It’s the awkward morning of all mornings at the start of this “Walker” 3.06 episode, when Cordell gets up and Liam is ready to have that talk they discussed but Cordell is a bit distracted by the fact that he left his daughter in jail the night before.
It only gets more awkward when Mawline comes home – with Stella, who she bailed out.
Cordell is angry, saying he left her there to think and learn the consequences of her actions now that she’s an adult (he did have the sergeant separate her, so we know she was safe, which is what I figured, but still…)
Abeline: She’s 18!
Cordell: And she’s MY daughter!
They’re both right actually. She is undermining his parenting, and he is refusing to listen to Stella’s side (though she did a terrible job of actually trying to TELL him her side too.) This family is infuriating sometimes! (Like all families…)
He’s also angry that she told Cassie, accusing her of “meddling in my work as well” – and again, he’s actually not wrong, that’s not her place. But her saying “you need to take it down a notch and you need to hear your daughter out” is also good advice.
Stella FINALLY tells what really happened to Abeline – who she apparently also did not tell the story to for some reason I literally cannot fathom!
August is still infuriating (and hungover), saying he can’t help clean up the mess at the SideStep because he’s the head of the homecoming dance committee. Mawline doesn’t take excuses though, insisting they follow the list of chores that their father left and clean up their mess at the bar. Augie also insists that Cordell wouldn’t let him tell the story, but I find that even harder to believe. He still isn’t owning up to any responsibility or apologizing, insisting he’s becoming his own person and she’s just pissed because she’s losing a sidekick and holding everyone hostage with her indecision.
Ouch.
August: So since you wanna stay hogging up the limelight…who knows, I might even shine…
Wow, Augie. But it’s clear that’s what’s really getting to him, the struggle of the younger sibling in the shadow of their superstar older sibling’s spotlight all the time.
Colton arrives in the middle of awkward sibling rivalry fighting and offers to make breakfast – a “happy curry.” What a sweetie Colton is.
Stella seems truly lost, saying the ranch doesn’t feel like home anymore. Abeline tells the story of her sibling rivalry with her own brother Will, that she felt misunderstood and finally moved in with a friend – and then kind of missed Will.
Stella: So time apart helped?
Mawline promises it will get better with her and her brother.
Geri heads out on a trip that has something to do with Hoyt, though that’s not what she tells anyone. She asks Colton to house sit for her – and in real life, Odette Annable heads out to have her new baby girl!
Excellent job with the conveniently placed open suitcase hiding that fact.
Meanwhile, Cordell really is trying to do the right thing with Liam, putting aside all the other (substantial) family drama to make time for them to do some healing. They go back to the scene of their captivity to confront their trauma. Liam immediately has flashbacks, and Cordell supports him, saying “you got this, why don’t we do it together?” In they go, Liam once again remembers, and Cordell too. Liam’s right, knowing he did a lot of work in therapy, but that doesn’t stop all the memories from flooding back.
Liam: Sorry Cordi, I thought that I was ready…
Cordell: You’re good, you stepped in. And we can leave whenever you want.
He thinks that Liam is still dealing with the physical torture memories, but Liam says no, it was the mind games. He finally tells Cordi the truth – a theme of this episode, that people need to step up and tell their truths, and other people have to make the time to listen.
The worst part for Liam was when the captors told him they’d killed Cordell and ordered Liam to bury his brother’s body. When he begs to see him one last time and takes off the hood, he sees that it’s Neo, not Cordell.
Poor Liam, I so felt for him – what a horrible horrible psychological torture.
Keegan Allen does an amazing job showing us Liam’s pain, and Jared Padalecki does an amazing job showing Cordi’s shock and distress when he realizes what Liam has been going through all this time that he’s been avoiding listening to him.
Cordell embraces his brother, saying “I’m here, I’m not going anywhere” and for me as a “Supernatural” fan who misses Sam and Dean so much, this was such a “Supernatural-esque” moment between them. I might have needed a few tissues, not gonna lie.
Cassie is also an unrepentant meddler in this episode, she and Trey bonding over their not-dating woes. I do love that Cassie wants a guy who she can share a beer with while watching Hawk’s Shadow – pretty much how (as a fan) that sounds like a great way to pick a partner! Unfortunately, as Trey points out, her history of being catfished isn’t helping her trust guys.
Which is the introduction for her to be hypervigilant about a visitor at Capt. James’ door. It turns out to be Kevin Golding, aka Jake Abel! Cassie isn’t wild about him at first, saying sarcastically “I love politicians…” lol. But Kevin is in agreement with Trey about the importance of rubbing elbows with Wall Street so they understand the real issues on Main Street, and anyway, who wouldn’t be won over by Jake Abel?
So, Trey and Cassie head to the Mayor’s big fundraiser.
Kevin: I bet you look baller in a dress, which I mean with total respect.
Cassie: That’s how I took it…
The Mayor’s fundraiser is a good excuse for a dressed up Cassie and Trey and Kevin. And puts Cassie on Kevin detail, so they can snipe and banter and obviously end up attracted to each other because this is TV.
Cassie’s convinced Kevin is only ‘fake politician nice’ until she overhears him giving a pep talk to two little brothers hiding under a table. I love that this show is all about the brothers at times!
That of course melts Cassie’s heart a little – just in time for Kevin to collapse and them all to eventually realize he’s been poisoned with nerve gas! There was a threat letter that morning that said “your time is up and you don’t even know it.” Uh oh.
Cordell realizes the letter came from Eastvale, right next to where he and Liam were held, and Liam remembers that he smelled sulfur – as did Kevin on the threatening letter the Mayor received. Cordell puts on his bulletproof vest and Liam comes with him, realizing that the guy who did this awful thing to him may be still out there. Cordell doesn’t want to wait for backup to get there, concerned about a nerve gas release – though I think he should have waited for backup!
The bad guy ends up getting the jump on him, infecting him with the nerve agent – but luckily Liam throws on another vest and saves the day, including injecting his brother with the antidote. Badass Liam to the rescue! Talk about facing your fears…of both walking into danger and of your brother dying.
You get the feeling that shooting the guy who so tormented him felt kinda good, though that’s a pretty complicated message if this were real life since we can’t go around shooting everyone who torments us.
The brothers stagger out; Liam supporting his big brother.
Cordi: I’m okay, I’m okay. We’re okay.
He thanks Liam for saving him, saying that what he did is the reason Cordell is alive. He also apologizes for not meeting him earlier where he was.
Cordell: I guess I’m ashamed of myself.
Cordell didn’t re-enlist so he didn’t miss any milestones with the kids, but when Em was killed, he left and fled, and Liam stayed. He feels like his family suffers because of him, but Liam says that no, he’s not responsible – only for how he handles a situation or how he avoids it.
Wise words.
Liam: Thank you for coming with me today, it meant a lot. It makes me feel better that we can face it together and that you’ll listen.
Cordi: I will listen, I promise I’ll be better about that.
Awww, brothers.
Cassie connects a bit with Kevin before he heads to the hospital and the fandom is so glad to have Jake Abel as part of the Walker family. I got to tell him that at the “Supernatural” convention last weekend in fact.
Taking Mawline’s story to heart in a way she most likely did not intend, Colton and Stella move into Geri’s house. Cordell comes home determined to listen to his daughter. Standing outside her door, he apologizes for not listening and “for everything”, only to find her gone.
Caps courtesy of spndeangirl
Consequences are another big theme of the episode, and Cordell just got a face full of them. The “Something there that wasn’t before” of the title could be that awareness of the importance of listening that I think Cordell really got, or the deeper trust that’s now there between Liam and Cordi. Or maybe Stella’s leap into independence that got thwarted by her decision not to go away to college.
Whatever it is, I enjoyed Liam and Cordi finally helping each other through the repercussions of their shared trauma, and I’m looking forward to more of Jake Abel playing Kevin – I think he might be the rare man who could keep up with Cassie. And I have a feeling he’d fanboy over Hawk’s Shadow right along with her!
New episode tonight on the CW of “Walker” with Just Desserts!
Last week’s episode of “Walker” was titled Mum’s the Word, which was partly about mothers and children and how we all cope with the danger that’s all around us, but also about silence and when you need to break it.
Stella and Augie are still in a bad place, August still angry that Stella didn’t go away to college as planned. It’s not pleasant to watch and it makes him an unappealing character for now, but it strikes me as very real for an adolescent who desperately wants out from under his older sibling’s shadow.
I don’t think Cordell really gets it, because in his own sibling relationship, he’s the older sibling in the spotlight.
Augie has got a bit of a martyr thing going, asking his dad to please be there to play on the junior team for the annual flag football match tradition.
Walker says he will if he can, but he’s got a new assignment the next day so can’t promise.
Stella isn’t happy either, feeling lost and not knowing what her future holds. She and Geri work the food truck at the game the next day, a former classmate of Geri’s coming by to condescendingly say she’s so brave to still show up there after all she’s been through and then toss out to Stella, “I could’ve been your mom…” Not very good taste in previous girlfriends if that’s what she’s implying, Cordell!
Afterward, Stella says she doesn’t want to be “that weird alumna who’s always around” and then realizes Geri might take that personally. She doesn’t, though. She tells Stella that she was originally supposed to go to business school, but then her dad died and left her the Side Step, and “life got in the way.” Part of being a grown-up is owning your choices, she says, pointing out that Stella is lucky to have a safety net.
She definitely is, but an 18-year-old isn’t really an adult (says someone who was a psychologist in a college counseling center full of 18-year-olds for many years). Everyone is expecting Stella to magically turn into an adult just because she graduated high school, but that’s not really fair.
Stella tries to say that their dad has been trying to show up for them lately, but Augie dismisses that, saying “for you maybe”. She invites him to hang out with her and Colton – which I think an 18-year-old would definitely know that would not be what your 16-year-old brother would want! – and he is once again furious that she doesn’t get it.
