Previously on Supernatural – everything hurts and I’m dying. It’s time to reflect on Supernatural season 15, episode 3, “The Rupture.”
Well, the Winchesters saved the world again. Sort of. For now. They’re “free.” And everyone is miserable about it.
After episode 2’s temporary fix, season 15 episode 3 picked up once again almost exactly where we left off, but this fast-paced hour skips the planning stages of the group’s next apocalypse aversion attempt, cutting straight into actioning a newly developed plan for Rowena to do her thing and save the world. Her assured confidence is a classic warning sign that the attempt is doomed to fail, and indeed it does. It’s only after that occurrence, which goes down before the title card, that the real drama of the episode can begin.
The result is a conclusion to season 15’s three-part premiere, cleaning up the mess of the season 14 finale – at a cost, of course. And the wonderfully multi-faceted title does not lie. The loss of Rowena and the departure of Cas leave the brothers once again at rock bottom, despite the fact that they believe their cosmic battle to be over. To quote another televisual genre great, one that Supernatural couldn’t exist without: “There’s a hole in the world. Feels like we ought to have known.”
“The Rupture” was so crisp and clear that it barely needs supplementary text. It allows us to both identify beyond a doubt where the characters need to go next and also be kept entirely in the dark about how they’re going to get there. It executed its goals perfectly, organically bringing our hearts and minds to the precisely the places they need to be. It’s all there. It is undebatable. It is complete. But there’s still plenty to theorise about, or just praise, so here we go.
‘Supernatural’ season 15, episode 3 review
‘The Rupture’
Obviously what has happened to the Winchesters isn’t their fault – and we know now just how very much it isn’t their fault – but to hunters like Stevie, the bare bones truth of the matter is that the Winchesters are at the centre of apocalyptic drama, God’s interest in them is the causality of the crisis, and everyone else just has to pay the price – whether it’s civilians who have no idea about the actual truth of a higher power and the nature of their own free will, or those in the know, like hunters, who must bear the burden on fighting and dying in the Winchesters war with God.
It’s obviously a mirror of the show itself – Chuck as the writer, our lead characters as the center of his fictional universe, and everyone else furthering their journey in some way – but when you begin to think about the number of casualties that must have added up due to the fact that Chuck was throwing disasters at the Winchesters for his own entertainment… Him doing that to Sam and Dean is sick enough, but what it represents for how little he cares about anyone OTHER than them is also terrible, and it’s worth a conversation at a point this season.
It would be all too easy, all too human, to misdirect that resentment at Sam and Dean, in a sort of “these guys got us into this mess” way – but I really want to spend an episode soon coming to terms with that, exploring what it means to be on the fringe of all this looking in, knowing that there’s nothing to do but give yourself to the cause, yet acknowledging how twisted the cause actually is when you look at it from that perspective, and maybe even coming to terms with the reality of God.
The showrunners have always been firm on assuring people that the God of Supernatural is not representative of the idea of God in our real world – Chuck is just a character, not a commentary on people’s faith – but the fact remains that the idea of God and faith is a very real and important thing in the Supernatural universe. This has been a huge aspect of the show since season 1, this juxtaposition between people’s faith and what’s really out there, especially since the introduction of Heaven alongside Hell. And while the lead characters may sometimes be scornful of civilian “delusion,” the show itself never frames believers like this, and in fact often gives them a lot of high ground in terms of what their faith means to them.
Now that we’re aware of some of the deepest, dirtiest truths – because for a long time, these were unknown facts for Sam and Dean too – it seems important to reconcile the validity of faith with the reality of Chuck. Jody Mills, for example, is a beloved character who has expressed Christian faith and churchgoing, so a conversation between someone like Jody, someone like Stevie, and someone like Sam… what a juicy and existential moment that could be.
But for years I’ve wanted Sam to embrace this potential and truly dive into it – especially as we’ve been introduced to a number of non-evil witches like James Frampton, Max and Tasha Banes, and even Lily Sunder, in a way. Sam may not be a naturally-powered witch like Rowena, but he could certainly become a properly trained practitioner. The fact that Rowena, the most powerful witch in the world, has basically been making Sam her apprentice for some time without him realising it tickles me pink. His shock at being labelled as a witch this way was so great, as was his conflict over not being out in the field, and his acceptance of Rowena’s assurance that magic is an important way of fighting. “Dean’s doing his part. It’s time for you to do yours.” Something tells me this is a statement with a bigger reach beyond this very moment in time.
