Supernatural – Are You There God? It’s Me, Dean Winchester

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(Season 4, Episode 2)

Holy smokes. The cats over at Supernatural are not fooling around with season four. After what we learned tonight, pursuing Azazel and trying to save Dean from Hell seem like small potatoes. The big guns are coming out now, and I’m totally sold on the story already. But I’ve gone and put the cart ahead of the horse there. Before Castiel (Misha Collins) stopped in to drop the big bomb, there were some old friends to get reacquainted with.

I’ll admit, I was a little disappointed with the episode as it began, for the simple fact that it didn’t pick up where we left off with Castiel in the premiere. It didn’t take long for them to win me over though, and it did end up being a really strong episode.

The rising of the witnesses was such a great story idea. Aside from how it all ultimately tied into the main story for the season, it was great to see past characters return. My favorite of those was Meg (Nicki Aycox). I liked how they called back to the story the real Meg told the boys in season one‘s “Devil’s Trap”. Of course, Agent Henricksen (Charles Whitfield) and Ronald Reznick (Chris Gauthier) were good as well.

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Their presence, and the rising, again touched on the blurry line of what it is to be a hunter. It’s something we’ve seen the Winchester’s struggle with before, as in “Croatoan” and “Bloodlust”. Henricksen had the most disturbing story to tell, with Lilith’s extended torture. But Meg’s was the one that really hit home. The guilt from not being able to save her from Azazel’s daughter is bad, but her little exchange with Sam was the big one. As she put it, “What you’re doing with that demon Ruby… how many bodies has she burned through for kicks? And you don’t send her back to Hell? You’re a monster.” That’s a tough pill, and hints at a conflict I wouldn’t be surprised to see coming up for Sam and Dean.

Now, to the bigger picture. They are really going all out here, rewriting Revelations with the new extended collection of 66 seals. It’s an ambitious move, but one I’m happy to sign up for. The stakes just don’t get much bigger than an apocalypse. Rather, the apocalypse.

The stage was set perfectly for the return of Castiel. From Sam and Dean’s discussions about God, to Bobby’s choice to not touch the subject with a ten foot pole. The best bit of it was where Castiel finally asserted a little authority. Dean was clearly out of line. Rather than smack Dean around, he simply laid it out nice and calm. “There’s a bigger picture here. You should show me some respect. I dragged you out of Hell. I can throw you back.” Dean should now be on board for the fight.

And what a fight it promises to be. We’re not talking about Lilith here, or any of the other myriad of demons we’ve seen over the last three seasons. This is Lucifer. The warriors of God are already taking casualties. At this point, season four is shaping up to be incredible.

Clacked by Brett Love
on Sep 26, 2008 @ 02:13 EST5EDT