Supernatural Season 15 Episode 8 Recap: “Our Father, Who Aren’t in Heaven”

Supernatural Season 15 Episode 8
Jake Abel, Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki in ‘Supernatural’ season 15 episode 8 (Photo: Colin Bentley © 2019 The CW Network)

It was never going to be possible to fulfill expectations fans had for about 10 years, and there was still more I wanted from Supernatural season 15 episode eight, “Our Father, Who Aren’t In Heaven.” However, it was still a lot better than I expected, as the episode managed to make a long-running antagonist out to be a sympathetic character.

We start off at a casino where a huge massacre seems to have taken place, save for Chuck, who is happy to make the only surviving waitress keep bringing him drinks while he plays slots. Over at the bunker, Dean (Jensen Ackles) approaches Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Eileen (Shoshannah Stern) with his brilliant new plan involving the demon tablet.

Dean figures they can find a weakness in Chuck through the tablet, and that’s when the Winchesters force a reluctant Donatello (Keith Szarabajka) to decipher it. According to the new plan, God can be sealed somewhere the Darkness had been, meaning existence can still carry on. The tablet tells them that Chuck’s “favorite” might be the only one to know of his fear, so it’s time for Michael to be brought back.

The problem is the archangel is supposed to be in Hell, but first, Chuck himself takes over Donatello and explicitly warns the heroes to stay out of this one or he will hurt the Winchesters’ allies. However, once they send Donatello away so he wouldn’t inadvertently spy on them for Chuck, the heroes still decide to go through with their plan for Hell.

There, all three are handed their butts by three demons, and I’m left asking for about the millionth time how a Seraph like Castiel (Misha Collins) can lose so easily to regular demons. It’s only with the intervention of an ally that the boys are spared, and who does it turn out to be? That would be Rowena!

Supernatural Season 15 Episode 8
Ruth Connell as Rowena in ‘Supernatural’ season 15 episode 8 (Photo: Colin Bentley © 2019 The CW Network)

As it turns out, Rowena (Ruth Connell) is still dead but is now the ruler of Hell. Clearly enjoying the role and with a snazzy new costume to boot, Rowena commands the demons to go and check the cage and all around Hell for Michael. She attempts to get Dean and Castiel to make up, but the two are too stubborn to listen. She also absolves Sam of his prior guilt of killing her by confirming she made the right decision to die as it’s gotten her to fix some of the wrongs she’d done in life. The bad news is that the demons report Michael is nowhere in Hell.

Over on Earth, we catch our first sight of Adam (Jake Abel) in 10 years as he enjoys a burger for the first time in forever. Across the table is Michael, who appears to him in Adam’s form – the two have clearly become best friends in the time they’ve spent together. Michael voices he has no idea what to do with his life now, while Adam contemplates getting a job and how much he resents Sam and Dean for letting him rot in Hell.

It’s then that Lilith (Anna Grace Barlow) of all beings walks in, demanding Michael return with him to God. Michael, though, is in no mood and smites Lilith when the latter refuses to leave. This act brings in the notice of Donatello, who senses Michael’s moves, although Michael’s constant teleporting means Donatello can’t locate him.

At the bunker, Dean advises Sam over pursuing Eileen, claiming she’s the only woman he thinks that has ever made sense for Sam as a romantic relationship. This is most likely the show attempting to hint that Dean might die by the finale and allow Sam to settle with Eileen, but we’ll have to see about that in due course. For the time being, Castiel takes it upon himself to reach out to Michael.

He prays to the archangel with reasons why he should respond, and we then see Michael showing up to confront Castiel. This turns out to be a trap sprung by the heroes, as they reveal a ring of holy fire and a pair of archangel cuffs that makes Michael their prisoner. Here, Michael is livid over the fact that he again got bested by the angel who once called him “assbutt.”

Michael berates Sam and Dean for being pathetic siblings, bringing Adam out and forcing them to talk to the brother they abandoned. For his part, Adam seems pretty cool about everything and doesn’t lash out as the fandom had expected him to. Instead, he quietly tells the confused boys they could at least try and apologize to him for abandoning him – this coming after a terrible excuse from Sam over why they never attempted to rescue Adam.

When the boys leave Adam and Michael alone for a while to process the situation, Adam attempts to reason with the archangel by arguing that, while he still loathes Sam and Dean for what they did, the brothers do have a point in claiming that God is evil. Michael, on the other hand, still has his season five ideals stuck in his head and can’t accept that his father never cared about him.

Castiel sneaks in a visit, which doesn’t go all that well as Michael attacks him after Castiel tells the truth about Chuck purposefully abandoning him. This allows Castiel a chance to show Michael all his memories of Chuck’s evil, which finally convinces the archangel. We then see a distraught Michael agreeing to help the heroes in sealing God by revealing a spell that can bind him.

Opening up a rift to Purgatory, which houses the one ingredient needed to finish the spell, Michael informs them that the nectar comes from a Leviathan blossom. This means our chomper friends will have to be confronted to gather the blossom, although the rift will only remain open for 12 hours. The extent of Michael’s help has been reached, though, as he has Dean uncuff him and refuses to accompany him and Castiel.

Before he leaves, Dean requests another audience with Adam, to whom he attempts to genuinely apologize. Dean says Adam is a good man who didn’t deserve the fate he got, which honestly sounds like another half-baked Winchester apology to me. Regardless, Adam simply tells Dean that they never get what they truly deserve, wishes him luck, and departs to parts unknown.

On the B-story, Eileen was frequently called up by an old hunter friend, who eventually requests her assistance to take down some vampires. When Eileen takes Sam along to rescue said friend, it turns out it was Chuck posing as the hunter the whole time. Greeting Sam pleasantly, it seems Chuck has some sinister plans in store.

With that we’ve had the final mid-season finale for the show, one that at least satisfies in bringing Adam back from his confinement but doesn’t convince in letting the Winchesters off the hook for abandoning him. If it turns out Michael/Adam plan on betraying them, I have no qualms in admitting I’ll still be on Michael/Adam’s side on this one. For now, let’s see how the show’s final leg fares when the second half debuts on January 16, 2020.