Stella is in the tough position of trying to be August’s big sister and also a bit of a mother figure for him too, which is never going to go over well with a younger sibling. When Augie hears that the Sidestep will be closed that night, he gets his 16-year-old rebellion on and invites all his friends for a party there, with beer flowing freely.
Augie ends up locked in the tap room with his friends, who tell him that they actually think he’s “badass”, which I feel like a 16-year-old would not say, but anyway, they thought he was the one on his high horse.
Savage was the word teens for badass a couple of years ago.
August is making strides in popularity, but has to text Stella to come let them out. She comes and kicks everyone out and frees her brother, angrily asking “what were you thinking?”
And that’s the moment the police show up and arrest both of them.
Meanwhile, back at Ranger HQ…
Cordell now runs on a treadmill instead of outside, which I really can’t blame him for, and he’s still jumpy and hypervigilant, but he seems to be slowly recuperating from his ordeal. James assigns Walker and Cassie to go pick up a briefcase of evidence from the Dallas station, from the mercenaries who are now all captured. On the way back, a strange ringing comes from the case, and they leave it on the road for a while, pondering whether it’s a bomb.
Cassie: It could be kitchen timer…or a Furby…
Finally, Cordell decides to open it, with a realistic flinch as he finally pops the lid. Inside are synchronized watches going off.
Cassie: At least we didn’t go boom!
It’s hard for Walker to see it though. He explains that when he was held captive, every day at the same time, the mercenaries would come and take them… and they would…
Cassie: Right.
Cordell: Right.
The mercenaries were apparently called Grey Flag, and they have files on Cordell and Miles and Fenton and even Cassie. His has tons of information, right down to his dental records. Hers is nearly empty. I’m not entirely sure why that bothers her so much, but it does.
Cassie is dealing with an identity crisis of her own, realizing her life has been way too focused on just her job and determined to turn that around.
As a start, she and Walker take a detour from their assigned delivery to join the centennial celebration for Cassie’s family business. Walker is impressed that she’s apparently ‘Texas barbeque royalty’ and fine with helping her start a new trauma-less chapter of her life (though I’m not sure Texas Ranger is the best way to go about staying away from trauma…).
Cassie, not Ben, invites Liam to the centennial party. Ben doesn’t introduce Liam as his boyfriend, and his abuela keeps calling him Lucas, and it’s pretty awkward.
She is very impressed with Walker.
Abuela: Who is this handsome young man? And tall too!
When she hears his name, she says oh, the famous Ranger, always on the news. Cordell says he’d prefer not to be, and Liam is once again the little brother never in the spotlight.
Meanwhile, Trey is officially made a Ranger, and his mom comes to town for that celebration. Liam, Ben and Cassie get a preview show with Trey for some reason skidding into the living room with an unbuttoned shirt – which they (and we) appreciate, but his mama? Not so much.
Trey: Sorry Mama.
At Ranger HQ, everyone applauds as Capt. James pins a badge on Trey, and everyone puts on their white hats, but his mom looks a lot less happy.
Even Micki Ramirez sends a “meat bouquet” which is a bit awkward, but clearly, they’re staying in touch as he knows she’s headed to New Orleans with her moms.
Captain James is excited enough about Trey being a Ranger for both himself and Trey’s mom, telling Trey the story of a Ranger who was one of only a few Black rangers, who gave James a holster with initials engraved.
James: Willy had it made to set himself apart. It was his way of saying, I’m one of you, I’m here, I ain’t going anywhere. A legacy that you’re a part of and I know you’ll live up to.
He shares how proud he is with Trey’s mom, but also understands her fear for her son and her disappointment that he’s no longer the guy with the house, the girl and the safe job.
James to Trey’s mom: Call me Larry.
Trey: Can I call you Larry?
James: No.
At the party – after Ben and Cassie repeat their childhood teenage dance routine much to their abuela’s joy – Cassie tells Walker that she realizes that for too long she’s just been living for the job.
Walker admits that work/life balance isn’t his strong suit either, but sometimes all you need is family. Cassie replies “is that why you’ve been tiptoeing around your brother all night?”
Cordell takes the suggestion and calls Liam over, giving him some relationship advice to talk to Ben and not just go with the flow and not say anything about the little things. The brothers finally talk a little about their shared trauma too. Liam says the horses are helping, but he’s still very far from better.
Cordell: When you and I get home, how about we talk about it, what we went through?
Liam: Yeah, I’d really like that.
Cordell: it’s a date.
That’s definitely progress, for Walker especially.
On the way back after the party, Walker and Cassie have a heart to heart.
Cordell: What you said earlier – the captivity, those things have a way of sticking with you, so the watches, the files, it all made it rush back. But I’m not gonna let past traumas rule my life. It’s gonna happen again, no matter what I do, someone is gonna come for me. I can’t change that, but I can change how I react to it. I’m done looking over my shoulder.
Cassie: I know you have the whole boys club thing, but happy to join you any time, running and frying on a dirt road.
Walker says that their partnership has really helped a lot. The two agree not to say anything about their scare with the watch alarms. Bags were never opened, no tampering, it would be a whole mess for nothing.
Liam and Ben have that open conversation Cordell recommended, choosing not to stay ‘mum’, and finding themselves on the same page.
Liam: You wanna take a break?
Ben: God no!
Everything is going pretty well….which makes the last scene even more shocking. Stella and Augie in the county jail, Augie saying this is why he wanted her to leave, Stella saying she’s sorry about the favoritism thing, but he made a choice that night. Cordell arrives and orders August to wait in the truck without letting him explain anything.
Then he turns on Stella, furious.
Walker: What the hell were you thinking?
Stella: You should ask August.
Cordell says he’s been trying to be patient, but she lied for months about the car, and he was trying to be the cool modern dad who lets her make choices, but he’s furious that she threw another party and ended up in jail and dragged her brother into it too – which of course is the opposite of what happened.
Stella: This is not my fault. I was trying to help August out. Ask him what happened.
Me: Why the hell are you not telling your father EXACTLY what happened right this second, Stella?? This is a case when “mum’s the word” is not a good idea! She just keeps saying “Dad, please” as he says how can he believe her when she’s been lying. That she’s an adult now and has to face the consequences of her actions and that means she’s staying overnight in the county jail. (Note: this is not prison, it’s a holding cell, so she’s safe, but still, it is a cell!)
Caps courtesy of spndeangirl
I don’t condone what Cordell did, but it also strains believability that Stella didn’t tell him everything – he wouldn’t have done that if he knew what had actually happened, after all! And if August doesn’t fess up right away, whoa, that is really not cool.
The fandom was pretty unhappy with Cordell Walker, but I’m always game for a complex, complicated, flawed character – so much more interesting than a one-dimensional “good guy”. Walker has been flawed from the jump, so I don’t mind seeing his lingering trauma do a number on his patience with his own children. It’s hard to watch though, as the door slams shut and he leaves Stella behind.
I wonder how long it will take him next week to find out what really happened and how bad will he feel when he does??
A new episode of “Walker,” Something There That Wasn’t There Before, airs this Thursday on the CW – with new addition Jake Abel (Adam/Michael from “Supernatural”)!
The fourth episode of “The Winchesters” first season is titled Monsters of War, which is a good description of what it was about – fighting your monsters, whether you’re a hunter or a veteran or anyone who’s experienced loss, grief, and trauma.
The opening is an older man stumbling down a psychiatric hospital corridor, walking right into a vivid flashback of his time in the midst of a war, bombs flying, warning shouts of “Incoming!” blaring. He takes refuge in an empty room only to find himself facing something that calls itself “Destiny” armed with a spear.
Blood splatter, title card, Dean Winchester, narrator.
Dean:Fighting the battle between good and evil isn’t easy, especially when the first monster you have to face is the one inside yourself.
I don’t really need it spelled out for me, but yes, true that. One of the main premises of “Supernatural” from day one, when the monsters Sam and Dean were fighting was not just the literal ones we saw onscreen. Cut to John and Mary sparring like the aforementioned Sam and Dean often did, Drake Rodger shirtless because, well, Drake Rodger, and Mary looking authentically seventies and I’m pretty sure I had those shorts.
John doesn’t want to stop or take a break, saying he missed fighting, even though in the service it was a 24/7 “gym class with grenades” which does not sound like fun. He laughs it off defensively, but when Mary laughs too, he admits that was Murph’s line, and the defensive laughter fades away as he remembers his friend’s violent death.
Mary realizes that he needs to punch something “that can punch back” to get that kind of big feelings out, so they spar for real. Mary taunts him a bit with “monsters aren’t gonna play nice and neither should you”, and bests him what seems like too easily to me – he’s a trained fighter too, after all, and I wouldn’t mind him coming out on top once in a while to make it realistic.
Carlos arrives when they’re in what looks like a compromising position, asking if he’s interrupting “whatever kind of hetero mating ritual this is” which did make me laugh. Sparring always seems a bit like it should engender those kind of questions to be honest, no matter who’s doing it.
Carlos and Lata share news of the strange deaths at the hospital, and when Carlos mentions hearing it from one of his vet friends, John has a hard time believing that Carlos hangs out with vets, because stereotypes. John is surprised to learn that Carlos is also a veteran, of the navy – and not because he enlisted.
Carlos’ vet friend Manny was there when the WWII vet was killed and doesn’t think it was a suicide thanks to singe marks on the walls and ceiling. Lata has some ideas about obscure monsters it could be, Mary makes a joke about it being a dragon (which, go figure, turns out really do exist in the Supernatural universe!) but they only go after virgins, and Carlos jokes that at least he’s safe and everyone scoffs. I know it’s the 70s and free love is the assumption, but I’d like to see that assumption being applied to not just one character.
