Season 12 Episode 1: Keep Calm and Carry On

In the Season 11 finale, Dean is able to resolve the family issues between Amara and Chuck. Because Dean was able to help Amara restore her relationship with her brother, she tells Dean that she will give him 'what he needs most'. Sam, thinking Dean has died trying to stop Amara, returns to the bunker, where he is shot by a mysterious woman.

The episode begins with Dean wandering through the park after he hears a woman scream for help. He then comes upon his mother, Mary, in her white nightgown, the same as she looked on the night she died in Sam's nursery. When Dean attempts to convince Mary that he is her son, she replies with "My Dean is four years old", after knocking him onto the ground. Dean then recites everything he knows about his mother and her relationship with John, until Mary releases her grip, realizing the Dean really is her son. Mary and Dean then sit down on a bench in the park, where Dean talks to her about all she has missed in the years she has been gone.

DEAN: Are you.. are you really real? 

MARY: Where am I? who the hell are you? 

DEAN: I'm.. Dean. Winchester. I'm your son. 

MARY: No, my Dean is four years old. 

DEAN: I was when you died.

This scene is particularly heartbreaking, as Mary begins to realize how many years of her sons lives she has missed. I was happy that this conversation between Mary and Dean was shown, as it becomes the starting point for Mary's relationship with her sons. The scene itself is visually stunning, as Dean and his mother sit together on the park bench as the sun rises. As a fan of the show, this was exactly how I had imagined Dean's meeting with his mother would go.

When Dean returns to the bunker with his mother he discovers the blood on the floor and realizes that Sam has been kidnapped. Dean sweeps the bunker, while Mary stays in the main room and encounters an injured Castiel. He demands to know who she is and what has become of Sam. Of course, Mary instantly questions Castiel's motives and points her gun at him. Dean then rushes in and assures his mother that Castiel is a friend, not an enemy. He explains that Castiel is an angel, much to his mother's shock. When Dean asks Castiel where his brother is, he explains that he and Sam had just returned to the bunker when a woman used a sigil to blast him from the bunker.

Dean immediately launches into action, desperate to find a way to get his brother back. Dean and Castiel lead Mary to the bunker, where they plan on taking the Impala and tracking down the car that made off with Sam. The 1967 Chevy Impala carries great symbolism in the Supernatural world. In many ways, it is like an extra character on the show, providing a sense of comfort and stability to the Winchesters. The history of the Impala is explained in finale of Season 5, "Swan Song", in Chuck's monologue. John acquired the Impala from a used car store in 1973 and then entrusted her to Dean. In Season 11's episode "Baby", Sam describes the Impala as a 'home' for him and his brother. Mary's reaction to seeing the Impala in the garage of the bunker is emotional as we see her recall memories of her and her family. Clearly, she regards the Impala as 'home' too.

After, the woman who shot Sam is shown knocking at the front door of a veterinarians house. She requests his help in patching up Sam's injury, and offers him a large sum of money for doing so. We also see the woman talking with her children on the phone. I thought this was an interesting inclusion, placing an emphasis on the humanity of the woman who the audience is instantly tempted to hate. Much of the focus of this season is on how humans themselves are the worst monsters. In further episodes we should expect to see this topic explored.

The woman introduces herself to Sam as Toni Bevell from the British Men of Letters. Sam is immediately hostile, and threatens to murder Toni once he breaks free. Toni does not seem alarmed by Sam's threats but instead discusses how the British Men of Letters have been watching the Winchesters for many years. Sam questions why the London Chapterhouse wasn't concerned when the fate of the entire planet was at stake, and Toni answers by saying that superiors in the organization simply didn't want to get involved. This reason isn't satisfying to Sam or the audience, however we can hope that the absence of the British Men of Letters up until this point will be explained further on in the season.

