Baby’s Rear View Recap: 11.14 “The Vessel”

This post is about Supernatural episode 11.14 “The Vessel,” written by Robert Berens and directed by John Badham.

Spoilers to follow.

“The Men of Letters send their regards”

In Nazi Occupied France, 1943, a Nazi officer speaks to a comrade on the telephone concerning an object. A beautiful French woman in a nightgown listens in the background. When he has hung up, she needles at him until he shows her what’s in the box. Once she sees it, she turns and stabs the Nazi. As he falls to the floor, she tells him that the months she spent with him were the worst moments of her life, but that killing him was the best.

“Un Femme de Lettres”

Cut to the boys in the bunker, where Dean once again shambles to the kitchen after waking to find Sam deep in research. This time, Sam thinks he has discovered the existence of a weapon that could be used against Amara. It’s called “The Hand of God,” and is one of the objects He supposedly imbued with His power when He touched them on Earth. It was found by the “Ahnenerbe,” a special branch of Nazis devoted to archaeology. It seems it was stolen by one Delphine Seydoux, a woman of letters.

“That’s a good doggie”

We finally see what Casifer and Crowley are up to, which is basically nothing. Casifer sits on the throne of Hell playing a game on a tablet. Crowley is being held in a cage, chained and forced to wear a Hawaiian shirt.

“I just never got the impression that they were so big on gender equality. You know, it's right there in the name.”

Yes Dean, you are correct. Glad you brought it up. Also really glad that you seem so excited about women being included, it makes my heart happy.

While Dean downs a beer for breakfast (because Sam drank all the coffee and what is he supposed to drink, water?), Sam shows him some French documents he found. Also, just pointing out, they have a magic wand that scans documents and translates them immediately. How cool is that. From these documents, the boys surmise that the Hand was to be transferred by the U.S.S. Bluefin, a submarine that sank midway through its trip across the Atlantic.

“We have something that James Cameron doesn’t have”

An angel. We’re back in the throneroom, where Lucifer’s weapons have just been delivered. Casifer consults with Crowley, telling Crowley that he knows he is just pretending to be under his control and biding his time until the opportunity to seize the throne presents itself. Crowley suggests that Casifer would have taken the fight to Amara already if he had a way to beat her.

“Maybe defeating Amara was a bit more of a team effort than I led certain people to believe.”

When Dean calls, Casifer answers. Even though the boys know that Cas doesn’t have the power he used to, Casifer insists that time travel works differently, and that he will be able to do it.

“That’s not a very good plan”

After some discussion (a fight which Casifer clearly delights in seeing), Cas and Dean are to travel back in time to catch the sub before it sinks while Sam stays behind and “rides the pine.” While Sam isn’t a fan of Dean taking this risk or of Dean referring to himself as the “least valuable player,” there is some logic in him staying behind to take care of Amara if something goes sideways. Once Dean tells Sam that he needs to do this and Cas promises not to let him out of his sight, Sam reluctantly agrees to the plan.

“Be safe.”
“When am I not?”

Always. Dean Winchester is never safe. But it’s bon voyage anyway, as Cas zaps Dean into the past and onto the sub. Casifer, however, gets stuck outside the hull due to some sort of warding. Dean, now on his own, incapacitates one of the sailors and steals his clothes. They really wanted an excuse to put him in a uniform. Dean finds Delphine, but a split-second later, the sailor finds him (and he’s brought more sailors). He tries to explain, but Delphine is the only one who buys his time travel story.

“We don’t have time for long shots, Cas”

Sam finds a spell to get past what’s blocking Cas, but when he sees that it requires an archangel, he gives up. He doesn’t realize that Casifer is an archangel and leaves while Casifer gets to work.

“But we all die?”

Dean tells Delphine and the sailor guarding him that he is there for the weapon. Delphine shares that the Hand is a piece of the Ark of the Covenant. Delphine goes to destroy the other sigil, and Dean has a sad conversation with the sailor guarding him. The sailor seems to believe him now, and asks about the end of the war for his family and friends. When Delphine returns, she unbuttons her shirt and shows Dean the sigil carved into her chest. She tells him she must be killed to break the power of the sigil. Dean takes the knife, but is unable to go through with it before the sub is pitched into chaos.

“I don't need you anymore. I mean, Dean's the one with the link to Amara. Why have I been trying to spare you? I mean, maybe it's because you're like the girl who kept turning me down at the prom.”

