Recap / Supernatural S 09 E 03 Im No Angel

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Recap of Supernatural
Season 9, Episode 03:

I'm No Angel

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Castiel: There really is a lot to being human, isn't there?

Dean: It ain't all just burritos and strippers, my friend.

Written by Brad Buckner and Eugenie Ross-Leming.

Directed by Kevin Hooks.

Airdate: October 22, 2013.

Sam and Dean are concerned that Castiel has not yet made it to the the Men of Letters' bunker in Lebanon, Kansas, and try to find him. Castiel struggles with his humanity and the hostility of the angels as he travels from Emory Park, Iowa, to Lafayette, Indiana, and then to Detroit, Michigan.

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The Road So Far plays. THEN scenes show killing the Nephilim and the Cupid's bow as Castiel says, "I'm trying to fix Heaven. Metatron is trying to fix Heaven." Naomi responds, "Metatron isn't trying to fix anything. He's trying to break it" as we scenes of her death, the angels falling, and the theft of Castiel's Grace. Dean explains, "That means you're human. Cas, listen to me. There are angels out there, okay? And they're looking for you, and they're pissed." Hael attacks Castiel, and after she vows "Until their last breath, they will seek revenge on the angel that did this, who destroyed Heaven", Castiel kills her. Meg watches Castiel smite a demon and snarks, "That was beautiful, Clarence." Dean reveals, "We're dealing with a Reaper." Bobby's Reaper shouts, "I can find you anywhere!" Dean admits, "Sammy's hurt--he's hurt real bad." Then Dean prays, "This one goes out to any angel with their ears on. This is Dean Winchester, and I need your help." Ezekiel says, "There is a chance I can fix your brother from the inside." Ezekiel in Sam's body says, "Sam can eject me at any time. And if Sam does eject me, he will die." Dean answers, "Then we keep it a secret for now."

NOW two priests walking outside of St. Anne's cathedral in Iowa are interrupted by a man and a woman in suits who are looking for Castiel. Meanwhile Castiel is struggling with basic hygiene in the shared bathroom at St. Anne's Shelter for Men. The next morning Castiel is picking up trash outside the cathedral, when he notices blood on a stone. He follows a trail of blood and finds both priests dead in the cemetery with their eyes scorched out and their bodies impaled and dangling in the air.

The Teaser ends with a burst, and the Title Sequence plays with burning wings and high pitched whine.

Dean is lounging in his bathrobe at the Men of Letters' bunker, when Sam returns from his run with breakfast in a take-out container. Dean mentions he is worried that they have not heard from Castiel and also tells Sam he should be taking it easy after the trials. Sam reassure Dean he feels fine, but then Ezekiel takes over Sam's body as his eyes glow blue. Ezekiel tells Dean that he has heard on Angel Radio that a faction of angels are organizing themselves in order to find human vessels, and this group is also hunting Castiel. Dean asks if Naomi is in charge, but Ezekiel says he has not heard that name. Dean asks Ezekiel to let him talk to his brother, and Sam again gains control. Dean tells Sam the angels may be more dangerous than they thought and they need to find Castiel.

A pharmacist takes a break at work, pulling out his mobile phone to watch Reverend Buddy Boyle preach about this being the most sacred of times. Another man on a sidewalk is watching the same program on his mobile phone. We then cut to the studio where Goin' For Glory Hour is being filmed as Reverend Buddy Boyle is encouraging his followers to welcome the angels and to fill themselves up with the angels' Grace. After the director says they are clear, a man in a grey suit praises Buddy on his sermon. Buddy addresses the man as Bartholomew and says the compliment means a lot as it is coming from an emissary of God and an actual angel. Bartholomew tells Buddy that God has personally assured him that God is very pleased with Buddy's work and God is preparing a special reward for Buddy. One of Buddy's followers interrupts them to declare that she wants to give herself to an angel. When she says she is certain, a white light enters the room and then her mouth. Within a few seconds, she starts jerking, blood flows from her eyes and nose, one eyeball pops out of the orbit, and then she explodes, spraying blood and tissue across the room. Buddy, who is covered with blood from head to toe, is at first upset. However, Bartholomew, while brushing blood off his suit with a handkerchief, explains that not all who are willing are designed to contain Heaven's grace. Buddy accepts this and compares it to the lamb of the sacrifice.

Body Count:

For this episode = 4 humans, 2 reapers, and 1 angel.

