Supernatural, “The Devil in the Details,” was written by Andrew Dabb and directed by Thomas J Wright. This episode really felt like it should have aired before Christmas. The episode was another tour de force from Mark Pellegrino as Lucifer. However, the entire cast really delivers terrific performances in the episode.
The episode re-caps the fall run, highlighting the important cases, mytharc, and kills with a nice layover of “Changing Tracks” by Wishbone Ash. The song title works on a couple of levels – we have characters changing tracks and the show is moving from fall to winter run. And of course, the lyrics are pretty appropriate too. The musical choices were actually quite good in this episode, and I particularly liked “Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel” by Tavares playing over the cage fight at the end of the episode. Leave it to Lucifer to pick disco!
The episode opens with Rowena’s (Ruth Connell) dream about Christmas morning. It’s hilarious to watch Mark Sheppard (Crowley) in a onesie! Rowena is in a flashing red nose – which I’m assuming was a special effect because that really would drive you crazy if you had to see it for hours at a time while shooting a scene! – and a reindeer horn headband. This is a recurring nightmare of hers – the horns don’t come off – and is that a subtle nod to her worry over becoming a demon? – but the dream suddenly changes. Santa is at the door! Only it’s not Santa, it’s Lucifer and he’s got presents! His present for Crowley is a giant candy cane which he uses to kill Crowley, who falls at Rowena’s feet. Seems the present is for her after all – and he also makes her a deal.
Sheppard and Connell are both outstanding in this episode. We see Crowley move through being silly in the dream, to being moved by his mother’s final speech to him, to being terrified when cornered by Lucifer. It’s a brilliant and subtle performance. There’s also a lovely shot of the two sharing a moment at the table that is shot from the perspective of behind the fire which is a nice nod to the heat of their relationship as well as where they are sitting.
Connell also moves from silly to scheming to silly – hopping on one foot and her annoyed and understated “Bollocks” was perfect – to that last moving speech to her son. I loved the way Wright shot this scene with tight close ups of both actors. You see the tears well in Sheppard’s eyes, though one never falls, and his face remains resolutely passive.
Rowena’s tears do fall, but is it because the collar is forcing her to reveal her innermost feelings or is it her feeling? I would say it’s her desire to love her son. We finally get Rowena’s story – and why she does hate her son so vehemently: “I hate you, because when I look into your eyes I see the woman I used to be, before magic, before the coven. When I was nothing but Rowena, the tanner's daughter. A pale, scared little girl, who smelled of filth and death. I hate you, because when you were born, your father said he loved me. Then he went back to his grand wife and his grand house, whilst I lay pathetic and half dead on a straw mat, my thighs slick with blood. I hate you, because if I didn't, I'd love you. But love, love is weakness. And I'll never be weak again.”
Connell is simply magnificent here, and it made me mourn her death in this episode. While I may not have been a huge fan of Rowena, when given the right direction – ie not over the top – she delivered some great performances like this one. Somehow it’s worse when you know an actor isn’t being given the chance to show you their real potential – but here we definitely see it.
Christmas also factors in to Lucifer’s plan to get Sam (Jared Padalecki) to say yes. Like the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future in A Christmas Carol, Lucifer takes Sam on a tour of some of his greatest hits. First he takes him Young Sam – bonus return of Colin Ford for this! Ford has certainly grown into playing older teenage Sam – he’s definitely going to have the height to continue to play the role very convincingly. I’m now hoping for flashbacks to Stanford! We see young Sam on a study date, but the girl (Rachelle Gillis) is more interested in making out with Sam than studying! Lucifer tells Sam, “bold, decisive! This is the Sam Winchester I remembered. You used to be a hero. I don’t even recognize you anymore.”
Lucifer next takes Sam to Stull Cemetery. I loved that we got lots of shots from “Swan Song.” Lucifer remarks that he still doesn’t get “Assbutt” – hilarious! He tells Sam that he really doesn’t like him. He’s kind of prissy. “But at this moment, when you stood toe to toe with me and won? You had balls. You were willing to do the hard thing if it meant saving the world. That’s not you anymore. You’ve gone soft Sammy.” Lucifer’s plan is clearly to play on all of Sam’s self doubts and insecurities. We also get to see Castiel’s (Misha Collins) most heroic moment in this scene.
