Supernatural Round Table: "I'm No Angel"

Supernatural focused on Castiel this week. A scruffy, tired, hungry human Castiel without any of his superpowers.

What was the best scene in "I'm No Angel?" What was it like to see Castiel in this kind of state? What about the reapers for hire? The Round Table team of Carissa Pavlica, Sean McKenna and Alice (from Winchester Family Business) are back with their analysis of the latest Season 9 episode.

Jump in and join the debate!

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What was your favorite scene from the episode?
Carissa: Watching Castiel have sex as a human. Yes, because he's hot. I just wish he had been having it with a real woman rather than a snake.

Alice: Surprisingly, it was the scene with Castiel and the woman with the sick husband in the church. It’s so fascinating, isn’t it, that a former angel gets a unwavering lesson about faith from a human woman with a sick husband. She didn’t want to hear the truth that God and the angels are no longer in Heaven.  In her reality, someone out there was listening.  It was actually a very comforting and hopeful scene. Something you so rarely get on this show.

Sean: I did like the church scene as well, but sometimes the humorous moments win it out for me. I laughed when Dean reacted to Castiel using "protection" during sex. Those two always can pull off a comedic scene and Dean's facial expressions are priceless. Plus, nothing says safe quite like an angel blade.

Did you enjoy seeing Castiel's experiences as a human?
Carissa: Very much. They were amusing, heartfelt and agonizing. I was particularly taken with the little things he was soaking in, such as the conversation with the woman in the church about God and faith. He's never taken the time to understand what it's like for humans to put so much faith into something so ambiguous, but her words made him think. I hope we get more of his witnessing human behavior toward religion and God without proof. While it's not a show about those issues, it's one of the few that can address them without being preachy and do it in an entertaining and thoughtful way.

Alice: Oh yes, very much so. What I liked is that despite it all, he was out there still trying to do God’s work by picking up trash. He’s so naive and vulnerable right now. He fell right into that reaper’s hands because he so desperately needed an act of human kindness. He was wet, wounded, tired and alone. Having those human urges didn’t hurt either! He came out of it with an enlightened perspective. Hopefully he’ll keep that now that he’s out on the street again alone.

Sean: This was one of the better parts of the episode. I enjoyed seeing Castiel learn and observe the world around him. He did get lucky in meeting all good humans, but each one showed him something new and positive about the human race. Life clearly isn't easy street and yet people find ways to have hope and persevere. It was a nice change of pace for the powerful angel and a real walk in human's shoes.

Will Batholomew be a worthy angel antagonist for the season?
Carissa: I don't see why not. Adam Harrington was underutilized on The Secret Circle, and he did a cracking good job being formidable in his first time out of the gate on Supernatural, so I think he might make it work.

Alice: No, he was swarmy like Dick Roman. We don’t need another Dick Roman. It didn’t look like he has attracted the best and brightest of the bunch either. He’ll probably fizzle out like all the rest, because Heaven just isn’t that organized. I think Crowley would make a better leader.

Sean: I did think of Dick Roman with Bartholomew, but I'll be okay if the character does more than bark commands and avoids any sort of business schemes about turducken. I liked his introduction and am interested to see where his character goes. Hopefully he grows into a memorable angel like Balthazar or even Zachariah and not a throwaway enemy like the Mother of All, Eve.

Supernatural Promo: Off to Oz!

What did you think of the reapers for hire?
Carissa: If that guy Bartholomew hired was supposed to be the best, then they aren't all that worrisome. He walked right into that alley as if he had no idea who he was trailing. Not the best moves. I'm more interested in the angels taking over the bodies of humans. I knew evangelists were up to no good!

Alice: Bogus! Why didn’t Bartholomew have an angel follow Sam and Dean instead? That would have made more sense. That one guy reaper wasn’t good at all since he was so easily captured and killed by Sam and Dean. He was a reaper right, not a worthless human? These reapers for hire, starting with “Taxi Driver” last year, are stretching canon and not in a good way. They suddenly have powers that we’ve never seen reapers have before, like a wicked TK toss? It doesn’t support what we know about reapers from the past, and they were likely introduced with the purpose to bail these writers out of a corner they wrote themselves into. Twice.

Sean: At first I liked the idea, but when Sam and Dean were able to capture the reaper, I was confused. Why wasn't he invisible? Isn't that what reapers normally do? Even April's abilities seemed odd after we learned she was a reaper. I'm not always up in arms when supernatural attributes change, but here it felt more like a plot device rather than a natural exploration of the characters. It just didn't hit the mark for me.

Were you surprised by Ezekiel telling Dean to choose between Castiel/Sam; Dean's decision?
Carissa: Sadly, it makes sense. Somehow Cas' attempt to ward off trackers only works on his own kind and those pesky reapers can see right through it. I guess they would be able to or everyone would have one of those tattoos to escape death. I hope Dean comes clean with Cas about why he needs to leave, and doesn't send him off thinking he has lost his only friends in the world. I also hope their separation doesn't mean less screen time for Cas because the Cas-centric episode was top notch.

Alice: Surprised, no. Suspicious as hell, yes. What really bothered me about that the most was Dean didn’t even try to protect both Castiel and Ezekiel, or ask for more proof that they were at risk. He got scared about Ezekiel’s ultimatum and sent Castiel away in the most heartbreaking way without protest. Obviously, the events from the season opener are still eating at Dean.  Either that or it’s a very contrived ending by these writers (I’m leaning that way). I’m dying to see what Ezekiel’s end game is, but it can’t be good for Sam. Well, somewhat good, because he’ll live.

Sean: I get it's supposed to be a dramatic ultimatum, but after the entire episode of Sam and Dean searching for Castiel, why didn't Ezekiel just say Castiel couldn't come back in the first place? It really just makes Ezekiel suspicious, and I don't buy his story. Plus, does he really think the angels are going to stop using the Winchesters in trying to get to Castiel? It's not like any of them are in more or less danger. As for Dean telling Castiel to leave, I get that he's worried for his brother and it seemed like the right move for him. It was a tough decision. Period. I just hope that we get some follow up to it all and not just that quick ending to a major decision.