How does one accurately describe this week’s episode of Supernatural? Do words like “impressive”, “superb” and “memorable” suffice? Because “Goodbye Stranger” was all of those things and so much more. It was an episode that had a lot of themes and throwbacks to earlier seasons (kudos to Robbie Thompson, who has done his homework on the earlier seasons, despite not joining the show until season 7). In fact, Thompson has proven himself a standout writer on Supernatural, penning memorable meta episodes like “Slash Fiction” or comedy gold like the two Felicia Day episodes. He has a touch of the subtle, writes terrific dialogue for all of the characters and blends comedy and drama with equal measure. “Goodbye Stranger” was more dramatic than his previous episodes (with, perhaps, the exception of “Bitten”, which covered heavy topics), but it packed an emotional punch that will resonate for a long time. And it killed off the longest-running demon in Supernatural history. But more on that unexpectedly sad moment later.
Cold, Cold Open
It’s not often we jump right into Winchester action in the opening seconds of a Supernatural episode, so seeing Dean right after the “NOW” title card was made all the more jarring moments later when Castiel snapped his wrist and then stabbed his friend. But that horrifying scene wasn’t enough trauma for the audience, apparently, because Naomi praised Castiel’s actions, telling him that he’s fully programmed now and she’s oh so proud. Then the camera panned back to show us hundreds of dead Deans strew about the warehouse. All of them killed by Castiel.
In the Men of Letters bunker, Dean was cluing in to Sam’s increasingly worse condition when he spotted a bloody kleenex in the garbage, but Sam had them off and running to investigate a new case. A few visits and interviews and the Winchesters quickly realized that the victims had all been possessed by demons who were searching for something in the town.
Oh, What a Tangled Web We Weave…
Castiel made an unexpected appearance back in the Winchesters’ lives and it soon became clear to Sam and Dean that he was acting suspicious and lying to them. Well, even more suspicious than he had been since the last time they saw him. After interrogating a demon, they headed off to a motel to save a hostage that was being tortured for the location of the crypts.
The hostage was none other than Meg (complete with new hair!), who said she had been tortured by Crowley for the last year and told the boys what Crowley was searching for: the Angel Tablet. Castiel feigned surprise, while Dean and Sam’s suspicions continued to mount.
The boys suggested they team up with Meg to recover the tablet themselves and off the group went. They managed to find one, but Dean ordered Sam to remain outside with Meg while he and Cas went in to find the tablet. Dean’s noticed that Sam isn’t at the top of his game and was seriously failing in a fight against a demon earlier, which led to Cas telling everyone that Sam is now “damaged in ways even I can’t heal.”
Inside the crypt, Dean was able to pull out the tablet from its hiding place and Cas immediately demanded he hand it over. As Castiel continued to speak to Naomi up in Heaven (who was ordering him to kill Dean and take the tablet), Dean’s suspicions spilled over and he asked the angel to confess how he had gotten out of Purgatory. Castiel started wailing on Dean and Dean (much like in “Swan Song”) didn’t fight back, but begged Castiel to stop, telling him that they’re family.
Castiel found himself unable to kill his friend and when he touched the tablet it seemed to break the hold Naomi has over him. Later, he healed Dean’s injuries and then left with the tablet, telling him that he needs to protect it both from Naomi and from Dean.
Meanwhile, Crowley joined the party outside and Meg (after a rather amusing and touching conversation with Sam about his desire for a normal life) told him to run. As Dean rejoined his brother outside, the two witnessed Crowley stabbing Meg. RIP Meg. You’ve been there since the beginning and, I think, you might be missed.
Later, Crowley met with Naomi in the crypt and it’s clear that these two have some history, although it’s not clear that she’ll take him up on his offer to join forces and search for the tablet. As Castiel rode off on a bus (to avoid being detected while using angelic travel measures, presumably) Dean told Sam that he couldn’t stand any more lies and Sam vowed to be honest about the side-effects of the trials.
