Who died and made you boss?
This, ladies and gentlemen, this is my show. Hilarious one moment, heartbreaking the next, full of great characters - two characters, specifically - and gore. I cannot tell you enough how much I enjoyed this episode.
Okay, let's start at the beginning or, you know, skip the beginning and start at the moment when Castiel is back. I talked about this scene in quite some detail here, but to sum it up again: Sam tries to call Castiel for a year to no avail. Dean prays to him once and there he is. And Dean stares at him like he can't quite believe it worked while at the same time expecting that it just had to. After all, Cas is his angel.
Cas shouldn't be able to find them with the sigils still carved into their ribs. But I'm sure we can find some explanation for this, like Cas removed them when he healed Dean or something.
Sam is obviously pissed which confuses Cas. Come on, Sam, of course Cas likes Dean better. One, you are considered an abomination and two, Dean is the one Cas pulled out of hell. Have you forgotten about that? Sam and Cas had formed some kind of friendship by the end of season 5 but obviously I as well as Cas missed the part where they became BFFs.
"Dean and I do share a more profound bond. I wasn't gonna mention it."
Did he really say that? I can't believe he said that. &hearts And then he almost apologises to Dean for mentioning it. D'awwww. And Dean does look a little uncomfortable. Like he doesn't really want anyone to talk about this 'profound bond'.
I do not like that Dean has a go at Cas for not answering Sam's calls after Sam took one for the team. Castiel has taken more than one for the team in the course of the last two years but no one thought that was even worth mentioning. It's the same old. Cas is back for two minutes and everyone is taking him for granted and complains about the things he didn't do for them.
"What part of 'I don't know' escapes your understanding?"
That's the point where Castiel gets impatient. He didn't answer Sam because he has no information for him whatsoever. Sure, he could have dropped by to tell him that but seeing how Sam reacts to Cas not knowing what's going on like it's his fault and considering that Cas had a few problems of his own I can understand why he didn't. And when Dean is trying to order him around like he's a child, that's it for Cas. Of course he came - at least partly - because Dean called. He pretty much already admitted that he did. But if all the Winchester boys can do is complain to him, well, then he'll skip the 'It's great to see you' part and get down to business. Pretend he doesn't care. There are more important things to think about, after all. And focusing on the task seems to help him to calm down again. Castiel has always been better with concentrating on the task than human interaction.
"I think we can rule Moses out as a suspect
I missed Castiel saying things like that with a straight face.
And then Castiel tells them what happened. That in all that chaos and confusion some of Heaven's weapons got stolen. And Cas seems to feel guilty that he let it happen like it is his personal responsibility.
It takes Castiel a while to actually get out the words that he needs their help. He hates asking for it. But this is a part of the fight they're in together. People are dying so it's as much a case for the Winchesters as it is part of Castiel's attempt to bring some order back to Heaven. And once again Sam acts like Castiel had no right whatsoever to ask them for help. Yeah, like I said before, same old.
Just now Castiel doesn't let them get away with it. He's not the angel sitting on Dean's shoulder any more, only there to help them. He does have his own fight now and if the Winchesters want them to work together they'll have to accept him as equal, as a partner, not their help. Not to mention that he is offering to help them as much as he's asking for their help.
Castiel's little quotation marks are adorable. And it's interesting that he puts the "last year" in them. Makes you wonder how long that year has been for him in Heaven time.
Castiel never had much patience but he seems to have even less now. He's taking the lead with this, probably got used to that in the course of the "last year". And when Sam's and Dean's questioning takes a little too long for his taste he'll just accuse suspects of having smitten the victims with the staff of Moses. Of course he knows by now that this may confuse the average human but so what? Not really any harm down in confusing them if that may make things go a little faster. Same goes for putting humans to sleep if they're more in the way than helpful.
But when it comes to talking to the boy Castiel is still turning to Dean. Watching him handle the situation like he's hoping that he can learn something here. After all, talking to people and getting information from them is still not exactly one of the things he's good at. Castiel also seems a little calmer, now that he has his suspect and it's a boy who wanted justice. Of course that doesn't make killing people right but it makes it more understandable. And after all he's learned and seen that does make a huge difference in Castiel's eyes.
