Supernatural: Season 9, episode 7 – Review

(Note: This is a review for last week’s episode, not last night’s.)

This episode was quite good, I felt. The structure is beginning to get a bit better, the flashbacks were nicely placed and quite telling, and the villain’s backstory was sad and bittersweet. The only real problem was the look of the younger Dean. Though his acting was brilliant, his eyes didn’t match Jensen Ackles’, and just his general physical attributes did not match up well. That’s not to say they shouldn’t have cast him; he was wonderful. They should have hired a better makeup team (at least get him some COLORED CONTACT LENSES, for Christ’s sake).

The flashbacks really gave us some great insight on more of Dean’s character. We now see that, even though he really did love it there, and originally didn’t want a life on the road, he ended up taking on the family business. We’ve known this before, but the new information is that he’s okay with that. He’s not hunting for his father; he’s hunting for himself. He enjoys it, and he knows he’s the best damn hunter on the planet. He can save people, he can be their hero, and he can choose to do it without being forced.

This was mirrored in the character of Robin. She matched up to Dean perfectly; though she, too, originally did not want to follow in her father’s footsteps, she ended up taking on the restaurant, and she loved her job. It goes to show that children often don’t really know what they want when their young, and it takes going through all your different life experiences to find out who you truly are, and what you want your life to be.

The villain was great, because she wasn’t really a villain. She was just a corrupted spirit, a mother who only wanted the best for her son. It was incredibly beautiful and tear-inducing when her charred, burned appearance melted away to reveal her true self; the woman who loved more than anyone could possibly imagine (props to special effects for that great transition!). And the fact that her son realized that he didn’t need her anymore; that he could survive without her, and he told her that. It’s what set her free.

I’ve seen many people comparing Dean to the son, but I actually think his story was more like the mother’s. Both are willing to do anything for the people they love (in Dean’s case Sam), but the person in question doesn’t need their help anymore. Both Dean and the mother are willing to go to the extreme to save their loved ones, even though it ends up being a bad thing. Now, what Dean needs to learn is that he has to let Sammy go; he has to understand that Sam has grown up, and he doesn’t need Dean’s protection anymore. Now, I’m not saying that Dean shouldn’t help Sam out; he should always have his back, and try his best to keep him alive. He just shouldn’t be so obsessed with him; so codependent. The way Dean is like the child is through his need to sabotage himself for the benefit of others. Sometimes you have to do things for yourself, even if it hurts other people. This is the lesson Dean himself needs to learn.

I also really, really loved Sam’s thanks to Dean at the end of the episode. Not the “wow thank you so much always do that”, but also not “you shouldn’t have done that for me”. It was the perfect balance; it was Sam saying “I’m thankful to you for doing that, and I respect you for sacrificing your happiness for my well-being, but you don’t have to do it anymore.” And it was beautiful.

Overall, this was a good episode. They’re slowly getting more into the five act structure, and it’s beginning to get less jarring. Stay tuned for the next review.