For the series so far = At least 1065 angels, 922 humans (of which 7 were witches), 135 demons, 51 vampires, 48 ghosts, 36 Jefferson Starships, 20 gods, 19 zombies, 10 hellhounds, 7 skinwalkers, 6 changelings, 5 djinn, 5 shapeshifters, 5 werewolves, 4 ghouls, 4 Leviathan, 4 reapers, 3 dogs, 2 Amazons, 2 arachnes, 2 kitsunes, 2 rugarus, 2 Thule, 2 vetalas, 1 crocotta, 1 dragon, 1 fairy, 1 familiar, 1 Khan worm, 1 lamia, the Mother of All, 1 okami, 1 phoenix, 1 Purgatory creature, 1 rakshasa, 1 rawhead, 1 shojo, 1 shtriga, 1 siren, 1 Titan, 1 wendigo, 1 whore of Babylon, and 1 wraith.

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Tropes:

• Affably Evil: Bartholomew is complimentary of Reverend Buddy Boyle's sermon.
  Bartholomew: Beautiful, Buddy. One of your best.
• Angelic Possession: Reverend Buddy Boyle encourages his viewers to "let 'em on in and fill yourself up with their grace", while Sam remains occupied by Ezekiel.
• Anger Born of Worry: Dean's visibly distraught after seeing Cas get fatally stabbed, then Ezekiel resurrecting him. His first reaction resembles someone comforting a severely ill or injured child, then he straightens up and glares.
  Dean: Never do that again!
  Castiel: ...all right.
• Antiquated Linguistics: While Batholomew typically uses modern phrases, often responding with a "sure" or "terrific", he uses more formal language when talking to Buddy about God, perhaps to be more convincing.
  Bartholomew: I have to say God has personally assured me that he is highly pleased with your work. He prepareth a special reward for helping him populate a true heaven on earth.
  Reverend Buddy Boyle: Well, between you and me, it's practically reward enough being one of the few humans of all time to get actual orders from an angel. But if he prepareth, I am honored.
• Ask a Stupid Question...: While Cas is trying to convince April not to kill him since he might be useful, she asks if he's trying to negotiate with her.
• Badass in a Nice Suit: The two angels who attack the priests in the teaser and Bartholomew have recovered enough from the fall to dress their vessels in well-fitted suits, looking more like the heavenly host we are used to seeing in Supernatural.
• Beard of Sorrow: Castiel's Perma-Stubble has grown a bit thicker since he lost his Grace.
• Because You Were Nice to Me: Implied to be the reason Cas goes home with April. She finds him picking through the trash outside the restaurant where she works, takes pity on him and gives him her lunch, leaving him visibly stunned by her kindness. When she gets out from work hours later, he's huddled against the wall, soaked from the rain and waiting for her.
• Being Human Sucks: Essentially the theme of this episode. Between the season premiere and now, Castiel has had to learn to deal with hunger, cold, sleep, and humans' thoroughly inconvenient need to empty their bladders from time to time. Having to constantly stay on the run from angels who want his head on a pike doesn't help.
• The Big Board: They once again use the world map in the War Room of the bunker as a table on which to eat.
• Big Brother Instinct: Dean is worried about Sam's recovery and Castiel.
  Sam: Why do you look so worried?
  Dean: Let's see. There's Cas, who I told to haul ass here. That was days ago. He's still out there. Um, there's you.
• Big Damn Heroes: Subverted. Sam and Dean burst into April's apartment as Castiel tries to talk her out of killing him. Neither strategy works: the moment April sees the Winchesters, she rams Cas's angel blade into his stomach, right up to the hilt.
• Blatant Lies: Bartholomew tells Rev. Boyle that God has personally assured him of a reward for helping to create Heaven on Earth. As anyone who watched Season 5 would remember that God has been MIA since long before the show's beginning.
• Bloodstained Glass Windows: The light of an angel's Grace pours through the two stained glass windows beside Reverend Boyle's desk, and when the young woman is unable to contain this Grace, her blood and bits of tissue splatter across the room and the stained-glass windows.
• Boyish Short Hair: The female angel in the gray suit who addresses the priests in the teaser.
• Cold-Blooded Torture: The two priests get tortured for information about Cas and Cas gets tortured for information about Metatron's spell. All three are killed.
• Comfort Food: Sam brought Dean "real bacon and eggs, extra grease".
• Comically Missing the Point: Castiel has gotten a lot better with recognizing English idioms, but still needs some work.
  Dean: So… did you have protection?
