Supernatural: Devil May Care

Posted by: Kyle Tetarenko  •  October 15, 2013 @ 9:33pm

Filed under: Recaps & Reviews

He may have the king of hell in the trunk of his car but Dean's secrets have him preoccupied as an old nemesis returns from the pit.

After being burnt to a crisp by Sam, Abaddon has been resurrected by another demon. Her first order of business is to assemble a team to track down the Winchesters and then, kill Crowley and take his place as the queen of hell. Unfortunately for her, Dean has Crowley in the trunk of his car and he and Sam want answers. The two of them want to know the names of every demon on earth so they can hunt them down and eliminate one problem but Crowley won't budge. Rather than torture him, the boys decide to let him sit alone and let the seeds of his unearthed humanity begin to grow which isn't good enough in Kevin's eyes. Unwilling to sit and wait, Abaddon sets her plan in motion by getting new hosts for her demons and then abducting hunters. Sam and Dean have to leave Kevin behind to save the hunters, knowing they are walking into a trap. This goes well until Kevin ends up in Crowley's dungeon while doing research. In return for his freedom, Crowley promises to bring Kevin's mother back and it may be an offer he can't refuse. Elsewhere, the boys may finally have bitten off more than they can chew when Abaddon and her demons finally have them but the demons didn't consider the power that Sam is carrying within.

Though not as good as last week's finale, Devil May Care was another good episode from Supernatural. My biggest gripe was that Devil May Care was almost entirely based around the return of Abaddon which isn't very exciting to begin with. Abaddon had the same agenda to kill Crowley, the Winchesters and then take over hell last season but was defeated then. This immediately makes Abaddon a less threatening, more fallible villain because she was already defeated. Her criticism of the hosts that the other demons had taken also made little sense. Why did they have to take new hosts yet she remained in hers? How was the comic nerd that she had originally taken just as capable as the soldiers that the others had? She did say that she intended on taking Dean's body but it still didn't add up as to why she remained in hers. Alaina Huffman also toned down the silliness in Abaddon but the character still lacks the menace and terror that someone like Crowley instills.

While one villain may have been lacking it certainly doesn't mean that the other was. Returning as Crowley, Mark Sheppard never misses a step even when chained to a chair in the middle of a devil's trap. The interesting part here is that the threads of his humanity are being sewn for later on in the season. It feels like it will be gradual but when it happens it will be a side of Crowley we have never fully seen before.

Just when it seemed all hope was lost, Ezekiel made his sudden return. After Ezekiel had taken Sam as his vessel I assumed that it would be a while before the angel appeared again but it felt natural given the circumstances. Sam was about to die and Ezekiel may have too as we don't really know how weak he is but we got an idea when we saw how his wings looked tattered and bare. Jared Padalecki is nailing the transitions between Sam and Ezekiel. Sam's demeanor is soft and trustworthy while Ezekiel is cold and straightforward and it's done incredibly well. Maybe he had a few tips from another angel?

Lastly, I have to take the time to mention Dean and how his secrets are beginning to eat away at him. He knows that he's saving his brother but Sam would never have gone for it; not with an angel under his skin. The closing moments were especially strong as Sam hasn't been that happy in a long time yet Dean is keeping secrets from him that could kill Sam if he knew. The Winchester brothers have often been dishonest with one another but not like this.

Besides the weak plot and one bad villain, Devil May Care had a lot going for it. Hopefully next week that will change in I'm No Angel.

Have a comment? Share your thoughts below or chat with me @Extra_Lives

Tags: Supernatural, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Mark Sheppard, Alaina Huffman, Osric Chau

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