Supernatural: Earth is the Titanic and the Angels have the Lifeboats

This week’s episode entitled “99 Problems,” is lifted off the Jay-Z song of the same title and if you know the main hook then it’ll make a lot of sense. Why? Sam and Dean meet the whore of Babylon and she’s ruthless, manipulative, and deceitful. Of course you wouldn’t know it by looking at her. This also happens to be the 99^th episode of Supernatural!

Before we get into more of their latest adventure, I need to talk about something I’d left out in last week’s review which is the continued strain put upon Sam and Dean’s relationship in heaven. While the brothers were there, they relived their happiest memories and for the younger Winchester that was all about the times he’d gotten away from his dad and Dean. For example the first Thanksgiving he had with a different family at 11 and the time he had run away to live on his own and gotten a dog. From Dean’s perspective, those weren’t good times but awful ones for him. His memories were with Sam and their mother.

This tension carries over back on earth where they are rescued by a group of men who spray demons with holy water using a fire truck hose and spit out an Enochian spell to exorcise them from their human meat suits. Actor Michael Shanks (also recognizable as his alter ego Daniel Jackson from Syfy Channel’s Stargate SG-1) plays one of the men. Being fellow hunters, the Winchesters earn their trust and are taken back to their town where the brothers discover that everyone is pitching in to hunt demons, fully aware that the apocalypse has started.

It’s interesting that viewers are first introduced to the town through a church with armed men standing guard outside. The locals are preparing for Armageddon, which takes Sam and Dean by surprise since most people are still clueless on what’s really going on. They meet Pastor Gideon who himself is packing a gun holstered onto his thigh. It’s all very weird and bizarre to the brothers who aren’t used to having back up in a demon hunt. Leah Gideon (pastor’s daughter) is leading them and she appears to be a prophet to whom the angels talk.

At first all seems well as the brothers adjust to an entire town of extremely religious hunters. But things start to go awry when Leah first prohibits alcohol, sets a curfew, and bars pre-marital sex. Things take a turn for the worse though as Leah starts to claim that the angels are unhappy because there are still sinners in the town who haven’t obeyed their commands.

Sam contacts Castiel who finally appears drunk and informs him that she’s no prophet but is the whore of Babylon. Misha Collins does a great job at playing the inebriated angel and provided a lot of comic relief that was needed. We get a quick apocalypse 101 lesson with the whore appearing when Lucifer rises, bringing false prophecy and is basically out to take as many souls to hell as possible. It’s ironic that she chose the body of a pastor’s daughter, but it does give her more credit with the locals. Castiel brings a wooden tree branch from Babylon that’s going to act like a stake that can kill the whore. The catch is that only a true servant of heaven can deliver the deadly blow. Sam the “abomination” is out (he had a ridiculously funny sad expression here), Castiel himself is out as a poor excuse for an angel, and Dean wasn’t batting on heaven’s team at the moment anyway. They settle on Pastor Gideon to do the deed.

The locals get more brainwashed as one woman kills a “sinner” and everyone else begins to round up people that Leah plans on killing by locking them inside the church and burning them alive. After some rough and tumble Dean ends up staking her much to Castiel and Sam’s surprise.

Throughout the episode Dean is seen as apathetic to the situation and instead of his usual drinking and womanizing ways, he actually chose to stay in their motel room and drink coffee. The brothers exchange words and the older Winchester stalks outside needing to clear his head. Clearly his faith has been shaken since the trip to heaven and now he tries to figure out what his best option is given the circumstances. This only fuels Sam’s growing concern over his brother’s mentality as Dean begins to show signs of taking the angels up on their offer.

In an intense moment Sam says, “I got one thing, one thing, keeping me going. You think you’re the only one white-knuckling it Dean? I can’t count on anyone else. I can’t do this alone.” But in the end Dean walks (or drives) away to go and see Lisa, essentially saying goodbye to her and promising that she and Ben will be fine no matter what happens. His last line leads us to believe that he’s going to see the angels next to strike a deal. I find it interesting that this time around, Dean is the one who leaves the family unit. My theory is that if Dean allows Michael to use his body as a vessel, Michael can then destroy Lucifer before he gets to Sam. He sacrifices his life to save the lives of the people that he cares about. At this point I don’t think he has any other choice and after seeing what demons like the whore of Babylon can do to innocent humans, this might be the only way to get his loved ones on a life boat that only the angels have. At least now Dean has some kind of plan and while he’s still pissed off over the entire situation, there’s something he can do about it.

Overall I liked the episode. Things weren’t too crazy and gave them time to marinate last week’s revelations. It looks like the action is going to pick up in the hundredth episode that we’re all looking forward to! I also hope to see more drunken Castiel.

Season 5, Episode 17: 99 Problems (originally aired April 8, 2010)

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Photograph courtesy of The CW, Jack Rowand and Sergei Bachlakov.