Saturday 9 April 2016

Supernatural Think Tank - Thinky Thoughts and Theories on 11x18 Hell's Angel

- by Anna


I never really liked the term "filler", especially it's application regarding Supernatural. The term is often associated with MOTW eps, which has always boggled my mind. I never really use that word when describing any episode, after all how can any episode that revolves around Sam and Dean Winchester be considered filler? It's their life, it's what they do, it's saving people and hunting things, the family business and it's the MOTW episodes, the stand alones that tell their story best. Those are my favourites, those are the meat and potatoes of Supernatural. Those are the eps that revolve around our boys and what I deem to be the bigger picture, which is fighting for humanity, one life at a time. It's the MOTW episodes and the stand alone eps that truly represent our heroes best. 

While I don't like the term and never use it myself, the word "filler" does exist and a lot of people use it to describe non myth arc episodes. I'm the opposite in fact. If I had to use the term "filler", I would use it on myth arc eps. I find myth arc eps, especially those of late to fill one purpose, and no, it's not to move the story along. I consider these myth arc eps, or "filler" eps if I was forced to use the term, to be what they are, focus on the smaller picture story so that Jared and Jensen can get their much earned and desired days off. It's these eps that have very little of our boys and bring all the other characters into play. These are also the eps that give one the illusion that the real story of the boys is them once again having to destroy the big evil and save the world, but in reality, that's not nor has it ever been what this show is truly about. The big picture is the boys being the heroes they are by focusing their attention on the innocents in a more personal way. It's about saving people yes, but doing it in a way that focus' on the individual, giving importance to human life by letting us the viewer witness the victim in a personal way so that we're invested in it emotionally. When Sam and Dean Winchester save someone against a monster, animal, human or otherwise, they are all the more heroes in our eyes because of the connection we have to the victims and their plight. This is what I've always considered to be what show is all about. The myth arc stuff, for me that's the filler eps. I'm not saying I don't enjoy these eps, because I do for the most part. Yet, it's these eps, the ones that lack the Winchesters, that I find myself less invested in. It's much easier to go to the bathroom during the ep, then waiting for the commercial. I find myself getting up more, doing errands that most definitely could wait. While eps like the one we had on last night keep me interested, I'm not as emotionally invested and find it a lot easier to get distracted.

I want to go on record saying that I liked Hell's Angel, I just wasn't emotionally invested in it as I have been for the last couple of weeks. The biggest thrill for me was seeing Rowena alive and kicking. I knew we hadn't seen the last of her. I'll tell you this much, Amara and Luci might seem like today's problem, but in my opinion, it's Rowena that's going to be the real problem. I hope the boys get rid of Amara soon. She's not all that interesting to me. She's basically, much like Lucifer, a disgruntled member of God's family who's throwing a temper tantrum, and sees fit to destroy humanity as simply an act of spite and revenge because she never got her way. She bores me. She's not scary or smart and she's dressed in a way that certainly doesn't represent what is supposed to be an all powerful deity. The more we see of Amara, the more I miss Dick Roman. I will be happy when the boys finally figure out how to be rid of her. 

Crowley is always a delight. We pretty much knew that the best move for him is to go to the boys. I think Crowley proved useful in this episode. We've pretty much learnt two things due to Crowley. Firstly, it's obvious that a HOG isn't capable of destroying either Luci or Amara. It could come into play as some sort of distraction, but it's not going to solve the problem. I think we're getting closer to the boys realising that Amara and Luci cannot be killed. They will have to come up with Plan B, which is containment, that of course is where Billie's empty threats come into play. The "Empty" is most likely the solution to the boys current dilemma, it's just a matter of when Sam and Dean reach that epiphany and how they end up getting both Amara and Luci there. I will say this, it's going to take both boys to stop Amara. The "Not John" vision in Baby specifically told Sam that it will take both of the boys to stop the Darkness. Last week, Billie, in her subtle way, told Dean the same thing. Dean had plead to Billie to bring Sam back because he was the ONLY one who can stop the Darkness. Billie had told Dean he was lying. She insinuated that he wanted Sam alive for him, but I'm not so sure that was the case. I kind of think that it was Billie's way of telling Dean that not only Sam can do it. Soon after that she uttered the words "Dean The Empty is waiting". If you ask me, I'd say that Billie pretty much just told Dean, that it's going to take both of them to stop Amara and the way to do it is by sending her to the Empty....after all it is waiting. 

