Supernatural’s “Angel Heart” ranks among my favorite episodes of season ten. Written by Robbie Thompson and directed by Steve Boyum, it’s very much about heart – about love and the ties that bind families, both found and blood. A word of caution, though: In its exploration of these themes, “Angel Heart” may also break your heart, just a little, even as it makes grinchy hearts grow three sizes.
“Angel Heart” goes for the emotional jugular from its first scene. The episode begins with Jimmy Novak (Misha Collins) walking into his house, calling for his wife Amelia (Leisha Hailey). The reunion is touching, with Jimmy confirming “Castiel’s gone” and asking, “How’s our girl? How’s Claire?” As the couple lovingly embraces, the dream begins to fade, and Amelia cries out, “Not again.”
Amelia wakes up; she’s in a dark room, unkempt and lying in a dirty cot. A man (Treva Etienne) soothes her, but she’s terrified. He uses a distinctive blade to slice her arm and feed off what we will later learn is a sliver of her soul. He rubs her cheek and assures her, “You’re safe, Amelia. You’re home.” Amelia slips back into the dream; Jimmy comes through the door, and the cycle begins again.
Post title card, the scene shifts to Susie’s Bar, where Claire Novak (Kathryn Newton) is looking for a man named Ronnie Cartwright (Russell Porter). Claire has come into possession of Amelia’s diary and learned that Ronnie was to introduce her mother to a miracle worker. Unfortunately, Ronnie denies all knowledge of a woman named Amelia and claims that he doesn’t recognize her photograph.
After Ronnie tells Claire to “get lost,” he leaves the bar; the teen follows. Ronnie tells her, “I don’t know Amelia Novak.” But Claire points out, “I never told you her last name.” Ronnie pushes her backwards, and Claire hits her head so hard that she’s knocked unconscious. He nervously checks her pulse and calls 911, reporting that he’s found a young woman passed out in the alley; he ends the call without answering the dispatcher’s questions.
The next scene shows Castiel (Collins) pacing anxiously outside of Tulsa Memorial Hospital; he looks noticeably relieved when the Impala parks at the curb. Cas expresses his gratitude for the Winchesters’ coming, but Dean (Jensen Ackles) isn’t convinced it’s a good idea that he’s there, considering his past encounters with Claire. Castiel disagrees, telling the brothers, “You were both troubled teens. You speak her language.” Sam asks how Claire is, but Cas doesn’t know yet: “I was waiting for back-up.” Sam and Dean share a somewhat amused look, and Dean responds gamely, “Three men and a lady. Let’s do this.” He leads the way into the hospital.
Claire isn’t thrilled to see Castiel enter her room, and when Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean file in after him, she’s especially perturbed. Dean purposely stays as far from Claire as he can, but she still asks Cas, “Why the hell did you bring him?” She looks pointedly at Dean, who then makes a “told-you-so” gesture at Cas. The angel explains that the police found his number in Claire’s emergency contacts. “Yeah, well, that was a mistake. You can go now.” Instead, Castiel uses a father-esque tone to ask, “Claire, why were you in a bar?”
Claire says she wasn’t, and Sam, wise to semantic games, steps in: “Claire, what were you doing in an alley outside of a bar?” This time, she says, “Wrong place, wrong time. Story of my life.” Sam doesn’t let her get away with that clichéd answer, though, and tells her plainly, “We’re not leaving until you tell us what the hell really happened… You want us gone? Talk.” Claire finally looks at Cas and tells the truth: she’s looking for her mother. “I want to find my mom and tell her she ruined my life….She left me. And so did my dad.” Castiel looks sad and thoughtful, as if he’s trying to parse out Claire’s clearly conflicting emotions.
Sam takes lead, asking questions. Claire shows a postcard depicting a local motel that she received from Amelia two years ago, right before her grandmother died and she went into the foster system. Claire explains that according to Amelia’s diary, “She went looking for miracles. She went looking for [Castiel].” Castiel looks rather sick.
