Supernatural: A Little Slice of Kevin

Hello fellow Impala enthusiasts! Tonight’s Supernatural marks the return of the Tran family and our favorite trench coat toting angel, in an episode the cast and crew have been talking about for months. Not gonna lie. I was a bit nervous going in. I believe I had every right to be. We’ve had some doozies this year. And we’re only a third of the way through. It was a lot more intense than it was angsty (though there was some of that, too). By and large one of the most visually stunning episodes we’ve ever had. The amazing VFX team really pulled one out this week. Incredible. Don’t forget to tweet thanks to I/O Coordinator, Adam Williams, Coordinator Ryan Curtis and the rest of the uber talented team (see below). All of the Purgatory scenes and Castiel’s angel tricks were completely mind blowing. A job very well done.

The biggest news, of course, was Castiel’s return. And what a return it was. It seems like ages since we’ve had a sane Cas fighting like a true warrior on the side of good. And it felt so right. And exciting. He went full on Nuclear Angel when he was about to take out Crowley and he wasn’t even at full strength. Holy Ring of Fire Batman! It turns out Heaven was behind Castiel’s rescue from Purgatory and it came with a price. He has to stick with Sam & Dean and report back regularly. Only, without him knowing that it’s happening. I’m beginning not to trust this heaven place.

Speaking of Castiel’s rescue… Is Dean so broken, so traumatically stressed that he is altering things inside of his own mind? The man breaks my heart. He honestly believed that it was his fault that Cas didn’t make it through the portal. His own memories were remodeled BY HIMSELF to hide the fact that Cas pushed him through and tried to stay on purpose as a form of self-administered punishment for everything he had done wrong. It begs the question: has Dean altered other memories as well? Could this explain Sam’s lack of surprise at seeing him in the cabin? Could it explain Sam’s missing explanation of why or how he didn’t find Dean? I might be reaching here, but it’s worth a thought or two. Either way, Cas had some wise words for Dean. “You can’t save everyone, my friend, though you try.” Is it even in Dean’s DNA to begin to comprehend that? I sure hope so. Someday.

We didn’t get a lot of time with Sam this week. Or a lot of alone time with our favorite brothers either. But that ONE, SIMPLE, BROTHERLY punch to the shoulder Sam gave Dean said a million words. Of love. Of support. Dean thought he was going crazy. Dean WAS going crazy. With guilt. From PTSD. And that one jab of affection was enough. I must not tell lies. It caused me to choke on a sob or two. Does that love tap mean that they’ve actually worked past some of their issues? I have a feeling the angst will rear its ugly head again. So much left unsaid. But man, that was beautiful.

Other notables and quotables:

• Excellent use of “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place” by The Animals. I can’t believe they’ve never used it before.
• You know you have issues when you find Dean eating chips and licking his fingers while driving really sexy. Lord help me.
• CAS! No Cas.
• “I was gonna say it looks like you’ve seen a ghost but you’d probably be stoked.”
• Wouldn’t it be crazy if climate change and natural disasters were all the work of demons? Now I’m scared.
• Oh. My. God. That poor, darling angel kid Samandriel is really getting worked over by Crowley. I don’t care for it. It makes me not feel good.
• “MOM! You’ve got to stop drowning me in holy water every time I go out!” Ugh. Teenagers are so demanding.
• Don’t trust witches. Never trust witches. This coming from a Salem girl.
• Should I save an exorcism on my phone just in case? This show makes me paranoid. But prepared. I dare you to check my salt supplies.
• Crowley is surrounded by regular humans who believe he is an alien who beamed them to a space ship. Fantastic.
• Dean’s ride out of Purgatory sounds a lot more brutal than what we’ve been shown so far.
• “I’m dirty.”
• Hey guys. Blood sharing is how you spread disease. Hasn’t Dean mentioned several shifty truck stop waitresses? Gross.
• Was there a dry cleaner in that motel bathroom? His coat looks pretty good.
• What did I say about trusting witches? And a dumb witch at that for trusting a Demon. These people. Don’t they even watch the show?
• “Not sure what happened to Chuck but he must be dead.” NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Please say it isn’t so!! I love Chuck. LOVE CHUCK.
• “I did not leave you.” You know, Dean. Stabbing me directly in the heart would have been more efficient.
• Mrs. Tran is THE BOMB. Almost literally. Lady has some serious cojones.
• Where did Crowley get that pinwheel he’s playing with? This guy.
• Poor Kevin. Did anyone else think of fellow SPNer DJ Qualls and that time he lost a digit on Lone Star State of Mind? Love that movie.
• “Don’t provoke me, Kevin. You still have 9 fingers.”
• Those demon bombs sure are handy.
• You know what else comes in handy? Castiel’s magical glowing hands. Sure is nice to have those back.
• Mrs. Tran is such a mom. One billion dollars says there was spit on that napkin.
• When Cas gets into that room in Heaven he says that he’s never been there before. Does he mean Heaven or that room? In 6×20 Cas said this: “Of course, there isn’t one Heaven. Each soul generates its own Paradise. I favor the eternal Tuesday afternoon of an autistic man who died in a bathtub in 1953.” And I’m not positive, but didn’t he kill a boat load of angels in that same place in 7×01?

What did you guys think of this week’s wild ride? The boys are trusting Garth to look after the Trans while they look for the missing piece of the puzzle. That’s kind of awesome. How many tablets to you think there are? Do the Winchesters have one of their own? Any other theories you’d like to share? It will be two full weeks before our next all new episode (ugh, put me in the ground) but it looks like it will be well worth the wait. This season really has been GR8. Right?

P.S. You should also send Special Effects love to Mark, Werner, Jason, & Derek. They have really made this season of Supernatural super stunning to watch. Congrats to the entire team. I am WOWed.

Photo Courtesy of The CW