Review for 6x20 'The Man Who Would Be King'

[galathea]

The Man Who Would Be King, written and directed by Ben Edlund, shows us what Castiel has been up to these past two years. The episode is told entirely from Castiel’s perspective, so naturally all other characters take a backseat in the story, but given the reveal at the end of Mommy Dearest, an in depth exploration of Castiel’s story has been a narrative necessity. The episode puts most of the events of the season into a new context and links them together, revealing the full scope of the mytharc. It may not be a favourite episode of mine, but it delivers satisfying answers.



The Man Who Would Be King is a somewhat difficult episode for me. I have a hard time feeling emotionally invested in an episode that revolves entirely around a character that I do not particularly care about, and since I already predicted the main reveals of Castiel’s confession weeks ago, there haven’t been many surprise moments in the episode for me either. However, I accept the fact that it was imperative to tell Castiel’s story at this point in the season to fill in the blanks in the mytharc of S6 so far, and since the episode does not interfere with Sam and Dean’s storyline, like The Rapture for example, I am content to see Castiel’s story play out like this. In fact, I prefer this condensed narration of the angel arc over having it spread out through the season, because this way the writers had room to solely concentrate on the brothers’ story for the majority of the season and, as I said before, I really needed that intense focus on Sam and Dean’s re-bonding phase after two and a half seasons of discord between them.

Still, there are some things in the episode that simply do not work for me. First, there is the opening montage about the millennia Castiel spent on earth. It is way too corny and pompous for my liking and heavy-handed in a way I find cringe-worthy. Usually I have a fondness for the more heavy-handed symbolisms/parallels in the show, but here it’s just too in-your-face. Secondly, Castiel slipping up in his conversation with Sam, Dean and Bobby is not entirely implausible, however, Castiel slipping up with a quip about Superman? Highly unlikely. Even on his best days Castiel simply doesn't get pop culture references, and he never uses them unprompted in a conversation. It just feels very out of character and that weakens this crucial moment of the episode. Thirdly, while Castiel’s voiceover works for the most part – not least because it is clearly meant as an homage to the same popular storytelling technique in classic film noir movies – I find it off-putting when Castiel changes from being the narrator of his story to being an interpretative commentator on his own story, like, for example, when he categorises his tale as a tragedy. It just comes off as presumptuous and that undermines my sympathy for the character instead of supporting it. I am perfectly capable of making up my own mind about how to feel about Castiel’s story; I don’t need the character to push a certain interpretation on me.

Anyway, that’s not to say that I think that The Man Who Would Be King is a bad episode. On the contrary, it’s well written and even though it crams a lot of exposition into forty minutes, it never feels rushed. Additionally, the interaction between Crowley and Castiel is extremely entertaining – Misha and Mark have great chemistry in their shared scenes – and the few scenes that feature Sam, Dean and Bobby are, as usual, very enjoyable. I also like that the narrative style of the episode allows for an outside perspective on Sam and Dean. Especially Crowley’s almost hysterical reaction to all things Winchester is amusing to watch, mainly because it builds a nice contrast to his usually cool and rather dismissive demeanour towards the brothers when he is around them in person. That moment where Crowley rattles off a list of every demon who ever underestimated Sam and Dean is particularly delightful. So, overall there is a lot to enjoy about the episode, even if it does not engage me, emotionally, outside the scenes that show us the brothers’ reaction to Castiel’s betrayal.

Castiel: "Are you proposing that I start a civil war in heaven? You’re asking me to be the next Lucifer!"
Crowley: "Please, Lucifer was a petulant child with Daddy issues. Cas, you love God. God loves you. He brought you back. Did it occur to you that maybe he did this so you could be the new sheriff upstairs?"

The Man Who Would Be King shows us how Castiel’s collaboration with Crowley came to pass, and while I did not expect for Crowley to be the one to instigate their partnership, the reasons why those two natural enemies would decide to join forces have always been obvious to me. After all, both stand to lose everything once Raphael achieves his goal to put the apocalypse back on its course. Now, I think in the scene where Castiel watches Dean raking the leaves in Lisa’s garden and ponders if his quarrel with Raphael justifies pulling Dean out of his well-deserved retirement, the angel is at a (figurative) crossroads, and I don’t think it is a coincidence that Crowley approaches him in that very moment of personal crisis and exploits Castiel’s helplessness and urgent need for guidance to his own advantage. I think in this very moment, where he leaves Dean behind and follows Crowley, Castiel’s motives are truly pure. His wish to not put any more burdens on Dean prompts him to hear Crowley out, and once he turns away from Dean, he opens himself to the demon’s masterful manipulation. Crowley easily seduces the angel, not least because he has what Castiel needs, namely a strategy. He basically offers Castiel everything he wants on a platter. He plays him like a fiddle and finds all of his weaknesses – his love for God, his need for God’s approval, his wish to protect Sam and Dean and what they have achieved together, his desire for peace and unity amongst his fellow angels.

