Supernatural – Hell’s Angel

By: Stacy Miller

Working with the Devil you know to save the Angel you care about and stop The Darkness from ending the world? Seems like the Winchesters had a lot on their plates. Then why did it seem like Crowley did all the heavy lifting?

The teaser opens with Crowley (Mark Sheppard) in Saudi Arabia retrieving the Horn of Joshua, a powerful weapon rumored to be able to stop Amara from one of his sold-your-soul marks. The man hopes that if he gives The King of Hell what he needs, his life will be spared. But, of course, after Crowley gets the weapon he does what Crowley does best – obliterate everyone in sight before taking off with the weapon.

On the run, Crowley calls Dean (Jensen Ackles) because they’re besties. Crowley seems to have retained the soft spot he developed for Dean from when Dean was a demon. He tells the skeptical Winchester he has something that will take Amara out.

Meanwhile, Amara (Emily Swallow) awakens to find Rowena (Ruth Connell) hovering. Hey viewers, did you really think Rowena would truly stay dead? Apparently, smart cookie that she is, Rowena took precautions should her life be in danger. She had a spell placed inside her body to bring her back once her life was ending. Now, Rowena has been playing Dr. Rowena, Medicine Witch to Amara in order to nurse her back to full strength after that whole angel smiting business.

Once back in the United States, Crowley meets with Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean and tells them his terms: He will give them the Horn of Joshua if they exorcise Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino) from Castiel’s (Misha Collins) vessel and return him to the cage. Sam reminds him that won’t be an easy feet and they need Rowena to do the spell. Crowley tells the lads that mommy dearest is dead. Guess again Crowley! Why is the son always the last to know? Oh yeah, because Rowena loathes him so he’d be the last person to tell.

Lucifer comes back home to Heaven, but doesn’t get the warmest greeting. So, he snaps his fingers and kills the unwelcoming angel. He then holds a summit meeting with the other angels and tells them that he can get rid of Amara, adding that they can even start calling him God!

What do you get when you cross the King of Hell with Two Winchesters? Team Crowley. Hey, he came up with the plan so let’s make him leader. Not a word from you, Dean. Although, Dean does tell Crowley that Amara has to be killed first by Lucifer before Lucifer can be exorcised, he wants someone else to serve as Lucifer’s vessel in order to save Castiel. Sam reminds them that Castiel saying “yes” was his choice so they should respect his decision and allow him to complete the final battle. Big surprise, Sam and Dean difference of opinion leads to a classic Winchester fight that even annoys Crowley, who is not letting go of the Horn of Joshua until Lucifer is back in The Cage.

Amara feels she is back to full power so she raises her arms to the heavens and shouts “hear me.” There are clouds in the sky and the angels even feel it in Heaven. This helps Lucifer to convince even the last few doubting holdouts to follow him. Amara has the witch in her pocket to find out what the Winchesters are up to so Rowena is able to see Sam, Dean and Crowley’s discussing strategy, but doesn’t share this information with Amara. Instead, Rowena manages to send Team Crowley a message: Back From The Dead Fergus. Then, Rowena slips away from Amara and joins her son, Sam and Dean. Dean reads the spell, trapping Lucifer in an angel trap and Castiel is only able to surface for a short time. Lucifer tells them to give him the Horn of Joshua or once the warding on the trap disappears, he’ll come take it and it won’t be pretty. That’s when Crowley decides to take matters into his own hands and possess Castiel’s vessel to urge him to expel Lucifer!

Castiel is tucked away in a corner of his own mind watching television in what looks like the kitchen of the Men of Letters Bunker. Lucifer arrives and beats the crap out of Crowley before Sam and Dean exorcise the demon from Castiel’s vessel – saving Crowley.

Lucifer is furious and takes out his anger on Sam and Dean (while Rowena hides). Amara arrives just before Lucifer kills the Winchesters, but when he tries to use the Horn of Joshua to destroy her, it doesn’t work. It seems that it will only work when held by God’s chosen, which obviously, Lucifer is not. Amara then spirits her nephew away for “a little chat.’

Later, Sam apologizes to Dean for seeming like he was willing to sacrifice Castiel. They again vow to save their friend. To me, this conversation seemed out of place and awkward.

Amara has Lucifer pinned to a wall and tells him that she intends to use him as bait to lore God out since he was always God’s favorite. She then begins torturing him…

Although I enjoyed the episode, there were a few things that felt off to me, particularly Sam and Dean’s role in the trap Lucifer plot. The Winchesters were more laidback than usual considering the high stakes on the line. Also, Crowley was the take charge person in the episode while Sam and Dean appeared to be almost like his minions.

Supernatural is on hiatus until April 27.