It's time to take a look back at Season 9 of Supernatural. If you need to get in the mood, put “Carry On Wayward Son” on in the background. The Winchesters, as usual, went through hell this season. Sam nearly died, and Dean had to save him by letting an angel take possession of his brother's body. The incident caused a typical Winchester argument that lasted for most of the season and didn't really get resolved because hey, Dean died and became a demon.The lack of change in the Winchester relationship is one of my biggest issues with the season. You can't help but love the brothers because you've spent nine years with them, and I will always have soft spot for the duo that constantly fights the good fight without getting anything in return. However, they seem to learn nothing. One of them lies to the other one, but then the other one finds out, and they have a heart to heart which usually ends with a single Dean Winchester tear.
That happened repeatedly this season. Sam eventually lost it and acknowledged they've got real work to do to fix things, but then they just kept doing the job and putting that work off. Where's a hunter psychologist when you need one? Besides Dean lying to him about the Gadreel possession, Sam was also upset because he wanted to die. He was angry with his brother for doing anything to save him, and I don't think that's fair. As we saw at the end of the season, Sam is summoning Crowley and appears ready to return the favor to save his brother.Dean's transformation will most likely make Sam get over that portion of the argument, but the rest of it? I don't feel optimistic that we'll see them be honest with each other. Dean's current state affects that, but if he weren't a demon, they'd probably still lie to each other.
Even if the Winchester brothers are feeling a little stale, Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles turned in solid performances over the season. Ackles was funnier than ever as Dean, and he got to take the character to a dark place thanks to the Mark of Cain and First Blade combo. You know you're feeling desperate for a change in personality when you're okay with Dean acting evil.
Padalecki got the chance to hit a different note, too. When Gadreel possessed him and was in the driver's seat, Sam wasn't the same and it was fun to watch Padalecki sort of mimic the way Tahmoh Penikett played the character.
We'll soon see more of bad Dean as he settles into being a demon. Hopefully Dean will own being a monster instead of trying to remain human and fighting against his nature. At least at first. The introduction of Demon Dean is a game-changer and proves that this series does still have some bite. You just have to get past several so-so monster of the week stories to get to it. Though the season ended in an interesting place for Sam and Dean, the rest of the season belonged to the angels and demons. We took too many detours from the Metatron vs. Castiel and Crowley vs. Abaddon arcs, and it's a pity because Castiel and Crowley stole the spotlight this season. Misha Collins and Mark Sheppard are series regulars next year for a reason.
Both characters experienced growth and poignant moments. Some of the most heartbreaking scenes of the season came from watching Castiel wrestle with the ins and outs of being human. Collins also gets credit for some of the biggest laughs. Castiel may screw up from time to time, but he's inspiring, brave, and more than a little awkward – all of those components make him endearing. Living as a human enriched his experience, and if he doesn't get more grace, we could see him in that position again.
Crowley got a taste of humanity as well, and it was intriguing to see how differently he and Castiel handled it. Sheppard has always been stellar as the King of Hell, but he broke out this season. He gets sharp dialogue, and Sheppard has perfected the character's condescending tone. There was never any doubt that he would defeat Abaddon, but it would have been nice to see more of their battle.
Speaking of Abaddon, Supernatural had an impressive line-up of guest stars over the year. Alaina Huffman was wicked and wonderful as Abaddon, and on the angel side, Curtis Armstrong was brilliant as Metatron. Add in others such as Timothy Omundson, Felicia Day, Tahmoh Penikett, Osric Chau, and Kavan Smith – the appearances kept the less interesting episodes engaging. The best surprise of the season? Seeing Richard Speight, Jr. return as Gabriel.Special guests and a terrific ending can't erase the fact that about half of the season was clunky. It was confusing to see two important arcs set up only to watch Dean and Sam go on unrelated monster hunts again and again. Not only did they feel like an unnecessary detour, the monster of the week jaunts were mostly boring and some were repetitive. Some of them hit the right nostalgic vibe that made you think back to Season 1, but several were bland with an “insert some blood and gore here” vibe.
As the Winchesters fought vampires and demons this year, they seemed to be more callous. Instead of trying to exorcise demons, they kill them without a second thought. What happened to the regard for the trapped humans? This happened before Dean got the Mark of Cain, and Sam was in the kill first and ask questions later camp, too. It's not a leap to assume the brothers have become hardened and jaded over the years, but their mission is to save people from monsters – not to punish them for it.