However, in the almost two years that have passed since Castiel and Crowley made their fateful deal, Castiel clearly gained confidence and authority opposite Crowley and he does not hesitate to put the demon in his place, when Crowley acts against his explicit orders. Castiel may never have wanted to be a leader and he may never have wanted power either, but once he had been pushed into the situation, he fell prey to pride, arrogance and corruption anyway. We have seen the lengths Castiel has been willing to go to in order to achieve his goals – torture, enlisting Balthazar’s help, using Sam and Dean as bait, changing history to create souls, killing innocent comrades who question his motives – and none of that has been Crowley’s doing. Now, I have no doubt that Crowley supported Castiel’s increasingly murky actions of the the end justifies the means variety, but in the end those have been Castiel’s choices. And, by the way, those choices are perfectly in character for the angel. We have seen on other occasions that Castiel is capable of deceit and cruelty, if he thinks it serves a greater purpose. Like for example, when he tricked Sam and Dean into helping him capture Alistair by pretending to be Bobby in Death Takes A Holiday; or when he kidnapped Dean and asked him to torture Alistair in On The Head Of A Pin; or when he was willing to kill an innocent child in order to foil Lucifer's plans in I Believe The Children Are Our Future. Castiel served as God's blunt instrument for millennia, after all, and the acceptance of collateral damage in the name of the greater good comes with the job description. He may have started out as a victim of demonic manipulation, but over time he became an active participant in Crowley's plans.

Castiel: "I’m still your friend. Sam, I’m the one who raised you from perdition."
Sam: "What? Well, no offence, but you did a pretty piss poor job of it."

As I already suspected, The Man Who Would Be King finally confirms that it was indeed Castiel who tried to summon Sam from Lucifer’s cage and accidentally ended up with the soulless shell of Sam’s body. I always felt that it was unlikely that Crowley had the power to pull someone from the cage, king of hell or not, or that he would even be interested in setting Sam free in the first place, so it was obvious that Castiel had to be involved somehow. Anyway, I really love that all those little moments throughout the season, where Castiel’s behaviour seemed off or oddly unperceptive – especially where soulless Sam was concerned – are now put into a comprehensible context. It explains why Castiel never answered Sam’s prayers, why he didn’t inform Dean that his brother was back amongst the living or why he reacted evasive and disgruntled whenever the brothers called him for help. He was clearly afraid that he would give his secrets away. And when Dean set out to resoul Sam, despite the dangers to Sam’s well-being, Castiel projected his own guilt and fear onto Dean, so his harsh lecture to Dean about endangering Sam’s life in Like A Virgin makes sense now as well - as does Castiel’s immense relief when Sam seems to be fine after having his soul back

Now, I don’t blame Castiel for pulling Sam out of the cage soulless, even though I feel it was hubris on Castiel’s side to assume that he would succeed where Michael and Zachariah could not. After all, his former superiors were dependent on Lilith to break the 66 seals to free Lucifer from his cage and, surely, they would not have relied on a demon to achieve this crucial step on the way to the apocalypse, if they had the ability to simply pull Lucifer out of the cage themselves. So why would Castiel be able to do what archangels could not? Still, I think Castiel’s bewilderment and hurt at Sam’s insinuation that he brought him back soulless on purpose are genuine, and I have no doubt that the angel’s actions were primarily driven by his affection for the brothers. He saw how much Dean suffered, knowing his brother is in hell, and he knew what Sam suffered in the cage at the hands of Lucifer and Michael, so he took action to help his friends, and I cannot fault Castiel for feeling the need to ease the brothers’ burdens. However, I do hold Castiel responsible for the extent of the mutilation of Sam’s soul. I hold him responsible for the fact that Sam’s soul spent 18 months in the cage before Dean was able to find out what was wrong with Sam and set his soul free, and I also hold Castiel responsible for soulless Sam freely running rampage with only Samuel Campbell as his guide. Because, all of that, was a direct result of Castiel’s unwillingness to deal with the consequences of his actions.

