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Supernatural 2.21 "King of the Damned" Review and DC Con Spoilers & Report: Evening the Playing Field

May 8, 2014

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     This week’s episode of Supernatural, “King of the Damned,” was written by the team of Eugenie Ross-Leming and Brad Buckner and directed by newcomer PJ Pesce. Pesce has also directed Fringe, Leverage, and Tremors among others. For those following the antics of Orlando Jones on Twitter – he frequently live tweets the show – Pesce has a close relationship to Jones as he was actually the creator of The Orlando Jones Show in 2003! This is probably my least favorite writing team for the show, and while there were some good, memorable scenes and performances, this won’t go down as a favorite episode for me.

    The episode begins with an extremely long “Then” montage. There is a lot packed into this episode that needs to be explained. To some extent that isn’t the fault of the writers of the episode. It feels like nothing has happened in the main arc of the season for so long, and suddenly we have an episode that is jam packed with it. In an episode with so much going on, it seemed curious that we would also have a couple of scenes that while funny were superfluous – by and large – that really slowed down the momentum of the episode. Front and center of the things that had me scratching my head was that we lost one of the big bads – Abaddon (Alaina Huffman). I can’t believe they killed her off before the last episode, and it feels as if her fantastic talent has been squandered. If they were going to kill her off so early, why not have her factor in to some of the mid season episodes? A waste. Huffman is always a joy to watch and one of the highlights of this episode.

    I’m willing to forgive recasting Gavin McLeod (Theo Devaney) as actors aren’t always available, especially for a small role. I’m even willing to forgive that while Devaney’s Scottish accent is serviceable, it in no way equates to what would have been spoken in 16th century Scotland. What I’m not willing to forgive is that a quick 2 minute read on Superwiki revealed how much of Gavin’s previous story was simply re-written. He hadn’t signed on to work his way across to the colonies – he’d been the captain of a trading ship, and he’d known that his father had traded his soul for an extra 3 inches. Yes, it’s funnier if Gavin is a bit stupid, but it’s not a consistent characterization with the Gavin we met in 6.03, “Weekend at Bobby’s.”

    And that leads me to another thing that I found very jarring about this episode – shifts in tone. We have the pretty hilarious interrogation between Ezra (Gordon Michael Woolvett – who also played the deputy in “Frontierland”), Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles), and then we have the death of Abaddon and Dean’s descent into the effects of the Mark of Cain. I’m finding it harder and harder to believe that the actors are taking the show seriously, which in turn makes it harder for me to become immersed in its world.

    Interestingly, Castiel’s (Misha Collins) storyline is the one least played for laughs. We see that he has accepted his role as Commander and a big shout out to Jerry Wanek and his production design team for creating yet another amazing set. No doubt every viewer was happy to see Cas and the Winchesters hug each other hello. Cas is trying to avoid any bloodshed and stop the “angel on angel” violence. Dean is quick to pick up that Cas has called them to be “his goons” and do the torturing for him. Unlike the gravitas that the parallel situation had in season four’s “On the Head of a Pin” when Dean wanted no part of torturing Alastair, the scene in this episode lacked the seriousness and drama of the earlier episode. And the ramifications of Dean’s eagerness to torture Ezra are presumably just as serious.

    The scene with Cas segues into the interrogation scene in another way as well. Cas tells Sam and Dean that he accepted the position of Commander because “They had no leader and they insisted on following me.” I immediately thought of the million plus followers Collins has on Twitter. Up until Collins joined, the fans had no one to directly follow – we’ve even heard the angels called minions – as Collins calls his followers on Twitter. I do believe we have some fourth wall breaking happening in this episode.

    Sam stops Dean from using violence on Ezra, recognizing that this is someone who really is no threat and is simply aggrandizing himself. They go about appealing to Ezra’s false pride by ridiculing him. It was a really nice moment when Sam completely shifts gears and Dean understands immediately what Sam is doing and plays along. They may be struggling, but they still share that bond. They quickly learn that there is a private portal to Heaven which Metatron keeps secret by moving it around.

    Dean says, “He’s a fan! Just because you’re hot for Metatron – or Bieber – or Beckham... Just because you know everything about them, doesn’t mean that you actually know them.” Sam then interjects, “Or that they even know you exist!” And Dean follows with, “Oh, that’s cold, Sammy” and an evil laugh. And isn’t that every fan’s worst fear? On the other hand, it’s absolutely the truth. It’s easy to research facts about one person. It’s not nearly so easy to get to know even that one person. Now turn it around. How could one person get to know their millions of fans? I think this was perhaps a bit heavy handed – more heavy handed even than some of the Becky moments in seasons past. It’s a nice wake up call to fans not to assume things about people based on a few comments. Further than that, I’m not going to spend a lot more time analyzing this scene, but I believe that it will be one that is discussed for some time to come.

