In the tenth episode of the ninth season of Supernatural, Dean becomes desperate to help his brother. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Supernatural.
Trigger Warning: For talk of consent.
Look, I’m still angry. VERY ANGRY. But there are things I liked here a lot, and I’m certainly intrigued by the dual war unfolding here. It makes this season feel crowded in a good way, and the parallels add weight to the story. However, this episode is tainted by Kevin’s death, and it’s unavoidable for me. As I expected, Kevin’s death served a purpose we see here: to give character development to Dean and to offer a new path for Gadreel. Both of these things are, outside of that context, fascinating changes to this season. But I can’t divorce them of that context, you know? It’s now built in to the season’s arc, so it’s difficult for me to view it in any other way.
I’m saying that because I think it’s important to acknowledge how past episodes affect the ones that come after it, and I don’t often get to talk about the negative impact of story choices. Many of the missteps that Supernatural has made were contained to single episodes, but this is not. It’s all over the show now. I do want to make sure that I’m also analyzing these stories and this show as it moves beyond what’s just happened, too. (I realize it’s kind of weird saying that because this aired over a year ago. Lord, I’m so close to catching up to y’all!) “Road Trip†opens with an indication that at least in some sense, Dean has to move on. He gives Kevin Tran the hunter’s funeral pyre, and then he sets about to immediately do some of the damage done by his actions.
Sort of? I mean, obviously, he wants Gadreel out of Sam’s body, and he’s also willing to do practically anything to get that accomplished. I wonder, then, how sympathetic this show will be towards this struggle of Dean’s. I always wonder how much of my own perception of Supernatural as Dean’s show affects how I read this shit, but I definitely feel like the writers are not as harsh here on Dean as they have been on Sam. Castiel is quick to assure Dean that he did what he thought he had to do “for the right reasons,†and I don’t know that Sam ever got that same treatment from anyone for doing the exact same thing. Why is that? Is my memory skewed here? I’ve always thought that this show was largely from Dean’s perspective, and that feels like it’s the case here.
Still, he is working to fix things. That’s easier said than done because THIS IS SUPERNATURAL, EVERYTHING MUST HURT PERPETUALLY. So how do they do that here? They give Dean a choice: he can help expel Gadreel from Sam’s body by allowing Crowley to access Gadreel’s “factory settings.†In exchange, Crowley gets to go on a ROAD TRIP. It is very wacky and lovely because that’s the only thing that can happen before everything goes to shit on this show. Hey, I’ve recognized that pattern! I’m learning!
I think, though, that this is how the writers attempt to parallel the journey between Dean and Gadreel. Both of these characters are so desperate to rectify the mistakes they’ve made that they turn to increasingly desperate solutions in order to cleanse themselves. In Gadreel’s case, he falls for Metatron’s manipulative tactics in order to pursue the glory that’s promised him. (Seriously, Metatron is terrifying here because I can see exactly how he’s exploiting Gadreel’s vulnerabilities.) For an angel locked away in Heaven’s prison SINCE THE LITERAL BEGINNING OF TIME, killing other angels and humans is an absurd thought. He can’t even fathom how murder will improve his reputation, and yet? He does it. He kills Thaddeus and Kevin and Abner. (So wait… Gadreel wasn’t in love with Abner? I TOTALLY READ THAT AS A ROMANCE, ahahaha. Surprise, they were just “friends.â€)
Dean’s desperation manifests not only in his decision to bring Crowley along, but in letting him visit Cecily alone. Of course, nothing is more indicative of the risks he’s willing to take than the deal he makes in the final act of “Road Trip.â€Â That choice – to allow Crowley to possess Sam in order to compel him to eject Gadreel – gives us one of the better scenes this season. The very idea of Sam being possessed by TWO supernatural beings at once is ridiculous, but it’s so compelling to watch. I found it rewarding because it was rooted in Sam finally learning the truth and getting the chance to choose for himself. Now, that’s the central aspect of Sam’s story at this point. For the entirety of this season, he’s been stuck on the sidelines because he was left in the dark. His confusion over lost time or his exhaustion was constantly pushed aside by Dean’s lying and selective truths. So what happens when he learns the truth? What happens when he remembers?
I knew it wouldn’t be an easy thing to watch, but holy shit. IT’S SO FUCKING BRUTAL. I suppose that’s a good thing, though, because I think it’s important that Sam’s feelings about this are given the respect they deserve. It was strange to experience all of this through Crowley, though I shouldn’t have been surprised that he’d live up to his end of the bargain. I guess it was weird to see Crowley trying to legitimately help someone, and in this instance, he was helping Sam navigate something truly terrible and traumatic. (I had a moment where I wondered if Crowley’s vessel would wake up and Dean and Cas would talk to him. WOULDN’T THAT HAVE BEEN INTERESTING?) But the show reserved most of Sam’s anger for the final scene of “Road Trip,†a painfully uncomfortable confrontation that is clearly not over at all. I mean, how could it be? As forgiving as Sam has been in the past, this was a million times worse than anything else that had ever been done to him.
So I’m glad that the show is, for the moment, giving some space for Sam to be angry. There’s no easy resolution here. Sam is furious – justifiably so – and the show does not invalidate that. Even though Sam and Dean part for the moment so that Dean can track down Gadreel, Sam makes it known that this is not over. There’s a bigger problem at hand. Oh god, WHAT IS IT??? What wasn’t addressed here? Sam took issue with Dean choosing for him, which has been an issue for a while between these two. Could this be a reference to Dean’s inability to let Sam go? I need to think about this one a bit more because I don’t quite know what Sam was referring to.
Anyway, at this point, Crowley is free, eager to finish off Abaddon. Malachi and Bartholomew are still warring. Gadreel and Metatron are still working together, and I have no idea how they’re going to choose the angels for the rebuilding of Heaven. Are they even going to bother with the Winchesters at this point, or will they disappear for a while? Where does Castiel fit into this? I mean, he stole another angel’s grace. That’s not going to be looked up positively, is it?
THERE’S A LOT GOING ON HERE, Y’ALL.
The video for “Road Trip†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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