Wow.
After a series of chapters that left us giggling like fangirls, Supernatural cranked up the dial on seriousness last night in "Abandon All Hope." We were just getting accustomed to Sam and Dean in comically awkward situations, thanks to their brilliant cowardice in "Changing Channels," geriatric goofiness in "The Curious Case of Dean Winchester," and copycat nerddom in "The Real Ghostbusters," but who saw this coming? Spoilers follow!
Supernatural won't be back with a new episode until January 21 (I know, I know... I cried too) but we'll need all that time to catch our breath after last night's events. The Winchesters set out on a journey to face the Devil, and the writers played it up like it may be the boys' last night on Earth. It was a little bit much since we all knew Sam and Dean weren't going anywhere, but we can't say the same for their hunter compadres Jo and Ellen.
The mother-daughter combo blew themselves to smithereens to give the brothers a shot at saving the world, and what could have been a sappy and drawn-out or unfeeling and curt moment thankfully wasn't either. It lasted just long enough for viewers to really feel some tugs at the heart strings, but was short enough to make the gals' sacrifice seem noble and heroic, as they wasted no time in sending the hell dogs back from where they were let out. (Did anyone else have flashbacks of Vasquez and Gorman grenading themselves in Aliens?) Great stuff, and yes, great timing on some character deaths for the series. The stakes have been raised.
But the real deal here was Sam and Dean versus Jacob Lucifer. The boys scored the Colt—the mystic weapon that can kill anything—from the same-sex kissing Crowley with the hopes of putting some lead in the Devil. Crowley was all too eager to let the boys have it; apparently not all demons are in cahoots with Old Scratch, and thus the mythology expands. But when Dean pulled the trigger on Lucifer with a shot right to the forehead, Lucifer fell to the ground and got up, uttering one of the season's best lines: "Owwww!" Holy crap. Now what are they going to do?!?!
I hope everyone realizes the level of brilliance that actor Mark Pellegrino is bringing to the table. As Nick, he was a convincing troubled soul, desperate for revenge. As an early Lucifer, he was a convincing misunderstood angel, manipulating others with a sympathetic voice that people wanted to hear. Now, with his plan in action, he's simply becoming a confident jerk—while his reasoning remains the same. And Pellegrino nails it every time.
The episode ended with the Devil raising the Angel of Death, and millions of Supernatural fans (there are millions of us, right?) clamoring for more. A terrific ending to a great first half. See you all in January!
A few more notes on the episode:
— Awesome: Castiel slamming five shots and saying, "I think I'm beginning to feel something" in that very deadpan Castiel voice.
— Jo must be the only woman in the world who's able to resist Dean. Bet she wishes she had taken him up on that offer now. Self-respect is overrated!
— What are the five things that can't be killed by the Colt? One is Lucifer, and some hypothesize that the other four are the Horsemen de la Apocalypse. But what if it's Michael, God, and... the Winchesters?
— How much longer will Nick's meat suit work out for Lucifer? Looks to me like he's peeling away pretty fast.
— Six months from now in Detroit? I am so there. But hasn't Detroit suffered enough? Does it really have to be the epicenter of the Apocalypse? They have the Lions for crying out loud!
— Castiel's best move ever: using Meg as a plank to get out of the ring of fire. I do believe I jumped out of my chair and pumped my fist at that point.
— When will we meet Michael!?!!?!?!?
— Is Season Five the best season of the show so far? I don't want to anger fans of the early seasons, but I'd have to say so. Thank you to The CW for letting it stick around!
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