This is the first scene where I noticed that the camera focuses very selectively at times when I’d expect it not to. At the moment I’m speaking of, we see Castiel’s reaction to Claire’s comments, but not Sam or Dean’s. I like seeing their reactions juxtaposed, so I feel the loss of the other perspectives, particularly here and in a later scene. We do see Sam, Dean, and Castiel conferring together in the hallway, though. Cas is pacing, obviously working through the emotions Claire’s revelations have evoked, and says, “This is all my fault.” Sam makes a very astute comment: “Say it is. What can you do about it?” It’s a good point – even if Claire’s situation traces back to Jimmy becoming Castiel’s vessel (S4), what can Castiel do about it? He gives an answer: find Amelia. Dean backs him up, suggesting that it “might be a case.”
Dean wants a hands-on approach. “Come on. Give me something to punch already,” he protests with an eyeroll. Cas gives Dean a look that’s close to alarm, and Sam raises an inquiring eyebrow at his brother. Dean notices and quickly amends his comments with, “Kidding. I’m fine.” But when Dean goes to tell Claire that they’re taking the case, both Cas and Sam watch him walk away with concern. Claire’s gone when Dean enters the room; Sam and Cas soon follow, and Dean checks her chart, noting that she has a concussion that may slow her down. Castiel looks extremely worried at this. Sam heads for the motel and sends Dean and Cas back to Susie’s Bar.
On the drive, Dean talks to Castiel about Claire. “What you’re doing for Claire…it’s a good thing…” Castiel fills in the missing word, “But?” Dean continues, “Well, where does it end? …truth is, you’re not her dad… you’re not anything to her except a constant reminder of someone who’s gone.” But Castiel sees his role as more than just unfortunate reminder: “No, I’m responsible for everything that’s happened to her.” I really like this conversation because while they clearly disagree, they’re just talking. Dean offers that Claire’s “been surviving on her own for quite a while now and partly because she doesn’t have anybody to answer to… there’s nobody holding her back.” Castiel sounds aggravated here as he protests, “We just found her in a hospital. You’re telling me that she’d be better off on her own?” Dean clarifies quietly, “I’m saying that she might be stronger on her own.” At that point, Dean looks into the side-view mirror, a telling glance. Does Castiel realize that Dean’s talking about more than just Claire here? And is Dean only subtly talking about himself? Or is he thinking about Sam and Cas, too?
Using their faux FBI credentials, Dean and Castiel ask the bartender about Ronnie and are pointed in his direction. Dean’s aggressive from the moment he spots the man. He grabs Ronnie, who’s trying to leave and slams him back into the booth. Sliding in next to him, Dean grabs him by the back of his neck and taunts, “Heading out to beat down another teenager?” Ronnie protests, “that bitch attacked me.” Dean’s temper flares, and he snaps, “Wrong choice of words” before slamming Ronnie’s head down on the table. Ronnie’s clearly scared of Dean. Cas’s gaze flicks watchfully between Dean and the quickly confessing Ronnie.
Ronnie admits that he’s met Amelia, but “she was the last one, I swear.” He explains that he worked for a faith healer, Peter Holloway, who’s the real deal. According to Ronnie, Peter restored his sight, and in return, Ronnie recruited candidates, people who were “young, lost, and wouldn’t be missed.” He says that Peter healed some, and others, he tied up and cut. Dean and Cas share a significant look; none of this sounds good for Amelia. Ronnie promises, “After that, I was done.” The ominous revelation contextualizes the episode’s opening scene; Peter has Amelia, and she’s one who wasn’t healed. The next scene is Dean and Castiel driving away; Ronnie comes out the bar’s back door, checks that they’re gone, and pulls out his phone.
Claire finally makes it to the motel, where a waiting Sam flips on the light and comments, “Took you long enough.” She’s surprised that he found her, and Sam holds up the postcard and also suggests, “Pro tip? Use an alias.” It’s interesting to see Sam’s approach to interacting with Claire, and since he just pointed out the flaws in her evasion techniques, he makes a point to compliment her on the hunting wall. He assures, “We just want to help.” He also asks what I’d been wondering: “How did you get your mom’s diary?” We learn that the motel manager sent Amelia’s stuff to her last-known address, and it bounced around until it reached Claire at a foster home.
Sam questions if she’s really doing all of this just to tell her mom off. “You always get along with your mom?,” she asks. “I never got a chance to find out. My mom died when I was a baby,” Sam answers. Claire looks stricken and apologizes. Sam tells her “It’s okay. I got to know her later in life…I suppose we got along okay.” Claire stares at him, astounded, and he explains, “In this line of work, Death isn’t always goodbye.” (Is this foreshadowing? Or is the narrative simply playing with Supernatural’s kill-and-revive reputation? Or both?)