Mary gets to call John ‘Soldier Boy’ again, which totally threw me out of the moment and into “The Boys” universe momentarily, but not in a bad way. She also worries that the monster targeting vets might hit a little too close to home for John, but he insists he’s okay and just wants to do more fighting (instead of think about those pesky feelings). John’s not the only one repressing feelings though. Mary steers him away from one of the rooms in her house, which turns out to be her cousin Maggie’s old room. The Campbells really aren’t coping with her death too well, because no one has been in there since.
John, Mary and Lata in lab coats with caps not trying very hard to cover all their hair make their way into the morgue to see how poor “Patches” looks, Carlos in the body bag because (like Dean Winchester) he sucks at rock paper scissors. I wonder if John learned that way of making decisions from the Campbells and Sam and Dean then learned it from him…. (but maybe this is an AU anyway so that kind of speculation is irrelevant).
John notices Patches’ silver cross which is laying beside him on the slab and has a flashback to Murph’s death, losing time and being thrown back to that moment that so traumatized him. Patches’ widow arrives at that moment and finds John (aka Graham Nash so the show is still on a CSN&Y kick) still clutching his cross. He covers by presenting it to Mrs. Pasternak and thanking her for her husband’s service, then gets overwhelmed by his own emotions and has to leave.
Apparently, Patches was having some anger issues and argued with a doctor in the therapy group he was attending the day he was killed. When Mary asks his widow who the doctor was, she says another person just asked that – a young reporter named Kyle Reed; Mary recognizes his name.
Meanwhile, John is having a breakdown in the hospital bathroom with another flashback and a lot of shaking. He sees the same monster who killed Patches, then smashes his fist into a metal trash bin again and again, trying to ground himself.
John, speaking as a psychologist, there are less damaging and more effective ways to do that, just saying.
He tells Mary it’s just indigestion when she asks him if he’s okay.
“Yeah, I’m fine” is the mantra that many veterans – and many men – repeat to themselves to keep up a veneer of invulnerability, following the demands of all those toxic masculinity messages. Certainly in the 1970s, before that term was coined, the idea that men who were “real men” should not express emotions was widespread, and John is well aware of those prohibitions.
Mary and Lata’s idea for how to get more information is immediately a threat to John’s repression of that vulnerability – he and Carlos, as veterans themselves, join the therapy group.
Lata and Mary do research. Lata says there’s not a lot of pre-Christian lore in the Men of Letters library, which I’m not sure lines up with what we knew of them on “Supernatural” even if they were ‘a bunch of old white men.’
Joining a vets’ therapy group means we get to see John back in uniform, attending the memorial service before the therapy group. Millie understands when he says he’s reluctant to sit around “talking about how I feel”, saying that’s never been their strong suit and that actions matter more than words. Something that John Winchester certainly seems to subscribe to for most of his life! (Also I continue to be fascinated by Millie, who defies a whole bunch of gender stereotypes herself, for better or worse).
Carlos gets to make an entrance also in uniform, to John and Millie’s appreciation.
Millie: Everyone loves a man in uniform.
Carlos (grinning): Including other men in uniform.
When he’s right, he’s right.
Millie reminds John to get out of there if they “try to blame it all on the mother” and John replies “of course, we all know it’s Dad’s fault anyway,” but it’s a shared moment between them that ends with a smile.
Requisite psychologist note: Therapy is not all about trying to blame it all on the mother, or on the father for that matter, but the past is relevant to the present nevertheless, that part’s true.
They ask for the therapist that Patches saw, a Dr. Zimpano, but he’s all booked up. (They also disturbingly refer to him as “Dr. Z” which is how my clients and students refer to me, so I immediately protested that I do not want to have the same name as the monster, thank you very much!)
Carlos turns his puppy eyes and flirting ability on the desk nurse to get them switched, and it works as well as it did for Sam Winchester in the future.
Meanwhile, Mary and Lata talk about Maggie, Lata saying how much she misses her and how much she wishes she could “see past the darkness” like Maggie could.
Mary meets up with the reporter she went to the movies with (who’s also the guy who interviewed the widow), returning his dime to him and saying Patches was a friend of the family and what a coincidence! Hmmm. Are there really coincidences in this show? I think not. Sure enough, Kyle is there chasing a story because Patches isn’t the first vet to be killed mysteriously in psych units. He seems like a good guy, and one we’ll perhaps see more of.
Carlos and John attend Dr. Z’s group, where not all the vets think he’s all that great. Carlos tells his actual story, living life off the grid until he got arrested and had to pick jail or service, so it was a navy medic and a bad haircut. Then he gets unexpectedly serious, sharing his own version of flashbacks and admitting that it doesn’t make a difference how he felt about the war or how he got there, that it was still experiencing a trauma.
He leaves after and says John will be next, though John says he wants to just listen. Dr. Z, on the other hand, encourages him to talk. So, John reluctantly shares his experience about being ambushed, his buddy stepping on a land mine and him seeing it happen. His survivor guilt is obvious, as he uses that defensive humor again.
John: My friend died, and all I got was a lousy scar.
John has to keep talking to give Carlos a chance to ransack Dr. Z’s files – he finds notes in the file about seeing a figure with a spear wearing a horned mask, assumed to be a hallucination. John is increasingly uncomfortable back in the group, hands shaking.
The other vets run defense for him, saying they were raised to bottle it up, to be a man. They attack Dr. Z verbally, accusing him of not listening to them like he didn’t listen to Patches. The therapist pretty much breaks all the rules of being a therapist by getting both defensive and punitive, ordering the outspoken vet to his office like he’s the principal or something.
Boo for depictions of bad therapists! (I know, that’s part of the plot)
John goes after fellow vet Jimmy and breaks through the door when he hears an altercation, but he’s too late to save the other vet from the same kind of attack. When John finds him dead and bloody, he sees Murph again, back in the flashback, and the sense of overwhelming guilt, once again not being able to stop it.
Enraged and overwhelmed by his own strong emotions, John confronts Dr. Z physically, demanding to know who the man in the horned mask is that Patches – and he – saw. Dr. Z is surprisingly empathic this time, insisting it’s not real, that “there are no monsters in this hospital”.
John retorts: you have no idea.
John is dismissive of sharing in the group, but Carlos tells John that he actually felt it was helpful, so much so that he forgot they were working on a case and shared for real. Apparently, that doesn’t help him avoid the monster though, who sucks him into an empty room as Carlos also gets thrown back in time to a flashback of the war.
Carlos isn’t the only one who’s finally facing his repressed feelings. Mary and Lata confront their own feelings by going into Maggie’s room finally. I got thrown out of the moment temporarily by the framed poster of Donny Osmond over Maggie’s bed – I’m not sure any of us actually framed our posters back in the 70s, but sure, we all had similar posters plastered on our walls though mine were definitely not Donny Osmond.
Lata comments that ancient myths and creatures weren’t Maggie’s only obsessions. (I bristle at fandom being referred to as an obsession, but it happens all the time, so I’ll let it slide since it’s affectionate here).
They sift through Maggie’s inspiration cards – they write down 2 bad things and 1 good thing idea she did for every hunt. A sort of Hallmark way to “see past the darkness” but it can’t hurt. I just tend to bristle at overly simplistic strategies like ‘tack an inspirational message on your fridge and you’ll be fine and dandy’ solutions to legitimate mental health challenges.
I see what they’re going for here though, and optimism and gratitude are good for humans, so Maggie was onto something there. Especially hard to hang onto for hunters constantly faced with violence and hopelessness. (And yet one of the things I cherish about “Supernatural” is that the show was dark, gritty and realistic, and sometimes quite hopeless – that’s what made it so compelling that Sam and Dean struggled not to succumb to that hopelessness and yet kept fighting anyway).
Lata far too easily finds the exact monster they’re looking for in like one minute flat, Mars Neto, not a monster but a deity, complete with helpful illustration. Poor Sam and Dean had to really work for their figuring out “the lore,” complete with MoL libraries AND the internet, but Lata just puts her finger on it like that! Mary and Lata enlist Millie’s help, since the hospital only allows family to visit, filling her in on the guy who’s a god, who’s also immortal.
Millie, always the protective mom: You sent John into battle against a god that’s immortal?
They assure her that if they destroy his totem, he’s killable, reminding her that John and Carlos are trained soldiers, but that doesn’t reassure Millie. She says that John’s been a fighter since he was four years old, inevitably running right towards the enemy. (Sounds like his son at that age and beyond too?)
And that’s exactly what John is doing, frantically looking for Carlos, opening doors and noticing the do not enter tape torn down from one. He switches on the light to walk right into… the Viet Nam jungle. They find each other in the jungle and embrace, but Carlos says they’re trapped in there, that maybe they have to face what’s in there if they want to get out – not the monster with the mask but…
And then Carlos steps (literally) right into John’s trauma, stepping on a landmine and calling out, just like Murph did, voice quavering, “John?”
John tells him not to move, and then the god appears – it’s the vet Jimmy, who is not dead after all. He’s literally wearing a horned mask that he takes off (and that makes him sound a little like Darth Vader) as he welcomes them, saying men of action are so hard to come by. That’s a riff on Millie’s ‘it’s all about actions, who needs talking?”
The god says he was trying to get John ready, to get him to embrace his anger, so he’d be ready to fight the Akrida. This is pretty much the theme of several seasons of “Supernatural, “but he is not nearly as scary as the Yellow Eyed Demon, or The Trickster for that matter. The god says he’ll let Carlos go if John joins him – or fights him – which seems different to me, but that’s how he puts it.
It’s a fight to ‘draw first blood’ and although Carlos begs John not to fight, John agrees, mysteriously armed with a spear of his own and still eager to fight fight fight instead of deal with any of his issues.
