The theme of brothers and family was once again front and center in this episode.

Airdate: Friday, May 6, 2011 9PM

The demon you know and the angel you thought you knew. There’s apparently a very good reason God didn’t bestow freedom of choice upon his heavenly hosts: they don’t make very good choices. Luckily for Supernatural fans, writer and director Ben Edlund made some wonderful visual and narrative choices in this week’s Cas-centric episode, “The Man Who Would Be King.” This was Edlund’s first opportunity to direct Supernatural, and because of his background in comics, I was expecting a visually innovative episode. I wasn’t disappointed.

Finally, in “The Man Who Would Be King” we learn what Cas (Misha Collins) has been doing all season. The episode is structured very much like the “Then” montage that begins every episode, providing bits and pieces of the story. This time the “Then” moves the viewer through all of history. However, it starts from the beginning of life on earth to major events in human history – told with Edlund’s usual comic turn, with a series of clips from old “B” movies – and ends with Cas’ story.

Misha Collins as Castiel

Collins turns in a wonderful performance. His voice-over is heartbreaking as he is forced to acknowledge all of his good intentions have been for naught and that hindsight is truly 20/20. As he falls prey to human foibles, Collins’ performance incorporates increasingly “human” expressions – we see Cas smile, for instance, as he makes the fatal mistake of joking that he isn’t a dark Superman, thus revealing he was eavesdropping on Sam (Jared Padalecki), Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Bobby (Jim Beaver). It is telling that the episode title is “The Man Who Would Be King,” (emphasis on “Man”) making me wonder what may yet be in store for Castiel. The final scene, in which Cas calls upon God for guidance, is the most powerful of the episode as Cas is subjected to the doubt inherent in all who must make difficult decisions.

Throughout the episode, Castiel keeps repeating that his actions have been to protect the brothers, but finally recognizes that he’s been keeping secrets to protect himself. The loss of family and friends is a running theme in Supernatural; what Castiel is really afraid of losing are his friends. Ackles delivers a strong performance, subtley conveying Dean’s inner battle: he wants to believe in his friend so badly, he’s willing for once to deny the evidence right in front of him. He repeatedly gives Cas every opportunity to tell him the truth. The depth of his betrayal, and Ackles’ strongest scene, comes at the end of the episode when he tells Cas he’s like a brother to him and asks Cas to simply trust him on that alone, but Cas can’t do it.

Dean struggles to come to terms with Castiel's betrayal.

Fans were offended by last week’s episode when Dean referred to Castiel as “a baby in a trench coat,” yet certainly in dealing with free will, Cas is a baby. Like a child who has told too many lies, and like the people who built the 37-foot Tower of Bable from dry dung that Cas mocks at the beginning of the episode, he has no idea how to extricate himself from the plans he’s put in motion. Cas is really no different than the other angels who he describes as having no idea what to do with their freedom: “Teaching angels about freedom is like teaching poetry to fish.”

Crowley, played once again to perfection by Mark Sheppard, is quick to jump on and exploit Cas’ weaknesses. He’s told us time and again that he is the consummate salesman, and he easily sells Cas on his deal, using the Winchesters – Dean in particular –  as both the bait and the stick. He separates Cas from the Winchesters even as he preys on Cas’s sense of responsibility for them. Sheppard’s facial expressions are subtle when he’s manipulating another character and are a wonderful contrast to the scenes in which Crowley gives full rein to his passions.

There are a number of great lines in the episode, including Dean calling Sam “Lois Lane,” and a great long-suffering look from Sam in response. Padalecki has little to do in this episode, but Sam’s sympathy for his brother and Sam’s own horror that Cas might have intentionally brought him out of hell without his soul are powerful scenes.

Jim Beaver - from "Supernatural" and "Deadwood," as Ellesworth.

One of my favorite scenes is a nod to Deadwood. The brothers and Bobby go after the demon collecting for Crowley, who is described as Bobby’s demon counterpart, complete with trucker hat, vest and a collection of phones – and his name is Ellesworth – the name of the character Beaver played on Deadwood.

Cas begins and ends the episode in his version of heaven. When he first returns to heaven, it is an “eternal Tuesday afternoon of an autistic man” in a warm, sunny garden. But while Cas is recounting his tale, it is a cold and snowy landscape. Heaven has ceased to be a haven for our angel. As with most Supernatural episodes, much of the action takes place in darkly lit spaces. Heaven is notably brighter. We are also treated to Edlund’s version of Hell – an eternal line to which there is no real point. Pain, Crowley explains, would be a pleasure to the many masochists sent to Hell and nobody likes waiting in line.

Hell for many fans may be the two week wait until the finale on May 20^th.

Tune in to the two-hour Supernatural finale on May 20^th at 8/7c on The CW. For more on the show, visit http://www.cwtv.com/shows/supernatural.

All photos ©2011 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

[imagebrowser id=40]