{"id":4484,"date":"2015-03-04T13:00:31","date_gmt":"2015-03-04T21:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/?p=4484"},"modified":"2015-02-06T16:21:19","modified_gmt":"2015-02-07T00:21:19","slug":"mark-watches-supernatural-s08e21-the-great-escapist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/markwatches.net\/reviews\/2015\/03\/mark-watches-supernatural-s08e21-the-great-escapist\/","title":{"rendered":"Mark Watches ‘Supernatural’: S08E21 – The Great Escapist"},"content":{"rendered":"

In the twenty-first episode of the eighth season of\u00c2\u00a0Supernatural<\/i>, Sam and Dean turn to other avenues to find out what the third trial is. Intrigued? Then it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s time for Mark to watch\u00c2\u00a0Supernatural<\/i>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n

Trigger Warning: For discussion of body horror\/gore, and racial stereotypes about Native Americans<\/b>.<\/p>\n

SO MUCH JUST HAPPENED.<\/p>\n

Kevin Tran<\/b><\/p>\n

This show really likes to tease me about Kevin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s fate, doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t it? There\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s so much rudeness in this episode, most of them centering on Kevin, so I did find it spectacularly fun to see him pull a fast one on Crowley. Of course, I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know if Kevin would actually succeed, and that threat is all over the events in \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Great Escapist.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d I kept hoping that this was the reference being made in the title. I WANTED KEVIN TO ESCAPE. However, I refused to underestimate Crowley. He doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t lose, so much as he experiences momentary setbacks. So when I realized that he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d trapped Kevin in some weird bubble of reality, I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t have much hope for Kevin. The elaborate illusion constructed here is so terribly perfect that I worried that Kevin wouldn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t figure it out.<\/p>\n

But hell, even if he did, how could he fight back? How do you escape something like this?<\/p>\n

Well, you beat Crowley at his own game. Kevin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s brilliant way of tricking Crowley is to give Crowley an illusion of his making. Kevin figures out that something is wrong in what amounts to the very first scene. Instead of calling Crowley on his ruse, he begins an elaborate con (one the Leverage team would be very proud of) that makes Crowley think that all his attempts at fooling Kevin have worked perfectly. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s a bold move, and it pays off, at least until Crowley figures out what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s happened. What was Kevin\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s plan at that point, though? What was he going to do once Crowley showed up? I think Kevin was prepared to die, honestly. WHICH ISN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T OKAY. Most of this episode isn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t okay, though. So much of it!<\/p>\n

Castiel<\/b><\/p>\n

Wow, I didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know you could make the angels bigger jerks, but HERE WE ARE. The ongoing power struggle between Naomi, Castiel, and Crowley has gotten INCREDIBLY VIOLENT, first of all. GOOD LORD, THE TABLET WAS\u00c2\u00a0LITERALLY<\/i> INSIDE OF CASTIEL. NOT READY FOR THAT, Y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ALL. While I suspect that the Angel tablet denotes the weaknesses of the angels (as well as how to close Heaven, like the Demon tablet), we still don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t quite know what it does. That mystery makes a lot of this deliberately frustration, though I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t mean that as a criticism. We just know that whatever is on the angel tablet, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s important enough that Naomi finds it necessary to slaughter everyone at a Biggerson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just to get Castiel\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s attention. Granted, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s not like we didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know the angels were capable of this kind of carnage. But we still got the sense that this was a big deal.<\/p>\n

At the same time, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m guessing that Castiel knows what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s on it. Actually\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 now that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve typed that out, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m not so sure. I was prepared to defend that, but didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t Castiel feel a sudden and inexplicable desire to protect the tablet once he held it? He probably\u00c2\u00a0doesn<\/i>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t<\/i> know what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s on it. Regardless, he goes to great lengths to protect it, which includes\u00c2\u00a0digging out one of Crowley<\/i>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s angel-killing bullets FROM HIS OWN STOMACH.\u00c2\u00a0<\/i>Lord, this episode is gross at times. So what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Cas\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s next step? Does he just keep running away?<\/p>\n

Metatron<\/b><\/p>\n

Well, now we know what\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s happening to Sam: his mind is \u00e2\u20ac\u0153resonating\u00e2\u20ac\u009d with Metatron, the scribe of God, and with the tablets. I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122m still hung up on that moment where Sam muses that these trials might be\u00c2\u00a0purifying<\/i> him. (Didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t I predict that would happen a long, long time ago?) They\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re certainly giving him a very odd clarity of mind, since he\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s able to recall things that happened at an age where he\u00c2\u00a0shouldn<\/i>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t<\/i> be able to remember those things. Will other powers manifest if he can complete the third trial? Will he suddenly heal? WHAT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S HAPPENING NEXT?<\/p>\n

But let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s just talk about Metatron. An angel who chose to escape it all. I admit that I got kind of excited by the idea that Metatron would be a Native American. WOULDN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T THAT HAVE BEEN SUCH A GOOD STORY OPTION? But like most shows that ever include people who are indigenous to my country,\u00c2\u00a0Supernatural<\/i> engages with Native Americans in the most superficial and stereotypical ways possible. I mean, why even have all of these stereotypes? A casino?\u00c2\u00a0Really?<\/i> And an empty one, at that??? Why is that never, ever explained???<\/p>\n

I did like the idea that the Winchesters got to confront an angel who was indirectly responsible for Kevin Tran\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s suffering. Gods, that was so rewarding, and I hope the writers give Kevin a chance to do the same. But y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all, Metatron saw what the archangels were doing once God disappeared, and instead of trying to stop it, he just gave up. He went and hid in a tiny casino\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s hotel and had his silent guide bring him books to read. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s all he did for thousands of years; he read human stories. Sure, it was pretty compelling to hear him talk of humanity\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s ability to create infinite worlds within fiction; but while this angel has been enjoying a comfortable life away from everything, the world has desperately needed an intervention\u00c2\u00a0from<\/i> the angels. So we get a fascinating dynamic here: two humans demanding that an angel actually get involved with the world.<\/p>\n

Will Metatron get involved? He saves Kevin and provides the Winchesters with the third Trial, but is that him signing up to stop Crowley? I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t know, y\u00e2\u20ac\u2122all. I don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t even know how they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re going to complete the third trial. YOU CAN\u00e2\u20ac\u2122T CURE DEMONS, THAT\u00e2\u20ac\u2122S IN THE VERY FABRIC OF THE MYTHOLOGY OF THIS SHOW. How??? Is this something the Winchesters can use in the future, or is it a one-time act?<\/p>\n

You\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve got my attention,\u00c2\u00a0Supernatural<\/i>. I NEED TO KNOW MORE.<\/p>\n

The video for \u00e2\u20ac\u0153The Great Escapist\u00e2\u20ac\u009d can be downloaded here for $0.99<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Mark Links Stuff<\/b><\/p>\n

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