Review: Supernatural 6.20 The Man Who Would Be King

In the beginning, everything was so simple and pure..

The bar keeps getting higher and higher. I thought Frontierland was probably the best episode this season. But one week later, Mommy Dearest knocked that down from the number one spot for me. But wait for it… After watching The Man Who Would Be King, I can honestly say this is definitely the best (and my favourite) episode this season. Ben Edlund, writer and director of this episode, pulled this off beautifully, he constructed the episode with style. The vibe of this episode is so Swan Song because of the narration, it's not as epic of course, but still brilliant! The Man Who Would Be King pretty much knock my socks off and I can't get them back on!

Creepy angel watching Dean sweeping leaves

I wanted to give Castiel a hug immediately after watching The Man Who Would Be King. I feel sorry for our nerdy angel. He is not a villain, he is not evil. We have established that already. The saying: "The road to hell paved with good intentions" sums up this episode perfectly.

"Kids, don't do drugs.."

Every now and then, I need some Cas centric episodes. We have seen the backstory of Jimmy Novak in The Rapture, which Misha Collins gave a fantastic performance in telling Jimmy's story. The Man Who Would Be King topped The Rapture. The narrative was a clear winner, not only Edlund did an amazing job on the writing, Misha Collins nailed his performance one more time. His acting is consistent and you know you won't be disappointed because the guy is that brilliant. I feel this episode highlights the fact that it is Castiel's time to shine. Here is why...

Ok so.. Cas screwed up, his desperation clouded his judgement, he made a mistake. On one hand, he is confused. But on the other hand, he knows what he is doing -- he is holding the line. The argument is, if he didn't do what he did, Michael and Lucifer would have already been freed from the cage, the apocalypse would have been back on the agenda in no time. It would have been season five all over again. Is he wrong? WWDD? What would Dean do? Working with the devil is never ok. If crap happens, we'll deal with it.

"Where were you when I needed you the most?"

It was so so sad to see Cas' narrating his journey to the darkside. He should have asked Dean for help; he shouldn't have lied; he shouldn't have done many things. But again, this is the penultimate test for Cas. Like the one for Clark Kent before becomes Superman. He needs no darkness in him, he needs no more confusion, he needs peace and he needs his Lois Lane. In retrospect, I think season six has been a season for Cas, we just didn't know it until now. Perhaps it was a test from God before he can hand over heaven to Cas. God needs a darkness-free angel to lead other angels.

Or perhaps the end of the world is still inevitable, I won't be surprised if Michael and Lucifer are back on the card for season seven. If Cas listens to Dean, and stops working with Crowley, the door of Purgatory might remain shut but we still have Crowley and Raphael to deal with. Not to mention archangel Raphael is a heavy weight. Cas is right, there is no way he could win the fight -- not physically, not tactically. But it could be a brilliant Supernatural's very own version of David vs Goliath. The 41:11 minute episode was not enough to include every answer we've been dying for. What will happen to Cas? What will happen to the Dean and Cas friendship? What will happen to everyone? What would Rob (I mean God) want Cas to do? It's not the Supernatural style if fans are not tortured during the hellatus, right? Yes, I am already bracing myself for the hellatus. I am prepared for anything that has 'crap' written over it.

Other thoughts on the episodes…

Crowley aka Mark Sheppard was awesome as usual. I thought the on-screen chemistry between the two actors (Misha and Mark) was brilliant. I seriously enjoyed the two heavy-weight actors exchanging dialogues. Crowley is getting better and better in the writing department. Every word that comes out of the writer's keyboard is brilliant. I love the fact that Crowley is wearing black and Cas is wearing light brown. Love the contrast.

I love Ben Edlund's interpretation of Hell. It's very Supernatural. It's something new and creative.

Family and friends keep you real. I like how Cas is himself again when he goes saving the Winchesters and Bobby, I like how he subconsciously knows that the only thing that would save him from going dark is his friends.

Dean is obviously heart-broken. Cas is like a brother to him. Dean never leaves anyone behind, but will Dean give up on Cas just like that? I think Dean cares too much to give up on Cas. I think it's season four finale all over again, Cas will come around and be the hero he's meant to be. I like how Cas paid more attention to Dean's expression and reaction during his spy time. Obviously Cas cares about Dean a lot, because they have a special bond. Dean is his hero, Cas wants to make him proud, and I hope he will listen to Dean. Please listen to him!!

I love all the Superman references. I love the writing. I love the vision of Ben Edlund. I love the flashbacks. I love the narration. I love how Edlund captured Cas' sadness and confusion. Edlund had good materials and talent to work with, but he did an amazing amazing job! Here is an interview of him talking about the episode and the directing.

This episode is the reason why I love Supernatural so much. The quality of the writing, the acting and everything is better than so much crap on TV that are watched by millions by default. Good job everyone! You are my heroes and you continue to inspire me.

And now we wait for the season finale. We will have a one week break due to the Smallville series finale on May 15. Supernatural returns on May 20 with 6.21 & 22 (aka the season finale). After this promo for Supernatural 6.21 & 22, I'll be on lockdown.



I know I will be crying all week, not only Supernatural is going into hellatus (at least it's coming back for season seven), but it's also the end of Smallville. It's on my to-blog list, stay tuned for my Smallville write-up.