1. supernatural nightmare logic

“Let it go. The past is—nothing you can do about it now, so…it’s just baggage. Let it go, you’ll feel a lot lighter.”

When a new hunter goes missing, Sam and Dean head to Oklahoma to check things out. As a matter of happenstance, they run into Mary and Bobby, on a case that further expands Michael’s brilliant long game as the white hats realize that things will be even more difficult than they first thought.

Sam and Mary have a strong ‘mother-son’ scene where she opens up to him about Bobby.

Always one with the technology, Sam’s really got this new Hunter’s Lodge thing going. Not only does he dole out the assignments, but every hunter regularly checks in during the hunt and, even better, they’re all strapped with body cams. It’s the latter that helps the boys track down Maggie, probably the greenest hunter of the bunch, on her case in Claremont, Oklahoma.

The case itself ends up being pretty straightforward, with the episode monster being a djinn, something we haven’t seen in Supernatural in quite some time.  This particular djinn, going by the name Neil, has slithered his way into the home of Patrick Rawling, acting as the aging man’s caretaker. Like the vampires the gang recently encountered, Neil the djinn is juiced up on angelic Grace, improving his powers in a way that allows him to not only discover the nightmares of a person he touches, but also have them manifest into a real-world threat.

Sure, they are easily killed, and Neil isn’t too difficult to take down—Dean bludgeons him with a bookend—but it’s his revelation that there are dozens of monsters out there like him, laying low “somewhere quiet, set[ting] up shop and kill as many hunters as [they] can.” It’s a deadly web Michael is weaving, one that hunters now have to really think about before entering into a situation. Taking extra precautions may seem old hat to the hunter crowd, but that second guessing may be just enough to get some of them killed, let alone the fact they’re dealing with ‘roided out monsters.

Though the monster story in “Nightmare Logic” is an important piece to Michael’s world-conquering tapestry, there’s a very human story here as well. Sam has taken it upon himself to lead these Atl-Earth survivors into a force of hunters. The responsibility is really taking its toll on him and Dean realizes that Sam’s running himself ragged. Before they discover Maggie’s still alive, Sam (thanks to a bit of an ass-chewin’ from Bobby) starts doubting himself, wondering if he’s the right person for this job. But not only do Dean and Mary have faith in him, Bobby eventually comes around, commending Sam for the wonderful job he’s doing keeping everyone together.asses where Dean’s at as it relates to the new state of things.

Bobby 2.0 was a great addition to the show. Jim Beaver is a foundational part of the serie

Ultimately, the lead-in quote encompasses where Dean’s at as it relates to the new state of things due to Michael. That quote is from his advice to Patrick’s daughter Sasha when she laments the poor nature of her relationship with her dad. Not only can Dean relate to such a familial rift, but his current condition—unable to reconcile that Michael accomplished much of his master plan due to Dean saying yes—is a weight on his shoulder that, try as he might, is a difficult load to unpack. Though Dean had gotten to a point where he was almost back to normal, the fact that hunters are in more danger than ever due to his actions is a reminder that guilt, in all its forms, is one of the most persistent enemies to the human psyche. Coming to terms with that guilt may be harder for Dean than finding a way to defeat Michael because, even if they prevail, he’s always going to remember those that died because he said yes.

It’s a tough cross to bear, one he will not be able to carry alone.

The Good

  • For all his gruffness reminiscent of the old Bobby, it’s good we finally got a bit of backstory on Bobby 2.0. Not only does this help flesh out his character but it also acts as a bonding agent for this burgeoning thing between him and Mary. It’s not a surprise that the two of them head off for a few weeks of recovery. Let’s just hope they aren’t gone for too long.

The Bad

  • For all the amazing lore throughout history, I’ve always thought that djinn in Supernatural were incredibly underpowered. Sure, they can suss out your nightmares by touching you—quite a frightening prospect—but when compared to some other beasties, they kind of fall short. Despite exuding your typical villain confidence and having quite the super-charged upgrade, Neil the djinn never really comes off as any sort of threat and the ease at which Dean beats him down lessens him impact even more.

The Supernatural

  • Leave it to the writers to give us a hint of what’s going on with Dean, only to have the reveal cut off. When Neil touched Dean, he saw something rather alarming. What the djinn’s shock due to the fact that Michael’s still holed up somewhere in Dean’s mind or is it something else. Personally, I’d go with the former but I’ve watched Supernatural long enough not to assume my theories are correct. With that said, there has to be a reason we haven’t seen Michael sporting another meat suit, right? Right…?

Supernatural – Nightmare Logic

3.75 out of 5