Supernatural “Exodus” was written by the team of Eugenie Ross-Leming and Brad Buckner and was directed by Thomas J Wright. I think this is clearly the episode that the writers both teased at Paleyfest was one of their favorites to write – they alluded to one that was just being shot. There is certainly some terrific Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino) stuff in this one – including the fact that I feel badly for him and mad at Sam (Jared Padalecki) by the end of it! Color me shocked! Of course, it will likely be a generally disliked episode because it would appear that Gabriel (Richard Speight Jr) is really and truly dead now – we got the wings folks.
The episode picks up right where we left off with Sam and Lucifer arriving back in the camp. Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Mary (Samantha Smith) are happy to see him, but Dean is clearly concerned about how Sam is back. Sam tells then that Lucifer brought him back. Lucifer tells them he’s just there to join the team.
Lucifer tries talking to Jack (Alexander Calvert), but Dean immediately steps in telling Lucifer not to talk to Jack and Jack not to listen to Lucifer! Dean shows his utter ineptitude for parenting… Cas (Misha Collins) does back Dean up. I loved Collins in this scene as he corrects Lucifer that Jack is Kelly Kline’s son – and nothing like Lucifer.
Dean orders Gabriel to kill Lucifer, but Lucifer recognizes that Gabriel is too weak. Dean brushes it aside because Gabriel has the arch-angel killing blade. Jack is both angry and confused and does what he always does when overwhelmed – he takes off – really, like any teenager! Gabriel offers to go look for him.
Lucifer doesn’t understand why they aren’t embracing his offer. Cas insists that Lucifer put on the warded handcuffs, assuming they’ll work because Lucifer isn’t at full power – of course he is, and they should have realized that because he brought Sam back and got through all the wardings at the camp. Sam is worried that the rift is closed, but Lucifer tells them that he left Rowena (Ruth Connell) some grace. He gives them about 31 hours.
Dean checks in with Sam – who is maybe not entirely sure that he’s ok, but he is alive! He apologizes for bringing Lucifer, but Dean doesn’t care and grabs him into a bro-hug. Dean wants to know what they are going to do about Lucifer, and Sam insists that he’ll handle him.
Jack remembers Kelly’s words to him that he’s who he chooses to be. He also remembers Sam’s faith in him. Coupled with that, Jack also thinks about all the bad things he’s done that have resulted in people dying.
Who didn’t enjoy Mary punching Lucifer right in the face! Mary tells the brothers that she’s not going back with them. And didn’t we all see that coming? She’s not abandoning the fight. Mary has finally found a purpose and a place where she really feels needed. Dean insists that they need her, but she’s determined. Dean pleads that they’ve never walked away from a fight, but sometimes maybe the should have because every fight can’t be won.
Dean is caught flatfooted when Sam says he thinks Mary has made up her mind rather than jumping in to support Dean. But Sam has a plan. He suggests that they all leave, devise a plan, and then come back to save their world. Dean thinks a few more than the 9 they have won’t be a problem, and then Mary tells him 25. And doesn’t that seem like a rather tiny number to save the entire world from Heaven’s host? And yes, I know that Dean and Sam did it on their own, but it’s still not much of an army…
Jack returns and interrupts Cas and Lucifer. Lucifer calls Jack “son” and Cas rolls his eyes, but Jack corrects him. Cas warns Jack that talking to Lucifer isn’t a good idea – he’s the great tempter after all! Jack’s answer that he’s just going to listen isn’t reassuring at all. Lucifer is smugly pleased.
Lucifer tells Jack not to be intimidated and ask whatever he wants. Jack asks why people hate Lucifer so much. Lucifer tries to downplay the evil that he’s done, saying it’s been played up – that it’s “fake news!” Love who we are supposed to associate here. Lucifer goes on to say that humans are weak and messed up – and Jack points out that his mother was human! I loved Cas’s reaction to Lucifer straying off into his sex life with Kelly.
Lucifer course corrects and says that humans are fallible and they’re hard-wired to fall, so when they do, they need a fall guy. Cas calls it as being a vast oversimplification. Lucifer points out that he’s been locked away in a cage for centuries – so he’s not responsible for all the evil! Cas doesn’t have a comeback. Lucifer tells Jack that his father locked him up for criticizing humans. Lucifer does admit that he’s done bad things, but now he just wants the opportunity to get better. Jack is listening – and Cas just shakes his head and walks away. Dean is not happy when Cas tells them Jack is with Lucifer.
