Lower Decks

The following review contains spoilers for Supernatural through the current episode, “In the Beginning,” originally broadcast October 2nd, 2008.

Well, this was an interesting episode, I’ll say that about it. While watching, I was completely engrossed. It was a solid hour of television with some shocking reveals and some hilarious moments. But when it ended, and I took a minute to think about what I had just seen, I found myself wondering whether I had actually learned anything of consequence. I have never been a fan of time travel episodes (regardless of the series) especially when nothing actually changes when the character(s) sent back in time return to the present.

So, Dean goes back in time and meets his parents and his grandparents. He learns that John, his father, is just a regular guy recently back from Vietnam, while his mother, Mary, is a hunter. And her parents are hunters, too. I suppose it was a big shock that Mary was a hunter, given that we knew very little about her, but that revelation fell a little flat when she revealed that she hated being a hunter and wanted to have a normal life and be a normal wife and mother.

During the course of his jaunt in the past, Dean inadvertently introduces Mary to Azazel the yellow-eyed demon, although the intricacies of time travel dictate that this had already happened and, due to destiny, would always happen no matter what Dean did. As Castiel explains, it wasn’t his fault. Still, Dean certainly can’t be happy with everything he learned in the past, especially the fact that his mother made a deal with Azazel to bring John back from the dead. Or the sight of Mary kissing her demon-infested father. Ew.

Dean also learns that Azazel doesn’t care about the souls he makes deals for. The deals are only to gain permission to return in ten years and drip some of his blood into the mouths of his “children.” He picks the strongest parents in order to provide the strongest offspring. But simply having an army of demon children isn’t Azazel’s ultimate plan. Unfortunately, he doesn’t tell Dean what that plan is. And Castiel doesn’t know either. Somehow, Sam is an important part of the plan (which we already knew) and Dean is charged by Castiel with stopping Sam. If he doesn’t, Castiel will.

Ultimately, despite stellar acting from all involved, with extra praise for Jensen Ackles (Dean), Mitch Pileggi (Samuel) and Amy Gumenick (Mary), “In the Beginning” was somewhat disappointing. Dean is as hilarious as ever, giving his name as Dean Van Halen and convincing his father to buy the ’67 Chevy Impala that he would later inherit. The “Sonny and Cher broke up” bit was also amusing, but the best lines of the episode had to come when Dean noticed how attractive Mary was: “Sammy, wherever you are, Mom is a babe. I’m going to Hell. Again.”

Still, it seems as if Season Four is going to pit Dean against Sam and that I do not like. Supernatural is at its best when Sam and Dean are side by side kicking ass and taking names. Forcing Dean to confront and potentially kill (as Castiel hinted at) Sam is not something I relish watching. But that seems to be what the first few episodes of the season are setting up. In seasons past Dean has made it clear that he is worried about Sam’s powers and where they might lead. And when he learns what Sam and Ruby have been doing late at night (whatever it is they are doing) he is not going to be happy.

There were also a few unanswered questions. Where did Dean get the car he was using throughout the episode? Where did he sleep at night (he arrived on April 30th, went out to the farm the next day, went to get the Colt that afternoon/evening, and left that night) given that Samuel didn’t seem the sort to put up strangers, even fellow hunters? How did the Colt get back to its rightful owner? And why didn’t Mary listen to Dean’s warning and not get out of bed on November 2nd, 1983? Did she forget? Minor issues, perhaps, but I was left wondering them nonetheless.

It was a good episode, yes, but I don’t think it worked entirely the way the producers had hoped. At least not for me. For an episode that attempted to fill in holes in the Winchester history, I was left with more questions than answers.