Sam offers his soul to Casifer to give him the strength to break through the warding to save Dean. When Sam tells Cas that he trusts him, Casifer finally breaks his cover. Sam realizes that he has once again been betrayed by Lucifer and he’s at his mercy now. As if that isn’t soul-crushing enough, Casifer reaches into Sam’s body and begins siphoning his soul for power.

“Hello Castiel”

Castiel has managed to stay Lucifer’s hand for the time being; he and Sam get a brief moment to talk. Cas tells Sam that he wants to be of service to the fight, and that only Lucifer can beat Amara. When Sam tells Cas to eject Lucifer, Cas says he can’t. For one, it’s all he can do to stop Lucifer from killing Sam; for two, it’s the only way to save Dean.

“We are supposed to die. Let us do it with a purpose.”

The German sub sends a message for Delphine. It turns out that Delphine’s Nazi lover was a necromancer, and can only be vanquished through fire. He tells the sub if they surrender Delphine and the weapon, he will let them go, but that he will get the weapon either way. Dean offers to use the weapon himself to save Delphine and the sub. Delphine refuses. She takes the Hand and uses it to explode both ships. It kills her and destroys the magic of the sigil, allowing Casifer to get close enough to zap both Dean and the Hand back to the bunker.

“Dean, that’s not Cas”

As soon as Dean and Cas arrive back at the bunker, Sam warns Dean about Casifer. Casifer backs them both into a corner and takes out the Hand of God, which turns out to be a totally useless one-hitter. Luckily, by the time they have figured this out, Sam has drawn a blood-sigil on the wall and Lucifer is banished.

“I was just a witness”

The boys debrief as the episode comes to a close. When Sam asks what they will do, Dean answers that they will hunt Lucifer and save Cas. Sam warns that Cas may not come back willingly, but Dean refuses to accept that. Sam changes the topic and asks Dean what he did on the sub. Dean answers that he did nothing. Sam asks whether he wants to talk about it and Dean replies that it is a story for another day. Before Sam leaves, Dean asks what happened to the German ship. When he finds out that it burned and sank, Dean smiles.

Questions:

Who will find the next Hand of God first, Casifer, or the Winchesters? They obviously can’t work together anymore, but Castiel said that this will require teamwork… how will he get them to cooperate? (And by them I mean Dean, because Casifer said that he needs Dean for his connection to Amara but doesn’t need Sam).

What are the boys going to do about Lucifer? Can they trap him in the cage again? Could they use the Hand of God on him?

And how many Hands of God are there? Enough to take care of Amara and Luci? My guess is no, because that would be way too easy.

Where is Amara? We haven’t even seen her in months. What is she up to? Because even though Casifer, Crowley, and the Winchesters are planless, you can bet that Amara is not.

Conclusions:

I liked the episode. The highlights for me were Dean in a uniform and all the man-pain (am I a bad person?)

It was a plot episode, and though the plot moved forward, the boys really didn’t. In fact, though they learned a lot, they just realized how much further behind they are than they thought they were; it just amounted to them learning about more things that they have to do (defeat Lucifer and save Cas, find another hand of God). That being said, I am so relieved that they know now. Hopefully this means that they will be able to keep themselves safe from Lucifer, and that they will in fact save Cas.

Even though a lot happened, it was kind of annoying to me that all of it sort of happened for nothing. Dean didn’t accomplish anything by going back in time. Casifer didn’t accomplish anything by revealing his true nature. The Hand of God is useless, and the Winchesters played their only card letting Casifer know about it.

This was a pretty crazy episode; I personally don’t love the supernatural Nazi thing, but I think the episode was good overall. The sub gave us a completely new setting, so even though there was no new monster this week, it didn’t feel too samey. It was also interesting and new to see Dean go through something like this, where he was unable to save people and was tossed around by other peoples’ decisions.

It’s fitting that Dean had to be the witness in this episode, because it parallels his struggles to stay away from the fight with Amara. I think this is why he gets so attached to saving Cas and beating Lucifer in the end: not only because he loves Cas, but because that is the one thing that he knows he can do. He’s probably going to end up being the most valuable player on that front, because Sam is particularly vulnerable when it comes to old Luci.

I think it’s a shame that Delphine had to die, although not a surprise. I would love to have a woman of letters that gets to be a recurring character. But, I am excited that we have a woman of letters at all; like Dean said, the men of letters are not nearly supportive enough of gender-equality.

And finally, the last scene of the episode was my favorite again. I can’t get enough of seeing the boys talk and lean on each other. They have become so kind in their old age. It’s beautiful.