The second thing we learnt thanks to Crowley, is that Cas doesn't want out of Luci and I'm leaning towards thinking it has more to do with Cas giving up than it does believing that Luci is the only chance they had. It seemed to me that Cas was very happy in his little corner of his own mind within himself and it appeared to me that he has no interest of changing this situation. I think Cas wants out. I think he's given up on himself completely and just wants to hide from everything. I don't think Cas said yes to Luci because he believed Luci to be the answer, I think Cas has given up on himself and just wanted to run away and hide, perhaps Cas couldn't face the thought of failing once again. I don't know if Amara torturing Casifer to get God's attention will be enough to reach Cas and alter his attitude. I think this Cas needs a Winchester intervention if he's ever going to get his spark to fight back again.

I loved seeing MP as Luci. I gotta say, watching Mark has certainly solidified, that he and he alone owns the role of Lucifer. Only Jared came close to playing Luci with such perfection. 

The notion of a "Chosen One" was mentioned. I'm kind of leaning towards it being Cas. I have no doubt that Sam and Dean will defeat Amara, but I think perhaps that Cas will be the sacrifice in order to do so. I think that little talk the boys were having at the end might be foreshadowing Cas' ultimate decision and they're need to respect it. That of course is just my little theory.

I will admit to being baffled by Dean's suggestion that they exorcise Cas before they give Luci the Hand of God to try and defeat Amara. After all this season has been about, after last week's ep and Dean's decision to save that couple, to do what Sam would want, despite his grief and horror at seeing his brother dead on the floor, Dean was willing to sacrifice and innocent vessel just so Cas can live? That suggestion has gone against everything the boys have done this season. It went back to half the bumper sticker and I was actually aghast that Dean would say such a thing. It bothered me that Dean was ready to sacrifice some poor innocent, when Cas, as Sam had duly noted, made the decision to be Luci's vessel. This not only went against the very mission statement the boys had renewed the vow of abiding by, but it diminished the very lesson Dean learnt when he possessed Sam with an angel. Was anybody else going....WTF? or was that just me? Then as we got to the end, and I gathered my thoughts, it occurred to me that the conversation at the end, was basically recognising Dean's automatic, and in this case, wrong response to the situation with Cas. This recognition made me feel better. It also had me thinking that it could be a bit of foreshadow and not necessarily regarding the decisions the boys might have to make, but regarding the fact, as I've noted above, that this time around, it might be Cas that ends up taking the hit for the team and humanity. We shall see I guess.

We have a bit of a break again and then we get back to what I regard as the meat and potatoes of Supernatural, a nice MOTW ep to give us the time to enjoy our boys doing what they do best....saving people and hunting things...before we get to the final eps where we get to see the boys save the world on a much more grander scale. 

8 comments:

  1. While I see where your going in the sense that it was unusual for Dean to want to sacrifice to save Cas, I have to say I disagree slightly with you. I think a lot of this season will be about showing Cas that he's important, loved. At least a brother in Dean's eyes, and we all know how far Dean will go for the people he has that bond with, so I completely see why the writer's are taking the course for Dean to refuse to let Cas do this to himself. I wasn't going WTF to Dean trying so hard to save Cas so much as everything else going on that was completely oblivious to this fact. I think Dean and Sam should try harder to save Castiel, he's family. He's a part of their family and he deserves to be treated as such. Dean trying to get Cas to see this shouldn't be put down as careless or stupid, it should be put down as the right thing because Cas has given everything for the Winchesters in the name of family, and he has never been given that spot before. He needs that recognition and love, and Dean is giving it to him.

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  2. Don't get me wrong, I have no issue with Dean wanting to save Cas. He sees him as family and has said so before. Ironically though, it's Sam who's shown more forgiveness towards Cas in the past. Dean was rightfully angry with Cas for breaking Sam's head. There was a time when Dean lost all trust in Cas, the betrayal was more than he could bear. It was Sam who never showed anger towards Cas for what he'd done. He only showed forgiveness and understanding. In S8 when Cas once again betrayed Dean's trust, as Dean has a big issue with that, it was Sam who told Dean over and over to ease up on Cas. Do you recall Clip Show and how pissed off and angry Dean was at Cas. It was Sam who had told Dean to give Cas a break....and when Dean asked why should I? Sam responded...because it's Cas. I'm only saying all this because BOTH Winchesters consider Cas family. Both have shown their love for Cas in ea. own's typical fashion. Sam with forgiveness and understanding. Dean with anger and sense of betrayal, after all, Dean wouldn't feel that way unless he felt Cas to be his family. I do get that Dean would want and need to save Cas as well. Given s9 and s10 and the boys new resolve about saving everyone this season, for me, Dean going back to saving the one over saving the many seems like a regression. In this instance it isn't only about saving Cas and disregarding the innocent that Luci would take over, it's about disregarding a decision Cas willingly made. Dean's mistake in the past has often been to make decisions he sees fit overriding any decision anyone else makes if he doesn't like it. It's one thing to love, but part of loving is respecting one's decision, even if we don't like that decision. Now depending on what kind of decision that is of course, one might intercede in trying to stop it if other lives are at stake. But if Cas wanted to go climb Mt. Everest and Dean is against it because Cas could die from it, Dean can try to talk him out of it, but ultimately, like it or not, wrong or not, it's Cas' decision. So if he died climbing, it's not on Dean because he didn't stop it. Now Cas made a decision here that may very well end up being the wrong one to have made, at the moment we don't know that for sure. It's very possible that Cas will come through and from within be able to stop Luci. But for Dean to go to the automatic response of exorcising Cas, making that decision for him, by putting Luci in another vessel, well that, for me is the wrong way of going about saving Cas. Dean is willing to sacrifice another innocent. If Dean has learned anything in the last three seasons, he should have learned to respect another's decision and to consider saving everyone and not just those he loves. Sam said it, they need to make the smart decision and not the heart decision because it's the heart decision that always gets them in trouble.

