Supernatural: Meta Fiction

Posted by: Kyle Tetarenko  •  April 15, 2014 @ 11:56pm

Filed under: Recaps & Reviews

On this week's episode of Metatron, our hero gives Castiel one last chance to join his higher cause but that angel refuses to see the light.

After pondering what it is that makes a story, Metatron asks us if it is the writer making the story or us. Meanwhile at the bunker, Dean is still restless since inheriting the Mark of Cain. Sam hasn't found anything on Abaddon since their last encounter so they decide to look into a few cases. Elsewhere, Castiel is investigating an abandoned building when he finds the corpses of at least a dozen angels but one is left alive. Her name is Hannah and after telling Castiel that Gadreel is responsible for the murders, he heals her injuries. She asks to join him but Castiel refuses on the basis that he isn't a leader and that people following him only get hurt. He also finds a seal that is marked on the wall and sends a picture of it to the Winchesters to look into. The boys have never seen the mark before and just as Castiel is about to leave his motel, the lights flicker and the television turns on to one of the "specialty" channels. Casa Erotica seems straightforward, until the man knocking at the door in the movie turns out to be Gabriel (AKA the Trickster). Gabriel tells Castiel that he's been hiding since he faked his death at the hands of Lucifer but since the fall, he's been summoned out of hiding by the Horn of Gabriel. Since coming out of hiding, he's been chased relentlessly by the minions of Metatron but is ready to take his rightful place and leader and fight back. Castiel is glad to have an ally willing to take charge but their time together is short lived when Metatron's minions catch up. Meanwhile, Sam and Dean are hot on the trail of Gadreel and manage to catch him in an angel trap. When Sam almost kills Gadreel, Dean gives him a time out and sends him to find out what Castiel is doing since he hasn't been answering his calls. In truth, Dean wants to make Gadreel pay for what he did to Sam and Kevin and has no intention of keeping him alive. Dean's need for revenge may have bad timing as Metatron has Castiel and is willing to trade for Gadreel.

After a short break, Supernatural has come back with a strong episode in Meta Fiction. Sam and Dean had their story with Gadreel while Castiel was off with Gabriel and these two stories worked quite well in tandem. Given how little we have seen the story of Castiel and the angels, and Metatron, this story was desperately needed. Considering that the fall of the angels is what has been one of the key drivers of this season, we've barely seen the angel responsible. After watching Meta Fiction, we know that Metatron has settled into his role as the new God and has even taken to writing out the story; something not seen since Chuck in season five. What's more interesting is that Metatron truly fits the idea that the villain sees himself as the hero. If that's the case, our heroes may be required to do terrible things to depose the new God.

Speaking of things not seen since season five, Gabriel made an unexpected return to guide Castiel. While we don't know for sure if Gabriel is alive or just an illusion from Metatron, Gabriel's quick wit and sharp dialogue served the story well to break up the constant tension. He may have been away from the show for four years but Richard Speight Jr. hasn't missed a beat as Gabriel. His performance made it feel as though we had just watched his last episode, Hammer of the Gods, yesterday. It also served as a reminder that the serious tone that Supernatural has had for the greater part of the season needs humour to break it up every now or everything just starts to feel the same.

Meta Fiction is a good indicator of what we can expect for the rest of the season but my concern is whether or not the story will see some resolution by the end of the season. There may be five episodes left but next week's episode, Alex Annie Alexis Ann, is dealing with vampires and the week after that, Bloodlines, is a backdoor pilot for next season's spinoff show, Supernatural: Bloodlines. This only leaves three episodes to get to some sort of resolution to this story. I suspect that the story will continue into next season but it feels as though we have gotten too little of the Metatron story and the events following the fall. We'll see if next week's, Alex Annie Alexis Ann, provides a welcome break or a needless distraction when Supernatural returns next week.

Tags: Supernatural, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Gabriel, Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Richard Speight Jr.

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