For some reason, the god doesn’t stop with drawing first blood after all, tossing John up in the air and cutting him repeatedly and urging him to set his violence and rage free, to become what he was born to be… This seems to be referencing the idea that John (and Mary) were chosen for some sort of destiny, which eventually results in Sam and Dean – and some gods and monsters already know of him.
John seems to be succumbing to his own rage, but help is on the way!
Millie proves herself to be a pretty adept hunter, threatening Dr. Z with an expose about their lockdown on the nightly news with Walter Cronkite. Poor embattled Dr. Z has to go deal with Jimmy’s corpse mysteriously disappearing and throws up his hands, saying “ladies, have a blast” – and apparently now you don’t have to be family to get in to visit after all!
Lata gets distracted by the beauty and fragility of the totem when they finally find it, which Millie smartly shatters immediately with a ‘we do not have time for irony’ truth. That weakens the god and, with epic music playing according to my subtitles, John stabs him through the chest with the spear. Instead of taking up the mask, he knocks the god over with it. It seems that might be just what the god wanted though.
God: I was right, you are just like me.
John: No.
He beats him again and again, practically channeling his namesake Soldier Boy from that other show and Jensen Ackles character – and pretty much proving the god’s point, splattering himself with blood, breathless.
Dying God: You’re ready for the war against the Akrida.
Carlos is freed from the land mine as the god dies, but he stares in shock and maybe a little horror at a bloodied, wounded, given-into-violence John.
Shades of bloody out of control Dean Winchester shocking his brother in early seasons “Supernatural.”
John and Carlos meet up with Millie, Mary and Lata. Carlos tells them that the god said the only way out was for John to fight him, and Lata asks the obvious question.
Lata: Just John? Why?
Is this another “Supernatural” case of ‘the chosen one’?
I liked the real-life results of this case. Dr. Z assures Carlos that he’s now committed to doing right by the veterans, and that the deaths will be better investigated. He says he hopes they didn’t scare Carlos off, that he sees a lot of potential for growth and healing in him. Mary gives Dr. Z Ryan’s card to help.
So, Dr. Z didn’t turn out to be the monster after all – my name is vindicated! Carlos has himself a new therapist, in fact.
Mary offers Carlos Maggie’s room to stay with her, since he’s still shaken up, saying she “can’t keep the door locked forever,” both actually and metaphorically, so there’s progress for Mary too.
Carlos thanks John for what he did saving him from the landmine, perhaps a symbolic making up for not being able to do that for Murph, so maybe the god did him a little bit of a favor after all. Carlos offers that he’s there if John ever wants to talk, and you get the feeling that John and Carlos bonded in a deeper way after the events of this hunt.
We get the classic 70s song from Harry Nilsson playing, the lyrics “Everybody’s talkin at me, I don’t hear a word they’re sayin, only the echoes of my mind…” playing as we see where all our main characters ended up. Carlos back at the group, along with some WWII vets who look so much like my dad, also a vet, that it made me tear up unexpectedly.
Mary and Lata follow Maggie’s write-down-two-good things on cards thing.
Millie makes dinner, hears the shower running and finds the door open, John kneeling in the tub fully clothed, sobbing. She embraces him from behind, rocking with him like all mothers do with crying children.
Caps courtesy of spndeangirl
It’s an odd but popular fictional trope to sob in the shower fully clothed, but I thought Drake and Bianca sold the emotional impact of that moment, and I felt for them both. As I mentioned, my dad was also a vet who came back from the war with PTSD, long undiagnosed because he followed those harmful tropes of “don’t talk about it, don’t show your feelings” for far too long before realizing he actually could get help – and deserved it. I really appreciated the respectful treatment of the veterans in this episode, including the implication that they deserve a better system of help than they often get in this country.
Much like “Supernatural,” it’s the very human themes and the relationships between the characters that so far are what most capture my interest about “The Winchesters.” I appreciate the psychological themes more than I do the gods and monsters, in this episode the strong performances from Drake Rodger and JoJo Fleites especially.
New episode tomorrow of “The Winchesters” on The CW with Legacy of a Mind!
Last week’s episode of “Walker” was in some ways a quieter episode than the first few of this third season, but no less impactful. I’ve been traveling for the past week, so this is a drive-by recap and review, but I have to give a shout out to a few things about the episode that I loved.
Number 1? The horses! The title is ‘Wild Horses Couldn’t Drag Me Away,’ which makes me sing the Rolling Stones in my head immediately, but also refers to multiple themes in the episode – and to the fact that there are actually wild horses in it! Beautiful wild horses. I can watch horses on my TV screen happily for a very long time, so just that fact put a smile on my face.
It also gave me mixed feelings about the actual plot of the episode, at least the case-of-the-week one. Trey is in his last week of being a trainee, Capt James having pulled ALL the strings to get his military service to count as the years of training he would have been doing.
The show acknowledges this as unprecedented, which is good because otherwise I might have eyerolled. But they make it part of the plot, and of Capt. James good faith attempt to change the system from the inside, with his acknowledgement also that if it fails, his own career is also on the line.
That means that James, Walker and Cassie put Trey in charge of a sort of test case – to take down a trio of people who are freeing wild mustangs from “kill pens” and letting them go. Hence my mixed feelings. I was the Research Assistant in grad school who snuck back into the lab the night before it was “kill day” for all the rats who’d volunteered as test subjects and hence had little metal cones sewn into their poor little heads – and umm, liberated, quite a few. My kids had the best pets growing up, what can I say? The ‘conehead rats’ were famous with their friend groups.
Anyway, so I might not be the right audience for going after a trio of people who see themselves as do-gooders freeing beautiful wild horses who are about to be made into dog food. On the other hand, they almost run over a ranch hand accomplishing it, so that’s not exactly okay. And as Capt. James points out when Cassie also questions it (making me very fond of Cassie at that moment), they are defacing federal land. Which, to be honest, sounds like one of those things people in power use as an excuse…but technically he’s right and they can’t be reckless about it like they’re being, clearly.
Interestingly, Walker also bristles when James says they have to “go through legitimate channels,” remembering the lessons he learned from his superior officer in the Marines, which is exactly not that. In fact, he has a flashback when James says those words, for a moment not even present in the moment as he remembers.
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Cordell: Sometimes people ignore legitimate channels when conditions on the ground call for it.
Cassie: Wait, are you agreeing with me??
Trey takes on the case and puts on the white hat (and the short sleeve very very tight shirt that I guess is his version of the Ranger uniform but no one is complaining so carry on, Ranger Trey…) and everyone cheers.
They also applaud Walker being back, although Cassie and James notice how he keeps zoning out and are worried. James knows he put Walker back in the field too soon before, and Abeiline definitely put the fear of God into him when he was missing this time.
There’s a fair amount of humor in this episode as James, Walker and Cassie put Trey through the end of his “hell week”, getting him to do silly things like “1, 2, 3, Rangers!” complete with the hand motions and taking way too much pleasure in Trey lucking out (not) by having to work with a bristly fed. Trey takes this all in good spirits, to his credit.
Eventually, Trey disobeys James’ orders to stay put and wait for them to arrive when Trey finds the horse thieves – he instead jumps into the back of the trailer, much to the surprise of the horse inside. More beautiful horses, yay!
Walker and Cassie assure James that they have confidence in Trey’s ability to make the right decisions, so James gives him the go ahead and Trey does the arrests on his own – until one guy takes off on an ATV that is! But no worries, Trey leaps on the surprised (again) horse and gallops after him, which makes for an awesome chase scene and some great riding. I hope Jeff Pierre got to do some of that himself, because it looked like fun!
This show makes lots of it scenes into music montages and I don’t always mind, but I kind of wish this one was just left to be the wild ride it actually was. The other three arrive in time to cut the guy off and Trey gets to make the arrest. James has to tease him one more time, pretending his disobeying a direct order has tanked his career for a minute before breaking into a smile and congratulating Ranger Trey.
Meanwhile, the Walker family is still struggling with the aftermath of Cordell and Liam’s captivity and torture. Stella impulsively decided not to go away to college after all, which means Augie didn’t get her room that he was promised – or the chance to be the ‘only child’ that every second born longs for and sometimes temporarily gets. I found Stella and Augie’s brittleness with each other as a result to be very believable. These are the big things to adolescents that seem like small things to adults, and I’m glad “Walker” leaned into that.
Stella’s identity crisis, now that she didn’t follow the path that she planned on, is also believable. If I’m not in college, who am I? What am I supposed to do? Cordell, like many parents, answers her question with “you’d better find something productive to do” and asks Aunt Geri to give her a part time job at the SideStep. Stella is not at all happy to be “treated like a five-year-old” but she goes along with it, which gives “Aunt G” a chance to impart some wisdom about following in her mother’s footsteps and taking her time figuring out what she wants to do with her life. Emily’s father wanted her to be a lawyer, but after the trauma of 9/11, she became a social worker instead.
Stella is patient with her brother eventually, offering him not her room but driving lessons in the Mustang. In typical adolescent fashion, Augie is thrilled to show off in front of his friends driving a hot car – until he stalls it out.
Also, very realistic!
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Keegan Allen can look so absolutely devastated and sad that it breaks my heart to see Liam reaching out again and again to no avail, even if I also understand why Cordell just cannot go there. Yet. Bonham even chastises Cordell a little, asking ‘can’t you see the boy’s hurting? You were a Marine special ops, you were trained to handle captivity and torture, Liam was not.’
Bonham also softens after though, saying that he gets it, that there were things he saw – and did – in the war that he didn’t like talking about after either.
Also, fandom just likes to hear Cordi say “I know, Daddy.”
