Supernatural‘s “Book of the Damned” is the type of episode that makes me give a damn. Written by Robbie Thompson and directed by PJ Pesce, the ensemble episode adds to the momentum as the show heads towards its season ten finale, which Misha Collins has teased features “a moment when everyone breathes a collective and triumphant sigh of relief… [that is] followed by a horrific ‘oh shit’ moment.”
“Book of the Damned” opens with a hooded, sword-carrying Charlie (Felicia Day) evading two men who are following her. One of the men, whom we’ll later learn is Jacob Styne (Jeff Branson), carries a compass-esque device that points him in the direction Charlie’s hiding. She wields her sword, showing more of the fighting skills that she presumably learned in Oz, taking down one man and holding Styne at swordpoint. We learn that Styne’s been tracking Charlie through Russia, Alaska, and now Iowa, because whatever’s in her bag belongs to his family, and they won’t stop until they have it back. When Charlie’s distracted by a distinctive tattoo on the inside of his wrist, Styne fights back. Charlie escapes, though she’s shot in the process. Styne calls after her, “You can’t run forever, little girl.”
Post title-card, we see Castiel (Misha Collins) and Metatron (Curtis Armstrong) on their grace-hunting road-trip. Cas is the driver, but Metatron isn’t shutting his cakehole. Alanis Morrisette’s “Ironic” is introduced on the radio, and Castiel turns it off, much to Metatron’s annoyance. Cas pointedly ignores his prisoner’s ramblings about the song being a classic, the joys of being human, and “all these feelings.” I love when Cas, fed up, pulls out his phone to call Sam (Jared Padalecki) and asks, “Can I just kill him now?”
What stands out to me about this call is that Cas doesn’t need Sam’s permission to kill Metatron. The last episode ended with Sam, gun cocked and ready to fire, telling Castiel, “It’s your call” (10×17), and Cas chose to find his grace, ostensibly in the hopes of using it to help save Dean. (I interpret the choice this way because, until then, Castiel hasn’t prioritized his grace or impending death, choosing instead to focus his remaining energy on saving Dean.) So, this is simply Castiel calling his friend Sam for reassurance, and Sam offers that. Cas inquires about Sam’s research, which has turned up nothing, and then offers his own reassurance: “We will find a cure for Dean.”
While Sam and Castiel are talking, Metatron mutters aloud, asking why they would want to cure Dean when “he’s finally interesting.” Switching the phone to his left ear, Castiel punches the man to his right; it’s an extremely satisfying moment. When Dean (Jensen Ackles) enters the research room, Sam scrambles on the phone, pretending the call is a wrong number and hanging up. In the car, Metatron taunts Castiel because Sam hung up on him. Castiel demonstrates his lack of appreciation for the verbal jab by punching him again.
Meanwhile, Dean confesses about his encounters with Rowena (Ruth Connell) and Crowley (Mark Sheppard), and Sam learns that the Mark of Cain is a curse that is also protecting his brother. Dean also reveals that Rowena is Crowley’s mother, a bombshell that sends Sam’s eyebrows hairline-high. Dean even apologizes for keeping this information secret. Everything about Dean in this scene seems different – he’s just come from working out, he’s wearing a hoodie, his body language is more relaxed than I would expect, and he’s (gasp) being honest. Based on Metatron’s later comment, “I’ve only been a man a day,” this episode takes place shortly after “Inside Man” concludes. So, are we seeing the after-effects of Dean reminding himself about the importance of family and choosing his own fate?
Then, Dean’s phone rings, and he answers with “Winchester’s Accounting.” I assume he’s referring to one of their business fronts, but what catches my attention is the type of faux-business. After all, hasn’t this season particularly been about balancing accounts – or, at least, about recovering information forgotten and overlooked and trying to balance accounts?