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  3. So while Sam isn't willing to give up on Cas, he's looking to do it another way, a smarter way. Dean realizing this at the end, corroborates my belief that Dean has in fact learned from the past. Cas is no less of a brother in either boys' eyes if they go about saving Cas another way, that doesn't involve harming an innocent. It's the rash decisions, made out of love that end up screwing the boys one way or another, this time they've agreed going about it differently. They are still all about saving Cas, but they're going to try to do it without harming someone else in the process. Who's to say that Cas' decision was necessarily the wrong one. Cas may seem down and out at the moment, but that doesn't mean he won't be making a comeback. I'm not counting Cas out yet, he very well might be exactly where he should be...So by respecting Cas' decision, the boys might very well be doing more good than harm.

    I think Sam and Dean are doing the right thing here...and trust me they're doing it because they love Cas...

    Thanks so much for reading and responding....so love to hear your thoughts.

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  4. If you think about it, Luci inside Cas is probably the best place for him to be. I mean, with Luci in Cas, the world has a chance...if Luci were in some other vessel, with no ties to the Winchesters, no interest in humanity as a whole....Cas has been watching over humans since the dawn of time. He's become one. He knows how precious human life is. He understands God's love of humans and why. If any vessel, other than Sam or Dean understands this, it's Cas. If Cas is the "chosen one"...or part of the Chosen One...if by chosen, God means Team Free Will....then Cas letting Luci in his vessel could very well be the only way to get rid of Luci...

    just an afterthought as to why it's so important that Dean hasn't in fact regressed like I feared they might have had him do....how going about saving Cas in a different way, in the end might be the best thing for humanity and possibly for Cas himself, who so needs to feel like he matters and he's useful.

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  5. Yea but in the end they are still going to save Cas. That is what I got from the end conversation and I don't think that Dean was talking about putting Lucifer in a vessel of some poor schmuck who walked in off the street. Doubt he would put him in Sam so wondering if Dean would have volunteered. That was just my thinking about the WTF was Dean thinking when you said it and you can see Deans point of view and I think in the end so did Sam. I think its the policy they made pact on in the end I think that is more for them then Cas. JMO

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  6. I agree. I do think they will save cas..regarding the talk at the end, i think what has changed is how they will do it...i dont think it will be an exorcism...im thinking more along the lines of the boys getting thru to cas somehow....still wonder though if cas in luci is where he should be right now

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  7. Hi Anna,

    I agree with much of what you said. I want to touch on what you said about Rowena. I agree that she is force to be reckoned with. However, I would be disappointed if she was the S12 big bad, or even close to the big bad.

    One reason that I was never interested in the Leviathan or Amara as the big bad is that the threat is so global. It's so huge that the story is no longer about Sam and Dean, but rather about the big bad destroying the world. Personally, I think the big bad should be smaller in scale and very personal to the Winchesters.

    I was very interested in Azazel as the big bad because he was so deeply personal to Sam, Dean, Mary, and John. He was connected to the entire Winchester family and they all lost so much because of him. And this show is about family.

    If Michael comes into play this season and he ends up topside, then I think next season's big bad should be Adam. At this point, he has spend thousands of years as Michael's biatch. Surely he must be twisted, devoid of humanity, and PISSED! He is very connected to Sam and Dean, making the threat very personal.

    What do you think? Am I on an island?

    Didi.

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  8. no island for you. I totally agree. I think smaller is better and more personal. I've always liked the more personal stories....like I said, myth arc eps are good, but it's the motw eps that I find myself emotionally invested in.....and the best is when myth arc and motw are blended together....that's having our cake and devouring it without guilt. LOL. I don't find Amara all that interesting or scary to be honest. Rowena, though, I find her to be quite menacing because you never know what she's going to do, who's side she'll chose at that moment, and what her true end game is. I for one would be totally happy with show going back to it's original and successful roots.....as a matter of fact I think this season is a step in that direction.

    Thanks so much for reading and sharing your thoughts.

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