror bit.  I think this is what they intended...it was stupid way back when and stupid now.  Cas running as a dog...not that great and difficult to make it work.  Bad writing.

 

Uncle Crowley was fun at first then it got predictable and boring.  I think they tried to put too much in this ep. but their ability to pace has been off far too long to talk about.  Shame you can't record the bits you like and trash the rest.  But I think Jensen is a strong director and improving which each opportunity.  Just wish he had a better script.  But I expected. 3 to the darkness and next week is the one off.  Nothing like keeping to your patterns.  :)

[mertensia]

Yeah that pissed me off. Dean blamed himself for his fight with Charlie too when the Mark had him under it's grip.

Being a Midwesterner I think of Dean's self-blame as a form of Minnesota Nice.

I was watching the season 10 episodes with the commentary and the comment that stood out was that everything on Supernatural has a price and that price is usually paid by Dean....then a pause and a quiet "usually by torture"* and I think that's true. To Dean getting the snot beat out of him by Cas is part of the price of the whole MoC debacle.

*The person saying this? Eugenie Ross-Leming.

[DittyDotDot]

It's a court for the same reason Rowena's tea set was pure gold when she lived there.  It's his/her ideal of royalty - which was the highest position in the land when Fergus was born in 1661.  I've always found Rowena and Crowley to be the epitome of nouveau riche (again the gold tea set a dead give away along with the extended pinky when Crowley drank tea and Rowena carries her purse). The Victorian-era nanny is later in time but along the same theory.

 

I meant, until last year, I would've thought Crowley holding court as being a turn of phrase not a literal thing.

[SueB]

He may have just started up the literal court in the last year.  He's an odd bird.  

[DittyDotDot]

I think I must not be being clear. I mean to say the idea is a joke made not funny by the show making it literal. I just don't understand what happened to subtlety?

[SueB]

I think I must not be being clear. I mean to say the idea is a joke made not funny by the show making it literal. I just don't understand what happened to subtlety?

I guess I thought making it literal showed insight into Crowley (and Rowena's) ego. I didn't see it as an intentional joke to call him King.  Since I personally find Crowley fascinating, perhaps I spend too much time thinking about this.  Mark Sheppard is quick to say Fergus has Mommy issues but Crowley does not.  Yet the whole trappings of royalty that he indulges in strike me as compensating for being under-appreciated his entire existence.  And now that he's clawed his way to the top and managed to stay there despite serious threats, he's bored until a new thing (Amara) comes along.  

[DittyDotDot]

See, I already knew all those things about Crowley. I didn't need all the graphs and arrows. I'm just saying, I prefer a less on-the-nose style of storytelling.

Edited October 23, 2015 by DittyDotDot

[Demented Daisy]

Speaking of bored, that's why I'm bored with Crowley.  This is the fifth time that he's tried to get power over something/someone more powerful than he.  He's failed every time, but he keeps trying.

 

It's dull watching the same stories over and over again.  And it's not just him.  But that's a post for the bitterness thread and I don't have the energy.  Or the desire, really.

 

Not good, show.  Not good.

[Aeryn13]

Crowley is not king material. He obviously enjoys some level of power and he lives for scheming and manipulating but politics and actual ruling bores the crap out of him. His underling in the Premiere made a good point in asking why the hell he took the time to have a meaningless orgy before going back to buisness. That`s not what a king would be but it`s what Crowley would do. Apparently he took out many, many vacation days to  live it up with Demon!Dean as well.

 

Indulging Dean`s every whim of mindless hedonism was about the same as giving little Amara a bunny picture book, trying to keep his new hobby around. And in both cases, he never had any control. Demon!Dean was happy enough to stay around until Crowley bored HIM with actual demonic duties and stuff. He only showed up for one job out of curiosity, intentionally scrapped it when he didn`t feel like it and then told Crowley off. Little Amara is happy enough to be fed and given some nice stuff but once her pendulum swings over into being bored with it, she will blow Crowley off the same way.

 

So far, the only thing full-on Amara has ever expressed enjoyment in doing is standing around in swath of black mist with Dean. Which, I can`t blame her there.

 

Rowena is...to be honest pretty pathetic in her power grab scenes. Witches blow her off left and right. And really, she has managed to augment her power level but doesn`t really have the natural charisma of a leader. She comes on way too strong and squirrely and hyper. 

 

Which is actually a problem I have with the character for the most part as well. She has some good one-liners but I only really liked her scene with Dean because the character/actress dialed it down a bit there.

 

For some characters/performers a big scenery-chewing performance can work but somehow they mostly overshoot with Rowena for me.