Baby's Rear View Recap: 11.13 "Love Hurts"

This post is about Supernatural 11.13 "Love Hurts," written by Eric Charmelo & Nicole Snyder and directed by Phil Sgriccia.

Happy Unattached Drifter Christmas!

In honor of the day, I have included a few (carefully selected for content and humor) Supernatural Valentines!

And my personal favorite:

I got all of these from this Tumblr, where there are plenty more to be found. Knock yourself out.

And without firther ado, here's the recap:

Spoilers to follow.

“College Girl Dies of a ‘Broken Heart’”

The episode opens with a nice-looking couple getting ready to celebrate Valentine’s Day. They’re kissing when—suddenly—the doorbell rings; it’s the babysitter. The husband meets the babysitter at the door and they share a kiss—turns out the husband is schtupping the babysitter. After the couple leaves and the babysitter is alone, the camera goes into creepy stalker-mode. Someone sneaks up on the babysitter, but once she sees who it is, she isn’t scared (it’s obvi the husband). For a second, she’s pleased. And then he punches out her heart.

“I can’t help it if I’m a hopeless romantic.”

“You got half of that right.”

Back in the Bunker, Sam is studying. Dean walks in barely awake, sporting a hickey. He stumbles to the fridge and proceeds to stuff his face with takeout, only to spit it back out again, as it has clearly gone bad. This is a fun scene; Dean is clearly celebrating Unattached Drifter Christmas right. Amid brotherly banter, Sam fills Dean in on their new case.

“Was it like an ironic werewolf?”

The boys interview the husband and wife. They find out the nanny-cam is missing, and the boys surmise that something is up with the husband—turns out he took it. Dean questions him and gets him to show him the video. (Side-note, Dean is really not impressed by this guy. He’s looking really tired and uninterested, almost like a real FBI agent.) The video makes it look like the perp was the husband himself, but the flashing eyes point to shapeshifter.

“I’m guessing it’s the wife.”

We cut back to the husband’s office, where he is alone at the end of the day. Someone is stalking him, and it turns out to be the dead babysitter. After a moment with her, the husband has lost his heart. Confused, the boys decide to question the wife next. Even though she admits she knew her husband was cheating, she denies being a murderer. The boys test her with a silver pen, but she doesn’t flinch. As soon as they leave, however, the wife pulls out a shoebox full of what looks like a spell. She then calls someone, asking for help. Later that night, the wife is drinking wine when the husband shows up.

“Hey, what’s a ‘Dad Bod’?”

Dean gets back to Sam at the “Too Tired Motel” (love this play on words, btw) after striking out at the bar. The wife turns up right after, having somehow escaped her dead husband. She explains that her hairdresser gave her a Return-to-Love spell, which may have somehow led to the broken-hearts murder spree.

“Kinda makes you nostalgic for good old-fashioned herpes.”

After looking at the spell, Sam explains that it’s actually a curse called “The Kiss of Death.” (A curse spread by kissing?! I like it.) The husband soon shows up, and Dean, seeing that silver bullets can’t stop him, kisses the wife to save her (my hero). Sam is very upset, and the three scramble into the impala to make their escape. As they peel out of the parking lot, we see the shadow of the husband morph into a woman.

“What kind of FBI agents are you?”

“The fake kind.”

Once they’re at a safe distance, Sam expresses his frustration to Dean. Good, Sammy, get it all out. He tells Dean that he shouldn’t try to be the martyr or the guinea pig, but Dean shrugs it off. Meanwhile, the wife is freaking out and the boys do an okay job at calming her down. After their talk she leads them to the salon where she met the witch, “The Art of Dyeing.” (“Can’t say she didn’t warn you.”)

“You punch her, you stab her, you drop a freaking house on her if you have to.”

The boys leave the wife in the car and get to work. While investigating the salon, the boys find a book of spells and read up on the one the witch used. It’s a Qareen, which presents itself as “your deepest darkest desire” and can only be stopped when its heart is destroyed. The catch is that its heart does not reside in the body.

“I finally get some face time with Daisy Duke.”

The boys split up to look for the heart (which must be possessed by the witch in order for her to control it. Why her possessions are in the salon and not on her person or in her house is not explained. Does she live here?) The boys play a rousing game of rock-paper-scissors to decide who goes where, which Dean wins for once (yay Dean! You’ve gotten so much smarter!). He’s so pleased with himself that he doesn’t even mind that Sam takes the upstairs anyway. Sam finds a likely looking locked box, but unfortunately, the witch has found him. And the Qareen has found Dean. As it turns out, Dean’s deepest desire is Amara. Should’ve seen that one coming.

