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Supernatural: I'm No Angel

"There's more to humanity than survival. You look for purpose. And you must not be defeated by anger or despair. Or hedonism, for that matter."

I've loved Castiel for years, and it feels like I've been waiting for an episode like this forever. So thanks for finally giving us a character piece about Castiel learning how to be human in his own inimitable Castiel-like way. Misha Collins got to flex his acting muscles (I hate that expression, but it fits) by dealing with homelessness, sex, death and toothpaste. You'd think an angel turned human would be all aesthetic, but Castiel apparently has some pretty strong appetites. And not just for burritos.

That last scene in the bunker made me go "Aww." Castiel was so obviously happy about finally making it to the land of hot showers, junk food and Winchesters; when Dean told Castiel he couldn't stay, Castiel looked like a lost puppy. How can Dean just throw Castiel out into the cold without survival skills? At least teach him how to pull off credit card fraud or how to scam someone at pool before he goes.

Is it really the freelance "delta force" reapers, or does Ezekiel have another reason for ejecting Castiel? Because I am not liking how Ezekiel is popping out of Sam with alarming frequency. Okay, Dean called him, and yes, Ezekiel brought Castiel back from the dead which is, of course, a good thing, but we're seeing way too much of someone who is supposed to stay in hiding. And the new Big Bad, Naomi's protege Bartholomew with the preternaturally blue eyes, has helpfully pointed out in a particularly icky way that good vessels are hard to find. We all know that Sam is primo vessel material. Right? Right?


At least Dean is getting good at covering up the Ezekiel thing. Wait. No, he's not. What's surprising is that Sam and Castiel didn't pick up on Dean's blindingly obvious coverup this time.

So are the fallen angels taking over the world? I'm getting Leviathan vibes, although the angels have always been scarier and a lot more interesting. At any rate, Bartholomew and his brutal body-exploding faction are leaving a trail of dead people behind them. Maybe Bart should put down some plastic before trying out another vessel.

I knew April was too good to be true, so no surprise there. I think I need clarification on the reaper rules, though. Reapers are supernatural beings like angels and demons (but they're not either one) and they can be killed by angel blades. Can they be exorcised? Warded against? Do they report to Death? Won't he be angry about them moonlighting for angels? And does that mean Death will be coming back? (Yay!)

One more thing. Where do reapers go when they die?

Bits:

— Bartholomew (man, that's not a fun name to type) has co-opted a television ministry to recruit angel vessels. Oddly appropriate.

— Dean has never seen It's a Wonderful Life. (Or Mary Poppins.) Wasn't it sweet that Castiel used Meg's name for him as an alias?

— How did Jensen Ackles manage to twitch on cue so perfectly when Ezekiel appeared?

— Did we really get a Reaper named Maurice? He didn't sound French. And hey, I knew that the Winchesters wouldn't not notice that someone was following them.

— If we're having a reaper-fest this season, can we have Tess back, please?

— If Castiel is having trouble with the human stuff, can't Jimmy help? It's like the guy doesn't exist any more.

— This week: St. Anne's Shelter for Men in Emery Park, Iowa; Dayton, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan; and of course, the bunker in Lebanon, Kansas.

— No Crowley this week. Castiel might not be so unhappy about leaving if he knew Crowley was lurking in the dungeon.

Quotes:

Castiel: "Do you ever tire of urinating? I'll never get used to it."

Castiel: "Food, sleep or passing gas. It's all very strange. And it's occurred to me that one day I'm going to die."

Woman: "Your lack of faith doesn't cancel what I believe."
That was a nice little scene. Although maybe she should listen to Castiel.

Castiel: "What sheep?"

April: "You look like you've been to Hell and back."
Castiel: "Yeah, a few times."

Castiel: "Um, Castiel."
April: "One name?"
Castiel: "Yeah. Like God."
April: "Or Cher."

Sam: "Look at these chemicals. Do you even read the label?"
Dean: "No, I read 'pie.' The rest is just blah blah blah."

April: "I needed information so I had to gain your trust."
Castiel: "And that required intercourse?"
Yeah, what about that? Why did she walk off and leave him after giving him her PB&J? And why wash his clothes if she was going to kill him?

Dean: "You had sex with April?"
Sam: "Yeah, that would be where the hedonism comes in."
Dean: "So did you have protection?"
Castiel: "I had my angel blade."

Solid episode, and I enjoyed it very much. Three out of four burritos,

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

17 comments:

  1. I like the setup for this season so far, but I think I've been enjoying your reviews a little more. They're always very precise.

    I just have one random comment: remember how you noticed that most girls Dean, erm, goes out with, are blondes, and Sam's are always brunettes? Castiel has a thing for red-heads (gotta side with Cas this time. Both Anna Milton and April are stunning).

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  2. I think Jimmy's gone with the wind, although they never really clarified if he was dead or just dormant or what. I kept flashing back to how Cas managed to live as Emmanuel a couple of seasons ago. Doesn't he have some life skills left over from that adventure?

    I feel significantly differently about this episode Billie, which I'm not sure has ever happened before. I didn't say "awww" when Dean kicked Cas out, I cried hysterically for about an hour. Although it IS totally in character for Dean to choose Sam over everything short of the fate of the entire planet (literally), I couldn't believe what he did to Cas. If Ezekiel didn't want to live with Cas, why not send Sam off packing? Dean couldn't figure out some way to explain it (although, gee, didn't he used to be a better liar than he was this week?) Sam is 110% capable of taking care of himself, not to mention he's possessed with an angel who can take care of truly dire circumstances if need be. Cas can't take care of himself. Cas needs help. But we're just kicking him to the curb because some guy you've known for a week says to?