  Castiel: I had my angel blade.
  Dean: Oh, he had the angel blade.
• Conflicting Loyalty
• Continuity Nod:
  • Castiel is wearing the same clothes he stole from the laundromat in "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here" (S09, E01).
  • Dean assumes that the angels organizing to get vessels and find Castiel are led by Naomi, but Ezekiel says he has not heard that name.
  • The water pressure in the Men of Letters bunker.
  • Dean reminds Ezekiel that Castiel is the one who vouched for him.
  • Cas uses Clarence, Meg's Affectionate Nickname for him, as his alias.
• Council of Angels: The angels are now organizing under Bartholomew to find vessels.
• Crazy Homeless People
• Creepy Blue Eyes/Icy Blue Eyes: Bartholomew's vessel has light blue eyes that look right through you, even when he smiles.
• Creepy Crosses: The two priests are wearing crucifixes around their necks. Their bodies hang on either side of a stone cross recalling the three crosses.◊
• Creepy Monotone: Ezekiel rarely stresses syllables when he talks and has a lack of prosody.
• Crucified Hero Shot: As the angel's Grace enters the young woman, she spread her arms out and throws her head backwards.
• Crystal Ball: Bartholomew is not only holding the Villain Ball this episode, but during Reverend Boyle's sermon he is playing with a small crystal sphere, which the Reverend seems to use as paperweight.
• Deadly Nosebleed: Along with the Tears of Blood before the woman explodes.
• Double Standard: Rape, Sci-Fi: April is possessed by a reaper, so her consent is dubious at best.
• Dramatic Irony: Castiel being told by April that he looks like he's "been to hell and back". Subverted, as she already knows this is in fact true.
  • Dean and Sam demand to know whether Naomi's the one sending Reapers out to hunt Castiel. Maurice informs them she's dead.
  • Any time Sam mentions angels needing permission to take on a vessel.
• Decoy Leader: Rev. Buddy Boyle is the public face for Bartholomew's operation.
• Eye Scream: The two murdered priests had their eyes scorched out with Tears of Blood. The woman who attempted to be an angel's vessel develops Tears of Blood before her eye pop out of her orbits, and the rest of her body explodes. The homicide report on Gloria Lewellen Jacobson in Longmont, Colorado, says her "eyes were missing, burnt as if blown out".
• Fantastic Religious Weirdness
• Finishing Each Other's Sentences: Ezekiel tries this out on Dean.
  Dean: [to Sam] Sam, you went through the trials. [Sam scoffs] Okay, that put a big strain on you. I just think it's better if you took it easy, you know, and didn't act like you were—
  Ezekiel: Possessed by an angel?
• Fish out of Water
• Foreshadowing: Dean borrowing Crowley's "I Lied. I do that."
• God Guise: Bartholomew presents himself as an emissary of God and says he personally speaks to God.
• Good Ol' Boy: Reverend Boyle goes by Buddy and has a southern accent.
• Gory Discretion Shot: The blood and bits of tissue which splatted across the room when the young woman explodes. Much of this covers Reverend Buddy Boyle.
• Genius Ditz: Castiel may still have the knowledge of an Angel of the Lord, but struggles with everyday tasks, such as daily grooming. He squeezes toothpaste on to his tongue instead of using a toothbrush.
• Glory Hound: Reverend Buddy Boyle named his show Goin' For Glory Hour and is willing to sacrifice his followers in order to get his special reward from God.
• Glowing Eyes: Sam's eyes glow blue when Ezekiel appears and disappears.
• Good Old Ways: Dean drinks tea poured from a silver tea pot in a china mug while wearing his monogrammed bathrobe in the opening scene.
• Hate Sink: April goes out of her way to be an irredeemable bitch after The Reveal of the episode, both in and out of universe. Naturally, she gets a Karmic Death.
• Healing Factor: Ezekiel tells Dean that Sam is getting better because of Ezekiel's possession.
  Ezekiel: And he does feel better. A work in progress, of course, but I am slowly healing him.
• Held Gaze: Ezekiel has the same habit of holding Dean's gaze in an unblinking stare which Castiel has.
• Hollywood Hacking: Sam searches the Longmont Police Database with no difficulty. A box says "Firewall bypassed" in the command shell, and he has a scanned in homicide report which is typed and signed.
• Holy Halo: Reverend Buddy Boyle preaches in front of a backdrop showing clouds with rays of light shooting out around his head.
• Honey Trap/Love-Interest Traitor: April does this to Cas, though he doesn't understand why she had to sleep with him to gain his trust.