When Toni nonchalantly states that she simply wants to ask him questions, and is not interested in harming him, Sam asks her why she didn't do so in the first place. She insists that Sam didn't give her a choice in the matter and that he is dangerous- to others and himself. Toni tells him that the ways of the British Men of Letter's are much more efficient than that of the American hunters. She describes how every location is warded and as such every monsters is immediately identified and killed. She cites an absence of monster-related deaths in Britain since 1965 (which seems like a blatant exaggeration, all things considered). She offers Sam an ultimatum- either he answers her questions  and he can walk free, or she will torture him as a method of making him answer.  To this, Sam replies with, "You can ask me any kind of question you want, and the answer will always be the same. Screw you." Toni then proceeds to turn on a shower head above Sam, drenching him with cold water. He is later tortured with a blow-torch by Toni's assistant. Despite this, Sam still refuses to provide her with the information she requests. Trying to convince him to talk, Toni belittles Sam and his achievements as a hunter saying:

What do you imagine is happening here? Do you think you're being brave, that you're the hero of this story? Well, you're no hero, Sam. You're just bad at your job.

After discovering that no amount of physical pain will incite Sam to talk, Toni requests that they try to 'break his mind'. She injects Sam will a drug that causes him to hallucinate. This scene was difficult to watch, as Sam's visions begin to become more self-loathing and suicidal in nature. I am sure this must have been an equally difficult scene for Jared Padalecki to film, as he personally struggles with depression. Later, while Toni is watching Sam react to the drug, we see him smash a mirror and then take a piece of glass and slit his throat. This tricks the audience into thinking that Sam has killed himself, and that perhaps Toni's antics have been bit too successful. However, this is a trick on Sam's part and he attacks her as he tries to escape. Even though Sam declared that he would kill Toni, he spares her when the opportunity comes. This should prove to Toni that Sam is not as dangerous as she thinks. It is true that he is physically capable of harming others if he wishes- but in reality, his mercy and good conscience do not allow him to do so, even when his own life may be at stake.

Meanwhile, we see Crowley trailing behind two 'low-level' demons who are cleaning up after Lucifer, by disposing of his burnt-through vessels. This is a hint at a larger plot of Season 12- Lucifer is hunting for a vessel that can contain him. In addition, there are several instances of Mary struggling to adapt to the changes of the 21st century. When Dean is hacking the traffic cameras to see what vehicle Sam was taken in, Mary says in awe, "Is that a computer?" I felt that it was realistic that these issues were brought forth, instead of ignoring them, as it would have been easy to do so.

Much of the conflict in this episode felt artificial. The animosity between Toni and Sam could have easily been resolved if either party had made an honest attempt. It is baffling as to why Sam is more frequently the brother that is placed in situations where he is tortured- perhaps the writers view him as a sympathetic character? It is interesting to note that Sam's torture scenes were originally written as more violent in nature. Both Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles discuss this at a recent Supernatural Convention.

Overall, Jared Padalecki steals the spotlight in this episode. As usual, "Keep Calm and Carry On" is proof of how Supernatural itself has carried on and is still going strong in its 12th season.



Details
Episode Writer: Andrew Dabb
Episode Director: Phil Sgriccia
Air Date: October 13 2016

Season 12 Episode 13: Family Feud

This week's episode of Supernatural, "Family Feud" focused on the troublesome relationships that parent's have with their children. The episode begins with the mysterious death of two teachers. The second victim was found in the parking lot of a museum, which is hosting an exhibit for the merchant ship the Star. It is later revealed that this is the work of the ghost of Gavin MacLeod's lover, Fiona. Fiona died on the very same ship which Gavin himself was supposed to board before being transported to present times by Abaddon. When Sam and Dean call Crowley to ask for his help he refuses, and they resort to teaming up with Rowena. She aids them in locating Gavin, who they take to the museum in the hopes that he will recognize an artifact that the ghost is attached to. When Gavin performs a seance to speak with Fiona's spirit, she tells him that she smuggled herself aboard the Star where she was abused and then later mocked by her teacher. Fiona tells Gavin that teachers are supposed to protect their students, but often do otherwise. While Fiona cannot punish the teacher that failed to protect her, she explains to Gavin that she is capable of punishing other teachers.

Bringing back Gavin's character allowed us to explore the family dynamics between Crowley and Rowena. It was engaging to see Crowley's human reaction to the thought of his son being returned to the 18th century. As well, it was not surprising that Rowena advocated for Gavin's return to his own time-period as a way of 'getting-back' at Crowley. Rowena's character as a whole has a great deal of untapped potential, and allowing us to examine more of her story-line was enjoyable. 