    After Dean and Sam leave Ezra, he is found dead. They both deny having had anything to do with it, leaving the only option to be that Cas has a mole in his camp. Cas insists that everyone is loyal. Dean points out that Cas’s problem is that he thinks no one is lying whereas Dean thinks everyone is lying. Dean leaves to start looking for the leak, and Cas asks Sam to stay behind. This is a great scene as we see Sam working through his feelings about Gadreel’s (Tahmoh Penikett) possession of him. Padalecki is great in this scene – it’s easy to see that Sam is conflicted in how he feels about Gadreel. He admits that he wasn’t completely possessed, that he was still “me” and it was more like “shared housing.” He admits that he didn’t feel threatened or that Gadreel was dangerous. But then Sam points out that he was wrong because Gadreel killed Kevin. Cas is able to gain valuable insight into Gadreel, however, as Sam tells him that Gadreel felt more like he wasn’t at rest, that he had unfinished business, that he felt misunderstood.

    Cas is able to arrange a meeting with Gadreel. We saw in the previously ons that Gadreel was not happy about Metatron letting Dean torture him. Gadreel tells Cas that he saw him through Sam’s eyes and that Sam trusts Cas. He also knows Cas has a reputation for honor. Tellingly, Cas is self-deprecating about accepting the compliment about his honor – he still feels he has much to make up for and consequently isn’t likely to fall into the same trap of hubris as before. In many ways, Cas can relate to Gadreel. Both Collins and Penikett are terrific in this scene and during their second meeting. Cas tells Gadreel that he understands he feels misunderstood and wants to redeem himself – the information he got from Sam. But Cas also understands putting your trust in the wrong master. Gadreel doesn’t want to change loyalties again, but Cas reminds him that they both serve an older mission – to be loyal to Heaven and serve God.

    Their first meeting ends in treachery as they are attacked and proves the point that Metatron can’t be trusted. This was filmed in such a way that I was sure that Cas had killed Gadreel, so I was momentarily confused when Gadreel showed up for a second meeting. In the end, Cas only asks Gadreel to be a spy – to even the playing field and tell him what Metatron is planning and when he will strike. They part with Cas simply asking Gadreel to consider his offer. I like that they are clarifying Gadreel’s motives and intentions. I suspect that Gadreel will end up dead by the end of the season, but I also suspect that he will redeem himself.

    The episode really centers around the face off between Crowley (Mark Sheppard) and Abaddon. Why couldn’t there have been a Crowley/Abaddon spinoff? These two just light the screen up. In large part, this is because both can deliver terrific lines perfectly and they trade barbs quip for quip. Case in point? Crowley tells the assembled demons, “No one in the history of torture has been tortured with torture like the torture you’ll be tortured with.” And Abaddon tells them, “Relax everyone. You did the new Queen a solid. You are sitting at the popular kids table.” Now admittedly, it’s a choice to have her speak so colloquially. It could have given her a lot more gravitas (there’s that word again) to have her speak more formally and less “humanly.”

    Another word about Huffman’s performance. She not only delivers her dialogue with relish, she also embodies the character perfectly physically, using the perfect snaps and hand gestures. I liked that she made good use of Crowley’s addiction and weakness through emotions. It’s a nice parallel as well to see Dean losing that barrier of emotion while Crowley gains it. It was also a nice touch to remind us that Fergus McLeod had been a drunk – he has an addictive personality at his core. It was fun to watch both Crowley and Abaddon be a bit stunned by just how stupid Gavin apparently is. It’s quite hilarious when Gavin turns from the window and declared that Crowley and Abaddon must be angels. The capper to the scene is Crowley and Abaddon saying “wow” in perfect unison.

    Given how vehemently Gavin and Crowley hated each other in “Weekend at Bobby’s,” it seems much too easy for them to get over their differences here. Sam insists that all the lore indicates that “You change one thing in the past, the ripple effect changes everything that follows.” This is, of course, the butterfly effect – a well-known trope in time travel. Even though Gavin would only return to the past to die, will his staying in the present be the central issue in season 10?

