‘Supernatural’ Recap: ‘Golden Time’

Written by Juanita ‘Obi-Juan’ Bonner

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...

Revisit episode 15.05, ‘Proverbs 17:3’, right here.
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Most of us in the real world have little to no insight as to what our future holds, but if you’re a Winchester, you often know more about what’s coming than the average human. Some say that knowing is half the battle, particularly when it comes to trouble. However, it seems that no matter how you look at this final season, the hits just keep on coming for Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles). That’s why this fan was thankful that 15.06: ‘Golden Time’ turned out to be a win not only for the boys, but for Castiel (Misha Collins) too! Let’s discuss…

Following their showdown with Lilith (Anna Grace Barlow) and the big reveal that Chuck (Rob Benedict) is still out there, we find Sam and Dean back at the bunker licking their wounds. Sam, trying to stay in the fight, is searching for signs of God or Lilith. Bless his heart!! Dean, on the other hand, is roaming in his pajamas, eating kids’ cereal (LOL!) and enjoying Scooby Doo marathons. I mean… can you blame him? They’ve been through so much at this point and like rats in a maze, they seem to be almost right back where they started. **Sigh**

Considering that the episode opens in Rowena’s (Ruth Connell) apartment, I was hopeful the apparition Sam senses in the bunker and confronts when he’s running, was going to be her. Maybe with some secret information only she knows. A spell to bring her back or to locate God perhaps? But that would be too predictable for our seasoned writers. So instead we see a familiar face appear; Eileen Leahy (Shoshannah Stern). Not Rowena, but a nice surprise none the less, right? Dragged to hell by the hellhound that killed her, where else would a Legacy go for help, but to our beloved boys!

Dean doesn’t hold back on the bad news that Eileen cannot get into Heaven now that she’s been to Hell, because yep, he’s all out of f@%ks to give. Same, dude. Same!! Good news is, at the very least, Sam can cast a spell to place Eileen in a Soul Catching Crystal, which I guess is better than roaming the earth until she goes crazy as she mentions there’s no ghost handbook. Beetlejuice comes to mind immediately… LOL! But even better, when Sam and Eileen visit Rowena’s apartment, a spell for resurrection is discovered. NICE!! A bittersweet moment since Rowena had actually been working on this spell for Mary Winchester (Samantha Smith), I was happy to see it won’t go to waste. Besides, I actually love that we’re seeing so many loose ends being addressed. It gives us fans such joy to know the writers care about these characters just as much as we do, and everything they’re doing here, really does add excitement and anticipation for everything that is still to come. However, I wouldn’t be a true fan if I didn’t point out that Kevin Tran (Osric Chau) is still roaming the earth as a ghost. Will he be resurrected or least admitted into Heaven before it’s all said and done? As I noted in 15.02: ‘Raising Hell’, If anyone deserves to go to Heaven, it’s definitely Kevin freaking Tran!! In fact, and even better, a resurrection would be delightful and quite just, no?

On the flip side of our story, Castiel, or should I say Agent Clarence Worley (a lovely nod to our beloved demon Meg AND Christian Slater in True Romance!!), ends up working his own case while laying low in Wyoming. After a drained body turns up in the lake, Cas ends up helping a concerned mother find her missing son Caleb (Sean Quan). In the process he discovers the cause of the disappearances – a Djinn, one of my favorite monsters to date, hiding in plain site as Sheriff Alden Roy. Also in this B-side, Cas still needs help from the boys when the Sherriff questions his authority and asks if there’s a supervisor he can speak to. Cas gives him an FBI cell number at the bunker. Dean answers as an FBI Director (aww Bobby!!) and immediately asks the Sherriff to put the “agent” on the phone. He tells Cas that Sam’s been trying to call and lets him know that Chuck’s back. And before hanging up on Cas, Dean rudely tells him to check his messages. The conversation is short, in more ways than one, giving way to the obvious tension between the two. Yikes!! We also get to see that Castiel’s powers are still fading as he struggles to heal Caleb’s sprained ankle after taking a couple gunshots from the Djinn in stride. And let’s not forget how angry he is!!! Before he kills the Djinn, and quite brutally I might add, he says, “It’s always you. You selfish little men in positions of authority… You believe your power will protect you. Well it won’t protect you from me!” Projecting much… LOL!! I guess Cas is all out of F@%ks to give too. About time, I say!!

