Supernatural Round Table: "King of the Damned"
Sean McKenna
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It's the Dean vs. Abaddon showdown.
But with Crowley up to his usual tricks, the Mark of Cain on full display and Castiel making a plea to Gadreel, panelists Carissa Pavlica, Sean McKenna and Alice of The Winchester Family Business had plenty to talk about.
So join in and let's discuss Supernatural Season 9 Episode 21...
What was your favorite scene?
Carissa: I'll go with Crowley explaining himself to Gavin. It's almost embarrassing that Gavin is such a dull blade in comparison to his witty father, but since he's been, you know, dead, I'll give him a break. I loved Crowley telling Gavin that he never thought daddy would amount to anything and here he is, the king of Hell!
Alice: I was going to say the battle scene between Dean and Abaddon, but since that’s the next question, I’ll come up with something else for sake of variety. The interrogation scene at Castiel’s headquarters. I just love the way that it was shot. They did a straight on shot of Sam and Dean from the POV of the dimwit they were interrogating. The looks on their faces were priceless, as well as their utterly sardonic delivery. Sam’s hair was even perfect. It was a treat to get a long overdue fun scene.
Sean: I have to agree with Alice on the interrogation scene. I was prepared for the usual routine the brothers go through when capturing an angel, demon, whatever supernatural creature they need info from. And yet, instead, it turned into a great humor-filled moment with some dry humor (we obviously got it, that angel did not) and it worked. And yes, even the straight on shot was unique for the situation but it totally worked. Very fun scene.
What did you think of the final battle between Dean and Abaddon?
Carissa: Definitely anticlimactic, but everything with Abaddon has been since she's arrived in my opinion. I've never liked her character. She fell flat and was unimpressive from the moment she arrived on the scene. Seeing Dean with his Mark of Cain superpowers was kind of hot, however. How he slid down the wall and the First Blade came to him, the return of that steely look on his face. Mmmmm.
Alice: It was cliché, predictable, a wasteful ending to a super villain’s arc, the graphics were borderline cheesy, and I loved every bit of it! Who didn’t love seeing Dean Winchester finally tap into some supernatural powers and ice the big bad in a spectacular, totally badass way? Crowley knew he couldn’t be stopped, and it was so awesome to see Abaddon realize she underestimated the situation, just like Lilith back in season three when she couldn’t kill Sam. That “Oh s***!” realization just came a bit too late for Abaddon though, didn’t it? I wish I had Crowley’s seat.
Sean: I was glad Abaddon came back at the start of the season, but it almost felt like trying to deal with the angels and everything else made it too crowded for her to get to take part in a significant way. I wasn't jumping up and down in my seat for the battle, but it was cool to see Dean get to use his super powers this time during it. I'm just hoping the Metatron face-off has some more payoff.
Do you think keeping Crowley’s son in the present time will have larger repercussions later?
Carissa: Probably. But, maybe not. It seems like the largest repercussion will be on Crowley personally since he has emotions back after getting in touch with his feels. Knowing Gavin is out there might have an impact on his decisions that we wouldn't expect.
Alice: I think so, and I really hope so, however this show does have a history of setting up things only the bail on the idea later. If you think about it, Sam and Dean could have changed a lot in history with their time travels, like maybe they squashed the wrong bug or something. They certainly f'd up the natural order enough so why would this be different? Well, it can be since Gavin is such an idiot (being the “Prince” of Hell is an upside?). It’s possible the ship originally sunk because of him ,and now it didn’t, and we have the whole Titanic episode again. How can we use this to get Bobby and Ellen back?
Sean: I couldn't help but think of the Titanic episode. But I can only assume that the whole concept of Gavin sticking around, messing with time will eventually fade into the background. I do think it would be cool if it changed some stuff around because he stayed, but I wouldn't hold my breath just yet.
Will Gadreel actually help Castiel?
Carissa: I still think Gadreel is a good guy who took the wrong path, so he will likely help Castiel and pay a very high price for doing so. Metatron isn't going to like giving him another chance and being taken for a ride. However, in the end Metatron will ultimately pay, so I expect they'll both be gone by season's end.
Alice: Yes, until Metatron puts an angel sword through his heart. This isn’t going to end well for Gadreel, and we know it. Heck, I’m not sure I even like Castiel’s chance at survival. What I want to know is why is Metatron singling out all the dumb angels for his flock? Is he afraid the smart ones would try to overthrow him? Is he the patron saint of stupidity or something? Right, Gadreel. No, he’s screwed.
Sean: I think Gadreel will help and get some redemption, but I agree it will probably end up with him dead. That said, I really have no idea how this whole angel war will end. It's kind of exciting but makes me a bit nervous as well.
Will Sam and Dean be able to fix their brotherly relationship by the end of Supernatural Season 9?
Carissa: No. For some reason their relationship seems to be the running theme the writers want to pursue and part of that is that they are constantly at odds with each other. Whether it's Sam addicted to demon blood or Dean saving Sam without his consent or Dean living a normal life while Sam rots in hell and not looking hard enough for his brother and now Dean enjoying the Mark of Cain -- there is always this big roadblock that keeps them from fully mending their relationship. We didn't meet them as great friends, and we're unlikely to see them end the series in that capacity.
Alice: Sam and Dean, sure. These writers ... ugh, I don’t know. I keep telling myself it’s all part of a big payoff. It’s all for a reason, it’s all going to amount to something, keep the faith, blah, blah blah. Then I watch season two, weep, and realize I’m just fooling myself. After destroying the so called “unbreakable” bond moment during last season’s finale, I’m not sure if there can ever be a brotherly relationship between these two again. At this point, I’m happy to see Sam and Castiel and Crowley and Dean pair up just to keep things interesting. Because the brotherly rift is not.
Sean: I really hope it would, but at this point, I'm not quite sure. I know there's always gonna be some rifts here and there, but I was hoping this big one would be resolved and we sort of reignite the Sam and Dean on the same page, same team. I'm curious how the writers will take the brothers and where they will go for Supernatural Season 10. And are we headed towards a final season or is there enough for the show to keep it going for even more? Either way, I'll be on board to that final fight, that very end.
Sean McKenna was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. He retired in May of 2017. Follow him on Twitter.
