In this episode of Supernatural, called “Sacrifice,” Sam and Dean get down to business on the last Trial, Castiel and Metatron get to work on their second Trial and everyone races to the finish line to close their respective Gates.

The Gates of Hell

First up, just have to say that I was happy that the boys were able to call off Crowley before he killed Jody Mills. We already lost Sarah and I would’ve been none too pleased to lose Jody, too. We all knew that they were going to trap Crowley, but I love that it wasn’t a huge trick so much as Dean just slapping cuffs on him and showing the demon the business end of his first. Once Sam got through confession and started the injections, I was amazed that it seemed to be working, but I guess we should’ve known that it was too good to be true. Sam having to give up his life to close the Gates makes sense and I’m sure glad that Dean stopped him before it was too late. Or did he? The Gates may not have closed, but Sam sure didn’t look good at the end there, did he?

The Gates of Heaven

To all those who didn’t trust Metatron, I tip my hat. I had my suspicions but maybe I’m too much like Cas because I just wanted to believe him, you know? Finding out that Metatron was using Cas as his own little puppet to get the revenge he wanted was a revelation. He may not have exactly closed the Gates, but he basically did the next best thing by throwing all the angels out. One thing he kept saying did turn out to be true – he actually did need Castiel to complete his task, but only so he could slice out Castiel’s grace as the final piece of his spell.

Falling Angels

The first thing I thought when the Castiel fell was “FINALLY” I feel like I’ve been predicted him falling from Heaven (me and a good portion of the fandom) for years. Back when everyone was complaining that Castiel was too powerful, I kept saying that they should take away his grace and – poof! – now they’ve done it. The possibilities for him next season are so endless that my mind can barely start to think with it yet. I think I’ll wait to decompress and then put a Wishes for Season 9 article up once I figure out a few fun options I’d like to see.

The King of Hell

Crowley (and Mark Sheppard) blew me away in this episode. I was hopeful that they might turn him human, but I kept thinking that it probably wouldn’t actually happen. I mean it’s just too yummy for words, isn’t it? Having Crowley turned even partially human, with Castiel also in the same boat, is beyond amazing. Though a part of me wonders if Crowley will revert since the Sam never finished the ritual, I’m still keeping my fingers crossed that we’ll see both Human!Crowley and Human!Cas next season.

For now, it’s time to sit back and ponder on what just happened and wait patiently (okay, not so patiently) until season 9.

My favorite bits..

“It’s not a date until I’ve cried.”

Crowley’s ringtone being “I Like Big Butts.”

Cas asking what God was like.

“You show us yours, we’ll show you ours.”

Crowley rolling out his massively long… contract.

“Nice try, Squirrel.”

“You’re gonna move your lips all the way up here, aren’t you?”

“Trust me; I’m friends with friends who do this for a living.”

The look on Metatron’s face when Castiel read about nurse role-playing and light domination.

“You’re not the most subtle tool in the shed are you?”

Dean offering suggestions to Sam for what he should say in Confession.

“How about what you did to Penny Markle in the sixth grade, why don’t you lead with that?”
“That was you.”
“Carry on.”

Castiel showing up and asking for Dean’s help. I wish he’d done it sooner, but I guess it’s better late than never.

Sam jamming that needle in Crowley’s neck. Youch and also.way to go, Sammy!

Cas getting up close and personal to point out to Kevin what his job description was as a Prophet.

Crowley biting Sam? Ah, I knew he must have a reason for it. Turning it into a demon phone? Brilliant.

“Do you really think it’s wise to be drinking on the job?”
“What show you been watching?”

Dean checking in with Cas to make sure he was okay with boarding up Heaven and locking the doors behind him.

Kinda loving seeing Dean and Cas having a quiet chat in a bar over some beers.

“Holy crud, this is like the first five minutes of every porno I’ve ever seen.”

Hang on; did Cupid just touch who I think she did? Awesome! The look on Dean’s face was beyond classic.

Crowley asking if it was about time for the next love injection. That was just..wrong. And also freaking hilarious.

“Hello boys.”
“That’s my line.”

Dean reminding Cas to talk first and stab later.

Sam turning Abaddon into a demon torch.

“I’ll deny it if you ever quote me, but I’m a proud man. I’m proud of you.”

