There’s not a show out there that does a better job of revisiting past characters or story lines than Supernatural. This week’s entertainment resurrects the Thule story line from season eight’s “Every Hates Hitler” (well don’t they?!).
This time the boys find themselves headed to Columbus where an antique dealer and his customer were found burned alive, never a good way to go. Turns out the item they were haggling over prior to their demise was a 1931 Nazi-inscribed pocket watch. Not just special from a historical perspective, either as there’s a bit of Harry Potter-ish magic about it as well. It’s not until the boys run into Ellie, a high-energy, chatterbox, former med student whose Tinder hookup is interrupted when her date is immolated by the same Nazis that hijacked the watch. It’s not until Sam and Dean catch up to Ellie after she’s taken by Christoph that they get the scoop. Nauhaus, Christoph’s dad and current High Command officer in the Thule was there when Hitler’s bunker was surrounded by Allied Forces. But instead of the story we got of the Fuhrer dying in that bunker, Nauhaus offered him another way; namely, placing Hitler’s soul into the pocket watch which, as Christoph says, pretty much makes it a Horcrux. The one caveat in raising Hitler is that they need the blood of one of his descendants to complete the transference.
Enter Ellie Grant.
There’s obviously a lot going on with her and she has a difficult time processing it all. Of course, nothing is more convincing than being taken, drugged, strapped to a gurney, and having your blood drained by a Germanic necromancer. Instead of plopping Hitler into Ellie’s decidedly female form, Nauhaus takes the honor upon himself, doing the transfusion so that her blood is inside of him. When enough has been leeched from Ellie, the Thule finish the ritual and when Nauhaus’s body rises from the table it’s…well, it’s Hitler all right. A Hitler whose expresses his current situation as a drunkard would with free drinks on the house. It’s a hilarious juxtaposition of the ultra-serious nature of the Thule officers who have no clue on how to handle their Fuhrer’s off-putting exuberance.
While the resurrection is going down, Christoph, after narrowly escaping his murder sanctioned by his own father—did I mention the father/son
tension between an immortal Nazi High Command officer and his millennial son?—track down the Winchesters and asks for help in saving Ellie and stopping Hitler before he can get started. Unfortunately for Sam and Dean, Hitler’s up and at it by the time they get to the site and, relieved of their weapons, it takes a drugged and blood-drained Ellie to save the day. And yet it’s Dean’s big break when, after putting a bullet in the Fuhrer’s skull is reminded by Sam that he just killed Hitler.
“Yeah,” he says before realizing the significance of it all. “Awesome!”
Dean’s still singing his own praises the next day after they drop Ellie off. It’s a far cry from the pensive Dean we got early on in the episode. And Sam’s thoroughly convinced his brother is back from the doldrums of disappointment when Dean tells him, “I killed Hitler. I think I deserve some pie.”
That you do, my friend. That you do.
Supernatural: “The One You’ve Been Waiting For”à 3.5/5
Supernatural Vibes
- Generally, episodes like tonight get the meh treatment. Sure, one-shot offerings like this can be decent but there was a bit of that good magic we’ve come to know over the decade plus (!) of Sam and Dean’s times on the road. First off, it was great to see Aaron (sadly, there was no sign of The Golem) if only for a quick phone check-in, and the Thule society follow-up was another nice touch. Also, the door is open as the Thule/Nazi necromancers are still out there so who knows, they may be showing up once more. Though it’ll be without their main man Adolph…
- Speaking of keeping the door open, Ellie and Christoph were two characters given enough personality that I would love to see them show up sometime down the road. Despite his heritage, Christoph doesn’t seem like too bad a guy (though he’ll be dodging the remaining Thule members for the rest of his life). And then there’s Ellie; sure she may not know how to shut up but how great would that be to pair her and Dean in some impossible situation where they had to work together? I dare say that episode would write itself!
- In the beginning, Dean was still in the ‘rain cloud over my head’ mood he’d fallen into after Mary’s “desertion” but slowly gets to a place where he’s ready to move on, if you will. I’m not sure if it’s the joy in knowing he killed Hitler or earlier in the episode where Sam can’t get the freaked out Ellie to get on board with her situation. Dean cuts straight through the soft skills and tells her in no uncertain terms that “There are times when you run and there are times when you stand and fight.” There’s no real visual queue that’s his epiphany moment but somewhere along the way he, while “letting it go” may not be the right phrase, he does come to terms with Mary taking a bit of her time away. After all, he’s ready for pie.