It doesn't, however, make him more patient. Very practical thinking putting the boy to sleep to kidnap him. I doubt, however that this is the only reason. Torture might just not be quite as painful when you're asleep as when you're fully conscious. And Castiel knows what he'll have to do to get the name of the angel who sold the staff of Moses. He doesn't like it. He acts like he doesn't care much but he does. It pains him that he has to do this but it must be done.
"You're gonna torture a kid."
"I can't care about that, Dean. I don't have the luxury."
This scene breaks my heart. This is the first time in the episode that Cas let's shine through how bad things are for him and how much it wears him down. He can't stop to think to much about what he's doing because if he does he might not be able to continue. There is a hell of a lot of weight on his shoulders.
And if all that wasn't enough Castiel learns that a close friend, maybe the only real friend he ever had in Heaven, a friend that he thought dead, is the one selling Heaven's weapons for souls. And Castiel can't quite believe it. The way he says Balthazar's name like he doesn't know if he should be happy that his friend is still alive or hurt that not only by Balthazar letting him believe he was dead but the way he's acting.
But the moment another angel turns up he pushes all of that aside and is ready to fight. And Sam and Dean are out of his way in a moment. Another side of Castiel that I missed a lot. And I am not sorry about Sam's car.
And now we finally learn the whole story about what's really going on in Heaven. It's civil war up there. Castiel and angels who think like him - notice that he doesn't refers to himself as anything like their leader. He's just one of them even though I'm sure he's the one organising, doing a lot of the work and calling the shots - against Raphael and his followers. Raphael who still wants the Apocalypse to happen and Castiel who is still fighting for free will.
Castiel doesn't really want to talk about all this. He's disappointed in the other angels. He probably fails to see that they don't have the same experience he has. He obviously thought it would be easier to convince them to follow their hearts the way he did. But it wasn't. Some where willing to follow him, others weren't. And the better Heaven Castiel envisioned and thought he could make a reality - it's not happening just like that. So Cas is busying himself with preparations for the ritual, disappearing briefly to get some myrrh. It keeps him from having to think and talk too much about how things are not going to plan.
I like how Castiel does not take the time to ask but simply states that he needs Dean's blood and cuts him. Dean might get angry for a moment but he trusts Cas and Castiel know he can get away with it.
I also like how Cas looks slightly confused and worried about the still unconscious boy. He didn't forget about him. He just naturally assumed that he would be okay with the police on their way.
And then Castiel meets his old friend Balthazar again, not quite knowing what to expect. Even ready to kill him if he has to. Balthazar obviously has changed since the last time they saw each other. But there is some familiarity between them. The way Castiel tells him how bad his joke was but still almost smiles. The way he is honest with Balthazar, telling him that he grieved his death, asking him what is going on, telling him that he knows him. Castiel is confused and hurt by the way Balthazar is acting. He wants to understand. He is convinced that that angel in front of him still has to be the old Balthazar somewhere underneath. So when Balthazar agrees to help him, tells him that he still sees them as brothers - and he doesn't just mean the general brotherly bond between angels, he means friends - Cas is relieved. But then Castiel has to realise that Balthazar misunderstood him, misunderstood what it is Castiel has been fighting for.
Let me take a moment here to tell you that I really like Balthazar. I had high expectations in him to the point where I was afraid that he wouldn't be able to live up to them. But he did. He exceeded them. He is not necessarily a nice guy. But he's not evil either and he clearly does care about Cas. They're friends. And Balthazar knows that the life he leads now wouldn't have been possible without Cas. From Balthazar's point of view they both want the same thing: Freedom. Free will. The difference is that Castiel uses it to try to do what he believes is the right thing to do. Balthazar, on the other hand, took it and ran away with it. Balthazar seems cool and a devil-may-care about it all but I believe that, really, he's a little overwhelmed by his new found freedom. After millenia of obedience, he now tries to squeeze as much out of it as he possibly can like he's afraid someone may take it away from him again any minute. And that brings a really great dynamic. I believe that Balthazar can learn a lot from Castiel but Castiel may also be able to learn a few things from Balthazar. So I really hope we'll see more of both of them this season.