The caller is Charlie, whom Dean big-brotherly calls “kiddo.” She’s calling from a payphone near Des Moines with news: She’s being hunted; she’s been shot, and she has The Book of the Damned in her possession. She can’t read it, but she has the monastery’s research notes that identify it as able to create or undo “any type of damnation there is.” The hope on both Sam and Dean’s faces is clear, and Dean calls Charlie a “genius.” They need to get her off the grid so direct her to “our friend Bobby’s” old cabins and make plans to rendezvous there. Charlie shares, “This book is old and scary, and I’ve never seen anything like it.”
Dean and Sam quickly pack and prepare to hit the road. Among their materials are Men of Letters files and a lead-lined, warded box. On the way to the cabin, Dean seems hyper, car-drumming along to “The Boys are Back in Town.” Sam eyes his brother skeptically, remarking, “I haven’t seen you like this in a while.” Turns out, the promise of what the book can do has reignited Dean’s hope. It is ironic that here, Sam’s the one who points out the negatives, but Dean persists optimistically, “We’re due for a win, okay? Overdue.” If it does work, he already has plans to take time off – a real vacation. He talks of “a beach, drinking cervesas, go for a swim, mingle with the local wildlife” (a wonderfully gender neutral way to put it). Contemplatively, Dean asks his brother, “When was the last time either one of us was on a beach?” Sam thinks a moment and answers, “Never.” “Never,” Dean repeats, adding, “Sand between our toes, Sammy. Sand between our toes.” He turns the radio back on, and their journey continues.
The song carries over into the next scene, but this pair of “boys” is decidedly less amicable: Taking a break from their roadtrip, Metatron enjoys a meal of sugary waffles while Castiel impatiently watches. The newly-human former angel is enraptured, exclaiming, “O. M. Me.” He prods at Castiel: “Don’t you miss the feeling of all this?” He also points out that they are two angels that have “touched not only the divine but also the mundane.” Castiel refuses to acknowledge their commonalities, and Metatron protests, “I thought we were having a moment. Can’t we be besties?” But Castiel can’t forgive because, “You killed my friend.” “Can’t we get past that?,” Metatron asks petulantly. “Never,” Castiel responds definitively. Why does Metatron try to handwave what he did to Dean when, at the time, he was fully aware of what he was doing and how it would impact Castiel? After all, he used Dean’s death to taunt Castiel. Does he think Castiel is gullible enough to not understand this? Does Metatron think that he, himself, is infallible? It seems to me that while Metatron sees the malleability of text, he doesn’t see that he, and “his” story, are also subject to “revision.” Metatron’s not God (or Author/God), so he’s underestimating the “characters” he sees himself as writing/arranging. For example, Collins’s portrayal of Castiel’s expressions in this scene clearly conveys to me that Castiel does, in fact, love humanity (and all it/he stands for), but Cas isn’t going to share that detail. Metatron then, erroneously, assumes that Cas “still” just doesn’t get it.
Castiel then confronts the scribe about their unsuccessful search: “…either you’ve lost my grace or you’re stalling.” Metatron asks, “Can you blame me?,” saying that as soon as he hands over the grace he’s dead. Castiel is unsympathetic: “You have made your bed, Metatron, and nothing is going to get you out of it.” The scribe suffers a sudden bout of digestive distress, ending the conversation, and Castiel has to escort him to the restroom. A man sitting at the counter is shown to have an angel blade, raising the question as to whether or not angels are hunting Castiel and the scribe. Who is this angel and what is his deal?
The Winchesters arrive at the cabin, startling Charlie, who’d fallen asleep. After they gingerly hug, mindful of her wound, and say hello, Dean asks about the book. She tells them about its history: A nun who had visions of darkness sequestered herself for decades, making the pages from slices of her own skin and writing it in her own blood. Dean takes the book, (without gloves – why aren’t they wearing gloves?!) and it immediately has an effect on him. As he flips through the book, he apparently moves away from Sam and Charlie, winding up in the kitchen area. It takes Sam shouting at him to get his attention, and Dean’s disconcerted by what’s happened. “I don’t think it’s a good idea that I touch this,” he says, returning the book to Charlie. He excuses himself, saying that he’s going to “get the rest of our crap” from the car. “What the hell was that?,” Charlie asks Sam, who explains that Dean’s not getting better.
