Castiel - Between Heaven and Earth (Part 6)

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It scares you. Well, it should. (5x01)

Season 5 starts with Castiel dead, blown up by an archangel. But fortunately it doesn't take long before he's back. Brought back by... well, that remains a mystery even though Castiel himself is convinced that it has to be God who gave him back not only his life but also his vessel. Whether he's right or wrong about that we might never know but it proves that Castiel never rebelled against God but against his fellow angels and their plan to start the Apocalypse, which Castiel will never believe was God's will.

We don't know how long it took Castiel from coming back to live to turning up to save the Winchester brothers. He has obviously caught up with quite a lot of what's going already but that's probably just some angel knowledge he just naturally has. I bet looking for Dean was pretty much the first thing he did. And he turns up just in time and shows his brothers what stuff he's made of.



Castiel doesn't even hesitate before killing his brothers for Dean. I also think he gets a lot of reassurance from firmly believing that it was God who brought him back. Because that can only mean that he is on the right path and that he did the right thing. He speaks with so much authority to Zachariah who has always had a higher rank than Castiel. But not any more, because Castiel is the one who seemingly has God's approval and you don't get any more authority than that. So despite having, at least in some sense, fallen he acts hundred percent angel, calm but firm, when he orders Zachariah to leave Sam and Dean alone. And Zach is so overwhelmed that he can do nothing but obey.

But that angelic air partially falls off him the moment Zachariah is gone. You can see the exact moment when he blinks and something about him changes like he relaxes and lets it fade away and taps into his emotional side before he turns to Dean and Sam.



He's still secure but the heavenly auhtority is softened by kindness, with his voice becoming softer again like it does so often when Castiel talks to Dean. But despite that and despite the whole coming to their rescue Castiel already is a little short with them. He carves the Enochian sigil into their ribs and is almost instantly off again, reacting to Dean's question but not answering it. I find it really hard to interpret this last look but I believe he isn't quite as sure that is was God who brought him back as he wants to be.


I lost everything for nothing (5x02)

This episode marks the start of Castiel's neverending struggle with his mobile phone and how to use it. That's the downside of making your allies invisible to angels when you're an angel yourself. What's really interesing is that he's calling Sam, not Dean. Probably because he doesn't really want to speak to Dean right now.



He rushes down the corridor like a hurricane in a trench coat. And the energie that makes him move like that clearly isn't of the happy variety. Just one joke from Dean and he already reacts slightly annoyed. He also already looks more... human. Vulnerable, even slightly out of breath.

When he has to admit to Bobby that he isn't able to heal him any more he is very in control. A little too much considering what being cut off from heaven means for him. Powers he always took for granted are suddenly gone. And Bobby is acting like Castiel is to blame. And Castiel just takes it, tilts his head, apologises, tries to be sympathetic, but doesn't really mean it. It's not that he isn't sorry, but he's sad and lonely and kind of tired and could care less about Bobby's problems right now.

The reason Castiel came to talk to them is that he has a plan on how to stop Lucifer. Maybe not the best and most promising plan but at least better than trying to kill the devil. But he doesn't just want to find God because he believes that it is there only chance. He's making it sound like he's just thinking practical and it is practical, but, really, he needs to find God to make sure that he really did the right thing. Because with the way it went down, he doesn't feel it as clearly any more. And his faith is all he has left now.

So Dean making fun of him and his plan is not really helping. He blames Dean for not being able to stop the Apocalypse, he blames Dean for the mess he is in right now. He won't let Dean take away the one thing he's still clinging to and he feels that Dean at least owes him some respect after what they've been through.


I killed two angels this week, my brothers. I'm hunted. I've rebelled and I did it, all of it, for you. And you failed. You and your brother destroyed the world. And I lost everything for nothing. So keep your opinions to yourself.

There, he's said it. He's let it all out, invading Dean's personal space once more in the process. And he does seem to feel better afterwards. He's calmer, able to talk about the problem at hand again. And it says a lot about his relationship with Dean that he can snap at Dean like that and the next minute ask him for something so meaningful as the necklace. And he's not even asking very kindly. He's more or less demanding it.



