Why Do I Love Crowley? (Especially In Season 9?)

*Warning: Mild Spoilers*

 Well, I've been pondering something as I've been watching season 9 of Supernatural. (It's improved slightly, but it still has a LOT of problems…) I've noticed that I've become increasingly fond of Crowley, of all characters.

 So, why? Why, in a cast of likable (though sometimes infuriating) good guys, do I go for the morally ambiguous King of Hell? Well, I've done some looking into it, and here are some of the reasons I go for mister Crowley…

 

 He's Interesting

  I find that Crowley is an interesting character. For starters, we don't know much of his backstory. All we ostensibly know about him is:

-As a human, he was a Scottish tailor named Fergus McLeod from the 1600s

-He had a son that he hated (and hated him back)

-He sold his soul to "hit double digits" bellow the belt (which still amuses me…)

-His mother was a witch

  It may all be true, it may not. But I really want them to explore his backstory one of these days. I want to know how he became The King of Hell we know and love.

 Also, the storyline's he's involved in this season is the one I'm most invested in. I could care less about the power struggle with the angels at this point, I just want them to kill Gadreel and Metatron already, they wasted a lot of the Human!Castiel plot's potential, and I just want the boys to get over it and make up like we KNOW they will.

 Crowley, on the other hand, is involved with interesting plots right now. I'm actually invested in the "Who Will Rule Hell: Adaddon or Crowley?" arc. I'm admittedly intrigued in the "Mark of Cain" plot (if only for its story potential and that it might have Dean in peril rather than Sam as usual…). And then there's the whole "How The Third Trial Affected Crowley"/"Crowley's Blood Addiction" thing. Sweet merciful Chuck, am I hyped for  "Blade Runners" for apparently finally delving into it!

His Personality and Character

 

 The writers could have easily made Crowley a generic, card-carrying villian (though, admittedly, it wasn't his purpose in season 5. But they could have easily screwed him up!). But he's not. Yes, he does terrible things, season 8 being the pinnacle of puppy-kicking for him, I'm not going to ignore that.
 

 And he still has some degree of positive traits. The big one is that he has some sense of honor to him. If you make a deal/contract with him, he's probably the least likely to screw you over.

  He sees his deals with The Winchesters through to the end. And he freaking punishes a Crossroads Demon for killing people he had contracts with early. 

 But the best example of Crowley being redeemable comes back in season 5. He makes a deal with Bobby in order to help defeat Lucifer. He could have easily just left it at that. But, without having to be asked, he throws in healing Bobby's legs and getting him out of the wheelchair. He didn't have to, but he did.

 He's also really clever. He's, by his own admission, the one person who tries not to underestimate Sam and Dean. And he does what's in his best interest. He's able to play people and the boys. But he's not infallible, either. He can still BE defeated, but he still manages to pick himself up again and brush it off.

 Then of course, there's his wit and sass. I swear, the writers give him some of the best dialogue. He's a very quotable character.

 

I apologize for the language with this one...

  Plus, who doesn't love someone who flirts with the boys?

 

 And then there was that intriguing bit from the season eight finale, where he gives this little speech when he becomes mostly human:

 It kind of hints that maybe there is a lot more going on with everyone's favorite demon (again, another thing to look at).

 What I'm saying is, is that he's three-dimensional...

 He's Well-Acted

 Yeah, I've kinda become a Mark Sheppard fangirl thanks to Crowley. He plays the character really well, delivering the lines brilliantly. And, again, just look at that "I deserve to be loved" clip! Holy crap, Mark. Somebody get this man an award!

He's The One Thing That Consistently Makes Season 9 Entertaining

  Throughout Season 9, I've always looked forward to the Crowley episodes. Every episode he's in, he steals the show in some way or another. "Slumber Party", "Heaven Can't Wait" He's shined in the episodes he's starred in, like "Devil May Care", "Road Trip", and "First Born". Whenever Crowley's gone, I wish he'd show up again. He's the Ensemble Darkhorse of the season. He makes things fun for me. And, giving how depressing/soul-crushing/rainbow-killing this season is, more power to him.

***

 So that's why Crowley's my new favorite character on Supernatural. And I swear to Chuck, writers, if you touch on hair on his head or in his beard, I will hunt you down.

 Anyway, I look forward to seeing more of him. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to contemplate continuing to sit through the reboot of Battlestar Galactica. The first episode's so meh so far, but it's going to have Mark Sheppard pop up at some point... *sigh*