Supernatural "The Great Escapist" review

It's Thursday, and that means it's time for a review of last night's incredibly awesome episode of Supernatural. I'd like to preface this review by saying that if I had attempted to write this last night, I would have gotten exactly nowhere, because I was too busy being blown away by how good the episode was as a whole. I actually watched it through once, sat and stared at my screen for a minute, and started it all over again. And was still speechless after the second time through (aside from phrases like, "holy freaking..." and, "wow... just wow") Yeah. It was that good. So if at any point in this review, I sound totally incoherent and overwhelmed by the sheer awesomeness of the show, you can blame it on me not having fully recovered from having my mind blown :)

Supernatural Season 8, Episode 21 - The Great Escapist

I don't really even know where to start with this (mind still blown), so I think I'll stick with starting with the very beginning. That seems like a very good place to start...

So... from the moment Kevin woke up in the boat, I knew it wasn't real, couldn't be real. Wasn't sure yet whether it was demons or angels messing with him, but it had to be one of the above. I hadn't seen any promo clips or previews or anything, having decided to go spoiler-free for these last three episodes, and that totally paid off here, because I was left wondering rather than knowing from the get-go that Crowley had him.

It was also evident from the very first scene that this was gonna be an amazing episode. I mentioned in my review of Taxi Driver that the character of Kevin had really grown on me, and this episode solidified that. These last two eps with Kevin have been really well acted by Osric Chau, and I've (finally) reached the point where I actually care about what happens to the character. Which is good, because the episode wouldn't have been nearly as gripping if I hadn't care about a third of its plot...

And was anyone else both highly impressed and highly amused by the fake Sam and Dean? It really felt like you were watching a Sam and Dean from a mediocre piece of fanfiction - where they're close to how they should be, and yet all the little differences scream to you that this isn't the Sam and Dean you know and love. Which, of course, is exactly what the show was going for.

Plus, I love Crowley, and so I was totally psyched to see him appear. Definitely my favorite bad guy on this show (with Lucifer a close second), and probably on my list of top ten bad guys on TV. He has the best lines... This week, the ones that killed me were, "I was born to direct..." and then, "I was thinking to myself, 'Self...'" Combine awesome dialogue with Mark Sheppard's amazing acting skills, and Crowley rocked this episode. He's a freaking smart bad guy, too - melting down angel blades to make bullets, paying off an angel to have an inside man, figuring out how Cas' mind works... Naomi's wise to be scared of him.

Okay, I have now written four paragraphs with the episode paused one minute in... Time to move on, I think.

And this next scene pulls all my heartstrings... Dean as big brother, trying to take care of Sammy - gets me every time. And every time, it gets sadder, because Sam is getting worse instead of better. This time, though, Sam finally points out to Dean that he isn't gonna get better, at least not until the trials are over (and maybe not then either...) It was a conversation that needed to happen, because Dean had to face the truth - yeah, he knows "the only way out is through," but I think he's been avoiding what that means - Sam isn't going to get his strength back and then take on the last trial; instead, he's going to have to face that last trial severely weakened.

That doesn't mean Dean can't do anything to help (in fact, I don't think Sam could possibly do this on his own), but it does mean that his role is more along the lines of 'keep Sammy alive' than 'get Sammy healthy'. And the further this goes, the more perfectly that LotR reference a few episodes back fits... (one of my favorite shows paralleling one of my favorite movies... it's gonna break my heart in the end, I'm sure, but I'm not complaining)

Then we segue straight into Kevin's "If you're watching this, then I'm dead" video, which is yet another incredible scene. From Kevin's "screw you, screw God, and everybody in between!" to his decision that he's not going to break this time to his apology (yeah, he's been hanging out with the Winchesters too much - who else apologizes for getting killed?), it was an incredible performance. Kudos to Ben Edlund, for some perfect dialogue, and to Osric, for taking those lines and turning them into something so heartfelt and heart-wrenching.

And don't even get me started on Sam and (especially) Dean's reaction... For Dean to lose one of the kids he's supposed to be taking care of... yeah. Jensen nailed this scene, and you could almost feel the anguish and guilt pouring off him. And when he says, "We should have moved them here..." - well, yeah, they should have, but it's also classic Dean, always blaming himself for what happens to the people he cares about. He really should have listened to Cas a while back - he can't save everyone, and someday that guilt's going to kill him... (Vaguely related side note: I really hope Garth's okay...)

Then I got really happy because Cas was finally back! (No, I don't think the show suffers without him, and no, I don't like him better than Sam or Dean, but I do think he's one of the best characters aside from them, and I'm always happy to see him back. I think he adds an interesting dimension to the show, and the angel plotline has always really grabbed my attention) And I loved his brilliant plan for avoiding the angels - teleportation does you no good if you don't know where to go... Nice one, Cas (and nice one, to whoever came up with that in the writer's room...) (Random side note: Pittsburgh - complete with one of our classic yellow bridges!)