The idea of Sam wielding literal power as a witch is also important to me because of his history struggling with power – being cursed with demon blood and becoming psychic. He saw his abilities and power as a stain, proof that he was inherently corrupted. But becoming a witch because Rowena believed he could, seeing his power and practice and paranormal abilities as a connection to her, rather than to Azazel, Ruby, Lucifer… it would be such a fulfilling arc for Sam, one that allows him to grab hold of his deepest and darkest inner fears, trust himself with power, and to turn wielding it into a source of strength, pride and goodness.
As the season started, we even got a hint of this – TV Guide’s cover story teases that in a later episode, the brothers will confront witches looting Rowena’s apartment for magic books, and, to quote: “Padalecki’s face will become twisted by hatred as Sam summons strength and magic to brutally vanquish a witch — in one impressive take.” We now know the context of that is going to be a hell of a lot sadder than we perhaps anticipated when we read the article – he’s going to be hurting over the loss and offended at the desecration of Rowena’s space. But doesn’t that factor make you feel the burn of anticipation even more? Witch Sam Rise.
I mean, it was gross as hell, but what I loved about it was that it was a moment both appropriately lovely and honorable and noble for what the show demands that we are meant to believe about Ketch as a redemptive former villian who is now willing to die for the Winchesters, and also appropriately cruel, vicious and vindicating for what the character actually deserves. As someone who genuinely enjoys watching Ketch but has a lot of problems with the way his narrative has been handled, it was sort of the best of both worlds.
It was also appropriately pointless – and that isn’t a slight on the writing, sometimes the realities we face that hit hardest are the ones where we realize something tragic and irreversible has happened for no just reason. That’s life. And when taking into account what Belphegor did by the end of the episode, seeing Ketch die protecting the demon’s location for the sake of the Winchesters when he actually – though they had no way of knowing – should have heeded Ardat, we know that Ketch died for nothing.
In fact, had he chosen any option but doing what he thought was the right thing, with principle and conviction – fulfilled his hit contract regardless, given Bel up at the hospital purely to save his own skin, or learned more from Ardat about what her beef was and flagged the true nature of the threat to the boys – then a lot of the episode’s grief could have been avoided. As it was, Team
Given that 15×02 framed the meeting of Ketch and Rowena as the first one since he let her escape from BMoL jail, we can assume that the resurrection sachet refill he was seeking in 13×07 – remember, he was looking for her for this reason – never got topped up. Those resurrection sachets were important in 15×03 for other reasons (sob) so it’s something the show hasn’t forgotten about. Ergo, this death is a permanent one. I’d say good riddance, but it was so nicely done that on the whole, I have to appreciate Ketch’s last hurrah.
Hindsight may be 20/20 – it may be very easy to rage and grieve and assign blame and torture yourself over what could have been different – but the reality is that all that anyone can ever do in any circumstance is to work with what we have, and to know that we made the best choice with the information and situations presented to us. It’s not always easy to stand by those choices – sometimes doing what you hope is the right thing makes a situation worse. sometimes you have to live with the consequences forever. But there’s a world of difference between making a mistake because of carelessness or selfishness and making a mistake when trying your hardest, when your heart or your sense of duty is in the right place.
After learning just how many of Supernatural’s no-win scenarios have been crafted by Chuck in order for him to watch in glee as the boys make their calls based on what they have to work with, I think it’s vitally important that they experienced this particular situation in a post-Chuck world this early in the season. Yes, it’s still his mess they’re cleaning up, and yes, the sheer extremity of the obstacle is one that no person should have to face, and yes, it’s still wildly unfair, but ultimately it’s proof that orchestrated or random, this is the nature of life. You do your best with the problems as they come at you, sometimes a win somewhere means a loss elsewhere, free will is still free will. It’s crucial that the boys make peace with this fact now in order to proceed.
The culmination of this story is so gorgeously done – it invokes memories of Sam having to kill Madison in season 2, it reminds us that Sam, given “Swan Song,” is uniquely situated to relate, on a personal level, to precisely what Rowena is going through, forcing him to both immediately refuse to allow her to do it and also understand why she absolutely must. It’s so cruel. It’s so traumatic. It’s so very, very good.
As Sam and Rowena have grown closer over the past few years and then learnt about the prophecy, we’ve always assumed that his fate to kill her would have an empathetic and loving twist. I liked to joke that it would involve him turning off her life support after 60 years of marriage. But truly, these two could have had it all, literally. In any way you can possibly imagine. Every possible iteration of a relationship could have formed there. Romantic, motherly, a teacher, a mentor, a friend, a sister. It’s rare that a relationship can present so many dynamics that could conflict but instead all seem equally valid.