The look on Crowley’s face when Sam started repainting the devil’s trap. He looked like such a little kid for a second there.

Nice! A Band of Brothers reference. Makes me miss Gabriel (aka Richard Speight, Jr.) again.

Crowley going all soft. Not sure who was more surprised – him or Sam.

Really wanting to believe Crowley as he became more.. human, but I just don’t know if I can.

Crowley asking what Sam had said in confession.

“Where do I start.to even look for forgiveness?”

All of Dean’s expressions while Naomi and Cas talked.

“Our mission was to protect what God created. I don’t know when we forgot that.”

Cas informing Dean that he wasn’t wrong and was going to fix his home, before flitting off.

“You should’ve listened to the bitch.”

“You finish this Trial, you’re dead, Sam.”
“So?” – Oh, Sammy.

Metatron encouraging Cas to make the most of his life, make babies and when he died to come back and tell his story.

Dean telling Sam that he couldn’t do any of it without him and Sam replying that he could barely do it with him. So. Many. Feels.

Literally squeaking when Sam asked if Dean was going to turn to another angel or another vampire.

“Don’t you dare think that there is anything, past or present, that I would put in front of you.”

SO MANY FEELS.

The hug. THE HUG.

Dean screaming for Cas’ help as Cas was waking up in that field.

Dean watching the angels falling from Heaven. That was both beautiful and frightening.

What did you think of this episode of Supernatural? Got any favorite bits or least favorite bits of your own? I’d love to hear from you!
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At a recent Supernatural convention, actor Misha Collins condemned the show’s treatment of female characters.
In his panel at the Salute to Supernatural in Whippany, New Jersey, Collins took a side on a longstanding debate in the show’s fandom:

“I’m frankly surprised by the show,” Collins says. He quickly backtracks, saying, “Sorry, people who write the show and everybody who works on it and everything,” before adding, “but there’s stupid things on the show that they shouldn’t do. Like, why do they have to say ‘bitch’ and kill all the women?”

In fact, the opening scene of the pilot revolves around the fiery death of Mary Winchester, Sam and Dean’s mother. The pilot also ends in a mirror to this, with the death of Sam’s girlfriend, Jessica. These events push the Winchester family into hunting in their quest for revenge.

This is a symptom of a bigger problem, according to Collins. “[T]here are certain small ways in which the show is sort of gratuitously misogynistic when it doesn’t need to be,” he says. “When I read the scripts, I cringe sometimes. Yeah, there’s a million other things you could say, you don’t need to do this.

“Or, um, you have killed every other female character who had more than a two-episode arc,” he continues, alluding to characters like Bela Talbot, Ruby, and Anna Milton. “Do you have to take this one?”

After some input from the crowd, Collins conceded that, “Charlie’s still around, although she’s not a threat to the boys as a romantic interest because she’s gay.” Another female character mentioned is Sheriff Jody Mills, who was developing as a potential love interest to the Winchesters’ surrogate father, Bobby Singer, before his death.

The debate over Supernatural‘s alleged misogynistic tendencies has been a hot one for years, ranging from the number of female characters to exist on the show to how long said characters last once they have been introduced, and the ratio of female to male victims.
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Every Supernatural finale fills me with both joy and dread because even when the Winchesters succeed, things still end badly for them. Car crashes, Lucifer rising, getting trapped in Purgatory; Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) just can’t catch a break when it comes to finales! With the stakes even higher this year, I get the feeling their sacrifice will be respectively dire (the fact that the episode is called “Sacrifice” doesn’t bode too well, either).

With any details about the finale (Wednesday at 9/8c on The CW) on lockdown, it’s up to us to theorize about what’s to come. Here’s are my predictions:
Sam and Dean cure Crowley. The Demon King has become such a key part of Supernatural since his introduction in Season 5, that it’s hard to imagine the show without him. Unfortunately for us Crowley-lovers, all signs are pointing to his downfall. We know that the Winchesters plan to cure Crowley in order to close the gates of Hell and if all goes well, that would leave Crowley alive, but human. Of course, he is still the son of a witch so Crowley might maintain a few of his more nefarious traits, but I wouldn’t complain. I’d love to see Crowley pop up now-and-then as a bitter, human antagonist next season.

