Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean Winchester 4x02: A Supernatural Review

Summary

Now that Sam and Dean know the angel Castiel rescued Dean from Hell, they grapple with why. While researching the angel lore, Bobby reaches out to a fellow hunter for help. When she doesn’t respond, Bobby and the boys investigate. They discover malevolent spirits are killing hunters and they are next. They dispatch the angry spirits with a spell, only to learn that those ghosts were a sign of the Apocalypse. Castiel reveals to Dean that the reason the angels have returned is to prevent Lilith from breaking the seals that will free Lucifer.  Supernatural "Are You There, God? It's Me Dean..." 4x02 Promo

Review

This episode, written by Sera Gamble and directed by Phil Scriggia, introduced a hefty amount of interesting information and lore that sets the ground work for the entire season. It establishes angels as the only beings powerful enough to rescue a soul from Hell. This is important for determining how and why Dean is rescued. Castiel and other angels had to fight their way into Hell to rescue Dean – a battle so fierce it left a handprint seared on Dean’s shoulder. What a powerful scene this leaves the viewer to imagine! It also leaves Dean to question what is so special about him that God would send angels to rescue Dean when there is no record of anyone ever having been rescued before. It’s heartbreaking that after everything Dean has sacrificed, all the good he has done, he still feels unworthy.

Interestingly, it’s Sam who is the optimistic one about the introduction of angels and considers it good news. Dean is distrustful to say the least. No matter what, Sam - the boy with the demon blood, is the one who is hopeful and Dean is always skeptical. Always. Even Ruby, a demon, says she is "helping" Sam but is terrified of the angels. She warns Sam to watch himself but he says he's not afraid of angels. That right there should raise warning flags for viewers. Sam's optimism and Dean's skepticism is something that is present even in season 11. Sam attributes his visions to God but Dean is doubtful.  
 

Inside the panic room - Supernatural 4x02

This episode brought the introduction of Bobby's basement panic room. The camera work to introduce this new set is done differently. Rather than just focusing on how the boys react to the new space, this first-person perspective allows the viewer into that safe space as well. Exceptionally done! And a huge kudos to Jerry Wanek and his team for creating such an incredible set.

In this safe place, Bobby discovers that the ghosts were forced to rise as part of a spell to unleash the Apocalypse. Of course, returning the ghosts to their eternal slumber is not going to be easy, but it gets done and when everyone is enjoying a well-deserved good night's sleep, Dean is visited by Castiel.

Does anyone else miss Castiel's season 4 hair?

This is where everything that has happened during the episode is clarified. Castiel tells Dean that angels are warriors of God and not there to perch on Dean's shoulder. He asserts that God is real. He divulges that it was Lilith that cast the Rising of the Witnesses spell. That the reason why the angels are on Earth again for the first time in 2000 years is to stop Lilith from breaking the 66 seals that keep Lucifer locked away. And BOOM, just like that, the Big Bad and overall story arc for the season is laid out at our feet!

When Dean gets snarky, Castiel shows a little bit of his badassery and reminds Dean that he should show some respect.

He was the one to drag Dean out of Hell and he can throw him back in anytime he wants. Brilliant! Brilliantly written but WOW did Misha deliver!

Beyond the exceptional writing of that scene, look at how it is lit. A single shaft of light behind these actors casts their features in shadow so what is revealed is the intensity of that moment of dialogue. You see how "in Dean's face" Castiel is. You see Dean's nearly imperceptible movement away. Dean looks appropriately intimidated and penitent. This is how you show off incredible writing! This is what has been missing from the angel story line in the last couple of seasons. 
 

We finish the episode with Dean waking in the morning and asking a completely unaware Sam if he really has no problem believing in God and angels to which Sam nonchalantly replies, “No not really.” Do you see how astonishing those three little words are? How hopeful? How optimistic? It’s these complex layers to Sam and Dean that continue to astound me. 

Questions. Problems. Concerns. Observations

This is a pretty flawless episode. Phil Scriggia proves again why he is one of my favorite directors. He isn't showy or fancy with his shots. He's clean even utilitarian in some respects.  You aren't distracted by odd angles or annoying camera movements. His direction is so smooth you don't notice it. It is that unobtrusive finesse that makes him great. 

Something that occurred to me after watching 11x10 "The Devil in the Details" episode. I reflected back to this episode, 4x02, and how we had to imagine how difficult it was for angels or anyone to get into hell. Castiel and other angels fought their way to Dean with so much power that it left a handprint seared onto Dean's skin. That is powerful. But now, season 11, apparently you just take the stairs and stroll right in. I didn't need to see Hell in season 4 to know how difficult it was for Dean and the angels. The writing allowed me to imagine it! And what I can imagine is so much more hellacious than what cgi graphics or even the incomparable Jerry Wanek can produce. Give me great writing, actors that can deliver (which Supernatural has in spades!) and let my imagination fill in the rest!!