5.19 "Hammer Of The Gods" review

1. It reads like an Andersen’s fairy tale: 7 days of the week or 12 months of the year gather at their annual summit.

2. The teaser reminds me of a corresponding scene from “Lucifer Rising”: a cop with a flashlight roaming around a murky warehouse and getting killed. Also: in the previous episode we learnt that the angels had restored “the beautiful room” first seen in 4.22 from an old factory in California, and, likewise, pagan gods in this episode put this battered hotel into mint condition again.

3. Guys, where are your smart brains? Don’t you see it’s a bad omen staying in a hotel named “Elysian Fields” (that is, land of the heroic dead, according to Greek mythology), so what it’s so posh? Dean, you read “The Odyssey”, you should know.

4. The hotel’s advertising slogan is “Welcome to Paradise” – it’s the second Paradise the boys have visited in a few months, and both proved to be dangerous.

5. “What are you, 12?” Dean’s perking up at the sight of the kissing newlyweds. By the way, “12” (as in “12-year-old girls”) seems to be a frequent number in the show.

6. Pies! Dean steals a berry from the cake – he is a 12-yead old. And come to think of it: he’s trying to pick up a literal goddess. Man, you know she’s not your type.

7. Yeah, Dean, go back to Sammy, that’s where you belong.

8. In between the two episodes the guys have done a lot of investigation – in 12 states – but found nothing. But tonight there’s a whole bunch of monsters for ya!

9. Sam takes his unsleeping habits from Dean. And when did Dean ever care about being in the shape to fight? Admit, you just like this place bristling with Asian beauties too much to leave it so soon.

10. Chocolates! Red bedsheets! The just married couple next door indulging in sex. How slashy. I mean, inviting.

11. Some angry sex they are having. Except that it’s not even sex.

12. The wedding ring on the floor. I sniff Horsemen coming soon?

13. Boys, you are completely disgracing yourselves with your voyeuristic questions about the horny couple.

14. Ha, what brilliantly embarrassed faces Sam and Dean are making after they’ve turned away from the reception desk guy.

15. It’s such an Agatha Christie sequence. Posh hotels, spying over staff, mysterious corridors.

16. Is this a darts again, like in “Swap Meat”? No? Why do all these monster people love to abuse poor Sammy’s neck?

17. Dean! It’s an elephant! Where’s the power of your observation? Ah, here it is. Man, you’re a total Peeping Tom today. Mmm, why didn’t they give you a chance to ogle some hot Asian chick in a towel instead?

18. Oops, guys, the hotel doors go “The Real Ghostbusters” on you again. And it’s more than a few spooky kids you’re up against this time.

19. I adore the way Sam cautiously leans down to look through the meatlocker’s peep hole – and then BAM! – the scared hostages are scary – no wonder he’s dropped these lockpicks to the floor.

20. The boys get to be captive guests at the gods’ party. Wow.

21. I love how these heathen gods are presented – Odin the Northern-looking, grey-haired man in a jacket with furry collar and lapels, Mercury (who seems to model himself on the bartender from “Shining”) the sly and quick dapper fellow, Kali the Destroyer the threatening, dark Indian woman in red dress, Baldur the definitely beautiful (if not particularly Scandinavian) young gentleman.

22. Gods here are a cornucopia of epochs and countries, from Roman to old Norse to Asian, but none are American. How come the New World did not produce gods of its own yet? Mercury, as behooves a highly cultured Roman god, is the most reasonable of them, but more often than not they are completely clueless. They don’t stick to the agenda and schedule of their convention and bicker like kids over who’s cooler. It’s a beautiful metaphor of how messed up the relationship between world religions is. One true god or many gods, heathen or Christian, you would rather pick up holes in each other’s opinions than rule the planet properly, your majesties.

23. “…the elephant in the room… not you” – it’s very clever how the show visualizes and literalizes idioms – cf. “clap” from “The Curious Case…”.

