Supernatural’s “Our Little World,” shakes up the show’s mythology. Written by Robert Berens and directed by John F. Showalter, the episode opens with Amara (Yasmeene Ball) approaching a teen angry at her mother. Goldie asks where Amara’s parents are. “I don’t have any parents…I want to be like you,” she answers before taking Goldie’s soul.
A now-teenaged Amara (Samantha Isler) returns to her room in Crowley’s (Mark Sheppard) headquarters. Crowley acts like a frustrated parent: “Actions have consequences around here, Amara.” He grounds her and uses his powers to keep her from leaving. “You’re strong,” he acknowledges, “but you need to remember: I’m stronger.” Amara retorts defiantly, “For now.” Crowley grunts and leaves the room.
Post title card, Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) and his younger brother Sam (Jared Padalecki) are still in Fall River, MA, investigating leads on Amara’s whereabouts. Dean believes that finding her victims is the best shot at finding her, but Sam disagrees and says they should call Castiel (Misha Collins). Dean’s reluctant: “He’s had a pretty rough go of it lately.” But after Sam points out they’ve all had rough go, Dean agrees and steps away to call Cas.
Castiel’s safe in the bunker, in Sam’s room watching television. His eyes are a little glazed over is watching an episode of Jenny Jones when Dean calls. Amusingly, Dean shows his own familiarity with television when he recognizes the show just by what he overhears. He encourages Castiel to get out of the bunker because “you sound weird, bad weird…whatever you’re looking for, you won’t find it in there. So do me a favor: Turn off the tv, go outside, and get some air.” Though he tells Castiel, “I need you back in the game, okay?,” Dean doesn’t ask Castiel to do anything specific. Cas does get dressed to go out, but when he reaches the bunker’s door, he has a panic attack. We see flashbacks of Cas hearing Dean’s entreaties despite the attack dog spell, witnessing Hannah’s death, fighting Crowley, being fought by Dean, and so on. Cas’s distress is palpable, and he hangs onto the banister.
While Dean speaks with Cas, Sam gets a phone call from Detective Madson: Len, who turned himself in rather than continue killing in “Thin Lizzie” (11×5), is dead. A segue to Crowley conversing with a minion reveals that soul projections are low and that all of Amara’s soulless victims are being killed to keep her secret. At police headquarters, Dean and Sam smell sulfur. But as Dean says, a demon killing a body without a soul is like “crackerjack without a prize.” Goldie, who’s been brought in for trying to kill her mom with a frying pan, is a clue.
Back in the bunker, Castiel smiles while watching a news segment about a dog riding a skateboard. “The dog thinks it’s people,” the anchor observes. This seems like a call back to Rowena taunting Castiel (10×22). Then, Castiel responded, “I’m a lot like people.” Now, Castiel looks human, stretched out on the bed, channel surfing – he’s completely at home. The next segment changes this when Cas spots Metatron’s (Curtis Armstrong) reflection in the camera. Contrary to Dean’s assertions, the “idiot box” has proven useful.
In Fall River, a demon comes after Goldie to clean up the “Boss’ daughter’s” mess. But he gets caught in a devil’s trap. The Winchesters take the demon to their motel room (with its “Changing Channels” (5×8) wallpaper). Dean really wants to kill it, but Sam wants to exorcise – until he sees the meatsuit’s gunshot wound. Dean happily dispatches the demon, his anger and mannerisms eerily reminiscent of his initial post-Purgatory rage.
So far, season 11 has subtly emphasized what happens after someone’s been saved or killed. In “Our Little World,” Sam’s downloading GPS data and working on his laptop when Dean returns. “Where’d you ditch the body?,” Sam asks. Dean answers, “School playground,” and Sam’s expression is priceless. “C’mon,” he says. Dean, with some exasperation, answers honestly, “Hospital parking lot.” (I still wonder how they avoid being caught on camera dumping bodies, but perhaps they use a masking spell or something?)
Sam’s deduced that the demon has been tailing Amara. The brothers examine the notes Sam’s added to their hunting wall. Sam’s confused about Crowley keeping her on earth rather than in hell, but Dean points out that Crowley “hates that place.” Sam laughs: “I keep forgetting about you and Crowley’s ‘summer of love.’” Dean rolls his eyes but doesn’t comment. After further discussion, they decide that Needham Asylum, decommissioned in 1963, may be Crowley’s hideout.
In her room at the Asylum, Amara watches cat videos. Crowley visits, but the teen is annoyed with his efforts to connect. “I just want you to know that I’m not a monster,” Crowley says. His minions bring a snack that she refuses and Crowley then tries a different approach: honesty. “I have no idea what I’m doing here….You’re growing so fast. It terrifies me.” Amara’s smug: “I bet…. You only want me for the power I’ll wield…soon enough I won’t need you anymore.”
