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Supernatural: Road Trip

"Just call me Plan C."

Was this the best Crowley episode ever? If not, it was close.

Crowley has been way too evil for me the past couple of seasons, and the idea that even the King of Hell could be redeemed is just fun. They've softened him, but they haven't defanged the banter at all. I'm a Mark Sheppard fan and I'm so pleased that they're giving him such great stuff to do. I kept expecting him to turn on Dean and Castiel, especially when they left him alone with the torturee (have we learned nothing after Abaddon got away last season, boys?) but I loved that Crowley kept his word and saved Sam in his own inimitable Crowley way.

I absolutely do not blame Sam for reaching a breaking point and telling Dean he'd had enough. But at the same time, I completely understand why Dean lied to Sam. Dean simply cannot deal with Sam dying. We know this. We've been down this road many times. And Sam knows it, too. Did he really think Dean would just let him die?

So it's just Dean and his ph... Impala now. Usually when the boys reach a breaking point in their relationship, they separate for one episode. Maybe two. Perhaps it will be longer this time.

Until now, I was thinking Gadreel might not be evil, after all, but no – he's all about the power and the payback and being Metatron's second in command. Killing his BFF, a decent angel who just wanted to live quietly with his adopted family? Despicable. Plus there's that "he ruined the universe" thing. At least we're getting more of Tahmoh Penikett, and yay for that.

The NSA has been infiltrated by Hell. Of course it has. Cecily was fun, sort of like a perky, dark-haired, evil Veronica Mars, and she was digging the Winchesters and Castiel, a.k.a. Captain Sexy. Too bad she's gone already. Abaddon loses her temper too easily, while Crowley sat patiently in a dark room for what seemed to be a long time. Crowley is also able to work with angels and Winchesters. He even tried to work with leviathans. In an Abaddon/Crowley showdown, I'm betting on Crowley. And that's nothing against Alaina Huffman, who is doing a great job with the part.

Bits and pieces:

— A Viking funeral for poor Kevin. And no new prophet will be called. You'd think God would have to be the one to flip the switch. It doesn't seem right that Metatron can do it.

— The Castiel trenchcoat is back! And I was so enjoying the convenience store smock. At least he ditched the tie.

— I was happy that Sam didn't have to endure the Alfie torture experience that Gadreel did. Sam has been through enough.

— There is something so funny about the boys walking into the dungeon and still finding Crowley sitting there patiently. It happened a number of times and it made me smile, every time. Although I guess that's over for now.

— Dog bowl of blood. Sort of funny, but only because we didn't see the poor little furry guy getting his throat cut. Maybe it was take-out blood.

— I'm sort of sorry we didn't get the ghouls and cheerleaders adventure.

— This week: the bunker in Lebanon; Somerset, Pennsylvania; and where else?

— Sam's hair is starting to ringlet. Maybe it's time for a trim.

Quotes:

Crowley: "The poor giant baby's in trouble again, isn't he?"

Crowley: "Your phallus on wheels just ran a red light in Somerset, Pennsylvania ten minutes ago."

Dean: "Welcome to the party, pal."
That's from Die Hard, isn't it?

Crowley: "Laverne! Shirley! Get in here!"
Which was which?

Dean: "A demon and an angel walk into my brother. Sounds like a bad joke."
Plus an angel and a demon get into the back seat of a car. Not that it hasn't happened before.

Really enjoyed this one. Three out of four ph... moving right along,

Billie
---
Billie Doux has been reviewing Supernatural for so long that Dean and Sam Winchester feel like old friends. Courageous, adventurous, gorgeous old friends.

12 comments:

  1. This was my first hellatus and proud to say I survived. I loved this episode. It made me laugh, it made me emotional, and while I definitely want Dean and Sam (and Cas) back together sooner rather than later, the Winchesters need to have a long sit down talk first. Have they ever actually done that?

    I, too, can see both sides. I don't blame Sam at all for his reaction. The one thing he wanted most of all (no one to get hurt), happened, and even though it wasn't truly at his hands... I get it. I liked that out of everything he remembered Gadreel did, what affected him the most was Kevin. Crowley's "rah-rah" speech to get him to cast Gadreel out was awesome. Kind of a 'The End' deja vu with the foot on the throat. "Get the hell OUT!" (You go Sam!). The white light leaving him then the red smoke was very impressive VFX work.

    Now for Dean, I hate that he thinks he's poison and hurts everything/everyone he gets close to. That may be true to a degree but pretty sure there are just as many walking around happy, healthy, and alive because of Dean (and Sam) Winchester. I blame John for where they are right now, he made Dean be the parent and screwed both of his sons up. Dean tries (and has tried) to let Sam go but when you've been a father figure all your life, it's not a light switch that can just be turned off.

