Supernatural’s “Form and Void” infuses some welcome energy into the show after a somewhat routine season 11 premiere. Written by Andrew Dabb and directed by Phil Sgriccia, the episode’s revelations, if fully born out, could help build a strong season.
When “Form and Void” begins, Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki) is on his own in Superior, NE. In a refreshing display of Sam’s intelligence, he builds a taser and creates a trap for any nearby rabids. After successfully luring one, he asks, “Can you talk or are you too far gone?” When the man is able to ask, “What?” Sam shocks him.
Post title card, the scene shifts to Cedar Rapids, IA. Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) delivers Jenna and baby Amara to Grandma’s (Christine Willes) house and leaves, assuming that all is now okay. Grandma sends Jenna to bed and gets Amara settled. After Amara’s put down for a nap, she pulls a William (a la The X-Files) and telekinetically knocks a storage box of baby things onto the floor. If Amara carrying the Mark of Cain weren’t enough of a clue, now it’s confirmed that this baby has powers.
In Nebraska, Sam’s infection is spreading. He’s back in the hospital, and when the captured rabid wakes, Sam questions him. The rabid immediately recognizes that Sam’s infected because “We smell our own” and demands Sam’s pudding cup – and what is it about apocalyptic scenarios and pudding? – before he’ll answer any questions. In the end, all Sam learns is that there isn’t a set rate of infection. Sam promises, “I’m going to fix this.” The rabid disagrees: “…we’re dead. We’re just taking our sweet time about it.”
Back on the road, Dean calls Castiel (Misha Collins) and is frustrated when the angel doesn’t answer. The scene shifts to Castiel being held captive by Efram (Dylan Archambault) and Jonah (Albert Nicholas). When Efram sees that Dean is calling, he smashes the phone. Castiel, who appears to be unconscious, is then woken with a taunting, “Good morning, handsome.” Castiel warns them: “You don’t understand. I’m cursed. You should run.” Even though Cas has a Hyde-ish moment, Efram and Jonah don’t change course.
Meanwhile, Amara’s “playtime” noises wake Jenna and bring both the deputy and Grandma to investigate. Once she has their attention, the baby hurls wooden blocks into the wall, spelling out, “Feed Me.” In a moment of levity, Grandma asks Jenna, “Who’re we going to call?” The joke’s extended when Dean, still driving, answers his cell with “Ghostbusters.” We don’t hear what Jenna says, but Dean make a sharp U-turn and heads back towards Grandma’s house. He calls Sam en route to update him; Sam remarks that it sounds like something from The Exorcist. In turn, Sam reports that he’s fine in “zombieland” and still looking for a cure. Once again, though, he lies by omission.
The torture of Castiel is hard to watch, particularly knowing that Dean and Sam are occupied elsewhere, and the angel is on his own. In a scene reminiscent of “Lazarus Rising” (4×1), Efram asks, “What are you?” As Castiel said to Dean, he again answers, “I’m an angel of the Lord.” But Efram points out that Castiel always chooses the Winchesters over heaven, “So you’re not my brother.” Castiel challenges Efram to kill him, as he clearly wants to, but he declines: “Nah. Fun’s just getting started.”
Alone again in the hospital, Sam’s researching online when someone singing startles him. He investigates and discovers a mysertious woman (Lisa Berry) is singing the amazing rendition of “Oh Death.” She addresses Sam by name, and shocked, he asks, “Who are you?” “Think you mean what,” she answers. This exchange also reminds me of “Lazarus Rising” (4×1). The woman does give Sam a hint: “You and your brother have been real good for business lately.”
Sam realizes that she’s a reaper. She declines to give her name and is very unhappy that Death has been killed. Still, there’s “work to do, souls to collect, messages to deliver.” And she has a message for Sam: “It’s over… now, there’s one hard and fast rule in this universe: What lives, dies.” She says that the next time either dies, a reaper is “going to make a mistake and toss you out in the empty. And nothing comes back from that.”