At the motel, Sam and Dean ready their weapons. Dean says he wants to get back at Crowley for tricking him in Cedar Rapids (11×2). Sam questions what the consequences of going after Amara might be. This is a big change from Sam’s modus operandi at the end of season ten. Dean, however, wants to forge ahead as usual and says they’ll “hit her with everything we’ve got.” However, Castiel, as Sam already pointed out, is a huge resource for them. Yet the brothers don’t call Cas to join in, nor do they tell him about what’s going on. It seems clear that Dean’s reluctant to bring Castiel in at ground zero so soon, but wouldn’t Sam at least question where Cas is?
Meanwhile, Crowley’s still pleading his case to Amara: “I have something you lack. Wisdom. Experience. I helped put Lucifer back in his cage. I rose through the ranks of hell… Slow down. Play by my rules for just a little bit longer. You give me your patience. I’ll give you my protection – until you decide you don’t need it anymore.” Amara accepts with a simple, “Okay.”
In Omaha, Metatron’s discovered a shooting victim bleeding in an alley. He films the crime scene and then steals the victim’s money. The guy begins coughing up blood, and Metatron says, “I’m sorry buddy. You live, there’s no story… You know, there was a time. I could have brought you back from the brink with a snap of my fingers. Not that I would’ve. I’m not that guy anymore. I can’t save you.” Armstrong conveys Metatron’s awfulness delightfully. From behind the scribe, Castiel speaks, “I can.”
Castiel says that he found Metatron via police scanners, so we know there’s not much time before the cops arrive. Castiel heals the man, which Metatron films. The former scribe’s glee at catching a “real life angel” on tape passes quickly when Castiel kicks the camera away. A cop car pulls into the alley, and both flee. I didn’t notice Metatron retrieving his camera, though, so unless Cas fried it, could Castiel be the next viral video?
The Winchesters find the Asylum unguarded, though Dean notes the warding sigils for hunters and supernatural creatures and the padlock for regular humans. Sam notes they don’t know how many demons will be inside. Dean’s undaunted: “Well, let’s find out.”
Inside, Crowley’s presiding over a soul collections meeting. We learn that legalized marijuana has led to a forty percent decrease in the Pacific Northwest over the past three years. Crowley’s uninterested, instead reading a parenting guide that’s hidden inside his copy of the report. At this point, Crowley’s plans for Amara have seemed self-motivated, but now he’s reading parenting guides to deal with an ancient entity? Meanwhile, his mother’s plotting revenge, and his son Theo is who knows where. Does Crowley actually want to parent Amara? Or is he scheming to manipulate?
Cas drags Metatron into a building. “Picking pockets, leaving a man to die – I don’t know what I expected, but this is disappointing,” he says. Metatron makes fun of Castiel for choosing “the life of a wage slave” when he was human; the scribe says, “I am in it to win it.” He spins a story about finding his calling, pulling himself up by his bootstraps, and says, “My story has only begun.” Castiel calls him a “a vulture [preying] on human tragedy.” Metatron scoffs, “Reality is the great literature of our era. And I am out there on the streets every single night, capturing it. I am reality’s author.”
Castiel isn’t impressed. “Save your story. It is not what I came for.” Metatron thinks Cas is there for the demon table, but Cas has already found where Metatron hid it, rather unimaginatively, under his mattress. He asks what Metatron knows about the Darkness. Metatron finally admits, “Okay, sometimes, during late night writing sessions when God was deep in his cups, he may have let slip a few choice words, but I don’t have to tell you anything.” Castiel reminds that he can crush Metatron “like a bug.”
Metatron rather gleefully responds, “Could, but you won’t. You think I didn’t notice? You are broken, Castiel…you are scarred, deeply – paralyzed by trauma, by fear.” Castiel’s expression in this scene is haunting, but when Metatron taunts, “You can’t even hit me,” Cas corrects him: “It’s not fear.” And he throws the scribe across the room.
At the asylum, Dean uses an old voicemail of Crowley berating him to lure away the demon guarding Amara’s door. Sam tackles the demon and tells Dean to get Amara. In a shot that reminds me of demon!Dean stalking through the bunker, Dean strides into Amara’s room. She knows who’s there without turning around. “I knew you’d come,” she says.
Dean’s expression is a mix of emotions, as he apologizes, “I’m sorry, Amara.” “For what?,” she asks. “What I have to do,” he answers, gesturing with the demon knife in his hand. Crowley enters the room and flings Dean against a support column. Here is where the scene gets really weird for me:
Crowley muses, “My girl’s grown up. Should’ve known it wouldn’t be long before the boys came sniffing around.” Now, does Crowley mean “the boys,” as in “Hello, boys,” which he’s always said to the Winchesters? Or does he mean “the boys” as a general term, which means he’s sexualizing Amara, tying her physical maturity, sexuality, and power together.
