TV REVIEW: Supernatural “Stairway to Heaven”

General advice: never join a cult.  One minute you’re minding your own business, the next you’re swept up into a whirlwind of angel worship towards a curious man in a trench coat who may or may not want you to sacrifice yourself for his cause.   Most times this sort of devotion won’t end well.  You know what else usually doesn’t end well? Jealousy.  Tuesday’s penultimate episode of Supernatural taught us these two very valuable lessons.

With the Abaddon side of the story wrapped up, the Winchester duo, or should I say Agents Spears and Aguilera, were free to take on a new case.  However, this case had angel sacrifice written all over it and was off to once again help “Commander” Castiel.  Castiel’s angel following had become extremely devout to the cause– it was a blurry line as to how far his disciples would go to prove their loyalties and the angels sacrificing themselves had claimed they were doing so in the name of Castiel.

Dean’s investigating had lead him to reaper/angel Tessa (did anyone else know she was an angel?), who was getting ready to do herself in just like the other angel sacrifices.  It seemed that poor Tessa had been brainwashed into a depressed state, ready to offer herself to a higher cause.  First Blade in hand, Dean tried to get Tessa to see otherwise, but the angel’s mind was made up, and she pushed herself onto the First Blade to avoid any more pain.

Over on Metatron’s end, the “nerd” had been playing dress up in an all too familiar trench coat for far too long and Gadreel had grown tired of his lies and deceits.  Even though Metatron had proved to have to upper hand over Castiel, he seemed to be truly envious of the angel’s following and the kind of person he had proved himself to be.  All the angel sacrifices? That was Metatron at work.  Manipulation would be his next trick.

With Tessa now dead and no one but Dean to answer to the murder, the angels had taken a side.  It was either Castiel rid himself of Dean or the angels would take up Metatron on his offer to re-enter into Heaven as his minions.  Castiel, unable to hurt his best friend, lost his cult as quickly as he had obtained them.  Metatron was once again taking the lead.

Except one angel wasn’t going to stand around as Metatron continued to boast.  Gadreel had had enough, marching right over to the bunker to pledge his new allegiance to Castiel, Sam, and Dean.  Dean wasn’t convinced, though.  The elder Winchester wielded the First Blade right across Gadreel’s chest, mortally wounding him. The mark and the blade were winning, and Dean’s self control was definitely slipping.

Only one episode of the season remains.  Metatron has proved to be nothing more than a parody of himself.  I don’t so much see him as a worthy adversary so much as an annoying nuisance standing in Castiel’s way.  If the boys can take down Abaddon, a far scarier and powerful demon, Metatron seems like a tiny bug that just needs one final squashing.

Sam begged Dean to leave the First Blade behind, but clearly the elder Winchester had, literally, a trick up his sleeve.  He couldn’t leave the dangerous weapon behind and his actions proved deadly.  Will the Mark of Cain still remain after next week’s finale, or will we get a prolonged story of an evil Dean going into season 10?

How do you feel about Castiel’s all-encompassing knowledge of pop culture?

Seriously, was anyone aware that Tessa was an angel?