The world’s on the verge of being taken over, with all of mankind at risk from the wrath of an archangel? Must be Thursday. Let’s get right to it.

Dark Angel

So it seems that Michael (using Dean’s meatsuit) is trying to create mega-monsters using a combo of vamp blood and angel grace, presumably to wipe out the humans he so disdains. His creepy murder apron and the jaunty flip of his curved blade, perfect for throat-slitting, showed that Michael finds great pleasure in this work, and Jensen Ackles, I think, finds great fun in portraying him. Rumor has it we won’t get Michael/Dean for long, but it’s clear the Michael part of the archangel ain’t going nowhere for a while. He has a master plan to execute, so to speak.

Adventures in Babysitting

Sam, Mary and Bobby are heading to Duluth, hot on Michael’s trail, so guess who’s left in the Bunker to watch the wayward sons? That’ right, Castiel, whom I love but, and I’m just being honest here, I probably wouldn’t leave in charge of my cats with the way he makes poor decisions over the last few seasons.

Cas manages to swallow back his distaste for the sight of Nick, bringing him food and consoling him about being Lucifer’s “housing”. Misha Collins did a good job here, showing sympathy for Nick as he told him why, exactly, he succumbed to Lucifer’s spell (though I don’t know why Cas wouldn’t admit that he, too, said yes to Lucifer once upon a time.) It was so weird seeing Lucifer’s meatsuit breaking down and crying over the loss of his family to a monster. I don’t know where this thing with Nick is going, but my initial irritation at his survival has turned to interest as his story weaves on.

FBI AF

Alterna-Bobby was adorable as he tried to recall his FBI lingo after fifteen years of apocalypse. (More Jim Beaver on my screen, please and thank you very much.) I missed seeing Bobby as a traditional hunter, and I always welcome the sight of Sam in a fed suit. And Sam’s way with surveillance cameras? Always handy. Mama Mary must be so proud.

State of Grace

Again, Cas proved his mettle as a confidant and support system, talking to Jack. Telling Jack that mourning what he’s lost is wasteful in the face of seeing the value of what he still has, and being able to use himself as an example of that, was sweet and kind, and it made me glad poor Jack has him still. He reminded Jack (and us) that Sam and Dean weren’t born with their skills, they learned them and they persevered. And that’s why we love them.

Mirror, Mirror

A little glimpse of Dean? WE’LL TAKE IT! As hard as it was to know Dean is trapped in his own body as Michael has his way with it, it was good to see he was still there, just waiting to be freed.

The differences between Michael and Dean are subtle, in the way Jensen Ackles portrays them, but they were noticeable when contrasting the two. It was interesting to see. And Jensen Ackles in a tuxedo with that slightly longer hair? Yeah—that was good to see, too.

Inner Demons

Speaking of glimpses, what did we see in Nick? When Cas tries to touch him to console him about his family’s unsolved murder case, Nick channels Lucifer in a very habitual way, snapping his fingers and making with the threatening “No.” Apparently Luci damaged Nick’s psyche even more than anyone thought. And that can’t be good for anyone.

Interview with a Vampire

I love seeing Bobby and Sam working together again (it kind of overshadows Mary, but I love who I love.) They close in on a Twilight-esque vampire who only eats animal blood, who escaped Michael, and offers up intel . (Yeah, right. I knew she didn’t “escape” pretty much right away. Michael’s too strong for that.)

Turns out I was right. Michael let her go. To bait the hunters. And once the trap was tripped? The bait goes bye-bye.

Ah-oooooooo! Werewolves of…Duluth

More Jensen Ackles in a tux? YES,PLEASE. Turns out Michael’s moved on to werewolves, as he takes a barfly with a taste for human hearts home and demands she summon her master. Michael and the pack leader negotiate a new deal: Michael will create the world the leader always wanted, where he will be the hunter, not the hunted. It appears more monster manipulation is in store. Maybe they will prove studier than vamps.

Jimmy Novak, Remembered

Later, Nick decides he must avenge his lost family. Before he can leave the Bunker, however, he and Cas swap stories about body hopping, and it’s actually far gentler than I expected, at least from Cas’ perspective. When Nick accuses Cas of being a body snatcher, and says he is no different from Lucifer, Cas expresses that his greatest regret is what happened to Jimmy and his family. Misha Collins delivered those lines well, with shining eyes and a look of dismay that was a little bit heartbreaking. Oh, Jimmy. RIP.

So In-Klined

The scene where Jack visits Kelly’s parents, in search of more information about himself, were lovely, and so, so sad. I really liked Kelly, and I liked how she loved Jack, and believed he could be anything he chose. Jack seeing that she came from sweet and generous people, who loved his mother so much, and being unable to claim them for himself (or even tell them Kelly had died) was heartbreaking. Alexander Calvert sold the scene, and so did the actors playing Kelly’s parents. I had a lump in my throat as I watched, NGL. Cas, of course, worried, but came around to understanding why Jack needed to do it. Calvert and Collins have good chemistry. I enjoy their scenes together. They seem to enjoy each other.

Except maybe this time: Jack, insisting that if Dean had to die to stop Michael then oh, well? Cas was having NONE OF IT. First confused, then angry, then begrudging, as Jack said that it was what Dean would want, Cas (and Collins in his portrayal) went through a range of emotions. Simply put? Cas loves Dean. I support people’s ships, even if I don’t sail them myself, so I don’t pretend to know how he loves him, just that he does. My thought on it is this: isn’t it great to have a show where men love each other and show it, in so many ways? I think so. If you’re reading this, I suspect you do, too.

They’ll Take Silver

Mary, Bobby, and Sam go to Michael’s former slaughterhouse and get jumped by werewolves. Which wouldn’t’ be as big a deal if they weren’t immune to silver. Apparently. Michael’s experiments of the canine variety have been far more successful. (Mary’s gleeful look when she shanked the dog with her silver knife being replaced with a look of shock was particularly apt.) Fortunately, beheading is a good go to for monster disposal, and our three survive to fight another day. (And should audition for a stain-resistant clothing commercial because for all of the beheading, with axes and machetes, they came out of the fight remarkably clean.)

And then? Michael emerges, hand raised to smite….or is it? The minute we see him stagger and say, in a gruff tone, “Sammy…” my hopeful heart thrilled at the thought that Dean was back.

“Are you okay?” Sam asks, and Dean growls, “No, I’m not okay!” and even Mary smiled a small smile of relief, knowing that sounded like her boy. Apparently? For some reason? Michael just left. Vacated his meatsuit. And Dean has no idea why. That’s not scary at all. Right????

Stop—Hammer Time

So is Nick, Nick? Maybe not so much. When he questions his former neighbor, who initially claimed to see the perp and then changed his story (Chuck knows why) he is less than patient. It’s clear the neighbor is shaken as Nick questions him gruesomely, but why? Guess we’ll never know, because Nick ends up killing the neighbor as his family was killed, and his shirt (and the walls, and the hammer he used) shows the bloody truth—that maybe Nick isn’t just Nick after all.

So…are you glad Dean’s back? Or do you want a little more of the Dapper Dean? Let me know in the comments, and I’ll see you next week for episode three, “The Scar”.

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