Dean’s protests are a mix of defense and disbelief. “What do you want with her, Crowley? What, you think you can use her, control her? You’re an idiot.” Crowley protests, “I’m not trying to control her. I’m helping her to realize her fullest potential.” This is interesting, especially since Crowley did try to control demon!Dean – and when he realized he couldn’t, he helped Sam and Castiel re-humanize Dean. So, to this point, it seems Crowley’s playing this scene for Amara’s benefit; this is another opportunity for him to prove his worth to her, to gain her trust. He tells Dean, whom Rowena’s already identified as his greatest weakness:
“Do you know how disturbing it was to realize that I couldn’t bring myself to kill you? I’ve had tons of chances over the years, some you don’t even know about. Still, I made my peace with it, embraced my softer side. Learned to accept that there was just too much going on between you and I. Bromance. [Dean’s expression here is priceless.] But you know what? I think I am going to kill you today. I feel different somehow. Ready. What can I say? Fatherhood changes a man.”
So, Crowley acknowledges his protection of Dean even as he proclaims his allegiance to Amara. Then, Amara disables Crowley, burning the knife, breaking his arm cartoonishly, and flinging him against the wall. Now, Crowley’s learned something else: Dean is Amara’s weak spot, just as Crowley claimed Dean was his. (And let’s not forget how many times Castiel has proven that Dean’s his weak spot. What I’m getting from this is that, essentially, the entire universe will do anything for Dean.) Dean might expect protection from Castiel or even Crowley, but Amara’s actions stump him. The narrative then alternates quickly between Castiel and Metatron, Sam versus the demons, and Dean, Crowley, and Amara:
Castiel’s ability to hit Metatron doesn’t stop the scribe from trying to manipulate him: “so I misjudged. You’re not scared. You’re mad… It must suck being everyone’s tool, manipulated and used by the angels, by your enemies, by your friends…” As Sam rushes the demons, Metatron observes that Castiel thought getting his grace back “could help fix you. But it hasn’t.” Castiel doesn’t respond to that, instead repeating his earlier inquiry, “The Darkness?”
Crowley, against the wall, broken and bleeding, asks Amara, “Why?” She tells him, “I don’t need your protection, and I certainly don’t need your captivity. I’m done.” Sam’s fighting demons, and one asks, “You trying out some kind of no kill policy?” He pins Sam to the wall. Metatron, still trying to get a rise out of Castiel, asks, “Who do you have to thank for how angry you are, how lost?” Cas hits him. As if taking credit for Castiel’s issues, Metatron says, “You’re welcome.” Cas deals another blow. The demon asks Sam, “Hunter? You of all people should know pacifism doesn’t pay.” (Why doesn’t the demon recognize Sam as a Winchester? Aren’t they at the top of every supernatural most-wanted list?) Sam manages to stab the demon.
Scenes of Castiel beating Metatron and Sam fighting demons alternate. Metatron says, “Go on Castiel, end me.” Castiel’s hand is drawn back; Sam has his knife drawn. Sam lowers the knife and pulls out handcuffs. Castiel looks at his shaking hand. “No,” he says. Sam notes that he saved two of the three demons and runs down the hall, yelling for Dean.
Inside Amara’s chamber, Dean hears Sam and starts for the door, but Amara flings him back against the support column. Sam throws himself against the door but stumbles when he has another vision. Amara promises to spare Crowley’s life on one condition: “Safe passage for Dean out of here after I’ve gone.” She crunches something, and Crowley agrees. Amara releases Dean and orders Crowley out of her room.
Metatron pleads with Castiel. When Cas reminds him, “You said you were happy…” Metatron admits, “I was faking it…” Free to move, Dean retrieves his knife. Amara tells him, “You won’t. You can’t.” Metatron tells Cas that he’s overcome with the “indignities” of human life. Castiel may have some empathy for the scribe’s state; still, he says, “You were right, Metatron. I am sick of having my strings pulled, which is why I won’t let you manipulate me into letting you off easy…Tell me about the Darkness.”
The narrative then alternates between Amara and Dean and Metatron and Castiel. Amara could be terrifying – in some ways, she has been. But here, her interactions with Dean are framed more sexually than I’m comfortable with. The Darkness may be an ancient entity, but she’s in the body of a teenager, and Dean looks old enough to be her father. Dean appears discomfited by Amara’s behavior, which adds to the scene’s creepy factor. Amara asks, “Tell me, what is happening here, between us? You save me, I save you.” She runs a hand along Dean’s face. “Why?” Dean doesn’t answer, but she speculates, “You were the first thing I saw when I was freed, and it had been so long. Maybe that’s it. My first experience of His creation. You can’t help but represent that for me. The sweet triumph and even sweeter folly of what He’s wrought. There’s no fighting it. I’m fascinated.”
