Thursday March 19, 2009
3T7516
Someone has killed seven angels, and Castiel and Uriel recruit Dean to interrogate their prisoner, Alastair, to learn who the killer is.
Read Full Recap » (warning: possible spoilers!)Death of an angel...or 2...or 3... hide show
There have been some really great episodes this season, some may argue it contains some of the best in the series so far. But absolutely none (again, so far) have come close to this one. From the sheer brilliance of writing from the SN team, we get an episode so full of revelations (funny how that seems to really fit in this year) it’s not even funny. Hands down, this has to be one of - if not THE - best episode this season. Possibly the series, and I again stress the ‘so far’.
The first revelation that got me was the stuff going on with Alastair. And it was the whole ordeal with him that gives us some very shocking facts about Dean, especially his time in Hell. We get an indirect glimpse of Dean’s torturing tactics from Hell as he is called in by the angels to torture Alastair in order to find out who is behind the murder of angels from Castiel’s garrison. And I have to say, that entire scene was quite disturbing. Dean’s demeanor here was so frightening and dark, while Alastair maintained that mega-creepiness about him that makes him so enjoyable as a supervillain. But other than the vile torture acts themselves, the real shocks came from what was revealed during this sequence. According to Alastair, and later Castiel himself, Dean actually started the breaking of the seals by shedding another soul’s blood in Hell. As if going through the very experience of Hell itself wasn’t bad enough, as well as all the stuff he has to deal with regarding Sam, now Dean has this new burden on him that is undoubtedly way too much for his own soul to bear. He even admitted this at the end in the hospital to Cas. Cas tells him it’s his fate to be the one to stop the apocalypse since he was the one to start it off, and Dean doesn’t want to hear of it. He finally breaks down, and rightfully so. And another thing to note was Alastair’s taunting Dean over John being tortured in Hell. Being compared to John has never set well with Dean, no matter how much he loved his dad. Whether he was lying just to get Dean’s goat or not, Alastair was really doing nothing more here than driving a nail into his own coffin by ribbing Dean about John and especially labeling him as inferior to John. That makes for a dangerous Dean.
The second shocker of the ep had to be Sam. So no wonder he’s been getting stronger. He’s been doing more with Ruby than we thought - he’s been drinking her blood - demon blood - in order to strengthen his powers. And it was shocking enough to learn he was actually sleeping with her episodes back. This was truly a curve ball. And what’s more, Sam’s the one who kills Alastair. Even Cas looked shocked at this fact. But this is also gonna throw a HUGE monkey wrench into the already-fraying relationship between Dean and Sam. Just last ep Dean busted Sam on treating him like an idiot for keeping secrets and once more Sam denied it. Gonna be scary when this one comes out.....
Next we have the angels. NOW comes some truly shocking stuff. First, Anna shows up again and has some really nice moments with Cas, who admits he is starting to have feelings of sorts, due to his attachment to Dean. The humanity is rearing its head inside him. It was interesting to see him go from still wanting to kill Anna to asking for her help. This shows monuments of change in the character’s progression through the season. Or, more to the point, descent. But Cas hasn’t lost sight of the good fight. Enter the final episode shocker: Uriel. No pun intended, but oh....my....god. There’s NO one that could’ve seen that coming. Turns out Ur had been in on the breaking of the seals all along, and was the one murdering the angels! His blasphemous reasoning was a severe slap in the face. He was a follower of Lucifer yet played the “good guy” to sheer brilliance in order to achieve this goal. And this betrayal will shed even more doubt for Cas and probably Anna as to who they can trust in the garrison. All the “angel” actors involved were above par in their performances here, strictly excellent. And, of course, Jared and Jensen, but that’s always the case with them. But somehow, I felt this ep belonged mostly to the angels. Robert, Julie and Misha were awesome in their roles.
Bits and Pieces:
- It’s interesting that Sam killed Alastair and Anna killed Uriel - the very ones you didn’t expect when it should’ve been Dean and Castiel, respectively. Just made it all the more better.
- Ruby’s spell to find Dean was cool. Nothing close to meeting Willow Rosenberg standards, but still just nice to see her work a little mojo.
Anyone who doesn’t rate this ep a 10 should really rewind their tape, tivo, or whatever they use and watch it again. Seriously. This was one of those beyond brilliance. Oh boy. Next ep looks as if the brothers have to deal with an alternate life or versions of themselves. Can’t wait...
This episode, one more time, shows how great this series is! hide show
Castiel makes Dean to investigate who is murdering Angels. He goes on and tortures Alasatair to get information.