Metatron isn’t to be trusted. Metatron claimed that he had completely separated himself from the angel world, yet he seems to have caught himself up mysteriously quickly. How is it that he had never heard a whisper of the Winchesters or Lucifer’s imprisonment, but knew how to find the world’s one and only nephilim so fast? I’m not buying it. While I don’t think Metatron is working for Naomi, I do suspect he’s only the latest to manipulate Castiel’s (Misha Collins) good intentions for his own purposes.
Abaddon will take over as Big Bad. If Crowley is cured, that would leave a big opening down below and Abaddon is just the demon to take over! The series has only ever had one female Big Bad before, so why not let us ladies show that we can do bad just as good as anyone else. Plus, the role Abaddon played in their grandfather’s death would make the fight against her personal. Avenge your grandfather! Avenge the Men of Letters! Avenge, avenge, avenge!

The gates of Heaven and Hell will close. I, for one, am very excited about this prospect. While closing the gates of Heaven and Hell would drastically change the show, I think that’s exactly what Supernatural needs after a season that has been more than a little uneven (Did we ever get closure on why Sam didn’t look for Dean? Amelia — that happened. Why?). By closing the gates, only a finite number of demons would be left on Earth for Sam and Dean to hunt. And while I have nothing but praise for the way creator Eric Kripke completely revolutionized the show’s mythology in Season 4, I would love for Supernatural to get back to the basics, such as “saving people, hunting things, the family business.” Isn’t that what Supernatural’s all about? With Heaven and Hell’s roles diminished, that would allow the series to put more focus on Sam and Dean’s relationship and return to its folk-lore roots.
Castiel will fall from grace. Maybe Castiel is the key to safely curing a demon as strong as Crowley, since his inherent good would be able to cancel out Crowley’s evil. Or maybe Castiel loses his grace for betraying the angels in favor of helping the Winchesters. Either way, if the gates do close I expect we’ll see Castiel stranded on Earth. Though, I refuse to believe that if Castiel is stranded, he’ll maintain his full angelic powers. That’d just be too easy for the Winchesters. And as much as we all love Sam and Dean, we also love to see them suffer — if only to cheer them on each time they overcome.

Sam will become an angel. Okay, maybe this is a little far-fetched. But as we know, the trials aren’t killing Sam, they’re changing him. The question is: Into what? This season has been all about redemption — something Sam has struggled with since the Yellow-Eyed Demon corrupted him in his cradle. Will the trials finally allow Sam to achieve the purity his demon blood has denied him? If so, what’s more pure than an angel? Of course, I don’t want Sam to become an angel, but if it’s between sacrificing his humanity and sacrificing his life, I definitely prefer the former. Then again, maybe Sam won’t have to sacrifice anything at all (yeah, right).

What do you think will be sacrificed? Do you think the gates will close? Share your theories below. Supernatural’s season finale airs Wednesday at 9/8c on The CW.
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And the results are in!

After a week of intense voting, the winners of the 2013 CW Awards—highlighting the Pretty Young Network’s series and stars because the Emmys and Golden Globes don’t truly appreciate these beautiful people—are ready to be revealed!

So which series dominated the competition? And which actors get some serious bragging rights? Find out…

Best Series: Supernatural
Runner-up: The Vampire Diaries

Best Writer/Producer/Auteur: Jeremy Carver, Ben Edlund and Robert Singer, Supernatural
Runner-up: Julie Plec, The Vampire Diaries

Best Actor: Jensen Ackles, Supernatural
Runner-up: Ian Somerhalder, The Vampire Diaries

NEWS: Check out NBC’s new fall schedule

Best Actress: Nina Dobrev, The Vampire Diaries
Runner-up: Kristin Kreuk, Beauty and the Beast

Best Supporting Actor: Misha Collins, Supernatural
Runner-up: Steven R. McQueen, The Vampire Diaries

Best Supporting Actress: Candice Accola, The Vampire Diaries
Runner-up: Emily Bett Rickards, Arrow

Breakout Star: Osrich Chau, Supernatural
Runner-up: Jay Ryan, Beauty and the Beast

Best Guest Star: Felicia Day, Supernatural
Runner-up: Daniel Gillies, The Vampire Diaries

Congratulations to all the winners!
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