I wanted to like Supernatural Season 12 Episode 21 — and there were some good moments —  but the more I thought about it, the more disappointing the hour really was.

First was the immediate death of one of Supernatural’s newest hunters, Eileen, a character whose introduction on Supernatural Season 11 Episode 11 was engaging and fresh. She was someone who was simply out for revenge and then continued on the hunting path to try and save others, much like Sam and Dean.

She had great chemistry with Sam, and she could even get into some solid banter with the brothers.

Eileen was a fantastic new character who I wanted to see more of, learn more about.

I get that characters will be killed off on shows. It happens, and with the way the British Men of Letters have been presented, it would make sense that they would try to kill her to show off their prowess.

But the way she went out made her seem less like the competent hunter we were introduced to and more like the random introductory character who happens upon something dangerously supernatural.

It almost felt like a throwaway death, too, which is disappointing considering the character. Really, it was just handled poorly.

Plus, the fact that Mr. Ketch can control a hellhound with a dog whistle? What?

The fact that Crowley is even “loaning” them out just seems ridiculous.

I don't even know why that direction was taken for the story. Obviously, Mr. Ketch has been able to take out monsters and other hunters, so why even bring in a hellhound?

Was it to establish that Crowley has a rapport with the British Men of Letters? Even that felt like a weak tie-in.

But the real big Crowley moment was that he was upstaged by Lucifer, which is disappointing because of his awesome tactics that were revealed on Supernatural Season 12 Episode 15.

I truly thought Crowley would keep that upper hand and then reveal what he really had in store for Lucifer.

But what’s truly disappointing is that in giving Lucifer the edge again, the show couldn’t actually pull the trigger and kill off Crowley.

That’s right, Crowley is probably most definitely inside the body of a rat.

I think Crowley is a fantastic character, but he hasn’t had much to do this season, and right when it seemed like the series was pushing him in the right direction, it took a turn backward.

As much as I like both Lucifer and Crowley, the show needs to pick one. That's where a real death would make sense.

There should only be one top dog, and the other has to go.

It was so obvious that Crowley wasn’t going to get killed, too, especially with Lucifer’s hesitation.

Yes, that visual of the wings was so cool, but it would have been ballsy for Lucifer’s use of the blade to actually succeed.

There was a similar frustration in Dean, Sam and Toni being left to die in the bunker.

Why wouldn’t Mr. Ketch just kill them?

I know that it’s Sam and Dean, so they have to live, but the plan seemed so stupid the way it was executed.

Mr. Ketch had them right where he wanted them, he even had Mary swoop in, the new hunter killer, and then he decides to monologue, tell them his plan, and then leave?

Did he just watch Austin Powers or something? Such a cartoon bad guy move...

Sure, the gun fight in the bunker was awesome, and there was an intensity that made it instantly engaging. It’s great seeing Sam and Dean take on the fight and show off their skills.

Watching them work together in that situation with Sam handling Toni and Dean doing the super slide to come in at Mr. Ketch felt like we were watching two competent and tactful hunters.

That’s Sam and Dean!

I get that having their brainwashed mom would cause them to lay down their arms. After all, it’s their mom.

I also expected Mary to have a glitch-type of moment when Sam and Dean called out to her. Maybe not fully break from her brainwashing, but something for a second, because, you know, the power of family and all.

Though, the whole brainwashing felt like it came out of nowhere like it was an excuse to try and pit Mary up against her kids for the story.

Why did the British Men of Letters not do that in the first place? Then again, if their whole mission is to kill hunters, why even keep Mary around? Because she’s the best?

I liked the scene with Toni the car with Sam and Dean, and the way Toni toyed with the brothers about their mom hooking up with Mr. Ketch.

Granted, I'm not a fan of her character, but she clearly knew how to play with their emotions. And it wasn't a surprise that Dean would slam on the breaks to try and get at her after her comments.

Lucky for her, Sam was able to fend Dean off for the time being.

But really, by the end, with the threat of the big time deaths being nonexistent and the one actual death feeling like such a waste for the character, I was left frustrated.

Even the last little scene, which could have been a cool way to cap things off, just felt out of place. I almost thought it was a commercial with the fake background as Lucifer spread his arms out to the sky.

I get that the British Men of Letters will be dealt with in the season finale and that Lucifer’s baby will probably have a big role to play going into Supernatural Season 13, but what should have been an engaging lead-in, wound up falling flat and lacking the emotional punch and dramatic weight it tried to deliver.

Sure, Toni's going to wind up having to help Sam and Dean escape, but I haven't cared enough about her character to be interested in her changing sides.

And I just hope that the finale doesn't conclude with Mary sacrificing herself but still being mostly brainwashed. That would be such a disappointing ending for her character.

I still feel like the Darkness should have some role to play in Mary's fate, right? After all, she's the one who brought her back.

Look, I'm hopeful that the finale will deliver and make up for this hour. Supernatural certainly has had its fair share of outstanding season enders, so I'm eager to see how it all turns out, especially with Sam and Dean.

Let's just hope it's a far cry from the frustrating letdown of this lead-in episode.

Did you think Lucifer was actually going to kill Crowley? Why did Mr. Ketch just leave Sam and Dean in the bunker? Can Mary be saved? Sound off below, and be sure to watch Supernatural online at TV Fanatic!

Sean McKenna was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. He retired in May of 2017. Follow him on Twitter.