But what made it so tough to watch was the acknowledgement that they knew it. Whatever it was, they had something that was worth spending a lifetime exploring together, and they both knew it, and they knew that they were out of time, and it makes it so much harder and so much more painful. It’s a credit to the show that this relationship was developed so organically, never shoehorned in or defined, yet completely and utterly and undeniably special.
She’s dead, but what of HER soul? Given what we learned about Kevin, and given what i believe that implies about what Sam and Dean have to achieve in order for the series to end (set the matter of the afterlife to rights, probably by rewriting the entire system of Heaven, Hell and everything in between) we will probably find out what what happened to her soul and what eternity has in store for her. The woman took the souls of Hell into her body – she’s imbued with an incredible amount of power – and possibly power over them.
There has been a long-time theory that Rowena would someday become Queen of Hell – back since she was an antagonist, and then morphing into the idea of the Winchesters having an ally down there to keep things in check, much like her son was, but even closer and more onside. With her death, there’s a new case for that, for sure, but – sticking to my theory that Heaven and Hell will not exist in the way that they currently do by Supernatural’s final curtain – I am imagining her more as a Queen or Guardian of some sort of Underworld, the matter of death less defined by good and evil, upstairs and downstairs.
I’m still struggling to imagine an end to Supernatural where dead souls are still conscious (and therefore resurrectable) somewhere beyond, so it may turn out that she protects the realm of the dead or it may turn out that she helps send them on their way (Billie/Rowena/Amara power trio for the win, that’s some three fates potential right there) but either way, we also still have six months of show left in which we will likely have to visit Hell as it stands now again in order to figure out what exactly is going on and how we’re going to handle it. And when we do, Rowena will likely be there. Or at least I hope she will.
He’s so obviously in the right and Dean is so obviously in the wrong. And Dean was the one who insisted they take Bel into the team, against Cas’s protests. Dean was the one that later forced Cas to go with Belphegor to Hell. I truly have no idea what else Dean expected Cas to do, and you can imagine all too easily how Dean would have reacted if Cas had “stuck to the plan” and let Bel become a superdemon. But Dean is the show’s centrifugal force. His feelings dictate most scenarios – it’s usually his way or the highway, based on his gut or mood. Which is kind of a problem, especially right now. Because…
He says maybe the worst thing he has ever said to Cas, and he goes mute the moment he says it. Ackles’ performance gave so much in that it wasn’t Dean with a firm stance at all, it wasn’t “I’m planting myself in this corner and I’m sticking to it.” It was paralysis, not conviction. He knows he’s gone too far, and his eye-flickering, jaw-twitching tension is not rage at Cas, it’s desperation, a cry for help. He’s screaming to be interpreted, to be read, to not be taken at his word. But forcing others to always do the work in processing or translating what you really mean is not fair and it’s something he needs to grow out of.
One of Dean’s worse qualities is his tendency to blame others – especially Cas – for things when he can’t handle the weight of blaming himself, for fear of it crushing him irreparably, and his (valid) fear of abandonment has meant that he has tested every relationship that matters to absolute breaking point in order to prove to himself that they’re real.
When Cas puts it out there that Dean still blames him about Mary… Dean’s nod is one of the most complex pieces of acting I have ever seen. It says, to me, “It’s true, I do feel that way, I can’t help it even though I know it’s wrong. I need to put it on you because if I take it inside me I won’t survive. I know it’s not actually your fault but I can’t stop myself and I am broken and I am sorry.” He simply does not know what to do with himself and it’s heartbreaking. He isn’t handling what he is going through at all, and he is losing lifeline after lifeline.
But he can’t be vulnerable, he can’t share his fears and doubts, he can’t make any words come at all. If Dean had given Cas a single reason to stay, any cry for help, Cas would have been at his side in an instant. A healthy person knows – and Cas is, gratifyingly, healthier than he’s ever been – there’s only so many steps you can take towards someone to repair an issue if they won’t take any steps forward too. It will become unbalanced again. And Dean in that moment could not take one single step.
However, it’s important to note that he doesn’t tell Cas to go and he doesn’t want Cas to leave – in fact, as soon as Cas does make a move, Dean panics and questions it, and when Cas explains his reasoning, the final shot is on Dean, wet-eyed and shellshocked, watching him depart. As a friend of mine put it: “What, no, I thought you were the rock I could beat my fists against.”