Castiel knew something was wrong with Sam post-resurrection – and he wilfully ignored it. He openly admits that it was a warning sign when he saw Sam walking away from Dean, an action so unlike Sam that it grabbed Castiel’s attention right away – and he did nothing. Moreover, the fact that the episode is told entirely from Castiel’s perspective implies that the flashbacks of soulless Sam beating up the police officer or Sam watching Dean getting turned into a vampire are actually Castiel’s memories. So he watched Sam, saw the extent of his wrongness – and still did nothing. And even if we read the flashbacks as a simple reminder for the audience, rather than as Castiel's memories, the fact remains that soulless Sam unwittingly worked for Crowley (and by extention Castiel) to find the alphas, so surely Castiel knew about Sam's unusual activities during the year he spent without Dean. Castiel might not have know what exactly was wrong with Sam, but he rather turned a blind eye than confront it. That Castiel also ignored all of Sam’s prayers, never even told Dean that Sam was back and later tried to evade Dean’s worried inquiries about Sam is pretty damning evidence for his guilty conscience as well. And the fact that he refused to come clean and do anything about Sam's situation after he had tested him in Family Matters, thus knowing with certainty that he had raised him soulless, is inexcusable in my opinion. Overall, if Castiel had looked into Sam’s aberrant behaviour right away and if he had immediately gone to Dean, they might not only have saved Sam’s soul before it was mangled beyond repair, but they would also have prevented the damage soulless Sam wreaked upon his family (and innocent civilians). Not to mention that it would have spared Dean a year of misery. However, even when confronted with his actions, he does not show any remorse, proudly claiming to have raised Sam from perdition, when it was actually Dean who saved Sam's soul from the cage. So, I would say Sam and Dean's anger is well earned under these circumstances.

Castiel: "It sounds so simple when you say it like that. Where were you when I needed to hear it?"
Dean: "I was there. Where were you?"

Castiel’s refusal to take full responsibility for his actions and choices is not exactly new behaviour for the angel though, in fact, it is the character trait that frustrates me about Castiel the most. Back in Good God, Y’all, for example, Castiel laid the sole blame for the apocalypse on Sam and Dean, conveniently forgetting about his own questionable actions in the days that preceded Lucifer’s release. Moreover, throughout S5 Castiel claimed over and over again that he only rebelled for Dean, thus shifting at least part of the responsibility for his choices to his human friend, and when he lost the last of his faith, he once again put his own issues squarely on Dean’s shoulders. Castiel’s lack of development in this matter bothers me, especially since he uses the same excuses in The Man Who Would Be King again, most notably when he blames Dean for not being there when he needed him, even though it was Castiel who made the choice to not inform Dean about his problems in the first place. Later, in their end conversation, he even uses the same phrasing as before, when he once again claims that he did it all for Dean, because of what he learned from Dean, but if Castiel had truly believed that this is what Dean wanted, if he had believed that he was doing the right thing, he wouldn’t have lied to Dean. It’s simple as that, as Dean rightly points out to him.

And talking about Dean: His disappointment and hurt when he realises that Castiel has been lying to them all along is written all over his face. I think though that his feelings are not primarily about Castiel working with a demon, even if that is indeed a touchy subject for Dean. I mean, Sam, Dean, Castiel and Bobby worked with Crowley before, namely when they all had the common goal to stop Lucifer and at the time everybody was fine with having a demon on the team, even if he was not entirely trustworthy. So, Castiel working with Crowley to stop yet another apocalypse should be no different – if it wasn’t for the fact that he deliberately deceived Sam and Dean about his pact with Crowley, which implies that his motives are less pure this time around. Moreover, Castiel left Sam and Dean to deal with the consequences of his misguided actions - and all the while the angel feigned ignorance. After all, the brothers have unwittingly been cleaning up Castiel’s messes – namely soulless Sam and the rising of Eve – all season long, and it cost them and their allies dearly. So, overall I think Dean’s hurt is mainly rooted in Castiel lying to them and deceiving them. It is about the lack of trust and about choosing to work with a demon over him – and all that of course stirs up uncomfortable memories about Sam betraying Dean in a similar fashion.