We also see more of Mary and her relationship with the British Men of Letters. At the beginning of the episode, Mary is using a high powered gun to kill rougarou, while Mr. Ketch observes. He warns Mary to distance herself from the boys because she can't afford to have attachments in such a dangerous line of work. When Mary tells him that "Nothing comes before my family, not with me", Ketch confronts her by saying her actions prove otherwise.

"Now you might play at being the good mummy, but when you’re in the thick of it, nothing but a blade in your hand and blood in the air, that’s the real you, the best you."

This seems to unsettle Mary and motivate her to reveal to Sam and Dean that she has been working with the British Men of Letters. This was an unexpected twist, and might be the first step in Mary beginning to develop a trusting relationship with Sam and Dean.

The story also flashes to Kelly Kline, the mother of Lucifer's child, who was able to escape Castiel's watch in the season finale. When Kelly is confronted by two angels in an alleyway, Dagon, a Princess of Hell, saves her. Kelly is terrified, especially when Dagon informs her that she is a demon. However, near the end of the episode we begin to see an alliance forming between the two when Dagon offers to protect Kelly's child, and comforts her by saying that a child's upbringing is more important in determining their character. I was glad that Dagon's character was introduced so soon after she was mentioned by Ramiel in last week's episode.

The episode was written by Brad Buckner and Eugenie Ross-Lemming, a duo known as "Buck-Lemming". They penned the episode "Route 666" in Season 1 and didn't return to writing for Supernatural until Season 7. Buck-Lemming episodes are notoriously disliked in terms of characterization and continuity of lore. While this episode isn't on my favourites list, I think it did a good job of cleaning up loose ends from the first half of the season. In Hell, Crowley's conversation to Lucifer explains to the audience the circumstances leading him to inhabit Nick's vessel, which was last seen at the end of Season 5. Crowley explains that he tampered with Rowena's spell and that Lucifer's essence went back into Nick's vessel, which he improved so that it could contain him. Perhaps we can hope that Mark Pellingrino will be back for more episodes in the future as Lucifer's permanent vessel.

The scenes with Mr. Ketch and Mary were extremely well done as they gave the audience insight into her personality. Ketch acknowledges her as an excellent liar and one of the best hunter's he has seen. Throughout Seasons 1-11, Mary's character is often idealized by both John and her son's. However, as the audience, we have never actually seen Mary interact with others (with exceptions of Dean's time-travelling experiences), and thus we have little to no concept of her true motivations. In one of the earliest introductions to Mary, we see her making a deal with Azazel in order to resurrect John. When Ramiel threatened to kill Mary and her sons if his stolen item (which we later discover is the Colt) wasn't returned to him within 30 seconds, Mary continued to pretend that she didn't know what he meant. This is definitely contradictory to the philosophy that John instilled in Sam and Dean about the importance of family. Mary did not appear to have any difficulties in placing her sons beneath having possession of the Colt. I think if the situation were reversed and John had been in Mary's place, he would have surrendered the Colt to Ramiel immediately if it meant the safety of his sons.

The episode itself was overly busy, dealing with several story lines at once. Season 12 has been slow at advancing plot thus far, so this felt like an attempt at cramming. Certain components of the episode were unrealistic and could have been explained easier. For example, the circumstances that led Lucifer to possessing Nick's dead vessel seemed far-fetched. It would have been more plausible that Lucifer was simply manifesting as Nick. Crowleys reason for preventing Lucifer from being returned to the cage felt uncharacteristic. Crowley is known for his cunning nature and ability to manipulate situations to best suit him. While having Lucifer as his slave might provide him with short term satisfaction, he must no doubt be aware that this will have long term consequences. In addition, Fiona's reason for targeting teachers felt random and was generally unsatisfactory after such a long build. It was excellent to see Mark Pellingrino back in the role of Lucifer, which he plays with chilling humor. Pellingrino has always been a fan favourite for his portrayal of Lucifer- he is able to make the character funny but also to a certain degree quite terrifying. Overall, this week's episode created many possibilities for the future. I am definitely looking forward to seeing more of Dagon and what her role will be with Lucifer's child, as well as how the relationship between the Winchesters and the British Men of Letter's will develop.