Fade out on one hell of a Supernatural episode. The show returned with a bang I was hoping for but don’t always expect and I’m thrilled to say this is an episode that I’m eager to watch again.
Megstiel: The New Brangelina? Hardly
The internet was in a tizzy earlier today after Misha Collins had teased a “touching” moment between Castiel and Meg and, like I thought, it was present but didn’t seem to have much of an impact on the episode overall. Even if Meg didn’t die, I highly doubted the two would become Supernatural’s new power couple. But I thought their scenes played as amusing and, yes, a bit touching. I think that Meg’s closing speech in that scene summed it up perfectly: “I miss the simplicity [of the apocalypse] – I was bad, you were good, life was easier. Now it’s all so messy. I’m kinda good, which sucks. You’re kinda bad, which is kind of all manner of hot. We survive this, I’m gonna order some pizza and we’re gonna move some furniture around. You understand?”
To understand this speech and its place in Meg’s final episode, I think we have to go back to the beginning with Meg. This is a demon that’s been around since season 1. She’s survived longer than any other demon on this show and has had continuous run-ins with the boys since she first arrived on the scene. Her antagonism towards them was present at the beginning and lasted many, many seasons. There’s no denying that Meg is evil. Like she said, she’s a demon. She is responsible for killing Sam and Dean’s friends. But – and this is a recurring theme in Supernatural – sometimes the boys are forced to work with grudging allies. In more recent seasons, as Meg became less of a favored child of Hell as a result of Lucifer’s downfall, she’s struggled to find her place in the evil hierarchy. And, like many other demons, she’s found that her interests can ally with those of the Winchesters. She hasn’t become “good” so much as she’s been forced to adapt to a changing landscape, although I found some nobility in her instructions for Sam to flee to safely while she remained behind.
I don’t think Meg was redeemed by her actions in this episode. I don’t see her as a “good” character because she had an amusing conversation with Sam (although I did like their quasi-bonding scenes!) and I didn’t see her as a love interest for Castiel. What I saw was a survivor who I will miss. There’s a sense of nostalgia (coming so soon after losing Bobby for what might be the final time) to see a character who has been around in one incarnation or another finally go (we’re sure Meg is dead, right? Or no?). And there’s an acknowledgement that Meg was not a one-dimensional moustache-twirling caricature. She was sassy and fun and evil and often without any sort of morality whatsoever, but I’ll miss her. I’ll miss her funny connection with Castiel, which I think was born out of a similar talent for adapting to circumstances (although Castiel is clearly not evil like Meg was). I’ll miss her banter with the boys most of all and I’ll miss her connection to the beginning of Supernatural.
“We’re Family”
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention one of the most powerful scenes of the episode: the crypt fight between Castiel and Dean. I think that Naomi didn’t realize her one fatal flaw in the opening sequence: none of those “Deans” was actually DEAN. Castiel may have been able to kill an imposter that his brain believed was his friend, but he was not able to kill the real version. I thought the similarities to “Swan Song” were brilliant and effective. In fact, there were similarities that harken all the way back to the season 1 penultimate episode, when a bloody Dean pleaded with John to overcome the demon that possessed him in order to stop killing Dean. This is a familiar scene in Supernatural and no one does near-death begging for mercy quite as emotionally as Dean. “Cas, I know you’re in there. I know you can hear me. Cas, it’s me. We’re family. We need you; I need you,” Dean told his friend.
In the end, Naomi gave him an ultimatum: “You have to choose, Castiel: us or them.” And like the last time Castiel was given a choice between Heaven and humanity, he chose humanity. One cannot understate the growth that Castiel has gone through since he entered the show in season 4. He’s not the good little solider who will choose Heaven every time he’s presented with a choice. In fact, he’s the soldier that forced the need for choices in the first place.