24. It’s an excellent remote muting device Gabriel has got. I bet Sam and Dean wouldn’t mind learning how to use his “Shut Up, Morons” gadget to, you know, sometimes apply it to each other. Cf. “Changing Channels” where the archangel used almost the same technique on Castiel who was obviously going to reveal to the boys the Trickster’s true identity – nice continuity. 

25. It’s interesting that, despite their quibbles, gods from different religions can form romantic relationships with each other (Kali/Gabriel, Kali/Baldur). So, peace is still possible, your majesties?

26. And what do you heathens want to do with these sulky Vessels round here? Cancel the Apocalypse, Westerners, or we will destroy these two?

27. Guys, now that you know you’re invulnerable until the Christian apocalypse, why worry for your life at all?

28. Wow, Secret Double (literally) Agent Gabriel is here to help the boys? Why? Since when? I guess, he’s always had a soft spot for them, only showed it in perverse ways, with all those practical jokes.

29. These are some cannibalistic gods. But Dean is a True Servant of the Lord, so he can kill them like nobody’s business.

30. An unashamedly camp Gabriel says he’s the “Costner to your Houston”. The boys in his charge might not be soul divas, but, hell, they are soul mates…

31. Another gay reference (this and the previous episode are unusually heavy on them): Gabriel’s “Lucifer and Michael are gonna dance the lambada” – you know what filthy pictures you put in minds of billions of fans, Gabe? Also: Dean and Gabriel’s exchange: “Bite me, Gabriel” –“Maybe later, big boy”.

32. Gabriel, some women are trickier than even the Trickster. And what, Kali’s witchcraft even works on archangels?

33. Gabriel is filthy. “Wings like Kotex”.

34. Even archangels seem to be death-unproof but we’ve accustomed so much to angels’ deaths on this show already that it comes as no surprise.

35. “All right, you primitive screwheads, listen up”. Oh, that was rude, Dean. Ha, and the gods didn’t even punish him.

36. Still, I don’t quite get it – do they want Lucifer here or don’t they? And if yes, then how are they supposed to summon him? Dean, you don’t own Lucifer’s phone number by any chance?

37. Where does “billions” of pagan gods live when they are not holding conventions? Valhallas?  Elysian Fields? And what do they eat? 

38. “It takes one to know one”. Dean, you never knew you had so much in common with Gabriel. Joker mask covering deep family concerns – this similarity may well be the reason behind all your passionate mutual hatred before.

39. “I can’t kill my brother” – “Can’t or you won’t?” Dean, like you can. So give him sympathy, archangel or not. By the way, these words feel like a scary holdover from “Point Of No Return”, as if Dean’s still determined to fight his brother if there’s no other way.

40. Sam, these pagan gods have shown transformation, telekinesis, great physical strength and sniper skills, but are you sure it’s in their power to remove the sigils from your ribs? And also: Lucifer has proved he can find you even with the sigils on, so if he didn’t show up yet maybe he just doesn’t bother?

41. Ha, the polite and reasonable Mercury, while Asian and Scandinavian blokes were eating and Kali and Baldur making plans, the clever and sneakily sly god that he is, called Lucifer himself. Like, Mr. Lucifer, sorry to bother you, but we’ve got these two pretty boys around and, I’m afraid, my fellow gods are about to kill them unless you come.

42. It’s so ironic. It’s almost as if Lucifer (unlike Michael who doesn’t care if his vessel is in danger) comes to rescue his Darling Sammy. Like, you ever touch a hair on the guy’s head I’ll off you all. Which he pretty much does. By the way, in the previous episode Zachariah used the same scheme the pagan gods employed here.

43. It’s the first time we see Lucifer in his full angry action mode. Is there anyone Lucifer loves or at least likes? He hates everybody – demons, humans, heathen gods. If he wins, he’ll have no one to rule, then. But most of all he must hate himself. 