Supernatural Season 4 Episode "In the Head of a Pin" is one of the best episodes of the season. Season 4 have become one of the best seasons (after season 2, which is my personal favorite). In this episode, Alastair reveals that was Dean the one who broke the first seal by torturing souls in hell; Sam goes again with his powers; Uriel turns out to be a traitor and he is the one who is murdering the angels. For all these reasons, and more, this episode is one of the best in Supernatural season 4.
This episode has just reminded me why I love this show so much. It completely summed up everything that's great about it and it was probably the best episode of this season, if not the entire series. hide show
It really brought home the changes between the characters now and the first season, how Sam's becoming increasingly corrupted and Dean's becoming more and more worn down by all the responsibility and guilt. I love how they actually deal with incidents rather than just sweeping them under the carpet, such as Dean's time in hell. That's one of the great things about this show; they have a way of dealing with issues in a way that's interesting and develops the plot. On the whole this episode was just heart breaking. A lot of people have already said it, but Jensen was fantastic, especially in that final scene but throughout the whole episode. Everything he did and said just showed how much strain he was under and how close he was to breaking.
This show has got some fantastic actors and Eric Kripke knows how to use them. It was a smart move to make Castiel the focus of this episode. Without showing too much emotion, in keeping with the character, Mischa was great at showing how much his character's evolving, having his faith tested by orders he doesn't completely agree with and trying to figure out what he should do. On the whole, just fantastic. I loved every minute and I'm looking forward to next week.
Supernatural is so far ahead of the game with this one, the competition needn't even show up. hide show
What was I saying about it not getting any better? Jeez Supernatural, you're so far ahead of the game with this one, the competition needn't even show up. Where to begin? 'On the Head of a Pin' is probably just about as perfect a marriage of emotional investment and narrative progression as you are likely to get. The developments here are colossal, changing the face of the forthcoming battle considerably by exposing Uriel's betrayal, which is a shocker in itself, and opening Castiel to the possibility that blind obedience may not be the most optimum course of action. In this, Misha Collins gets a chance to step up and boy, does he. Every word, every nuance, is loaded with the pain of his struggle between head and heart, and the subsequent inclusion of the still-excellent Julie McNiven as Anna only accentuates matters. And then, of course, we have the other gargantuan revelation: that Dean initiated Lillith's plan, that his was the first step along the rocky road to Armageddon. This is an exceptionally clever plot device as not only is it a completely logical explanation for the angels' choice of the Winchester boy, but it also gives Jensen Ackles the opportunity to play some of the most complex emotional beats of his career. The scene at episode's end in which he rejects his destiny is so well written, it almost hurts to watch... which, it must be said, is something that characterises about 50% of the rest of the episode too. The torture sequences between Dean and Allister are positively horrific; so much so, in fact, that there are several incendiary critiques in reviews online from offended viewers who 'no longer have the stomach to watch the show'. This is a shame, of course, as the violence is never gratuitous. It almost always cuts away at the gory details, stopping short of showing the actual event, but then, it is the implication that we receive from agonising screams, short spurts of blood and facial expressions that makes it all the more harrowing. And, at the end of the day, it is completely necessary for the progression of the plot: when faced with the man that made him maim innocents for thirty years, would Dean really just sit down and chat? No, he'd gut the b*****d. It helps, of course, that the guy that plays Allister in his new form - Christopher Heyerdahl - is deliciously weird and eerie, giving the discourse between the two parties an extra lick of horror. All this and I haven't even mentioned Sam's little secret, his dirty demon blood fetish, which continues to linger in the background, threatening to explode into a game-changer the likes of which we have never seen, and is responsible for one of the best deaths we've seen all year in Allister's 'comeuppance'. Honestly, I thought Supernatural had reached its peak with that phenomenal season opener but this? This is actually better. In fact, 'On the Head of a Pin' is probably the best Supernatural episode yet produced. A near perfect example of what this show can be. Unrelenting, harrowing and f-ing brilliant.
Dean is summoned by Castiel and Uriel to get Alastair to talk by using his demon-torture skills. Dean is enlightened by Alastair and Castiel and his world shatters. hide show
Two words to describe "On The Head Of A Pin":
Incredible plot. The episode was truly fascinating and thrilling. The twist was completely unpredictable and merely displayed the greatness of Kripke's writing abilities once more. This is without question the most exceptional episodes of the season, (not counting Lazarus Rising). It was amazingly acted. Ackles' portrayal of a tired, beaten-down hunter, who has had enough of the worlds injustices and deception is truly remarkable to watch. Also Padalecki's ability to play a hunter taking part in all unholiness to achieve the power to defeat evil, or Lilith, says enough. "Supernatural" is beyond first-class in it's originality.
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