Details
Episode Writer: Brad Buckner and Eugenie Ross-Lemming
Episode Director: P.J. Pesce
Air Date: February 23, 2017

Season 2 Episode 13: Houses of the Holy

"Houses of the Holy" is one of the first episodes to introduce viewers to the premise of angels. The story begins in Providence, Rhode Island, where a young woman named Gloria is sitting in her living room, smoking and watching TV, when a bright light appears to her and informs her it is an angel. The angel tells Gloria to murder a man, Carl Gully, who is evil to his "deepest foundations" and she agrees, believing herself to be doing God's will. Similarly, there are other murders occurring across town in which the murderer claims that an angel appeared to him or her. After Sam goes to speak with Gloria and hears her account, he attempts to convince Dean of the possibility that they are indeed hunting an angel.

Sam and Dean's conversation about the existence of angels is insightful. While Sam is willing to believe that angels are real due to the amount of lore on them, Dean refuses saying, " I believe in what I can see... But in all this time I have never seen anything that looks like an angel. And don't you think that if they existed that we would have crossed paths with them? Or at least know someone that crossed paths with them? No. This is a, a demon or a spirit." As Sam points out, this is somewhat ironic, considering that they hunt creatures which most people have not seen and as a result don't believe in, despite that they are in fact, very real.

After realizing that Gloria was speaking literally about Carl Gully being guilty to his 'deepest foundations', the brother's investigate a storm cellar on the property and discover human bones. The sign the angel gave Gloria is an inflatable Christmas decoration of an angel. Once again, when investigating the home of the second victim, Frank, they find dozens of emails to a thirteen year old girl whom he was arranging to meet. Likewise, the sign outside of Frank's house is a statue of an angel. The connection between the two victims was that both were church-goers of the parish "Our Lady of the Angels".

When Sam and Dean visit the parish, they speak to Father Reynolds under the premise of joining the congregation. Father Reynolds says that he has been praying for deliverance due to the amount of bloodshed in the neighbourhood. His views on angels are accurate in what the Catholic faith believes. He tells Sam and Dean that these people are 'misguided souls' and that an angel of God would never incite people to murder. Upon thanking Father Reynolds for his time, Dean notices a small tribute at the bottom of the church steps. Father Reynolds tells them that another priest at the parish, Father Gregory was killed on the steps 2 months previous.

This information is all Dean needs to prove that they are hunting a vengeful spirit instead of an angel. Sam is still reluctant and so they agree to do a seance for Father Gregory, in order to speak with his ghost. However, upon visiting Father Gregory's grave, Sam himself receives a vision from the so-called angel. Later, after collecting all the materials for the seance, Sam receives his sign from the angel, and sees the man he has been sent to stop. Dean locks Sam out of the Impala and drives off after the man. Sam then goes back to Father Gregory's grave and performs the seance, just as Father Reynold's catches him in the act. This was somewhat of a funny scene, as Sam struggled to explain to the priest what he was doing. Luckily though, Father Gregory's spirit appears and Sam at once realizes that it was him and not an angel who was appearing to people. Both the Father and Sam have to convince Father Gregory that he is not an angel. Then, Father Reynolds performs his last rights so that his spirit can be put to rest.

Meanwhile Dean is following the man in his car. The man picks up a girl who he then attempts to rape, and Dean intervenes before any harm can come to her. After saving the girl and telling her to call 911, Dean chases after the man in his car, only for him to get into an accident and subsequently die.

The ending scene is probably the most important of the entire episode, as it ties in themes about Sam's destiny, and also demonstrates how Dean's views on angels have changed throughout his experiences on the case. Sam reveals that he wanted to believe in angels because that would have meant there was some supernatural being watching over him that could prevent him from 'turning dark-side'. While Dean acknowledges that it obviously wasn't an angel telling people to kill, what he tells Sam shows that his beliefs are starting to change:

"The way he died, if I hadn't seen it with my own two eyes I never would have believed it. I mean ... I don't know what to call it... Maybe. God's will?"

Overall, the episode was very important in terms of character development. It is interesting for the audience to play with the idea that Sam himself could become villainous, when he is always so willing to do what he believes is the right thing. The emphasis here, is on what Sam believes constitutes a righteous action. These are questions that the audience is also left with: is it right to kill another person if that person will end up doing wrong? Interestingly enough, Dean advocates for watching the man that Sam is assigned to kill, instead of agreeing with his brother about killing him upfront. This is a parallel to Sam's own situation, as he is prophesied to become a bad person that could potentially harm others.