Now, there are many parallels between Sam’s arc in S4 and Castiel’s arc in S6, and I think those parallels are very deliberate. Sam and Castiel, respectively, started out with the best intentions, namely saving the world and protecting Dean, but they both entangled themselves in a web of lies and deception along the way. They have both been seduced by demons who offered them the means to achieve what they wanted, and by yielding to the temptation they not only lost perspective on the justifiable means in war, but also let down the one person who always had their backs. Just like Sam, Castiel is prideful and full of hubris, convinced that he has the upper hand on Crowley, while effectively surrendering his power to him. Furthermore, Sam believed that he will stop the apocalypse by killing Lilith, only to find that he unleashed Lucifer on the world instead. Similarly, Castiel believes that once he finds purgatory, he can save the world from Raphael, but who knows what horrors he might unleash on humanity instead, when he opens the gates to purgatory. In this context, I find it especially noteworthy that Castiel displays an enormous power in his second confrontation with Raphael, where he is 'hopped up' on the energy of the 50.000 souls that Crowley granted him as advance payment on the souls of purgatory. It would not at all be surprising if having that power at his disposal gave Castiel a power high – not unlike the effect the demon blood had on Sam. It would certainly make for an interesting parallel to Sam’s blood addiction if boosting his powers via souls is similarly addictive for Castiel, maybe not physically, but mentally.

And that brings me back to the point that Castiel’s motives are not quite as selfless and pure as he would like them to be, and I think he is quite aware of that fact, at least that’s what his self-reflection suggests to me. I think that Castiel has a vested self-interest in his deal with Crowley. We know from episodes like The End or Two Minutes to Midnight that Castiel does not cope well with the feeling of being powerless, and I don't think he has ever felt more powerless than after Raphael's demonstration of authority. Castiel undoubtedly believes that in order to beat Raphael at his own game, he needs to gain more power himself, so it is not surprising that he fell for the temptation of Crowley's offer. Obviously Castiel also wants to protect Sam and Dean, there is no doubt about that, but as Crowley very rightly points out to him, part of his motivation to protect the Winchesters is about protecting his self-image as a righteous warrior for God. As long as they believe in Castiel’s goodness, he can believe it as well. A good example for this dichotomy in Castiel’s motivation is the moment where he kills off Ellsworth and his lackeys. Of course he justifies the action by telling himself that the demons would have killed Sam and Dean, had he not taken care of them. However, by taking care of Ellsworth, he effectively kills off Sam and Dean’s only lead on Crowley, thus protecting his secret deal with the demon as well. Castiel admits that the line between protecting the brothers and protecting himself has become increasingly blurry, but he tells himself that he has no other choice. However, I think Castiel is lying to himself, just as much as he is lying to his friends. To quote Lady Morella from Babylon 5 here: "There is always a choice. We say that there is no choice only to comfort ourselves with the decision we have already made."

As I already said before, I think that Castiel has long lost himself, nothing shows that more than his final conversation with Dean. Dean offers Castiel a lifeline, a way out of the uncomfortable situation the angel has created for himself, but Castiel refuses to take it. There are shades of Dean’s conversation with Sam in When The Levee Breaks in their confrontation. Just like Sam refused to turn his back on Ruby and join forces with his brother, Castiel denies Dean’s request to trust him and turn his back on Crowley. Castiel asked for guidance earlier, but now that Dean actually offers that guidance, he not only turns Dean down, but also openly challenges Dean’s determination and resourcefulness. The angel’s arrogant claim that Dean is just a man, and as such incapable of stopping an angel, is pure hubris, if not outright stupidity. Sam and Dean took down Lucifer and the four horsemen, after all. It’s sadly ironic that, at the end of the episode, when Castiel begs God to give him a sign that he is on the right path, he is completely oblivious to the fact that God already gave him that sign – namely Dean reaching out to him. It’s very similar to Castiel’s reaction in Dark Side Of The Moon, where he believed that God had abandoned him, because He did not intervene in the apocalypse personally. However, God had already acted on Team Free Will’s behalf by protecting Sam and Dean and bringing Castiel back from the dead. Castiel simply did not recognise it as the sign it was, not back then and not now either.