Liam tries the equine therapy his father recommended last episode, and it eventually works for him. I thought the therapist was oddly confrontational and was surprised at the horse’s big reaction to Liam’s mental state since Liam wasn’t at all hesitant about being around horses, it’s the rest of his life that’s got him upset.
It seems like someone who has been around horses their entire life would not induce that kind of reaction, but I tend to be overly critical of anything involving what I do for a living and I’m not trained in equine therapy, so maybe I’m just wrong about all this!
At any rate, a sugar cube and a few deep breaths and Liam is up and riding comfortably and Ol’ Kenny is happy to have him on board and I’m happy because once again, horses on my TV screen!
Unfortunately, the therapist and her partner are about to move away, so poor Liam is getting screwed over once again. This guy cannot catch a break!
Cordell: I’ve seen how much equine therapy has been helping, I figured a few more horses couldn’t hurt.
Liam is both touched that his brother really does love him and is trying to help him and also excited to maybe have finally found his passion – he wants to start an equine therapy program at the Davidson’s barn.
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Cordell pulls Liam back as the others go inside.
Cordi: Hey, Stinker…
Liam: Thank you.
Cordi: You don’t have to say or do anything, I want to help you, I just don’t always know how. This may not be what you wanted, but I’m hoping it’s what you needed. Just take it slowly, last thing you need is nore stress right now, I know you’re still struggling, little brother.
Liam: Thank you, big brother. I do need this. I can’t keep relying on you to make me feel better.
Me: Awww, all the big brother little brother Sam and Dean feels awwww.
Cordell still is avoiding talking about it, but he shows his love for his brother by the actions he can take, and Liam sees it for the caring that it is.
It’s often baby steps when someone is trying to recover from a trauma, and Cordell takes a few here, as does Liam. It’s also often two steps forward, one step back, and that rings true here also.
Cordell opens up a little to Cassie, telling her about the loss of his best friend and mentor, gunnery sergeant Clay “Coop” Cooper. He says it’s why he traded his dog tags for a badge and that he hadn’t told anyone, just “tamped it down, compartmentalized it”. He admits that the captivity brought it all back, which is of course what does happen to the things we try to keep buried.
Cassie for some reason suggests that they take the flag that used to hang over Cooper’s bunk to his mother, who I guess lives nearby? He’s hesitant, but she’s pretty insistent, saying it’s simple (I don’t agree but her heart is in the right place). Cordell shores up a lot of courage and knocks on the door, saying ‘I served with your son.”
Turns out it’s not his mother but a nurse, who goes upstairs to see if Coop’s mother is up to a visitor. While he waits. Cordell sees a photo of his friend, and overcome with emotion, he places the folded flag in front of the photo and leaves.
When Cassie asks how it went, he says it was good, not telling her the truth about what happened.
Cordell: It was good to talk to her, thanks for suggesting this. I’m famished, you?
He changes the subject, and they drive away.
Caps courtesy of spndeangirl
That also struck me as very realistic – there are no magical quick fixes for this kind of repeated trauma. Cassie pushed him too fast, for something he wasn’t truly ready for, and he backed up into avoidance again, understandably.
I can’t help but wonder how the mom will feel when she comes downstairs though!
All in all, a realistic episode with some nice bits of humor, action and emotion all mixed together in an organic way. I’m really enjoying that they’re not rushing to a quick fix for anyone, which so often happens in episodic TV. Keep it up, “Walker,” I’m enjoying the slow ride!
A new episode of “Walker” airs tonight on the CW with 3.05 Mum’s the Word!
The title of “The Winchesters” third episode is the message of the episode as well: ‘You’re lost, little girl.” It’s about loss – of all kinds – and also about being lost and figuring out how to find yourself afterwards. And that does not just apply to little girls.
The Kids Next Door
The episode revolves around Mary’s neighbors, a young girl and boy (8-year-old Carrie and 12-year-old Ford) whose mother is a long haul trucker who is often away for days at a time. It’s the 70s, but it still seems really iffy to have kids this young at home alone for days at a time – I know, I know, shades of John Winchester later. How much did he learn from the Campbells and their neighbors anyway?
The little girl, Carrie, contacts her mother on the CB radio, saying she can’t find her stuffed bear Bernice anywhere, and asking her mother to come home. The mom says the family needs the paycheck, she’ll be home in a few days, she needs Carrie to be a big girl – which is all kinda heartbreaking and also once again reminiscent of John Winchester of the future asking his son Dean to step up and be a big boy long before he should have.
Side note: I remember CB radios from the time before cell phones (yes, I actually remember those times) – I once went on a cross country trip with my husband-to-be and he had a CB radio in the car and we made the whole trek going back and forth with all the truckers we were sharing the road with. When we stopped at the first truck stop for dinner, they were all amazed that we were “a four wheeler”!
Anyway, there’s eerie music, a thud thud thud, and then there’s a burlap sack on the table. Carrie opens it and Bernice the bear is in it. Yay? Not yay. No sooner does Carrie happily crawl into bed with Bernice than the sack starts wriggling and then a freaking creepy as hell hand comes out, nails like claws, and then we see Carrie scream as a giant shadow looms over the bed.
Now that’s an opener! Worthy of the mother ship and its horror show roots – and it’s scary because we don’t see the monster, we see Carrie and her terror instead.
Family Histories
Cut to the title card and our erstwhile narrator, Dean Winchester.
There’s no map to being a hunter, no playbook. You’ve gotta follow your gut, but that can only take you so far. Truth is, you can’t do it all on your own. You need other people to help guide the way. Your friends, your family. Otherwise, you just end up lost.
I guess that’s a theme of “Supernatural” too, from the pilot episode on, where Dean came to get Sam at school and said he couldn’t do it alone (Sam: yes you can. Dean: yeah well I don’t want to…)
Dean hasn’t forgotten that lesson, but apparently, Samuel Campbell is actually trying to do it alone, and it turns out there’s more than him being missing going on in Mary’s life. Her mother is also out of touch, no word from her and last Mary heard she was working with hunters in Minnesota a few months ago. Mary says sadly that she’s not even sure her mother knows her dad is missing.
Apparently, Deanna and Samuel are separated, which – what?! That’s a canon change I didn’t see coming (assuming it will make sense whenever things are explained in episode 13 if not before…but surely Deanna would be keeping tabs on her hunter husband even if they were separated?)
Mary says that nothing has been the same for their family since Maggie died, for any of them. I hope they explore that more – I could get behind the show going a little deeper into things like loss, which really can turn a family upside down. It’s such an inevitable part of a hunter’s life, this show could benefit from digging into it.
It’s Mary’s turn to be discouraged, John’s turn to be determined. Mary worries that maybe her father just wants to stay lost, especially because the last time she saw him, they got into a big fight about her quitting hunting. Guilt, such a big part of loss for so many.
Lata tries to reframe, saying maybe he’s trying to prove he can do it alone so she can leave hunting. Lata suggests that Mary needs a break, maybe seeing a movie, and John clearly thinks that’s a good idea, but Mary isn’t so sure. They’re interrupted by Carlos (it’s kinda adorable that Mary calls him “Losy”) with the news that cop cars are all around the Campbells’ neighbor’s house.
Mary runs to help, saying that when their mom is gone, she helps keep an eye on the kids. (Not very often, I don’t think, since she’s all over the country hunting, so maybe not the best choice…) John and Mary are interrupted by the local cop investigating the case, who turns out to be Betty – who we eventually find out was engaged to John before he joined the service.
John lies about what they’re doing – a Winchester tradition that will extend far into the future – saying he and Mary are enrolled in the local community college and are in a study group. John hasn’t been returning Betty’s calls.
Betty: All I wanted to say is glad you got home safe, Johnny.
Johnny, huh? Hmmm.
Ford confides in Mary what he didn’t tell the police about the thing that pulled his sister into a sack and disappeared, and Mary promises him they’ll get his sister back.
We get little glimpses of Mary’s childhood when she tells John that they also have a CB radio, that her dad taught her to use as a kid.
Mary: Sometimes I’d fall asleep listening to the truckers. Made me wonder what it’s like to have a normal life.
Mary is very much her younger son Sam in this episode.
John asked her what she dreamt of being, saying he wanted to be a catcher for the Kansas City Athletics.
Mary: My parents never let me dream like that.
Being a hunter was her only option, she says, and again, I wonder just how much John Winchester was channeling the Campbells in his later life – he seems to have raised Sam and Dean much like Samuel raised his daughter (though it clearly wasn’t what Mary wanted for her kids).
John says when he was a kid he made a list of all the places he was going to go to look for his dad – and that once Mary finds hers and leaves hunting for good, she’s gonna need a new list.
Monster Club
Mary and John put up hex bags to protect Ford in his house while they go look for his sister. Ford may as well be a Winchester big brother, feeling responsible for not taking care of his little sister and wanting to come with them to search for her. He also figures out that the monster was real, so Mary surprisingly tells him the truth – that monsters are real, and “my friends and I, we take care of things like you saw.”
Ford: Like a monster club?
John: Absolutely like a monster club.
Ford wants to be in it, which is why all that seems like a terrible idea to me honestly. Of course, he wants to be in it! I also question their first rule, that Monster Club is a secret. Every parent knows that you tell your kids NOT to keep secrets, and adults who ask you to are….sometimes not the best adults. Mary still seems like a kid herself, so maybe it felt a little different, but still not a good idea.
They also don’t give Ford very strict instructions not to answer the door or walk outside, so sure enough he too is lured out and sucked into a sack and disappears. Oops.
Meanwhile, Carlos and Ada go on a stakeout, leaving Carlos terribly bored while Ada works on what looks like a “zen gardening project”.
Carlos finally says he’d rather go bust the door open, and a demon throws open the door and says “great idea” before tossing Carlos onto the ground.