“You’re practically a feminist.”

I don’t even know what to say about this line. On first watch, I felt really betrayed by this line. (Come on, Samantha, I thought we were soul sisters—do you not understand what feminism is?) Is he equating this witch with feminists? Because I am not a witch, thank you very much. After watching it a couple times, I’m beginning to hope that maybe Sam is being very subtly sarcastic. Maybe he’s making fun of the witch not because she is acting like a *ridiculous* feminist, but for erroneously thinking she’s a feminist (and by extension, he’s making fun of people who think that feminism is all about punishing men). The former is the impression I got from the scene, but the latter fits better with who I personally think Sam is. Either way, I think it was a pretty confusing and unnecessary joke and as a feminist, it alienated me because I’m not sure whether my beloved Sam is making fun of me or not (Oh, what did I do to deserve this!)

“I guess I’m just weeding out the idiots… and you’re next.”

Dean and Qareen-Amara have a heart-to-heart (pun intended) about Dean’s desire for Amara and his shame over it. She lovingly encourages him to give in. But when Dean calls her a cheap imitation, a fight ensues. Meanwhile the witch tries to kill Sam with a spell; luckily, the wife interrupts and Sam is able to hit the witch with some of his (aptly named) witch-killing bullets. Dean is just a heartbeat away from a violent death when Sam stabs the Qareen’s heart, just in the nick of time.

“We need to kill the Darkness… and I don’t think I can.”

In my favorite scene of the episode, Dean finally admits to Sam that he’s attracted to Amara, and Sam admits that he already knows. Dean expresses his fear of weakness and of being complicit in Amara’s evil acts. Sam commiserates with Dean and explains that he doesn’t blame him; he implores him not to beat himself up over it. Dean finally acknowledges that he must rely on Sam to see this through when he can’t do it for himself, and apologizes for putting it all on him. Sam takes it all on like a true brother and assures Dean that he will take care of it. Look at my babies all grown up.

Questions:

This episode was super Monster-of-the-week and didn’t tie into the plot much until the end. That said, the only question it really brought up was what is Sam going to do about Amara? Can he actually take the burden from Dean?

Conclusions:

This has not been my favorite episode of the season. I usually love holiday-themed episodes, but I thought the plot of this one was pretty “eh.” I love the idea of a curse spread through kissing, and I have to admit that I didn’t see it coming. But the whole setup with the cheating husband was pretty darn done. I didn’t care for any of the secondary characters at all, they were uninteresting plot-filler. However, Sam and Dean’s interactions together were extremely well-written and funny. That last scene was really beautiful, and shows some real character development.

There was a ton of problematic relationship issues not addressed to my satisfaction, from Dean’s shame over Amara to the wife’s sick devotion to her attempt to force him to love her to the husband’s affair with a tiny child. Gross and under-developed and PROBLEMATIC.  

And then there’s the feminist comment which I really can’t get over.  Just tell me, what was he trying to say?! The “f-word” just packs too big a punch not to be certain what you’re aiming at.

Also, the dad bod comment. I want to know the context in which Dean heard it. Because he does not have a dad bod. I’ve been hearing lots of discussion on this point and I want it settled.

Also, a canon question: why did the video show flashing eyes if the Qareen is not a traditional shape-shifter? And remind me—what are witch-killing bullets and why do we need them? 

Overall, I really enjoyed the jokes and the Sam and Dean, but the other elements of the episode fell a bit flat for me. While I will fondly remember some of the moments (Dean finally winning rock-paper-scissors) the episode as a whole is definitely not one of my favorites.

Baby's Rear View Recap: 11.12 "Don't You Forget About Me"

This post is about Supernatural 11.12 "Don’t You Forget About Me," written by Nancy Won and directed by Stefen Pleszczynski.

Spoilers to follow. 

“What are you?”

The show opens on two teenagers in a parked truck. Seems pretty standard, but as it turns out, the danger lurking in the shadows waiting for them is not a monster—it’s Claire. It seems she thinks she is hunting a monster, but the “monster” is really just a boy. Thankfully, the people in the opening scene get to live! Finally.

“Some dude took a picture of a weasel riding a flying woodpecker.”

After the title, we cut to Sam and Dean in the bunker doing… absolutely nothing. It seems they are no closer to finding Amara than before. No word from Cas, either. Dean pulls out dinner for the night: it’s “The Elvis,” a burger with glazed donuts for buns. I say “yum,” but Sam for one is not impressed. Luckily a call from Claire interrupts, and Sam is saved from the double donut monstrosity. The boys are headed back to Sioux Falls, South Dakota!

