Review: Revisiting Supernatural 8x23: “Sacrifice”
Written by Jeremy Carver
Directed by Phil Sgriccia
The second half of the eighth season recovered significantly, deepening the series’ lore and mythology in a way that recalled the latter days of the original Kripke Era. This season finale might have capped everything off, but in a way, it demonstrates that everything we’ve seen since “As Time Goes By” is essentially a prelude to the ninth season.
The Brothers Winchester, having made some very bad decisions in the previous episode, realize that the best way to stop Crowley is to “cure” him as the final trial to close the gates of Hell. Why they didn't think of this before is a great question, but at least they got there in the end. (Though I still wonder why they assume the special exorcism will work with the most powerful demons around.)
Meanwhile, Castiel is still working with Metatron on the Angel Trials, presumably to close the gates of Heaven. When Team Free Will gets their hands on the Angel Tablet, it occurs to them to have Kevin check to ensure that Metatron is telling the truth. (This never crossed Castiel’s mind when the trials involved killing someone?) Of course, by the time they figure out that things aren’t adding up, Metatron is in the perfect position to finish his gambit against the angels.
Get John Keegan’s stories in your inbox
Join Medium for free to get updates from this writer.
While overall I like this episode, it suffers a bit from some odd plot choices. We’ve been following Sammy’s journey through the trials for quite some time, and this episode sets up the final trial rather well. Wasn’t it fairly obvious that the trials were going to involve his (apparent) death? Wasn’t that something Dean assumed from the beginning, when he was ready to undertake the trials himself? So why is it such a shocking revelation for Dean, so much so that he begs Sammy to give up the trials and “find another way”?
It’s all very anticlimactic, to say the least. And I’m not sure Sam would have decided to drop the trials, even given everything that Dean said. Sam had confessed his sins (or at least his regrets), he felt purified for the first time in his life, and he was literally on the last step. Sam had already argued that no matter what, closing the gates of Hell (and potentially Heaven) was a pretty good day for them. I just feel like it needed something more than Dean finally letting out his emotions.
Speaking of the final trial, the preparation for the final exorcism seemed to have a humanizing effect on Crowley. He’s been a stone cold villain all season long, and it’s been great to see. I had forgotten how effective he was as the King of Hell. Not only am I hoping that canceling the third trial will have a lingering effect on Sam, but I hope it continues to mess with Crowley. Especially now that he has serious competition in the form of Abaddon.
Abaddon’s appearance in the episode is a bit disappointing, however. She is supposed to be nearly indomitable, but Sam forces her out of the church fairly easily. With her power level, she should have been able to wipe the floor with Sam and Crowley and take firm control of Hell in about five minutes.
During this rewatch, I’ve noted that the writers seem to understand that Castiel is an important part of the successful mix of lead characters, and yet, they often seem to have no idea what to do with him. This season was a bit better than some earlier seasons, and now that he has lost his grace and been rendered human, I’m eager to see how well it is handled. I don’t remember many details of the Carver Era, but I do remember it was my second favorite stretch of the series for a reason.
The end of the episode, with the angels falling from Heaven, is an iconic moment for the series. I remember being shocked when the episode first aired. It made me feel like all bets were off and the next season could literally be about anything. It’s rare for a series to be that far into its run and still delivering huge surprises.