Though Claire’s sympathetic (and shocked) at Sam’s revelation, she sees her situation differently. Amelia didn’t leave because she died; she just left. The teen’s understandable bitterness is obvious. Sam flips over the postcard and reads, “‘Claire, Will be home soon.’” He points out that Amelia’s words don’t sound like she intended to abandon her daughter. He asks about credit card history, but the companies wouldn’t send Claire the records. Sam offers to demonstrate how to hack into them, and Claire agrees, “but then I’m gone.”
Outside Susie’s bar, Ronnie’s phone rings, and he begins rambling about the guys that he doesn’t think are FBI. “They’re hunters,” a voice says from behind him. The man from the episode’s opening scene accuses Ronnie of talking too much, which means this is Peter. He punishes Ronnie by rescinding his healing and then stabbing him from behind. Ronnie’s corpse falls to the pavement.
At the motel, Sam’s located the records, and Claire’s impressed. He also promises to show her how to manipulate credit cards. Claire questions why he hunts, and Sam gives the classic Winchester answer, “To help people, to make a difference.” “That’s it?,” she asks. “That’s not enough?,” Sam replies. For Sam, the one who’s always wanted more, to say this is important, I think. What it means, exactly, I’m not sure because while Sam’s repeatedly vocalized his recommitment to hunting this season, he also lacks outside options, not to mention that he’s consumed with Dean’s situation. I still see Sam as a Man of Letters and hope he’ll someday have his own life outside of hunting (and, for the love of Chuck, Show, give Sam his very own dog).
Before the conversation goes any further, someone knocks at the door, and Claire opens it. Castiel stands in the doorway. “Are you alright?,” he asks immediately. “I will be when nobody ever asks me that again,” Claire says in a true, teenager tone, turning and flouncing away from the door. Castiel comes in, Dean amusingly right 
behind him with his hand on Cas’s shoulder. Dean tells Sam about Holloway, taking a seat at the table where Sam is working. Castiel somewhat awkwardly approaches Claire, who’s sitting at the end of the bed, tells her “Happy Birthday,” and hands her a gift bag. She takes out a stuffed Grumpy Cat doll, and Castiel cutely explains, “I got it at the Hot Topical.” (And, within 24 hours, Hot Topic posted a shirt for purchase.) Claire sort of smiles, and Sam gives Dean a pointed look. Dean raises his eyebrows but says nothing. Since Dean – at the very least – drove Castiel to the “Hot Topical,” I need that missing shopping scene like I need air.
Claire sets aside the bag with an unenthusiastic, “Thanks, I guess.” Castiel looks disappointed, but before anything else can be said, Sam exclaims. A local police alert just announced that Ronnie’s body was found outside of Susie’s bar. Claire springs up and asks Dean, “What did you do to him?” Dean protests that he didn’t “kill the guy” and announces that he’s getting suited up and heading over. Castiel says that he’s coming, and Claire then says the same. Dean’s exasperated, and I laughed when Sam says quickly that he’s staying at the motel to do research. Dean doesn’t argue with either Cas or Claire and simply leaves the room, Claire right behind him. Cas follows, but Sam calls him back: “What happened at the bar?” Castiel answers, “Dean snapped. He’s getting worse.” Sam, clearly upset, steels his jaw; he’s alone, and I have to wonder if he contacts Rowena (Ruth Connell) off-screen. He hasn’t told Castiel about her imprisonment yet, and Padalecki plays Sam’s lies-by-omission smoothly (so far), which is very different than Ackles’s portrayal of a guilt-ridden Dean in season nine. It suggests a lingering disconnect between the brothers and their understanding of each other’s self-motivation vs. the other’s free will, and I’m curious to see if the disconnect truly resolves this time around.
In the guise of FBI agents, Dean and Castiel infiltrate the scene, though the officer eyes Claire and asks about “your little friend.” Dean explains that it’s “bring your daughter to work day.” At this moment, only Dean and Claire are in the shot, even though Castiel is standing very close to Claire, and I’d have loved to see his expression at Dean’s explanation. The officer doesn’t look entirely convinced but doesn’t contest it. When she steps away, Castiel observes that the wound “looks like an angel blade, but the point of entry is wider.” Neither Cas nor Dean can explain the red imprints surrounding the wound. Claire, watching as Ronnie’s body is covered up, remarks, “Best birthday ever.” Dean calls an end to their on-site visit then, and Cas guides Claire away.