Castiel is disappointed in Balthazar. Hadn't he thought Balthazar dead, he probably would have pictured them side by side starting this new era as something good and worthwhile. Castiel is so full of hope. He truly believes that if he just fights for it hard enough he can make Heaven a better place. Balthazar has a more - I'm almost tempted to say a more realistic view. It's not so much that Balthazar doesn't want the same thing as Castiel, he just doesn't believe it's possible so why bother? Why put your heart and soul into something that will never happen? So when Raphael turns up he just runs and hides, not because he's a coward but because that takes the least effort.
Castiel, on the other hand, stays and fights. He doesn't want to. Too many angels have died already and he does not want to hurt his brothers not even those who've turned against him and sided with Raphael. But he will if he has to.
So while Castiel learns that he has been a little naive to think that having an honourable cause would be enough and that Heaven would just welcome the changes he's trying to bring, Balthazar realises something too. He realises that he does care. And even if he doesn't believe that Castiel can ever win this fight, he can't just run and leave his friend behind either.
And then there's this understanding between them. Castiel doesn't have to say thank you. Balthazar doesn't have to tell him that he just couldn't leave. They both know that they may not be entirely on the same page but they are still friends. And on a fundamental level they can still trust each other.
Dean, of course, can't see this so he goes through with the plan and traps Balthazar. And Castiel seems a little torn. He's pissed at Balthazar for talking to/about Dean like that - it sucks when the two most important people in your life can't stand each other, doesn't it? - and he strongly feels that Balthazar has to return the soul. Which he does without much hesitation. And I think Cas appreciates that. It's not all good between them. Balthazar still is on a path Castiel cannot support but Balthazar did save his life and gave back the soul. They are still friends on some level but it has turned into a very complicated friendship and I can't wait to see more.
On a note on Sam and Dean: I'm glad Dean realises that something's different about Sam and that it seems that this will be a topic in the future.
Okay, let's start at the beginning or, you know, skip the beginning and start at the moment when Castiel is back. I talked about this scene in quite some detail here, but to sum it up again: Sam tries to call Castiel for a year to no avail. Dean prays to him once and there he is. And Dean stares at him like he can't quite believe it worked while at the same time expecting that it just had to. After all, Cas is his angel.
Cas shouldn't be able to find them with the sigils still carved into their ribs. But I'm sure we can find some explanation for this, like Cas removed them when he healed Dean or something.
Sam is obviously pissed which confuses Cas. Come on, Sam, of course Cas likes Dean better. One, you are considered an abomination and two, Dean is the one Cas pulled out of hell. Have you forgotten about that? Sam and Cas had formed some kind of friendship by the end of season 5 but obviously I as well as Cas missed the part where they became BFFs.
"Dean and I do share a more profound bond. I wasn't gonna mention it."
Did he really say that? I can't believe he said that. &hearts And then he almost apologises to Dean for mentioning it. D'awwww. And Dean does look a little uncomfortable. Like he doesn't really want anyone to talk about this 'profound bond'.
I do not like that Dean has a go at Cas for not answering Sam's calls after Sam took one for the team. Castiel has taken more than one for the team in the course of the last two years but no one thought that was even worth mentioning. It's the same old. Cas is back for two minutes and everyone is taking him for granted and complains about the things he didn't do for them.
"What part of 'I don't know' escapes your understanding?"
That's the point where Castiel gets impatient. He didn't answer Sam because he has no information for him whatsoever. Sure, he could have dropped by to tell him that but seeing how Sam reacts to Cas not knowing what's going on like it's his fault and considering that Cas had a few problems of his own I can understand why he didn't. And when Dean is trying to order him around like he's a child, that's it for Cas. Of course he came - at least partly - because Dean called. He pretty much already admitted that he did. But if all the Winchester boys can do is complain to him, well, then he'll skip the 'It's great to see you' part and get down to business. Pretend he doesn't care. There are more important things to think about, after all. And focusing on the task seems to help him to calm down again. Castiel has always been better with concentrating on the task than human interaction.
