Supernatural: Meta Fiction
November 19, 2021 6:02 AM - Season 9, Episode 18 - Subscribe
When Castiel rejects Metatron's offer to join forces, a surprising plan is set in motion; Sam and Dean apprehend Gadreel.
Quotes
Castiel: [to Sam and Dean on his cell phone, looking at a sign in his motel room] Honour bar. What's honourable about a miniature bar in a motel room?
Dean: Everything.
Scantily clad young woman: [on TV] Sometimes, you need a break from the hustle and bustle of city life. #amiright Sometimes, you need #casaerotica. Casa Erotica.
Castiel: ... That's inappropriate
Castiel: I miss my wings. Life on the road... smells.
Gabriel: None of it was real, but all of it was true.
Castiel: Whose truth; yours or Metatron's?
Gabriel: Just hear him out, would you? He's just trying to help you.
Castiel: Really? How?
Gabriel: Sorry... didn't read the whole script, just skimmed for my parts.
Gabriel: [phone message to Sam and Dean] Hey, what's up, shorties? Remember me, the guy who died for your sins? No, not the cat with the beard and sandals... the hot one.
Gabriel: You can't take the trick out of the Trickster.
Gabriel: [entering a Gas 'n' Sip] Ooh, smell that cancer. Delicious!
Gadreel: Good afternoon.
Shopkeeper: [clearly stoned] It's afternoon?
Gadreel: I wonder if I may procure from you the feathers of a griffin.
Shopkeeper: Uh, we got some off-the-menu items, but, uh, this ain't Diagon Alley, man.
Metatron: This is "The Curious Incident", eh, inspector Gregory?
Castiel: Who?
Metatron: Inspector Gregory. Sherlock Holmes.
Castiel: ...
Metatron: "Silver Blaze"?
Castiel: ...
Metatron: You have been around since scaly things crawled out of the muck. Would it have killed you to pick up a book, watch a movie?
Metatron: Here. I know it's a bit of a retcon, but it's gonna make this whole conversation a lot easier. [he presses his fingers to Cass's forehead] I just gave you every book, movie, and TV show I have consumed in the last couple of millennia. Now do you understand that the universe is made up of stories, not atoms?
Castiel: I understand that that's a quote by Muriel Rukeyser.
Gabriel: [after Castiel figures out from the fact that his coat isn't torn that the scenario he's in is a ruse] What gave it all away?
Castiel: My coat was torn earlier today.
Gabriel: Ah, crap. I really hate continuity errors.
Gabriel: Most angels aren't like us, Castiel. They can't handle this whole free-will thing. They're sheep, drones. But us? We're different. We're rebels... one without a cause, one with.
Castiel: I'm just a soldier.
Gabriel: Bitch, please. You've been God more often than Dad has.
Gabriel: I got hurt in the fall, too. Used most of my juice to get back into porn.... that came out wrong.... so did that.
Gadreel: Do you also have fairy bones? It does not matter what realm they were from.
Shopkeeper: Griffins and fairies... the hell you hunting, man?
Gadreel: Family.
Gabriel: I was hiding, Captain Side Eyes, in the safest place in the universe... Heaven. But then you and the other two stooges had to go and ruin Christmas, now, didn't you?
Castiel: Sorry.
Gabriel: Oh, cry me a river. Look, I dropped, I hid, I finally watched Downton Abbey.
Gabriel: I lied before. I never watched Downton Abbey. I was just trying to fit in.
Castiel: So, I assume you faked your own death?
Gabriel: And I assume you weren't let into Mensa while I was gone.
Sam: You want to sneak onto the Death Star, take out the Emperor?
Castiel: Okay I... I'm not sure what a fictional battle station in space has to do with this, but if taking out the emperor means taking out Metatron, I'm on board.
Dean: Wait, did you... did you just understand a Death Star reference?
Castiel: Yeah, I think so. But I don't understand what that has to do with Heaven.
Sam: ...It's halfway, I guess.
Trivia
Ogden, Utah exists; however, neither Bishop's Falls nor Auburn exist in Utah.
When Gadreel asks for griffin feathers in a shop, the shopkeeper tells him "This ain't Diagon Alley." This is a reference to Harry Potter; Diagon Alley is an area full of shops including those that sell magical items.
In the scene where Castiel is talking to Sam and Dean about related crimes, a picture of Jason Fischer (the guy with the glasses) is on the wall. Fischer is a Production Coordinator for the show.
The Supernatural book Metatron puts into the fire is Tall Tales. The episode "Tall Tales" (ep. 3.15) was the first appearance of Gabriel (as the Trickster).
When Cass asks what Gabriel wants from him, Gabriel says, "Your help, Columbo." He's referring to the trenchcoat-wearing detective played by Peter Falk in the murder mystery series Columbo.
