Heaven Can't Wait

Heaven Can't Wait is the sixth episode of Season 9

Summary
"CASTIEL GETS A JOB- Castiel (Misha Collins) gets a job at a Gas-N-Sip and actually starts to enjoy life as a human. A headline in the local newspaper about some disappearances in the area catches his eye, so he calls Dean (Jensen Ackles) to help him investigate the case. Dean knows he needs to keep Sam/Ezekiel (Jared Padalecki) away from Castiel, so he tells Sam that he and Kevin (guest star Osric Chau) need to stay and work with Crowley to decipher the tablet. Crowley agrees to help Dean and Kevin but in return he wants one phone call to Hell."

Plot
In Idaho, a man puts a suicide hotline on hold, but finds himself unable to pull the trigger. Unfortunately for him, a mysterious stranger appears in his home, claiming to have been sent by the man, before exploding his body in a shower of pink residue. The following day, Castiel goes about his new routine setting up shop as gas station employee “Steve,” while his employer Nora notes something special about him, before Castiel sees report of the deaths on the news.

Back at the Men of Letters base, Kevin has only succeeded in translating the tablets into another dead language, tasking Dean and Sam with extensive research to uncover their meaning. Castiel calls Dean with news of the killings, for which Dean quickly takes the opportunity to take on the case without depriving Kevin and Sam of further research. Meanwhile at the gas station, Castiel’s employer Nora appears to ask him out, in spite of it complicating their work relationship.

Dean arrives to the crime scene in Idaho, wherein the pink residue is revealed as a uniform mixture of organic matter from the body, while the only thing past victims seem to have in common is a penchant for sadness. Dean ponders visiting Castiel for assistance, while the mysterious killer from earlier next targets a high school girl dejected about her breakup, detonating her body outside a school bus. Dean finally enters the gas station to talk to Castiel, though the former angel seems resigned to a life wherein he at least has some control over his surroundings.

Sam tries manipulating Crowley into translating their findings, believing he’d do anything to thwart Abaddon, though the deposed king refutes any appeals to his humanity. Meanwhile, Dean continues persuading Castiel to return to his higher calling, for which Castiel eventually agrees to join him. Once the duo arrive to the scene of the latest crime however, Castiel quickly recognizes the pink residue as the work of a “Hands of Mercy” angel, a healer-type who painlessly smite anyone in too much pain to save, and one likely confusing the nature of human emotions with insufferable pain.

Crowley agrees to translate the dead language in exchange for a demon call to Abaddon, which Sam and Kevin reluctantly allow, believing Crowley can interpret the text’s relation to Metatron banishing angels from heaven. Meanwhile, Dean drops Castiel off for his “date” with Nora, offering some quick last-minute advice, before driving off. Once inside however, Castiel realizes that he mistook Nora’s invitation, and has instead been asked to babysit while Nora herself goes on a date.

While Castiel does his best to pacify the baby with a lullaby, worrying about her elevated temperature, Crowley finds himself placed on hold in getting through to Abaddon, having used Kevin’s blood to place the call. Meanwhile, Dean learns from the sheriff that the husband in the first pink murder case wasn’t among the residue found, while the man himself had become increasingly religious, and a fan of Buddy Boyle’s sermons. Dean recognizes the man’s truck as one parked outside Nora’s house earlier, just as Castiel answers the doorbell to find the killer standing before him.

Castiel identifies the killer as Ephraim, a younger angel who sought him out to end his suffering as a human. Subtly cutting his hand in an attempt to make a banishing sigil, Castiel quickly finds himself overpowered, while Ephraim rants about how he once admired the mighty Castiel. Meanwhile, Crowley finally gets through to Abaddon, learning that she doubled the intake of souls into Hell by collecting on all of his Crossroads contracts, and generally breaking the rules.

Dean arrives to save Castiel in the nick of time, sliding him the angel blade to finally take out Ephraim himself, while back at the Men of Letters base, Crowley angrily ends his call with Abaddon. Crowley insists on honoring his arrangements, translating Sam and Kevin’s notes to reveal that Metatron’s spell apparently can’t be reversed after all. Sam calls Dean with the news, though Dean keeps it to himself as Nora thanks Castiel for his help, noting that his extra care for the baby made him special.

Sam notices a vial of blood missing from his kit, secretly observing Crowley to inject the needle into himself in a moment alone. Meanwhile, Dean returns Castiel to the gas station and assures him that he and Sam will find a way to take care of the angels, leaving Castiel to focus on his human concerns.

Characters

 * Sam Winchester
 * Dean Winchester
 * Castiel
 * Kevin Tran
 * Crowley
 * Abaddon
 * Ephraim

Featured Supernatural Beings

 * Angels
 * Demons

Featured Music
Believe It or Not by Joey Scarbury.

Quotes

 * Teenage Girl: Why couldn’t he just dump me on Facebook like a normal person?
 * Dean: So you went from fighting Heavenly battles to nuking taquitos.
 * Sam (to Crowley): I saw what humanity did to you. Like it not, there’s still a little part of you that’s not a douche.
 * Castiel: I failed at being an angel. Everything I ever attempted came out wrong. But here at least I have a shot at getting things right.
 * Castiel: Nora, she’s a very nice woman. I’m pretty sure she’s not a reaper intent on killing me and she’s asked me out. Going on dates, that’s something that humans do, right?
 * Dean: My dates usually end when I run out of singles.
 * Teenage girl's friend: She was kinda bummed, that dick bag Travis broke up with her in front of the whole school. Like, more bummed than when she got a C on a quiz and less bummed than when her parents split up. Kinda. Bummed.
 * Castiel (to the baby): Nobody told you and nobody explained. You’re just shoved out, kicking and screaming into this human life without any idea why any of it feels the way it feels. Or why this confusion, it feels like it’s a hair’s breath from terror or pain. Just when you think you do understand, it’ll turn out you’re wrong. You didn’t understand anything at all. I guess that’s just how it is when you’re new at this.
 * Castiel (to Ephraim): Earth can be a hard place, but these humans, they can get better. They’re just doing the best they can.
 * Crowley (to Abaddon): You ganky, putrescent skanger!

Continuity

 * Castiel continues his "hunter in training" role, previously seen in Hunteri Heroici.
 * Crowley killing Kevin's mother was previously mentioned in Devil May Care.
 * Dean gives Cas some brotherly dating tips, ending with a "Go get 'em, tiger." He did a slightly sleazier version back in Free to Be You and Me in the brothel before sending Cas off with the prostitute.

Trivia

 * In this episode, Castiel is shown to have a rather impressive singing voice.
 * As of this episode, it is currently unknown if a way to reverse Metatron's spell will be revealed.
 * According to writer Robert Berens, the name of the baby Castiel babysits, Tanya, is a reference to baby Tanya from the 1996 comedy Citizen Ruth.
 * The lullaby that Castiel sings to the baby (Believe It or Not), was the theme song to the 1981 series, The Greatest American Hero.

Pop Cuture References

 * Dean: Just be careful, don't fall for any of his "quid pro quo" crap.
 * "Quid pro quo" is a reference to a line from Hannibal Lecter in Silence of the Lambs.
 * Dean (to Castiel): Undo your buttons... That's far enough Tony Manero.
 * Tony Manero is the suave ladies man in the 1977 movie, Saturday Night Fever.