• Iconic Outfit: In the opening scene, Sam is wearing his dark coat, blue/grey plaid shirt, and jeans, while Dean is wearing a black t-shirt and the gray bathrobe with initials embroidered on the pocket, which he found in the bunker. When Dean gets dressed he wears his dark blue shirt unbuttoned over a black t-shirt and jeans.
• Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: The two priests are impaled by railings on a fence in the cemetery, with their bodies left dangling in the air.
• Interplay of Sex and Violence: After patching up the slash on Cas's arm, April massages his shoulder to work out the knots. Cas confesses he's new to hunger, cold, and loneliness, to which April responds he's not alone and kisses him on the cheek, then on the mouth. The camera pans up from their increasingly passionate kiss to the rain on the window behind them, romantic flute music plays..and Maurice howls in pain at the same moment.
• Irish Priest: Subverted Trope, with Father Bartek Musa Bogdani and Father Honorio Jimenez Sanchez in the teaser.
• The Ketchup Test: Castiel sticks his finger in the bright red blood on the stone outside the Cathedral.
• Kick the Dog: April does this left and right in regards to Castiel after The Reveal. Ezekiel, meanwhile, threatens to leave Sam to die if Castiel isn't thrown out of the bunker, Foreshadowing that he's not as nice as he's been acting.
• Klingon Promotion: The angel Bartholomew has taken over Naomi's faction after Metatron iced her. Maurice the Reaper calls him her protégé and "an up-and-comer".
• Knight Templar: Reverend Buddy Boyle accepts that there will be causalities among his followers, but continues to further Bartholomew's scheme.
• Light Is Not Good: Two streams of white light pour into the young woman's mouth before she explodes.
• Ludicrous Gibs: The girl possessed by an angel immediately blows up since her body can't contain it.
• Magical Database: Sam is able to cross match searches of the local police databases with a database of online news sources with a couple of key strokes.
• Male Gaze: The camera focuses on a woman's boobs for a few seconds in slow motion. So does Castiel—who looks a bit shocked immediately afterwards. It's another bit of humanity he's not used to.
• The Man Behind the Man: Bartholomew is manipulating Reverend Buddy Boyle.
• Meaningful Name: The angel Bartholmew claims to be spreading the word of God and is convincing people to allow the angels to possess their bodies. In Real Life, Batholomew was described as one of Jesus' apostles who spread his teachings. One tradition states Batholomew was martyred by being flayed alive, which has been depicted in art by showing the apostle holding his own skin like a discarded vessel.
• Milking the Giant Cow: Reverend Boyle uses a lot of hand gestures during his sermon, twice throwing his hands up in the air.
• Missing Time: Sam is unaware when Ezekiel takes over his body, but Sam must wonder why he keeps having episodes of lost time.
• Modesty Bedsheet
• Morning Routine: While Dean is drinking tea in his bathrobe, Sam has already been out for a run, watched the sunrise, and brings Dean bacon and eggs in a take-out container.
• New Era Speech: Reverend Boyle's sermon is a Rousing Speech complete with emphatic hand gestures and a dramatic backdrop, which claims we are living in "that most sacred of times" and there is nothing to fear from inviting in the angels.
• Oh, Crap!: Dean and Sam's reaction when they see all the places on Earth where Rev. Boyle's ministry reaches.
• Only One Name: Castiel's is lampshaded.
• Orifice Invasion: The angel enters the young woman's mouth when she volunteers to be a vessel.
• "Pop!" Goes the Human: This occurs when there is too much Grace in a young woman who is not meant to be an angelic vessel. In addition, the cops in Longmont, Colorado, said Gloria Lewellen Jacobson died as "if the girl was blasted from the inside out".
• Power at a Price/Utopia Justifies the Means: Reverend Buddy Boyle is willing to sacrifice his followers to obtain his reward from God and realize the plan of the angels, but does truly believe he is doing God's work.
• Psychic Link: Ezekiel shares the chatter he has heard on Angel Radio about a group of angels organizing to get vessels, who are searching for Castiel.
• Questionable Consent: Due to Castiel being on the run, it is extremely unlikely that he would have had sex with "April" if he knew who she actually was.
• Refused by the Call: The young woman at the studio seems to have faith, but failed horrifically and messily as an angelic vessel.
