If you haven’t seen the latest episode of the CW’s Supernatural, then be warned: serious spoilers await you. The following review includes some critical analysis and look at what the show’s fans have been saying mixed with some educated guesses about future plotlines; if you haven’t seen “The Devil in the Details” yet, then go watch it, be pleasantly surprised (or not) by the plot’s new directions, be shocked at the (seeming) death of a major character, and then come back here to read this and tell me if you agree (or not) with anything I’m saying.
The episode opens with the same Christmas-themed hallucination that we seen in promos, only here we learned that it was one of Rowena’s (Ruth Connell) dreams. The characters are all where we last left them, with Rowena and Crowley (Mark Sheppard) bickering in Hell, Dean on the run from where the angels smited Amara (Emily Swallow), and Sam (Jared Padalecki) stuck in The Cage with Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino).
Apparently, Lucifer has quite the A/V setup in there, as he takes Sam on an imaginary journey through his past. While reliving a moment from Sam’s teen years, his big sacrifice in season five, and part of season eight, when he befriended a veterinarian (Liane Balaban), Lucifer berates him, saying that he “didn’t recognize [Sam] anymore” and that Sam had “lost his edge”. (Fans online have been saying similar things about his character. Is this a sign/inside joke from the writers?) Sam makes a good point when he asks why Lucifer’s so confident that he can stop Amara alone, even though the last time he did it, God and several archangels helped, as well as what he’d do once the Darkness is defeated; Lucifer just cracks a joke about FOX’s upcoming Lucifer TV series: “I don’t know; move to LA and solve crimes?”
Dean (Jensen Ackles — who was just named 2016 People Choice Award winner for “Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Actor”) and Castiel (Misha Collins) were searching for Amara after a host of angels seemingly wiped her off the face of the earth. In what was the episode’s worst moment, they discovered that Dean can’t get too close to the surrounding area because it gives him “smiting sickness”. This is not only an excuse to see Dean vomit, but also gives Cas the chance to befriend the awkward angel Ambriel (Valerie Tian), one of Heaven’s “expendable” clerks, who’s been sent to see if Amara is still alive. Unfortunately for us, and the now dearly departed Ambriel, she is.
This marks the first time that Castiel and Amara have appeared on screen together, but not much happened. He attempts to kill her; she insults him and throws him to the gates of Hell with the words “I AM COMING” carved into his chest. For Supernatural, this is rather dull.
Billie the reaper (Lisa Berry), a character the show just doesn’t seem to know what to do with, guards the gates of Hell because she might “need a favor someday” from Crowley. While this’ll probably mean something later on, for now it’s just a way for Dean to get a “witch catcher” in his possession, which Crowley uses to trick his mother into hopping on one foot, psychoanalyzing herself, and helping Dean and Castiel into the Cage. As Lucifer takes on two Winchesters and an angel in an epic cage match, Rowena’s forced spell manages to save the day.
The episode ends with Sam and Dean driving back home, but the real question is: where’s Castiel going? If you haven’t guessed it by the sneaky smile on his face, he’s going straight to Hell because he’s actually Lucifer. A flashback shows us that Castiel really did let Lucifer possess him in order to kill Amara. Rowena’s thrilled to see him, until he snaps her neck. So, is Rowena dead? Next week’s episode may or may not give us some answers, as Sam and Dean continue to save people, hunt things, and wonder why Castiel’s acting so strangely.
Fans of Supernatural have complained about this season’s first half, but considering that the show seems to have finally made some progress and interesting plot choices, perhaps that’ll change. What do you think? Will you miss Rowena? Are you as amused by Castiel’s Lucifer impression as much Misha Collins seems to be? Let us know by commenting below!