Supernatural review: Do we finally have Dean back?

Dean may have just returned to the playing board, as Michael recruits vampires and werewolves.

Season 14 has started with a bang as Sam, Castiel, Mary and Bobby, have attempted to track down the archangel Michael, who has possessed Dean’s body. The second episode of the new season sees Michael doing some experimenting with angel grace and a variety of monster test subjects, potentially to build an enhanced blood-thirsty army. Did he succeed?

The monster alliance

The climax of the episode shows werewolves attacking Sam and the gang, being seemingly unaffected by silver, which is their usual weakness, and can only be killed by beheading. Were these enhancements brought on by Michael’s powers? This is very likely because Michael is seen in this episode discussing business with the leader of a successful werewolf pack, offering to improve their werewolf skills in order to go to war against humans.

Aside from using them to rule over the Earth, it seems Michael actually respects the monsters he is working with, believing they have a “purity” because all they want is to live. Vampires and werewolves are species who don’t normally kill for fun but only do it to eat and survive. Michael’s fondness towards monsters could also be due to the fact that he can easily manipulate them, using their blood and flesh obsession to control where their loyalties lie. Their lust for food is such an intense addiction that these monsters won’t care how their food is brought to them, even if it means helping Michael to destroy the world.

Angels and demons are arguable harder to lead as they require reasons and motivations to hunt and kill. As much as they might enjoy war, these species require propaganda and promises of a better world from their leaders in order to put themselves in danger. In contrast, all vampires and werewolves need is food. It’s a clever plan by Michael to utilize this appetite and he succeeds in enhancing the creatures’ abilities.

However, in an unforeseen twist, the episode ends with Michael leaving Dean’s body, finally reuniting the Winchester brothers. Although, has Michael definitely left? Only time will tell. The archangel is certainly not finished with his plans to rule over monsterkind and so the fact that he decides to release Dean from his possession at this crucial moment is intriguing, and it implies Michael is planning something even more complicated. There’s no doubt that this is not the last we’ll see of the archangel in season 14.

Jack reaches out to his real family

As Sam, Mary and Bobby set out to find Dean, Castiel watches over Jack in the bunker and it’s apparent the young boy is finding it hard to adjust with his life as a human. Without any angelic powers, Jack turns to the only biological family he knows — his mother’s parents. This evolves into a really heartbreaking scene as Jack visits the grandparents who still believe their daughter, Kelly, is travelling somewhere with a little baby boy, despite not hearing from her for a while. Posing as one of Kelly’s friends, Jack doesn’t have the courage to reveal that Kelly died whilst giving birth to him, even when his grandmother points out his resemblance to his mother. The grandparents appear as such kind and caring people, which warms our hearts as well as Jack’s.

Although angry that Jack visited his relatives alone and unarmed, Castiel soon realizes the importance of the trip for Jack who clearly feels less lonely after seeing them. The relationship between Castiel and Jack is one filled with mutual respect and they allow each other to have their own space. Although Castiel is the closest thing Jack has to a father, he doesn’t force authority or pressure onto the boy and gives him freedom which is really sweet to watch.

Oh, the nostalgia!

This episode had it’s fair share of warm moments as the characters, mostly Castiel, reflected on past struggles throughout the seasons. Season 5 and 9 were referenced in this episode, with Castiel drawing from the lessons he had learned to offer advice and to guide Jack and Nick, the human that the gang saved from Lucifer’s possession.

As Jack insists that Castiel could never understand what he’s going through, Castiel disagrees and reveals that during, what the show is apparently now calling “The Great Fall” when all of the angels were banished from Heaven and fell to Earth, he lost his grace and power. He confides in Jack that, at the time, he believed he had nothing but that, along with Sam and Dean, he still had himself, suggesting that Jack’s angelic power was a part of him but is not all of him. Castiel encourages Jack to look towards the future rather than looking back at the past. It’s a really beautiful scene where Castiel even praises Sam and Dean for developing their awesome hunting skills over time without any powers of their own. If you have been watching the show for a while, this would probably have brought back melancholy memories and maybe even a tear to your eye.

Castiel doesn’t just console Jack as Nick also struggles to come to terms with his past. Realizing that he never received justice for the murder of his wife and child, Nick sets off on a vengeful task to discover who was responsible. With Nick’s angry and volatile attitude, Castiel starts to suspect that Lucifer influenced his vessel more than they had anticipated. After Castiel explains that every angel needs to possess a human body to walk the Earth, Nick accuses him of being as bad as Lucifer himself for taking an innocent human life as his own vessel.

Castiel, visibly upset, admits that taking his human vessel’s life and destroying his family’s life was his biggest regret in all of his very long existence. This was a deep moment where we got to see a flash of Castiel’s inner demons. It may have been a shocking reveal too as Castiel has carried out some pretty questionable actions, including working with the King of Hell, taking over Heaven and massacring thousands of angels, therefore this shows Castiel is heavily influenced and affected by humankind. Although, this doesn’t seem to have an impact on Nick.

Speaking of Nick, who was expecting that ending? It would appear that the character, having been possessed by Lucifer for so many years, has picked up a few bad habits and moralities. During his mission to find his family’s killer, he turns on a neighbouring witness, and, in anger for his lack of co-operation, brutally murders the man with a hammer. This isn’t the first time the show has taken a normal human and turned them into a metaphorical monster, and I’m excited to see where this storyline will go.

Will Sam and Dean have to intervene and save Nick from his spiralling dark journey? Maybe Lucifer isn’t completely gone after all.

What did you think of the episode “Gods and Monsters”? Let us know in the comments!