Supernatural’s “King of the Damned” sets up the last three episodes of season nine. Written by Eugenie Ross-Leming and Brad Buckner and directed by P.J. Pesce, it packs quite a lot into a mere 42 minutes.
At the end of “Bloodlines” (9×20), Castiel (Misha Collins) phones Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles), and Dean and Sam (Jared Padalecki) immediately depart Chicago to meet him. Based on that, it seems that there’s a slight overlap time-wise with “King of the Damned.” This week’s episode begins with two of Cas’s supporters overhearing angel Ezra bragging to a socializing group of angels about his knowledge of “Met-Man’s vision.” In the next scene, as Ezra walks down an alley all by himself (never a good idea in Supernatural), he’s captured.
When Ezra comes to, he’s tied to a chair, and the angel in burgundy (henceforth identified as AIB) proceeds to chastise him for sharing Metatron’s secrets. I can’t tell if the ambiguity of AIB’s dialogue is solely to create suspense about which side has captured him, or if it’s possible foreshadowing that AIB will double-cross Castiel. That said, I love that it’s Cas’s footsteps thundering down the hall, and it’s Cas whom Ezra fears.
The Winchesters arrive at a municipal power corporation building, expressing surprise at the location, hence my assumption that there’s overlap with these episodes. Angel Headquarters is brimming with activity, and who knew that angels could generate so much paperwork? AIB refers to Castiel as “The Commander,” and the Winchesters are escorted to his office. Dean heads right for Cas; they hug, and then Cas hugs Sam too. It’s a happy Team Free Will moment for me. I also found it cute when Cas dismisses AIB and then remarks that the angel “can be a little stuffy.”
I enjoy seeing Cas’s commanding side, however reluctantly he may lead. His hesitance continues, as he humbly says, “They had no leader and they insisted on following me.” Dean’s response to Cas’s explanation? “We get it – you’re a rockstar.” (Yes, Cas is!) Sam, meanwhile, is sussing out the activity on the main floor, and he asks, “So this war between angels is really going to happen, huh?” Cas says that it won’t if he can find a “diplomatic solution” to neutralize Metatron.
We then find out why Cas has called the Winchesters: He needs their help extracting information from Ezra. It’s a thin premise, though I’ll take it since it reunites TFW. My primary quibble is with Ezra’s portrayal: I find it hard to believe that he managed to withstand the angels’ interrogations yet crumbles under the power of Winchester sass in minutes. “Trained commando” or not, that doesn’t make sense to me. But that’s the least issue with this scene.
While it’s nice to see the Winchesters flexing their brains instead of brawn, I don’t particularly like this scene as a whole. The dialogue seems off, and the same ends could have been accomplished without the fan-related tangent. It’s also worth mentioning that after episodes like “Slumber Party” (9×4) and “Metafiction” (9×18), which read like love letters to all fans, this exchange can be interpreted as sending quite a different message. For me, the scene’s tone unfortunately echoes that of Becky Rosen’s portrayal in “It’s Time for a Wedding” (7×8).
Though the problematic dialogue is directed at Ezra, Dean and Sam are speaking into the camera, seemingly to the audience. It’s comparable to Metatron’s conversation with the audience/Castiel in “Metafiction,” Dean is the one who articulates the connection between Ezra wanting to work for Metatron and “fans,” telling Sam, “I get it. He’s a fan.” Sam derisively echoes, “A fan.” Then, Dean speaks into the camera: “Just cause you’re hot for Metatron or Beiber or Beckham – Just cause you know everything about them doesn’t mean that you actually know them.” Sam adds, “Or that they even know you exist.” Dean responds to his brother, “That’s cold, Sam.” But Sam shrugs and says, “I’m just saying.”
What, then, is this scene’s message? It doesn’t read as a positive one to me, and there are many things that could be (and, I’m sure, already have been) said on that note. Any fandom’s politics are inherently complex, so I won’t attempt to tackle such intricacies here. Suffice to say, I wish that the nuances of this scene had been more closely considered when it was composed. And if they were considered, and any problematic aspects intended, then there’s an entirely different conversation brewing here.