Gabriel asks Castiel, "And I assume that you weren't let into Mensa while I was gone." Mensa is an international organization for people with high IQ's.
Castiel asks Gabriel what he's seen since he's been back and Gabriel answers, "After it was raining 'winged' men, Hallelujah?" He is paraphrasing the 1982 dance hit by The Weather Girls, "It's Raining Men".
The music playing while Metatron types is the Rondeau from Jean-Joseph Mouret's "Sinfonies de Fanfare -- Suite de Symphonies" (1729), better known as the theme from the PBS series Masterpiece.
Quotes
Castiel: [to Sam and Dean on his cell phone, looking at a sign in his motel room] Honour bar. What's honourable about a miniature bar in a motel room?
Dean: Everything.
Scantily clad young woman: [on TV] Sometimes, you need a break from the hustle and bustle of city life. #amiright Sometimes, you need #casaerotica. Casa Erotica.
Castiel: ... That's inappropriate
Castiel: I miss my wings. Life on the road... smells.
Gabriel: None of it was real, but all of it was true.
Castiel: Whose truth; yours or Metatron's?
Gabriel: Just hear him out, would you? He's just trying to help you.
Castiel: Really? How?
Gabriel: Sorry... didn't read the whole script, just skimmed for my parts.
Gabriel: [phone message to Sam and Dean] Hey, what's up, shorties? Remember me, the guy who died for your sins? No, not the cat with the beard and sandals... the hot one.
Gabriel: You can't take the trick out of the Trickster.
Gabriel: [entering a Gas 'n' Sip] Ooh, smell that cancer. Delicious!
Gadreel: Good afternoon.
Shopkeeper: [clearly stoned] It's afternoon?
Gadreel: I wonder if I may procure from you the feathers of a griffin.
Shopkeeper: Uh, we got some off-the-menu items, but, uh, this ain't Diagon Alley, man.
Metatron: This is "The Curious Incident", eh, inspector Gregory?
Castiel: Who?
Metatron: Inspector Gregory. Sherlock Holmes.
Castiel: ...
Metatron: "Silver Blaze"?
Castiel: ...
Metatron: You have been around since scaly things crawled out of the muck. Would it have killed you to pick up a book, watch a movie?
Metatron: Here. I know it's a bit of a retcon, but it's gonna make this whole conversation a lot easier. [he presses his fingers to Cass's forehead] I just gave you every book, movie, and TV show I have consumed in the last couple of millennia. Now do you understand that the universe is made up of stories, not atoms?
Castiel: I understand that that's a quote by Muriel Rukeyser.
Gabriel: [after Castiel figures out from the fact that his coat isn't torn that the scenario he's in is a ruse] What gave it all away?
Castiel: My coat was torn earlier today.
Gabriel: Ah, crap. I really hate continuity errors.
Gabriel: Most angels aren't like us, Castiel. They can't handle this whole free-will thing. They're sheep, drones. But us? We're different. We're rebels... one without a cause, one with.
Castiel: I'm just a soldier.
Gabriel: Bitch, please. You've been God more often than Dad has.
Gabriel: I got hurt in the fall, too. Used most of my juice to get back into porn.... that came out wrong.... so did that.
Gadreel: Do you also have fairy bones? It does not matter what realm they were from.
Shopkeeper: Griffins and fairies... the hell you hunting, man?
Gadreel: Family.
Gabriel: I was hiding, Captain Side Eyes, in the safest place in the universe... Heaven. But then you and the other two stooges had to go and ruin Christmas, now, didn't you?
Castiel: Sorry.
Gabriel: Oh, cry me a river. Look, I dropped, I hid, I finally watched Downton Abbey.
Gabriel: I lied before. I never watched Downton Abbey. I was just trying to fit in.
Castiel: So, I assume you faked your own death?
Gabriel: And I assume you weren't let into Mensa while I was gone.
Sam: You want to sneak onto the Death Star, take out the Emperor?
Castiel: Okay I... I'm not sure what a fictional battle station in space has to do with this, but if taking out the emperor means taking out Metatron, I'm on board.
Dean: Wait, did you... did you just understand a Death Star reference?
Castiel: Yeah, I think so. But I don't understand what that has to do with Heaven.
Sam: ...It's halfway, I guess.
Trivia
Ogden, Utah exists; however, neither Bishop's Falls nor Auburn exist in Utah.
When Gadreel asks for griffin feathers in a shop, the shopkeeper tells him "This ain't Diagon Alley." This is a reference to Harry Potter; Diagon Alley is an area full of shops including those that sell magical items.
In the scene where Castiel is talking to Sam and Dean about related crimes, a picture of Jason Fischer (the guy with the glasses) is on the wall. Fischer is a Production Coordinator for the show.