The resurrection ratio on Supernatural is ridiculously high. This propensity for revival has been a benefit, of course, or else we’d have no characters left to watch, but it’s also been a detriment, particularly with Charlie (Felicia Day) who was callously killed in an awkwardly contrived storyline (10×21). If the reaper is correct, and death is now truly final, then this episode significantly shifts the show’s universe.
The reaper adds, “I know you’re dying. I can feel it. You’re unclean – in the biblical sense. So, I’ll be seeing you again, Sam. Seeing you real soon.” As she walks away, she calls back, “Name’s Billie, by the way.” It’s significant that the reaper gives Sam her name, too. Think of the times that the Winchesters have summoned Tessa because she was the only reaper whose name they knew, and now, Sam knows Billie. I expect we’ll see her again, and I can only hope it will be sooner rather than later.
The douchey duo, Efram and Jonah, continue torturing Castiel as they interrogate him about Metatron’s whereabouts. Castiel doesn’t know, which the angels say means he’s either “stupid or lying.” Efram is contemplating which appendage to remove first when Hannah (Lee Majdoub) bursts in with, “That’s enough… This isn’t how we do things.” After Efram and Jonah are sent from the room, Castiel offers his thanks, but Hannah says, “Don’t thank me yet. Something’s happened Castiel. Something horrible.”
At the hospital, Sam visits the chapel and prays. He says, “…Dean and I, we’ve been through a lot of bad, but this is different. This is my fault, and I don’t know how to fix it. And if I have to die, I’ve made my peace with that. But please, Dean deserves better. Dean deserves a life. There are people out there – good people, who are going to suffer because of me and I am not asking you to clean up my mess…We need to know there’s hope. We need a sign.” Like Billie’s revelation, Sam’s prayer is a turning point: He’s praying again, as he did in early seasons, and acknowledging his fault and the potential fall-out. With the repeated division between the brothers in recent seasons, it’s also nice to see Sam asking for Dean to have a life. (I want the same for Sam, too.) As a viewer, what’s worrying, though, is that Sam continues to express his willingness and readiness to die. As Sam leaves the chapel, something happens. He falls to his feet and has what seems to be a vision of being tortured. I assume these are memories of his time in the Cage. As the camera pans out, Sam yells, “What does that mean?!”
Dean arrives at Jenna’s to learn that an exorcist has come to help. The plot twist is that the priest having tea in the living room is none other than Crowley (Mark Sheppard). Jenna picks up on the tension between Dean and Crowley and asks, surprised, if they know each other. Crowley’s answer? “Oh yes, Dean was a rather scrumptious young altar boy.” Dean’s expressions in this scene are priceless, and I now have many more questions about Demon!Dean’s adventures with the King of Hell.
Castiel is talking with Hannah, assuring that he isn’t lying about Metatron. Hannah says, “I know. But right now I’m more worried about you.” At Castiel’s request, Hannah tries to heal him, but can’t. How is it possible that Rowena’s magic is too powerful for an angel to heal? What happens later makes me question this development even more.
Outside of Grandma’s house, Dean confronts Crowley about pretending to be a priest. Crowley sasses, “I’m sorry, Agent Pathetic Has-Been Rock Star. Did I offend your delicate sensibilities?” He speaks as if they’re friends: “Where have you been? Your brother and that idiot angel – do you know what they’ve been doing?” Dean says that he knows enough and cuts Crowley off from elaborating. The hunter’s taken aback when Crowley explains that he’s there to work a case, just like Dean.
An injured and plaintive Castiel tells Hannah, “I feel the spell just cutting deeper and deeper. And I’m trying to fight it, I’m trying –” Hannah cuts him off, asking if this has anything to do with the disturbance in Superior that’s made alarms sound in heaven that “haven’t gone off in – ever.” Castiel delivers the bad news: “Those alarms are for the Darkness.”