    I'm definitely getting Zeke is evil vibes. DEFINITELY. All we know about Zeke is that Cas thinks he's a good guy. But do we know the angel possessing Sam is actually the real Ezekiel? Couldn't it be an unfriendly angel who knew Sam and Ezekiel were tight so when Dean asked him his name he lied and gave him a name he knew would check out?

    Cas said in an earlier season the angels would know if Lucifer escaped the cage. Is that still true now that they've been ejected from heaven? Could Satan be in Sam? This show is going to kill me.

    I LOVE the angels as the big bad. They've always been one of my favorite SPN creatures. So morally ambiguous. And I adore the way they're looking for vessels. Very, very smart. It feels like the Leviathan arc in a way, but my big problem with the Levis was that they just came out of nowhere, whereas angels have an established history and mythology on the show.

    Like you Billie, when Reapers are mentioned, my mind goes instantly to Tessa and Death. I hope we see more of both soon!

    The reason Crowley is so often unseen is that Mark Sheppard was filming this concurrently with White Collar so there were scheduling difficulties. Also why he was in a car trunk for an episode and a half.

    Sorry for the long comment everyone! If you read the whole thing, here, have a cookie! :)

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  3. Comment cookies! Yum!

    I hadn't even considered Lucifer. Would he be so cagey? Of course he would. He'd wait until he could get Sam to invite him in, wouldn't he?

    Gus, you're right about the redhead thing. I hadn't noticed.

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  4. Did I really just say Lucifer was "cagey"? :) What an outrageous subconscious pun.

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  5. I haven't watched this episode yet, but I was about to post that your comment's pun was one of the best.

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  6. I was thinking maybe Zeke is in league with Metatron. In any event, the fact that Zeke forced Dean to kick Cas out of the bunker has raised major red flags for me. Why can't Dean hook Cas up with the character played by D. J. Qualls? He could help and protect him. Love, Robin

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  7. Is it just me or does Metatron seem much more robotic than angelic??
    I keep thinking Optimus Prime will show up any minute...

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  8. What a sad ending! The look on Cas's face was heartbreaking.

    Up until now, I thought Zeke was a good guy. Now, the red flags are flying. There must be a way for Dean to continue to look after both Sam and Cas. Right?

    And, thanks for the cookie, sunbunny.

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  9. Please excuse a gross display of ignorance here, but what was the point? Why would Zeke bring Cas back only to throw him to the wolves because he is too dangerous to have around?

    I do love slightly out of it Cas experiencing humanity and constantly commenting on.

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  10. Ok, so here is my thinking on why Zeke kicked Cas out.
    There were two lines that stood out as very important-
    1)Cas said something about him being the key to undoing the spell.
    2) Zeke said it was dangerous for HIM.
    Makes you wonder that Zeke is someone more than just an average angel. Zeke is somebody big and important. I think he knows too that although Cas needs to be alive,(thus the resurrection) it is more important that he stay alive( thus kicking Cas out). The angels might be looking for Cas in force, but Zeke seems to know something more.
    Ok, that's my two cents.

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  11. First of all, thank you for the cookie, Sunbunny. I love cookies. Regarding your comment, "I couldn't believe what he did to Cas. If Ezekiel didn't want to live with Cas, why not send Sam off packing? ... Sam is 110% capable of taking care of himself, not to mention he's possessed with an angel who can take care of truly dire circumstances if need be. Cas can't take care of himself," the more Zeke pops out with Sam, the weaker both of them get. (That's what Zeke said, unless I misunderstood.) That would explain why Dean wouldn't allow Sam to leave the Bunker -- if Sam is still recovering, Dean cannot afford for Zeke to step in and take over for Sam -- it sets him back in recovery. (Or did I misunderstand? Let me know.)

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  12. Glad you enjoyed the cookie, Anon. I meant more in terms of basic human survival than monster fighting. Sam would have a much easier time feeding himself, brushing his teeth, making money, dealing with people in the world, etc. than suddenly human Cas. I'm sure he and Zeke could avoid monsters for a couple weeks. Then again, he is a Winchester...

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  13. Look, show, all I want is for Sam, Dean and Cas to go monster hunting together. Find some ghosts, burn their bones, etc. Together. As in, all three of them. For more than one episode at a time. OK? Do you think you can do that for me? DO YOU??

    I may have watched too many hours of this show today (cleaning and organising, it makes the perfect background to rearranging all the books in preparation for next term!)

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  14. I'm hoping that Dean isn't going to completely throw Castiel out into the cold. Maybe he'll have Garth set up a safe house for him or something so his basic needs are taken care of.

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  15. I knew I'd seen April somewhere before, she played Bill Compton's wife Caroline on True Blood! She did a great job, I thought her and Castiel were so cute together and then she had to go and turn evil!

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  16. What made me mad about this episode is that April just took a random homeless guy home start rubbing his shoulders and then what, it was a good ideal to have sex. I knew she was bad because of it. I wouldn't blame her if Misha came to my door, then sex time it is.

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  17. In regards to reapers now being a class of angels and I know some people have commented how can April possess a person. I think she got permission as april reaper said, "she was more than happy to let me in",

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