I love that scene. I love the silent communication between Cas and Dean. I love how Castiel looks like a lost puppy when demanding that Dean gives him the amulet and therefore makes it seem more like a plea. I love how Dean hesitates and then trusts Cas with the necklace after all. I love how he tells Castiel with his eyes what this means to him and how much trust he shows in Cas with this. And I love how Castiel does see the significance but won't let it show.


You are the only one who'll help me. (5x03)

I think this is the first time that Dean doesn't sense Castiel's presence when he turns up. It is, however, neither the first nor the last time that Castiel will not respect Dean's personal space making Dean slightly uncomfortable.
Castiel instantly notices that something is wrong, Sam is missing. He accepts Dean's explanation but he doesn't look very happy about the Winchester boys going seperate ways. Also, Bobby obviously isn't too mad with Castiel for his missing healing abilities. After all, he talked to him and gave him Dean's location. It's a little odd though, that Castiel asked Bobby instead of just calling Dean or Sam.

Again Castiel is asking for Dean's help. He's never done that in the past and now it's two episodes in a row which just shows how Dean really is the only one left Castiel can turn to. Castiel wants to find Raphael, the archangel who killed him and who, even if Castiel had all his powers, would be a hell of a lot more powerful than our angel. And still Castiel actually believes that with Dean's help he can trap Raphael. Pretty reckless but Castiel has probably figured out already that his search for God will not be easy and really, what has he got left to lose?

Castiel is still terribly confused by Dean's jokes and pop culture references. It become more and more obvious that, mighty being that he still is, in the human world he is completely lost.


"I need your help. Because you are the only one who'll help me. Please."

Castiel is not afraid to show weekness towards Dean. He's not afraid to show Dean how lost he is. And of course Dean can't turn him down. As long as they go by car, anyway. Castiel looks very relieved. Deep down he is still a little pissed that Dean couldn't stop the last seal but, mainly, he just needs Dean now. With heaven out of his reach, Dean has become his family. His only family.

Castiel has done his research so he clearly has picked up a few things by now. But he's still way too honest and straighforward for this world. He is, however, willing to let Dean guide him. No I'm an angel and I've been around much longer than you. Dean knows more about this world than Cas ever will and there's no reason why Castiel should try to fool Dean or himself and pretend otherwise. He didn't just ask Dean to be his bullet shield, he asked him to help him take his first real steps in this confusing, human world. And Dean does exactly that and while he finds Castiel's cluelessness amusing, he doesn't make fun of his angel.


"We tell the officer that he witnessed an angel of the lord. And the officer will tell us where the angel is."

And, of corse, the way Castiel acts is adorable and funny but it's also sad. He really doesn't understand this world. He's pretty much helpless and insecure which must be a whole new experience for an angel. He is like a child that has been thrown into this chaos of humanity. And the only role model he has is Dean. So that's who Castiel learns from and that's who he tries to imitate when in doubt. And if he doesn't know how Dean would react in a situation, which happens quite a lot because Dean can be such a puzzle, the only thing he can do is fall back into his angel routines. Just without the resoluteness which makes him appear so weird and clumsy to everyone around him. And he really doesn't understand why they shouldn't openly talk about angels and demons because for him it's the most obvious and normal thing in the world and would probably avoid a lot of confusion.
But he does know the signs of angelic interference, of course, and when the topic is back to angels and possessions and other things Castiel has dealt with all his existence, he also finds his grip and is secure again. Like he can suddenly breathe again. He'll have to switch a lot between those two worlds this season.

When Castiel comes back with the holy oil and Dean asks him about their chances, Castiel finally admits that he doesn't expect to survive this. And he doesn't really seem to care. There's nothing for him in this world. Even for his last night on earth he has nothing better to do than sit and wait for this last fight. Where should he go? What should he do? There is nothing. Except for Dean.



Castiel gets nervous when Dean asks him about women in a way that clearly states that he has thought about it. He is usually pretty relaxed around Dean but this topic makes him feel very, very uncomfortable. Also, he doesn't look happy about Dean's plan at all but he basically lets Dean drag him everywhere at the moment.