Metatron apologizes for apparently being lactose intolerance. Castiel responds,“Let us never speak of it again.” Outside the restaurant, an angel identifies himself as “just a cupid – an angry, angry cupid” who’s going to take out “Two birds, one blade” because “you both corrupted heaven. It’s never going to be the same.” The cupid attacks, and Castiel saves Metatron and winds up losing his blade and in a precarious position. Metatron stabs the cupid from behind. Castiel stares up on guard and quickly retrieves his blade in an apparent offensive move in case Metatron attacks. The scribe says, “I owed you that one, anyway,” handing off the bloody blade. Castiel is surprised but unimpressed: “This changes nothing.” (And if Castiel’s tie is symbolic, then it being thrown deliberately over his shoulder suggests deeper meaning here.) Metatron acts affronted and calls after him, “You’re welcome.”
At the cabin, Dean’s researching the occult family, using Charlie’s sketch of her attacker’s tattoo, while Sam and Charlie continue studying the “book of unreadable text that’s also in code.” There’s an awkwardness to the scene’s movements, but it works well in conveying Sam’s heightening concern. When Sam notices that Dean’s staring at the book, he rightly assumes that it’s compelling his brother again, and he returns it to the warded safebox.
The man we’ll soon learn is named Styne arrives at the Campbell River Store, where the payphone Charlie used is located. Styne uses his compass-like tool: “Damn, she found a way to hide the book,” he tells his companion. He knows they’re on the right road, though, and orders “the boys” to search for her. On rewatch, I’m fixated on the name of the store, though – if Metatron lied about lying about the prophecy (10×17), could the Campbell line have something to do with the “river” and the “source”? Or is the store name complete coincidence?
Metatron and Castiel have arrived at the next potential hiding spot: a library. At Castiel’s disbelief, Metatron counters, “nobody goes to libraries anymore…safest place in the world.” When they enter the library proper, Cas can feel his grace. However, another angel hid it as a safety precaution, so all Metatron knows is that there are clues in some of his favorite books. I can’t make out the title of the book he retrieves first, but it carries the clue, “What is the maddest thing a man can do?” Cas thinks it’s a riddle and asks what it means, but Metatron feigns ignorance. He explains how the game will work (the riddle’s answer will lead to another book and so on) and assures Castiel that they’ll work together, “teamwork.” Castiel is unenthused – and perhaps suspicious? – but goes along with the scribe.
Meanwhile, Charlie says she can’t decrypt the book, and Dean’s rethinking the wisdom of deciphering it. “Maybe that’s not such a bad thing.” He’s learned that the Styne family dates back to the early 1800s, and they’ve been involved in “multi-generational, centuries-old wrong.” They’ve used a “book of unspeakable evil” for their spells, and the book has a negative reaction of “biblical scale.” Dean has no desire to go down that road again. “I can hear it like it’s alive. It wants me to use it, and not for good.” Dean tells Sam and Charlie, “Burn it, bury it, I don’t give a damn. We’ll just have to find another way to fix the Mark.” The cadence of this line immediately reminds me of Dean telling Castiel in “The Things We Left Behind,” “Knife me. Smite me. Throw me into the freaking sun – whatever” (10×9).
But, this time, Dean is talking to Sam, not Cas, and just as he predicted, Sam tries to “get in the way” (10×9). Sam asks about what other way they might try to combat the Mark, and Dean answers, “I don’t know.” Charlie asks if he’s giving up, and 
Dean assures them he’s not, that he doesn’t have a death wish (and even if he did, he can’t die). He says, “I’ll fight it as long as I can.” Sam asks, “Until what… until I watch you become a demon again?…” Dean’s at a loss, and says, “Then you’ll just have to lock me up, bind me to the bunker like you did last time.” (I wonder here if Dean’s still counting on Castiel to take him out, or if he’s figured out that Castiel is also going to struggle with that request.)
