Supernatural - Episode 4.02 “Are You There God? It’s Me, Dean Winchester”

So in this episode of Supernatural we learn that it really is Apocalypse Now. Lillith continues resume building as the queen badass of Hell. (The Evil League of Evil is now accepting applications too - she’s a lock for sure.)

A good offense is well, a good offense. Lillith attacks on two fronts by taking out the Hunters rather poetically by forcing the dead persons-in-peril to rise and take revenge on the Hunters, and also engaging the elite Angel forces at the same time.

The Monsters of the Week are the rabid ghosts of failed huntings past: Meg, the college girl possessed by a demon; Ron, taken down by the Law; and Victor, taken out by Lillith all come to kill Sam and Dean. These Supernatural Beings all complain as each gets in their licks on the Winchesters for failing them. Ingrates.

You were supposed to help me!
When Sam meets Ghost Victor, he’s remorseful, then pissed that Victor doesn’t appreciate that they really tried. In the Impala, Sam starts wallowing in guilt over leaving Victor and the others behind to get killed by Lillith. Dean snaps Sam back to the present with a stern order to stop stewing and think about solutions. He’s clearly freaked that Sam was nearly killed and Bobby’s not answering his phone.

After that Sam is all business and clams up around the rabid spirits. When confronted by Meg, Sam barely says ‘sorry’. How very un-Sam-like, especially since the same demon once possessed Sam for over a week. Of all people, he knows something about how victims of possession feel. Yet Sam seems oblivious. When Meg calls him out for messing around with Ruby and not exorcising her, he responds with anger. Sam plugs her point-blank, much the same way he took out the Cross Roads Demon for being a wiseass. The Denial is strong with you Sam.

We did the best we could.
Dean runs into Meg and spends a lot of time talking while getting his ribs kicked. Meg’s not accepting his apologies or excuses though. She accuses Dean of caring more about his family, his revenge and his demons. Fair enough. When Victor questions why Dean deserves a second chance at life, he doesn’t wait to hear the reason before trying to rip out Dean’s heart.

The rabid spirits provide an interesting contrast with Dean’s mental state of affairs about his new Supernatural Friend Castiel.

We tried. Our numbers are not unlimited.
After the spell sends the angry spirits to rest, Castiel appears to Dean a second time in Bobby’s kitchen (or Dean’s dream kitchen? Hard to tell.) He praises Dean with a Good job! for taking out the rabid witnesses. Dean was expected to wag his tail in delight that he pleased the Angel. Instead Dean whines about how Castiel left him alone, how Victor nearly ripped his heart out, how he didn’t get pie!

Dean is pissed that Castiel didn’t help him. And where’s Castiel’s Boss anyway? Castiel isn’t taking any lip from an underling, and he pulls rank and power. Castiel’s excuses sound similar to Sam and Dean’s excuses to the poor persons-in-peril who didn’t make it. It doesn’t mean they don’t care. They can’t do everything. Are Angels, like Hunters, only as good as the last person they last saved from harm? Angels are supposed to be different – better than humans.

Angels haven’t checked on humans in over 2,000 years. Isn’t Castiel implying that God isn’t concerned about the lives of everyday humans in the overall picture? The Angels don’t show up until Lucifer gets in the mix. Does God care more about his Lucifer struggle than humans? Is God focusing just on His Demon? His Revenge? His Family? Can’t God multi-task?

Part 2