In the second episode of the tenth season of Supernatural, HOLY SHIT, THIS IS SO FUCKED UP. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Supernatural.Â
Trigger Warning: For torture and queerbaiting
I still think it was a weird idea to spread this story over two episodes, and the more I think about it, the more I believe that the show could have done away with almost everything in the first episode in order to focus on what happens here. It’s a lot more satisfying to watch because the writers don’t just use these characters to spout exposition; we see exactly what they’re struggling through.
And holy shit, it’s awful.
Castiel / Hannah
This is much better, y’all. It’s still a bit odd because sometimes I feel like a huge part of this story is missing. Who exactly is Hannah answering to? Anyone? If that’s the case, then why does she so quickly decide to be a “rogue” agent and stay down on Earth? How is she able to communicate with Metatron without any of the other angels knowing what she’s doing? It seems strange, no?
Still, I enjoyed the dynamic of Castiel and Hannah navigating humanity together. It’s not like Castiel is an expert at being human, despite that he’s got a whole lot more experience at it than Hannah does. But he’s a guide of sorts for her as the two of them wander Earth, and… well, he tries. He’s still awkward as hell, and he’s severely limited in his abilities because of his diminishing grace. So, it’s no secret that Hannah has some pretty intense feelings for Cas, right? I feel like that’s specifically why she goes to Heaven to negotiate for Cas’s remaining grace. Plus, she seemed pretty damn willing to let Metatron free for Cs. AND CLEARLY THAT WAS A BAD IDEA AND SHE KNEW IT AND I BET SHE WOULD HAVE DONE IT HAD CASTIEL NOT INTERVENED. We do foolish shit when we’re in love, and I don’t think angels are exempt in this context. It was also surprising (but understandable) that Cas was willing to die instead of deal with Metatron. That scene made a lot of sense to me once I reflected on it for this review, especially since Cas feels he’s a danger to those around him more than a help. Why fight his fate? He accepts it.
But for how long?
Sam / Cole
WOW, THIS HURT. A LOT. Literally and figuratively! Y’all, it was only last season that Sam admitted that he would not go out of his way to bring Dean back to life, and here we are. Sam is furiously fighting for Dean, desperate to cure him of the demon within him. (How does that even work with the Mark of Cain? Can you even get rid of the Mark at all?) Unfortunately, Cole makes that a little bit difficult. I now understand Cole’s role within this story, and it’s just sad, isn’t it??? This man watches his father get killed by Dean; he then devotes his entire life to getting revenge. Which is absurd, sure, but it’s not like it’s an entirely unfair thing to want to have. He prepares for YEARS. Years!!! And we don’t even know why Dean killed Cole’s father.
In the end, it doesn’t matter, and that’s what is so horrifying about this. Sam wants to fight for Dean, and Cole wants to murder Dean. Even if Cole’s father was a monster, does that excuse what we see here? No, not at all. Cole becomes a human punching bag for Dean. His soul purpose is to become fodder for Dean’s rage, and I can’t imagine a sadder fate. Is he ever gonna get closure? Probably not, though his future is left hanging at the end of “Reichenbach.” I have no idea if he’ll return to the show, given that he was here to show us just how savage Dean had become.
This is messed up.
Dean and the Mark of Cain
I mean… I suppose this is exactly what I was expecting of Demon Dean??? And yet, it still messed me up. I would presume to say that Dean was ever a demonic person, but what unnerved me about Jensen Ackles’s performance in “Reichenbach” is that it felt barely different than the real Dean. The arrogance and the macho swagger is still there. The wit is there. His propensity for violence is everywhere. I know that a human with a demon inside them makes them a different person, but I feel like when you consider Dean’s past in Purgatory, the Mark of Cain, and his sense of self-worth, his demon nature becomes a whole lot more terrifying, you know?
And in a matter of minutes, Dean goes from agreeing to murder an adulteress wife as part of one of Crowley’s pacts to murdering the man who sold his soul. Why? Because he’s actually worse. So there’s an undeniable morality – a human one! – that makes up Demon Dean. It’s complex, and I think it’s important to acknowledge that. Dean is a very unique demon. I mean, he still frightens the hell out of me, don’t get me wrong. That scene where he taunts Sam for caring about him, insulting Sam’s willingness to be emotional? Wow. Thanks, Supernatural, for once again using Sam Winchester as your perpetual punching bag. WHY MUST YOU HURT HIM SO.
There is just one part of this episode that I kind of hate. A lot. The idea of Crowley building Dean into a prototype of sorts? That’s interesting. That’s a story I’d see. I think that it’s now a dead plotline, given the end of this episode, but even then? I could absolutely do without all of the ridiculous queerbaiting present here. At this point, I feel like the people writing this show and producing it have to have heard the complaints about this show. As far as I know, many of y’all have been loudly complaining about this shit for over five years. And instead of introducing a regular, non-jokey gay/queer romance of any kind, we get all these eye-roll-inducing sequences that hint at Crowley’s “love” for Dean. We get references to a break up in the end. The show deliberately courts this dynamic, but then pulls away before ever confirming that this is real and not just our imagination.
And I’m so fucking tired of it. I’m thirty-one years old, y’all. I have expelled enough energy trying to convince straight people that I matter, and I’m done doing it. Y’all do the work now.
The video for “Reichenbach” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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