Warning: This post contains spoilers for the Supernatural episode “Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets.” If you haven’t watched it yet, jump into the Impala and drive away.
Oh, Castiel. The angel may have been a dick when he was introduced way back in season four, but now he’s the Winchesters’ fiercest champion. He proved his loyalty in last week’s episode, and in this week’s “Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets,” his unique nature stood in stark contrast to his fellow angels–former friends who were part of Cass’ flight. They weren’t fans of humans, so it was like a callback to Supernatural’s early encounters with angels. Castiel didn’t reunite with his friends for a “hey, we’ve lost our wings” party, but instead went running from tragedy.
But before moving onto Lily Sunder and her ties to Cass, let’s talk about Dean. He was surly towards his angel BFF because of what Castiel did to Billie. Dean’s reasoning? He was nervous about the cosmic consequences Billie said would befall them if they broke their deal. It makes sense. “Cosmic” is an anxiety-inducing word. Coming from Dean, though? This is not a guy who pays attention to consequences. Maybe he’s growing… Maybe.
Anyway. Castiel. He caught up with his buddies, basically an old high school clique. Ishim rubbed me the wrong way as soon as he said Cass used to be “an angel’s angel.” Dude. You really went there. My initial dislike of him only grew, and by the time Sam understood the truth about past events from Lily, I wasn’t surprised. Ishim calling humans primates and filthy apes over and over again assured me he was more than just a tool. Speaking of, they made Ishim’s dialogue too heavy-handed for my taste.
When Castiel found out the reality of what Ishim did to Lily, he acted with backbone and also showed compassion. He didn’t give Ishim an out; he made him pay for his mistake. Cass let Lily go, too. She shouldn’t have killed the other angels. Ishim was the one who committed the act. Lily didn’t know Ishim lied to his co-workers (more or less) about her child and let her desire for revenge guide her angel blade wielding hands to all of them.
Castiel recognized Lily’s pain and sacrifice—emotional and physical when you think about what she’s given up to use Enochian magic—and let her leave. He even told her he wouldn’t put up a fight if she decided to track him down again and kill him (I’m paraphrasing). And throughout all of this turmoil, he didn’t back down about his belief that he did the right thing with the reaper. He didn’t let Dean or Sam change his mind. Go, Cass! You’re developing on multiple fronts.
Lily, portrayed by Alicia Witt, was one of the better villains the series has seen recently. Of course, she wasn’t really a villain. She spilled not insignificant amounts of blood, but she wasn’t killing random people. Lily had a personal code. She didn’t harm humans, and I think the only angels she’d consider injuring/executing would be the ones associated with Ishim. I’m not saying revenge is good or advisable and it can be a tiring story motivator, but it worked with Lily. She was nuanced and more subtle than someone like, say, Lucifer or Rowena.
The clever aspect of the episode was Cass facint his past and the future at the same time. He learned what Ishim did and apologized to Lily, because, like he pointed out, ignorance isn’t an excuse. They shouldn’t have all blindly trusted Ishim. The situation is different with Lucifer and Kelly; Castiel and the Winchesters know Kelly is carrying the spawn of Satan. It’s not a question of whether the child is human, but it is a child.
After seeing the consequences of tearing Lily’s family apart, will Castiel and the Winchesters be able to destroy the baby? Should they? The question once seemed like it had a black and white answer, and now it has a muddier response. We’ve seen what happens in a similar situation when angels killed and didn’t ask any questions. Maybe Lucifer’s kid can be saved.
How do you think the events of this episode will affect what happens with Lucifer’s child? Tell me your thoughts in the comments.
Images: The CW
