Supernatural (TV Series) The Vessel (2016) User Reviews

"Supernatural" Season 11 Best Episode So Far

[gerrythree · 10/10 · 18 February 2016]

This episode of "Supernatural" is the best so far of this 11th season and the credit goes to director John Badham, writer Robert Berens, submarine technical adviser Robert Mackay and the production design crew. That crew must have gone way over budget to design the interior sets on this episode. For this episode, there is plenty of attention to detail. In one scene in the Winchester's hideaway, there are a bunch of documents and maps and such covering a long wooden desk. Someone took a lot of time to create these colorful prop documents, all clearly shown. Director Badham also worked as a movie director, where you can have great attention to detail, to make a film set look authentic. That concern with making things look authentic extends to the acting in this episode where you don't see anyone eating up the scenery with overacting and making faces to look serious or important. A low key approach, the story is bizarre enough as is, what with time travel and the all powerful wooden Hand of God, along with a knockout actress as a "Man of Letters." Now, if they could only show the Winchesters' high quality printer in action.

"Letters" legacies from other Countries

[jldowling-63018 · 9/10 · 24 February 2016]

I cannot overemphasize how much more dimension has been added to the show by the "Bunker" and the "Men of Letters" elements. I LOVE that bunker for the Boys - it's a home, it's (mostly) protected, and it's a vast resource of history and knowledge for them to draw from. It just gives me warm fuzzies when I see the boys there.

I also believe the show has a LOT more to explore with Men and Women of Letters from other countries. The young woman who was a legacy from Ireland, and now Delphine from France - yes! Why not have the boys go on a joint mission somewhere overseas with one of their Letters brethren???? Demons and Rakshasas and Rugarus can't ALL be in the U.S. Aren't the Kitsunes from Japan? I also loved the storyline with the Jewish Golem and the Thule Society and the Judah Initiative! Let's go overseas with Supernatural!!!

Supernatural + Time Travel = Amazing

[erickd201 · 9/10 · 21 February 2016]

Season 11 so far has been one of the most consistent seasons in the show's history. I really enjoyed this episode and there are so many great things about it but what I think I loved the most is that they finally explained Castiel's abilities. This kind of goes back into some issues people had with the episode Dark Dynasty which by no means is perfect. But so many people had criticized that Castiel should've been able to teleport Charlie out of that bathroom. I felt I was the only one screaming at the rooftops saying "He has no wings people!"He can't just go back and forth like he used to. All angels (except Luci who was safe and sound inside his cage) lost their wings in the fall. Cas has his own car for Christ's sakes. Anyway back to the episode which didn't feel entirely original I'll admit (shows like Doctor Who and Angel have done the whole submarine thing before) but wound up being one of the cooler episodes this season. I never in a million years thought I'd see a WWII submarine get attacked by Nazis on an episode of Supernatural. What was also cool was the character of Delphine a Woman of Letters. On her own mission to transport the "Hand of God" back to the Men of Letters base. Her sacrifice at the end to spare Dean was both tragic and heroic. Hopefully the Hand of God made her immortal somehow in the near future. It would be cool to continue the trend of cool recurring female characters this season.

Pros: Explaining Castiel's current abilities

Delphine's sacrifice

"Castifer's" identity revealed to the boys

Cool WWII submarine setting although...

Cons: it's not that original

Besides the sub being attacked, not much action

Overall Score: 9.1/10

Sam thinks he finds a way to defeat The Darkness..

[ajs1997 · 9/10 · 17 February 2016]

Sam looks through some books and finds what is called the Hand of God, and this could be the one thing that can help destroy The Darkness. Knowing this, Dean asks Casifer to send him back in time to find to so they can defeat the Darkness.

This episode keeps the Season 11 speed that has been going on throughout the season. Misha Collins returns as both Cas and Lucifer and plays them both with great talent and perfection. When he finally reveals to the Winchesters that he is Lucifer, the smoke in the boys eyes is real and you can tell that they had felt that they failed in what they were trying to do.

We also get to see Cas fighting for control of his body with Lucifer and telling Sam that Lucifer is still their only hope in beating The Darkness.

Overall, this episode keeps the season going and gives us new plot points to follow for the future. It should be interesting to see now that Lucifer has finally said that he is who he is to see what he does now.

9/10

Melancholy overtone

[blackmagpie-62368 · 10/10 · 2 May 2018]

What I like about this episode is that first and foremost it introduces us to certain aspects of the Hand of God. I also love that it is primarily set in the closed quarters of a submarine with a rather theatrical set up that to me successfully creates a very "muffled" and melancholy atmosphere and a relaxed pace very different to other episodes. Overall, without spoiling the story, it is an episode that deals with those on the submarine, their acceptance of their fate and their self sacrifice.

PS Nice to see Dean for once with his shirt tucked in !! :)

Enough with the time loops.

[CubsandCulture · 8/10 · 19 October 2020]

The show has done time travel a few times now-they always end up plotting it so that time is a loop. That is Dean always goes back and the outcome does not change because Dean always goes back. This trope becomes over used in this episode and it is quite stale as a result.

It is a bit fun to see Dean in WWII and Collins is a great Lucifer but this is warmed over hash.

Cassifer and nazis

[shwetafabm · 7/10 · 24 July 2020]

I hate how Cassifer came into being, it still makes no sense but i absolutely love watching him. The whole nazi thing i just wasn't into

I have one very serious issue with this wpisode

[gj-boyaval · 2/10 · 23 November 2019]

The episode is set in Nazi France 1939, playing a song, Edith Piaf Je ne regrette rien, that was released in 1960!!!!! I mean what the ....? It is seriously a simple research of 30 seconds, but Americans/Canadians really.dont.care. No culture. The fact that a little fact checking is too much for the Supernatural team made me lose serious respect in the writing.....

Inaccurate and boring

[darkdementress · 1/10 · 19 October 2021]

The guy on the sub refers to the boat hunting them as a "he" several times they would never have done that ships were referred to as "she." They would have never ever let anyone in the Marines at that time with a scruffy gross face,everyone had discipline and respect and was clean-shaven. They will certainly did not call people girls and boys, it was completely different era and those are modern terms. This show has such lazy immature writing.