Supernatural's Season 4 premiere "Lazarus Rising" delivered a big shocker to the SN fandom. Not that our boy Dean Winchester rose from the dead---the title pretty much gave that one away--- but that Dean was rescued by no less than an Angel of the Lord. In a show that steered clear of the supernatural good for three whole years, the sudden presence of heavenly beings burst open doors previously unexplored in the show's mythology.

But the gamble paid off; this fresh direction made Supernatural stronger than ever. I'm at the edge of my seat and definitely in love with Castiel whom by now everyone irreverently calls Cas. I think I've re-watched the final scene of Lazarus Rising where this angel made an entrance close to a 100 times already. It's an amazing scene; Kim Manners shot the hell out of it, Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins portrayed their parts brilliantly, and Eric Kripke did himself proud with the dialogue. It's an SN scene that would go down in history as one of the best SN scenes ever.

Browsing through message boards, I found that some people are initially wary of this plot development. They didn't want the show to be religious or Judeo-Christian. Some were weirded out that God was suddenly in the picture. As for me, I am weirded out that people were actually weirded out.

I don't know if it's because I am a theist, but I've always seen God in the show. As early as Season 1's third episode Phantom Traveler, we already have a hint of a higher being in the SN landscape. The boys had been trying to figure out which of a flight's passengers is possessed by a demon and Sam-the-walking-encyclopedia-of-weirdness gave Dean this advice: "If he's possessed, he will flinch at the name of the Lord."

Interestingly, Sam furthered the advice by saying "Say it in Latin: Christos." I remembered watching that part and going "Huh. That's at least Christian tradition right there." But I ignored it as I don't want to make too much of a Christian reference in a show that had as much pagan lore as Judeo-Christian ones.

And then there's the exorcism rituals, the rosaries and the holy water. Those stuff gets their mojo somewhere, right? How can you say that a God does not exist in the SN universe when something obviously is sending those demons back to hell. The only missing element to make the practices Catholic is the faith. For us Catholics, these things are sacramentals. This means that they don't have power on their own, their efficacy depends on the faith of the people who use them. But as at least Dean used to not believe in God, we have to assume that in the show's canon they work regardless of who wields them.

I suppose I have a personal investment why I am open to God and Angels in the show. After watching Houses of the Holy where we were left with an open question as to the existence of angels and God, and What Is and What Should Never Be where it was reiterated that Mary Winchester used to tell her kids that angels are watching over them, I've grown attached to the idea that Mary is an angel or at least connected to them. I still subscribe to that link even after "In the Beginning" where it was revealed that Mary is a human hunter. We'll see if my theory is proven correct in the coming episodes.

But the angel's entrance to the show gave us so many things to look forward to:

First, it contextualized the war.

What really annoyed me in Season 3 was this huge talk of war and how Sam is supposed to lead a big demon army. While we love our Winchesters and we see them as heroes, it's a bit too much to swallow that they would be at the forefront of such a big event. A war that has existed from the beginning of time and involving the fate of all of creation will not be fought by two hunters from Kansas. The 'caught-in-the-crossfire' approach is much more believable. Bringing the angels in is like panning out the camera and giving us a glimpse of the bigger picture. Which makes it scarier.

Second, it added a new power tension in the dynamics between the characters.

Eversince Papa Winchester left, I have never seen another character that had been allowed to sass Dean back. Bobby tries but we all know that Bobby is a softie under that trucker cap. Ellen slaps Dean's irreverence back but we had the sense that Dean is not really that afraid of Ellen---and why should he be? Ruby talked down to the boys in Jus In Bello but that's a one-time thing.

But Cas, well, Cas totally owns Dean. Next to "I'm the one who gripped you tight and raised you from perdition" I would say that next best lines Cas has uttered is "You should show me some respect." Another SN scene that would go down the books. Please, please Sera Gamble if you are reading this, write more Cas scenes like those!

It's an interesting tension. For one, Cas and Uriel seems powerful enough to quash Sam and Dean if they so decide they want to. That's pretty scary. It means that while the boys have to stick to doing what they think is right even if it means opposing the angels; they can't p!ss them off too much that they would end up (smote? smited?) toast.

On another level I think part of Dean also wants to see Cas as a savior, a proof that he matters to the man upstairs after all. If Cas is ambivalent, or worse evil, that might shatter Dean's fragile newfound faith. So far it hasn't happened; Dean had surprisingly defended believing in God to Sam in The Great Pumpkin Sam Winchester. Part of me wish that John would join the mix now, cause I want to see how John would react to Cas, and to Dean's reaction to Cas.

Third, it makes a great mytharc. God commanded Dean Winchester to be rescued from hell. Man, that's huge. He must be pretty significant. There must be tons of good hunters living and dead to choose from to help in battle but God handpicked Dean. Am excited to know why although that might be awhile. I read somewhere in a Robert Singer interview that this secret will only be revealed in the season 4 finale.

And last, I salute the entrance of the angels on the show because it is just logical. You can't have demons and Lucifer and presume that God and angels are absent. It just took the show to its rightful conclusion. Besides, I would have hated it if after four years they would still subscribe to their old formula. A show has to grow and and evolve and assume higher things.

Anyway, am loving this season so far. Great, great work.

Hope to write more articles soon!