Supernatural Hiatus Hunting: 4.16, On The Head of a Pin
Everybody brace yourself – here comes one of those episodes that even in retrospect, no matter how many times you see it, read about it or talk about it – it takes a deep breath and some mental preparedness before you dive in. Even this recap, written in the emotional wreckage that was the aftermath of 4×16, had to be divvied into two pieces. So if you’re ready, here they are again for this week’s Hiatus Hunting feature:
Hiatus Hunting: Season Four, Episode Sixteen: On The Head of A Pin
Recap by Alice [Originally Published March 25 & 26, 2009]
Man, why does this show keep doing this to me? Thursday at 10:00 comes around anymore and I’m a jittery mess, going back to the TiVo for a rewatch. This one earned a third re-watch, then one the next day and I think I’m up to number ten now. I lost count around seven.
This episode is even more action packed than the last one, and that was huge. As a matter of fact, with the exception of “Mystery Spot” and “A Very Supernatural Christmas,” no episode is more crammed with details in the entire series. As a result, I even have to break this recap into two parts. It’s that long. Things are intense from the opening teaser, so let’s get started.
There’s a nice scene of destruction that looks like a bomb went off. Cars are in all sorts of positions, windows blown out, parts lying everywhere and the car alarms ringing. Our familiar trench-coated angel walks among the carnage and with one raised hand silences the mass confusion. So, we’re twenty seconds into the episode and Castiel is already awesome. I already have good feelings about this episode. He searches and then sadly finds what he’s looking for. A woman, in a flowing dress of white, is dead on the ground. He pulls back her dress and finds the stab wound right through the base of her neck. ”Goodbye sister,” he says solemnly, and the cops arrive behind him.
Cops arrive to investigate, and Castiel is gone. Damn I need that skill. Every time my son yells “Mom!” all I need to do is go away in a flash and all my problems are solved. Helicopters hover over the scene and the spotlight scans over the area from right to left. The massive imprint of wings on the pavement on both sides of the woman appear. Okay, we get it, she’s an angel.
Birds, doom, logo. In this episode, they mean it.
This is in my top 10 best episodes of Supernatural. It was so well acted by every single actor in it. each character showed their power, so the writing was great. Dean made me cry in both instances that you mentioned but I think when he was torturing Alaister and realized that he had broken the first seal-that was so potent. that is the scene that gets me every time I watch this episode.
It is an interesting idea that Ruby knew Deans role in this-she must have knew. She worked pretty hard to get him on her side or, if that failed, to get him “dead”. She was with them at the finale of season 3, she saw Dean go down via hell hounds, she was working with Lilith, so I say Yes, she knew Deans role.
This was an excellent and intense episode in a season full of great episodes. Christopher Heyerdahl and JA really knocked it out of the park in their scenes together. Then we have Sam chugging demon blood from Ruby’s arm; that was shocking but kind of made sense when you thought about why Sam’s mojo waxed and waned over time. Some of the parts with Uriel and Castiel dragged a little bit. Loved the look of shock and horror on Castiels face when he saw Sam tossing around Alastair like a rag doll, then killing him. Then, the juxtaposition of Sam – brutally taking out Alastair, then in the next scene being the worried brother sitting by Dean’s hospital bed.
One thing I wasn’t clear on – when angry Moose demanded that Castiel heal Dean, and Castiel refused, was it because he couldn’t or was he under orders not to?