Sam asks Dean to let them translate the book, deal with the Mark, and “deal with the consequences later.” This parallel to Dean’s actions at the beginning of season nine is overt, particularly when Sam adds, “I can’t lose you.” Dean doesn’t seem to fully accept his brother’s protestations and reminds, “…That’s not what you said last time.” Sam begins to protest that wasn’t what he meant, but Dean cuts him off. “This is my cross to bear, Sam. Mine. And that book is not the answer. Now, we got to destroy it before it falls into the wrong hands and that includes me.”
I like how this exchange between the brothers emphasizes how Dean (it seems) has made his choice about his “cross to bear,” a phrase that also brings up some intriguing Christ parallels. It also drives home the fact that Sam is now the one who “can’t lose” Dean; throughout the cycle of brotherly division, I’ve never doubted that Sam cared about his brother (though I admit that the Purgatory deal is still hard for me to process). But Sam’s protests and desperation to save Dean smack of season three/four angst levels. So what’s going on here? Well, the storyline kindly sends Dean off for a drive so we can find out a bit more. Before Dean exits the scene, though, he delivers one more heartbreaking blow with his resigned, “Sam, I’ll get my vacation, but not today, not like this.” After he leaves, Charlie suggests that maybe Dean’s right, but Sam counters, “There’s a way to fix it. There has to be.”
Metatron’s voice says “You know…” while the camera lingers on Sam’s expression. The scene then shifts mid-sentence to the library as Metatron continues, “we really do make a good team.” As he talks, it appears that he’s scanning the titles on one side of the shelf, while Castiel scans on the other and refutes the idea that they’re a buddy comedy in the making. As always in Supernatural, there’s the appearance of things, and then there’s what’s really happening. In this case, Metatron and Castiel meet at the row’s end, with the scribe scoffing at Castiel still calling the angels “brothers and sisters.” He says, “Listen to you, still spitting out the company line…like we’re actually a family? When what we really are are a bunch of glowing lights filled with self-loathing or delusions of grandeur – or both.” “You shut up,” Castiel retorts.
“No,” Metatron says. “If I’m going to die, I want answers – like, who are you now? You’re obviously not an Angel of the Lord…” He goes on to question Castiel’s assumed mission of wrangling the rogue angels, asking what viewers have for week, “How many more…are out there? And what are you going to do once you’re done with all of that?” He scoffs the idea of Castiel returning to heaven, pointing out that “the angel formerly known as Hannah” has everything well under control. “So, tell me, Castiel, truly, what is your mission now?”
Castiel, for whatever reason, won’t give an answer. “Shut up and keep looking,” he orders through gritted teeth. Metatron drops his head, ostensibly in disappointment, and then continues along the next row. The camera angle shifts, revealing that Metatron is painting blood sigils on the books’ spines. “Can’t say I didn’t try,” the scribe says as he activates the spell. He literally turns the text into a weapon that he uses against Castiel. This is such a Thompsonian meta-moment, and it deserves more teasing out. For brevity’s sake, I’ll just point out that Metatron comes out from among the literal texts that he’s transformed into weapons to find Castiel still mid-row, among the texts, and succumbing to the spell.
The angel crumples to the floor, hanging onto the bookshelf, as Metatron intones, “Poor Castiel. You’ve come so far just to drown in shallow waters.” Would Metatron have not double-crossed Cas if the angel had admitted… what, exactly? There are many things Castiel could have said; what answer would have delighted Metatron enough that he would’ve acted differently? (I have my suspicions; what are yours?) Castiel, incapacitated, loses his grip on the shelves and Metatron watches with evilly delight, observing, “Isn’t it ironic? Don’t you think?” Castiel falls to the floor, and it seems significant that Collins moves a few inches away from the shelving as he does so – far enough for Castiel to lose all touch with the physical texts.