Frankly, I didn’t doubt that he would resist Naomi’s control at some point. His connection to humanity and to the Winchesters (to Dean, in particular), is a real and strong bond now, one that seems to supersede his bond to Heaven, particularly when those in “charge” of Heaven are making bad choices. Castiel is nothing if not loyal to his friends and we shouldn’t be surprised by this because he’s learned loyalty from the Kings of Loyalty: the Winchesters and Bobby. His path has been a rocky one and he has, absolutely, made missteps along the way. But like any human (and like Sam, if you want to talk about similarities) he’s also tried very hard to redeem himself for his previous misdeeds.
I suspect this Angel Tablet story is what Misha meant when he said that Castiel would kind of go off on his own journey at the end of the season that is separate from the boys. It’s clear that this particular tablet is precious to him and that he feels the need to protect it, while the Winchesters are preoccupied with closing the Gates of Hell. Frankly, I’m interested to see how both of these tablets end up closing the season. Will one of them be used in the manner they were intended?
Unholy Alliance
I spend a lot of time discussing Supernatural theories with Kate (who has co-authored a few speculation articles with me in the past) and we’ve discussed Naomi at length, including theories about whether Crowley was working with her. It’s clear that these two have a bit of a history, even though I don’t necessarily think it goes deeper than the typical demon/angel antagonistic encounter. And while Naomi seems disgusted with the possibility of teaming up with a demon, it’s unclear how long her disgust will override her desperation. If Castiel remains MIA with the tablet, how determined will she be to find him? Will she believe that she can keep it safe from Crowley even if she teams up with him?
“I Can Carry You”
I wasn’t expecting such a blatant confrontation about Sam’s health in this episode, but I was pleased that we got it, although I admit I’m terrified about what Cas said about Sam’s condition. How will the writers write themselves out of this situation? If Sam manages to survive the trials will he be cured? It’s clear that the effect on his health is worsening, which makes me frightened for him to face the next two trials. But I loved Dean’s response to the situation at the end of the episode. He didn’t get angry with Sam, he just flat out told him that he couldn’t handle any more lies. And he didn’t demand that they try and find a way to get Sam out of the trials, he simply offered his support: “I may not be able to carry the burden that comes along with these trials, but I can carry you.” While Sam laughed about Dean quoting Lord of the Rings, it’s clear that he appreciates the underlying message that Dean was conveying.
In the end, Robbie Thompson delivered a superb episode that belongs on a list of stellar mythological episodes. The implications from “Goodbye Stranger” will likely be dealt with for a while, but I’m looking forward to everything that comes next. We’re moving away from the heavy mytharc next week to welcome Krissy Chambers back to the show (watch a preview) and we’ve got another Felicia Day episode to look forward to and then I think we’re full steam ahead on the mytharc to the end of the season.
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Rip off of Swan Song. I do like that Dean can pull anyone out of possession while they beat the crap out of him.
Will anyone – anyone – please give Dean something active to do?
I thought this was a REALLY good episode. The opening scene was a bit of a shellshocker. It was like extreme ‘Mystery Spot’ but with Dean clones. I loved the throwbacks to earlier seasons,too. The continuation of Dean’s obsession with busty asian beauties, Meg’s reference to possessing Sammy,Dean’s calling a ‘family’ member back from the control of an outside force.
I also couldn’t stop laughing when the word Megstiel came out of Dean’s mouth.Then to top that off with Meg and Cas flirting with each other,in their own ways. I know I’m gonna catch hell from the extreme shippers for this, but I really liked the chemistry between those two. It was adorable,in a kind of naughty way. Thank you Robbie Thompson.
I know some are kind of irritated by the obvious similarity to Swan Song. However, I have a different view on that. I don’t see it as ripping off one of Sam’s pivotal moments. I saw the same thing tonight,that I saw in both that s5 season finale and the s1 season finale. I saw Dean calling out to a family member who was being controlled by an outside force. His calling to their hearts is what allowed John, Sam and now Castiel to fight back and overpower the force controlling them. Dean has always been about family and saving them when he can. I think there’s something within Dean that somehow allows him to reach out and call back friends and family he cares about. I think BOTH brothers were born with their own innate gifts, and I think this is one of Dean’s.
