Supernatural's Gabriel Is Back With A Bloody Mission In Exclusive Clip
Fans of Supernatural know well by this point that no character is necessarily gone for good when there are resurrections and ghosts and afterlives in play. Season 13 recently managed to bring back none other than the archangel Gabriel, played by Richard Speight Jr. He turned up very much alive as an unfortunate prisoner of Asmodeus. With the help of some unexpected allies, Gabriel managed to incinerate Asmodeus. Good old Gabriel took off after roasting his former captor, wanting no further part in the conflict. The good news for fans is that Richard Speight Jr. will be back in the next episode as actor and director, and he chatted with CinemaBlend about what's in store. In an exclusive clip from the "Unfinished Business" episode, Gabriel is back with a bloody mission for the WInchesters. Take a look!
Gabriel isn't looking too great in this clip! Still recovering from having his grace siphoned by Asmodeus, Gabriel isn't as mighty or as capable of bouncing back from injuries as he would be at full power. Operating at reduced power clearly isn't enough to stop Gabriel from chasing his revenge on the demigods who sold him to Asmodeus, and he doesn't seem especially phased by the giant bloody wound in his side. Apparently, slaughtering all those who sold him to Asmodeus is the best thing he can think of, even if it's not going well right off the bat. We can bet that Gabriel dropped by the Winchesters' room to try and recruit them to lend a hand in his quest.
The Winchesters will likely be busy with Gabriel's mission throughout "Unfinished Business." Interestingly, "Unfinished Business" was also a very busy episode for Richard Speight Jr. The man who has brought Gabriel/The Trickster to life off and on over the years has also directed a handful of episodes, and this will be one unlike any he directed before. He spoke with CinemaBlend about his work on the episode, saying this:
Over the course of his many years connected to the show, Richard Speight Jr. never had the opportunity to act in one of the episodes he was directing. Of course, Gabriel did seem quite definitively dead after being stabbed by Lucifer back in Season 5. His angel wings were burned into the floor, and Supernatural didn't break him back as more than an illusion until Season 13. Returning to Supernatural in front of the camera as an actor as well as behind-the-scenes as director meant that Speight had a lot going on for this episode.
Fortunately, Richard Speight went on to explain how his work in front of the camera on Supernatural has helped him in his work as a director on the show:
His work as Gabriel/The Trickster back before the character was unceremoniously stabbed to death (or so we thought) helped Richard Speight to form the connections to both direct episodes and develop further as a director. Supernatural was the first show for which he directed, and his familiarity with the folks behind the scenes clearly helped him learn the ropes for TV directing. Given the fact that episodes of this show are more or less equivalent to half of a feature film and must be shot in eight days, kicking off a directing career on Supernatural was a bold move.
Now, since this is Supernatural we're talking about, longtime fans have to wonder whether Richard Speight was able to direct his episodes without falling victim to pranks courtesy of series stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. Misha Collins (who plays Castiel) was pranked with pies in the face during his directing debut, and the boys even go so far as to prank the star of another show. When I asked if Speight was also pranked when he first took his turn as Supernatural director, he had this to say:
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No pies in the face for Richard Speight! All things considered, he may be quite lucky to have avoided pranks courtesy of Jared Padalecki, who was apparently tempted to give in and pull something after discovering people online were hoping for some prank action. Speight has escaped unscathed by pranks thus far. Supernatural did already score a renewal for Season 14; hopefully Speight will return for more in the next batch of episodes, even if that does mean running the risk of a prank or too.
Stay tuned to CinemaBlend for more of what Richard Speight Jr. revealed about his big episode of Supernatural, and be sure to tune in to The CW tonight at 8 p.m. ET to see Gabriel back in action with his bloody mission. Don't forget to swing by our picks for cartoons we want to see Supernatural cross over with in the aftermath of the "Scoobynatural" episode. If you need some TV options for once the 2017-2018 season comes to an end, check out our summer TV premiere schedule and our 2018 Netflix premiere guide.
Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).