Carlos: Muchas gracias for ending my pain, amigo – allow me to start yours!
The holy water pistol doesn’t work well, but they toss the demon into the back of the truck that’s warded so he can’t get out – hello, familiar devil’s trap!
Ada is kinda scary in this episode and I am here for it.
Ada: Let’s take him someplace quiet, so we can… talk…to him first
The demon taunts Ada about her pathetic dreams of becoming a witch, while she mixes a potion and calmly notes that demons can possess non-human living things too. Like the bonsai she’s holding.
Carlos: She can put you in a plant?!
Ada is once again scary as hell.
Ada: That little thing can live for 100 years, imagine, unable to scream or fight or get out…
The demon tells them that the leader of the Akrida is hiding inside a human woman, but Ada traps it in the bonsai anyway. Pretty nifty!
Ada: We send him back to hell, he tells them about us. Now we know exactly where to find him.
Carlos: You are a deep mystery, Ada Munroe, and honestly, I kinda dig that about you
They even take the host to the hospital. Someone commented that The Winchesters is a lot less dark than “Supernatural” in that people are not dying left and right in this show, so far anyway.
Also meanwhile, Lata identifies the fabric swatch that the monster helpfully left behind as Indian from not far from her birthplace, but over 1000 years old.
John: So, not something you’d find in a Woolworth’s catalog…
Me: OMG Woolworth’s!
Lata explains that the monster seems to be Bori Baba, or Father Sack, who she thought was just a story. It lures its victims by tempting them with something they lost that’s meaningful to them, and then the sack appears and traps them in its maze, taunting them before eating them alive.
They begin to suspect something is going on that’s connected to the Akrida – as Mary puts it, “so many wayward monsters”.
Wayward shout out?
John suggests Lata ask her folks about it, but Mary tells him that her parents died years ago. Interestingly, we later find out that’s not true.
The Plot Thickens
Betty comes by the house to talk to Ford just as John and Mary discover he’s missing. While Mary is searching upstairs, John tries to put off Officer Betty.
Betty: You and Mary take this study group pretty seriously…
John: Big exam coming up…
Betty says she’s here to check on Ford, and John says you just missed him, Mary took him on a snack run.
Betty: Her car is right there…
John: They…walked…
Drake Rodger is actually really good at subtle humor, and it worked well with Officer Betty. She says she knows things didn’t end perfectly for them, but she’s here if he wants to talk, and they part friends.
John searches for Mary and she contacts him over Carrie’s CB radio, saying the monster took Ford. John has a bad feeling about this as Mary goes on.
Mary: We don’t know how to get people out of the sack – but we know how to get in. You think of something you lost, and the sack appears. I’ve got plenty to choose from.
John: Mary don’t do this. You’ll get stuck in there forever!
She insists she’ll kill the monster and John will get them out of the sack.
John: I don’t know how! Just wait, we’ll find him together. Please, Mary!
Mary: You found me once John Winchester, you can do it again.
There’s static on the CB – John sprints across to the neighbor’s house, over fences – the houses are pretty damn far apart and have nice big yards – because Mary has time to close her eyes and concentrate and the sack appears. Inside is Samuel’s hat, and then the shadow comes out and poof, they’re gone. John is too late.
(At this point there was an ad for Prime Video, so suddenly “The Boys” was on my TV and it seemed like Jensen Ackles was everywhere…) Speaking of Ackles, Mary wakes up next to a bottle with a face on it that looks weirdly like Dean Winchester, which of course fandom did not miss (I missed it, but other fans clearly are looking much more closely!). She puts on Samuel’s hat, determined. Symbolizing not walking away from hunting perhaps?
One of the things that didn’t quite work for me about this episode was just how distraught John becomes when he thinks he might lose Mary. Upset, sure, I totally get that – but he doesn’t know her very well at all at this point. He says to Lata that hunting is the first time in his life that anything has made sense – and that makes sense to me too.
He ran off to enlist because his life didn’t make sense, thinking that would help, and when it didn’t, it left him feeling extra lost. And Lata understands too – literally facing one’s demons is cathartic and therapeutic. But what John says next struck me as too much for where John and Mary are right now.
John: I can’t lose her. None of this works without Mary. I need her!
Emotional music plays to make it even more dramatic, but that felt off to me. It was likely a deliberate call back to Dean’s famous speech in “Supernatural” about Sam, the ‘I need him, he needs me’, but that worked because that was a decade into the show and a relationship that was a lifetime (literally) for the brothers. Does John really feel that strongly about Mary after this short amount of time, that he not just likes her, but needs her? I need you to show that to me first, Show, not just tell me.
No More Monster Club
Inside the monster’s lair, strewn with once-beloved stuffed animals and toys and looking a bit like if a monster decided to make a gigantic play fort with every blanket and curtain it could find, the kids run from the Bori Baba. I really liked the early part of this episode where they strategically didn’t show too much – it was truly creepy and scary – but now we get to see the whole monster, in broad daylight, and it looks less scary and more oh-what-now?
Mary abruptly cuts off its arms and then its head from behind, and I had the sudden image of that Knight from Monty Python continuing to fight as part after part of it is sliced off, which didn’t help get the scare factor back. The Bori Baba collapses and there’s Mary wielding the knife, wearing Samuel’s hat.
Ford has gotten wise though and I am here for it.
Ford: Monster Club sucks.
Mary: Tell me about it.
The monster regenerates and they hide, while Lata gets some intel on the phone and says to tell her mother (who is apparently not quite dead, if we’re still on a Monty Python kick) that she’s safe. Hmmm. Lata finds out the monster is vulnerable outside the sack; if the sack gets destroyed, it does too. Its victims are trapped by the things people have lost and can’t let go of.
Implausibly, John gets around the no-cell-phones-in-the-seventies fact by taking a very unlikely chance that there will be a working CB radio in the Bori Baba’s lair and calls to Mary. I will say that John admits it’s a longshot, but whoa, that is a longgggggggggggggggggg shot.
John: Am I crazy for thinking this would work?
Me: Possibly?
He tells Mary they all have to willingly let their lost objects go. Carrie, wise beyond her years, immediately rips her beloved Bernice bear in half – I kinda love Carrie and Ford, who follows suit with his item. They are zapped out of the lair and back home, but Mary struggles to light her dad’s hat on fire, her own ambivalence apparently her worst enemy.
John suggests that what her ambivalence is really about is her fear of what comes after she finds her dad – and quits hunting. As the monster reaches under the door, Mary opens up to John with very questionable timing, saying that hunting is all she has and if she gives it up, she doesn’t know who she is.
It was a bit hard to buy that revelation in the midst of a monster grabbing her leg, but I do like her realization because it does ring true. John empathizes, saying it’s scary to dream about what’s next, but she just needs to take that first step.
Finally, the hat burns, and Mary tearful. It’s not that easy though – after Mary zaps back, the monster pursues her, but John stabs it and Carrie stomps on it for good measure.
I like Carrie.
Their mom comes back home finally, hugs all around. John sticks to his made-up story for Betty, and we find out that they were engaged when she gives John back the ring and speaks some very Supernatural truth.
Betty: Happy endings aren’t always part of the job.
I like Betty!
John: We’ll always be friends, Bets.
John doesn’t show Mary the ring, and Mary goes to the movies to see The Omega Man without him, saying yes when another guy flirts with her because they’re two people who go to movies alone, and they decide to go alone together.
Getting Spooky
There’s a suitably ominous ending once again, as the rest of them acknowledge that the Akrida leader is disguised as a human – and powerful enough to terrify demons.
And we find out who she is too, as we hear “This is Rockin’ Roxy comin’ at you with a new dark and dangerous sound, guaranteed to bring the rarest of hellraisers to our beloved Lawrence…” The vintage song “Spooky” plays as Mary has fun at the movies. Lata stares at the phone, keeping secrets. Ada cuts off a piece of the bonsai, presumably torturing the trapped demon. Carlos watches, worried. John burns what’s left of the monster in a bonfire.
(Those final scenes, especially John holding the lighter, alone in the dark, felt more like a scene from “Supernatural” than most of the series has felt so far, the sense of danger palpable. A monster scurries away in the dark.)
I really liked that little montage at the end and wish we hadn’t seen the spider crab monster thing up close when it scuttles up to Rockin Roxy and her mysterious pink stuff sucked into a vial in the next and final scene.
Less is sometimes more, so give me more of those moody dark scenes like we saw in the end, or the creepy scary monster shadows we saw in the beginning. Those feel a lot like “Supernatural,” and I really enjoyed them.
I also enjoyed the humor threaded throughout, especially Drake and Betty, who were truly amusing together. And kudos for the guest casting of Carrie and Ford, who were sympathetic and believable – which I’m sure is extra hard when you’re casting kids!
I still fear they’re going too fast pushing John and Mary together, counting on what will be their eventual relationship because we know that’s where it’s heading, or portraying it as long-established like Sam and Dean’s when at this point that doesn’t make sense.
I am intrigued by some of the things we found out in this episode – the darkness in Ada, the mystery that’s Lata’s history, and Mary’s identity crisis. Hopefully, we’ll find out more next week with “The Winchesters” 1.04 Masters of War!
The second episode of the “Supernatural” prequel, “The Winchesters,” is titled after a song I loved in the 70s even though I was too young to ever really be into “CSNY” or see them in concert. Still, it brought back fond memories to actually hear it play in this episode.
As someone who was alive then, I enjoy this show being set in that time period, though sometimes it strikes me as an idealized TV version of the 70s, which was complicated and not all peace-love-flower-power. This episode lets the show really sink into the flower power part of the time, the monster taking up residence outside a commune. It opens with kids (okay young adults maybe, this is a very young show) singing and swaying around a campfire, wearing flower crowns, doing drugs, walking in the woods… It’s a 2022 version of 70s nostalgia, and a little less gritty than I remember.