Back at the cabin, Sam continues researching The Book of the Damned, and Charlie asks pointedly, “What did Dean mean? When he said you changed your mind?” Sam tells her about the Gates of Hell and that to close them, he would’ve had to die. According to Sam, “I was okay with that. I am okay with that. Dean was not and so…” “He saved you,” Charlie finishes. “…and let me guess, in doing so, he did something that you didn’t want and that pissed you off, and you said something that hurt him.” Charlie says that last part as a statement, not a question; after all, she knows. She’s read the books, and she knows the Winchesters. “Yeah, that sounds about right,” Sam concedes. “Brothers,” Charlie says, acknowledging that this back and forth is part of their sibling (and Show) dynamic. She adds, “You know, I haven’t been a hunter for very long, but it feels like this is the life – mostly ends in Sophie’s choices, death or tears. Usually all of the above, huh?” Her reflection continues, “How does this become my life?” She muses on what her plans had been, but “now I’m just happy to be alive.”
Sam relates to where Charlie’s coming from and reminisces about how when Dean came to get him at school (1×1), Sam told himself “one last job,” and he recalls losing Jess, and how he again told himself, “one more job. It was always one more job…then I was going back to…my life.” Charlie quips, “You were the Dread Pirate 
of hunting.” Sam agrees, but adds, “I guess I really understand now that this is my life. I love it. But I can’t do it without my brother.” Sam is noticeably emotional here. “I don’t want to do it without my brother.”
And herein lies a major issue with Sam and Dean, one that I hope the season narrative is going to unpack and deal with: Their brotherly bond is their strength, but it’s also their weakness. At this point in the Show’s narrative, I see Dean and Cas as further along their self-discovery arcs than Sam. For Sam to say that he “can’t” get on without Dean is a red flag of Sam’s state of mind – Does Sam know who he is without defining himself in relation to his older brother? Of course, if spoilers are correct, and we’re about to see Sam go darker, then that will progress his own self-discovery journey, further defining and refining his character. I do wonder, though, where these “Who am I?” arcs will finally lead.
The camera pans across the row’s end in the library, showing the supposed section of books. The signage shows a cataloging system that organizes this literature section into ER: novels and EH: comedies, tragedies, and melodramas, which makes me laugh, especially because of what comes next. Castiel has managed to get into a semi-sitting position, and he now leans against the novels, while Metatron scours an entirely different section. And oh my Chuck, but I love that one of the scribe’s favorite books is Jean Baudrillard’s Simulacra and Simulations. The paper in it 
reads, “What two things do you need to succeed in life?” He cackles and answers the question, “ignorance and confidence.” At the same time, Castiel realizes that the planted clues aren’t riddles; they’re quotations, and thanks to his season nine cultural download, Castiel recognizes the passage he holds.
Metatron continues his narration, which includes witty remarks like, “Did you and Samature hour really think I didn’t have a back up plan?,” while Castiel drags himself along the floor. The scribe retrieves the demon tablet from its hiding place, even as Castiel rounds the corner (presumably putting himself in the “melodrama” section, if I’m interpreting the row’s organization correctly), and reaches for Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote. Unlike Metatron who knowledgeably and quickly navigates the library of texts, opening books and immediately finding what he needs, Castiel can’t retrieve this book “gracefully.” He gets it off the shelf, though, and that’s what matters: As it falls to the floor, it opens, and the vial holding what remains of Castiel’s grace leaps from within the hollowed-out pages.
Metatron gloats over the demon tablet, “Oh, the places I’ll go with this and your grace.” But by the time he walks around row’s end, Castiel has his grace in hand. “Well, one out of two ain’t bad,” Metatron observes before departing. Castiel, still fighting against the sigils, recites, “What’s the maddest thing a man can do? Let himself die,” and then he ingests the vial’s contents. The quotations alone have such meta-significance, and really, I wish I had time and space to delve into all the literary references from this episode.