Dean once again tries to break it up. Jack insists that Lucifer is in chains and not a danger – but Dean is right in recognizing that he should have gagged him – Lucifer’s most dangerous weapon is his tongue. Cas tells Jack that they are his family. Sam tries to warn Jack that he doesn’t know who Lucifer is, but Jack insists that he never will unless he talks to him. Jack won’t even let Dean make a comment, insisting that Lucifer is his father. And again, Lucifer has a smug smile on his face. He’s driven in the wedge he wanted.
As the group walks toward the rift, Mary tells Dean to take it easy on Jack. She tells him that Jack has been fighting a war and has lost people – he needs some time to get through it. She also tells Dean that he’s going to have to accept that Jack wants to get to know his father. Mary assures Dean that Jack won’t go over to the dark side, and she tells him that Jack will see Lucifer’s true nature through his own eyes – not Dean’s. And that’s an important distinction. Sam walks with Jack and Lucifer. Jack wants to combine power with Lucifer to take out Michael (Christian Keyes).
The group are ambushed by a group of angels, and Lucifer smokes them out and melts the cuffs. Nobody is happy that Lucifer has been keeping secrets – but he insists that he’s just being a team player.
There was no way to recreate the set for Singer’s Salvage, so they relocated Bobby (Jim Beaver) to a better climate! And it’s always great to have Beaver back on set! Bobby tells them that Charlie (Felicia Day) and Ketch (David Haydn-Jones) haven’t come back from a mission. I loved Dean getting all protective of Charlie, completely forgetting that this isn’t his Charlie. Bobby didn’t let Charlie go with Ketch, Charlie let Ketch come with her on her mission!
Sam tells Bobby that they’re running out of time. Bobby thinks that taking everyone through the rift is a bad idea. They get a lot of pushback from the others. Mary tells them that they don’t know Sam and Dean but they know her. The other world really does exist. Andy (Jeff Joseph) doesn’t want to run out on everyone else. Sam tells them about all the lore they have in the bunker. Dean points out that they are losing. They should come, devise a plan, and then return to win. Sam insists that they’ve been where they are. They agree to talk to their people and take a vote.
Lucifer and Jack both want revenge on Michael for torturing them. Lucifer introduces Jack to Gabriel as his uncle. Lucifer puts Gabriel’s less than warm welcome on the time Gabriel spent with Asmodeus, but Gabriel insists the time he spent with Lucifer was worse – Lucifer cuts him off before Gabriel can reveal that Lucifer tried to kill him. Gabriel won’t let Lucifer color God as the bad guy with Lucifer as the victim. Gabriel identifies that as Lucifer’s excuse for everything.
I love Felicia Day in this iteration of Charlie – she’s so badass! Unfortunately, Charlie and Ketch are the ones who end up ambushed, taken prisoner and tortured. When Ketch won’t talk, the Angel in charge (Alexander Candese) sends for a specialist – the Apocalypse-World version of Cas. I’m not entirely sure what Collins was going for with this characterization. Why is Jimmy suddenly a twitchy Nazi? It’s funny rather than scary. Like any good villain, his monologueing delays the use of his power on Charlie.
Meanwhile, Sam and Dean question the traitor (James Lafazanos) who gave Charlie and Ketch up. It is a nice parallel as Cas uses his power to extract the knowledge. Sam is clearly distressed, but Dean is fine with doing what needs to be done.
Lucifer is not happy not to be included. He and Gabriel are on guard duty and that gives us the perfect excuses for a great scene between Speight and Pellegrino. Gabriel tries to get Lucifer to see reality. There is no real scenario in which Jack goes off happily with Lucifer. Gabriel tries to point out that Jack is nothing like Lucifer. He’s had the Winchester’s influence and his mother’s bloodline is strong. Gabriel, like Mary, insists that Jack will see Lucifer for what he is.
Lucifer insists that he’s changed. Gabriel reminds him that he’s known him since the stars were made! He doesn’t believe that he can change. Lucifer lives to be worshiped or feared, he has no concept of empathy. Gabriel defends humans as beautiful and innocent. Gabriel tells Lucifer that Lucifer couldn’t stand that God loved them more, so Lucifer corrupted them just to prove how flawed they were. Gabriel compares Lucifer to cancer – God locked Lucifer up to stop the cancer, but it was too late. Pellegrino is fantastic here as he lets a single tear fall. Gabriel, however, turns away before he can see it. And this is the point at which I really did start to feel a bit sorry for Lucifer. We know that he has snacked on a bunch of angels and his power is strong, so it doesn’t make sense for him to still be having more human feelings, but it sure seems like he is here.
