supernatural

Despite their naturally suspicious natures and the painful (for Sam) run-in with Lady Antonia, it was only a matter of before the Winchesters and the British Men of Letters joined for a super hero team up. It also comes as no surprise that said team-up devolves into a true life-or-death situation spearheaded by the unexpected return of Rick Worthy’s alpha vampire.

This is not the face of a son understanding his mother's choice to work with the British Men of Letters.
This is not the face of a son understanding his mother’s choice to work with the British Men of Letters.

Leading off from last week’s final scene where Mary revealed her work with the British Men of Letters, Sam and Dean aren’t particularly thrilled with their mother’s choice of co-workers. Dean is particularly pissed and, though Sam relegates himself to the background—though, in truth, he and his flambéed foot have a legitimately personal argument for not trusting the Brits—Mary and Dean go at it with both connecting on body blows. It’s been mentioned by baddies in the past that there is a part of Dean that has never grown up, a part of him that craves his four-year-old self when Mary Winchester was still alive. This comes to the surface during the pair’s argument when Mary blasts him for acting the part of a child. Dean’s blistering response of never having been a kid widens the gap between the two and it’s on to the “I’m not talking to you” phase of things. Which is the perfect lead-in for the badness to kick-off.

While Dean wants to drown himself in sorrow, Sam, playing the role of mediator, pays Mary a visit and she gives him to tour of the Brits mobile HQ. Men of Letters salesman Mick sees the opportunity and tries selling Sam on their cause. The youngest Winchester’s ears perk up when he finds out their effectiveness of wiping out vampires in the Midwest. Only eleven bloodsuckers remain in the region and the night’s mission involves taking those down. But when said vamps come a knocking, it throws a spanner in the works of the plan, especially since Mr. Ketch is out and about, doing his own recruiting mission on Dean (using a fabulous bottle of Scotch as a way to get in the door). In fact, the two men find common ground: they’re both killers that regularly need to expel violence upon the supernatural lest they go crazy and what better way to satiate that need than to have direction? In this case, they head to the last remaining vamp nest only to find the vamps gone. The sole remaining vamp gives them the intel on her brethrens’ whereabouts and the two go speeding to the British Men of Letters’ mobile base. By the time they arrive, everything’s been taken care of, including the Alpha Vampire…

Mary and Sam tag teaming vampire baddies.
Mary and Sam tag teaming vampire baddies.

Rewind to the assault on mobile base Men of Letters, the vampire incursion is shockingly successful and one has to wonder how in the world, mobile base or no, do ten vamps have such an easy time penetrating the defenses. The guards outside don’t even get a shot off (though, to be fair, one of them never had a chance) and the others indoors, including Mick, have never even killed a beastie. How Mick can run things across the pond for the largest fighter of supernatural entities and not once draw a baddie’s blood is—to quote The Princess Bride—“Inconceivable!” Still, Mary and Sam are up to the task and even though Chief Tyrol, err, fellow hunter Pierce Moncrief, ends up being in league with the Alpha Vampire, mother and son take down the Alpha, thanks to the Colt and the Brit eggheads.

Come resolution time, it seems that Mary and Dean are on their way to Mendsville; nothing like a little thing like death to repair fractures in a relationship. But it has to be Sam’s confession to Mick that he’s all-in with what the British Men of Letters is trying to do that is the biggest takeaway. Now all he has to do is work on Dean…

Something tells me that’s not going to be the easiest of sells.

The Good

  • Sam buying into the Brits program, despite the rocky introduction made by the crazy pants Lady Antonia only makes sense. Also, I love how Dean’s castigation that Sam always tries to play the middle and needing to pick a side ends up. Gotta wonder if Dean will regret those words.
  • Seeing Dean and Mary begin to repair the fractures in their relationship was good to see. Unfair or no, Dean’s felt abandoned by his mother for the second time and even as an adult, he probably understands that those feelings are irrational. Nonetheless, it’s how he feels. Getting it off his chest and then being confronted with losing his mother again forced him to work through that and towards the Winchester family becoming a powerhouse once again.

The Bad

  • It was almost a waste to have Rick Worthy’s Alpha show up only to be iced by the Colt at episode’s end. I know I’ve said this before but a character as strong as the Alpha vampire should have been able to come out and play a bit more: had the mobile site been populated by a dozen hard core Men of Letter agents that he took out single-handedly…now that would have been befitting a creature of his reputation. C’est la vie. 

The Supernatural

  • We’ve been introduced to a few new hunters this week. Unfortunately both weren’t long for the screen. Pierce was a hunter turncoat and we know what happened to Wally (RIP, dude).  With the likes of Bobby and Rufus gone (the latter mentioned by Pierce) we need to revisit some of our other guest hunter stars. Sadly, only Jody and her girls—Alex and Claire–remain. Speaking of that womanly trio, it’s about time we get another visit to them; preferably with teenage girl drama arguments at the dinner table while Sam and Dean helplessly watch on…
  • The Colt, the Colt, the Colt. The weapon that started it all. Sure, we saw it a few weeks ago but this is the first time in years the weapon has been fired. Yeah, the making of the bullets was a bit hurried and glossed over but now that one of the most powerful weapons in all Creation is back in Winchester hands, black hats beware. Unless you’re on the exclusionary list of the 5 things the Colt can’t kill, I suggest you not be caught in its gun sights.

atoms_3