The scene shifts to Jenna checking on the crying baby as Castiel explains that the Darkness is real. The scenes alternate quickly here: Castiel tells Hannah, “The Darkness…[has] been locked away since the dawn of creation. And now it’s free.” Jenna comforts Amara with, “Whatever’s wrong, Dean will fix it.” Hannah responds, “God help us.” But Castiel cautions, “I wouldn’t count on that.” Jenna kisses the baby and lays her down.
Hannah asks where the Darkness is, but Castiel doesn’t know. “Then who would? The Winchesters? Castiel, if this is true, it’s the end – for all of us. Sam and Dean, where are they?” Cas repeats that he doesn’t know, and Hannah demands, “Then think harder!” Castiel eyes Hannah suspiciously. “How did you find me?” he asks.
Outside of Grandma’s house, Crowley explains his deal with the Catholic Church. “So you think there’s a demon in there,” Dean concludes. “Not even a little bit,” Crowley answers. Inside, Grandma’s making tea when a loud noise echoes from upstairs.
Hannah tells Castiel, “I saved you.” But Castiel sees things differently now: “No. I don’t think you did. I think that you told Efram and Jonah to bring me here and to hurt me. And so you arranged to – to – to burst in and save me. You were hoping that I would be so grateful that I would do anything you said, that I would tell you anything that you wanted to know.” Hannah doesn’t deny Castiel’s accusations, and Castiel asks sadly, “Why, Hannah? We were friends.”
Hannah answers, “That was before you freed Metatron, before… [trails off]” I really, really want to know what else Hannah was going to say; the only thing that makes sense to me is “before you chose Dean Winchester over heaven again.” Instead of finishing the sentence, though, Hannah adds, “The other angels – they hate you.” Castiel asks if Hannah hates him, but Efram and Jonah re-enter the room with news: “It doesn’t matter. We took a vote. Democracy in action, and Hannah’s doing the job.” This moment is rather ironic considering that Castiel helped bring democracy to heaven. He resolutely declares, “I won’t give you Sam and Dean.” The douchey duo is confident because they’ve decided to hack Castiel’s brain.
Crowley tells Dean, “Whatever’s in that house, I can taste the power radiating from it.” Jenna comes into the kitchen, startling her grandma. Her hair and body language are different now, and she takes a kitchen knife in hand. “I always wanted to try this,” she says. Crowley’s voice can be heard as Jenna approaches her grandmother. “That thing – It’s old. Deep. Dark.” The older woman screams, and Dean and Crowley run back into the house. They find her dead body, and Crowley observes, “Well, hello plot twist.”
Jonah manipulates the hacking apparatus, ignoring Castiel’s screams. The douchey duo banters back and forth, with Jonah acknowledging his “expertise” comes from watching Naomi do this – once. Hannah attempts to intervene, but Efram will have none of it and threatens, “You touch me again, and I will end you.” As Efram beats on Hannah, Castiel basically hulks out, pushing the rods out of his skull and breaking free of his restraints. In full-on BAMF mode, Cas kills Jonah. Efram kills Hannah, and then Castiel kills him. Clearly, Castiel is defending himself, yet he appears horrified when he looks around the room. He drops the knife and backs away, murmuring, “No. No.”
Sam’s also in bad shape, and his infection seems to be spiking. Veins extend up his face, and he’s disoriented – though he manages to hang onto consciousness and a degree of clarity that the other rabids have lacked. He remembers Billie saying, “You’re unclean in the biblical sense.” Somehow, he manages an online search that leads him to connect purification and holy oil. He retrieves the jar Dean had packed in the duffel (11×1), and pours some out, wicking it onto a swab held with pincers. He then lights the swab and, with one hand carefully restraining his hair, holds the flaming swab to his neck. Voices can be heard, saying things like “Don’t do this to yourself”; “Wait. Stop.” I can’t quite tell who’s speaking – it sounds like Sam, but why is he hearing these things? Is it a manifestation of his uncertainty? Or something else? The veins light up and burn away. Clearly, Sam’s found the cure.