“You don’t have the boobs for my dress.”

Next we see Alex at school, walking with her boyfriend and a friend and talking about Prom. We are also introduced here to “Mr. P,” Alex’s favorite teacher. Sherriff Jody Mills watches from the car, with the sweetest, most sincerely pleased smile on her face that I just cannot get over. When Alex hops in the car, she immediately starts to talk to Jody about her day. Jody expresses her pride for how well Alex is fitting in. That is, until she catches a glimpse of Alex’s birth control and realizes she’s fitting in a little too well…

“Well there goes the neighborhood.”

Jody and Alex arrive home to find the Winchesters sitting in the house with Claire. Cue standard sibling bickering and mom-voice intervention. (But you know, it’s still good because it’s clever dialogue, and Kim Rhodes!) Soon it’s established that Claire is the one who put up the “bat signal,” and Jody expresses her doubt in Claire’s judgment.

“But it’s shaped like chicken. Not a patty or—or a nugget.”

Ah, the instantaneously infamous dinner scene. At dinner, the boys unceremoniously stuff their faces as though they haven’t had a home-cooked meal in weeks. (They probably haven’t.) It’s simultaneously cute and gross and funny and sad. The boys compliment Jody on the food until Claire not-so-subtly steers the conversation back to the case. It seems that three people are missing and Claire suspects foul play—and is frustrated that no one else does. In the ensuing disagreement, Alex tries unsuccessfully to sneak a sip of Jody’s wine. The conversation turns to Claire’s previous run-ins with monsters who turned out to be less than they seemed. Now Alex is contributing to the conversation, reveling a bit too much in Claire’s embarrassment. In true sibling fashion, Claire turns the talk to Alex’s sex life.

“Oh, we’re going there.”

Jody thinks it’s time to have the sex talk with her girls, hoping that Dean and Sam will back her up. They don’t, as they’re completely out of their element here. Sam can only mumble, and Dean (though he’s listening intently) keeps saying “what” whenever Jody looks his way. Finally Jody gives up and turns to her wine glass instead.

“I’ll put Sammy on it. He’s better with the whole talky thing anyway.”

Jody expresses her concern over Claire to Dean in private, and Dean agrees to try to help (via Sam). Sam does in fact go to talk with Claire, and it’s a very lovely conversation. Sam makes clear that he’s not taking sides, and Claire reveals that she feels left out of Jody and Alex’s family. When Claire suggests that she should leave, Sam gently talks her down. He shares that while he can relate, he has learned to prioritize family over hunting—because while monsters will always be around, family won’t.

“Nobody wants to go to school, Claire—it’s school.”

Poor Mr. P gets taped to the flagpole (exsanguinated, presumably). Alex is crushed, but Claire is validated. She joins the gang at the crime scene but is kicked out by the sheriff and fake-FBI. Dean takes her aside and gives her the respect talk. Thankfully, he has improved at it since he gave it to Sam all those years ago. Dean also tries his hand at “dadding” Alex, giving a very convincingly dangerous and nuanced glare to her boyfriend, Henry.

“I deserve hazard pay for that.”

Sam and Jody interview the school janitor, who found the body, while Dean checks out the school itself. Again, we see Dean getting tired out, as he complains that the school is “bigger than it looks.” Sam confides that the janitor was “squirrely.” They know that something’s going on, but they don’t know what.

“There are awful things out there.”

Alex, still upset about her teacher, talks with her boyfriend about her fears. She goes through flashbacks of her former life, luring men to her family’s nest. She shares as much as she can with Henry, explaining that she used to be a different person, and that she has done awful things. Perfect boyfriend that he is, Henry assures her that he doesn’t care.

“I always thought you were the pretty one.”

As it turns out, the janitor’s social security number is fake. The boys go to track down Mr. Weiler while Jody and Claire prepare to meet with the registrar of Claire’s school. On the way to the car they are ambushed by none other than Mr. Weiler himself. When Jody takes a forceful hit to the back of the head, Claire comes to her rescue but is overpowered. Jody, in turn, tries to rescue Claire but gets a broken leg for her trouble and a sickening uppercut that really should have knocked her out. It’s a really gruesome fight, mostly because it’s so one-sided. It just gives off a disgusting air. Luckily Jody is able to get a call off to Dean, who rushes back to the house with Sam. By the time they arrive, everyone is gone. While there, the boys get a call and realize that the janitor is a vampire from Alex’s hometown. Dean goes to pick up Alex who is still with her boyfriend. By the time he arrives, Alex has been taken. Sam visits the Vamp’s office and discovers a map to the old pool building. He and Dean agree to head there.