    Cas was sure different this episode. I think I like this Cas though but definitely was more edgy. Side effect of Theo's grace perhaps? Have we ever seen him slap Dean's arm away? Judging by the look on Dean's face, it was a first. I know he's snapped at him before...

    Crowley...

    His "Great! When do we leave?" cracked me up. He wasn't at all anxious to get out of that chair.

    I too wonder which one he considers Laverne and which one is Shirley. Equally hilarious is that they came to being called that without blinking an eye. I would definitely put them all in the category of frenemies.

    A whole caboodle of gold acting stars to everyone for this episode, with a extra caboodle for Jensen.

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  2. Does this show ever wane in quality?

    You covered basically everything I loved about the episode.

    This show has had some funny images, but Dean, Castiel, and Crowley rolling away in Castiel's pimpmobile to the sound of hip hop is so funny I'm laughing while writing about it.

    Can't wait for the Dean and Crowley hunter team-up they've got coming next time.

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  3. "So it's just Dean and his ph… Impala now."

    His Imphallus?

    This was a fun episode, and a sad one, but the thing that made me laugh out loud was when Castiel said "I have a vehicle, but it stopped inexplicably a few miles away," and then they cut to the dog. For a minute, I thought Castiel had been using the dog as a vehicle. Perhaps riding it, perhaps a sled situation. The visual was awesome.

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  4. I think Gadreel will be redeemed. I believe in the end, he will turn against Metatron. Of course, he will probably have to sacrifice himself... but that will be the price of his redemption.

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  5. Billie, correct me if I'm wrong, but was the Lavern and Shirley reference a shout back to Changing Channels? The title sequence of that episode seemed to mirror the old Lavern and Shirley sequence.
    If so it would mark perhaps the fourth reference I got on my own.

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  6. It's interesting that Sam and Dean while currently moving in opposite directions, are actually in the same mental place. They don't want anyone else to die because of them. As Melissa said, that's why Sam was ready to die, and that's certainly why Dean is now heading out on his own. I'm curious to see how they both cope with this unbearable guilt moving forward.

    I think I'm glad they split up again. In some respects, it feels a bit like a retread, but at the same time, it wouldn't have felt right if Sam just went, "So, you lied to me again, and you tricked me into staying alive, but it's cool. Let's just move on." We'll see if they take this split any place new, but for now, it feels like what's needed.

    Overall, I really liked this episode. I'm excited to have Crowley back in action, and really glad that we're going to get more Tahmoh Penikett. Definitely "yay for that."

    I still feel a certain degree of sympathy for Gadreel. He was the "original chump" and he's desperately trying to repair his reputation and show he's not the bad guy that angels like Castiel think he is. I don't really think it is about power for him, but about being seen as "a good guy." He thinks if he helps Metratron restore heaven that the fallen angels will see he's not so bad. (That's what he thinks they are trying to do, right? I'm not sure I'm remembering the line Metatron fed him correctly.) But he's still being played for a chump by Metatron. It's ironic and sad.

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  7. One of the few shows that can have me laughing out loud one minute and wiping away tears the next. The final scene just killed me.

    I completely understand why Sam is so upset -- who wouldn't be? But, to see Dean so convinced that he is poison, that no one should be around him is so sad. The boys do need a break from each other, but let's hope it's not too long.

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  8. Dean: This doesn't make us square. I see you again...
    Crowley: I'm dead. Yes I know. Love you too.

    I was really worried that Crowley was going to go out with a "hero's" death at the end, facing off against Abaddon which would have been tragic because I LOVED his banter with Dean and Castiel this episode. I guess I have consistently loved it but this episode was over the top. He's so flirty and dismissive of them at the same time.
    "Vote Crowley."
    Also, I love the term Imphallus, Josie! :)

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  9. Great episode and review- thanks Billie! I guess I was wrong about Gariel's possession of Sam being the thing that split them up. This show retreads a lot of things and usually does it well so I hope they have a good split and reunion coming. I don't think you are supposed to like the King of Hell but I do. He is witty and keeps his bargains. He stuck around to make sure Sam got rid of the angel. Of course Crowley is smarmy while Abbadon is brute violence. It is an interesting question to ask if demons prefer brute violence or not.

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  10. I enjoyed this episode, Crowley was awesome and I liked how he still keeps his word. The conversation between Sam and dean at the end was said that dean see's himself that way. i like they took 5 mins at the start to show what dean did for Kevin

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  11. Rewatching during this time of pandemic. How is it possible that Castiel, who has been working at a gas station, could let his vehicle run out of gas?

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