CWWho would have thought we'd ever meet Crowley's (Mark Sheppard) mother on Supernatural?!
Had you told us that back in season five, or seven, or even at the beginning of this season of the long-running CW drama, we would have called you a trickster. But lo and behold, Rowena (Ruth Connell) is the mother of the king of hell, and she's back from the dead to do...something.
We don't know her ultimate agenda, but as Sheppard perfectly puts it: "She's a witch. It never ends well with witches."
Sheppard was pleasantly surprised when he learned that he'd get to explore Crowley's mommy issues this season.
"I think it's fascinating because it's always an interesting dynamic with your parents," Sheppard tells E! News. "They're the people who installed the buttons so they know exactly how to push them. Crowley's problem is that this is Fergus' mother, and he's never really accepted Fergus as him, if that makes sense. It's not Crowley's mother, but she still has a profound effect on him."
But just as Supernatural fans were taken aback when Rowena first revealed she was Crowley's mother, so was Sheppard.
"When I first heard about the story, I thought was it going to be strange," Sheppard says. "I was very curious as to how it was going to play out. Ruth is just fantastic. And the twist is that 'son of a witch' is a joke we've had for a very long time. Crowley's mother as a witch is a very scary proposition. As all Supernatural fans know, it never ends well with witches."
It's been simultaneously tough and fascinating watching Rowena manipulate her son all season, since Crowley has become such an invulnerable villain on the CW series.
"Crowley is very aware that he's being manipulated," Sheppard reveals. "He's very aware of what is going on around him. But he has so many distractions going on right now, the situation with Dean [Jensen Ackles] and of course, this week, the return of Cain [Tim Omundson] which is such a massive big deal. He's resuscitating the reemergence of the first blade. There's a lot going on and it's very easy for Crowley to be distracted from perhaps what his mother's agenda really is."
But would Crowley be so susceptible to Rowena's manipulation if he hadn't gone through the trials in the church?
"The end of season eight, the human has obviously had a profound effect on him," Sheppard says. "The human experiment, let's call it. It's that, plus I think Crowley has always believed that he can handle anything. He has this sense of immortality and untouchableness that he constantly displays. But you never know! He may have overplayed his hand now."
So just what is Rowena's ultimate goal with her son?
"Now, I can't tell you everything!" Sheppard says with a laugh. "We'll get to see fully what Rowena's agenda actually is, and what she's really after. Whether that fits into what Crowley wants or whether it's his brush with humanity that is making Crowley more susceptible to Rowena's ultimate desires, you'll see that unfold. Is this going to be a mother/son alliance or is this going to cause problems between them?"
Tonight's episode finds Crowley helping the Winchesters out with their Cain problem, and expect Rowena to disapprove...and that's putting it lightly.
"Crowley always does what Crowley wants," Sheppard says. "And though his bromance with Dean is gone, the Winchesters now need my help in regards to Cain. I think Rowena's been quite vocal about Crowley and Dean. I don't think Rowena's agenda involves Crowley being so close to Dean, and there's definitely going to be an issue there."
Supernatural airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on the CW.