The nineteenth installment of Supernatural’s tenth season brought the return of classic monsters and a beloved character. “Alex Annie Alexis Ann” was largely in Monster of the Week format, but did provide a glimpse at the ongoing plot as well as some insight and closure into tragedy from seasons past.
Sam and Dean return to Sioux Falls after a call from their friend Sheriff Jody Mills. Sheriff Mills has a girl in holding and has managed to hide the fact that this human girl was living with a nest of vampires from the rest of the precinct. Sam and Dean go on a recon mission to the girl’s home, where they learn that she had been willing bait to lure men of questionable morals to the nest so that her “family” could feed. Sheriff Mills joins the boys for clean-up, though the two parties have very different motivation for this particular hunt.
I’m afraid it’s going to be a pretty brief review tonight. I’ve been sitting here, staring at the screen, and there just isn’t a whole lot to say. This is something that normally occurs when I haven’t terribly enjoyed something, but ironically the exact opposite is true of “Alex Annie Alexis Ann.” This was a well-crafted hour of television.
The episode stands out from the season not just because of its MotW status, but due to its tone in general. This episode was quietly menacing – there were no brawls and very little screaming intimidation. Most of the camera work was hand held, and there was no incidental music. The mystery and horror crept up on you before you even realized what was going on, making not just the title and villain a metaphor, but every single element of the episode. It was kind of genius.
Kim Rhodes as Sheriff Mills is and always has been a powerhouse on this show. There are so few opportunities for healthy maternal figures (‘cause most of ‘em, you know, die) and Jodie Mills, with her own tragedies and current dysfunction mirrors the Winchesters just enough to provide solid empathy, but due to the happiness she was able to know before her dead son zombied out and ate her husband she counters their angst with believable and necessary optimism. She’s remained noble and strong through tragedy, upheaval of faith, and some epically bad dates, and I hope her presence is peppered through the show to its finale.
There were a few minor references to Dean’s changes, physical and mental, due to the Mark of Cain, and of course the family issues in tonight’s show are a greater allusion to the seasonal arc. I’m not sure what’s come over me, but for this moment in time I’m not so upset that I can’t see the focus of the season. Maybe this episode put enough in perspective that I don’t find it as important, or maybe it just did its cult-y duty and brainwashed me. Either way, I expect very little in the way of Metatron Season vs. Abaddon Season next week, as we will be introduced to the characters and locations for Supernatural’s spin off. After that, all bets are off and we begin our steady ascent into Wayward Son territory.