Metatron finally tells Castiel about the Darkness. God’s creation, “took work. Took sacrifice. In order to create the world, God had to give up the only thing he’d ever known. He had to betray and sacrifice his only kin – the Darkness. His sister.” Castiel is taken aback, and so am I: This reveal sets up yet another sibling parallel for the show, and I wonder how it will play out – will we see Supernatural’s standard pattern upheld? Or will Amara throw things into chaos?
Amara tells Dean, “It’s been great seeing you again…but it’s time for me to go. There’s a whole world out there for me to explore, and I can practically taste it. Soon I’ll be strong enough to do what I came here to do… “ “What’s that?,” Dean asks. “Settle an old score – the oldest score,” Amara confides. They both look at the knife that Dean still clutches in his hand. She says smugly, “Told ya.”
Just then, Sam bursts in; with a hand motion, Amara throws him out of the room and knocks him out. (It’s a very good thing that Castiel can heal Sam’s (and Dean’s) repeated brain injuries.) When Amara hurts Sam, Dean advances towards her, expression set and knife in hand. Amara looks fearful when she sees his response; she flings him backwards too. She appears unsettled, unsure, but as Dean loses consciousness, Amara leaves.
Back at the bunker, Sam, Dean, and Castiel share information. Dean’s upset that Cas let Metatron go. Castiel explains, “If he draws the slightest attention, the full force of angel kind will snuff him out.” Sam interjects into the argument that there are “bigger fish to fry.” Dean quips, “God’s friggin’ sister.” Castiel then asks. “You said you were close. Dean, how’d she get away?” Sam’s also interested in Dean’s answer to Castiel’s astute question, but Dean’s defensive. “I’m sorry. What part of God’s friggin sister did you not understand? She overpowered me, end of story.”
Cas side-eyes Dean, and as Sam observes their interaction and Dean’s defensive posturing, he side-eyes his brother too. Dean deflects their scrutiny: “Where on earth are we going to find an answer on how to stop her? I don’t suppose God’s decided to share any wisdom on the matter.” Sam looks wary but says nothing about his vision, instead offering to look into the lore. He leaves the room, and the camera follows him, leaving Dean and Castiel standing at the map table. Of course, what Dean doesn’t know is that the answer clearly isn’t “on earth” but in the Cage. In the research room, Sam relives the flashbacks. We see the Cage, suspended in hell, and someone’s hands reaching through its slots. Sam looks terrified.
In a less terrifying scene, Amara’s walking along a crowded sidewalk in a scene disturbingly set to “Girl, You’ll Be A Woman Soon.” It includes two cutaway scenes: first, to a defeated-looking Crowley sitting on his throne and later to Dean, drinking alone at the bunker’s map table. The camera is back on Amara as the line “…you’ll need a man” is sung. Perhaps this scene is meant to show Amara coming into her own, but the musical choice, combined with the framing of her earlier conversation with Dean, gives me the shivers, and not in a good way – it feels grossly sexualized. If that isn’t the intent and the storyline doesn’t take that horrific path, then this sequence will read differently in context with the rest of season 11. However, if sexualizing is the intent, then this is a turning point for the show into truly creeptastic territory.
I’m enjoying many aspects of season 11 – particularly the improved narrative cohesion, continuity, character inclusion (especially for episodes that Collins isn’t in), emphasis on location, and so on. I can see potential in the Darkness storyline, but the framing of Amara’s interactions with Dean bothers me. Even if Amara inhabits an “adult” body soon, it won’t change the ickiness of Crowley’s sexualized jokes or that Dean first cared for the infant – and we’ve seen Amara’s split selves through her conversation in “The Bad Seed” (11×3).
The supernatural being touching Dean’s face is not the same entity he encountered in the Darkness. I also wonder about the juxtaposition of Crowley’s supposed paternal interest with whatever Dean’s is in the episode’s last sequence. It doesn’t help that Dean’s general “off-ness” is emphasized in this episode, with his Purgatory-esque rage and his behavior towards Amara. He seems to be under a spell or some sort of compulsion. This episode also re-emphasizes the theme of playing roles and “faking it till you make it.” But how will all of these threads play out long term?
Next week’s episode is a Monster of the Week, so my questions about the Darkness and the other storylines likely won’t be resolved anytime soon. I am very excited to see the fabulous Briana Buckmaster return as Donna Hanscum, though! Supernatural airs Wednesdays at 9 pm ET on the CW Network.