Supernatural Season 2 Episode 13: Houses of the Holy

In the thirteenth episode in the second season of Supernatural, Sam and Dean have to uncover why non-religious people are suddenly murdering people “in the name of God.” They try to figure out what exactly it is they’re hunting. Sam thinks it could be an angel, Dean thinks it is probably a spirit or a demon.

When I first saw this episode, I remember thinking it seemed a little out of place. There had just been a season and a half of demons and other creepy crawlies, and now were there really going to be angels? Looking back on it now, I am glad that the writers did not try to introduce angels the same way they would “the monster of the week.”

                I think the argument over whether angels exist or not was a good writing decision, especially as it brings out the brothers’ differing personalities, and they both bring up fair points. Sam is the more optimistic one that seems to believe that if there is bad in the world – such as demons, witches, and vampires – then there must be some good in it, too. He is the one who researches all the lore that seems to be true, and religion is essentially just lore. Dean, on the other hand, is the realist. He does not believe in anything he cannot see, which is a good point. The Winchesters have seen a lot of monsters in their lives, and something as inherently good as angels just does not exist in Dean’s world.

                Although the first argument brought up fair points from both brothers, they fight about the existence of angels for the rest of the episode, and it never really gets resolved. Dean finally tells Sam about their mother believing in angels, and if anything that just encourages Sam to believe in them, whereas with Dean it was just proof that angels cannot exist since Mary died that night anyway. Even when the so called “angel” turns out to be Father Thomas Gregory, Sam still does not let go of his beliefs so easily. However, I do find it strange that Sam would willingly kill someone just because an “angel” told him to do so, especially since the angel also said that person had not done anything yet. Part of the “Winchester Way of Life” is that they do not kill humans. If they were to start doing so, particularly when the human had not yet done anything horrible, what would make them so different from murderers? They are walking a pretty fine line already, with demons using human bodies and vampires and werewolves being partially human.

                I was also kind of shocked the first time I saw this episode that Sam would confuse an angel with a vengeful spirit. I thought that since he had seen so many vengeful spirits in the past, they would be easy to spot. That might have been a way for the writers to show how strong Sam’s faith really was, but I just remember wondering what made the spirit of Father Thomas Gregory so different that Sam could not recognize him has a spirit and not an angel as soon as he appeared.

                I am not sure how well this episode fit in with this season on its own, but when you take into account other seasons, it foreshadows some major plot points. I am not sure if the writers planned that or if they just went back through early seasons and continued writing from there, but regardless it tied the early and later seasons together. Also, much like “Faith” (season one episode twelve) it gives the audience insight on Sam’s beliefs and how they contrast with Dean’s. Both episodes also air in the middle of the season, and kind of parallel each other in the way of religion.

                The only real concern I had about the episode was how Father Thomas Gregory managed to convince so many people he was an angel. I suppose it would be easier to convince people who are not fully aware of the supernatural world, but he still managed to convince a hunter. The last concern is just a smaller question that runs throughout all the seasons, and that is how do people not see them breaking into houses in broad daylight? In this episode, I understand it is not that nice of a neighborhood but jumping onto a dumpster to hop a fence is far from discreet.