Finally, Lucifer takes Sam to Amelia (Liane Balaban). I particularly liked this sequence as Lucifer throws all the problems fans (myself included) have had with this storyline back at Sam. It’s the perfect time for the writers to address these problems, to finally have Sam explain why he did what he did – not look for Dean (Jensen Ackles) or Kevin, why he simply checked out with the dog and the Vet. Unfortunately, they squander this perfect chance and we’re left with a re-iteration of the same lame answers.
Lucifer blames Amelia, not looking for Dean, and then doing every stupid thing to cure the mark for Sam’s guilt. Because they chose each other over the world. Lucifer tells Sam that if he’s to beat the darkness, he has to be willing to die and to watch those he loves die. Lucifer’s entire point is that Sam just isn’t strong enough and needs Lucifer to take control: “Snapping necks and cashing checks. It’s what I do!” And play on people’s weaknesses. Don’t forget that Luci!
Padalecki holds his own in these scenes but really shines in the confrontations scenes in the cage. He insists that Dean will come to save him. Sam finally comes back at Lucifer, pointing out that the last time they stopped the Darkness, it took three Archangels AND God. Sam wants to know what happens if Lucifer does win. Lucifer quips move to LA and solve crimes! This is hilarious as that is exactly what the new Lucifer show is about! It’s also really good, so you might want to check it out. Tom Ellis is an amazingly entertaining Lucifer and it’s also a WB production. This is the second reference to a Neil Gaiman work as Reaper Billie (Lisa Berry) is reading Death by Gaiman when Cas arrives. Both Death and Lucifer are characters in the larger series The Sandman – and of course Gaiman and Terry Pratchett are the authors of Good Omens which has also been tied to the show. But I digress…
Sam calls Lucifer on this answer too. Lucifer is an old dog and he’ll stick to the old trick of instigating the Apocalypse given half a chance. Sam tells Lucifer, “This isn’t about Dean or the past. This is about me having faith in my family. We will find a way. I’m ready to die and watch people I love die, but I’m not ready to be your bitch.” Go Sammy! And it’s at that point that Lucifer loses his cool and resorts to punching Sam.
Meanwhile, Dean has tried to return to the spot where Amara (Emily Swallow) had taken him to confirm that she did die in the smiting. Unfortunately, he can’t get close enough because he’s overcome by smiting sickness. Cas finds him and warns him that if he goes closer it will get worse. A similar smiting is what turned Lot’s wife into salt! Cas promises to go and check. Interestingly, Dean insists that Cas bring out Amara’s body if she is dead. Is he simply abiding by they no body/no death rule or is it something deeper?
Dean goes to the Bunker looking for Sam and gets the call from Crowley that things have not gone well. Dean shows up where Crowley tells him to. Billie, the Reaper, is going to let him into Hell, but not before she hilariously makes him “say” the password – which happens to be the song “Camptown Races.” Apparently, Ackles struggled mightily not to actually sing it! After all, doesn’t that play in all our heads? Really. Try just saying it…
Billie charges Dean with taking a present to Crowley. She explains it doesn’t hurt to have the King of Hell owe you a favor. She also clarifies that she's not actively trying to kill them. She simply means to keep them dead once they die. It's a nice way for the writers to re-up the stakes on the boys... There is a really nice moment from Ackles as Billie opens the door to Hell and tells him to watch his step. You can see the complicated emotions play across his face. After all, Dean has spent a lot of time in Hell himself, being tortured by Alastair…
Dean’s first question upon finding Crowley is “Where’s Sam?” When Crowley responds, “Don’t worry about Sam” Dean immediately asks, “I’m sorry, have you met me?” Crowley isn’t wrong when he says they need to focus on Rowena because going directly after Lucifer is suicide. Dean – without any hesitation – and terrific manic eyes on Ackles part – says “ok, great. Let’s kill her!” Crowley once again puts the brakes on anything actually harming Rowena – he says they need her to put Lucifer back in his hole. In the box is the witch-catcher from Billie.
