Supernatural delivers a strong ensemble episode with “Inside Man.” Written by Andrew Dabb and directed by Rashaad Ernesto Green, the episode features deftly handled storylines and nuanced performances. For me, the episode re-energizes the season’s momentum, which slowed after two Monster-of-the-Week episodes kicked off the show’s return post-mini-hiatus.*
“Inside Man” begins with Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki) and Castiel (Misha Collins) sitting at a ceremonial table, hands joined with a third party who’s reciting a spell. The scene shifts to Bobby Singer (Jim Beaver) relaxing with a drink and reading Stori Telling as Kenny Roger’s “The Gambler” plays. Sam’s voice filters through the radio, revealing the purpose of the spell. He pleads, “Bobby, we need your help.” Astonished, Bobby asks, “Sam?”
The scene after the title card sets the timeframe as 24 hours earlier. We’re treated to a peek at Sam’s bedroom; he’s in bed sound asleep until Dean (Jensen Ackles) starts yelling, “Sam.” (It sounds eerily like Dean’s screams for “Sam” when he was on the rack in Hell in the season three finale, reminding us of what Dean’s done to keep Sam alive.) Panicked, Sam runs along the corridor, gun in hand, to Dean’s room, only to find his brother in the thrall of a terrible nightmare. Flashes of Dean’s dream are shown – the Blade, Metatron, Abaddon, and Cain’s promise/threat that Dean’s story is his and that Dean will kill his brother. It also appears that Dean’s sleeping in street clothes; Sam’s clearly wearing lounge clothes, so if he is, that’s another indicator of Dean’s uneasy state of mind.
The next morning, Sam confirms a meeting on his phone as Dean enters the research room. Sam asks how he slept, and Dean lies: “Like a drunk baby.” Sam lets the lie slide, telling Dean that other than a kitsune at a truck stop (which a hunter named Rudy is handling), all is quiet. Dean declares a “snow day” and suggests they hang out, but Sam has plans. He’s off to see a French movie about a “mime that’s secretly a cockroach.” All The New York Times endorsements in the world can’t get Dean interested in seeing that, so he tells Sam, “I trust you. Make good choices. Besides, I could use a little me time.”
Of course, Sam isn’t going to Witchita to see a film; he’s meeting Cas. The angel looks puzzled when only Sam arrives, and “Where’s Dean?” is his first question. Sam explains that Dean’s getting worse. Without specifying what avenue they’re discussing, Sam pleads, “We’ve gone through every other option possible…” Castiel’s answer? “I’ll drive.”
In hell, Rowena (Ruth Connell) is using blood to paint symbols on her body. Crowley (Mark Sheppard) comes into her bedroom without knocking and an awkward exchange ensues: “It’s nothing you haven’t seen before,” a naked Rowena protests, shrugging into her robe. Crowely counters, “I don’t want to see anything. I’ve been to hell, thanks.” (But aren’t they in hell? Or are his headquarters topside now?) Crowley’s stopped by to see what she’s up to, but Rowena lies and says her absence has been because she’s met someone. She gushes about “Trent” and his firmness, at which point Crowley declares the conversation over. After her son leaves, Rowena opens a wooden trunk full of tools, including a knife with a decorated handle. Is it a ceremonial knife? Or something more like Ruby’s knife?
Back in the bunker, Dean’s in Sam’s room – which he was expressly forbidden to enter – indulging in some pranking. He sits on Sam’s pillow, tapes his phone, and rubs Sam’s toothbrush in his armpit (yuck). It’s been a long time since we’ve seen the brothers’ legendary pranks-in-action, so it’s a fun if poignant moment. Dean seems to be acting as he thinks he should be acting if nothing were wrong, and his phone conversation with the mysterious Rudy underscores that. Rudy apparently turns down Dean’s offer of help, and they chat for a moment with Dean looking forlornly in the mirror as he tells Rudy, “I’m fan-damn-tastic.” (I do wonder, though how hunters aren’t after Dean as they were after Sam in season 4? How have they not heard that he hung out with the King of Hell for months?)