Having Cas as a punching bag is almost like a security blanket for Dean – he knows, I think, how much Cas loves him and how much Cas will put up with. When he can’t handle his own emotions, when he’s angry at himself, he lashes out at Cas because he knows Cas will take it. I get it – I think we’ve all been there at some point – but long term, this relationship dynamic needs to change and that’s why Cas needs to leave now – to kick start that process. That’s why so many fans are thrilled about this “break up” – not because they want the pair to be apart, but because they want them to be better, and this is the groundwork for that growth and healing.
Cas stating this as a reason that he’s leaving, when we know as viewers that him leaving is a problem that the show needs to solve, is signaling that that very idea of Sam and Dean with only one another to depend on is abhorrent, reminding us that after expanding their hearts and home, the brothers alone in the world once more is now our worst case scenario, a reductive return to the miserable toxic trap they were in at the very start of the show. “You and Sam have each other,” in this circumstance, is a statement that the show is going to prove wrong, and it is thrilling that the show is putting its foot down in regards to this point.
But the literal, physical why of it actually does not matter. At all. What matters is what development his lack of angelic power will achieve narratively, character-wise. Hs comments to Belphegor about being used by the Winchesters, and Belphegor’s return jibes, this is a gigantic flashing light drawing attention to a long term issue that must – must – come to a head.
Cas’s journey towards true personhood – whether he is technically human or not – has been long and arduous and it remains incomplete. Completing it is necessary in order for the show to fully serve his character arc. Right now, he’s almost there, with his own sense of self. Him leaving Dean behind – giving up on what he sees as a hopeless case, choosing his own wellbeing and trying to move on – is huge and wonderful. It was extraordinarily healthy, actually.
Cas made the right call, he knows he was right, he knows Dean is being unreasonable, he knows Dean is using him as a punching bag, he isn’t cowed, he isn’t shamed, he isn’t internalizing this failure. He’s just sad about it. He knows his own mind and there’s only so much he can do to reach out to Dean and offer him the chance to work through it. Dean won’t take the steps, so Cas removes himself.
And now, I believe that Cas going out into the world without powers is going to solidify his personhood to a degree that we’ve never seen before. At the start of season 14, Cas tells Jack about how he coped once before when losing his powers – learning to depend on and value himself, “ the basic me,” rather than relying on what he can do and how his firepower can be of use.
Cas’s stint as a human back in season 9 wasn’t the most empowering arc, but it’s great that he took that away from the circumstance in retrospect, and that Cas was a more broken, uncertain, self-hating being than the Cas of today. A Castiel who isn’t thrown out but who walks away, Castiel with no powers and a dose of true self-respect is a Castiel that’s ready to find himself fully, and discover that he does not need to orbit Dean Winchester for eternity to be a whole and complete person.
And that’s exactly what they need in order to get back together. Cas is also losing his grace because when Dean tells him what he couldn’t say before, what Cas deserves and needs to hear, when he apologizes and makes up with him, it needs to be, at long last, a matter of directly addressing his care for Cas as a person, for who he is, just the basic him, without, as Dean once said, all the bells and whistles.
This is crucial – because when Cas lost his powers before and went out in the world, Dean kicked him out and made him feel like it was because he was no longer useful. This has been clarified since (the Gadreel of it all) but trauma like that does not heal easily and this insecurity – that Cas isn’t really loved, that he’s there as a weapon, an attack dog, a tool to be used, that he’s expendable – has been a thread throughout the show for a long time since.
The only true remedy to the drama between Dean and Cas is a) for Cas to feel secure in himself without Dean, b) for Dean to bare his soul, beg for forgiveness, and tell Cas what he means to him c) for this to happen with nothing else in play to muddy the waters of what Dean means when he speaks about needing Cas. Dean telling Cas all the things he cherishes about their relationship is a moment of emotional intimacy the show has been building to for years. Doing it while Cas is graceless makes the value of the confession even more powerful and explicit.
Given the fact that Jensen Ackles unbelievably, miraculously revealed at a convention that during episode 9 (the mid-season premiere) we will see Dean pray to Castiel once more, confessing his feelings and trying to explain why he’s acted so badly, it sounds like we are incredibly on track for some or all of those beats to play out. The only question is: if Cas is losing more and more power, will he even be able to hear Dean’s prayers? Oh, the angst. I loves it.
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