Written by Andrew Dabb and directed by Guy Norman Bee, the penultimate episode of Supernatural’s ninth season, “Stairway to Heaven,” doesn’t disappoint. Though at times the episode feels almost too busy, in the end, it delivers a tense, action-filled story that leaves me trepidatiously excited for next week’s finale.
The last clip of the “Then” sequence for “Stairway to Heaven” frames the episode for me. From “Metafiction” (9×18), it’s the scene where Metatron says, “I know something they don’t know – the ending. How I get there doesn’t matter so long as everybody plays their part.” All season, the narrative has emphasized the “part(s)” that everyone plays and raised questions: Are the characters playing their role(s) by choice? Are they fulfilling authorial and/or narrative expectations? Are they acting under their own agency? I think that this week’s episode begins teasing out answers to these questions.
The opening scene is an ice cream parlor smiting that leads to Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki) teaming up with Castiel (Misha Collins). After the title card, we’re treated to a scene in the bunker that reminds me of the brothers’ more playful side. In this case, Dean obnoxiously plays loud music to wake Sam, who instinctively pulls a gun. Dean’s only response? “Nice reflexes. Better hair.” Sam is not amused, and his sleep-deprived grumpiness emphasizes Dean’s wide-eyed peppiness. The humorous moment serves a larger purpose, leaving us to ask if Sam is exhausted, why isn’t Dean? Are we seeing yet another effect of the Mark of Cain?
While Dean packs his weapons bag, the brothers have a conversation about the First Blade. Dean wants to take it; Sam wants it to stay in the bunker. He reminds Dean, “Magic that powerful comes at a price, and right now, we don’t know what that price is.” This has been a truth reiterated in the Supernatural world since day one. But how often has it been considered lately? Dean certainly didn’t when he accepted the Mark without reading the fine print. Dean seems to reluctantly concede the point, and it appears that he leaves the Blade behind.
Dean and Sam meet Cas at the mass smiting crime scene. Even at that point, Cas seems more human than angelic to me. He’s expressive and demonstrative, and his “humanness” becomes more pronounced throughout the episode. The smiting that killed six humans and at least one child horrifies him. Cas says, “I knew [Metatron] wanted a war, but this is abhorrent, even for him.”
Cue Metatron’s (Curtis Armstrong’s) entrance into the episode. At that moment, he’s wearing a coat identical to Castiel’s and posing in front of a mirror. This, plus his extended rant about the Cas Lovefest, suggests that he suffers from a serious case of Cas-envy. Gadreel (Tahmoh Penikett) warns him that Castiel’s forces are winning, but Metatron reiterates that he has everything under control. He reveals that he even knows about Gadreel and Castiel’s meeting (9×21). Gadreel explains, “He spoke. He lied. And I listened. But I serve heaven. And I serve you.” Here, Gadreel’s declaration closely echoes Castiel’s in “The Rapture” (4×20), when fresh-from-heaven’s-torture-Castiel declares to Dean, “I serve heaven. I don’t serve man, and I certainly don’t serve you.” Considering how Gadreel’s “Who am I?” arc has been developed this season, particularly the way it’s paralleled Dean’s at times, I wonder how this will play out.
One of my favorite scenes occurs when Dean and Sam accompany Cas to his command center, where the Winchesters are less-than-enthusiastically received. Hannah (Erica Carroll) appears annoyed from the outset, commenting dryly, “Winchesters – I’ve heard so much about you.” Dean cockily retorts, “What can I say? Cas is a fan.” Judging by her crossed arms and peeved expression, Hannah, however, is not. The angels have been futilely searching for a missing comrade named Josiah, and Sam quickly traces him to a Gas ‘N Sip in Colorado. While I still don’t understand how a roomful of angels didn’t think to trace credit card purchases, Sam’s success gives Dean reason to smugly gloat, “That’s how we do things in the pros.”
Meanwhile, Angel in Burgundy (AIB) has been sorting evidence from the crime scene and found a cell phone video of the explosion. They watch as Oren walks into the parlor and smites himself. Visibly appalled, Cas says, “I’m going to be sick” – a very human reaction. Hannah and AIB realize that another angel, Esther, was present and deduce that this was a suicide smiting.