Last night’s Supernatural took us to some dark places, before we got out with a happy ending. It may not have been the most action packed one, but this character driven episode was surely one of the season’s best.
Pros:
The Overall Theme: This may have seemed like an episode where not a whole lot was accomplished, but in reality this may have been the one with the most emotional growth all season. Sam and Dean each came face to face with internal demons that justified their own suicide. Dean overcame his, but without his rescue at the last minute Sam would have been a goner. Supernatural is a smarter show than people give it credit for, and while it may not have seemed like much, they touched on a very real subject in “The Werther Project.” I’m not here to debate whether or not suicide should be considered a disgraceful act, this is neither the time nor place, but I will say that each brother facing his own reasons of why killing himself would be best for the ones he loved is a lesson that should not go unheard.
Rowena: Please forgive me, because I am beginning to realize that I may be the only person who likes Rowena. Say what you will – she’s evil, she’s loathsome, she’s manipulative – but she brings such a presence to every episode she’s in. And isn’t that what you want from a villain? A charismatic bitch that you hate-love and root against? And not only that, but she’s vulnerable because of her overconfidence in herself and we all know she loves her little Fergus (Crowley), even though she’s commissioning Sam to kill him. Last night’s episode was proof of all of that in Rowena. She thinks she has the upper hand with the Winchester’s, but in fact Sam was one step ahead.
Dean in Purgatory: That was some powerful stuff. It was great to see Benny again, but too bad he was just a hallucination. He made a convincing case, and once Dean really started to listen the back and forth it stole the show. So much about what must be going on in Dean’s head every day was revealed and for a minute there, it really seemed like he was going to break – and understandably so. But when Dean wised up and was able to break the box’s suicide curse on himself it showed so much heart and so much strength.
Kind of Everything About this Episode: Yeah, I know that’s kind of a cop out, but this really was a brilliant episode. It was for sure one of their best.
Cons:
The Dynamic between Sam and Dean: I mean this on a purely fan emotional level. It is hard to watch Dean be remorseful when he thinks Sam is mad at him for “going rogue” when the truth is that Sam has been deceiving Dean this whole time. It’s been increasingly more and more frustrating as the season has gone on to watch Sam’s betrayal of Dean’s unwavering trust and confidence in his brother. Dean is a smart guy and I kind of refuse to believe that he doesn’t know Sam is up to something. Sam is a pretty bad liar, and Dean is a hard guy to pull one over on. This is not a con of the episode really, because in all honesty I know this dynamic is what makes this season what it is, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t make the fangirl in me mad.
Predictions:
Rowena Won’t Just Remove the Mark of Cain…: Well duh. It has already been warned that any spell cast from The Book of the Damned will have grave negative repercussions and I think there’s a good chance that whatever those are will lead us into our main action for next season. It’s not just that though. I have a feeling that when Rowena removes The Mark she’ll either also learn another devastating spell that she’ll use, or she’ll transfer The Mark to someone else, maybe herself or Sam. Either way, I’m thinking that Rowena being in possession of the Codex and The Book of the Damned is giving her too much power and she’s bound to use it.
Getting the Mark off will be No Easy Task: I still think that Dean will only defeat The Mark by NOT killing Sam, one way or another. Maybe when he finds out what Sam has been up to he’ll lose his mind in a rage and they’ll fight. I’m not sure what will cause the battle, but I do believe it is coming.
RIP Crowley?: I really don’t know on this one. I know I’ve been calling his death basically all season, but now that’s it’s laid out in front of us I’m not so sure it’ll happen anymore. I think he may survive, but I have a feeling he may be dethroned and replaced by his mom. Hell could use a Queen, but I bet she only gets 70% of the souls that a King would get.
Final Ramblings and Musings:
In a season full of emotional turmoil nearly everything was pulled to the surface for Sam and Dean in “The Werther Project”. Perhaps what made the episode all the more gut-wrenching is that while Sam and Dean had to face their own truths by episode’s end they are still deceiving one another. Each man is closer to understanding where he stands with his own demons but neither one really has any idea what the other is going through. And this wasn’t just about hard times; each brother faced the reality of killing himself. Dean could justify it to save the ones he loves from having to kill him as bearing that cross would likely destroy Sam and Castiel. But he doesn’t do it, not because the idea is wrong but because he knows he is being deceived by a spell. Sam on the other hand doesn’t even realize he is under the spell’s influence and willingly drains his blood at imaginary Rowena’s command – all in the name of providing a chance that Dean will be saved. The Winchester’s have demonstrated over and over again that they are willing to die for one another, but dying in the line of duty is one thing and taking your own life to save the ones you love is another. Sam and Dean showed a new level of devotion to each other last night and pushed forward as having one of the most compelling and earnest relationships on TV.
Best Line of the Week:
Dean: “We’re better together than apart.”
Hush Comics gives “The Werther Project” an A for creating a real think piece out of a scary and suspenseful situation.
Hush Comics 