 Dean doesn't feel the same need for a belief in a higher power, as he wants to think that his role in Sam's life will be enough to keep his brother good. This is clearly shown after Sam confesses that he is scared of the amount of evil in the world and Dean replies with, "Yeah, well, don't worry about that. All right? I'm watching out for you." Dean also reveals that their mother, Mary, was religious herself. He tells Sam that before she put him to bed every night, she would say that angels were watching over him. This is part of Dean's argument that angel's do not exist- if they did, then no harm would have come to Mary. It is easy to identify with Dean's beliefs once we as the audience understand this.

Details
Episode Writer: Sera Gamble
Episode Director: Kim Manners
Air Date: February 1, 2007

Season 2 Episode 12: Nightshifter

A string of bank robbery's turned suicide bring the story to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This time, we see Sam and Dean impersonating FBI agents in order to get intel on the case. In particular, they begin investigating the case of a woman, Helena who emptied the display cases at the jewelry store where she worked and then shot the night guard when he caught her in the act. Of course, Dean uses his pretend cover to flirt with the woman working as a clerk while conducting his investigations. This case is unusual for the Winchesters, as there is no clear motive as to why a person would rob a store and then kill themselves. In addition, Helena and others like her were described as 'model employees' who were close to retirement.

Sam and Dean then go to visit Ronald Resnick, a guard who was on duty at Milwaukee National Trust when an employee, Juan, robbed the bank. Luckily, Ronald was hit unconscious and survived the attack. From the get-go, Ronald is a likable character. He is clearly intelligent, and has put together a map of the city where each robbery has occurred. However, Ronald has little knowledge of the supernatural, and therefore believes that the robbery's were committed by a robot-human creature he calls "The Mandroid". He hypothesizes that The Mandroid has taken up residence underground and is using the sewers to go from one location to the next. In addition, Ronald provides Sam and Dean with the security tapes of the robbery, which he copied before the police could confiscate them. On the video he points out a 'camera flare', which he describes as The Mandroid's laser eyes. Of course, Sam and Dean know this to be the retinal reaction that shapeshifter's have to video cameras.

Very bluntly, Sam tells Ronald that he has an overactive imagination and supernatural creatures- Mandroid included- don't exist. This definitely seems uncharacteristic of Sam, who is usually compassionate and understanding. However, he reasons to Dean that he doesn't want an innocent man getting involved in a situation that he isn't capable of handling.

He's just a guy who stumbled onto something real. If he were to go up against this thing he'd get torn apart. Better to stay in the dark, and stay alive.

Later on, we see Dean trying to get back on friendly terms with Ronald after Sam's speech. He tells Ronald that he believes him and tries to validate him by saying, 'there really is something in this bank'. In a way, Ronald's character is just like Sam and Dean. He is a man that has been able to connect the dots about a supernatural being, but no one believes him. This is likely the reason that Dean takes to him immediately and tells Sam he shouldn't have been so harsh- he see's a part of Ronald in himself.

According to the map of the city, there is one bank along the sewer line that hasn't yet been robbed, the City Bank of Milwaukee. The brother's go undercover as service technicians to make sure the security system is running smoothly. They watch the screens for any sign of a retinal reaction by an employee. Just as they find out the shapeshifter is a middle aged man, Ronald locks the bank and starts a hostage situation. In a twisted way, what Sam told Ronald drove him to this action. Ronald thought that no one believed him and thus to him, the only way to protect people inside the bank was to lock it down until he could find the supposed 'Mandroid'.

Then begins the long hunt of figuring out what person the shapeshifter is currently manifesting as. This part of the episode was well constructed, and viewers will find themselves on the edge of their seats as the shapeshifter's identity is ever-changing. Evidently, shapeshifter episodes are always fun to watch because of this and 'Nightshifter' is no exception.

Police and SWAT leader Robards soon come to the scene. We see them discussing what they believe to be a 'roberry' until Federal Agent, Victor Henriksen is called into the investigation. He tells the SWAT leader, "You have no idea what you're dealing with, do you? There is a monster in that bank, Robards". This is ironic for the audience, as Henriksen is referring to Sam and Dean and not the shapeshifter, the real monster actually inside of the bank. In the coming episodes, Henriksen is somewhat of an antagonist to Sam and Dean, though they do not come face to face until several months later. Despite that, he is a difficult character to dislike. Beneath his arrogant nature and funny quips, Henriksen is a good man who believes he is doing his duty by attempting to arrest Sam and Dean. Henriksen's character will be revealed in later episodes, where we come to understand more of his motivations.