I was pleased to see many bro moments,especially the scene in the Impala at the end. I saw two brothers finally starting to be honest with each other. I saw growth in their bond, which I think will be pivotal to Sam surviving his trials and Dean surviving his upcoming angel trials.
I think what broke Cas free from Naomi’s hold was a combination of Dean calling on his friendship and the power within the tablet. We know Metatron will be joining the fray in a few episodes time. It’s possible he may have zapped Cas with his own grace,freeing him completely of Naomi’s programming.
@Mar
At least Cas didn’t need a beam of light and a plastic toy we never heard of to break free and stop himself from killing Dean.
This was a terrific episode! Loved it to death, and kinda sad to see Meg go, but at least her death ended well. As for people claiming this episode was a rip off of Swan Song, need I remind y’all that earlier in Season 5, Bobby stabbed himself when he was possessed to keep himself from killing Dean? John also stopped YED from killing Dean? If you wanna nitpick, then Swan Song was a rip off of both those. I, though, think it’s just another recurring theme in Supernatural, one which Dean himself emulates as Sam helped pull his brother back from the brink when he nearly said yes to Michael. That’s the point of family, to help each other when we’re at our lowest.
It wasn’t the light off the Impala or a plastic toy that enabled Sammy to repress Luci. It was the love and bond he shares with his brother. It was DEAN who gave Sammy the strength he needed. It was their friendship that allowed Cas to repress Naomi, and the tablet that destroyed whatever she was using to control him. My theory is that Metatron zapped Cas with his own grace thru the tablet to destroy Naomi’s control.
Excellent review, Clarissa. I agree with everything you said. I knew we were in for a ride when the episode opened with Cas murdering Dean and then pulling back to reveal all of those dead Deans. Robbie Thompson has really solidified himself as one of my favorite Supernatural writers. He not only understands the characters, he understands the show as a whole. He gets both the dramatic elements and the dark humor that are unique to Supernatural.
That crypt fight, well, not even really a fight. Dean’s crypt beatdown. Dean once again saved the day by allowing himself to get beat to a pulp by someone he loved while pleading for them to remember that they love him. When we found out Naomi was mind-controlling Cas, I figured that Dean would be the key to him breaking free. I just didn’t imagine it would happen in such a brutal way. I would say more, but I just can’t even…
I can’t say I was surprised that we lost Meg. About halfway through the episode I started getting the feeling that Meg wasn’t going to survive this time. By the time she got to that (rather amusing) conversation with Sam, I knew she was a goner because she basically said she was tired. She was tired of running. She was tired of fighting. She was tired of the blurred lines and complexity of the current landscape. The reason she understood Sam’s desire for normal(aside from the fact that she’s been in his noggin before) is that she was right there with him. Granted, her “normal” is being evil and killing people, but she wanted normal. She sort of realized that she wasn’t going to be able to carve out a place for herself in the new regime, so she decided to just take a stand. I felt like she told Sam to run, not so much because she was trying to die heroically, but she just wanted to go out fighting. I don’t know exactly how I feel about losing Meg though. She was certainly an interesting, layered character who added a great deal to the Supernatural universe. But I just was never overly excited to see her show up. Unlike I am when, say, Crowley shows up.
I don’t know if it was just me, but I felt like Naomi and Crowley had more than just a passing, antagonistic past. It seemed like either they had worked together before or they were involved in some other intimate, twisted relationship. Maybe it’s just the way Crowley is, but it just seems like there’s much more to their relationship.
Excellent review of a fantastic episode. Spring break did Supernatural good.
