Supernatural: Hell’s Angel review

This Supernatural review contains spoilers.

Supernatural Season 11 Episode 18

“Back to square one” must be a favorite phrase of the writers. The Winchesters make major headway in their plans to defeat Amara, only to have it all taken away in an instant.

“Hell’s Angel” begins in an unlikely place: Saudi Arabia. Crowley meets with a dying man who has found the Horn of Joshua — another Hand of God artifact. He relinquishes the horn in exchange for the destruction of his contract with Crowley, only to have Crowley kill him immediately afterward. Dang, Crowley, why you gotta be so cold? Just when I thought he was going to continue being more sympathetic, he’s back to snapping necks on a whim.

Rowena, surprise-surprise, returned this episode. She was pretty obviously dead when Lucifer killed her for the hell of it. Bad choice of words.

Anyway, Rowena explains to Amara how she retconned her way back to life. Something about a spell hidden in her leg… I dunno. It wasn’t teased before and felt really last minute, like the writers had written themselves into a corner and needed a way to bring Rowena back. I rolled my eyes at Rowena’s resurrection, but was at least amused by her buddying up to the Darkness like a leech.

Rowena always wants to place herself in a position where she can benefit the most. When she learns her son became the King of Hell, she tried influencing him. Later she sided against her son with Lucifer. When that didn’t work out, she seeked out the Darkness, citing her reason as wanting to be on the winning team. Rowena has gone from being one of the most interesting new regulars on the show to an annoyance, switching her allegiance more than she changes her wardrobe.

Lucifer is also playing the odds on both sides. Three sides if you count his own. When he approached the angels in heaven, it was like a new CEO greeting a nervous boardroom. He even reinforced this imagery when the angels leave and he tells one hesitant angel, “He who hesitates, disintegrates!” mocking a motivational boss speech. The new boss in the company imagery worked well, since Heaven for the angels has always been depicted like a snooty corporation, complete with idiotic corporate structure. If Luci gets the chance, will he attempt a hostile takeover, or have the angels been cowed enough by his eagerness to explode them?

I wish there had been more time to expand upon the Castiel/Lucifer/Crowley trifecta inside the same vessel. That could have been an episode in itself. I feel a missed opportunity. Imagine the bickering. The battle of titans. The hilarious moments of Crowley desperately trying to get Castiel to stop watching re-runs and contribute to the fight.

Finally, we end with a powerful entrance by Amara, crashing the party that was intended to separate Cas and Lucifer. Nothing goes well for our ragtag team. Amara takes it upon herself to take Lucifer away for some torture, insisting that as God’s first and favorite, his pain should bring the Almighty out of hiding.

It should be interesting, folks.