While Sam’s toothbrush is being violated by Dean’s armpit, Cas and Sam arrive at the playground that serves as the entrance to heaven. To Castiel’s surprise, a guard denies his entry outright. A moment later, an angel exits the male guard’s vessel, and another enters. (Sam watches the switch yet isn’t blinded; how is that possible?)
Castiel immediately recognizes Hannah (Lee Majdoub) and smiles warmly at his friend; Hannah is clearly emotional about seeing him. I love that Hannah occupies a male vessel in this episode, and I also appreciate that the angel’s earlier pledge to “never occupy another vessel” is addressed by including the explanation, “we need to have this conversation face to face.” “This conversation,” though, refers to why Hannah won’t allow Castiel entrance to heaven.
It’s interesting that Hannah seems open to helping Castiel if he’s there about his grace. When Cas confirms that he’s fine for now, Hannah knows that Cas wants access to Metatron (Curtis Armstrong) so that he can help Dean. Hannah, who better understands emotions and their pull now, denies his request because, “You’re desperate.” Castiel will literally go to hell and back (or heaven and back) to save Dean – as the angels well know. Hannah offers an “I’m sorry,” and Castiel responds, “You should be… After all I’ve done for heaven – after all I’ve done for you.” When additional angelic back-up arrives, Sam pulls Cas back. As they walk away, Sam says that it’s time for Plan B.
The episode’s most awkward transition occurs here as the scene shifts to Rowena manipulating a switchboard operator. She coaxes him to trace the call Crowley made when he was the Winchesters’ prisoner. (And how can modern technology trace a call made in blood?) The damned yet conscientious demon can’t get an exact location, but he narrows it to a ten-mile radius.
At the local bar, Dean greets the bartender – Donnie – by name and places his order. While he waits on his food and drink, he nearly calls Sam but then changes his mind. A group of college-age male students are playing pool loudly and obnoxiously. Dean calls them “Abercrombie rejects” and makes small talk with Donnie. When one student starts calling for people to play twenty-dollar games, Dean fluffs his hair, winks saucily at Donnie, and grabs his beer. It’s time to hustle some pool.
One of my favorite things about “Inside Man” is that everyone’s intelligence is preserved. Dabb thankfully never stoops to dumbing down our beloved characters for laughs. Dean’s cunning is on full display in the bar, and Sam and Cas are so damn smart and on point throughout their adventure, as evidenced by “Plan B.”
Sam has located a psychic, Oliver Pryce (Richard Newman), who as a child worked with the Men of Letters in the 1950s, pre-Abaddon slaughter. Sam thinks Pryce will be able to commune with their “inside man” in heaven: Bobby. If Bobby can open the gate from the inside, Castiel can get in, and they can free Metatron.
I love the moment at Pryce’s house, when Sam is knocking at the door and Cas impatiently offers to break it down. Sam tells him to “chill,” which gets an almost wounded response of, “I’m helping.” When Pryce opens the door, he already knows Sam because “mind reader – remember?” But when he turns to Cas, he stares in shock and asks, “What are you?” After a beat, Castiel answers, “I’m an angel.” Pryce’s response is classic: “No. You can’t be.” “Why not?,” Cas asks. “Because I’m an atheist,” Pryce answers. Sam quips, “Not anymore.” It’s a funny, yet heavy meta-moment that applies to so much: Just because a person doesn’t “believe” in something doesn’t make that something not-real and what is perceived as “truth” can wind up being adjusted.
Another interesting tidbit is learning that Pryce cannot read Castiel; all he can see are colors. He can read Sam, though, and calls him a “hippie” before asking about the “hobbit-looking fellow.” Faced with the existence of heaven, Pryce is now shocked to learn it has a jail. They outline their plan to Pryce, who then asks, “If I say no?” Sam answers, “You’re the mind reader.” Pryce meets Sam’s eyes and a moment later agrees to help. So far, Sam and Cas’s gamble is working.