I loved this episode, loved it. There were SO many shout-outs to prior episodes….and Dean saying “Megstiel” made me laugh out loud….I am a big fan of Megstiel. I thought their scene together was touching….sorry, they should have been able to have their pizza…..
I wonder how many fans will be sending the CW pizza menus and pizza coupons? I know they did it with feathers for Cas, and did it with spoons for Oliver/Chloe from Smallville (I think there were also pencils)
Powerful scenes for all involved this go-round….
Cool episode, I always knew Meg had to die eventually, but I think the writers got rid of her too early. I was expecting her to die during the final season. I’m really worried about Sam’s ‘tuberculosis’, especially when Cass said he couldn’t cure it. I hope the writers don’t carry these symptoms till the final season, if so, I would stop watching. Naomi is an interesting character, I still don’t know what her plans are. My big questions are: Is Supernatural reaching season 10? If it does, would the writers keep the tablets storyline till the end?
I think it will for sure go to 10 seasons….we have three tablets so far…Leviathan, Demon, and Angel. There might be a tablet specifically dealing with Michael and Lucifer. Or, there might be a God tablet.
I can see the Demon tablet finishing up this season, like the Leviathan tablet did last year…the Angel tablet I believe is the focus of next season (the 9th) and with Misha now being a regular and started off on his pilgrimage to Metatron with the Angel tablet safe from Naomi and Dean (who will play a big part in the angel trials) then season 10 I’m thinking will be sort of going back to the beginning, tying up loose ends, bringing back John, and finally dealing with God. The Men of Letters is also an important story and I think that will also be an integral part of the show going forward….
My theory is that Sam will be able to close the Gates of Hell at the cliffhanger, but like Crowley said earlier, “quite a kick-back on those God weapons…” that Sam either gets sucked back to Hell with all the demons (bringing back Lucifer somehow), or he is on Death’s door (again) and the only way to save Sam is for Dean to close Heaven’s Gates (next season)….Cas will again have to choose and will likely choose Dean….Heaven and Hell are locked up nice and tight, Cas has ripped out his grace and is human, BUT….lo and behold, because Heaven and Hell are closed, havoc wreaks on earth….Cas, Dean, and damaged Sam are off to find the God tablet (season 10)….the Men of Letters is how they can pull the whole thing off, all Team Free Will being human. And I don’t believe we’ve seen the last of John Winchester….
Naomi and Crowley obviously have a history….how Crowley was in Mesopotamia with Naomi is either a plot hole or a big clue….perhaps Crowley was once an angel before he was Fergus? Lots of possibilities here….obviously, Dean is dangerous to Heaven…and I think Naomi was going to use the Angel Tablet for her own agenda….which probably suited Crowley nicely some how.
I think the way the show is moving ahead is awesome….save the demise of Meg….this also solves the problem the show has had with an angel-powered Cas always there to clean things up…he wouldn’t be able to do that anymore.
Really good episode, with stellar acting by Jensen Ackles. I’m not a Misha worshipper, but he did really well in this one, too.
Didn’t care for the Megstiel scene, but I understand the use of it.
I actually was happy that the Show finally put into canon that Dean is a cape bearer and Sam cheerleader. Now I know not to ever expect a storyline for Dean. (Oh, but I do miss Purgatory Dean and the hope that he would stick around.)
Looking forward to getting past the mini-Dean and Awesome Charlie wasteland and back to the mytharc.
I think Naomi was training Cas to kill Dean specifically because Dean means so much to him. Sam is certainly Cas’s friend and means a lot to him, but not as much as Dean. And if she could get Cas to kill someone who means that much to him without hesitation, then she could get him to kill anyone.