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By the end of the episode, Cas saves the day by defeating the Djinn and the resurrection spell works for Emily, creating a win-win all the way around. We also learned that not only did Rowena sacrifice herself to save the world, but that she cared so much for the boys and their plight that she bestowed all her magical possessions to them alone. Awesome!! We didn’t get to see her, but she was definitely there in spirit leaving a spell behind that kills anyone who enters her apartment beyond Sam and Dean. Could this BE anymore Rowena?!? I think not! If we can’t have her, I sure hope we see more touches like this before it’s all said and done. Not to mention after harming Sam, including with a voodoo doll, those damn witches got what they deserved!! Witch killing bullets, a hex bag, burning spirits and all!! Oh, and Sam using sign language to tell Emily to go get Dean was just awesome, right???

Aside from the win-win and inheriting Rowena’s possessions, there are a few tidbits that might go unnoticed by some. First, Shoshannah Stern isn’t the only guest star as the writers continue with their trend of cameos in every episode. Two of the witches the boys fight, the Sheriff/Djinn Castiel defeats and the mother of the missing boy have all been seen before. Keegan Conner Tracy, the Witch Mother, played Karen Giles in 2.07: ‘The Usual Suspects’ and Sera Siege (a personal fav as Chuck’s publicist) in 4.18: ‘The Monster at the End of This Book’. Her witch daughter Emily, played by Jodelle Ferland, also appeared as Melanie Merchant in 1.19: ‘Provenance’. The Sheriff, actor Art Kitching, previously played Serge Ladouceur in the huge fan favorite meta to the max 6.15: ‘The French Mistake’. And finally, Caleb’s mother, Melly Krakowski, played by Jennifer Spence, also portrayed Jean Holiday in 7.14: ‘Plucky Pennywhistle’s Magical Menagerie’ – freaking CLOWNS I tell ya!!

Next, the Witch Mother, in regards to the resurrection spell’s one-time use, says, “Show Death a loophole and she closes it.” Death and loopholes are Winchester specialties and I can definitely see this making its way back around to the forefront. Maybe with Death, AKA Billie (Lisa Berry), returning to close a loophole on God?? Also, Sam hasn’t had any visions since Colorado, where they faced off with Lilith and learned of Chuck’s plan to pit brother against brother. I can’t help but wonder if this was pointed out on purpose. Plus, the visions did show some very specific end scenes, but who’s to say it has to be our boys? I mean… Michael, possessing the OTHER brother (Jake Abel), is still out there, right?? Not to mention there could possibly be alternative world Winchesters we have yet to see. And in regard to spell work, Dean calls Sam “Ginger Junior,” (LOVE THIS!) in the beginning of the episode and later Sam makes note that Rowena kept spell journals right up until the end. Considering she was likely the most powerful witch in existence and Sam was basically her well taught apprentice, this ALL has to mean something, right?? And last, but certainly not least, the Haxon ring, I mentioned in 15.02: ‘The Rupture’, belongs to the newly resurrected Lilith who often previously used magic to have her way, is still out there! All of this is very juicy and insatiably interesting, no???

In the final scene, Dean, feeling sluggish for his late entry in the fight, congratulates Sam on a job well done. He confesses that “I don’t know what’s God and what isn’t, and it’s driving me crazy!” Sam, ever the optimist, insists they’ll find a way to beat Chuck by breaking the rules, but he can’t do it without Dean as he states, “I need my brother.” YESSS!! I conclude that maybe this time they don’t know what’s coming, but together, they WILL win!!

What did you think of ‘Golden Time’? Reach out to me in the comments below or on Twitter @obi_juanita with your thoughts. Until next time… go Team Free Will! 

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