Lindsay McKeon, Jensen Ackles
Supernatural, Season 9, Episode 22: “Stairway to Heaven”
Written by Andrew Dabb
Directed by Guy Norman Bee
Airs Tuesdays at 9pm (ET) on The CW
Over the course of the season, two separate fights have been brewing: one for control of Heaven and one for control of Hell. With the death of Abaddon last week, the latter reached a somewhat tenuous resolution, which meant that the brothers could turn their focus to Metatron and re-opening Heaven to the angels and spirits. “Stairway to Heaven” looks at Castiel and how he’s faring in his war, in a well done episode that puts all the pieces in place for a compelling finale.
Getting insight into how Castiel’s army operates is a fascinating aspect of this week’s episode. With the focus away from them for much of the season, it can be difficult to remember that this is the first time on Earth for many of the angels. The combination of this, the loss of their wings, and the angels’ inability to go back to Heaven was bound to cause some instability amongst a group that, by and large, craves order. While this season has briefly touched on how this instability manifests itself, particularly in the case of Hael and Ephraim, it’s interesting to see how the angels are dealing with these issues on a long-term basis. Hannah’s insistence on order and method, while frustrating to Dean, is perfectly understandable in light of this. How the angels react to Metatron will be worth watching for. Unlike Castiel, Metatron relishes his leadership position and has had his eye on replacing God for a long time. However, as the actions of Castiel’s army and Gadreel show this week, the angels are developing a moral compass, or at least a sense of right, wrong, and justice. Whether or not this will affect how the group follows Metatron has the potential to be a promising development. Having to choose between their newfound sense of right and wrong and the possibility of going back to Heaven would reveal a lot about how much the exile has changed, or not changed, the angels.
Misha Collins, Jared Padalecki
Watching Castiel’s leadership process in light of his past history is also compelling. His reluctant ascension to this position has been documented over the course of the season, but how his actions this week differ from his actions in seasons six and seven says a lot about how the angel has changed since his days of making deals with Crowley. It’s also nice to see that, despite organically gaining power this time, Castiel doesn’t let it go to his head, despite that temptation being present. However, his perceived failing this time around as well has the potential to shape his actions going forward, and it will be intriguing to see how this drives him. Castiel has proven himself to be optimistic and it’s possible that he’ll eventually come to see this as another learning process, or an inevitable result of going up against someone like Metatron, who’s been dictating the narrative from the start. On the other hand, the abandonment of his followers, as well as Dean’s growing instability, may see Castiel blame himself and decide he’s not leadership material at all. This would really be an interesting turn if he were to be thrown into another situation where he’s called on to take a modicum of power, a distinct possibility in light of his history. In addition, if he reacts to these setbacks by retreating from the public, or holding his ground when others need him, will be worth watching.
Overall, this is a strong precursor to the season finale. It’s good to see Tessa make a return, and seeing how a Reaper handles the entrapment of souls on Earth is unexpectedly touching. The trapped souls may prove to be an unexpected ally for the Winchesters and Castiel as they also want to get to Heaven but, unlike the angels, are not being given any hope or opportunity to do so. With the spirits spread out, and able to communicate on occasion with the living, they may prove to be a valuable resource in finding out how Metatron is getting to and from Heaven. The effect of the First Blade on Dean also continues to be a strong storyline. Dean’s actions this week, while further strengthening the idea that he’s slowly becoming unable to differentiate between good and bad supernatural entities, also opens up another possibility. The way Dean expresses his discontent over Castiel having followers again, and takes a swing at Gadreel, suggests that Dean also wants to be the lone hero of the narrative, potentially at the expense of winning the war. How Sam and Castiel deal with this will be very telling, as Sam knows the allure of addiction, while Castiel knows the allure of power at all costs. How the two of them deal with Dean, as well as what Metatron’s final play is now that he’s effectively vanquished his only opposition, will be worth watching the season finale for next week.
– Deepayan Sengupta