The graceplosion is an awesome scene, and it took me by surprise. Beyond even seeing Castiel get his grace back, the scene is important because it undercuts Metatron’s knowledge of the library’s texts, which enabled his double-cross. As the library’s implosion shows, when the cataloging system and its contents are destroyed, expectations regarding texts – where they belong, what they mean, and what they do – are shattered. So, if we view this library as symbolic, then the graceplosion’s significance could very well wind up being “biblical scale.”
At first, it seems that Castiel has been fully restored, but then his wings are shown, and they’re broken just as the other fallen angels’ were. I’m not clear on why this is since he didn’t “fall” like the other angels, but I’m assuming it’s a side-effect of heaven being broken and forever changed or else further confirmation that Castiel, despite carrying his own grace, still isn’t “truly” an angel. Regardless of the reason, though, the sight of Castiel’s shattered wings breaks my heart.
Dean’s junk food run takes an unexpected turn when he realizes the man behind the counter is one of the men hunting Charlie. He smoothly pulls his gun, but Styne’s henchman puts Dean in a chokehold from behind, and we’re treated to Dean speaking in a make-your-heart-flutter southern accent. Styne sees the Mark and determines that finding Dean “isn’t coincidence; this is providence.” He deduces that Dean wants The Book of the Damned to remove the Mark of Cain, which Styne calls a “gift,” and laments, “Power is wasted on the weak.”
Though Styne confirms that the Book can remove the Mark, he adds that in doing so, “You’re going to do far more harm than good.” If the Styne family history is as dark as Dean’s research attests, what would Styne consider “harm” and why would he warn Dean against it? He calls Dean “boy” and tells him to reveal where the book is. Dean mumbles an answer, getting Styne to come close enough for Dean to deliver a headbutt. Breaking away from the henchman’s grasp, Dean dives for his gun, and in a move that spawned a thousand gifs, slides across the linoleum on his back, firing as he goes. It takes an entire clip to bring the henchman down, and when Dean gets up, Styne’s gone. Dean checks his phone immediately, but it’s broken, so he heads straight for the cabin.
Dean tells Sam and Charlie, “The Stynes found me.” He quickly adds holy oil to the fire, and when questioned, confirms that The Book of the Damned can remove the Mark, but “it comes at a price.” He orders Sam to destroy the book because it’s calling to Dean, wanting him to take it and run away with it. Dean hears a noise outside and orders Sam, “Burn it. Now.” He repeats the order as he and Charlie take position, waiting on the Stynes to break in. Charlie and Dean are quickly engaged in equally kick-ass fight sequences, while Sam slowly follows Dean’s orders. Styne sees Sam and says, “You silly boy.” He grabs Sam around the throat, and Sam knifes him. With the attackers dead (or seemingly so), they all watch the cloth-wrapped book burn. But which book is actually burning?
Back at the bunker, Castiel is telling Sam about what happened with Metatron. He calls himself, “foolish, selfish…I should’ve just killed him. Who knows what he’ll do with the tablet.” Sam reassures him, “You got your grace back. You’re back. You did the right thing.” But is it true that regaining his grace makes it worth it? It seems that the narrative is questioning what our heroes are doing and if their actions are “heroic.” In this case, Castiel realizes the potentially terrible repercussions of his decisions, while Sam isn’t seeing/admitting that the ends don’t always justify the means. Contrary to what they’ve said before, in this episode, neither Dean nor Castiel is saying, “I did what I had to do.” Instead, they’re seeing the consequences and seeing where they could’ve, should’ve, and hopefully will make different choices.
Though Castiel berates himself for his poor choices about Metatron, he believes Sam did the right thing because “that book needed to be destroyed.” He also assures Sam that they will find another way to remove the Mark, just as Dean promised. Castiel is also desperate to save Dean – After all, Castiel just betrayed heaven (again) to try and save his friend, and canonically, there’s little if anything that Cas won’t do to save Dean. So, if he endorses burning The Book of the Damned, then what does that say about its potential evilness?