44. Sam, Dean, no need to be afraid – if there’s anyone whom Lucifer won’t kill, it’s you. By the way, why does Lucifer leave Dean be (cf. “Abandon All Hope”) while he could have destroyed him and made his way to the world dominance much easier (no need to fight Michael)? Michael, also, resurrects Sam in “The Song Remains The Same”. Maybe Lucifer realizes it would be much harder to get Sam’s consent if he harms his brother? Or, even more importantly, perhaps he and Michael follow the destiny written in the stars for them that says either of the two can only gain the upper hand through the one-to-one battle? And that is the big difference between the archangel brothers and the Winchesters – Sam and Dean’s motto is “screw destiny”.

45. Kali beautifully externalizes her anger at Lucifer having impaled Baldur by graphically sending flames across her arms, and throwing a ball of fire into Lucifer. But the fire rolls off Lucifer like water. It’s his element and weapon, after all, and even in his wrong vessel he can’t be harmed by it (unlike Michael in 5.22). If only all these women whom Lucifer, with the help of his demons, burnt on the ceiling were like Kali…

46. Though Gabriel is Lucifer’s junior he definitely is the “Dean” of the family. He acts towards Lucifer like Dean acts towards Sam (calling him “Lucy” and all). Note: no other archangel has a pet name.      

  

47. Gabriel’s motivated no less by the desire to save his ex-lover, Kali. And Lucifer is a misogynist: he thinks Gabriel falling for a woman (so what she’s a goddess) and being ready to risk his life for her is a weakness.

48. “Daddy was mean to me, so I'm gonna smash up all his toys”. “We know the truth. Dad loved you best. More than Michael, more than me”. “So this is all just one big temper tantrum. Time to grow up”. So, according to Gabriel, Lucifer is a victim of sibling jealousy?

49. Note how brotherhood is simultaneously a source of the biggest offense in Lucifer’s life as well as something that might possibly save him – the only time something human surfaces in him is when he realizes he’ll have to destroy Gabriel: he even asks him to stop and not make him “do this”. And when he does kill Gabriel, Lucifer chokes a sob, and you see he’s horrified for a moment by what he’s done.

50. Meta moment wrapped up in a meta moment: Gabriel in “Casa Erotica 13”. It’s like a slash fanfic following “Changing Channels” (that with the guys in a porn movie) coming twistedly true.

51. The Trickster has been one of the nastiest monsters on the boys’ trail but in the end proved to be the one who gave them the major clue to their biggest mystery.

52. “I was afraid to stand up to my brother, not anymore. So this is me, standing up… And this is me, lying down” (=dying in a battle). Sinister pun here of which Gabriel is the master.

53. Was it possible to kill Lucifer with the archangel’s sword? Maybe it took an archangel, too, to kill him with it? Confusing.

54. How does Gabriel know about the keys to the Cage and Lucifer doesn’t? Also, why is this 4-part key hidden with Lucifer’s servants, the Horsemen? Who gave them these rings? And do Horsemen know about the power to their rings? They unleash evil with the help of their rings, and four evils put together pave the way into the evil’s trap?

55. The last scene with Pestilence’s arrival in his green “SIKN TRD” car is repulsive. Poor drugstore guy. And the flies – shudder. Guys. You’d better get some more booster shots now.

 

56. Gabriel has looked into the future, then why won’t he tell them how it all ends? Why can’t he or Castiel teleport the guys to the future so that Dean could at least try to change it?

57. Re Michael and Lucifer stubbornly wanting exactly these two vessels: it’s a very folkloric idea – a hero can’t get away with any weapon or horse but needs a special, one true one that he has to find (somewhere in a hidden place and under locks), the one that would be equal to his strength. So Michael and Lucifer don’t need any vessels but their “destined” Sam and Dean only (cf. how a synonym for Michael’s vessel is “Michael’s sword” (=weapon).

58. Finally, a cringeworthy Supernatural Soap:

Lucifer: Please, Sammy, will you marry me? Here have a ring. 

Sam: Maybe.

Lucifer: Does it mean “yes” or “no”?

Sam: We’ll see. By the way, I think we need the other pair of rings for… our brothers. Bring me these Horsemen’s rings. Please.

Lucifer: And will you say “yes” to me, then?

Sam: Oh, I will. Promise. *smirks gleefully*