By the time they arrive back at the motel, Sam’s research has uncovered a lead on Peter Holloway, tracing him to a farmhouse that’s thirty or forty miles away. Amelia’s credit card history pings locations around the area, but since Ronnie warned Peter, time is of the essence. Claire wants to leave immediately, but Castiel says no. “Claire, you are not going out there.” She argues, but Castiel won’t hear it and lays out the reasons why “it’s too dangerous.” Dean intently observes their exchange. Cas adds, “I can’t let anything happen to you.” Claire corrects him, “Anything else, you mean.”
Dean, his patience thin, interjects using a total dad voice: “Claire, you’re not going.” Castiel, perhaps not appreciating the backup quite as much as Dean may have anticipated, declares, “You’re not either, Dean.” Dean looks at Cas like ‘I can’t believe you just said that.’ Mouth pursed, Dean asks Cas, “What?” In the background, Sam’s gone from looking uncomfortable to distinctly uncomfortable. Castiel calls Dean out for what happened with Ronnie, but Dean swears, “…I just 
helped him talk.” Often, when Cas and Dean bicker, Sam stays out of it. This time, though, he adds his two cents: “Dean, Cas is right. We need to keep the Mark in check… maybe you should stay here.” Dean, offended and still working off the understanding that Sam left him behind last episode, states, “You want to bench me again.” Sam and Castiel don’t back down, so Dean looks around at all three and harrumphs. “I’ll stay and babysit, but if anything happens…” Castiel finishes the thought, “We’ll call you.” Cas adds, “No fighting.” Dean retorts, “Tell her that.” Dean points at himself in shock when Castiel gives a signature squinty-smitey-glare and clarifies, “Both of you.” Amusingly, Sam doesn’t participate in this last exchange at all.
Not too much later, Dean’s in street clothes and drinking a beer, and already bemoaning that “If I stay cooped up, I’m going to lose my mind.” Claire quips, “Spoiler alert: You already have.” Dean laughs dryly and tells her they’re going out.
On the drive to the farmhouse, Castiel asks Sam, “When this is over, should I leave Claire alone?” Sam tells him no: “She’s family.” He pauses and then adds, “…She’s not exactly your family, but she’s close enough.” Clearly thinking of what Dean said earlier, Cas asks, “You don’t think she’s better off on her own?” Sam says no, but Castiel points out that Sam was 18 when he left for college. Sam sees that differently, now: “Here’s all I know. Going it alone? That’s no way to live…You being there for her, even if she doesn’t think she wants you there for her? That’s good – for both of you.” Castiel says quietly, “Maybe, in the end.” Sam waits a beat, and repeats, “In the end.”
It’s another worrying bit of foreshadowing. Just as Dean did earlier, Sam seems to be talking as much about himself as he is Castiel and Claire. The situations aren’t perfect mirrors, but there are interesting and complicated aspects of both worth thinking about. Most importantly, I find myself wondering about Sam’s comments: Is he speaking of how Dean was there for him? That’s a superficial reading and the one that I think Castiel hears. In fact, I suspect that while part of Sam’s response may be about Dean, it’s just as much about justifying his dabbling in the Dark Arts as “being there” for Dean despite his brother’s protestations –something that neither Dean nor Cas knows about.
So where did a bored Dean take Claire? Mini-golfing. Yes, friends, that’s right: “Angel Heart” gives us Dean Winchester playing mini-golf. Dean gloats, “it’s in the hole,” quoting Caddyshack. Claire stares blankly and responds, “Never seen it. Not a fan.” Dean’s response is classic, “How dare you?” And he pronounces himself “Done with your whole generation.” Claire delivers a Happy Gilmore reference that has Dean acknowledging, “Well played.” I love their dynamic here as they mouth off at each other.
The scenes quickly alternate between Sam and Castiel at the farmhouse and Dean and Claire playing mini-golf. The farmhouse looks abandoned, and Sam and Castiel prepare to investigate. Claire, seemingly unimpressed with the Winchesters’ lifestyle, asks if this is what they do: “stay at cheap motels, steal credit cards, play mini-golf”? Dean says that they “haven’t played mini-golf in a while, but yeah, that about sums it up.” At the farmhouse, Sam and Cas split up, with Sam taking the house and Cas the barn. Dean tells Claire, “We help people – at least, we try to.”