I think this is the first time that we see Castiel really nervous. Human is one thing but this is way too human for him. Remember what I sad about the child thrown into this world? There it is again. And certainly not ready for this. But also not brave enough to tell Dean. He's trying to hide behind some moral excuses which, of course, will never work with Dean. But basically he just wants out of this situation. I really don't think that's the best way to teach an angel about sex or convince him that it's a great thing but Dean seems pretty oblivious to that no matter how many pleading looks Castiel gives him. Dean just won't understand that Castiel only came along for him and really, really doesn't want to do this. By the way, I like the way their hands touch when Dean gives Cas the money. Like Castiel wants to hold onto Dean but he is truely alone in this and has absolutely no idea how to react. So Castiel does the one thing he can think of in this situation and tries to comfort the girl. Because if Castiel knows anything about sex at all then the version he's heard about is either really bad and sinnful and nothing he'd ever even consider or has something to do with love and trust. Of course, that approach ends in an utter desaster.



But one that amuses Dean and makes him laugh, really laugh, which tells Castiel that in some sense he has done something right. He doesn't really understand what just happened but he likes this little moment he gets to share with Dean here. A moment of nothing more or less than true, relaxed friendship. A moment where he feels like he's at a place he belongs. And for once we even get a smile from our angel. I love that smile, it's so precious. I wish Castiel had more things to make him smile like that.

But it really is only a moment. Soon they're back on the job trying to trap Raphael. And Castiel actually uses a phone reference to explain to Dean how the connection between vessel and angel works. He's also - understandably - really pissed with Raphael. You don't just forgive your brother for blowing you up and I don't think Cas and Raphael have been such good friends to begin with.
Erm, isn't it kind of counterproductive to light the oil before the angel is actually inside the circle? Just saying. Even if you put your money on the backup plan back at the abandoned house.
Anyway, Raphael walks right into their trap and Castiel stays back and lets Dean do the talking just staring at Rapahael. He's tense, on alert, following the archangel's every movement because he knows how powerful their opponent is. He can't play cool the way Dean does He's also clearly concerned but more for Dean than himself. Of course Dean is Michael's vessel and therefore relatively safe but you never really know what angels will come up with. Killing someone is not always the worst threat.
The moment the fire circle closes around Raphael, however, Cas knows that he has full control of the situation. And he tries not to let Raphael take that away from him again but the talk about God being dead does get to him. He believes in and trusts his father but he can't completely outrule this possibility. Not with everything that's going down lately.



The thought that Raphael might be right hurts like hell and if it wasn't for Dean Castiel probably wouldn't have been able to keep it together here. Even when he confronts Raphael about his resurrection he leans on Dean, on the knowledge that Dean is there right beside him giving him moral support. Especially when Raphael suggests that Lucifer might have been the one to bring Castiel back. Which is too outragous to believe but also too much in the range of possible explanations to dismiss it.


"I will find you."
"Maybe one day. But today you'r my little bitch."

Despite all that it does to him, Raphael's verbal attacks also remind him that he's the one on control right now. And that he has survived this suicide mission. There's some fighting spirit returning in this scene that Castiel had lost at the beginning of the episode. He has something to drive him again even though it's not necessarily positive. He has to prove Raphael wrong. God can't be dead and Lucifer can't be the one to resurrect him. It just can't be true.
The moment he's out of the situation and has time to think all this starts eating away at him. And it takes a moment before he lets Dean in.


"Who cares what some ninja turtle says, Cas, what do you believe?"
"I believe he's out there."

It's one more of those scenes that show how much Castiel trusts Dean, how honest and vulnerable he is around him. Just like Dean is around Cas. And even when Dean urges him to go find God, Castiel won't go without making sure that Dean is really okay without him. That is the one thing that's even more important than finding God. He can look right through Dean's little "I'm fine"-speach but he leaves anyway because he understands that there's nothing he can do for Dean right now if Dean doesn't let him. They don't need any conversations about how Dean isn't really fine but doesn't want to talk about it. They can do that part without words and one thing that Dean has to learn about Castiel here is that Cas won't push him. He will always be there but Dean has to come to him.

Part 5 / Masterpost / Part 7

Screencaps from Misha-Collins.Net