We’re now firmly back into the Mark of Cain territory as the remaining episodes of the season run down and a lot ended up happening in Supernatural this week, which made for a nice change of pace after the previous monster-of-the-week stories. Now, Castiel’s back, Bobby puts in an appearance, Crowley kicks his mom out, and Sam actually stops standing around and does stuff. Honestly, it was about time.
Bobby would probably consider any punishment from the angels worth it if it meant saving Dean, but capturing Metatron doesn’t bring Sam and Cas the cure they’re looking for. Curtis Armstrong is always wonderful to watch, and this week he’s particularly enjoyable as he gloats and is then reduced to nothing when Castiel steals his grace and Sam stabs him to make him talk. (Seriously, Sam doing things this week is such a breath of fresh air.) On a side note, Metatron’s claim that only power like God’s or Lucifer’s can save Dean is unlikely to open the doors to Mark Pellegrino’s return as Lucifer, but it certainly wouldn’t be an unpopular decision among many fans.
An important moment to take from the episode was Dean’s ability to resist killing the enchanted college kids. Though it’s always hard to tell where Supernatural is heading each season, it would be hugely satisfying if Team Free Will were unable to find a cure for the Mark and Dean had to learn to live with it and accept himself. We’ve seen suggestions of this as a possibility throughout Season Ten, most obviously when Dark Charlie and Regular Charlie faced off in There's No Place Like Home, but it would be a significant sign of growth if this ten year old show showed Dean accepting that there’s a monster in all of us.
Supernatural is taking a break again, but it’ll be back in mid-April with the final episodes of the year.