“Like Castiel helped my dad?,” Claire asks. Dean takes a deep breath. “Claire, what happened to your dad – I’m sorry, okay? I really am. But, uh, there’s something you gotta know. Your dad’s sacrifice was not meaningless. Okay? He gave up his body, his vessel, and because he did that, Cas – Cas was able to save the world. The world. Your father’s a hero. He did not die in vain.” It’s a lovely speech, and Dean’s words assure Claire of Jimmy’s importance in the grand scheme of things, as well as re-enforcing Castiel’s. Claire ducks her head and appears emotional; she nearly smiles even, but she takes the next shot without speaking. This scene makes me love Newton’s portrayal of Claire even more; she conveys the teen’s conflicting emotions so well throughout the episode.
They’ve reached the last hole, and Claire drops the putter in, explaining the retrieval process. Dean stares a moment and declares suddenly, “Claire, you’re a genius. C’mon, let’s go.” In the next scene, Dean’s in full-on research mode. The putter in the hole made him realize that they’re looking for an angel sword, rather than a standard blade; the hilt left the red marks that Castiel couldn’t identify earlier. Claire asks, disbelievingly, “You got all that from a putter?”
Claire finds an image of an angel sword in a lore book; the wielder is a Grigori, a Watcher Angel. She asks if they’re good or bad, and Dean’s answer isn’t reassuring: “Some of the lore says that they help people; others say that they prey on people.”
At the barn, Castiel is horrified to find Amelia. She’s dreaming again, and when Cas wakes her, she reacts violently. It’s significant that she doesn’t confuse Castiel with Jimmy, not even for a second: “I looked everywhere for you – you took my husband,” she says, as he hugs and reassures her. Peter has been following Sam in the farmhouse, and when Sam’s phone vibrates loudly with a call from Dean, Peter takes advantage and knocks the hunter out.
When Cas doesn’t answer his phone either, Dean grabs his bag and starts loading his firearms. Claire questions why the Grigori angels went rogue, but Dean doesn’t care; he’s heading to Holloway’s. After Claire remarks somewhat despondently, “Guess you want me to stay here,” Dean takes a small gun from his duffel and hands it to her. “Happy birthday,” he says. “Don’t shoot me.” Claire smiles and follows him out of the room.
In the barn, Castiel tries to heal Amelia’s wounds, but he can’t. He apologizes, but Amelia doesn’t comment on that. Instead she talks about dreaming of Jimmy. She observes, “You’re not him anymore. I can tell.” When she asks where Jimmy is, Castiel tells her, “Your husband is in heaven… I promised to protect your family; I failed.” Amelia counters, “Not if Claire’s alive – she’s all that matters.” Castiel confirms, “Claire is alive. She’s grown up to be a very strong-willed young woman.” Amelia’s glad to hear it and laments leaving her daughter. Castiel hugs her and assures her things will be okay.
Sam wakes up in the kitchen, handcuffed to a chair. “Peter Holloway” reveals this has only been his name for the past fifty years or so. His real name is Tamiel, and Dean’s right: He’s a Grigori. According to Tamiel, angels have fed on humans since the dawn of man. “Your souls are little slices of heaven, that are, if properly kept, delicious meals that can last for years, decades even.” Tamiel has fed off souls to keep his power replenished. Sam accuses him of being a “monster,” but Tamiel shrugs off Sam’s accusation, replying that he’s a “gourmand. I make heaven a place on earth – keeps me alive and hidden from the rest of the failures that call themselves angels.” Sam taunts Tamiel, until the Grigori draws his sword, recounting that there were hundreds of Grigori sent to protect humans, “pathetic, bottom-feeding disasters.”
Dean and Claire skulk along the foggy property, approaching the barn first. Inside, Castiel checks the other victims, and Amelia is horrified to learn that she’s been there for two years. Dean spots someone approaching and signals Claire to stay back. He pulls his gun, ready for the confrontation – It’s Castiel, who’s also on the 
offensive, angel blade drawn. Cas looks both relieved and frustrated to see Dean. Claire slips between the two and goes into the barn. She sees Amelia, and they tearfully reunite. Dean walks over and instructs Claire, “Stay here. Do not move.” She grabs his arm and says, “Thank you.” She looks directly at Castiel. “Thank you both.” After Dean and Cas leave, Claire hugs Amelia, saying plaintively, “Mommy.”