Meanwhile, Cas runs into Ambriel (Valerie Tian) at ground zero. She’s clearly not too bright as it she doesn’t clue in to the significance that they are standing in darkness in the middle of the afternoon. She’s been tasked by Heaven with finding out whether Amara is alive or dead. Ambriel is actually in birth and death statistics, but she tells Cas that she’s been sent because she’s expendable – just like him. She tells him, “You help, but Sam and Dean are the real heroes.” Collins is also terrific in this episode, as Cas’s dismay is clearly visible on his face. This is Castiel’s greatest fear. There is an odd look that flits across Amriel’s face after she says this and as Cas turns away and tells her to go on without him. Is she perhaps under Lucifer’s influence? Is she playing on Cas’s insecurities as Lucifer has been doing with Sam?
Ambriel, however, comes upon the seemingly dead Amara, who wakes up and grabs her by the throat – nice classic scare tactic show! Cas arrives just in time to see Amara finish eating her grace. I loved the terrific special effect of her drawing all of the darkness into herself. Amara recognizes Castiel.
Cas has an angel blade with him and makes a move even after Amara points out that she’s just survived being smited by all of Heaven. Cas tells her that he’s not afraid to die, but she doesn’t believe him. She tells him, “You reek of fear and self-loathing. She’s right. You are expendable. Weak.” She wonders why her Brother even took a special interest in. She doesn’t consider him worth the effort of killing or eating, but she does have a job for him. She puts her hand on his chest and there’s a blinding white light while Cas screams – reappearing with Billie.
Cas arrives as Rowena is starting the spell to put Lucifer back. She tells them that it won’t work if he finds a vessel before the spell is cast. On Cas’s chest, Amara has burnt the message “I am coming.” When they hear Lucifer start to beat Sam, Dean and Cas run to the cage only to have Lucifer zap them inside and turn on the disco to dance. Cage fight! And the stage has been set for Cas to be weak enough to say yes.
It’s not until the final reveal that we loop back and see Cas ask Lucifer if he can really beat her and Lucifer says yes and then Cas says yes. However, if you look closely, after Mark Pellegrino disappears in a flash of light, Castiel’s eyes flash silver.
Crowley kicks them all out of Hell, declaring the entire mission a trainwreck. However, once again, he keeps Rowena with him – and under his protection. Cas follows the others out. Dean asks him if he’s ok, and he says he thinks so, he will be. He refuses the lift Dean offers him and Sam does a very odd little salute from the other side of the Impala. Sam asks Dean, “What if Lucifer was telling the truth?” Like he always does, Sam? Dean doesn’t even hesitate – the Darkness is bad. “Her and the Devil? That’s a nightmare.” And it was a nice loop back to Rowena’s nightmare at the beginning – which got them all into this.
Cas shows back up in Hell, disturbing Rowena and Crowley’s moment. Collins is clearly really enjoying channeling Mark Pellegrino, but I do hope he tones it down a bit going forward. He did love his “Loophole!” Poor Rowena thinks she is finally going to get her reward. When Lucifer asks her if she is the only one who can perform the spell to put him back in the cage, she foolishly says yes and seals her own fate. With her gone, Lucifer should be safe. Except we all know that Rowena isn’t the best witch on the planet, so surely they will be able to find someone else who can read the Book of the Damned, the cipher, and Charlie’s key…
It does seem that Misha Collins will at last have some relevance to the main story arc, and Lucifer’s “Let’s chat” to Crowley would seem to indicate that Lucifer has plans for him too. Will you miss Rowena? What did you think of the episode? Favorite scene? Line? Are you looking forward to Casifer? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
About the Author - Lisa Macklem
I do interviews and write articles for the site in addition to reviewing a number of shows, including Supernatural, Arrow, Agents of Shield, Agent Carter, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, The X-Files, Defiance, Bitten, Killjoys, and a few others! I'm active on the Con scene when I have the time. When I'm not writing about television shows, I'm often writing about entertainment and media law in my capacity as a legal scholar. I also work in theatre when the opportunity arises. I'm an avid runner and rider, currently training in dressage.