Dean’s not making quite as much progress. Fed up with Crowley, Dean says, “Listen, Velma, this isn’t the Scooby gang, okay, so either shut up or get out.” I prefer for Crowley to be the enemy we love to hate, so I’m okay with Dean putting their odd friendship on the skids, but Crowley actually had a very good point: How wise is it to yell for someone when an ancient evil lurks nearby?
Crowley keeps his good-natured tone: “Easy tiger. Just trying to help.” However, when Dean walks away, Crowley snarks, “I’m way more of a Daphne.” Dean finds the baby and checks her, finding the Mark. There’s a flashback to the Darkness saying, “We are bound Dean. We’ll always be bound. We will always help each other” (11×1). Crowley observes, “The child likes you – Not a surprise really. You’re very maternal.” Dean’s only response is to say that they need to find Jenna.
Sam blasts “The Sugar Shack,” luring three rabids into the hospital and to the chapel. He traps them in a circle of holy fire and watches as it burns away the infection. The three, now okay, appear relieved. The holy fire goes out. (This I don’t understand; Dean had to turn on the sprinklers to douse the ring that encircled Gabriel (5×8) so why does this ring go out on its own?) One of the now-cured rabids thanks Sam, and he responds with, “Let’s go save the rest of them.” At this point, it seems that Sam’s plan to get back to saving people really is working.
Crowley and Dean find Jenna destroying her grandmother’s angel collection. I can’t help thinking of Mary and John Winchester looking at the glass angel sitting above unborn Dean’s crib in this scene (5×13). The symbolism gets stronger with Jenna’s comment, “My grandma collected these things, but I always thought they were so bleh.” Crowley observes that Jenna’s soulless, and the deputy explains, “Amara’s hungry. She’s a growing girl.” On cue, the scene shifts to the baby lying in her crib. Before our eyes, her face matures, Renesmee Cullen-like. Eerily, only her face changes in this shot; her body remains in the baby clothes.
Dean tells Jenna, “We can fix it.” But much like Demon!Dean, Jenna likes the disease (10×3). “I don’t want to be fixed. I like the new me.” She throws the angel at Dean, and he catches it. With Dean distracted, Jenna takes a swipe at him, and they begin to fight.
Amara climbs out of her crib and rummages through the storage box to find clothes to wear. Newly dressed, she walks out of the bedroom, and Crowley turns to look down the hall, but no one’s there. Since he can sense her power, though, he has to know that she’s left – and he doesn’t tell Dean.
Dean and Jenna are mid-fight when the deputy is suddenly tossed up against the ceiling and falls to the floor. Dean looks to Crowley, who explains, “I was getting bored.” Dean checks her pulse, and she’s dead. But did Crowley really kill Jenna? Or is Crowley taking credit for something the Darkness did? Crowley wants “to see the child who eats souls,” but Dean stops him: “You don’t get what that thing is.” Crowley asks for clarification, “C’mon darling, don’t play coy.” Dean finally admits, “I think Amara is the darkness.” Crowley asks if Dean will kill the baby? The hunter responds, “I don’t have a choice.” The King of Hell doesn’t buy that answer: “Please. Even if you could murder a baby, you couldn’t murder that baby. I saw the way you looked at her.” Crowley, however, has no scruples about killing Amara – after he’s done with her, that is. Dean warns, “Stay away from her.” Crowley responds by throwing Dean into the closet.
The friendliness Crowley’s shown suddenly disappears; in this scene, he reminds me, once more, of his evilness pre-blood-cure. Is the old Crowley back? He says, “Oh Dean, adorable little Dean. I want that child, and I get what I want. You and Sam don’t understand. I’m not your bloody sidekick. We’ve had some good times. So, I’m going to give you one chance, just one, to walk out that door. Or I’m going to take you apart, atom by atom.” Has Crowley taken Rowena’s words to heart and reassessed? Does he see himself firmly opposite the Winchesters again? Or has this been a long con?
