Supernatural bid farewell to 2013 last week.

But not before airing an episode that featured angels versus angels… the return of Metatron… and the very sad ramifications of Dean tricking Sam into letting an angel possess him.

In this edition of the TV Fanatic Round table, staff writers Sean McKenna and Carissa Pavlica are joined by Alice of The Winchester Family Business to breakdown Supernatural Season 9 Episode 9.

Won't you pull up a virtual chair and join them?

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What was your favorite scene from the episode?
Carissa: As horrible as it was, it was seeing the pain in Dean's face as he looked at Kevin's burnt out corpse on the ground with tears in his eyes. Jensen Ackles range never fails to amaze me, and I could feel the pain and regret Dean felt in that moment. You know he was blaming himself for allowing Ezekiel to possess Sam as he thought, at that moment, it cost him both Sam and Kevin. It was so powerful.

Alice: I agree with Carissa, except I want to add on the whole scene with Dean telling Sam the truth to that.  I know it wasn’t really Sam, but it’s exactly how I imagined Sam would react.  It played out rather convincingly, don’t you think?  But yes, Dean’s devastated single man tear as he realized that his actions just got Kevin killed, and probably lost Sam forever, oh, it crushes a fan girl’s heart into little pieces.

Sean: I agree those final moments were very well done and the fallout of Dean’s actions was a solid payoff, even if it ended in tragedy. But I’ll switch it up and pick that intro scene of church angel vs biker angel warfare. It was pretty cool to see that many angels battling it out, as well as the special effects that accompanied it. Sometimes I’m a sucker for those type of moments.

Thoughts on Metatron and the angel storyline so far?
Carissa: I really dislike that little turd. I've had a lifelong dislike of Curtis Armstrong, ranging back to Moonlighting, and he's giving a fabulous performance as Metatron because I dislike him just as much here. I want to bitchslap him for not seeing everything that went wrong with Castiel's turn as God and trying it out himself. I cannot wait until he's put into his place.

Alice: The angel storyline so far has been very weak.  It should have moved a lot farther along by now.  They’re only just now organizing into factions?  Plus they’re two bad angel factions?  We’ve run into a few angels that want to help humanity (Samandriel, Muriel) so the question is, why aren’t they organizing?  I hate this “all angels are dicks” mentality. Someone has to be true to God’s vision and willing to die for it.  

Sean: Sure, I like to think that the angels would have organized faster, and not just two groups, but I’m OK with that for now. (And this being TV, I have hard time seeing Supernatural getting a chance to show a full blown assault of a larger scale angel war, even if I would love to see that.) I like the angels as new antagonists but I hope they don’t fall the wayside of the Leviathan. And I’m enjoying Metatron as the new bad guy, although I wonder what his repercussions will be in trying to bring about this new Heaven. So far, I’m on board and looking forward to seeing where we’re headed next.

Watch Supernatural Season 9 Episode 9 Online

What did you think of the Ezekiel is really Gadriel twist?
Carissa: I knew Ezekiel was too good to be true. Sadly, Gadriel was a good egg until he was tempted with near-God status by the turd. It's a great example, yet again, of how absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Alice: I think there are plenty out there doing their happy dance screaming, “Called it!”  I mean, the angel that confronted him in the S9 premiere didn’t recognize him, so that was a big clue.  While it was predicted by some, I still love how it played out.  I felt sorry for Gadriel (or Gadreel, I’ve seen both), because he wants to do good, but circumstances are forcing him to make the wrong choices.  Kind of like Dean huh?  Castiel?  The parallels I tell ya are endless!

Sean: While I always had my suspicions about Ezekiel, I loved the twist. He was another angel entirely with a backstory that was fitting and tragic for an angel trying to be good in his quest for redemption. I complained about them dragging out the secret, but it was a great and surprising payoff in the end.

Is Castiel getting some grace back a good or bad thing?
Carissa: I didn't like how he went about it. At all. It was wrong. The guy trusted him, and it was the first time a fellow angel had the feeling for him in a long time, and he turned on him and stole his grace. However, given the Ezekiel dilemma and the status of Sam, he's needed. I hope that he was the last person to play God doesn't prove to be too much of a temptation for him.

Alice: Good for us, VERY bad for Castiel.  I have a feeling that doing so violates some sort of angel code, kind of like tricking your brother into being possessed by an angel.  It’s not his grace, so there’s sure to be some ramifications from that.  I just hope it doesn’t mean he goes evil or something, because evil God Cas didn’t work for me.  Still, it sets up some fascinating possibilities, no?

Sean: I see a dark road ahead for Castiel. Yeah, he’s got his superpowers back but taking grace from the other angel doesn’t sound like something angels should do. But like much of the episode, it’s great to see everything transitioning to the next phase of the story for the characters and the story.

Write a short eulogy for Kevin Tran.
Carissa: Kevin Tran got the short end of the God stick.

Alice: Rest in peace Kevin Tran.  You are with God now.  Except you’re not since he was really Chuck and we have no idea what happened to him and he doesn’t seem to be in Heaven, so...er...you’re in a better place.  Except there’s no angels there anymore except Metatron, and he’s more of a devil so um...yeah, sorry for your bad luck kid.  At least you won’t get screwed over by the Winchesters anymore.   

Sean: Kevin Tran, you read rocks and ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. You were in advanced placement and became a part of the Winchester family. Gone too soon but definitely not forgotten. Although as a side note thinking about what Alice said, can Kevin get into Heaven or how does that work with Metatron and his angel-less kingdom? Poor guy, if he’s just going to be stuck. Hopefully, Sam and Dean figure out a way to either bring you back or let you rest in peace.

What will be Dean's next move?
Carissa: He's going to put his faith in the devil. God has kind of turned on him not only by abandoning heaven, but by leaving behind some not-so-great angels in his wake. When you have the hand of hell in your secret room, why not use everything he has as your bargaining chip against some pretty lousy angels to try to get your brother back? I sure as hell would. Pun intended.

Alice: I’m not sure.  Think about it, this guy has been carrying all sorts of guilt for so long.  Dean’s already been a drunk a few times, has hit depressive lows a few times, has had periods of reckless abandon since he didn’t care what happened to him, so, where else could he possibly go?  I guess all that’s left is going dark side, like a vampire turning off his humanity.  Now that would be scary.

Sean: I was wondering when Crowley in the back room might come into play. It’s going to be a tough transition for Dean after the fallout and I hope he can pull it together without falling down a dark path himself. I worry for the guy, but either way I can’t wait to see what’s next for him and all the others. This really was a great episode.