Decisions are made and the ramifications are still to come, but overall it feels like we left the Winchesters in a better place than when we started. Let’s hope we can hold onto this seemingly positive turn.
Note: This recap may contain spoilers!
The case of the week centered around a gorgon, an ancient cursed being with an affinity for snakes and a taste for human flesh. I have to say that Noah was very appealing in terms of personality and presentation. The way he poisoned his victims and lingered over eating them piece by piece reminded me of the artistry of Hannibal. Not that cannibals should be appealing, but when you write a good character you draw your audience in. Though, I think I could have done without his snake, Felix. At least Jack’s got a new pet now. Something to care for and keep him company when he’s not out hunting. And he got to decapitate Noah, so win for the hunter in training!
Meanwhile, aside from getting too much attention from Noah, Dean’s dealing with the continuous beating of Michael inside his head. He’s not surviving very well, with the constant pounding and the lack of sleep. And he needs reassurance that, should they not find a solution to the archangel situation, Cas and Sam will be able to go through with Plan B, the coffin under water. No one wants to think of that as a possibility, but it’s always lurking on the edges. However, it seems that worse won’t come to worse for that, since the end of the episode showed a finality to Michael’s existence. Though, I wonder what it might have cost Jack.
Rowena was called in to help out the boys on their case and she had a lot of questions about Jack’s current status. Last time she saw him, he was dying. Now, he’s functioning and seemingly healthy. And after she casts the transformation spell on him, it becomes clear that he had some serious magic on him. They’re walking a very fine line with Jack and Rowena knows how much it could backfire. But in the end she had bigger things to deal with, namely Michael. His usual threats of death and survival don’t work on her, because she knows Sam will be the one to finally take her down, but she’s got a weakness in terms of family now. She cares about the bunker inhabitants, even if she pretends she doesn’t, so protecting them is a way for Michael to get his entrance. I really liked the showdown that Michael and Jack had, and I’m glad she got out of it without permanent damage.
Poor Jack went through a whole hosts of ups and downs in this episode. His health was deteriorating and he had to use his power to help heal himself. Then he had to use more to help save Cas. Piece by piece, his soul was being burned away. When would it be too much? The problem is that Jack cannot stand by and let his loved ones slip away when he could do something about that. And he had really realistic reactions with dealing with Dean’s plight. What would he do if Dean never woke up? What will he do when he has to finally say goodbye to Dean or Sam? It’s hard to deal with.
Finally, it became too much. Rowena’s possessed by Michael, the archangel is torturing Sam, Cas, and Dean to the point of death, and he has killed all the other hunters in the bunker. Jack had to do something, else he lose everyone he cared about. Self-sacrifice, it’s a Winchester family tradition. But it seems like this sacrifice actually turned out well for those involved? He uses all his power to expel Michael from Rowena’s body, destroys the archangel in the process, and takes on Michael’s grace as his own. The last confirmation we got was that Jack is himself again, wings and powers and all. I’m not sure if there will be repercussions from that in the next few episodes, but I’m counting it as a win for now. The boys certainly need one of those.
Rating: 4 / 5 Stars
Screencaps by SupernaturalWiki
