Supernatural, Episode 282 “A Most Holy Man” Broadcast on March 8, 2018
Written by Andrew Dabb & Robert Singer
Directed by Amanda Tapping
Then: Mary Winchester is trapped in an Apocalypse Dimension. Using a demon tablet, the boys have discovered a recipe to create a portal to get their mom back: the grace of an archangel, a fruit from the Tree of Life, the Seal of Solomon, and the blood of a most holy man.
Now: In Malta, within the Holy Sisters of Malta Monastery, a thief steals a holy relic — the skull of Saint Peter. He apologizes to the nun he knocks out as he makes his escape. Cue opening title card.
This one of the quicker beginnings to this series, but it makes sense because this episode needs as much time as possible to tell its tale and it’s very enjoyable. This take on The Maltese Falcon has some great characters, some very funny moments, and several solid twists. Leanne Lapp is as classy as can be as Margaret Astor. She’s perfection and her moments with Sam are terrific. Side note: it’s about time that someone on this show was flirty with Sam — long overdue! Richard Greenstreet is played by Dominic Burgess who is introduced to the viewer fantastically! Love what he’s doing. His cadence as he speaks is perfect and his den is picture perfect. There’s a gangster in this episode played by Massai Furlan. His character, Lucca Camilleri, begins the scene like Blofeld who thankfully changes and becomes a more serious villain once he puts the feline down. He, too, has a wonderful speaking voice and his threats hold some solid weight. The final questionable character is played by Al Sapienza. Saying who he is would spoil a reveal, but even after the boys learn who he is, the viewer will be wondering if he can be trusted until the very end. Jensen Ackles has some great comical silent reaction scenes, while Jared Padelecki gets a strong scene after learning about Sapienza’s character. And, hey, a girl was making moves on Sam — finally!
I have to stand and give some applause to Andrew Dabb and Robert Singer for the great script that takes elements of The Maltese Falcon and fabulously incorporates them into Supernatural. What’s really impressive is that this romp does contain a element to the recipe they need to get their mom back, but, wow, do they have to get it in an incredibly roundabout way. Applause should also be given to director Amanda Tapping for capturing the flavor of that classic film and making it work for this series. My recording of the show cut off before the final credits, so I don’t know who is responsible for the music, but that person needs to ask for more money. The soundtrack to this episode is one I would purchase, for it sounds like a classic noir film.
The good: The writing, the direction, the music, and all the actors. Yeah, everything in this episode.
Fun line: “Ah, the Internet…Not just for porn anymore,” “I like to collect on what’s owed to me,” “I would advise caution,” “Nice timing,” “It wasn’t a request,” “Failure is not an option,” “If good men do good things, it can be better,” and “No. We really shouldn’t.”
The bad: Dean eats a piece of pizza in the opening scene involving the brothers. He takes a bite of about half the slice, there’s a quick change of shots to show Sam, and when the picture returns to Dean there’s more than half left. It’s a little thing, but I caught it the first time watching the episode. A minor nick.
The final line: A fun episode that has its root firmly in the classic noir film. It’s doubly impressive for being a key component in this season’s story arc. Noir looks good with the Winchesters. Overall grade: A
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