    Crowley tells them where the First Blade is hidden. I felt that this scene was really pretty superfluous. It was funny that Crowley is able to call off Julia via speaker phone, but having then chased by a hellhound and have to dig into a dead body for the blade didn’t really seem to be particularly essential to the episode and really slowed the pacing down. Again, Gavin’s stupidity is funny, but there are more than enough scenes to drive the point home. It was fun to watch Crowley – the King of the Crossroads too remember – to be so proud when Gavin tries to bargain with him.

    Crowley does try to warn Sam and Dean about the trap by using the code word “Poughkeepsie.” Dean keeps the information from Sam so that he can keep him out of his way when he faces off against Abaddon. We’ve already seen that Dean is becoming obsessed with the blade as he is lost in the feelings of using it to such an extent that he doesn’t hear his phone and it’s only Sam that brings him back to reality.

    Upon arriving at the Humbolt Hotel, Dean manages to get Sam to go to the basement, while he heads to the penthouse to confront Abaddon. A quick shout out to the VFX team. According to AD Kevin Parks and Ryan Curtis (VFX coordinator) both the Hotel and the scene of Leith, Scotland at the beginning were completely created by the VFX team – really amazing work.

    Dean finds Crowley incapacitated. Abaddon steals Henry Winchester’s trick of carving a devil’s trap into a bullet and shooting Crowley. She doesn’t kill him because she needs him as bait for Sam and Dean, but why Sam and Dean don’t kill Crowley is a mystery. And not in a good way. However, Dean’s face off with Abaddon is everything we’d hoped for – I’m just still surprised that this wasn’t part of the season climax.

    I’m sure I’m not the only one to feel a direct parallel to the season one finale when Sam is pinned against the wall and the Yellow Eyed Demon taunts him to teleport the colt to himself and shoot him. Sam isn’t able to make the colt budge, but Dean not only gets the blade back but defeats Abaddon’s hold on him entirely to stab and kill her with the Blade. It’s a beautiful shot as Dean lifts and kills her – terrifically framed and held by Boyd’s direction. Sam burst in just in time to see Dean make the kill and become completely taken over by the bloodlust. Once again, it’s only Sam who is able to stop Dean from stabbing Abaddon over and over – but it takes longer this time.

    The final scene is Sam and Dean in the Impala. Dean explains to Sam that he lied to him so that Abaddon wouldn’t be able to use Sam as a bargaining chip – a sound strategy given that that is exactly what she did with Crowley and Gavin. Is this perhaps the set up for the finale? Will Dean have lost so much of his humanity by the end of the season that he won’t bargain for Sam but let him die? It is, after all, what Sam has said he wants. Was Dean worried that he wouldn’t try to save Sam in this instance?

    Dean talks about the effects of the First Blade for the first time, telling “Sammy” that he knew from the first time he touched the Blade that he would be able to defeat Abaddon. He tells him “it wasn’t a hero thing. It was just calm. I knew. And I had to go it alone.” Has Dean finally achieved the independence that Sam has always insisted Dean needs to have? For his own part, Sam is definitely starting to worry – and it’s worry for a brother not just a partner. He’s worried that the blade is doing something to Dean himself and he asks that they put the Blade away somewhere safe until they need it. Dean’s answer is an emotionless and definitive no which ends the episode.

    What did you think of the episode? Were you troubled by some of the issues I’ve mentioned? Were you sorry to see Abaddon killed? Do you think Cas will be able to defeat Metatron? Will Gadreel prove to be a trustworthy and valuable ally? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below and keep reading for some tidbits from last weekend’s Creation DC Convention!

Spoilers from the Creation DC Con...

Richard Speight Jr.: According to Robbie Thompson, the fact that the Trickster/Gabriel was still able to make things disappear with a snap after Cas figured out that it wasn’t real, is an indication that the Trickster/Gabriel IS real. The eye waggle at the end is also a hint that we will more than likely see him again!

Jensen Ackles: Dean is going to really show the effects of the Mark of Cain in the final episodes.

Misha Collins: Cas is very important to the finale. He didn’t indicate whether Cas would factor into NEXT season, however.

Mark Sheppard: His remarks seemed to indicate that the finale won’t be the last we see of Crowley – but Sheppard is notoriously cagey.

Perhaps the two favorite people I met this past weekend were Rachel Miner and Gil McKinney. Both are incredibly lovely, nice, and down to earth. Rachel is a huge inspiration for her work for Multiple Sclerosis. She has largely retired from acting since being diagnoses with MS. For those who missed the many reports or videos for the convention, Gil can sing! If there is ever a musical episode of Supernatural, he will have to play the lead! Jensen confirmed again when asked that Dean cannot sing...