Henriksen's conversation on the phone with Dean helps us to understand Dean's childhood and also why Henriksen holds the view of the Winchesters that he does.

VICTOR: It’s become my job to know about you, Dean. I’ve been looking for you for weeks. I know about the murder in St. Louis, I know about the Houdini act you pulled in Baltimore, I know about the desecration's and the thefts. I know about your dad. 

DEAN: You don’t know crap about my dad. 

VICTOR: Ex-Marine, raised his kids on the road, cheap motels, backwoods cabins? Real paramilitary survivalist type. I just can’t get a handle on what kind of whacko he was. White supremacist, Timmy McVeigh, tomato, tom-ah-to. 

DEAN: You got no right talking about my dad like that. He was a hero.

As well, this acknowledges the downsides to the hunting lifestyle. Sam and Dean have to break many laws in order to do their jobs correctly. It is also interesting to see Dean take the role of a son defending his father. Dean clearly loves and admires his father, despite the unconventional childhood that John gave him. This was a nice touch, especially since John passed away so recently at this point in Season 2. I think it is often difficult to relate to John's character because of how he treated Sam and Dean as they were growing up. However, Dean's speech helps us to see John through the eyes of his child.

Unfortunately, the cuddly, likable character of Ronald is killed off too soon for us to see him in any coming episodes. He is shot in the chest with a sniper and Dean must express his sentiments over Ronald's dead body, "Sorry, Ron. You did a real good job tracking this thing, you really did."

This episode is high up on my favourite list for several reasons. The organization of the scenes is done in a way that keeps the audience in suspense. The opening scene with the reporter showing Dean letting a man out of the bank provided a shock factor, as the audience quickly wants to know the circumstances that led to this situation. The bickering between Sam and Dean also provides intermittent comedic relief during an episode jam-packed with tension. For example, when a woman in the vault expresses that Sam's brother is 'so brave', all Sam can do is try not to roll his eyes in annoyance. Moreover, we are introduced to the personality of Victor Henriksen, who will play an important role in coming episodes. The ending scene is also a testament to the street smarts of Sam and Dean, who escape by knocking out two SWAT members, and smuggling themselves out of the bank in their uniforms. I would like to acknowledge this as one of the most bad-ass ending scenes to a Supernatural episode. Of course, the consequences of this episode will be carried on for the latter of Season 2, as Sam and Dean are now actively hunted fugitives.

Details
Episode Writer: Ben Edlund
Episode Director: Phil Sgriccia
Air Date: January 25, 2007

Season 2 Episode 11: Playthings

If you find young children and dolls creepy, "Playthings" probably isn't the Supernatural episode for you. Pierpont Inn is a business run by a single mother Susan. The Inn has been in the family for generations, but is going to be sold to a company that plans on demolishing it. Susan has two daughters, Maggie and Tyler, who are seen at the beginning of the episode when a man comes to collect some of their toys. Coincidentally, individuals involved with the company that is planning to buy the Inn are dying under unnatural circumstances. The younger daughter, Tyler, has a dollhouse that is a scale model of the Inn and before each murder, Tyler finds one of the dolls in a position mirroring the death of the victim.

Sam and Dean go to the Inn and pretend to be collectors of antique items. There were several funny moments, first when Susan assumes that the brothers are actually in a relationship by asking if they would like a king sized bed, and second when Sherwin, the bellhop, guesses they are 'antiquers' and tells them they 'look the type'. This earns him a slightly offended look from Dean.

While staying at the inn, a man working for the company that is buying the property, dies in his room. At this time, Sam is still struggling with the disappearance of Ava, one of the other 'Special Children' who has powers from the Yellow Eyed Demon, Azazel. When Dean returns to the room, he finds Sam drunk and deeply upset. Sam tells his brother that he should have been able to save the man, and when Dean insists that he cannot save everyone, Sam says:

That's an excuse, Dean. I should have found a way to save him. I should have saved Ava too... The more people I save, the more I can change!

