Next:Supernatural S 10 E 15 The Things They Carried
Recap of Supernatural
Season 10, Episode 14:
The Executioner's Song
- “I’m saving you from your fate. Has it never occurred to you? Have you never mused upon the fact that you’re living my life in reverse? My story began when I killed my brother, and that’s where your story inevitably will end.”-Cain to Dean
Written by Robert Berens
Directed by Phil Sgriccia
Airdate: February 17, 2015
Sam and Dean travel to West, Livingston, Texas,
to investigate the disappearance of a serial killer from his locked cell on death row.
Body Count:
For this episode: 1 human and 1 demon.
For the series so far = At least 1110 angels, 1088 humans (of which 9 were witches), 179 demons, 62 vampires, 50 ghosts, 36 Jefferson Starships, 22 gods, 19 zombies, 12 werewolves, 10 hellhounds, 7 shapeshifters, 7 skinwalkers, 6 changelings, 5 djinn, 5 reapers, 4 dogs, 4 ghouls, 4 Leviathan, 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 appearing in this episode:
- Alliterative Name: Tommy Tolliver.
- And Your Little Dog, Too!: Tommy Tolliver makes a probably empty threat toward a death row guard's wife.
- Back for the Dead: Cain shows up after Season 9 for the first time and does not make it past this episode.
- Biblical Bad Guy: Cain, the first born of Adam and Eve
- Chekhov's Gun:
- Tommy's white sneakers with TDJC printed on the rubber soles.
- The Rune of Amaranth Rowena wanted to use on her rival ends up being used against Cain.
- Death Row: Tommy Tolliver is scheduled to be executed for murdering 6 women, and is held on death row in the Polunsky Unit in West Livingston, Texas.
- The Descendants of Cain: Turns out that Cain is hunting down and killing his descendants which amount to about 10% of the of the entire world's population. He believes that his bloodline is tainted and the world is better off without them.
- Disproportionate Retribution: A demon asks Crowley to be more fairly rewarded for his good services. Rowena suggests that he should be cut in two and having his halves nailed to the doors of the court as a reminder to not waste the king's time. Crowley approves.
- Eye Open: The teaser opens with a close up focusing in on Tom's open left eye as a Single Tear drops from the corner of his eye.
- Homoerotic Subtext: Cain mentions that Dean is going to live his life in reverse, killing Crowley, then Castiel then Sam like like he himself first killed his brother Abel, then his wife Colette then bad guys. Jared Padalecki confirmed that the parralel between Colette and Castiel was intentional!
- Then there's this priceless exchange in a deleted scene:
Crowley: Sure. The clock’s ticking again, isn’t it? So heroic. Running errands all over the U.S., burning through that rather finite supply of grace, all in a desperate effort to save your boyfriend.
Castiel: What about you, Crowley? Dropping everything, bringing the first blade - surely it cost you something to be here. Maybe he’s your boyfriend.
Crowley: Not my type. - I Have Many Names: Cain.
- Cain: I’ve gone by many names in this life. The Father of Murder is one of them.
- I Lied: A heroic example, as Dean hands the Blade to Castiel instead of Crowley, to whom he had promised it. Then he gloats that he lied about Crowley being on Cain's kill list. With Crowley falling under his mother's sway this looks to bite the Winchesters in the ass.
- Mercy Kill: How Cain see his crimes. "Did I come to punish you or save you?Well... The truth is, Tommy... I'm here to do both". Later he invokes this to Dean claiming he will spare him the horrible fate awaiting him.
- Nose Nuggets: Tommy uses a twisted tissue to pick his nose while taunting the guard.
- Offing the Offspring: Cain returns to killing by going on a killing spree of his own descendants.
- Product Placement: Guanaco Truck.
- "The Reason You Suck" Speech: Rowena gives one to her son about how he's less the king of hell and more the Winchesters' bitch.
- Serial Killer
- Tattooed Crook: Tommy has a tattoo of barbed wire around his arm with a bull. The barbed wire tattoo is often associated with prison. The bull may be a symbol of sacrifice, symbolizing his execution as a form of atonement.
- Themed Aliases: Sam and Dean pose as Inspectors Moore and Renaldo, as in 2 of the guitarists from Sonic Youth.