At the bar, Dean’s gamble isn’t going too badly either. The students have bought Dean’s drunk act, believing that he’s an easy mark. He loses the first game yet offers a second; when the student ups the bet to $100, Dean raises it to $300. The students agree quickly. When Dean orders them to “rack ‘em,” the con is fully underway.
Pryce prepares the spell, and they all sit at the table. He asks for an item of the deceased, and Sam pulls out Bobby’s battered hat, placing it reverently on the table. (This also demonstrates that Sam prepared for every possible contingency.) Pryce then orders Sam and Cas to “shut up, and hold hands.” He casts the spell, and the episode’s narrative has caught up to the opening scene.
Meanwhile, Dean’s trounced the college students, winning the entire pool. “You hustled me,” the one guy accuses. Dean retorts, “You’re pretty quick for a guy who’s all hair gel and body spray.” He pats the guy on the shoulder and leaves the room, after which Rowena approaches the students. “Hello boys,” she says – and it’s so wrong to hear that coming from her when it’s practically Crowley’s catchphrase.
In the bar’s restroom, Dean rinses his face. He looks up into the broken mirror and sees black eyes. He jerks, blinks, and they’re gone. Clearly unsettled, he looks down at the Mark before looking at his reflection again. Is Dean already transforming back into a demon? Hustling college students seems a fairly tame “sin” compared to others – could that have brought it out? Or is it that as the Mark grows stronger, Dean’s slipping when on his own and away from Sam and/or Cas, the two who anchored him and pulled him from the edge?
At Pryce’s home, an indeterminate amount of time has passed, though it’s been long enough for Sam to give Bobby the rundown. The older man is glad to hear Sam’s voice, and Sam’s obviously glad too; Castiel also appears affected in the scene. When Bobby understands that they’re trying to get the Mark of Cain off Dean before it turns him back into a demon, he laughs dryly. “Just another day at the office for you boys.”
Bobby asks to speak to Dean, and the expression on Cas’s face as Sam explains is heartbreaking. Of everyone, Castiel best understands what Sam’s dealing with, what he’s facing. “[Dean’s] not in a good place,” Sam answers. Castiel gives Bobby instructions to find and open the gate to Earth; Cas will slip in, and then they’ll find Metatron. This is the part that Sam and Cas can’t plan for, though. Cas cautions, “Angels won’t like a soul wandering free.” But Sam assures Bobby, “You’ll figure something out; you always do.” Bobby’s nervous and says he’s “rusty. Maybe there’s somebody better?” Sam assures him there’s no one, and Bobby finally agrees, saying, “I’m already dead. What’s the worst that could happen?” Even at this point of the episode, this offhand comment seems significant – after all, I imagine there are worse things that could happen.
At the bar, Dean leaves the restroom to find the bar empty – except for Rowena. They trade barbs, and the now-bespelled students attack him. Dean knocks them all out and manages to resist the urge to kill them. Rowena casts a spell, activating the runes on her body, but nothing happens. She’s shocked and declares, “Not possible.” Dean takes advantage of her upset and grabs her, holding a knife to her throat and demanding to know what she’s doing there.
Dean’s completely shocked to learn that she’s Crowley’s mother. She accuses Dean of “[snapping] your fingers and he comes running like a wee lap dog” and says that because he’s a “good influence,” he has to die. Dean assures her that he has no idea what she’s talking about and threatens to kill her. Rowena’s crafty, though, and she taunts Dean with the truth: “You’re the good guy, and you want them to live…I’m the only one that can save them. What’s it going to be, hero?”
In a callback to “Dark Side of the Moon” (5×16), Cas instructs Bobby on how to find the escape hatch. Where Dean found a road, Bobby finds a loose thread that leads him to a door in the wall. “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in,” he mutters. It’s an interesting comment on how there is no end to this life they’ve chosen. Bobby steps out into a utilitarian, white marble hallway – very corporate and business-like. Is this hallway Bobby’s axis mundi? Or is it the “corporate” version? Is Ash still able to slip from heaven to heaven, and if so, why hasn’t he found Bobby? Before we can find out anything else about the heavenly hallway, the alarm sounds, and Bobby delivers his classic, “Balls.”
