“The Executioner’s Song,” 10.14 Supernatural Episode Review

Summary: Cain has returned with an insatiable desire to kill. With this renewed urge, he is determined to exterminate all of his “evil” descendants, who constitute a large portion of the world’s population. Dean and Sam track him to a rural location at which Cain plans to kill an innocent, young boy. The brothers lie to Crowley to persuade him to bring the blade and successfully trap Cain in a barn. Dean and Cain fight to the death, during which Cain tells Dean that he is living Cain’s life in reverse. According to him, it is Dean’s fate to eventually murder his brother. Cain states that he never will stop his killing spree, forcing Dean to kill him. While he returns to the group and hands over the blade, Dean is worse for the wear. Meanwhile, Rowena is establishing her presence in Crowley’s court in Hell, undermining and shaming her son.

Review: “The Executioner’s Song” is one of the most well-rounded episodes in the season, beautifully crafted, attentive to details, and full of parallelism on both intra- and inter-seasonal levels. The Mark is Dean’s death sentence, similar to the prisoner on Death Row who is shown in the first scene. Likewise, the idea of magic tricks at the start of the episode is later reimagined when the Winchesters, Cas, and Crowley trap Cain by creating an illusion of the boy that he seeks. Even the teasing between brothers is ironic. Dean makes fun of Sam for collecting serial killer stats as a hobby. However, Sam’s hobby will soon cause him to become more interested in Dean, if the older brother is unable to resist the call of the Mark.

The cyclical nature of the episode also spans across multiple seasons. The episode’s set up of Castiel is very reminiscent of season 6, in which his God complex causes him to commit mass murder multiple times. In this week’s episode, Castiel heartlessly murders a demon after torturing him to find information about Cain. Additionally, in season 6, a scene depicts Castiel standing in the middle of a field, surrounded by trees. All around him are the bodies and essences of the dead angels he murdered. In “The Executioner’s Song,” there is a similar scene, in regards to setting and cinematography. Castiel finds himself in a near replica of the season 6 location, surrounded by dirt mounds that contain an unspecified but voluminous amount of dead bodies for which Cain is responsible. Additionally, the notion of a God complex is also present in this episode. Cain states, “Can you honestly tell me that humanity’s not better with fewer Tommys, fewer Leons… fewer yous.” Cain believes it is his duty to kill his descendants, thereby unjustly deciding who lives and who dies.

“The Executioner’s Song” not only pays attention to detail, but is so well crafted in its cinematography, music, writing, and acting. The episode is beautifully shot, with a clarity and greyish hue to the cinematography that reflects the clarity of the situation and its stakes in the minds of Dean and Cain, as well as the despair that is evident. This culminates in a dramatic showdown that appeals to the audience’s emotions. The background music during the fight, as well as the acting, especially as Cain punches Dean, yelling, “There is only remission and relapse,” all add to the intensity of the episode. The ending, in particular, is haunting. The final words and actions between the two characters are quiet and sorrowful, juxtaposed with the rage and anger from minutes earlier. These moments echo T.S. Eliot’s sentiment of, “This is the way the world ends/ Not with a bang but a whimper.” The music dies down and the action becomes somber. Dean begs Cain not only to tell him that he will stop murdering people, but that he has the ability to stop. After Cain’s quiet reply that he will never stop, he bows his head as Dean makes his slow approach to him. Dean must kill him, thereby dooming himself and those around him. The acting in these moments is some of the best the show has seen. The episode should have ended on this high emotional level, when Sam hugs Dean, who is clearly physically and emotionally broken. Instead, the episode loses much of its emotive buildup by moving to a new scene in which Rowena berates Crowley. This is followed by a scene with Sam, Dean, and Cas in the bunker, in which it is made clear that Sam knows that his brother is “in trouble.” While these scenes are important for wrapping up the episode’s plot, they prove themselves diversions from an otherwise fantastic and emotionally-devastating episode.

Another element that downplays this episode are the scenes concerning Crowley that exemplify the loss of a crucial and endearing aspect of his character. Admittedly, while these scenes come across as tedious, they create the potential for the reformation of the character. Why is the King of Hell allowing himself to be pushed around by the Winchester brothers? The presence of Rowena is written into the show to provide another level of character development and a new plot point for Crowley, but brings to the attention of the audience the devolution of the villainous character that has been so loved. The viewer is made aware of how much he or she has missed the conniving King of Hell. Rowena displays to the audience just how “soft” Crowley has become. This is especially evident when Crowley goes against Rowena’s guidance to avoid the Winchesters, who she claims are threats to both the quality of his life and his credibility. He loses the blade when Sam and Dean take advantage of him. At the end of the episode, this is thankfully addressed by Rowena. Will Crowley now use this opportunity to redesign himself as the big, bad King of Hell? One can only hope.