"I think we can rule Moses out as a suspect
I missed Castiel saying things like that with a straight face.
And then Castiel tells them what happened. That in all that chaos and confusion some of Heaven's weapons got stolen. And Cas seems to feel guilty that he let it happen like it is his personal responsibility.
It takes Castiel a while to actually get out the words that he needs their help. He hates asking for it. But this is a part of the fight they're in together. People are dying so it's as much a case for the Winchesters as it is part of Castiel's attempt to bring some order back to Heaven. And once again Sam acts like Castiel had no right whatsoever to ask them for help. Yeah, like I said before, same old.
Just now Castiel doesn't let them get away with it. He's not the angel sitting on Dean's shoulder any more, only there to help them. He does have his own fight now and if the Winchesters want them to work together they'll have to accept him as equal, as a partner, not their help. Not to mention that he is offering to help them as much as he's asking for their help.
Castiel's little quotation marks are adorable. And it's interesting that he puts the "last year" in them. Makes you wonder how long that year has been for him in Heaven time.
Castiel never had much patience but he seems to have even less now. He's taking the lead with this, probably got used to that in the course of the "last year". And when Sam's and Dean's questioning takes a little too long for his taste he'll just accuse suspects of having smitten the victims with the staff of Moses. Of course he knows by now that this may confuse the average human but so what? Not really any harm down in confusing them if that may make things go a little faster. Same goes for putting humans to sleep if they're more in the way than helpful.
But when it comes to talking to the boy Castiel is still turning to Dean. Watching him handle the situation like he's hoping that he can learn something here. After all, talking to people and getting information from them is still not exactly one of the things he's good at. Castiel also seems a little calmer, now that he has his suspect and it's a boy who wanted justice. Of course that doesn't make killing people right but it makes it more understandable. And after all he's learned and seen that does make a huge difference in Castiel's eyes.
It doesn't, however, make him more patient. Very practical thinking putting the boy to sleep to kidnap him. I doubt, however that this is the only reason. Torture might just not be quite as painful when you're asleep as when you're fully conscious. And Castiel knows what he'll have to do to get the name of the angel who sold the staff of Moses. He doesn't like it. He acts like he doesn't care much but he does. It pains him that he has to do this but it must be done.
"You're gonna torture a kid."
"I can't care about that, Dean. I don't have the luxury."
This scene breaks my heart. This is the first time in the episode that Cas let's shine through how bad things are for him and how much it wears him down. He can't stop to think to much about what he's doing because if he does he might not be able to continue. There is a hell of a lot of weight on his shoulders.
And if all that wasn't enough Castiel learns that a close friend, maybe the only real friend he ever had in Heaven, a friend that he thought dead, is the one selling Heaven's weapons for souls. And Castiel can't quite believe it. The way he says Balthazar's name like he doesn't know if he should be happy that his friend is still alive or hurt that not only by Balthazar letting him believe he was dead but the way he's acting.
But the moment another angel turns up he pushes all of that aside and is ready to fight. And Sam and Dean are out of his way in a moment. Another side of Castiel that I missed a lot. And I am not sorry about Sam's car.
And now we finally learn the whole story about what's really going on in Heaven. It's civil war up there. Castiel and angels who think like him - notice that he doesn't refers to himself as anything like their leader. He's just one of them even though I'm sure he's the one organising, doing a lot of the work and calling the shots - against Raphael and his followers. Raphael who still wants the Apocalypse to happen and Castiel who is still fighting for free will.
Castiel doesn't really want to talk about all this. He's disappointed in the other angels. He probably fails to see that they don't have the same experience he has. He obviously thought it would be easier to convince them to follow their hearts the way he did. But it wasn't. Some where willing to follow him, others weren't. And the better Heaven Castiel envisioned and thought he could make a reality - it's not happening just like that. So Cas is busying himself with preparations for the ritual, disappearing briefly to get some myrrh. It keeps him from having to think and talk too much about how things are not going to plan.
