Supernatural: Don't Call Me Shurley

Filed under: Recaps & Reviews

Keith Richards or Bryan Wilson?

It's been a while since we last saw Metatron and things haven't been going that well. He has no place to stay and he's searching for food in a dumpster. After giving his dinner to nearby dog, he decides that he's given up and can't do it anymore when suddenly he's transported into bar with no idea how he got there. He looks around and finds Chuck Shurley sitting at a table and he knows he's being punished if he has to spend the rest of eternity with a hack writer like Chuck. That's when Chuck has him put on the sunglasses and reveals to Metatron his true form: God.

Back at the bunker, Sam has a lead on in Spring Falls, Idaho where a man named Wes Cooper murdered his wife before taking his own life. The Winchesters head into town to investigate and find nothing on Wes. He was a normal guy without a violent past but when Sam gets a look at the medical examiner's photos, he sees the black veins on Wes's body like the people that were infected by Amara's release.

Back at the bar, Chuck tells Metatron that he's written his autobiography and that he would like his help in the editing. Metratron is overjoyed that the creator of all things would like his feedback but he finds that the book is lacking details on just about everything. Chuck doesn't talk about Amara, the creation of the world and humans or the fact that Lucifer isn't his favourite or even a villain. It takes some convincing but Metatron convinces Chuck that the autobiography needs to be a reflection of himself in the mirror and not skimp out on the details.

Back on earth, things are getting worse as the fog has taken hold of a deputy. She killed her husband and is now the boys have to track her before the rest of the fog rolls into town. Meanwhile, Chuck's new autobiography is really starting to take shape but Metatron still has quite a few questions like why he left and if he plans on doing anything to stop his sister. Chuck simply tells him that he left because everyone disappointed him. The angels and humans all refuse to take responsibility for their actions and eventually, the training wheels need to come off. Metatron calls his father out on that and knows that it's simply Chuck not wanting to take responsibility for his own creation and come to the realization that God is hiding because he's afraid and goes as far to call him a coward. It will be a long day, where Chuck will hear some hard truths while the Winchesters try to save a town from going mad and destroying itself in the process.

It's been a long time coming and we can safely say that Don't Call Me Shurley may have been worth the wait. Since Chuck's first appearance in 2009's The Monster at the End of the Book, there have been tons of questions that fans of Supernatural have had that have been largely unanswered and this was that moment to get straight to that. Although Supernatural could have taken the easy route and used the Winchesters, it was also the perfect choice to have Metatron be the editor and the one asking all of the questions to Chuck. Metatron was the scribe of Chuck (God) and has a history with him that none of the others, save Lucifer, might have. While we are traditionally used to seeing Metatron in the role of the villain on the show, it was Robbie Thompson's impeccable writing that made the character sympathetic and relatable in a way we have never seen before in Supernatural.

While Metatron and Chuck easily stole the show, Sam and Dean's story was more of a side note that often broken that momentum. There are episodes when the main characters of a show just aren't the centre of attention and Don't Call Me Shurley is one of them. If God is talking to a former angel, whatever the hunters are doing that moment probably isn't going to hold up. The fog infecting people with the darkness was never an interesting plot and sending the Winchesters back into that mess detracted God being questioned for being an absentee father and a coward. Sam and Dean could have been watching the events of the fog unfold on the news and unable to do anything about it. This would have made them appear utterly helpless since it would have been too late and Supernatural could have transported them into town for the big meet up with Chuck at the end of the episode. While we have seen much worse plots this season, I kept waiting to get back to Metatron and Chuck because the threat of the fog just didn't hold my attention.

I couldn't write this review without saying something about Curtis Armstrong's incredible performance. Armstrong has played Metatron as the villain several times on Supernatural and more recently the pathetic human but we have never seen him as the character that felt hurt after being abandoned by his father. Metatron wanted answers and in many ways, was the voice for the audience and had questions that people have all of the time. Armstrong's performance was genuine and a large departure from the mustache twirling antagonist we have grown accustomed to. Metatron acted out as a cry for help from his father and Armstrong made us feel it.

Overall, Don't Call Me Shurley was easily one of the best episodes this season and finally brought Chuck back in a meaningful way. With only three episodes left in the season, we'll see what happens next week when the Winchesters are face to face with Chuck in All in the Family.

Tags: Supernatural, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Metatron, Chuck Shurley, Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Curstis Armstrong, Rob Benedict

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