Warning: This post contains spoilers for the Supernatural season 12 fall finale “Lotus.” If you haven’t watched it yet, jump into the Impala and drive away.
Lucifer could teach a lot of people I know a thing or two about ambition. After tasting Vince Vincente’s fame and the accompanying power, he set loftier goals. He started in the church, because of course he did, and jumped from there to politics. While he maneuvered up the ladder, “Lotus” left room for interesting insights and cool shots–I’m particularly thinking of the crosses flipping upside down when Lucifer as the archbishop strolled down the church hallway.
At first, I was skeptical about Lucifer gaining the ultimate access by claiming the President of the United States as his vessel. The likelihood of him navigating the complicated logistics seemed improbable. But then I remembered he’s calculating and also the devil. He laid a path and used vessels as stepping stones until he was positioned right where he needed to be.
The most fascinating part about the takeover was watching Lucifer talk to his vessel. From the outside, it looked like the POTUS was talking to himself in a mirror. On the inside, Lucifer was having a chat with the man about how they would split responsibilities. Lucifer was driving the boat, but he needed to have enough information to sell himself in the role; people are going to start notice if the POTUS starts making out-of-character decisions. It was intriguing to see the back and forth and to get a glimpse at why an otherwise good person is persuaded to play meat suit for satan. Bonus: the POTUS’ dedication to religion led to amusing gags.
While Lucifer became one of the leaders of the world, Dean and Sam worked with Castiel and Crowley to keep on top of his vessel-jumping. Sam wasn’t so thrilled about Crowley being part of the team. Dean and Cass lowered wards to let Crowley into the bunker. Not okay. Sam was the only one with enough sense to suggest allowing Crowley to get so close was stupid. Thank you, smart Sam. That said, they are working in “the enemy of my enemy…” territory at the moment.
Even I have to admit Crowley’s many connections are coming in handy. I wasn’t surprised to learn he had people on the hook and in his pocket in Los Angeles, and I’m less surprised to learn he has politicians on his side. He found out who Lucifer ended up in and his transporting skills came in handy when the gang learned Lucifer impregnated a human woman.
Castiel got the message loud and clear on angel radio. The product of an angel and a human is powerful; when Team Angel became aware of the pregnancy, they blasted it out. Cass called it a “massive surge in celestial energy.” The whole scene reminded me of the way Obi-Wan reacted when he felt the destruction of Alderaan through the Force.
Lucifer ending up as the POTUS is about the worst situation possible, so Sam did another smart thing: he called for help. Sure, what we’ve seen of the British Men of Letters so far hasn’t been encouraging. They made a terrible first impression by kidnapping and torturing Sam. However, they have their business together. They’re the model of efficiency. Sam’s ring brought Arthur Ketch into the picture, and he saved the Winchesters and Castiel.
Mr. Ketch tried to make another case for trusting the British chapter by showing off his snazzy weapons. They must employ one hell of a Q. Ketch’s stash showed off elegant creations blending science with the supernatural. It’s not an area that’s been explored in the series; I mean, Sam and Dean get the job done with what they have, but it’s not fancy. The possibility of combining tech with sorcery has me excited; I hope we see more of them.
And hey, Ketch’s device worked. Sam was able to successfully use Ketch’s exorcism gadget to get Lucifer out of the POTUS. They used the woman pregnant with Lucifer’s baby, Kelly, as bait. After Sam managed to remove Lucifer’s essence, Rowena zapped the devil back into the Cage. I’m not saying it wasn’t successful, but didn’t it seem a little too easy? I knew the brothers couldn’t enjoy a win for long, and sure enough, they were arrested for attempting to assassinate the President (who fortunately survived) and the satan spawn baby momma ran away from Castiel.
Side note: Rowena is a powerful witch. I know she wants to get away from it all, but what I would give to watch her do something with her everyday life besides try to find a rich husband. The perfect business idea has to be out there. If she found the right path, she could make one heck of an entrepreneur.
Do you think there’s some sort of catch with Lucifer being put back in the cage? Tell me in the comments.
Images: The CW
