by Sarah James WARNING: This review contains spoilers for previous episodes of Supernatural.
“My friendship with Sam and Dean has made me stronger.” –CastielWelcome to the world of filler episodes, a lush and extensive land full of forgettable scripts, minor characters, and the handful of superb standouts. A show like Supernatural, with its grand, overarching plots, has filler episodes that can sometimes fall flat. It’s difficult to follow up episodes of intense action and character development like what we had last week. That being said, the tenth episode of this current season, “Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets,” was a solid filler episode.
This wasn’t the best episode of Supernatural by a long shot; the plot focused on a woman fueled by revenge against the angels that killed her daughter, with Castiel having to face friends from his past. This episode also includes a twist that calls Castiel’s loyalty into question. The story wasn’t the most compelling, and while the flashbacks to Castiel’s past were interesting, they felt a little slow paced. What this episode lacked in plot, however, it made for up in character. This episode did a great job in building and defining the relationship between Castiel and the Winchester brothers.
One of the defining traits of Sam and Dean Winchester is their loyalty to each other. Time and time again, the boys have gone through literal Hell in order to get each other back. Since his introduction in Season 4, Castiel has also been proving his loyalty to the Winchesters, and has put his life on the line for Sam and Dean on more than one occasion. Cas proves his loyalty yet again in this episode, despite the argument he’s having with Dean for killing Billie in the previous episode. The episode starts off with Cas and Dean not even speaking to each other and ends with Cas and Dean working together to solve the problem at hand. Throughout the episode, Isham calls humans “apes” and reminisces about how great of an angel Castiel once was. He tells Castiel over and over again that his time on earth has made him weaker, and every time Cas responds with how he’s become a better person because of his friendship with Sam and Dean. Castiel is basically an honorary Winchester, and is a vital part of the series at this point of the show; the ways he interacts with Sam and Dean has shaped the show for the past eight seasons. The characters and their complexities are the driving forces behind this show, and regardless of a lackluster story, the characters truly shine in this episode.
This episode also offered a few hints of the greater issues of the season. Sam, Dean, and Cas are all eager to learn of Billie’s “cosmic repercussions,” and the discussion of nephilim – the offspring of a human and an angel – directly correspond with the midseason cliffhanger of Lucifer’s unborn child. Ten episodes have passed for Season Twelve, and many more are on the horizon.
All Images From: Pixels Talk and Den of Geek!
