Absence makes the heart grow fonder, they say, and in this case, it is more than a little true. The Brothers Winchester are finally confronted by one of their enemies, and it’s not pretty. (Well, in point of fact, it is pretty, even if I’m not a big fan of the short-hair look.) The final act does threaten to derail the episode somewhat, but overall, this advances the story in some interesting directions.

I like the fact that Sam was attracted to Meg, because Dean is usually the one with the leering eye. (Evidence: that babe of a bartender!) Where Dean seems to go for the looks and the one-night stand, Sam is attracted more to the emotional resonance. Meg told him everything he needed to hear when they first met, and it left him vulnerable as a result. Even though he kept his head in the game for the most part, that attraction clearly kept him off balance.

Meg is a complicated and powerful adversary, and part of me wishes that she had remained a more subtle enemy. She doesn’t give away much in this episode, other than the fact that John is the main target and the sons are considered good bait, but there’s no chance of complicating the relationship between Sam and Meg after this episode.

I just have to say: I love this show. Even when they don’t quite hit the high mark they’re aiming for, I have to give them credit. This episode was drenched in atmosphere, and while the story was a little thin, it once again boiled down to the psychology of the two brothers. Specifically, in this instance, Dean’s emotions regarding Sam.

For all that Sam annoys Dean to no end, Dean also feels an incredible amount of responsibility for his welfare and survival. From my perspective, this ties back into “Scarecrow”. Dean has a lot of issues with Sam and his notions of duty and responsibility to family, but he’s not about to leave Sam to the dogs. It’s nothing particularly new, but I consider the depth of relationship between Dean and Sam to be similar to the nuanced and complex relationship between Mulder and Scully on “X-Files”.

Speaking of “X-Files”, a lot of buzz surrounded this episode, claiming that it was some kind of thematic follow-up on the “X-Files” episode “Home”. It may be an obvious correlation, but I’m not entirely convinced that it’s correct.