In hell, Rowena flounces back into her room, but she has one more trick to try to bring Dean down. When she walks into Crowley’s throne room, she’s cut and bleeding. Crowley simply asks, “Rough date, mother?” She claims, “Dean Winchester did this to me.” The King of Hell orders everyone out and very dispassionately questions her. When she says that the spell should’ve “ripped [Dean] apart,” Crowley remarks, “Let me guess. It’s as if Dean’s protected from on high? The Mark of Cain never lets its host die easy.” It seems odd to me that Crowley speaks as if he has knowledge of others’ experiences with the Mark. And perhaps most importantly, calling Dean the Mark’s “host” opens new avenues for speculation.
Somehow, Rowena didn’t know that Dean carried the Mark. Surprised, she huffs, “It’s just a curse, the first curse, but still, it can be removed.” When Crowley asks how, she says she’ll figure it out. She claims she was trying to defend Crowley, but he assures her, “I have Sam and Dean right where I want them. Keep your friends close and your enemy’s closer.” Now this sounds like the Crowley of old and the foundation for the betrayal I’ve been expecting all season… but is it?
Rowena chastises her son for being “stupid” and weak, losing some of her careful phrasing. She yells, “Show them how strong you really are. Be a bloody king.” Crowley visibly jerks at that moment – why? Does he finally see Rowena’s true motivation? Do her words finally strike home? What’s going on there?
The ensuing scenes alternate quickly. In heaven, Bobby has opened the doors to other Robert Singers’ heavens and the souls are filling the hallway. Hannah (I assume that’s Hannah still envesseled) appears with other angels, and Bobby yells out, “Who made you boss?” He stirs up enough of a ruckus to slip past.
At the still-empty bar, Dean’s poured himself a drink. “Been waiting on you,” he says. Crowley greets Dean with, “Squirrel.” Dean counters with “Boris. Where’s Natasha?” “Would it make a difference?,” Crowley asks. “Not really – so, we going to do this?” The “this” has all the earmarks of a classic Crowley vs. Winchester fight… but is that what will happen?
A call is put out on angel radio for “All hands on deck. The Bobbys are surly. I repeat. The Bobbys are surly.” Our Bobby, per Cas’s instruction, locates Door 42 and opens it. Sam and Cas see the gate opening and vacate the car. (So Cas apparently didn’t hear the angel radio call? Does he have it turned off? Or can he not access it?) Sam tackles the lone angel on guard while Cas leaps gloriously through the gate. It works: Cas slides into heaven on his back and Bobby greets him with a “Welcome to the party” and a hand up.
Bobby has questions, and he asks Cas directly, “Where’s Dean?” Cas attempts to lie, first saying Dean’s “resting,” that he’s “sick.” Bobby’s having none of it and grabs Cas by the shoulder, pushing him to face him.
“Try again,” he orders. Cas caves. “Dean doesn’t know we’re doing this,” he answers. “Well, that’s a page right out of the Winchester playbook,” he observes, and he’s right. And Cas knows it. Castiel explains that they’re taking action because “Dean’s given up.” “And you idjits haven’t?,” Bobby asks. “Would you?,” Cas asks pointedly before walking away. “Hell no,” Bobby mutters as he follows Cas down the hall.
In the bar, the Crowley vs. Dean showdown has taken a perhaps unexpected turn: They’re having drinks (Crowley’s has a pitchfork!) and talking, Dean’s explaining that he didn’t hurt Rowena, and Crowley clearly believes him. He sees Dean pulling his shirt sleeve down to hide the Mark and comments, “Mother says that Mark is just a curse, could be removed. Course she doesn’t know how.” Dean brushes it off. “Figures, but I’m good, thanks.” Crowley watches him knowingly. “Who’s the liar now?”