Inside the house, Dean sees a broken chair with handcuffs attached. He and Cas work through the house, as Sam comes around the corner, an improvised weapon in hand. Sam says, “Holloway is a—.” He and Dean say the last word at the same time: “Grigori.” Cas says that’s not possible. “They were some of the first angels on earth. It was an elite unit that went bad, but they’re extinct. They were destroyed.” Sam tells him, “Some survived. They’ve been hunting humans, making them create heavens in their minds and feeding off them.” Sam then says that Tamiel “must have left,” and Dean and Castiel exchange alarmed looks before turning in sync and running from the room. Sam follows close behind.
In the barn, Amelia’s fading, and Claire tries to get her up, to keep her going. They’re walking through the barn when Tamiel confronts them. “You know there’s no fixing her, right?” Claire pulls out the gun and shoots until out of bullets. Tamiel’s unfazed and walks closer, “You really think that’s gonna hurt an Angel of the Lord?” He draws his sword, and Amelia summons enough strength to jump in front of her daughter at the last second. He withdraws the sword and Amelia falls; Claire holds her dying mother, pleading, “Mom.”
Tamiel clearly intends to kill Claire next, but Castiel runs into the barn as the Grigori raises his sword and tackles him, setting off an awesome fight sequence. Sam sneaks around the edge of the room, and when Tamiel disarms Castiel, Sam grabs the Grigori from behind, holding his arms while Dean takes a swing. Tamiel kicks Dean away and shakes Sam loose. Dean grabs Castiel’s angel blade and goes one-on-one with Tamiel, holding his own for a brief moment until the Grigori casts him off. Castiel tackles Tamiel, but the angel’s quickly dispatched again. I’d have liked to learn more about the Grigori because it seems pretty significant that neither a graced-up Castiel nor a Mark-of-Cain-infused Dean can take Tamiel down.
While Castiel is on the ground, unarmed, Tamiel laughs and draws his arm back to deliver a fatal blow. Suddenly, a blade protrudes from his chest: Claire’s taken advantage of the Grigori ignoring her and stabbed him from behind, using Castiel’s angel blade. White light erupts from the dying angel, and Claire drops the blade, going back to her mother’s side. She holds Amelia’s limp body, crying, “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry…” Dean, Castiel, and Sam watch the heartbreaking scene in silence.
Thompson then delivers one of the most heart-wrenching yet satisfying scenes in Supernatural’s history. In heaven, Amelia enters the front door, and Jimmy descends the stairs of their home. “Jimmy? Is it really you?” He explains that this is heaven, and “I’ve waited for you for so long.” He asks, “…How’s Claire?” Amelia tells him proudly, “She grew up so beautiful. She’s so strong.” Jimmy smiles, “Like her mom.” The soulmates exchange “I love yous” and hug each other tearfully. As always, Collins plays Jimmy so distinctly from Castiel that each character – dream!Jimmy, real!Jimmy, and Castiel – stands on his own. In all, it’s an intense scene that leaves me literally in tears, even on rewatch. While I hate that Amelia dies, the episode’s narrative symmetry is beautiful, and I like knowing that Amelia shares a heaven with Jimmy. However, it’s an end that leaves Claire without either biological parent.
(It’s also an end that makes me wonder if the souls trapped in the Veil in season nine – as Kevin Tran was – are now in heaven?)
A day or so later, Sam, Claire, Dean, and Castiel are outside the motel. Claire’s asking Sam if this place is a “halfway house for wayward girls.” Sam assures her, “Jody Mills is good people. She’ll give you a place to crash until you get back on your feet.” While Sam and Claire talk, Dean and Cas stand some distance away, and Dean asks, “What are you going to do about Claire?” Castiel answers, “It’s not up to me.” He’s watching the teen closely, though, and it seems that if it’s left up to Cas, he’ll stay involved in her life. (So, let that happen, Show? Please?)
