Supernatural Season 9 Episode 3 Recap 'I'm No Angel' Review: Castiel's Human Problem

Supernatural Season 9 returned to its Castiel problem in Episode 3, "I'm No Angel." The Winchester boys finally reunited with their former angel buddy, but it was a slow and plodding journey.

The pacing of the episode felt off for much of the hour. By the time Sam and Dean found Cas at the end, it felt like hours had passed instead of 45 minutes. Part of the problem was that not much happened in the first two-thirds of the episode until the reaper kidnapped Cas. He spent most of his time being homeless and learning how to be human, but the whole episode just felt slow.

But it was not all bad, as we got to see more of Castiel doing human things, which is always a welcome sight. Normally, the show uses these instances for humor (Cas needs pie for Dean, Cas is confused while watching porn, Cas visits a strip club). But in this case, Supernatural used the Human Cas moments more for empathy than for humor. Sure, there were still plenty of funny moments, such as his teeth brushing and parts of his conversation with the homeless man, but the bulk of the episode focused on just how much Castiel is struggling with his new predicament. The show was smart to go the more serious route rather than play this off as an opportunity for a string of jokes.

Misha Collins deserves plenty of credit for bringing the many sides of Castiel to life, especially this newest incarnation. He sold the pain, confusion and sadness with very few words.

Of course, things went south quickly as Castiel's savior April, played by Shannon Lucio, turned out to be a rogue reaper who lucked into finding the wanted former angel. After a night of passion (a first for Cas), she tied him up and tortured him to find out how and why the angels fell to Earth. Enter Sam and Dean, who arrived just in time for April to stab Cas. Dean killed April, and Ezekiel made another timely appearance to bring Castiel back to life.

Dean, of course, had to lie to both Sam and Cas about what had just happened, and it's clear from this scene that the elder Winchester is not going to be able to keep this secret for much longer. Cas asked him if he lied to April, and Dean jokingly responded, "I did. I do that." It was meant for laughs but the line was a poignant reminder of the mess Dean has made this season.

The three were reunited back at the Men of Letters bunker, but Ezekiel again appeared and said that Cas couldn't stay because he would be a magnet for all the angels out for blood. Dean argued, but Zeke issued the ultimatum that either Cas goes, or he does. The latter could spell trouble for the still-recovering Sammy, and so the episode ended somewhat abruptly with Dean telling Cas that he had to hit the road.

Zeke is starting to show more complex motivations to his character, Cas could soon be homeless again and Dean is starting to struggle with the weight of his lies. Season 9 seems to be in full swing.

Notes from Dad's Journal:

-       Hopefully Bartholomew is not the Big Bad for this season, because the guy just does not seem threatening enough (yet) to pose a real threat to the Winchesters; however, his plan to use a televangelist to attract vessels for his fellow angels was smart.

-       Anybody else think Ezekiel is hiding something? Why was he so certain that Cas (who is warded from angels) hiding in a bunker (also warded from...everything) would spell certain disaster? And why couldn't Dean tell Cas about Ezekiel, especially because Cas vouched for him in the premiere?

-       Castiel telling Dean and Sam about his one-night stand was hilarious. It was a bizarre, unnatural version of guy talk.

-       Sam: "Look at these chemicals. Do you even read the label?" Dean: "No, I read pie. The rest is just blah, blah, blah."

-       Of course Cas uses the word "correct" to ask about his sexual performance.