Dean’s not surprised by Crowley’s change in tone, and as the demon talks, he’s readying his angel blade. He lunges, stabbing Crowley through the hand and pinning him to the wall. Then, Dean pulls out Ruby’s knife – but even though this is the perfect opportunity, Dean doesn’t kill Crowley. I have to admit that this makes no sense to me; what is Dean thinking? And why? Dean leaves the King of Hell pinned and goes to Amara’s room; the crib’s empty and there’s no sign of the child. He stalks back to where he left Crowley, only to find the demon gone, too. The angel blade is still embedded in the wall, the demon’s blood visible.
The next-to-last scene takes place in the bunker. Sam and Dean have just gotten home, and Dean is talking about baby Amara being the Darkness. He says that maybe the woman he saw wasn’t real; maybe she was a vision. Dean doesn’t see Sam touch his neck – which makes me think that Sam hasn’t shared his own mysterious vision yet – and comments, “Weird.” Dean agrees and then comments on the state of the bunker, which is a wreck, just as it has been since the Stynes trashed the place (10×22). Their exchange about the mess and a maid seem off to me – after all, the last time Dean saw this room, he’d just killed the Stynes and beaten Castiel. Are their comments a deflection from those memories? That would make sense, but do the characters’ cues support that reading? I’m not sure.
The brothers hear a noise and pull their guns, walking further into the research room to investigate. Behind the pile of books, they discover Castiel lying in the floor. The angel – bloody and disheveled – looks up and pleads, “Help me.” Sam gasps and exchanges a shocked look with Dean. Again, this scene feels off to me, as if Collins wasn’t there when Padalecki and Ackles filmed the scene and vice versa; their facial expressions and eye-lines simply aren’t quite in sync. Still, I’m thrilled that Castiel made it home and that he’s asking them for help. In the wake of Hannah’s betrayal, I especially want to see Dean and Sam be there for him. (And, just a thought, but can Show stop torturing Castiel, please?)
The final scene of the episode is just plain creepy. Amara, now a young girl, walks down the street barefoot as a black van with heavily tinted windows follows. It stops, and Crowley gets out. “My, haven’t you grown into a sweet young thing,” he says. Amara watches without speaking as he opens the van door. A family is inside, all restrained. The creep factor soars when Crowley asks, “Want some candy, little girl?” She smiles; he smirks, and that’s the end of the episode.
I enjoyed this episode much more than last week’s, though I still think that the full impact of the first three episodes can’t be fully seen/judged until after the third airs. Intriguing plot points are being set up and the stakes are being raised. If Billie’s message is legit, and death really is back on the table for Sam, Dean, and Castiel, what will that mean for future storylines? Or will that “new order” be tossed out the window? Will the season continue to develop the brothers’ relationship and give them separate screen time as in “Form and Void”? I love the ensemble episodes that mix up the usual brothers’ structure and dynamics because it invigorates their characterizations. For example, Sam really shines in this week’s episode, and while Dean’s storyline isn’t as active, I expect/hope that will shift and even out soon; after all, there should be more than enough story to go around for all of our leads.
It’s terrible to see Hannah’s betrayal of Castiel, particularly in light of Zir’s clearly conflicted feelings about the situation. Hannah’s death is also a disappointing turn. Not only have I loved Erica Carroll and Lee Majdoub’s portrayals of the angel, but also, this means that Castiel has no friends among the angels – except for, perhaps, Gabriel (if he really is alive somewhere). Clearly, Castiel’s place is with the Winchesters; I’ve thought this for a long time, and I can only hope that’s what we see more of this season.
Next week’s episode, entitled “The Bad Seed” and directed by Ackles, sees Rowena’s return and promises more information about Amara. Honestly, though, I’m most excited about seeing Castiel in the bunker and with the Winchesters again – the promo pictures include several of him and Dean, a dynamic that’s seen far too little screen time lately. Supernatural airs Wednesdays at 9 pm ET on the CW Network.
What did you think of “Form and Void”? Share your ideas and speculations in the comments below!