In a typical opener of a “Supernatural” universe show, one kid soon sees what he thinks is his dad (in the middle of the woods inexplicably) telling him it’s time to go home – and then growing menacing-looking tree vines from his arms and wrapping poor Barry up and spiriting him away.
“The Winchesters” logo pops up and sparks out just like the “Supernatural” logos have always done, and that makes me smile for some reason.
To Savannah, Georgia, as we get the Dean Winchester narration about family ties being complicated. (That is the most gigantic understatement ever for Dean Winchester to say!) They raise you, teach you what’s right and wrong – and in some instances teach you how to kill monsters. But no matter who you are, there comes a time when you have to break from them and make your own way.
I guess that was sort of Sam and Dean’s journey; John himself never had to break from his dad since Henry was gone.
Dean: And if you’re not careful, things can get pretty ugly.
Again, with the gigantic understatement, Mr. Dean Winchester monster hunter!
Moving on to a pretty flashlit scene, the Core Four finding a bunch of dead zombies while Mary barks orders and Lata enthusiastically investigates a zombie’s dislocatable jaw.
Carlos: You are deeply weird and starting to concern me.
The weird is kinda the point though, Carlos!
The file cabinets are empty of any Akrida information, but Mary finds shotgun shells with “SC” on them – Samuel Campbell always signed his work. She’s convinced this is his way of contacting her. It’s very much a repeat of Dean always convinced that their dad was trying to contact them in Season 1 of Supernatural, insisting that he and Sam keep following his coordinates and his leads.
A few zombies, it turns out, are not dead, and they attack, the very convenient monster trapping box rendered unworkable for some reason (perhaps because it was too convenient). They’re all pretty badass fighters, including John, who ends up splattered with zombie guts. Drake Rodger is very good at the subtle comedy, so this is a running gag that tends to work.
Samuel has left a news story about poor Barry literally knifed to a zombie’s chest, and Mary thinks (hopes) that Samuel wants them to meet him there. The others aren’t so sure. Carlos reminds them that the plan is to find the Akrida and save the world, and maybe Samuel is just trying to throw them off his trail. Mary bristles.
Mary: He needs help and we’re going to find him! My dad is out there alone, we need to find him before the Akrida do.
She doesn’t listen to anyone, and the others protest her making decisions for all of them, just like her father did. They follow her though, albeit reluctantly.
She and John have a nice chat in the truck as they drive, John expressing doubt about being able to follow in his father’s footsteps. Mary reminds him that he didn’t learn to be a scout in the Marines overnight either and that he “did good back there.”
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John smiles, says: “Lucky I have such a good teacher.”
Mary: (whacking him) Real smooth…
They banter over who killed how many zombies and share an easy laugh. Mary is at her softest with John; the rest of the time she’s a much more hardened version of the character than we saw in the “Supernatural” episode ‘In The Beginning,’ which is a little confusing.
Much of fandom keeps comparing her to Claire, either happily or not at all happily, but I’m trying to reconcile the Mary we’re seeing here with the young Mary we saw on the OG show. They are definitely different, but I guess we might see some evolution coming for Mary, so we’ll see.
This little exchange between John and Mary is reminiscent of Sam and Dean on many drives, an almost brotherly banter going on complete with whacks. You get the feeling the show is trying to recreate that ‘lightning in a bottle’ that Sam and Dean (and Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles) had from the jump, but this time with two people who will be romantically involved.
Hence Mary’s reaction, which turns the banter into something flirty. That doesn’t work in the same way as it did for Sam and Dean, obviously, and so far, I’m not sure if recreating that chemistry with similar types of interactions/banter is going to succeed. It’s a different type of relationship, albeit both love stories – one platonic, one romantic.
I almost hope the show goes down the darker path of John and Mary not falling in love in any ‘epic love story’ sense but being manipulated into it as it was suggested happened on “Supernatural.” That would be interesting, and the friction that would create between them might result in some extra sparks too. After all, there was plenty of friction between Sam and Dean in Season 1, and it added to the fascinating complexity of their relationship. I don’t think that’s where the show is going, but it might have been fun.
Things may be easy between John and Mary for the moment, but they are not easy at all when the foursome stop at the Winchester Garage.
Millie has been looking at Henry’s watch and photos when the van pulls up, and she’s angry at John, saying they had a deal that he’d stay in touch and then he disappeared for a week.
Millie: And when you come back, you’re covered in blood, like your Dad all over again! I waited for a call, a single call. All that shows up is some trash roadrunner that needs fixing. (Mary’s car)
She says all she has left of her husband is in a box, will that be all she’s gonna have left of her son too?
John is immediately defensive, although frankly, I think Millie makes some perfectly reasonable points. He couldn’t have just given her a call at some point to say he was okay? It wasn’t so easy then, I realize, no cell phones so sending a quick text won’t work, but there were lots of payphones around all over the damn place. John’s own insecurity and doubt makes him misinterpret what his mother is saying.
John: You don’t think I can do this.
In a bit of a temper tantrum, he walks away and gets back in the van, and they drive away.
Harsh. I’m still Team Millie on this show.
They go undercover to find out what happened to Barry, John insisting he’s not nervous he just “prefers the less talky more punchy side of hunting.” I guess that’s a big difference between John and his father, and also something he’ll have in common with his son Dean eventually.
The OG “Supernatural” running gag about musicians’ names on Sam and Dean’s ID badges appears in this episode, with John protesting about having to be Mick Fleetwood a bit like Sam protested being a ‘bikini inspector.’ Mary is Christine McVie. John warns that he’s not going to say the name…and then caves and totally does.
Lata becomes even more beloved by an entire fandom when Carlos snarks “you think you brought enough books?” and she coolly replies “there’s even more in the van.”
Carlos says he wants to find Samuel, but he’s struggling with the team approach. He’s used to working on his own and calling the shots, or as he puts it, “I’m used to being the only one onstage, not part of a band, especially when Mary is on lead vocals.” She only knows how to sing Samuel’s song, he says.
It reminds me of early seasons Dean Winchester again, only able to sing John’s song, even when his brother takes issue with some of John’s eventual authoritarian ways. Lata describes it as the Campbell song, my way or the highway.
I wonder if Henry was also like that, or if John picked up some of that from Mary….thinking too hard about this early version of Mary having a lasting impact on this early version of John makes my head hurt with canon protectiveness though, so I’m not gonna go there.
John and Mary come back with intel, that Barry got taken by some kind of monster.
Side note, I love the seedy motel vibe that is so very early seasons Supernatural here. I’ve missed it!
Anyway, a monster. At a commune called Harper’s Ranch.
Lata: (grinning) A monster you say?
Carlos: (grinning) A commune you say?
Both are way too excited, and though Mary admonishes Carlos “Oh Losy, stop smiling,” he doesn’t. In fact, he bursts into song and we get an impromptu musical number in the middle of the show, everyone dancing around and Carlos belting out “Age of Aquarius”. It’s endearing, and Robbie Thompson has always been a writer who isn’t afraid of the weird, so I enjoyed it even though I was shaking my head at the same time.
Side note: Back in the actual 70s, my brother was obsessed with that song when he was like four years old and would go around the house singing it much like Carlos did, with the rest of us groaning. Must be something about that song…
They all go undercover at the commune, Mary inexplicably in a white maxi dress, which seems like the absolute last thing an experienced hunter would wear to a case that takes place in a commune and the woods. Their outfits are slightly idealized 70s, though John’s is pretty much par for the course. I lament Drake Rodgers’ lack of bell bottoms though he would totally rock them.
The commune’s director Clyde explains that people come there to “break free from tyranny and shed your past like your skin, especially the people who hurt you.” For him, it was Sister Bernadette at the orphanage; for most people, it’s their parents. That’s the theme of the episode, though I like that it doesn’t come down firmly on the break-all-the-ties side.
Meanwhile, Ada comes by the garage and introduces herself properly to Millie, who’s not all that happy to see her. Ada says that John just needs time, and Millie snarks back, “you learned all that in one week with my son?”
Ada: I learned that from his father.
That shocks Millie, who I would imagine has been pretty desperate all these years to find others who knew her disappearing husband. Ada says that John is open in a way that Henry never was, and she suspects that comes from Millie, paying the other woman a compliment.
She gives Millie the address and number of the motel where John and the others are staying – as she says, “peace of mind.” I’m glad someone thinks that Millie being worried about her only just returned son is okay!
Millie softens and thanks her. Ada also asks to take some of the rambling vine that covers the garage. Millie says that Henry planted it years ago, and she never learned its name or how to take care of it, but it’s still there after all those years.
Ada: It’s jasmine. It’s for protection.
That made me unexpectedly emotional, the thought that Henry tried to protect his young family as best he could. They don’t know, but we do, that he didn’t mean to stay away, that it killed him to be pulled away from them. Of course, it hurt them terribly too.
I am really looking forward to Gil McKinney as Henry – we don’t know much at all about him from the Mothership show, so it’s wide open for us to learn more. I love Gil and he’s a great actor, so come on show, use him!
The Core Four go down a wrong road thinking that Clyde may be a shapeshifter. Clyde, for his part, sees what he thinks is Sister Bernadette in the woods, and soon the vine monster drags him off too. Mary tells John that you have to look for a shapeshifter’s “tell.” any odd behavior, to identify one. John wonders again if he’s cut out to be a hunter, that maybe his mother is right. Then he shakes his head.
John: It’s my life, not hers.
Again, this is a theme that echoes early seasons “Supernatural,” as both Sam and Dean try to individuate from John, each in their own way. That sets up conflict between them, because their ways are not the same, but ultimately, they find their way and become their own men.
