In the eighth episode of the eighth season of Supernatural, Cas joins the Winchesters on a case, only to discover that it hits too close to home for him. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Supernatural.
You know, this episode was competent. It was funny at times and emotionally uncomfortable at others, but like a few of the stories this season, it still feels like the show is going through the motions more than anything else. That’s a strange thing to say about an episode of television, and I wanted to expand upon that instead of hoping that y’all understand me. I liked the season opener, but I experienced a similar sensation when I watched that episode. As weird and silly as “Hunteri Heroici†was, as insightful as Sam’s flashback’s were, and as meaningful as Cas’s journey was, I didn’t feel very strongly about this episode. It’s not terrible! It was entertaining! But that lack of any real thrill seemed significant to me.
Perhaps it’s because this follows “A Little Slice of Kevin.†I can admit that. It’s always hard to follow a mythology-heavy episode on this show, but I think that I can’t see how the events here will play a larger part in any season-long arc. I’m glad that we’re seeing why Sam pursued a relationship with Amelia and why they broke up, but how much more is there to learn? I don’t feel like another flashback would be able to provide us with much information, so now I want to know how all of this is going to affect Sam in the future. I think that this episode touches on the idea of denial, particularly since Sam is able to get Fred Jones to snap out of his cartoon world. I appreciated that (and how it related to Castiel’s story), but it didn’t grab as much as Sam’s story usually did.
I don’t think the writers took the cartoon concept as far as they could have. When we finally found out what was causing all of this, I definitely expected that Fred Jones’s bubble would be… well, a whole lot weirder. Maybe a bit less gross? Wait, that’s silly. This is Looney Tunes-style animation, which is exceedingly gross. Still, some of the effects were neat, but I suppose I thought this would be more like Who Framed Roger Rabbit? But my own expectations for a premise aren’t the only means to measure how good something is. I think we’ve all had to deal with that kind of disappointment, so I don’t want to address this episode solely through that lens.
What this episode does incredibly well, though, is find the emotional core of this journey. In Sam’s case, the events of “Hunteri Heroici†cause him to reflect on how his relationship with Amelia was a way for him to deny the reality of entropy. His life had fallen apart, he’d run away from Dean, and he had run straight to Amelia. How true is that in reverse? Was Amelia in the relationship because it was easier to run? I don’t know that yet. But I do know that Castiel was running from his past throughout this episode. His fantasy here is one of assimilation. If he can become a hunter, he can entertain the notion of penance. He can begin to make the world better one human at a time. Well, that’s what he hopes, but the reality of his life is a whole lot more complex than that.
It’s fascinating to me that Cas has to spend time with the Winchesters in order to learn that, though. Dean offers Castiel a chance to open up about what he’s going through (WHERE HAS THIS VERSION OF DEAN BEEN THE WHOLE SHOW? That scene was so good!) and it’s how we discover just how much guilt Castiel has. Then, while listening to Sam trying to compel Fred to end his denial, he realizes just how much he’s been denying his own reality. So why deny that anymore? Why not try to do something that will genuinely help the world and heaven? Of course, because Naomi is interfering in Castiel’s life, Cas has no idea that he is helping out… sort of??? I’m so confused (SURPRISE) about what his role is supposed to be, so I can’t say that he’s actually working towards some form of contrition. What if he’s not? What if Naomi’s purpose is sinister? That possibility is entirely likely, and Cas will be so fucked up if it’s true. MORE THAN HE ALREADY IS.
All that being said? My favorite part of “Hunteri Heroici†was Castiel as a hunter. HANDS DOWN, NO CONTEST. If this entire season had taken this storyline and expanded it, I would have been happy forever. It was nice that his character was able to provide comic relief again. That’s not to say I don’t want this show to try other things with Castiel, since I’m definitely interested in what he’s doing for Naomi. I want to see how he’ll try to make up for what he did in Heaven and on Earth. But goddamn, it was just so entertaining to see him try and be a Winchester, you know?
The video for “Hunteri Heroici†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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