Episode Title: “Blade Runners”
Writers: Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming
Director: Serge Ladouceur
Previously on “Supernatural”:
Sometimes in the “Supernatural” pantheon of guest stars, there comes a time when a name will make you cringe. Previously, it was Paris Hilton. (Season 5, episode 5, “Fallen Idols.”) We laughed, we shrugged it off; I mean, Ghandi was throwing people around in that episode, and Lincoln was killing people. Well, your recurring nightmares of Snooki have made their way on to “Supernatural.” And she plays herself… the first celebrity crossroads demon? I’m confused. I, uh… let’s just pretend that this never happened.
In general, this is an odd episode, even by “Supernatural’s” standards. Crowley (Mark Sheppard) is hooked on blood. Granted, this isn’t the first character to be hooked on human red wine. The mythology of the show is populated with vampires, and Sam (Jared Padalecki) himself was obsessed with demon blood in season four. Here, with Crowley, it seems like a bankrupt idea, kind of like the way Stephen King keeps returning to aliens in his fiction, like he’s trying to get it right. (“Under the Dome” is good enough, let’s leave it at that. And no, I’m not talking about the show.)
More and more it just seems like Jeremy Carver has no clue what to do with Crowley this season. His subplots have been abysmal, but while this one sees Crowley at rock bottom, is anything but. The human aspects that “Supernatural” explores with Crowley put him opposite Castiel’s (Misha Collins) time as a human this season. This is the most human he’s ever been, and represents the bad side of mankind’s vices: addiction, though for blood, excess, sex. Emotion is the new drug high, humanity the new addiction. This blood addiction is “Supernatural’s” “Under the Dome;” it’s complex and has more dimension than I initially thought. Even Crowley’s comedic moments in this episode come with an air of sadness. In a scene where he’s trying to steal candy from a vending machine, the human way. It’s sad, funny, and pathetic.
Dean’s (Jensen Ackles) transformation with the Mark of Cain began in the last episode, “#THINMAN,” where he shot and killed another person in cold blood. If you didn’t notice it or feel the impact of that particular event, that’s because Sam did a great job of sweeping it under the carpet right after it happened. “Supernatural” has a tendency to pass on its pain from brother to brother. In a way, the sins of the brother are passed on to the other brother. Dean’s slightly different suffering doesn’t mask how overplayed this device is on the show. It gives the effect that the show is just going in circles, in a slightly ying-yangy way, especially since every story line is generally resolved at the end of each season. It’s unclear at this point if the Mark will kill him or extend beyond its effects, but we’ll find out more on Misha Collin’s directorial debut episode, “Mother’s Little Helper,” next week.
The First Blade extends the shows aptitude toward bladed plot devices. Ruby’s knife, Angel blades, the mythical Sword of Michael; “Supernatural” has had their share of them. The First Blade certainly has the visual aspect going for it, as it was fashioned from the jaw of an animal, and was used to carry out earth’s first murder, Abel. It has teeth that look like molars in the back, giving it a creepy kind of human vibe. But then toward the front are a set of jagged teeth, which make you wonder what kind of animal it was made out of. I give it up to the prop department on this one; I’ve always felt like the Angel blades never really got their due. Their basic structure makes them a bit off-putting, and slightly phallic… you get my drift, right?
As Sam and Dean follow up leads on the First Blade, they’re not the only ones after it. Abaddon and company have some interest in it, as Crowley let slip through his addled state that the Winchesters are looking for it. One thing that has been bothering me is why there isn’t a faction of angels looking for the blade as well? Why do Jeremy Carver and the writers continue to ignore the angel situation? They continue to be the weakest part of this season, and though it’s nice to have Castiel back and in a “starring” role, has offered relatively little this season. It makes the writers look like it can’t juggle more than two story lines at once.
A little research leads the boys to a former Men of Letters known as Magnus. They are transported to what appears to be a different time and place. Magnus is a collector of occult items, holed up in some self-contained mansion accessible only by spell. If Bella (Lauren Cohan) from season three had done deals with anybody in the “Supernatural” world, she would have had to have done one with him at some point. Now that the Mark of Cain has wandered into his lair he tries to get it from Dean. Magnus plays the Trickster from season three, preparing Sam for a Dean-less world. When Magnus fails to get Dean on his side, he uses some handy spell work to inhibit Dean’s will and attempt to steal the Mark from him. As Magnus is dispatched, We get to see the Blade in action. It enhances evil and violent intentions as Dean holds it; it’s as if he loses his will to it, which will have consequences in future episodes.
“Blade Runners” is a solid episode by “Supernatural’s” standards. A plot mover for sure, the ending is a bit predictable as Crowley steals the blade. This episode sets the show toward its season ending story arc, but a few questions remain. With Bartholomew dispatched, and Castiel gaining followers, what role are the angels going to play? What role will Metatron play within the scope of the rest of the season? While “Supernatural” is now set on a path, it still has a lot of things to address in future episodes. How many of them will be addressed this season, and how many will be addressed going into what will most likely be its tenth and final season?
