"Supernatural" - The Devil You Know

I didn't really plan on writing a blog entry about last week's "Supernatural" episode, mainly because I've been insanely busy and it was so long after the fact, that it wouldn't be worth it. But Television Without Pity has incited me to action to defend last week's episode, which their recapper thought was horrendous. Personally, I think their recapper is what's horrendous. Occasionally, I enjoy his recaps because they're humorous. But more often than not, I feel like I'm reading something written by a 12 year old boy with ADHD who thought that "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" was genius, but had way too much dialogue in it. Now granted, I am a huge "Supernatural" fan and have been for a long time. It ranks up in my top 3 favorite shows, and if you know me, you know what an impressive honor that is. And yes, last week's episode wasn't the most compelling, but it certainly wasn't pointless drivel that did nothing for the storyline. If nothing else, at least give credit to the supporting cast who I thought were excellent this episode.

First of all, you have Mark Sheppard returning as the demon Crowley. As an actor, he's one of those guys you know you've seen a million times but still don't know their name. I'm glad they've focused on another supporting cast member after killing off what was arguably one of their best characters, Gabriel/Trickster. He'll work with the Winchesters out of necessity, but he's not quite an ally. He's an important source of information if the boys are going to get the rest of the Horsemen's rings. I think it would be a little too simple if he just said "okay, here's Pestilence and here's Death, here's their weak spots, and here's how you take them out. Oh, and this is how you trap Lucifer back in his cage." So to me, it made sense that they dragged it out a little by throwing in Brady, the one who does know how the horsemen move. We've certainly seen plotlines dragged out more with worse filler episodes.

This brings me to the next supporting character: Brady. I don't normally care for the petty demons the show brings in and out, but I loved Brady and the actor who played him. Who, of course, I knew, but didn't realize at all until I read somewhere on a message board that it was a reunion of the "I Dated Lana Lang" club. It was Eric Johnson, who played Whitney on "Smallville" a thousand years ago. (I'm still asking this question a thousand years later: is Whitney really a guy's name too?) I was never a big fan of his, but was surprised I didn't even recognize him. Probably because it's the most dynamic I've ever seen him. I thought his portrayal of Brady was really great because he was so different from the usual quippy, non-threatening demons we get on this show. He was in a position of power, he was smart, and he could really hurt Sam, even if it was just verbally. His comments have much more oomf than anything Demon Henchman #3 could say. He also provided a big role in that he shined a giant light of perspective on Sam. One of the things I love about "Supernatural" is that it doesn't talk down to the viewers. "Smallville," especially, is a prime offender in that it sucks at continuity; whatever happened in previous episodes or seasons, it doesn't matter because they won't address it or use it to their advantage. "Supernatural," on the other hand, looks the viewers in the eye and says "you know what happened, you know these characters, so you know it's a big f-ing deal when a demon comes and brings up Jessica and his college years." Sam's college years are a big deal because they symbolize a totally different person that he was at a different stage of his life. Brady challenges Sam and brings up what a different person he was back then, trying so hard to get Brady back on the right path. Even after Azazel aka the Yellow Eyed Demon has been killed, it's a big deal to hear that this guy killed Jessica to get Sam back on his path. Because that moment, that one death, changed Sam forever. It set his hunting career back in motion, it destroyed his normal life, it set the apocalypse in motion. I love that this show feels so well written that everything was written for a reason beforehand. It's rewarding to the viewers who have been around for a long time and get to see the characters change over time.

Like I said about "Chuck," not every episode can be "the showdown" or "the game-changing episode." (Not every show is "The Vampire Diaries," where every day it's sweeps week) It's the same with this show. It may not have been the most violent or action-packed episode, but it mattered. I was a little let down that Pestilence was nowhere to be seen, especially after the previous episode's set-up, but I'll let that slide as long as he does show up soon. I'm not entirely sure why they needed the Croatoan virus distributed through the Swine Flu vaccine, when "The End" showed that the virus spread well enough on its own, or so I thought. It doesn't bother me that much, but I normally expect a little better explanation from this show. I thought this episode was more intimate, more emotional than others, and that is fine.

This episode also had huge developments with Bobby and Sam's potential to say yes. Sam is kicking around an idea of bringing in Lucifer only to direct him into the cage. This sounds really damn unlikely, but Sam isn't an average human, and really, how else will they get Lucifer to the cage? Bobby also contemplated selling his soul for Crowley's help, which must look mighty tempting. Also, it's the Winchester way, and Bobby's a part of the Winchester family. Although Dean would be royally pissed if Bobby sold his soul, considering everything Dean's been through with that business.

Now, I could be wrong. This is just my humble opinion, after all. Maybe TWOP was right and the episode royally sucked. But I thought it was a solidly written hour of television and was not let down.