Before the conversation can go further, Charlie comes in the door carrying shopping bags. I absolutely love the scene of Castiel and Charlie finally meeting. Both are excited and pleased. After introductions, Sam excuses himself to put the 
supplies away, leaving Charlie and Cas to talk. She asks if he can cure Dean now that he has his mojo, but Castiel sadly replies, “Unfortunately, it’s not that simple…” But he is able to heal Charlie’s carpal tunnel and her gunshot wound, which prompts her to punch him in the shoulder and ask gleefully, “Did we just become best friends?”
At that, Dean comes in the door carrying pizza, and exclaims happily, “Look who decided to show…” He asks how Castiel got his grace back, and after sharing an awkward look with Sam, Castiel lies, giving credit to Hannah. Dean seems surprised but nods and says, “Awesome.” He looks at Sam, “Told you we were due for a win.” I love that this scene clearly shows Dean counting Castiel’s “win” as a win for all of them; this is his family, after all. But the scene also sets up potential trouble. Castiel looks uncomfortable with his lie, no doubt because of what’s happened when he lied to Dean in the past (6×20, anyone?), so I wonder how this will unfold? How long can Sam and Cas keep the truth about their “Inside Man” job from Dean?
Set to The Who’s “Behind Blue Eyes,” the next scene left me in a puddle of emotions. The foursome sits at the kitchen table, enjoying beer and pizza, laughing and talking. Charlie and Castiel are fast friends, and Dean is smiling and laughing. Sam sits with everyone, and watches and smiles, but he isn’t as connected to the 
scene’s happy vibe. The camera focuses on Sam’s reaction, and he’s so overwhelmed with his inner turmoil that he is understandably if distressingly unable to fully engage in the moment. So while this family moment is wonderful, and I will treasure forever that these undeniably-canon bunker family memories, I also expect that heartrending things are coming.
As the song continues, the scene shifts to a flashback revealing what many viewers likely suspected: Sam didn’t burn The Book of the Damned, and Styne witnessed the sleight-of-hand. I can’t help wondering what Castiel will say – or do – when he learns that Sam lied to him? The lies are multiplying, and I wonder who will be captured in the tangled web by season’s end? Will there be resolution, or will we be set up for yet another round of “lies & betrayals & why these are bad things”? At this point, it’s too soon to tell, though the episode’s last scene hints at a possible direction: Sam meets with Rowena, essentially begging for help: “I need the Mark of Cain off of my brother. Something tells me you can crack this book and find that cure. The only question is, will you help me?” I’ve expected Sam to do something like this, but his emotional plea surprises me – he knows better than to bare his soul to someone who can destroy him and everything/everyone he holds dear. So why does he tell Rowena so much and so plainly? Is this simply symptomatic of his desperation? Or is he enacting a con of some kind? We’ll find out soon enough if the episode’s last line, which Rowena seems amenable to the proposal and asks: “Shall we discuss terms?” And the episode fades to black.
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed “Book of the Damned.” From its ensemble nature to its well-crafted narrative to the strong performances, this is the type of episode that I want to see every week. There’s just so much here to enjoy. I especially love its emphasis on the characters’ journeys: Castiel’s in-between angel and human status, and the suggestion that he will, as he is wont to do, choose humanity in the end; Dean continuing to fight the Mark while realizing the life he desires to live; and Charlie learning who and where she is in the world of hunting. Sam’s journey is in a different place, and I’m anxious to see how his self-discovery arc plays out. And, with five episodes remaining in season ten, where will all of our characters be by finale’s end?
For clues about what’s to come, see the promo and sneak peek for the upcoming “The Werther Project.” Supernatural airs Wednesdays at 9 pm ET on the CW network.