SPN: On the head of a pin

[norwich36]

My one real complaint about this episode was that it turned out that Uriel was the murderer, which just (a) reinforces all of SPN's skanky race issues and (b) was way too predictable. (I guess having it turn out to be Anna would also have been predictable and reinforced SPN's lamentable gender issues, but since I really liked the actor who played Uriel and am not too fond of the actor playing Anna, I think I would have preferred it to be her).

However, I loved the way this episode fleshed out the SPN mythology.

1. I was *deeply* relieved that Dean's orders to torture Alistair didn't actually come from heaven, because even if that was angelic middle management rather than our Deus Otiosus, it still would indicate to me that there is *no* difference between the angels and the demons, and while I'm perfectly happy with a certain amount of ambiguity about the angelic agenda, outright confirmation that they were evil would leave me...uninterested in them. They'd just be demons with wings, so why should I care about them?

2. Dean as the righteous man who broke the first seal. OMG. Suddenly everything makes sense--why Sam couldn't trade himself for Dean, why angels needed to break Dean out in the first place, why Dean is important to the apocalypse. It's not that he's particularly special in and of himself (it was supposed to be his dad--and OUCH, how horrible to get confirmation that John lasted when Dean didn't), but that he was already implicated in the apocalyptic struggle in the first place.

However, it josses everyone's theory that Dean was brought back to prevent Sam from turning. Which, given all the anvilicious foreshadowing about brothers having to kill brothers tonight, is a little disturbing.

3. We also got a little hint about why they left Dean in hell so long that he turned--they had to fight their way in, and it took a long time.

4. Also, confirmation that it isn't sex but demon vampirism (or whatever you want to call it) that's making Sam stronger.

Ok, and speaking of Sam (and Dean) and the rift of doom, things that made me say "OUCH":

1. Sam assuming that Dean can't get the job done with Alistair, because he hasn't been the same since he came back from hell. Ouch ouch ouch ouch. Ok, if he hadn't made that assumption, Dean would have died and Castiel would have lost his vessel, but still.

2. The opening conversation in the car, where Dean really does just seem so despairing. I do like that he's actually mourning Pam, but he really seems like he's in a bad place. (And of course, then finding out he was the one who started the apocalypse, and that he has to be the one to stop it, is not helping him. *Pets poor Dean*)

On the other hand, I do like to see both boys get their badass on:

1. Sam killing Alistair? YOU GO SAM. Though I honestly thought he had been killing the demons before--but I was so happy he got to take down Alistair, even if it did mean going over more to the dark side. And speaking of dark sides,

2. Dean in dark-Dean torture mode? Umm, I can't help it, I thought it was hot. GUH. I mean, I was heartbroken that he got pushed to that place, and it was horrifying to see how well Alistair could push his buttons even when he was the one being physically tortured, but still. He was wickedly hot.

3. In contrast? Castiel's badass is not so badass. (Is that supposed to be because of his doubt?) I thought Castiel and Uriel's fight was kind of lame, actually, though Anna was pretty badass.

Despite that, though, I did love to see Castiel's crisis of faith, and how bewildered he is, and how he instinctively turned to Anna to discover what to do. He and Dean are so much alike; they're both more comfortable when they're under authority.