What ensues is an interesting conversation that reveals as much about Dean as it does about Crowley. Still ruminating over his argument with his mother, Crowley tells Dean that Rowena called him “soft” and acts surprised when Dean agrees with her. “The old Crowley would’ve come in with hellhounds and demons…he would’ve blown the roof off the joint. You didn’t want to fight. You wanted to talk.”
Dean also acknowledges, “Maybe I’ve changed too. Here I am playing Dr. Phil to the King of Hell. Never saw that coming.” Crowley questions if they’re getting old, and Dean remarks, “Never saw that coming either.” He asks Crowley, “Why you let mommy dearest tie you into knots?” (Did anyone else wonder how often Dean has asked himself that question about his father?) Crowley says it’s because she’s family, but Dean sets him straight:
“A wise man once told me, ‘family don’t end in blood.’ But it doesn’t start their either. Family cares about you, not what you can do for them. Family’s there, through the good, bad, all of it – they got your back, even when it hurts. That’s family. Does that sound like your mother?”
One thing I’ve loved about season ten is its reiterations that the Winchesters’ family extends beyond just the brothers – Castiel, Charlie, Kevin (#KevinLives) are all among those they count as “family.” Here’s a question, though: By the end of it, will Crowley count as family, too? Or, in an odd way, does he already? Personally, I find the possibility of that unnerving; I can’t forget the havoc Crowley’s wreaked, and it’s harder to forgive the damage he’s caused than it is to forgive Sam, Dean, and Cas’s. But is season ten’s narrative working towards a leveling of all four’s mistakes? It’s a narrative option I hadn’t fully entertained until this scene.
While Dean’s defining “family,” two members of his are in heaven working towards his salvation: Cas and Bobby infiltrate the prison, though Bobby’s unimpressed with Metatron. “This is the scribe of god? Looks like a fraggle.” In turn, Metatron’s unimpressed with Castiel – or Asstiel, as he calls him – and unwilling to participate until Cas assures that Dean will have no part of this and, “You’re going to be my punching bag.” Perhaps Metatron remembers how easily he manipulated Castiel before because he readily agrees, even pointing to where the keys are kept. But will Castiel be an easy mark again? Or has he learned to be less trusting?
Sam’s pacing the playground when Castiel returns with Metatron in tow. The angel exclaims, “Sam-tastic! Miss me?” He immediately starts barking orders, and when told he’s not in charge, he cites his knowledge about the Mark of Cain and Castiel’s grace and gloats, “It’s called leverage, boys. Learn it, live it, love it.”
At that, Sam and Cas exchange a pointed look, setting off my favorite moment in the episode: Out flies Castiel’s angel blade. He swiftly slices Metatron’s neck and steals his grace. Immediately after, Sam shoots the scribe in the leg. Castiel points out that Metatron’s mortal now and if he doesn’t cooperate, they’ll, “blow your fricking brains out.” Castiel taunts him, “It’s called leverage, Metatron….” Sam finishes, “Learn it, live it, love it.” All in all, this is an awesome scene.
With a bleeding gun wound, Metatron now confesses that he can’t remove the Mark. It’s “old magic, God-level magic – or Lucifer level. But you can’t ask him exactly can you?” Castiel asks about the tablets, but Metatron says there’s nothing in them. Sam confronts him about the “River ends at the source” prophecy that’s had them running for weeks now. But the scribe says made it up, “trying to buy time so I could screw you over.” Castiel ascertains that Metatron is telling the truth and orders Sam to shoot the scribe. Metatron scrambles at that. “Your grace,” he tells Castiel. “I wasn’t lying about that. There’s still some left. I’ll take you to it.” Castiel looks contemplative, and Sam, who has his gun trained on the scribe, says, “It’s your call, Cas.”