32 comments:

  1. Abaddon was one of the best *big* villain the show has ever had. I would have liked her to rule hell with the plan to bring back Lucifer.
    Lucifer & Michael would be good in the equation here.

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  2. I thought I was losing it over Gavin. I knew he captained the ship that went down. Thank you for easing my mind on that. You don't captain a ship with the mentality they gave Gavin in this.

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  3. Nope. They completely ret-conned him... typical for this pair of writers unfortunately...

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  4. I'm so sorry for Abaddon! The writers killed her off like a normal demon, when she had so much potential...but they wasted so many episodes with dogs, vampires and stupid monsters, and now they had two big villains and no time to show a better death for each of them. Tell me if it isn't idiotic that Abaddon travelled in time to have leverage on Crowley, and then used him to bring Dean to her WITH the only blade that could have had her killed.

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  5. I always thought Abaddon problem was that she was another one who knew the winchesters were a threat but look how crowley has been with them. He knows how to play them either you have them as an enemy and end up dead or you be on their side and hope to live another day. She I don't think figured that Dean would figure out how the blade or powers work maybe cain never told him so you have someone walking into a trap. But luckily took dean a bit but he got crowleys hint. And he figured out what he can do with the mark and blade you just wonder how much of dean will be left after using it. And who is going to save dean.

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  6. Right?!?! Abaddon was such a great villain and they went to such lengths to bring her back only to under use her and give her a pathetic death. I was willing to overlook how much they cooked canon to bring her back because she was so great and then there was this...

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  7. I think she was truly hoping that Dean wouldn't be able to fully use the blade because he isn't Cain. Dean did have to work up to having control, so it's possible she had a fighting chance... I just wish we'd had more of her all season. I think you are very right to worry about how much of Dean - or at least his humanity - is left after every time he uses the Blade...

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  8. I'm not 100% sure they did retcon Gavin. It is possible that instead of a butterfly effect we have a time loop for him. He finds out about the extra three inches from Crowley here, is returned to his time, doesn't board this boat. He crews on a boat not going to America until he earns the captaincy then, thinking he is safe because the doomed voyage was years ago, he takes his ship to America and goes down with it.



    The one thing that bugged me a little in Weekend at Bobby's was Gavin knowing about Crowley's deal. Most people who have sold their souls haven't told anyone. And Crowley did it for a really selfish reason. He wasn't saving someone he loved, he wasn't even asking for money to support his family. And telling Gavin about the deal would have meant admitting that he was small to begin with, something he obviously was unhappy about. So, I think they could write their way out of the discontinuity if they want.

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  9. Now that Abaddon is dead, Sam and Dean can concentrate on killing Metatron and Gadreel :-)

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  10. Dean was full on Jedi with the First Blade

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  11. I mostly agree with what is being said though I did think this episode was leaps and bounds better then the previous two episodes.

    The problem is they had all of these characters and mythology to play with and instead gave us mostly unrelated filler this season. The main story took a backseat to the motw stuff.

    This season will end feeling like the mess that it is. No matter what happens in the next two episodes, I don't see a proper resolution to everything.

    Also really lame that they keep letting Crowley go after all the evil things he has done. I like the character but it's still out of character for Sam and Dean to let the king of Hell walk free.

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  12. disqus_1S0cPdC34IMay 8, 2014 at 10:11 PM

    I thoroughly enjoyed this one -- here's why...you can certainly argue that Abaddon should have been in more episodes and I agree -- she wasn't so I was happy that she played a prominent part here. Did it feel rushed -- yes -- but I'm also not sure she is the big ending arc for this season. Or maybe she is and her 'early' demise is just to throw us off. I really really love how Dean is dealing with the mark of Cain issue. While I'm likely wrong, I think it won't be Dean having to save Sam at the end but rather Sam saving Dean. I say this because in a previous episode didn't Sam say he wouldn't do everything to save Dean if Dean didn't want to live (or something like that). Then Dean got all pouty? I could very well be wrong, but that leads me to think more that Sam will do all that he can to save Dean -- to kind of show that yes...you will do everything you can to save your brother. Maybe he has to save Dean from the mark. Anyway...I loved the episode. Yes inconsistencies, but this is one situation where there were so many characters I like to see that I'll forgive it.

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  13. If you have to go to that much trouble to "fix" a story line, it's broken...

