3 reasons Houses of the Holy was the perfect test for angels on Supernatural
Houses of the Holy introduced the idea of angels on Supernatural. While the “angel” turned out to be a spirit, it was a powerful test to see if they could work.
Way back in Supernatural Season 2 it looked like Eric Kripke was going to introduce angels. “Houses of the Holy” now looks like foreshadowing for the angelic beings, although it actually wasn’t. Kripke wasn’t sure if angels would ever come into play and didn’t think they would, until planning later seasons.
However, “Houses of the Holy” was the perfect test to see if they would work. Here are three reasons why.
#1. Reintroduced the idea of faith
The one thing the episode was able to accomplish right away was the idea of the faith between the two brothers. Supernatural made it clear that Sam believed in something–whether it was the actual God that has been introduced now or just some sort of higher power. He had to believe, because he needed a reason for all the bad things in the world.
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Dean, on the other hand, didn’t believe in angels. “Faith” had previously set up the idea that he didn’t believe in any of this stuff and that continued with “Houses of the Holy.”
While it set up the personalities, it also reintroduced the idea of faith for the viewers. We had the chance to make up our own minds.
#2. Angels are soldiers
Kripke did include the painting of Michael with his flaming sword. It was the first look of angels as soldiers and not the things that would sit on clouds and play the harp. This tested the idea of angels as potential warriors in the fight against evil.
When we finally did meet Castiel, we weren’t as surprised as we could have been at this strong soldier in front of Dean and Bobby. The series had already reminded us that, actually, angels are tough cookies.
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#3. Watch the ratings
At the time of “Houses of the Holy,” tracking opinions through Twitter wasn’t a thing. It was all about the ratings. Kripke had a chance to see what the viewers thought about angels through the viewer ratings. If they dipped in that episode and shortly after, he knew he wasn’t onto a winner at all.
He could also look at the reviews and critics’ opinions. There were some message boards around at the time, giving him an insight into what the viewers thought about the idea of adding angels into the mix.
Next: 7 best lines from Supernatural Season 2, Episode 13
Do you think “Houses of the Holy” was the test for angels that Kripke needed? Did this set up the introduction of real angels in Season 4? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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