Claire asks Sam, “You said sometimes death isn’t always goodbye, right? Goodbyes aren’t always forever?” “Right,” Sam answers. He doesn’t elaborate and actually looks slightly uncomfortable. Perhaps he’s thinking of his own situation? “Take care of yourself, Claire,” he says abruptly, patting her on the shoulder and walking away.
Dean comes over then and retrieves a poorly wrapped present from the inside of the Impala and hands it to Claire with the explanation that he felt bad for taking the gun back. His gifts are Caddyshack and a book titled The Enochian Myth. She hands the book back, saying, “Thanks, but I don’t think I’m interested in any more homework.” Dean huffs a laugh and squats down, unzipping her duffel and 
exposing Tamiel’s sword. “You honestly think I didn’t see you take this?” He also pulls out Grumpy Cat and arches one eyebrow, asking, “Really?” He sticks the stuffed animal back in the bag, along with the sword, dvd, and book, and zips it shut. Dean has more to say, and he cautions her, “You already got your revenge… you go down this path, our path – it’s not a long life.” Claire eyes him. “I don’t know. You seem pretty old.” “Thanks,” Dean responds dryly. Claire somewhat smiles, and then apologizes for setting him up (10×10). Dean tells her to forget it; that’s all in the past. She asks if he’s going to be okay, and he reiterates a response we’ve heard several times this season: “I will keep fighting. I’ll keep swinging till I got nothing left.” Claire sort of nods and looks over at Castiel. “Will you keep an eye on him?,” she asks. “He’s been through enough.”
Dean looks over at Cas before turning back to Claire. “So have you,” he points out. “Do your homework before you do anything stupid. And we’re here, if you need us. Anytime.” The taxi arrives, and Dean loads her bag into the trunk. Castiel breaks away from his conversation with Sam to say goodbye to Claire. Hesitantly, and somewhat awkwardly, he tries to assure her: “If you need anything, ever, I’m – I just wanted you to know that—” Before he can finish, Claire tearfully lunges and hugs him. Castiel returns the hug, and it’s a sweet, touching moment. Willie 
Nelson’s “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” plays in the background, setting the mood of this final scene.
Dean opens the car door and taps the hood, letting the driver know she’s ready. Here, only Sam and Castiel can be seen in the shot, though it’s clear that Dean is right at Castiel’s left side. After the conversation he just had with Claire, I wanted to see his expression as she left too. Castiel looks devastated and worried enough for both of them, though. Rather desolately, he asks, “Someone just tell me she’s going to be okay.” Sam offers verbal reassurance, “Yeah, Cas, of course she’ll be okay. So will you.” He taps Cas on the shoulder before walking away, and Dean pats Cas’s shoulder from the other side. Castiel steps out into the road, watching as the car drives away. The driver asks Claire, “Going home or leaving home?” She responds, “Just – going.” The last shot is a teary-eyed Claire looking out the window, while Castiel, illuminated by the sunset, grows smaller in the distance. It’s a sad scene, though it does leaves me hopeful for a future episode when Jody (Kim Rhodes) and Castiel might meet for tea and a friendly discussion about Claire and her progress. (And, seriously, CW, if you want a spin-off, look no further than Jody & Donna’s Home for Wayward Daughters.)
“Angel Heart” is a rich, complex episode. In terms of the show’s basic mythology, the introduction of the Grigori offers another potential angle about heaven and angels that’s not yet been explored. It was an unexpected treat to see Jimmy again, and his reunion with Amelia made my heart melt. “Angel Heart” especially shows us quite a bit about Castiel, the angel for whom “too much heart was always [his] 
problem” (8×2). The episode reveals a lot about everyone else, too, though, and I love how it deals with concepts of family, both blood and found, and what that means as these characters move forward. Seeing how Castiel, Dean, and Sam each interact with Claire reveals so much about the characters and what they’re striving for… or, at least, what they think they are striving for. The characters play off of one another in such rewarding ways, which is one of the many reasons I enjoy ensemble episodes so much.
What’s to come, though? This week’s “Dark Dynasty” kicks off the final three episodes of Supernatural‘s tenth season, and the promo suggests there’s quite a lot to be anxious about. Can Sam, Castiel, and Charlie (Felicia Day) save Dean? How will Dean react to learning that Sam (and now Cas and Charlie) are lying to him? Is all of this leading to something that’s much worse than the Mark of Cain? We’ll find out soon. Supernatural airs on Wednesdays at 9 pm ET on the CW network.