Episode Title: “First Born”
Writer: Robbie Thompson
Director: John Badham
Previously on “Supernatural”:
Since getting back on track in episode nine, “Supernatural” has told some of the best stories they ever have, and reused tropes that it can’t seem to stop overusing. Episodes two through eight beg the question: does “Supernatural” really need a twenty-three episode season? Filler isn’t the worst thing in the world, but when you fail to move the plot forward in any significant way, it serves to frustrate all who watch. Coming from a season that was as well put together as season eight, I still wonder what has changed with Jeremy Carver and his team of writers?
“First Born” though is a return to form, with many subplots being addressed. Specifically, Crowley’s (Mark Sheppard) plan to take back hell from Abaddon (Alaina Huffman). I’ve been a bit dour on “Supernatural,” as it has wasted a strong female antagonist all season. Then again, the writers have wasted a lot of time in a lot of places they shouldn’t have. They’ve never quite had a female character that wasn’t just all powerful. Abaddon is different. She’s strong, cunning; it’s like she possesses all of the individual qualities of each strong female the show has ever had and rolls them into one character. Sadly, Abaddon herself plays no part in the episode, but her power is certainly felt.
I’ve always enjoyed the cases handled by Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Castiel (Misha Collins). In a way, you could mold a buddy cop kind of sitcom around the two, or a dark procedural drama… really anything with them on screen together. “Supernatural” flips the script on this and pairs Dean with Crowley. The two of them, despite being at odds with each other the whole episode, work quite well as a team when they have no other choice. In their scenes together, Mark Sheppard reminds us of just how great the character can be when he’s given appropriate screen time. Crowley comes to Dean looking for help to locate a relic, the “first blade,” an item that slew some of the early preternatural creatures at the dawn of time, and has the ability to slay a Knight of Hell.
An aspect of the show I always took for granted was just how tight the mythology was in the first five seasons, before Eric Kripke stepped down. Since Sera Gamble and Jeremy Carver have taken over, the mythology has become over bloated at times. Granted, Carver has taken a more subtle approach to it, but how much larger of a world can you create that lives up to the “natural” portion of “Supernatural?” The “First Blade” is a far stretch, even for “Supernatural,” but the D&D fan in me can’t help but be intrigued. But haven’t we been through this with the fake Michael sword too?
A key mythological character is introduced to the episode: Cain (Timothy Omundson). Cain is known as the father of murder, and is now a demon who carries a body count. He’s more powerful than Crowley; in their scenes together, Crowley is apprehensive and nervous. Cain proves just how powerful he can be by silencing Crowley on command. It’s always bugged me how the power players operate in the background, Cain included. This Cain, it turns out, is retired and a bee keeper of all things.
“Supernatural” often looks to it’s mythology to find meaning for it’s characters. It’s that aspect that makes the show as compelling as it is. Dean and Cain are very similar in the lengths to which they will go to achieve their goals, but they differ greatly with how their actions are executed. Family has always played a large part in the show, and it’s through Cain that family finds meaning in a larger context. Cain also becomes a sympathetic character with a well portrayed past.
Sam’s (Jared Padalecki) side of the story involves plotting Gadreel’s destruction. With the help of Castiel, it’s learned that part of Gadreel’s grace was left behind in Sam. The remainder can be used to summon the angel, but it must be removed from his body. Sam is still wrestling with the part of himself that chose to let go at the beginning of the season. Too much grace removed from his body will kill him, much like a demon leaving the body of a battered human being. Sam urges Castiel to remove as much as possible, but removes just enough grace to use, and heals Sam’s body in the process. Castiel’s time as a human has given him this new moral center, and after finding solace in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich of all things, he won’t let Sam go through with it. Castiel has always been a guardian angel to the Winchesters, but he’s never been able to see it from their side. “Supernatural” has never really tried to tackle the Jesus question, but tonight, they kind of did through Castiel.
The amount of grace acquired is too little, and the spell doesn’t work. While Dean represents family, Sam’s role this season lies in forgiveness. In previous seasons, Sam would have flown off the handle if Castiel didn’t go to the greatest length’s possible to do what was possible to get Gadreel, but here he just accepts the choices made. It feels like progress for the character, moving in a new direction that we haven’t seen before; It feels nice and fresh.
“First Born’s” greatest achievement is in establishing “Supernatural’s” season long story arc. The Winchesters’ split feels as much strategic as it does personal. Dean seeks to destroy Abaddon and her forces with a newly granted power by Cain, while Sam takes on the forces of heaven. Well, the two forces of heaven so far. With this reveal, “Supernatural” has time to tell a compelling, largely unpredictable story, hopefully without the filler that plagued the first half of the season.
In many ways, last night’s episode embodies everything that the show is fantastic at: moving the overall plot of the season forward; exploring the moral fiber of its characters and of the series as a whole while also adding compelling elements to the show’s already bustling mythology. When this show works, it proves itself to be one of the best CW shows the network has ever seen, and justifies it’s nine season run to date.
However, the show still has subplots that it still needs to pick up and explore a bit as the season moves along. Remember Charlie’s computer that could search for angels? Or how about the remainder of the angels that have been largely avoided all season long? The rest of the season will tell if Carver dug a hole to deep for him to crawl out of or if everything balances itself out well.
