Before demons and angels can go back to just fighting each other, the struggle between the power players on either side must come down to one.

And on Supernatural Season 9 Episode 21, that put the battle for Hell between Crowley and Abaddon at the forefront.

Maybe it was obvious, but I never really doubted that Abaddon would get her comeuppance. She may have brought a new spark to the demon world, but there can only be one King and one Crowley. And he’s not ready to lose his title.

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I was a bit surprised her last stand was during this hour and not the Supernatural Season 9 finale, but perhaps with the fact that there’s also a fight for Heaven, the writers would have had a hard time spacing it out all in one episode.

That said, the hour tried to give her at least a little bit of possibility at a win, especially in “recruiting” Crowley to her side by bringing back his son.

But I really didn’t care for the father/son bonding time. Crowley will always be a standout no matter what situation he gets put in, but introducing Gavin to the present day, as well as the campy interactions, just felt out of place.

And maybe they were supposed to because Gavin was out of place, and it was that leverage Abaddon needed for the hour, yet it just wasn’t that entertaining. It made me want to get back to Sam and Dean or even Castiel and his problems.

That said, the possibilities of changing time because of not returning his son to the past was very interesting. It almost felt subtle in a way, but that could do a lot for what the future has in store. Maybe it ends up being the reason for Metatron’s defeat?

After all, didn’t Metatron say he knows the ending if all the characters play their parts? And Crowley has changed his up with keeping Gavin alive.

Unfortunately, Abaddon didn’t get the same chance. And her whole demon army created from souls was quickly scrapped. Disappointing? Maybe. But clearly her time had come for the show and getting into a big demon battle might have been too much.

Not surprisingly Dean went in alone to face her (more drama for the Winchester brothers, which hopefully will be resolved by the end of Supernatural Season 9, right?) and the two engaged in a battle where someone turned on a fan that had some intense wind.

Except Dean went full Mark of Cain, cutting Abaddon down to size in an overkill moment of splattering blood. That “calming” effect of the First Blade and Mark of Cain for Dean still do not seem like a good ending for Dean.

And it’s that implication that was even more interesting as a further after effect of killing Abaddon. What does that mean for Dean? Surely, prolonged exposure can’t be good, but his resounding “No” to putting away the blade at the end of the hour wasn’t a positive one for Sam.

But at least Abaddon was finally defeated, although Sam and Dean kept Crowley alive. Will those two ever kill him? Certainly, the relationship between the King of Hell and the Winchester brothers is a unique one, especially in giving them heads up that Abaddon was there with the secret code word. It’s like they're allies, but neither will really admit it.

Though, once the Heaven situation is wrapped up, that might put the confrontational focus back on the demons.

But Castiel is leading the charge against Metatron, working out of an office that seems more police headquarters than anything. I did like Dean's utterance of "commander" though.

It makes sense that Castiel would try and get to Gadreel for help, but is it that easy? Does a conversation about being misunderstood and getting rid of the “bad guy” enough to flip Gadreel? I would find it hard to believe, and can only assume, much like Crowley and Abaddon, that there is going to be a twist involved.

Definitely, the fact that there is a way into Heaven from a portable portal was a cool reveal, and I enjoyed Sam and Dean laughing and smiling while tricking the angel into telling them.

We're definitely coming down to the wire for Supernatural Season 9, and with one demon left standing as leader of Hell, it's time to shift that focus onto the battle for Heaven.

Metatron better watch out.

Do you trust Gadreel to help Castiel?

Sean McKenna was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. He retired in May of 2017. Follow him on Twitter.