Supernatural

Houses of the Holy

Season 2, Episode 13, Aired 2/1/07

Episode Summary

An angel causes people to cheerfully go out to murder, and when the Winchesters investigate one of them falls under its sway.

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Cast & Crew

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Jared Padalecki

Sam Winchester
Jensen Ackles

Dean Winchester
Denis Arndt

Father Reynolds

Fan Episode Reviews (64)

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Sam and Dean investigate a series of murders, which were supposedly ordered by an angel. They disagree upon the reality of angels and anything “good” existing in the supernatural world.

9.8

"Superb"

By zaggy7, Jan 17, 2012 Report Abuse

As a believer, I always get a little nervous when Hollywood addresses a religious issue, but I very much enjoyed this episode. To repeatedly show how powerful evil is, we get to see glimpses of the good side. Sam's hopefulness is contrasted strongly to the darkness that Dean carries from so much he has endured in his life. I thought the end of the episode did a good job of showing how Dean may have a grain of faith even if there was no real angel. Sam is left despondent which may lead to his possession in the next episode. The true hero of the episode is Father Reynolds who grants final peace to very much confused, but not evil, Father Gregory. Even in the face of supernatural events, Reynolds' faith remains strong. He knows his stuff, "Men cannot be angels", "what you are doing is not God's will" shows that he is a faithful man. He knows God's word and follows it. The Father Reynolds' character is so strong, I would like to see him work more with Sam and Dean in future episodes.moreless

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Definitely a filler episode, but not without it's interesting moments.

8.7

"Great"

By JaCkKbAuEr2424, Nov 24, 2011 Report Abuse

I suppose it was to be expected that there'd be a lull in the incredible streak of episodes Supernatural had, but even for a filler episode, it's well made and exciting. I wasn't a huge fan of the "monster," or "spirit," and found myself less than interested in the outcome. After all of the hoopla between Sam and Dean about whether or not the culprit was an angel or not, it turns out its just another vengeful spirit. I'm a big fan of any supernatural being that Sam and Dean have to get rid of, but this felt a little too vague.

The one thing I was interested in was Sam and Dean's reversal in terms of faith. In the beginning, Sam was a believer and prayed every day that he would be saved when the time came. Dean, meanwhile, despite believing in demons and werewolves and vampires, finds it hard to believe in angels since he's never seen one. Throughout the episode, they both finds that challenge their beliefs, and by the end, they've both met in the middle. It was quite the emotional episode.

I don't know if it's just because of the lack of Ellen and Jo, but this episode felt as if there was very few people in it. It seems as if the last five or six episodes, there has been a lot of characters we've either known or have seen before. The last few have felt like season 1 episodes (new and improved season 1 episodes, that is).

Now that it's the halfway point, I'm expecting some yellow eyed man!moreless

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The perfect episode to couple with "Faith" (1x11)

9.5

"Superb"

By Snape83, Nov 24, 2011 Report Abuse

Sera Gamble is one of my favorite writers of the show, I've made no mystery of that. This episode, "Houses of the Holy" (2x13), is just a perfect example of why I love her episodes so much.

Back in Season One, Sera and Raelle Tucker co-wrote "Faith", an episode about the things you do for love, about faith and delusion, about the often ironic tragedy of life. "Faith" is one of Supernatural best episodes, and whilst "Houses of the Holy" isn't at par with it, it shows nonetheless a depth that the vast majority of nowadays shows utterly lack.