  Young woman: Let me be a vessel for the divine. I give myself over to you.
• Revealing Cover Up: Sam mentions that Castiel using the name of an angel character as an alias wasn't a very good idea and probably made it easier for his enemies to find him.
• Sadistic Choice:
• Saintly Church: St. Anne's Cathedral has a homeless shelter and work program to help the community. A sign in the Emory Park Shelter says, "ATTENTION NO VIOLENCE IN THE SHELTER. Racism, Sexism, Homophobia & Transphobia are forms of violence." The news report on the deaths of the priests says the shelter program helps about 100 people in need and that prior to the death's of the priests there had been no violent incidents in the 100 year history of St. Anne's Cathedral.
• Saying Too Much: Dean almost shows his hand to Sam.
  Dean: Um, so I was thinking, if the angels are organizing, then that makes them a lot more dangerous than we thought.
  Sam: [confused] Why do you think they're organizing?
  Dean: [pause] It makes sense.
• Scam Religion: Bartholomew perverts Reverend Buddy Boyle's television ministry to serve his own purpose.
• Sharing a Body: Ezekiel takes over when he wants to talk to Dean or acts to resurrect Castiel, but the rest of the time Sam is in control of his body. Sam is unaware of this, but Dean has trouble adjusting.
  Dean: [after Sam continues the conversation from before Ezekiel took control] I'm gonna get whiplash.
  Sam: What?
  Dean: Nothing.
• Shirtless Scene: Castiel gets three (and a half, if you count the tattoo parlor). Tumblr was most pleased.
  • It also led to a sarcastically furious Misha Collins leading a faux boycott on the grounds of shaming the CW for promoting such smut.
• Shout-Out: Sam finally explains the It's a Wonderful Life reference in Castiel's alias. A reference that's completely lost on Dean, to Sam's disgust.
• Sinister Minister: Rev. Buddy Boyle is helping to recruit humans for the angels.
• Smug Snake: Bartholomew in every one of his appearances.
• Spit Take: Dean nearly has one upon Castiel's announcement that he had sex.
• Stern Chase: Castiel keeps moving on, trying to stay ahead of the angels.
• Stock Sound Effects: The crickets chirping when the priests are walking outside in the evening, the siren as we see the outside of St. Anne's Shelter for Men, and the squeaking gate to the cemetery at the cathedral.
• Superior Species: Reverend Boyle seems to truly believe the angels are divine forces for good.
• Suspiciously Specific Sermon: Reverend Boyle's sermon about accepting the angels was not a coincidence as it was engineered by Bartholomew.
• Symbiotic Possession: Ezekiel says he is healing Sam and relinquishes control of Sam's body when Dean asks him too.
  Ezekiel: You see, Dean, I can be useful.
  Dean: So can my brother. So, why don't you go check your e-mail, and if I need your help, I'll let you know.
• Teaser-Only Character: The older and younger priest, Father Bartek Musa Bogdani and Father Honorio Jimenez Sanchez, who are walking outside St. Anne's Cathedral in the teaser.
• They Call Me MISTER Tibbs!: Bartholomew does not like to be called "Bart". He initially corrects Buddy, but lets it go after one of Buddy's followers explodes.
  Reverend Buddy Boyle: Thank you, Bart.
  Bartholomew: It's Batholomew.
• Thicker Than Water
• The Thing That Would Not Leave: The priests at St. Anne's Cathedral are expecting Monsignor Cassidy for dinner and Mass, but the older priest says the Monsignor "can be a pain" and wants "everybody on their toes".
• Titled After the Song: The song "I'm No Angel" by Gregg Allman.
• Title Drop
  April: All that stuff you said earlier, blame and guilt? It seems like you're taking on a heavy load for such a sweet guy.
  Castiel: I've done a lot of foolish, unwise things...I'm no angel.
• Too Much Information: Castiel has not learned what is appropriate to share with another man in the bathroom.
  Castiel: Do you ever tire of urinating? I'll never get used to it.
• Torture Always Works
• Tuckerization: The tombstone covered in blood at St. Anne's Cathedral describes Vera May Bauza as the wife of Erich. Eric Bauza is the voice of Stimpy in The Ren & Stimpy Show.
• Viewer-Friendly Interface:
• We Have Reserves: Bartholomew describes the death of Buddy's followers who cannot contain an angel's Grace as a small price to pay.
• Wrong Side of the Tracks: St. Anne's Shelter for Men has bars on the windows.
• Yank the Dog's Chain: Castiel, who has been living on the streets for weeks, finally gets to the bunker and enjoys it there, but Dean tells him he has to leave.

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