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  14. I really wanted to wait until the end of the season before pronouncing judgment on the season, but I have to agree with you. While many of the stand alones were very good this year, the fact that they could have had a LOT more myth-heavy episodes and ignored great characters like Abaddon leaves a bad taste in my mouth. With Bloodlines not getting a pick up - thank heavens! - last episode is a complete waste of everyone's time. I for one plan to never watch it again! The fact that Crowley is completely incapacitated about 6 feet from Dean and the First Blade and Sam later quips that he should be glad they didn't kill him is simply beyond ridiculous....

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  15. Thaks for the convention teases!
    As for this episode ... well, one of the other comments says it was better than a couple of the other recent episodes, which may be true, but it was still pretty lame. Why Abbadon would not insist on setting a trap so that when the Winchesters showed up they'd be killed--as opposed to letting them get within rang eof her with that blade!--is opaque. When the hellhound came after them, that's what I figured was going on, but no apparently ti was just that Crowley forgot that he'd left a watchdog? WTF?
    I am of course glad they didn't kill Crowley, but some sort of explanation why not would have been nice. Instead, them not doing so sticks out like a sore thumb after their discussion last time the issue came up.
    Verdict: laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaame.

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  16. I don't know, it made sense. You gotta remember, Gavin had been a ghost for hundreds of years, his demeanor would be much different than being alive and in the future, finding out your dad is the King of Hell, etc....

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  17. I don't know how anyone can say that death was pathetic, it was down right epic for the show. She definitely put up more of a fight than Azazel, Alastair, Dick Roman, Lilith (she wasn't suppose to), Ruby, Raphael -- who all pretty much just stood there and waited to be offed.

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  18. See I think the whole mytharc of the season has been about Sam and Dean's relationship, and it's disintegration. The Heaven and Hell storylines are primarily there in a more intimate way than end of the world. They serve as catalysts. Choices and consequences is what the season has been about, and that theme has been touched upon in pretty much all the episodes.


    Could there have been more Abaddon? Sure, but scheduling can be a bitch sometimes.

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  19. Crowley didn't forget about the hellhound, he says during the phone call that ordered a demon to collect her, but the demon disobeyed an order.

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  20. Regardless, still pointless filler.

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  21. Crowley having a hellhound keep guard over the first blade's hiding place is filler? It makes sense to me that he would do that.

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  22. The whole fetching the blade, getting chased by a hellhound scene, is needless filler. A lot of this episode is filler, really.

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  23. Being captain and being an indentured servant - which is what he is talking about are completely different. This Gavin is MUCH too stupid to captain a ship.

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  24. She let them bring the ONLY weapon that could kill her with them.

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  25. Sorry. Completely disagree.

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  26. I'm afraid it was just sloppy storytelling. Pouty? I don't think I'd put it that way. Given how inconsistent the storytelling is, I hardly want to predict where the story might end up, but what I think will happen is that Dean will have to sacrifice Sam and because Dean has lost so much of his humanity - and Sam wants to die anyway - I think he's going to let him...

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  27. What exactly made him stupid? Because all I saw was a guy trying to wrap his head around a messed situation.

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  28. And Azazel let Sam and Dean have the Colt when they confronted them. She clearly didn't realize that the MoC would let Dean break away from her telekinesis.

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  29. The CW has just confirmed that Misha will be a regular in season 10.

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  30. WOOT! Thanks! I was a bit worried. He said at the con that he was feeling really tired and a bit burnt out.

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  31. Almost missed your review this week. This script was, as expected from this pair of writers, a mess. I did like the Dean killing Abaddon scene and the ending scene with the boys talk in the Impala. Other than that, the only point I will address is the shift in tone that you mentioned.
    I don't think it comes down to the actors losing interest in their work or the show. I think we are right back to the fact that there are major problems in the writers room...if there is even a writers room these days. What we have seen for the last two years is that what the characters do, act, and say is driven by whatever story whichever writer of the week wants to tell. The story (plot, if you wish) is driving the characters' actions (and dialogue) and when that happens, nothing the writers put forth can be believed. When this kind of blatant violation of the first principle of writing happens, the writers can do anything they want to do -- speculation is useless, because canon can't be trusted; sub-text means nothing; and there is no audience trust in what the characters might do, say, or act. That's why, I think, we get angels now acting like frat boys and telling stories about seagulls and pizza (or whatever that was), Abbadon using current language, Dean spouting things about Bieber and Beckham, poor plotting, poor pacing, poor story structure, and the abrupt shifts in tone that you mentioned.

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