Being an atheist myself, I'm nevertheless fascinated with religious subjects and angels are indeed a rich material from an aesthetic perspective. Angels were written in this episode with cleverness and subtlety, and thus they became less a storytelling gimmick and more a creative device to deepen Dean and Sam's own systems of belief, their characters and to enrich their background. Sam prays every night for his redemption, because Dean's revelation about what John told him before dying shattered him. Dean, on the other hand, keeping in mind the tragic history of their family, can't believe in higher powers, in other-worldly goodness or in God's will. The top-notch script maintains constantly high the tension between these two poles, and it is clever enough to resolve the doubt only in the end, and not before shuffling the cards once more, that's saying before Sam realizes his delusional desires and Dean aknowledges the possibility of a Greater Good. What is really interesting is that Sam's agnosticism and Dean's skepticism are more than this. Sam always had faith; always he thought that what Dean and him were doing was some sort of mission bestowed upon them. It was evident in his urge to vindicate Jessica's death, in his will to believe in a grand scheme, an overarching truth capable of explain everything in the world. Dean, on the other hand, had always seen what they do as a job, a hard-to-do but necessary job, an heavy legacy, but a legacy nonetheless. Dean believes in free will, and he's a true Humanist, considering nothing human extraneous to him and considering his fight against the evil in terms of "saving people". Sam, on the other hand, is more of a Fatalist, and this help explain what happened to him in between Season Three and Four (see "Lazarus Rising", 4x01): it's interesting, in fact, that Dean CHOSE to make a deal with the Crossroad Demon and that the same choice was forbidden for Sam. This philosophic richness is what really set "Supernatural" apart from any other show!moreless

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I really like this episode.

9.0

"Superb"

By -xXx-aimz-xXx-, Nov 24, 2011 Report Abuse

In this episode Sam thinks they are dealing wiht an angel whereas Dean doesn't. They end up having a few arguments about faith and the angel.

Turns out they there isn't an angel but the spirit of a recently departed reverend who died outside the church. He is getting rid of all the evil people from within his congregation that have confessed to him thing he knows are wrong.

Sam is dissapointed that there is no angel and Dean questions his lack of faith.

It is good how they figure it out though, that its a spirit and not a angel. I really like this episode.moreless

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Here comes the debaters.

8.5

"Great"

By ZaleIsBackAgain, Nov 24, 2011 Report Abuse

The last episode on "faith" was one of the best episodes in all of Supernatural. Guess lightning doesn't strike twice, but not to say this episode is bad or anything because this is still very much a quality episode lacking some fine tuning. The episode started off brilliantly well for one, with the whole case of the hooker being visited by a mysterious white light, only later to find out she actually committed murder because an angel told her to. And watching Dean just nonchalantly use the vibrating bed listening to rock music, awesome transition from the bank robbery one before. Though as the case developed, it got more complicated and although it did an admirable job of balancing between faith and the supernatural, it couldn't quite handle it for all it was worth.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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Trivia
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- When Zack's room is shaking and his TV falls over you can clearly see that the power cord is neatly tied up and unplugged. Edit
- According to Dean's cellular phone listing, he's playing Kashmir by Led Zeppelin, but he's actually playing Down On Love by Jamie Dunlap. Edit
- When Zack's room is shaking, his lamp falls and breaks, but the light from the light bulb stays on. Edit
Notes
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- International Air Dates: Denmark: February 25, 2007 on TV3 Australia: April 30, 2007 on Ten Portugal: May 4, 2007 on AXN Germany: March 19, 2008 on Premiere Serie Italy: August 12, 2008 on Rai2 The Netherlands: March 1, 2009 on NET5 New Zealand: April 24, 2009 on TV2 Edit
- This episode was also known as "Touched." Edit
- Music: Knocking On Heaven's Door by Bob Dylan, Down on Love by Jamie Dunlap Edit
Quotes
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- Dean: Let me guess, you were personally chosen to smite some sinner. You just got to wait for some divine bat signal, is that it? Edit
- Sam: She's living in a locked ward, and she's totally at peace. Dean: Oh yeah, you're right. Sounds completely sane. Edit
- Sam: And this angel… Gloria: Spoke God's word. Sam: And the word was… to kill someone? Edit
Allusions
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- Dean: We just need a few odds and ends and that séance ritual in Dad's journal. Sam: Sounds great, I hope Whoopi's available. This is a reference to the 1990 film, Ghost. In the movie, Whoopi Goldberg plays a psychic medium who communicates with ghosts. Edit
- Dean: Yup, Roma Downey made him do it. This is a reference to the TV show, Touched by an Angel, in which Roma Downey plays an angel named Monica who helps people. Edit
- Dean: We'll just put it Spongebob-side down. Referencing the popular Nickelodeon animated TV show, SpongeBob SquarePants, and the main character, a yellow sponge that wears pants, works as a fry cook, and lives in a pineapple under the sea. Edit