The Supernatural book Metatron puts into the fire is Tall Tales. The episode "Tall Tales" (ep. 3.15) was the first appearance of Gabriel (as the Trickster).
When Cass asks what Gabriel wants from him, Gabriel says, "Your help, Columbo." He's referring to the trenchcoat-wearing detective played by Peter Falk in the murder mystery series Columbo.
Gabriel asks Castiel, "And I assume that you weren't let into Mensa while I was gone." Mensa is an international organization for people with high IQ's.
Castiel asks Gabriel what he's seen since he's been back and Gabriel answers, "After it was raining 'winged' men, Hallelujah?" He is paraphrasing the 1982 dance hit by The Weather Girls, "It's Raining Men".
The music playing while Metatron types is the Rondeau from Jean-Joseph Mouret's "Sinfonies de Fanfare -- Suite de Symphonies" (1729), better known as the theme from the PBS series Masterpiece.
There are lots of angels over the years who we’re told are Castiel’s friends or comrades, but very few he seems to personally care about, much less really like, and almost none he seems to relate to as a sibling. He had that hero worship thing for Anna, but I also liked the connection he tried to make with “Gabriel” and the chance to see why he might respect and follow this particular archangel after his experience with all the others. It’s kind of interesting he seems to, I don’t know, warm up more? to the two angels he seems happy to follow, as opposed to the side he shows angels he’s leading (or fighting.)
I like a lot of metafiction but I find Metatron’s monologues pretty unbearable. Also—and I’m not gonna claim that the show was up to handling this, it Was Not—this guy was introduced as hanging around a tribe in Colorado for thousands of years, which they clearly had no intention of having mean anything, but what nonsense is “every book, movie, and TV show I have consumed in the last couple of millennia” like where to START with this jabroni. The supposed breadth of his appetite and knowledge compared to the incredible narrowness of what he actually seems to know or think about or count as culture is so striking, and not even in a way I can kind of make sense of within the story, it’s just a lack of imagination in a way that bugs me about a lot of the ways angels are laid out in this story. But maybe that means he was not actually hanging around the local tribe annoying the crap out of them that whole time. Also I just want to say for the record I wrote this entire paragraph while Metatron was monologuing and he is still talking.
“That was God’s problem, He published the first draft. You’ve gotta keep at it till you have all your ducks in a row.” Hmmmmmmm.
posted by jameaterblues at 7:00 PM on November 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
I like a lot of metafiction but I find Metatron’s monologues pretty unbearable. Also—and I’m not gonna claim that the show was up to handling this, it Was Not—this guy was introduced as hanging around a tribe in Colorado for thousands of years, which they clearly had no intention of having mean anything, but what nonsense is “every book, movie, and TV show I have consumed in the last couple of millennia” like where to START with this jabroni. The supposed breadth of his appetite and knowledge compared to the incredible narrowness of what he actually seems to know or think about or count as culture is so striking, and not even in a way I can kind of make sense of within the story, it’s just a lack of imagination in a way that bugs me about a lot of the ways angels are laid out in this story. But maybe that means he was not actually hanging around the local tribe annoying the crap out of them that whole time. Also I just want to say for the record I wrote this entire paragraph while Metatron was monologuing and he is still talking.
“That was God’s problem, He published the first draft. You’ve gotta keep at it till you have all your ducks in a row.” Hmmmmmmm.
posted by jameaterblues at 7:00 PM on November 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
I'm a bit surprised that I enjoyed seeing Richard Speight Jr. again as Gabriel. The actor and the character have definitely grown on me.
Metatron "giving" Cas every book, movie, and tv show he's been exposed to "for the last couple of millennia."
Firstly, sure, Angel "brains" must work differently and Metatron could have terrible taste, but that's such a dick move if Angel "brains" work anything like human brains. Like, spoilers and taking away Cas' choice to experience those things on his own in real time for the very first time, probably experiencing those media through Metatron's consciousness rather than his own.
posted by porpoise at 8:06 PM on November 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
Metatron "giving" Cas every book, movie, and tv show he's been exposed to "for the last couple of millennia."
Firstly, sure, Angel "brains" must work differently and Metatron could have terrible taste, but that's such a dick move if Angel "brains" work anything like human brains. Like, spoilers and taking away Cas' choice to experience those things on his own in real time for the very first time, probably experiencing those media through Metatron's consciousness rather than his own.
posted by porpoise at 8:06 PM on November 19, 2021 [1 favorite]
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I agree with Castiel that he's no leader, but he's kidding himself if he thinks he's a soldier. He's very much the lone wolf.
posted by orange swan at 6:03 AM on November 19, 2021 [1 favorite]