Summary: Another introspective Cas-centric episode succeeds where its predecessor failed by providing genuine insight into human desires.
If you have not seen this episode yet and don’t wish to be spoiled, do not keep reading.
Recap
Castiel, going by “Steve” in a gas station convenience store, alerts the Winchesters when a local is vaporized. Dean arrives to assist (leaving Sam in HQ for fear of Ezekiel being near Cas), and they discover that the killer is an angel–one who was tasked with euthanizing angels who were irreparably “broken.” He’s moved on to humans, now, but the angel’s lack of understanding of human emotion means he can’t differentiate between upset and genuinely suicidal. Meanwhile, Cas thinks he’s being asked on a date by his employer, but it turns out she only wanted him to babysit. During the sitting, the angel killer arrives, and the two duke it out before Cas is able to turn the tables and kill him. Back at the HQ, Kevin translates the tablet into an archaic picture language, and he and Sam make a deal with Crowley to translate it if he gets one phone call. He calls Abaddon, who is breaking down Crowley’s bureaucratic set-up of Hell, angering Crowley. He translates the text, and tells Kevin and Sam that the spell to lock out heaven is, in fact, irreversible. Later, Sam witnesses Crowley injecting a syringe he stole into his arm, and Sam does not stop him.
Review
Back in the season’s premiere, I mentioned that Supernatural had managed a feat by staying around for nine years while still being the same show. “Heaven Can’t Wait” seems aimed at challenging that sentiment, as the quiet, internal unfolding of Castiel’s quest for meaning in his humanity has been vastly different from the mission and tone of the show that came before it. Not unlike “I’m No Angel”, this episode is introspective, slow, and melancholic (and not in the usual Supernatural way), a stark contrast to the external battles and angsty horror the show normally puts out. It’s hard to say if it works, if anything because it’s so dependent on how this story ultimately plays out, but it succeeds far more than the heavy handed antics of “I’m No Angel”.
Castiel’s embracing of his human form, renamed Steve, is the highlight of the hour. The surprise is just how much better of a human Castiel seems to be than he was an angel, at least in broad terms. He’s dedicated to his job and does it well, and carries his sales associate position with pride. In a society where half are struggling to find work at all and half are lamenting the gap between “working for money” and “living your dreams,” Cas takes what he gets and makes it his life without fanfare or complaint. This is the kind of insight “I’m No Angel” failed to grasp. With humans so used to living like humans, it’s easy to become restless and crave the greener grass on the other side. Cas isn’t interested in finding some higher calling anymore–he was a higher calling, and it sucked for him–and he’s actually really good at his job, eccentric as he may be when he does it. Should we, as people, strive for this kind of view on life, or are we right in trying to be more than a sales associate, even if we’re really really good at being a sales associate? The show doesn’t answer the question yet, and we’ll know its stance when we get to Cas’s ultimate fate, but the question itself is endlessly interesting.
What’s more is that while Cas is still helping the Winchesters where he can, he’s not obsessing over redeeming himself or undoing his misdeeds. The fact that Cas isn’t letting the guilt consume him (even though we know he’s sad about it) is the biggest development we’ve gotten for him in years. This is a crazy episode on that front, completely turning around all the typical expectations for the character. It’s much more natural and fitting than, say, his brief (and sort of inexplicable) turn to insanity in season 7. This feeling of unquestionable meaning, with clear unambiguous goals, is what Castiel has strived for since his introduction, even if it’s unexpected that he found this meaning working in a gas station. That said, he’s clearly not totally content by the end of the hour–and is still sad enough to have been detected by the angel–but the interactions with his employer prove that his life can still get better.
Misha Collins is never not spot-on with what he does, and hes very good at carrying his solemn attitude throughout without coming off as boring. Collins and Jensen Ackles have some good scenes together, particularly with Dean coaching Cas before his “date.” There’s a bit of weirdness, though, in how Dean’s still-ridiculous decision to kick Cas out of the HQ isn’t really addressed. It’s cool that Cas doesn’t hold any overt resentment, but frankly, he has every reason to. It’s highlighted with how hostile Dean comes off when chastising the life Cas has scraped together; he’s joking, as Dean often does, but it comes off as a major dick move on his part. It’s becoming clear that the Ezekiel-prompted contrivances are the weakest pieces of this season, as promising as the actual Ezekiel storyline could be. The other downside to this episode is that, despite the wealth of material to think about, it’s kind of boring. There’s very, very little tension throughout, and the sadness-killing angel is only a mildly interesting concept. Thematically it all works, with the angel’s emotion confusion paralleling Castiel’s acceptance of his, but the predictable structure falls flat.
The B-plot, however, is lots of fun in the usual Crowley way. Like Cas, Crowley has been pretty much hoisted out of his position of King of Hell, and the lack of respect is evidenced by the genuinely funny “on hold” gag. The banter between Crowley and Abaddon is also entertaining (“You ganky putrescent skanger!”) and the potential for seeing the two duke it out makes Abaddon more tolerable as a nemesis. The idea that she’s trying to make Hell completely chaotic by voiding all contracts for her own gain is intriguing, and anything new to make the character good enough to be played by Alaina Huffman is welcome. Crowley’s willingness to help the Winchesters is also still deliciously ambiguous, with potential for it to be his humanity returning or for it to all be part of a grander scheme. Either way, Mark A. Sheppard is playing Crowley as more and more unhinged every week, and it’s working.
Topped with the very Supernatural-esque revelation that the spell to lock out heaven is irreversible, there’s plenty of set-up and pay-off to make this episode imperative. The actual A-plot is quite disappointing, but the content and insight is much more successful than expected from this show. It’s also the best use of Cas and Misha Collins in years, which counts for a whole lot.
Odds & Ends
- The sherriff this week is a lot more entertaining than usual, in part because he’s played by Michael Kopa, who played the final Big Bad in Fringe.
- Cas singing the theme from The Greatest American Hero is positively adorable, inspired, and had me singing it all day. (And is far better than “Highway to Hell”, which was apparently the proposed song for him to sing according to Twitter.)
- Exactly what is Crowley doing with that syringe? Also, can’t tell yet if Sam’s decision to let Crowley do it to see what he’s planning rather than stop him then and here is immensely clever or immensely dumb. Could go either way.
- Sam rinsing the bowl of his and Kevin’s blood in the sink like he’s just doing the dishes is hilarious.
- “Who does that? Why couldn’t he just dump me on Facebook like a normal person!”
