Bad Moon Arising

Episode Commentary: “Dark Side of the Moon”

Sam and Dean are dead – again as fellow hunters who blame them for the apocalypse shoot them in the head. For any other show this would be the killing shot, but for the Winchester boys who’ve been annihilated more times than you can shake a stick at only leaves Dean to say “when I get back I’m going to be pissed.” Meanwhile Castiel pulls a “Knight Rider” as he informs Dean that he and Sam are in heaven and must reconnect with Sam as they seem to be reliving the best part of their lives.

As the brothers reunite, Castiel with a sense of urgency sends Sam and Dean on a quest to find Joshua who talks to God. With a tinge of bitterness and unwitting, dry wit Castiel reminds them that he is not able to return to heaven and that it might be a good idea to find out what God’s been up to. After all they’re in the middle of Armageddon.

The road to find Joshua is paved with memories of the past as Sam realizes “just how long [Dean] has been cleaning up [their] Dad’s messes.” One thing about this episode is that one person’s heaven is another person’s hell as Sam’s memories bring back more pain for Dean. On a side note Castiel warned them to stay away from the light so Zachariah won’t send them back to their bodies. So what do our heroes do – “[run] from angels, on foot, in heaven . . . . with that quick thinking it’s a wonder [they] haven’s stopped the apocalypse.” Just when they’re about to be “ripped a new one” an old friend gives them safety.

As they learn that in the Big Guy’s house there are many rooms, their old friend Ash who is now fluent in Enochian and is a technical genius, helps them figure out their next move. They also meet another old friend – Pamela. She tries to convince Dean to do something for the greater good and be the vessel for the Archangel Michael. What everyone doesn’t seem to understand is that if the angels get their way they’ll wipe out humanity from existence – regardless of their mortality status.

As Zachariah deals with his middle-management issues, Joshua pulls rank as he reminds him how God is “with that whole wrath thing.” This episode is filled with allusions to what heaven is supposed to mean and the ultimate question of why do bad things happen to good people, as God refuses to intervene as a Deux ex Machina. This time Sam and Dean need to be who they are and have faith and hope in themselves. This time around as they’re resurrected they also go back with their memories intact. It’s a painful lesson for the Winchester boys which also leaves Castiel broken.

Now how are they going to stop the end of the world?

In the next episode as everyone reels from the previous episode’s revelations, like Jay-Z the Winchesters have “99 Problems,” but in their case a woman is one as Leah turns a small town of hunters into her own battle royal.