There was a brief respite from the Supernatural mid-season hellatus – one that brought an amazing episode that refocused the trajectory of the entire season, another that introduced a new character and boldly reinterpreted Christian lore, and two that were, you know, episodes.
In tonight’s “The Purge,” Sam and Dean re-team for a hunt on the condition that they keep it purely business, and the fandom released a collective “PSSHT.” The episode focused almost exclusively on the hunt for an other-wordly entity that drained fat, and also life, from its victims. Two questionable deaths led the boys to an elite day spa that promises weight loss with no cardio or fancy diet, and it’s there that they are employed as a fitness trainer and kitchen grunt. It was an interesting choice for a cliffhanger, as it left very little in the way of anticipation for the post-Olympics return. You know what? I’m even going to keep it, for the most part, spoiler free tonight! That being said, let’s talk about…
The “Well That’s Delightful!”
- If Sheriff Donna Hanscum wasn’t a tribute (and a great one) to Marge Gunderson, I will eat my shoe. Part of me really hopes that it wasn’t any kind of decision made by the creative team, but rather that the guest actress came in and made that suggestion herself. I have no idea why, that situation just makes me really happy.
- Dean Winchester in a hair net. Come on. That’s good stuff. Also passing out after forbidden pudding, because pudding.
- This episode, with no Castiel or Crowley, no Kevin or Charley, and no looming apocalyptic story, felt a lot like season one. I love all of the things mentioned in that list, but it’s nice to get a nod to why the show became so awesome in the first place, that reason being of course the Brothers against the MotW theme. It was fun to get a single episode monster story with some genuinely scary moments, but unfortunately there were enough flaws that it was hard to get completely immersed in the nostalgia.
The “You Cannot Be Serious.”
- Dean’s unceremonious decision to kill an innocent creature at the end of the episode was a complete foul ball. I understand, you guys, I really do. It’s a show about two brothers whose mother was murdered by a Crossroads Demon thereby sending their father on a vengeance mission that led to the two boys living an extraordinary life filled with adversity and horror and, like, shapeshifters and stuff. I get that a little suspension of disbelief is required. But that suspension should not and will not include forgetting an entire season plus some episodes that led to Dean NOT making those kinds of decisions. Was his plan just part of a show to “keep it professional,” or was Dean being a spiteful butt and puffing out his chest to be the boss? To the former I might concede, but to the latter I call horseshit, because these writers are far better than that.
The “Kiss Riff”
- Yeah so that probably needs some explanation. If you are a casual Kiss listener, you know that they are pioneers of the arena riff. But if you are a Kiss nerd, you know that those very riffs incur the slightest change-ups during the course of a song, thereby making the tunes far more interesting the closer you listen and a hell of a lot of fun to play. Tonight’s Kiss riff was the ol’ “‘I did this for reasons’ v ‘you’re not the boss of me'” Winchester dynamic. Dean is scared and Sam is tired, and in the final scenes of the episode one of them came clean. One of them finally decided that in order to save the long term relationship (and possibly at the risk of destroying that relationship), some feelings are gonna have to get stomped right now. It was a subtle soul-crush, and the only part of this episode that makes me antsy about waiting two weeks for more.
The previews for the show’s return promise a return to the larger issue, including Crowley crying over a bottle of liquor and Cas being a BAMF. While this particular episode left me a bit drowsy I’m still enthralled by the developments that happened over the past four episodes and will be tapping my feet during the curling matches, daydreaming of Vancouver soundstages.