What else is noteworthy:

(1) There is not a lot of focus on the brothers in this episode – for obvious reasons – but I really love the concerned looks Sam throws in Dean’s direction whenever they discuss Castiel’s possible betrayal and the soft cadence to his voice when he tries to convince Dean that going behind the angel’s back is necessary. I also like that Sam relents and calls Castiel when Dean insists that they owe the angel the benefit of the doubt, reassuringly clapping Dean on the shoulder when Castiel does not show up, even though Dean calls him himself as well. It’s obvious that Sam (as well as Bobby) knows how hard this is on Dean and hence tries to tread lightly around him. I admit, I was a tad worried that the disagreement over Castiel had driven the brothers apart, when Dean claimed in the opening scene that Sam is off on his own, tracking a djinn, so I was very relieved when Dean’s story was revealed as a diversion for Castiel. In that context, I want to say that one of the reasons why I enjoy Castiel’s storyline this season is that it gives Sam and Dean someone other than each other to angst over. I much prefer to have the brothers united against a traitor in their midst than at each other’s throat.

(2) I really love the idea of Ellsworth, Bobby’s demonic counterpart, and the short scene that features him is delightfully funny. The row of blood-filled goblets through which Ellsworth communicates with other demons – obviously Ellsworth's matching part to Bobby’s row of phones – is a particularly nice touch. I am actually sad about the fact that the writers introduce such a potentially awesome character, only to kill him off right away. Imagine the kind of fun that could arise out of an actual meeting between Ellsworth and Bobby – or the Winchesters for that matter. Of course it’s especially cheeky that they named the character Ellsworth, after Jim Beaver’s character in the show Deadwood.

(3) I am very pleased that The Man Who Would Be King finally reveals why the streetlamp in front of Lisa’s house short-circuited when Sam appeared at the end of Swan Song. Obviously Castiel’s presence caused the lamp to blow out, just like his presence popped all the lights when Dean and Bobby summoned him in Lazarus Rising. There have been heated discussions and speculations after Swan Song as to what that blown out streetlamp could possibly mean, so I am happy we can put that issue to rest. The writers are not always this good where following up on plot details is concerned, so this bit of continuity is very much appreciated. It also effectively demonstrates that the main S6 storylines have been planned far in advance – as opposed to the writers making it up as they go – which clearly shows in the overall consistency of the season.

(4) I really have to wonder how much of a threat Raphael's plan to set the apocalypse back on course actually is. I mean, he explicitly states that he wants to set Michael and Lucifer free from the cage, so they can confront each other as prophesised, but last time I checked, Lilith is dead, so there is no way to break the last seal. Not to mention that Sam and Dean could never be roped into breaking the first and last seal, respectively, again, nor would they say yes to Michael and Lucifer should the angels somehow escape from the cage. So unless there is a different way to open the cage and stage the apocalyptic fight between the archangels than to break the 66 seals and unite the angels with their true vessels - which quite frankly would completely undermine the mytharc of the first five seasons - Raphael's plan seems foredoomed to fail anyway. Almost two years have passed since Sam tricked Lucifer back into his cage and yet Raphael does not seem to have taken any steps of actually setting Lucifer and Michael free. He may talk a good game, but I am not convinced that he actually has the power to do what he sets out to do. So, in the end, Castiel's actions actually might be more dangerous to humanity than Raphael's.

In conclusion: The Man Who Would Be King may not be an episode that I connect to on an emotional level, but I appreciate it for what it is, namely the missing link that connects all of S6 storylines in a satisfying manner. The way things are left between Castiel and Dean suggests that there will be a confrontation between them in the finale episodes and I am curious how it will play out. Will Castiel make a last minute turn and close ranks with the Winchesters or will he pursue his path and openly antagonise Sam and Dean? I guess we will find out soon enough. Man, I can’t believe this season is almost over already!

A final word: I admit, even though I find the angel storyline in S6 a lot more enjoyable than in the previous seasons, I am more than ready for the angel mythology to be over and done with. It’s fine that the writers found a way to deal with the aftermath of the aborted apocalypse for the angels in a satisfying manner, and I do appreciate that Castiel’s arc this season has been so consistent and meaningful – it’s more than I had hoped for, actually – but I really think the angel mythology has run its course and I want the writers to move on to other storylines. Obviously that would pose the question of what to do with Castiel’s character once the angel storyline is finished? I know it is an unpopular opinion, but I would prefer for Castiel to sacrifice himself to heal Sam’s soul at the end of S6, thus redeeming himself for the terrible mistakes he made. The writers could also make Castiel human in S7, but I am not really keen on that, not only because it would be redundant in light of his storyline in S5, but also because Castiel’s otherworldly nature has always been his most interesting character trait for me. I am not particularly interested in Castiel as the Big Bad of S7 either; I might not be the biggest fan of the character, but I really don’t think he would deserve that fate.