Crowley has returned from his meeting, but instead of telling Rowena that Dean’s dead, he announces, “We’re done.” She protests, “But I’m your mother.” Crowley doesn’t care and states, “You may have brought me into this world, but you were never my mother.” Rowena sees his decision as “choosing the Winchesters.” But Crowley corrects her, “I’m choosing me.” He also asks, “if I were not the king of hell, would you have ever bothered to pretend to care about me?” Rowena doesn’t take her son’s decision well and declares, “Everything you have. I will watch it burn.” Crowley’s seemingly unfazed by her anger and simply iterates, “I’ll give you five minutes. After that, pray I don’t see you again.” Rowena, shaking and with tear-filled eyes, watches Crowley leaving the room. Her emotion in that scene is visceral, but what’s the reason for it? Rowena’s manipulated Crowley from the beginning, but has her reason shifted along the way?
At the bunker the next morning, Dean’s eating cereal and reading the newspaper, as if it were any other day. Sam comes home and continues with the lie about going to the movies. He asks about Dean’s night, and his brother offers half-truths of his own: “played pool. It was boring.” Neither brother pushes the other’s story, even though each has much to tell. Of course, Sam can’t tell about Metatron’s disclosure without killing even more of Dean’s waning hope, and Dean can’t tell about his black eyes moment without killing even more of Sam’s. And I wonder if, when Cas sees Dean next, if he’ll be able to discern the changes that are taking place.
Sam goes to his room and pulls a letter from his pocket. A flashback reveals that Bobby asked Cas to deliver it, though when he had the time to write it remains a mystery, and it’s Bobby who narrates:
“… I just wanted to say Cas told me what you’re doing for Dean, and I’m not telling you to stop but maybe going behind his back isn’t a good idea. Your brother, he can be stubborn, but I think he’d understand. And I know it’s the life, doing a little bad so you can do a lot of good, but sometimes the bad’s real bad – and the good, it can come at one hell of a price. I ain’t there on the ground, and whatever what you do, I know you’ll make the right choice. You’re a good man, Sam Winchester, one of the best, and I’m damn proud of you, son. I was content up here, but getting a call from you – It’s the happiest I’ve been in forever, no matter what it costs so stay safe, keep fighting, and kick it in the ass.”
As Sam reads, “no matter what it costs,” angels enter Bobby’s heaven. Judging by the angel’s mannerisms, it seems that Hannah’s still envesseled, and we’re left to wonder: What punishment will the angels mete out because Bobby helped Cas and Sam? (I also wonder how that punishment will extend to Castiel, who – once again – has demonstrated that he’ll choose his human family over his angelic one.)
I love the moments of Sam with Bobby, though it seems odd that Bobby doesn’t send a message for Dean too. And while I appreciate what we do see more of Sam’s viewpoint, I wanted to see even more, particularly how he coped after he and Castiel parted ways. After all, Sam thought Metatron would have the answers to save Dean, so with that avenue seemingly exhausted, what does this mean for Sam’s state of mind? For Castiel’s? Can they come up with an alternate plan before Dean learns about what his family did on his behalf?
“Inside Man” illustrates Supernatural at its best. Castiel has been sorely missed, and I can only hope that he’s in every episode from here on out. I’m still iffy about this season’s hell narrative, but I’m curious to see how Crowley and Rowena’s stories connect with the Mark of Cain storyline, which, as always, remains compelling. And as much as I enjoy well-drawn brotherly bonding moments, I love seeing the characters of Dean and Sam showcased separately, so I hope we’ll see more of their individual stories and development in this last stretch. So, where will the final six episodes of season ten take us? There are many possibilities, and I’m anxious to see where Sam, Dean, Castiel, and Crowley wind up.
“Book of the Damned” kicks off the season’s final run on April 15. Charlie (Felicia Day) returns, and the extended promo shows Sam with Rowena, which leaves me worried: If Dean hasn’t confessed about his night “playing pool,” will Sam understand just how dangerous the witch is? Will Metatron survive his road trip with Castiel? And what happens when Sam and Cas learn about Dean’s black-eyes moment? We’ll find out soon! Supernatural airs Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET on the CW network.
*Scheduling conflicts prevented my reviewing “The Things We Carried” and “Paint It Black.”