Mark Watches ‘Supernatural’: S05E19 – Hammer of the Gods

In the nineteenth episode of the fifth season of Supernatural, Sam and Dean are basically trapped in an alternate version of American Gods. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Supernatural.

Trigger Warning: For discussion of race, lots of blood/gore, and BUGS AND BODY HORROR AND NOPE

Seriously, is anyone going to survive season five? WHO HAVEN’T THEY KILLED OFF YET?

I think I like the idea behind “Hammer of the Gods” a lot more than the execution of it. It’s a story that should have had a multiple-episode arc in order to remedy one of the bigger problems (an almost complete lack of development of any of these characters), but even then? The positioning of these characters in the narrative seems kind of dismissive anyway, and the resolution of this episode feels sloppy because of it.

I mean, this is such a good premise. It’s a clear nod to American Gods (and not the first one) from the get-go: a group of gods unconnected to the Abrahamic religions gather in a hotel to discuss how they can stop the apocalypse. AND THE WONDERFUL REKHA SHARMA IS KALI AND HOW ON EARTH COULD YOU WASTE THIS OPPORTUNITY. Kali is a SLAYER OF DEMONS and she slaughters exactly no demons in this episode. And that’s the problem with “Hammer of the Gods.” This show sticks some of the most fascinating gods imaginable in a room, and aside from Mercury’s speed and Kali’s destructive fire, it uses nothing of them. We don’t learn what their powers or their specialties are. Some of them only have a couple lines total.

And then they’re all characterized as petty savages, and it’s just so eye-rolling, y’all. Like, did no one think about sticking so many people of color together (for the first time in a long time on this show), only to have them act ruthlessly violent with one another? At worst, I do think this is a case of unfortunate implications, not something purposely malicious. I understand the dynamic achieved by this episode. It’s meant to demonstrate to us just how powerful and terrifying Lucifer is, and good lord, IT DOES THAT IN SPADES. His appearance during the final act is beautifully filmed, and Mark Pellegrino is (unsurprisingly) a work of goddamn art in every scene he is in. And I’m so floored by the attention to detail paid with his character! His vessel is decaying, and as it gets closer to dying, Lucifer becomes more and more hostile. It’s a physical and emotional tone shift. Then we’ve got that sequence where he strolls the hallways of the Elysian Fields Hotel, slaughtering all the gods, and it’s SO HAUNTING. The splashes of blood and gore are horrifying, yes, but that moment where the camera pulls out to show the entire hallway really cements the idea that Lucifer is in charge here.

I suppose that’s precisely why this was a frustrating experience. We have seen the show’s willingness to explore gods, God, supernatural beings, and their motivations in great detail. Even if Lucifer is terrifying and a clear villain, we still get have a backstory to him that’s continually updated through the text. We still understand why he behaves the way he does. So why give us so little of these characters? Why have Kali make that incredible speech about Western-focused thinking and imperialism, and then completely drop it by having every single god killed off but when? And then we don’t even find out what happens to Kali. They take her out of the hotel, and…. leave her somewhere?

It feels lazy. And it’s the contrast between the gods’ characterizations and Gabriel’s/Lucifer’s that makes this feel so jarring. BECAUSE EVERYTHING WITH GABRIEL IS SO WONDERFUL. Here, we get a story about Dean encouraging Gabriel to stand up to his brother, which is in contrast with Dean’s own decision in the last episode to stand by his brother. Supernatural frequently delves into the perils and joys of the family dynamic, and Gabriel is no exception here. After “Changing Channels,” Gabriel continues to struggle with his own usefulness in the coming Apocalypse. He doesn’t show up to the Elysian Fields ready to fight the Devil and Michael; no, he’s still maintaining that he’s a third party with his own interests. Initially, he’s there to rescue Dean and Sam, and that’s it.

But after being bound to his ex-lover Kali, Gabriel’s options are complicated. He can’t remove Dean and Sam from this disaster, and now he’s certain that Kali and the other gods mean business, given that she kills Gabriel. Well, not really, it was an illusion, but he got the point. So why change his mind? BECAUSE DEAN WINCHESTER. Take it from a man who just spent months thriving on sarcasm and a loss of faith: doing nothing is not rewarding. Y’all, how do the writers come up with so many character parallels like this? Because now I’m thinking that Gabriel’s own apathy back in “Changing Channels” was foreshadowing for Dean’s eventual trip down that path.

Anyway, Gabriel does come through, but not until the end. Well, his end, I should say. Just one episode after the dramatic death of Zachariah, Gabriel stands up to his big brother and loses his life in the process, all so that someone he loves and two giant goofballs with no sense of pragmatism can try and stop the impossible force that is Lucifer. I don’t think that Gabriel ever entertained the notion that his plan to stop Lucifer would actually work, but his final message to the Winchesters has a distinctly different tone than we’re used to from him. There’s just the tiniest sliver of hope. There’s a chance. An infinitesimal one, sure, but it’s there.

AND IT’S TOTALLY A CAPTAIN PLANET-STYLE WAY TO BEAT LUCIFER. Gabriel admits that there’s no way to kill Lucifer without him. (Or, I’m guessing, any of the other Archangels. How many of them are there now? Four? Michael, Lucifer, Gabriel, and Raphael. Where is Raphael, by the way???) But they can TRAP him if they can get him back into the same cage where he was imprisoned down in hell. The rings of the Four Horsemen? They’re keys!!! SECRET DECODER RING OF JOY, THERE’S A CHANCE.

Do I know how they’re going to do this? NOPE. But if the final scene is any indication, Pestilence is next on the docket, and I am going to be grossed out now and forever and that was THE GROSSEST THING IN THE UNIVERSE, SAVE ME FROM THIS SHOW, Y’ALL. Hey, at least there’s a chance we’re not getting “Bugs: Part 2,” since Pestilence clearly covers more than just insects. I can’t believe that sentence is comforting. Lord.

The video for “Hammer of the Gods” can be downloaded here for $0.99.

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About Mark Oshiro

Perpetually unprepared since '09.
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