Jack, Dean, Sam, Mary, and Cas rescue Charlie and Ketch. It’s kind of fun that Cas has to kill himself – I also loved Cas’s comment that he’s gotten used to there being more than one of him! He’s been to the Empty after all – not to mention all the other versions he’s had to play over the years! AW-Cas insists that our Cas is the same as he is. Cas tells him that he prefers humans to angels. Interestingly, Cas doesn’t disagree about them being the same. This is Cas in soldier mode – and he proves it by killing the other Cas completely dispassionately.
I loved Sam pulling Charlie into a confused but not entirely unwelcome hug. Ketch marvels at Dean actually saving him for a change.
Bobby is happy with the win – and AW – tells them he’s proud of them. He also tells them that everyone, including him, voted to go with them. Dean gets to work – with Lucifer’s help! – getting a bus to take everyone to the rift. As the others get on the bus, Sam goes after Jack who is leaving to kill Michael! Sam insists that they have to get the people to the rift. Lucifer butts in to actually support Sam! He agrees with Sam that it’s too dangerous to go after Michael. Lucifer tells Jack that sometimes doing the right thing can go wrong – and honestly, that’s exactly what happens to Lucifer. I loved Padalecki’s responses in this scene – at Lucifer having good advice, and Jack calling him father.
When they get to the rift it’s starting to close. We see an exhausted Rowena on the other side barely able to recharge it. Everyone heads to the rift – with a “see you on the other side, bitches!” from Charlie. The best part about this scene is how many great guest stars we have set up for next season – Felicia Day, Samantha Smith, David Hayden-Jones, and Jim Beaver! Unless they all die in the finale. Sam stops Lucifer from going through the rift, saying they need him and Gabriel to wait until the end to protect them.
And of course, before everyone can get through – and Andy is among the casualties – Michael shows up. Lucifer doesn’t hesitate in going toe to toe with Michael and is outmatched pretty quickly. Michael recognizes Gabriel, and Sam tries to get Gabriel to run, but he insists that all he did on Earth was run. He’s determined not to run anymore and tells the brothers to go.
Gabriel has no chance at all against Michael. Dean screams his name as Michael kills him and then Sam pushes Dean through first. Sam waits, however, to stop Lucifer. Lucifer needs Sam’s help because he’s hurt, but Sam pushes him back, asking him how he thought it was going to end. The rift closes before either Michael or Lucifer can get through.
The episode ends feeling a lot like a finale as the survivors have a victory party of sorts in the – now very full – bunker. Sam thanks Rowena and tells her they owe her one. Dean tells Cas how badly he feels about Gabriel, and they tell him that Sam handled the Lucifer situation. Jack, sits apart and unhappy. It’s pretty obvious that Sam’s actions are going to have negative consequences…
Bobby gives a speech, telling everyone not to get soft. He also tells them that they won’t forget their brothers and sisters who didn’t make it – they’ll do right by them – and clearly, Jack is also thinking this. Bobby also toasts their new brothers – and welcomes them to the family. How exactly they will get back to fight in AW again is a bit of a mystery. No Archangels are left on Earth now… possibly Rowena can also open a rift now as well as holding it open?
Back in AW, Lucifer is forming an alliance with Michael. Lucifer knows the spell and they can go through together. All Lucifer wants is his son – Michael can have everything else. I loved Pellegrino’s face here. He looks down and to the side as Michael waits for his answer – is he looking at Gabriel’s body? Is he hesitating to make a deal with the brother who killed his other brother? Or is he simply sad over Sam’s betrayal? Time will tell…
I was really sad to see them bring Gabriel back only to kill him again – I was really looking forward to him taking over Heaven. Speight is truly wonderful in this episode, however, delivering one of the best performances in the series and definitely better than his season 9 appearance. Likewise, Pellegrino gives a terrific performance, nailing Lucifer’s snark as always but also bringing Lucifer to new emotional depths. What did you think of the episode? Any guesses on who all might make it out of this season alive? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
