Supernatural: The Gates of Hell Open

It seems that a whole lot of nothing happened real fast in this week’s episode of Supernatural. Well I can’t there wasn’t any plot development or surprises at all, but I was expecting a little more action from another encounter with Lucifer. It looks like we’re all just going to have to wait until January to get to the good stuff.

The opening scene begins with an old business man who’s made a deal with a demon to pull his company out of some financial difficulty. The old man was expecting a woman, but when Crowley shows up demanding a kiss, two guys smooched instead. I guessing the demon enjoyed seeing the human squirm and be thoroughly uncomfortable. We learn from the last episode that Crowley is in possession of the Colt because Bela (from Season 3) had apparently gave it to him and not Lilith.

Sam and Dean enter Crowley’s large mansion with Jo’s damsel-in-distress act where they meet the demon who kills off two of his own with the Colt. He claims that he wants the brothers to send the devil back to hell because of survival. Apparently, Lucifer has no real interest in his creation except as servants to do his bidding. Once humanity is wiped out, Crowley believes his kind is next. So he easily hands over the gun to Sam and also gives them more ammunition. Then he tells them to head to Carthage, Missouri, because Lucifer is taking care of business there. This scenario was entirely too convenient. Even Sam and Dean wondered if it was a trap because it was too easy. But it’s exactly what we get and Crowley’s purpose was to just provide a way for the Winchesters to have some sense of a plan. The preview from last week hinted that the entire new episode would be all about Crowley; instead we only see his character at the very beginning. It was disappointing. While his motivations are proven right later on in the show, his delivery of it to Sam and Dean was pretty weak.

The next scene features Castiel, Ellen, Jo, Bobby, Sam and Dean spending the night together before the hunt for Lucifer. Dean stays true to character as he hits on Jo under the guise of “It’s our last night on earth…” and is promptly rejected. The group takes a photo together and it’s meant to pull at the heart strings because of the serious job they must do tomorrow, but it falls short as the set-up feels rushed.

The group sans Bobby heads over to Carthage where the town looks completely deserted. In an unexpected twist, Castiel declares there are dozens of reapers just standing everywhere. This is our first hint that something is going down in this Missouri town.  As our angel goes to investigate, he becomes trapped around a holy ring of fire by Lucifer whose vessel seems to be physically deteriorating. He tries to convince his brother to join his side because they were both cast out of heaven and ultimately if he loses the next target will be Castiel.

Meanwhile Sam, Dean, Jo and Ellen run into Meg and a group of hell hounds. Hell hounds are apparently vicious and invisible. After saving Dean from the fate of doggy chow, Jo is mortally wounded as the group retreats to a hardware store. They then try to figure out what to do next by contacting Bobby through a CB (citizens’ band) radio. It seems that Lucifer is re-enacting an ancient ritual to summon Death in the field where the Battle of Carthage happened in 1861 during the American Civil War.  In a touching mother-daughter scene, Ellen and Joe sacrifice their lives to give Sam and Dean a chance to get away. The hardware store is rigged to explode as the hell hounds are allowed in, buying the Winchesters some time to get to the field.

Castiel in the meanwhile is able to escape by using Meg as a literal bridge so he can crossover the holy fire. The female demon seems completely oblivious that Lucifer doesn’t really give two cents about her and her face.

Back at the field we come upon Lucifer scooping dirt up with a shovel with the town’s men standing nearby like zombies. Sam makes his presence known and engages in a decoy conversation with him. Dean makes his surprise entrance and shoots the angel in the head at point blank range. There’s a moment of relief as Lucifer crumples to the ground. It seems too good to be true because it is; moments later he gets back up and says, “Ow! Where did you get that?” Both brothers stare in confusion and shock as Dean is knocked into a tree.

Lucifer then clarifies that there are only five things that the Colt can’t kill, he just happened to be one of those. He excuses himself and continues with the ritual.  Sam, previously just standing there, rushes to his brother nearby. It turns out that the women and children were all killed and the men were given to the demons for temporary occupation. As Lucifer asks the men to repeat after him they start dropping to the ground, one by one like flies.

“What? They’re just demons…” the angel shrugs nonchalantly as even Sam is shocked and appalled.

As Lucifer greets the now risen Death, Castiel comes to rescue the brothers and they disappear.

The title for this week is “Abandon All Hope”, which comes from Dante’s Divine Comedy as inscripted in the gates of Hell.

Through me you pass into the city of woe:
Through me you pass into eternal pain:
Through me among the people lost for aye.

Justice the founder of my fabric mov’d:
To rear me was the task of power divine,
Supremest wisdom, and primeval love.

Before me things create were none, save things
Eternal, and eternal I endure.
All hope abandon ye who enter here.

Such characters in colour dim I mark’d
Over a portal’s lofty arch inscrib’d:
Whereat I thus: Master, these words import.

It’s a nice reference to the gates of Hell essentially opening up with Death’s arrival on earth.

This episode went by surprisingly quick. We’re left with two more deaths and now an even more depressing situation as Sam and Dean don’t know what to do next. It seems like their last chance just evaporated now that the Colt is useless. Will they accept their roles as vessels and duke it out?

We’ll just have to patiently wait till next year to find out.

Season 5, Episode 10: Abandon All Hope (Original Air Date November 18, 2009)

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Thursdays at 9/8C on The CW

Photographs courtesy of IMDb Pro