I like how Castiel does not take the time to ask but simply states that he needs Dean's blood and cuts him. Dean might get angry for a moment but he trusts Cas and Castiel know he can get away with it.
I also like how Cas looks slightly confused and worried about the still unconscious boy. He didn't forget about him. He just naturally assumed that he would be okay with the police on their way.
And then Castiel meets his old friend Balthazar again, not quite knowing what to expect. Even ready to kill him if he has to. Balthazar obviously has changed since the last time they saw each other. But there is some familiarity between them. The way Castiel tells him how bad his joke was but still almost smiles. The way he is honest with Balthazar, telling him that he grieved his death, asking him what is going on, telling him that he knows him. Castiel is confused and hurt by the way Balthazar is acting. He wants to understand. He is convinced that that angel in front of him still has to be the old Balthazar somewhere underneath. So when Balthazar agrees to help him, tells him that he still sees them as brothers - and he doesn't just mean the general brotherly bond between angels, he means friends - Cas is relieved. But then Castiel has to realise that Balthazar misunderstood him, misunderstood what it is Castiel has been fighting for.
Let me take a moment here to tell you that I really like Balthazar. I had high expectations in him to the point where I was afraid that he wouldn't be able to live up to them. But he did. He exceeded them. He is not necessarily a nice guy. But he's not evil either and he clearly does care about Cas. They're friends. And Balthazar knows that the life he leads now wouldn't have been possible without Cas. From Balthazar's point of view they both want the same thing: Freedom. Free will. The difference is that Castiel uses it to try to do what he believes is the right thing to do. Balthazar, on the other hand, took it and ran away with it. Balthazar seems cool and a devil-may-care about it all but I believe that, really, he's a little overwhelmed by his new found freedom. After millenia of obedience, he now tries to squeeze as much out of it as he possibly can like he's afraid someone may take it away from him again any minute. And that brings a really great dynamic. I believe that Balthazar can learn a lot from Castiel but Castiel may also be able to learn a few things from Balthazar. So I really hope we'll see more of both of them this season.
Castiel is disappointed in Balthazar. Hadn't he thought Balthazar dead, he probably would have pictured them side by side starting this new era as something good and worthwhile. Castiel is so full of hope. He truly believes that if he just fights for it hard enough he can make Heaven a better place. Balthazar has a more - I'm almost tempted to say a more realistic view. It's not so much that Balthazar doesn't want the same thing as Castiel, he just doesn't believe it's possible so why bother? Why put your heart and soul into something that will never happen? So when Raphael turns up he just runs and hides, not because he's a coward but because that takes the least effort.
Castiel, on the other hand, stays and fights. He doesn't want to. Too many angels have died already and he does not want to hurt his brothers not even those who've turned against him and sided with Raphael. But he will if he has to.
So while Castiel learns that he has been a little naive to think that having an honourable cause would be enough and that Heaven would just welcome the changes he's trying to bring, Balthazar realises something too. He realises that he does care. And even if he doesn't believe that Castiel can ever win this fight, he can't just run and leave his friend behind either.
And then there's this understanding between them. Castiel doesn't have to say thank you. Balthazar doesn't have to tell him that he just couldn't leave. They both know that they may not be entirely on the same page but they are still friends. And on a fundamental level they can still trust each other.
Dean, of course, can't see this so he goes through with the plan and traps Balthazar. And Castiel seems a little torn. He's pissed at Balthazar for talking to/about Dean like that - it sucks when the two most important people in your life can't stand each other, doesn't it? - and he strongly feels that Balthazar has to return the soul. Which he does without much hesitation. And I think Cas appreciates that. It's not all good between them. Balthazar still is on a path Castiel cannot support but Balthazar did save his life and gave back the soul. They are still friends on some level but it has turned into a very complicated friendship and I can't wait to see more.
On a note on Sam and Dean: I'm glad Dean realises that something's different about Sam and that it seems that this will be a topic in the future.