Recap of Supernatural
Season 9, Episode 14:
Captives
Directed by Jerry Wanek.
Air Date: February 25, 2014.
After receiving directions from an earthbound spirit, Sam and Dean search for Mrs. Tran. Meanwhile, Castiel is taken to meet with Bartholomew.
Body Count:
For this episode: 3 angels, 2 demons, and 5 humans.
For the series so far = At least 1090 angels, 998 humans (of which 8 were witches), 162 demons, 51 vampires, 49 ghosts, 36 Jefferson Starships, 21 gods, 19 zombies, 10 hellhounds, 9 werewolves, 7 skinwalkers, 6 changelings, 5 djinn, 5 shapeshifters, 4 dogs, 4 ghouls, 4 Leviathan, 4 reapers, 2 Amazons, 2 arachnes, 2 kitsunes, 2 rugarus, 2 Thule, 2 vetalas, 1 cat, 1 crocotta, 1 deer, 1 dragon, 1 fairy, 1 familiar, 1 Khan worm, 1 lamia, the Mother of All, 1 okami, 1 phoenix, 1 pishtaco, 1 Purgatory creature, 1 rakshasa, 1 rawhead, 1 shojo, 1 shtriga, 1 siren, 1 Titan, 1 wendigo, 1 whore of Babylon, 1 wicked witch, and 1 wraith.
Tropes
- Backstab Backfire: After Castiel spares him and starts to walk off, Bartholomew tries to stab him in the back, resulting in this trope.
- Book Ends: The episode begins and ends with Dean listening to music on his bed.
- The Bus Came Back: Ms. Tran, who turns out to be alive and in Crowley's captivity. She's then immediately Put on a Bus again along with Kevin's ghost.
- Call-Back: Human souls aren't making it to Heaven and are trapped in the veil ever since Metatron closed the gates of Heaven in the season eight finale.
- Cold-Blooded Torture: Bartholomew tortures and kills the last surviving member of the pacifist angel faction.
- Continuity Nod: The storage place where Mrs. Tran and Candy were held was a Castle Storage building. Castle Storage previously appeared in "Bad Day at Black Rock" (S03, E03), "Sympathy For the Devil" (S05, E01), "The Man Who Knew Too Much" (S06, E22), "Heaven Can't Wait" (S09, E06), and "First Born" (S09, E11).
- Electromagnetic Ghosts: Par for the course in Supernatural, the lights flicker and Kevin is able to make the numbers change on the coffee machine. The Winchesters then make use of this trope by bringing both the coffee machine and a radio in an attempt to make contact with Candy. Candy is then able to speak to them through the radio.
- Ghostly Goals: Kevin returns as a ghost and wants his mother found.
- If I Wanted You Dead...: Bartholomew to Castiel when the latter suspects him.
- Ignored Epiphany: Kevin asks Sam and Dean to get over their argument. Dean is willing, but Sam walks away, ignoring Dean after Kevin leaves.
- Just Following Orders: Bartholomew was asked to kill captives from Raphael's loyalists. Del invokes this reason to Linda as well.
- Killed Off for Real: Bartholomew. Self-defense by Castiel.
- Outliving One's Offspring: Sam can't quite bring himself to tell Linda Tran about Kevin's death, but his silence tells her all she needs to know.
- Reluctant Warrior/Technical Pacifist: Castiel has had enough of the angels killing each other and refuses to kill Bartholomew even when he has the latter at knifepoint. He then does kill Bartholomew when the latter attacks him again almost immediately. His actions impress the other angels though, and a small group comes to follow him by the episode's end.
- Villains Want Mercy: Del begs Linda to spare him as he was just following Crowley's orders. It does not work.
- We Can Rule Together: Bartholomew invites Castiel to join his faction, believing that together, the two of them will be unstoppable. Considering that his tactics involve the torture and murder of pacisfistic angels, Castiel isn't thrilled by the offer.
- You Are Better Than You Think You Are: Castiel states that he's nothing, and says he's not a leader when another angel offers to follow him near the episode's end. The other angel tells him he is a leader, and multiple angels arrive to join him.
