Supernatural: Caged Heat

Posted by: Kyle Tetarenko  •  December 7, 2010 @ 8:48pm

Filed under: Recaps & Reviews

When Sam and Dean are forced to choose between making a deal with demons or death, their decision leaves them in a tight spot between heaven and hell.

After weeks of catching demons for Crowley, the Winchesters are caught off guard by the demon Meg and her rag tag group of demons looking for answers. Apparently some demons are still loyal to Lucifer, wanting nothing more than Crowley's death and think Sam and Dean know where he has been conducting his business with the alpha demons. Not having the answers and realizing Meg is just as desperate as they are, Sam seizes the opportunity to work with the demons in the hopes of regaining his soul and killing Crowley. Knowing that they need some divine help as well, Castiel returns to join the fray with the warning that even if they can save Sam's soul, the consequences may be more than they bargained for.

After a few weeks of hiatus, Supernatural returns to classic form with "Caged Heat". This week's episode had just about everything that a fan can hope for with great action, story and humour that only Castiel could deliver. After several episodes without relevance to this season's greater story we are finally given Samuel's motivations for working for Crowley. In a few short moments it's revealed what would drive a resurrected hunter to work for the new king of hell and why he would turn his back on Sam and Dean. It's reassuring how Samuel's actions are based on the love for his daughter and unfamiliarity with his grandsons because if they were simply because he had chosen to give up the fight, it wouldn't be believable. Samuel's motivations are very human and blur the line between good and evil rather than giving a simple answer.

Another strong aspect of the episode was how characters were actually making choices that will affect the rest of the season. Though Sam has been a soulless robot as of late, he was quick to take action and let the chips fall where they may which was quite evident at the end of the episode when he walked away from Dean and any chance at regaining his soul. Samuel also chose to stick with Crowley rather than oppose in order to get his daughter back while Dean promised that the next time they meet will be Samuel's last. Each of them has been on the fence for quite some time and to see them each pick a side sets up the rest of the season nicely.

Though there were some standout performances, Misha Collins steals every scene. His awkwardness and humour are unmatched and if you were watching, then you know "I'm not supposed to talk about it." Mark Sheppard's performance as Crowley has been exceptional since his first appearance as a cross roads demon through his ascent to become the king of hell. Crowley will surely be missed as the season continues but his death begs the question of who will fill the void of power in hell now that he is gone.

"Caged Heat" reminded me of the Supernatural of old with a great story and solid action. It's only drawbacks to me were that we didn't find out what Crowley wanted with Purgatory before he died and how the civil war in Heaven is a reference without any context. The Winchesters have been relatively unaffected by a story we have seen so little of and I hope this comes into greater detail as the season continues. Supernatural's greatest flaw in the past few seasons has been its lack of consistency as episodes like "Caged Heat" prove that the off shoot episodes are not the strength of Supernatural. Overall, this week's episode was a great return for Supernatural and hopefully we will see more like it.

Tags: Supernatural, Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins, Mark Sheppard

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Original Comments Posted (2)

Andrew Burns says...

I'm interested to see if they do bring Mary back to life for Samuel (somehow) how she will react to her father willing to have his grandsons die at her expense. I have a feeling its going to be the younger actress playing her if Mary does come back.

Dec 9, 2010 12:46am

Kyle Tetarenko says...

Hey Andrew,

That's a good point as by those consequences may force Sameul to regret betraying Sama and Dean. It would be great to see something like that play out but I'm not sure how that will happen now that Crowley is a pile of ashes in a prison. How do you think it will play out?

Thanks for reading!

Dec 9, 2010 10:15am

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