Okay, moving on... Sam trying to convince Dean they need to go to Colorado - "I'm only gonna get worse!" - true, but maybe not the best thing to say right now, ya think? And I have to agree with Dean - Sam's certainly acting pretty whacked-out, which I'm gonna blame on how sick he is, and how much he just wants to get this over with, preferably before it kills him...

And those angels - man, they're ruthless and so very cold (and the other words that come to mind to describe them are not quite appropriate for use in public...) It's hard to believe that Cas ever fit in with them, although I guess according to Naomi, he never really did. That was a really cool revelation, actually - Naomi says it like he's a failure (and to heaven, he is), but to me it's just further proof that Cas was always good, long before he ever met the Winchesters. And while it was certainly Sam and (especially) Dean that showed Cas the good in humanity, and gave him something to fight for, he wouldn't have become the ally and friend he did unless he had been created to stand up for what was right.

Side note: if Castiel started questioning orders and going against what other angels decided from the very beginning, was he created for that purpose? To be a truly righteous angel in a heaven full of angels who weren't going to remain loyal to their Father? Could this be why God has brought him back again and again? Naomi certainly seems ticked that he doesn't even die right... Not sure where I'm going with this. Just a thought.

Anyways... Sick Sam - always gets me so, so worried. And Jared has been giving an incredible performance - from showing us the progression of whatever it is the trials are doing to Sam, to Sam's determination to not let that stop him from doing what needs to be done, and then, this week, giving us a glimpse into what's motivating him to do this. We know Dean wants to shut the gates to Hell so that Sam can have a chance at a normal life, and there's been a good deal of speculation out there about Sam's motivation, but we finally got to see what's driving Sam, and it was heartbreaking. The trials are where he's finding purification from this feeling of being unclean that he's had since he was little. It really all does come back to that demon blood in the end, and to what it's done to Sam and to his perception of himself. He finally has that quest that he thought he could never go on, that chance to be the righteous man for once. He can save the world (again), and protect his brother, and redeem himself. No wonder he won't back down.

And now Metatron - very much what I was expecting, actually. He's basically a glorified scribe, and we already knew he'd been hiding out with a tiny Indian (oops, I mean 'Native American'...) tribe for pretty much forever, so I was kinda thinking he'd be your geek angel, and he was. Not knowing who the Winchesters were - well, that pretty much confirmed how long he'd been out of the loop.

Given how messed up things are in heaven, and how long they've been that way, it's no surprise Metatron bailed either. I kinda felt bad for Ion, stuck with knowing how screwed up things were, with nagging doubts about purpose, but Cas is right - they aren't machines, and programming isn't everything. He's proven that again and again (more times than we know, according to Naomi...) And pulling the bullet out of himself and driving it through Ion's eye - I like it when Cas has the whole righteous anger thing going on.

Back to Crowley and Kevin - the fact that Kevin faces down Crowley without showing fear was pretty awesome. Even when he knew he was probably gonna die, he faced it with some smart remarks and never gave in. In other words, he faced it like a man (or like a Winchester... mouthing off in the face of death... yeah) I was glad Sam and Dean kicked Metatron into action to go save Kevin, though, 'cause I really didn't want him dying, both because I was just starting to like him, and because I don't know how many more friends Dean can stand losing before he totally snaps.

A few last random thoughts - why wasn't Crowley the least bit worried about Sam and Dean trying to close the gates of Hell? He's never been guilty of underestimating them before (in fact, he's pretty much the only bad guy who hasn't) Sure, he's got the angel tablet now, but all my theories on how that could be useful to him are still extremely vague, since there's not much to base them on, so it still seems to me like he should be a whole lot more worried about getting shut in Hell than he is...

And it's all about choice... That dichotomy between choice and destiny is at the core of every mytharc this show has explored, and so far everything has always come down on the side of choice over destiny. I really liked Metatron calling that out here though, and reminding Dean to think about the cost (which Dean has never really stopped thinking about) and about what the world will be like afterward (which Dean has only thought of in terms of Sam and others not having to hunt demons anymore - I think it's time to take a bigger picture look at that)

Penultimately (yes, I'm using a big word just for the heck of it), Sam totally ducks Dean's question about whether he'll get better if he can complete the third trial. And is it just me, or does, "We're heading somewhere - the end" sound really freaking ominous?!? (Also, I totally just capitalized The End when I typed it, and then had to go back and fix it...) Seriously, though, "the end" does not sound like a happy place to be headed towards...

And finally, anyone else notice how Dean hesitates, questions, rather than simply going to Cas? It's understandable, after everything Castiel has done, but it's a far cry from how it used to be. And that made me sad.

And with that, I think I've covered just about everything I really wanted to say. For anyone who actually stuck it out to this point, I hope there was something in there worth reading. And now begins yet another week of dodging spoilers :) It's worth it in the end.

(screencaps from homeofthenutty.com and screencapped.net)