by Bob Teoh
In this week’s “Supernatural,” the Winchesters race against time to gather the items needed to defeat the Leviathans. The man-eating monsters have already extended their influence over manufacturers of corn syrup and are gradually turning humans into cattle through tainted food products. The brothers already have the blood of a fallen angel, but they need to acquire blood from the Ruler of Fallen Humanity and a Father of Fallen Beasts, which refers to Crowley, the King of Hell, and an Alpha monster.
The brothers summon Crowley to negotiate, but he refuses to give up his blood until they have acquired all other ingredients. Before leaving, the King discloses that though all other Alphas were massacred by Castiel previously, the Alpha Vampire escaped and remains at large. The hunters follow Crowley’s instructions and manage to find the Alpha’s nest.
Again, the brothers attempt to negotiate with the Alpha and having witnessed a trail of dead vampires, warn him that the tainted humans are killing vampires as well. The Alpha, who has already made a deal with Dick, does not believe them. Soon, Edgar, Dick’s right-hand man, arrives to kill the Winchesters, and the Alpha decides to confront him to see if the brothers are telling the truth.
Though Edgar is initially cooperative, he turns on the Alpha and reveals that Leviathans will kill off all other creatures and become the top of the food chain. Before he can kill the vampire, however, Sam manages to decapitate Edgar. Realizing that Dick has betrayed him, the Alpha reluctantly gives them his blood. A cliffhanger at the end of the episode reveals that Dick has summoned Crowley and trapped him.
While dealing with the Alphas, the brothers continue to struggle with Bobby in his ghost form. The boys’ former mentor has already showed signs of turning into a vengeful spirit with no sense of humanity, but the brothers are reluctant to exorcise their only father figure. To prevent Bobby from losing his sanity, the brothers leave him behind before embarking on their mission, which further infuriates him. The ghost then finally crosses the line and possesses an innocent girl in order to exact revenge on his murderer, Dick. When the brothers return, they realize that Bobby has disappeared.
Though Bobby has been the Winchesters’ mentor, he is becoming more and more of a burden, and the brothers will have to deal with this sooner or later. I really enjoyed the sinister Crowley, and it was great to see him back as the brother’s unlikely ally. This episode seemed like the writer’s late attempt at invigorating the Leviathan arc, but with its complex storyline and intensity, it definitely showed promise. Next week, the season finale will air, and the brothers will have to team up with some old friends to take down the smartest enemy they have ever faced.
Bob Teoh is a staff writer. Email him at entertainment@nyunews.com.