I think Naomi wanted Cas to stay close to the Winchesters at first because they were in possession of the demon tablet and she wanted Cas to keep tabs on their progress. She obviously has a vested interest in making sure the gates of Hell get closed. Plus, the Winchesters have a pretty good track record with getting huge things done (i.e. stopping the Apocalypse) so it’s a pretty safe bet they’re gonna get this done too. And you have to remember, at first, no one knew about the angel tablet except maybe Naomi. Crowley didn’t find out about it until he kidnapped and tortured Kevin (who told him that there was a compendium of tablets) and Samadriel (who confirmed that there was indeed an angel tablet). Now that the demons know about the angel tablet, that puts her at risk and she’d be willing to do whatever she has to do in order to possess that tablet. As far as her wanting Cas to kill Dean in the crypt, I think that was just her desperation to get the tablet. Dean had it and wasn’t going to give it up, so she wanted Cas to kill him and take it. That simple.
My last comment was supposed to be in response to Melody. I don’t know why it didn’t post there.
I believe Sam will be reset to factory settings once the gate has been closed. They are going to do the same thing they did with Sam’s hellucinations. Lots of lead up and talking from other characters about how devastating the effects are. Then, when the task is done the problem is magically erased… No harm, No foul.
Jessica, I pondered that as well about Naomi. I wondered if she wasn’t specifically after Dean but was instead just watching over all that he was involved in, but her instinct was not to ask about the tablet or even Kevin the prophet – the angel didn’t ask about the prophet! very telling – but instead she specifically said “Tell me about Sam and Dean” and after he tells her everything she doesn’t say protect the prophet, find the second half, or anything like that but only says “Help the Winchesters. Come when they call”. When you add to that:
– the fact that eventually she stopped Cas from responding to Dean’s prayers (stuff about the tablet!!), she saw the need to distance him from Dean and wasn’t too concerned about their participation in closing of the gates of hell
– that she had Cas killing Dean over and over and over again
– then Cas specifically names Dean as someone he has to keep the tablet away from
it all ads up to something about Dean and the angel tablet that has Naomi and the rest of the angels all a flutter. At least, that’s where my math has lead me.
One more piece of evidence to my growing theory: Cas. Naomi says that to get Cas out of purgatory she sent an “incursion of angels that cost us many lives.” She sacrificed many other angels to get this one specific. Dean’s a human and the angels have been batting him around for years. So, why does she specifically need Cas? If she wants something from Dean why doesn’t she just send that legion after him directly? She’s afraid. Cas is the only angel Dean would let near him without a fight. She’s terrified of Dean, she was begging Cas to kill him this past week. Dean is a threat to her in someway and whether it is because he has to fulfill the angel tablet or possibly he’s the key (chosen of Heaven and all – like part of the trials or part of a spell), she knew that Cas was her way in. Failure on her part, but a good effort nonetheless.
Jessica, like yours, mine was supposed to be a response to you.
Melody…I think you have said in so many words what I have thought since Zachariah was all hell-bent on Dean being “the one”….
Dean is, and always has been, tied to heaven and God…not necessarily the angels, but God….Sam has always been linked with Lucifer. Just because Lucifer and Michael are in the cage, doesn’t mean that Sam and Dean have graduated from the Heaven and Hell story….if anything, it’s intensified. Meg didn’t bring up the Apocalypse for conversation…it was never stopped….just “postponed.”
Sam will do the demon trials…no matter how much Dean wanted to do it, it was not his place….Dean will be doing the angel trials, and I think he will do them in order to save Sam…and Cas perhaps.
I’m not convinced that Naomi is actually an angel.
Supersheltie – I’m with you on this. They are still tied to those destinies. There is a reason why Raphael didn’t just kill them right out in season 6 – they are the key to the apocalypse. You have to wonder, is shutting the gates and dealing with the angels next season going to just bring it about in a different way?
I’m thinking that they actually do succeed by next season to close both Heaven and Hell and all “hell” breaks loose….no evil and no good? The balance of power has shifted or disappeared….the Apocalypse will get restarted by man, not by God or Lucifer…that requires bringing Lucifer and Michael out of the cage to restore the natural order of things….and we come full-circle.