By John Keegan
To be honest, I’m still trying to wrap my head around this episode. I was hoping for something that would focus on the relationships within the Winchester family, and this episode had that and a lot more. Each character faced a critical decision, and while the conflicts were hardly swept under the rug, there was a sense of resolution. Kripke may have stepped back from his promise to avoid long-term mythology, as evidenced by the continued presence of the demon, but that’s a very minor quibble, since I like long-term arcs anyway!
I’ve often said that the strength of this series is the relationship between Sam and Dean, and that really shines through in this episode. For all intent purposes, Dean was unable to communicate with Sam for the majority of the episode, yet the emotional connections were plainly evident. Sam found himself unwilling to let go, despite all the past history. I really liked how the Impala became a metaphor for Dean himself; it was obvious, but played to near-perfection. Dean had a powerful journey in this episode. I honestly think that he would have accepted his death, had John not intervened at that exact moment. Some have mentioned that Dean was a lot more accepting of his possible death in “Faith”, but for me, it made sense for him to resist it this time. It was only hours after the confrontation with the demon, and his “duty” was at the forefront of his mind. (That said, Hot Reaper Chick was worth the struggle!) Sam and Dean both stood up to John, though in Dean’s case, it wasn’t quite in the manner I would have expected. Still, it completes the character arcs from the first season. Sam has come to understand the importance of his family, but he retains the ability to question priorities. Dean managed to question his father’s authority, but he still has the driving need to protect his brother. Both characters remain on somewhat opposite sides of the spectrum, but they are a lot closer to middle ground than they were before.
Thankfully, this incremental progress means that the conflicts remain. Sam may not be looking to leave Dean behind and resume his life, but that doesn’t mean that he’ll blindly follow orders all of a sudden. And Dean’s motivations are obviously going to be affected by whatever John whispered in his ear. I suspect it was something about why the demon had plans for Sam. If so, then Dean now holds that burden. As the older brother, it should be interesting to see if he slips back a little, trying to hard to run the show.
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John Winchester (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) makes the ultimate sacrifice to save his son
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Of course, a lot of people are talking about John’s sacrifice. I’m not sure about this part. Granted, it works in terms of John’s very basic arc, coming to terms with the needs of his family over the need to kill the demon. It’s quite possible that he thinks Dean and Sam might be able to find a way to stop the demon without the Colt. But once Dean was alive and well, why not take one last shot at the demon? He was going to die anyway, and it’s not like his word would matter when dealing with a demon! I suppose his sacrifice wouldn’t have been so meaningful in that case, though, so I’ll leave it at that. This was a very good season premiere, especially since it managed to focus on character psychology more than simple “scares”. I only hope that the next few episodes continue to explore the emotional fallout of John’s sacrifice. It would be easy to slip back into the “monster of the week” episodes, but ever since John’s return late in the first season, events have been massive. The characters would need time to work out the implications and consequences. If the writers take that step, and I think they will, then this season should be a great ride.
(As a sidenote: I also have a podcast associated with my various reviews called “Dispatches from Tuzenor”. Current episodes cover “Supernatural”, so it might be something of interest. Go to http://entil2001.libsyn.comif you want to listen!)
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