“You were right.”

Claire and Jody are indeed being held in the old pool building. There are bodies there as well, and Claire identifies them as the three missing persons from earlier. Henry, also a vamp, enters dragging Alex, who is distraught to see her family there. As it turns out, the vamp was one of the guys lured by Alex in Nebraska. He was a good guy who drove her home after he scared off the older man that was with her. After he got turned, he killed his own family. He has been watching Alex for some time, and decided to make her watch her own family die as payback. He turned Henry and directed him to build Alex up so that he could “chop [her] right down, piece by piece.”

The vamp prepares Claire, telling Alex that he will make her watch everyone she loves die. Claire insists that Alex hates her, but Alex shows her love by begging him to let her lure for his nest in exchange for Claire’s release. He bites Claire anyway. Sam hears her screams and comes running, but the vamps ambush him. In the chaos, Claire frees herself and stabs the vamp. Dean steps up from behind and cuts off his head. Sam subdues Henry and offers him to Alex, who gives him a well-deserved punch in the face. Claire slices his head off, and the girls share a meaningful look.

“That’s what’s scary about family: it gives you so much to lose.”

The gang has all the sweet moments as they say goodbye for now. The boys leave the house with Tupperware full of left-overs. Claire and Alex finally connect, and Alex reveals that it is too hard for her to be around monsters. They don’t know what will come next for them, but they know that they can rely on each other.

And:

“As long as everyone wears a condom, we’ll be fine.”

Questions:

What’s next? This episode was so removed from the plot of this season that it didn’t really give us any clues as to that. I don’t mind though, personally.

Is Dean sick? Maybe the show is just having fun with age jokes, but this is the second episode in a row where Dean has admitted that he’s more tired than he should be after doing his (semi)normal tasks.

And most importantly:

WILL THERE BE A SPIN-OFF?

I certainly hope so. I mean, I would watch any Supernatural anything—except the Stein family Bloodlines spin-off (no, actually, I’d watch that). But I’m really enormously excited at the idea of this particular spin-off. I LOVE Kim Rhodes and have always enjoyed her character tremendously. I’ve expressed my disappointment in the show’s general lack of female representation, and I think this would be a phenomenal avenue to explore Claire’s and Alex’s development in particular. They both have incredible backstories that could spawn some really nuanced stuff. I would love to see the spin-off take a look at the line between victim and perpetrator, as both girls have done horrible things but were also really used and abused themselves. I feel we don’t explore this in the main show enough (or at least not in a way that speaks to my personal experience) and I just get giddy at the thought of diving into the nuance of teenage girl emotions, because it is SO RARELY done well. I also just loved seeing my Twitter feed explode with happiness and support for our Wayward Daughters, and hope that I will be able to have that community for real one day.

Do I actually think it will happen? Nahh, not really. Maybe I’m just cynical. It read to me less like a backdoor pilot to make the fans excited and more like a one-off to make the fans content. Especially because Alex insinuated at the end that she did not want a future in the hunting business and might be heading off soon. Sounds like a confirmed “no” to me. BUT I won’t lose hope, and I 100% think that they should make this a spin-off.

Conclusion:

I LOVED this episode. I cannot say enough good things about it. It was both exceptionally funny and remarkably poignant. The actors did fantastic and had such beautiful chemistry together that I could probably watch them all day. Even though there wasn’t a whole ton of plot in this episode, I loved it anyway. 

I am devoted to Sam and Dean, and I did not mind one bit that they were not as heavily featured as they usually are. I thought it was refreshing that the development of the other characters was totally equal to theirs. In fact, I enjoyed it very much. The relationships were definitely the focus of this episode, and if there were things that were sacrificed for that, I didn’t miss them.

There are definitely parallels between the Winchesters and the Mills-Novak-Joneses. (SO PERFECT FOR A SPIN-OFF). I loved seeing this dynamic at play, especially when it came to the boys relating to what the girls were going through. Some parts of the episode had a tropey feel (like the dinner scene, but let’s face it, that was amazing anyway). A lot of the episode was refreshingly new, though, giving us actual real character development. (Which is all I really ask for in my TV shows these days anyway.)

SO basically, I want this for a spin-off. It’s perfect.