 This dialogue only emphasizes the irrationality of Sam's thinking and also how much pressure he puts on himself to help other people. I think this is actually one of the first times that we begin to develop an idea of how Sam views his abilities and his so called 'destiny', perhaps triggered by the recent events with Gordon. As the audience, we have no problem identifying that Sam's view that he should be able to save everyone is unrealistic. It can even be difficult to identify with Sam's perspective of himself, considering how he is consistently portrayed as empathetic and moral.

Sam then asks Dean to promise to kill him if he ever becomes something that he is not. Oddly enough Dean, who clearly idolizes John, speaks ill of his father by saying John never should have asked him to kill his own brother. Dean says, "He never should have said anything. I mean, you don't do that, you don't, you don't lay that kind of crap on your kids." I think this was a big step forward for Dean, as he is beginning to see how unhealthy his relationship was with his father. Growing up, John placed much of Dean's self-worth in being able to take care of Sam and his car. Dean also mentions frequently that he views taking care of his brother as his job in life. In some ways, Dean is a surrogate parent to his own brother, simply because of how much care he had to provide to Sam throughout their childhood. Asking Dean to kill Sam is basically like asking him to relinquish one of his primary roles in life. I would imagine that killing a person, much less one's own sibling would be extremely difficult, especially with the thought of disappointing a beloved parent who asked you to do so.

The next day, Dean pretends his conversation with Sam didn't happen, thinking that Sam will not remember anything due to his hang-over. The brothers discover that Susan's mother, Rose, also lives in the upstairs of the Inn and had a stroke about a month before the killings began. Initially, they suspect her of using hoodoo to engineer the murders due to the fact that they find various hoodoo symbols on the property. However, Sam points out that it would have been impossible for Rose to perform the rituals if she couldn't speak from the stroke. They then come to the conclusion that Rose wasn't using hoodoo to manipulate a spirit but to ward one off.

In a turn of events, we discover that Susan only has one child- Tyler. The girl 'Maggie' who Sam and Dean hear Tyler speak of, is her 'imaginary friend' according to Susan. The episode is shot in such a clever way that as the audience we assume that the girl appearing beside Tyler is her sister. When the brothers ask Susan if she knew a real Maggie who may have died on the property, she tells them that her mother's sister, Margaret, drowned in the pool. Sam and Dean are able to intervene just as Maggie is trying to drown Tyler. Maggie's motive for doing so is that she is lonely and wishes to be with her family again. Rose then makes a deal with Maggie to be with her forever in the afterlife if she stops harming people at the Inn.

Supernatural is good at using the case which the brother's are working to mirror aspects of their own situation. In the case, the ghost of Margaret is afraid to be alone and without the one's she loves, which will undoubtedly occur when the Inn is sold. As a result, she begins murdering people who are involved in the sale of the Inn. Similarly, Dean is coping with the fact that he might someday have to kill his own brother, and live without one of the only surviving members of his family.

This episode is of course, high up on the creepy scale, simply due to the sheer amount of dolls, and also because the ghost is a little girl. While the story-line was unusual, the humorous scenes make the overall theme of the episode work. I haven't watched this episode in ages, and I'm not really sure why, considering it was very good. I remember finding the episode absolutely terrifying when I originally watched it, but for some reason it doesn't have the same effect. "Playthings" is likely overshadowed by episodes close to it like "Nightshifter", which are discussed frequently in the Supernatural world.  The episode itself is very dull and dreary in colour which may be a contributing factor to its poor memorability. Often the scenes with Sam discussing his destiny can be interpreted as 'whining' and can make it difficult to enjoy the full depth of his character. For some reason, there is a great unbalance between the work done by Sam and Dean in this episode. Fans of Dean may be disappointed as he is slightly overshadowed in this episode.  While Dean does the majority of the legwork, Sam is the one who ends up rescuing Tyler and ultimately saving the day.

Fans of  The Shining, will be able to pick out multiple references to the psychological horror film directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick. For instance, Sam and Dean stay in room 237, the center of paranormal activity in the movie. As well, The Shining involves two twin girls, while in "Playthings" there are two young girls, Maggie and Tyler.

Details
Episode Writer: Matt Witten
Episode Director: Charles Beeson
Air Date: January 18, 2007