Back to the story:
Mary decides it’s a type of shapeshifter called a mimic, only vulnerable to weapons made of copper – which of course are the only kind Carlos doesn’t have because quality weapons not cheap garbage made out of pennies… so John goes back to the motel to take apart the copper plumbing. Lata disagrees with Mary that it’s a mimic, finding some strange purple flowers.
Lata: I’ll have to check the lore.
Shades of early seasons Sam Winchester!
Mary doesn’t want to listen to any of Lata’s theories on what it might be, just wanting to say they figured it out and that’s that. Meanwhile, Ada finds a secret room in the clubhouse and makes a potion. When she drinks it, she goes into a trance and starts writing with strange symbols.
Lata checks with Ada about the flower and then goes to look it up in the many books she somehow has fit into the van (which is not all that large with four people also in it.)
Latika’s enthusiasm for research is so reminiscent of Sam Winchester and also, just infectious.
John ransacks the motel sink (sorry, motel owner) and then Millie knocks on the door. Or is it? It could be, because we know Ada gave her the address, but it soon becomes clear that it isn’t. Millie insists that John is rebelling; he insists he isn’t. She says that deep down, John knows it’s his dad that never believed in him, as John protests that’s not true.
It’s a common trope in OG “Supernatural” too, using the monster who takes on the shape of a person to voice some of the characters’ deepest fears and insecurities.
Millie: We both know if he really wanted you to follow in his footsteps, he would have stayed and trained you to be part of the Men of Letters. You have to face this. I know it’s painful, knowing you were the reason he left, especially after hearing all those stories about Samuel training your new friend Mary.
That’s the moment John recognizes that “tell” Mary was talking about. He never told her about Samuel or Mary.
John: You’re not my mom!
He hits her with a copper pipe, but she just grabs it and holds it still.
Not!Millie: I’m not a mimic either.
Oops.
Side note again: I’m really loving these vintage motels!
As John wrestles with the vine monster, Mary and Carlos argue about the way their little team is working (or not). He says she can’t keep treating people like her dad, the front man who ignores the rest of the band. That she needs to listen, the way her dad never listened to her.
Carlos: You keep Samuel on this pedestal but it’s time to take him down. Embrace the kind of leader you can be without him.
It sure does sound more like the John Winchester we knew in “Supernatural” than anything – so John ends up becoming just like his father in law?
Mary finally realizes she should have listened to Lata, who has figured out they’re not hunting a mimic, but La Tunda, a controlling abusive mother who kept her kids trapped and then chopped them up and fed them to her flowers when they tried to rebel. Harsh!
She now preys on disobedient children – like John, Mary realizes. They rush to save him and burst through the motel door, but it’s too late, John is gone.
Mary: This is all my fault, I should have listened to both of you.
She apologizes, leaving Carlos speechless with shock before Lata intervenes. I too am a bit shocked – that was a quick capitulation. John, meanwhile, is tied up in vines in the woods along with Barry and Clyde ala episode 2 of “Supernatural,” ‘Wendigo’. He promises them he’s gonna get them out of there, though they are understandably skeptical.
Mary puts Lata in charge – again, a very quick turnaround within one episode – and Lata comes up with the plan to stab her in the heart with her own “leg” with all her trademark enthusiasm.
Carlos: I take it back, I love that deeply weird side of you.
Carlos pretty much gets the best lines.
La Tunda returns and attacks Barry while John breaks away and frees Clyde before the monster confronts him, saying she has to punish him. Uh oh. Mary and the others show up and join the fight, Mary flying through the air in her snow white dress as she tells John to go for the monster’s leg.
La Tunda: You’re still just a helpless little boy whose father left because he didn’t believe in you.
John: I just need to believe in myself.
(That was a little too over the top earnest and on the nose for me, though Drake Rodger’s delivery is as solid as it can be.)
They stab her in the heart, and John gets splattered again, with green sap blood this time.
Mary: Nice shirt.
John: Thanks.
That struck me again as a very Sam and Dean little exchange.
The foursome watch Barry finally go home and be welcomed by his Dad with a hug; John and Mary looking wistful, but understanding each other a little better.
Lata and Carlos drop them off at the Winchester Garage. Millie officially meets Mary and tells her that her car is fixed and it’s on the house, since she brought her kid home safe. Mary drives off, leaving John and Mary to get real with each other.
John: I thought I was angry at you for not believing in me, but I wasn’t, okay? I was angry at Dad, and I did what I always do, which is take out on you what I can’t take out on him. I’m sorry.
The John and Millie relationship is still the strongest one of this show for me. That little exchange rang very true and let us know a lot about the past 20 or so years of John’s life. And Millie’s.
Millie says she does believe in her son. She shares that Henry and her had a rule that even when they fought, they’d find a way to tell each other I love you. The day he disappeared, neither of them did that.
Milllie: We’re always gonna have our fights and I’m always gonna worry about my baby but I am never gonna let you walk out that door again without telling you I love you.
John says it back and they hug. Awww.
Carlos brings pizza to the clubhouse. Mary thanks him for calling her out, says she hates to admit it but he was right. They decide that Millie isn’t off John’s back, but she does believe in him, so that’s a win. They got a monster off the board, so that’s a win too. And Ada has a lead on the box.
She shows them the secret room of the clubhouse and the automatic writing, says she tapped into her subconscious to access the demon that possessed her, who knew about the box. Progress.
I really like the Men of Letters clubhouse set too, with all its intricacy.
“Teach your children well…” plays as they eat pizza, laughing together, enjoying the wins. Millie smiles and takes care of the jasmine plant as she looks at Henry’s watch. It’s a nice moment, broken quickly in true “Supernatural” fashion by a hooded figure walking through dark woods, catching a glowing substance in a vial, shadowy creatures scattering after them.
Caps courtesy of spndeangirl
It was the creepiest part of the show, the only part that was actually a bit scary since we can’t see everything too clearly. I always prefer that to a monster you can see clearly and can’t help critiquing. Hmmm. Who could that be???
I’m intrigued – we’ll find out tonight on a brand new episode of “The Winchesters” on the CW!
Last week’s episode of “Walker” was one of my favorites so far – and more than that, it felt important. I talk a lot, as a psychologist, about the ways in which fictional media can help us, in everything from providing a much-needed escape, to role models and inspiration, to giving us a way to work through our own ‘stuff’ in a safely displaced manner. The latter is what this episode of “Walker” did.
Aptly titled ‘When Rubber Meets the Road,’ the episode picks up where the first two episodes left off. The brothers Walker, traumatized from captivity and terror and torture, are now physically safe. But that does not translate to any kind of psychological safety, as Liam tries to confide to his big brother.
He says what I said in last week’s review – they should have taken both of them to the hospital, and yes, they should have had MRIs and I find it hard to believe they wouldn’t after those beatings.
“Every time I close my eyes…” Liam begins, but Cordell cuts him off, saying they don’t need to do any of that, that the threat is over.
That’s the last thing Cordell wants to do, to close his eyes and relive the trauma. He’s been trying to perfect not doing that for a long time, it turns out.
Cordell: You’re safe, I’m safe, so let’s not compare notes.
Liam protests that they need to talk about it, but Cordell disagrees.
Cordell: We don’t. It’s better this way.
Liam’s helpless sounding “maybe we have internal injuries” is spot on. They may not be physical injuries that you can see, but both men are deeply wounded internally, psychologically, and emotionally.
Cordell cannot go there, and that’s intensely hurtful to Liam, who keeps trying to reach out to him throughout the episode. The imagery of Cordell walking away from Liam is repeated, as though he’s turning his back on his little brother (he isn’t, but the image is nevertheless painful.)
Geri is there to console Cordell and he appreciates it, but also immediately makes a joke about his falling-off shirt.
Cordell: You’re not digging the deep V?
He deflects from her concern for him by asking about everyone else and how they are. And while that’s certainly relevant, because this was a trauma for all of them, it also keeps the focus off Cordi opening up about his own feelings to someone who clearly wants to listen.
We know they’re there, though, just under the surface – we can see it in his expression when he sees the old photo of him in the Marines on the table as he comes home, hearing in his mind “so this is the war hero…” that they taunted him with.
Abby almost made me cry with the hug she has for him and that smile on her face that I can just feel, but he pushes away his mother’s concern too, assuring her ‘I’m good, I’m good…no feelings, no feelings…we’re fine, we’re safe – right, Stinker?”
Liam is so clearly not fine it may as well be written all over him. He manages a “yeah, something like that” and if Cordell was able to really listen and not so invested in needing to NOT talk about all of it, he would have realized instantly. Again the “no feelings, no feelings” is a direct indication of what Cordell is telling himself, trying frantically to keep all those unwanted emotions at bay.
Instead, Cordell deflects again, insisting on making the speech for Stella’s graduation dinner that he would have made if things hadn’t gone sideways, even though everyone can see that’s a weird thing to do.
Bonham: You sure you’re ok?
He’s so obviously not okay, manic almost, that it’s a terribly awkward speech with everyone uncomfortable and nobody laughing at his bad jokes. Stella finally interrupts him with an “uhh, Dad…” because he’s bleeding right through his wrappings he’s squeezing his fist so hard.
Shades of Sam Winchester and the wound on his hand that he used to try to ground himself after similarly traumatic experiences.
Cordell insists it’s not a big deal, and Stella moves into almost the mom role, alarmingly parental for a moment as she wraps his wound and tries to both calm him down and stop his performance, saying thank you Dad, it’s good to have you home.
I felt so bad for Stella at that moment, knowing that there’s something very wrong with her father and not knowing what she can do about it. Especially after losing their mother, Cordell is the only parent that Stella and Augie have, and their fear of losing him has just been kicked into overdrive. Are they now going to lose him to his own demons?
A music montage clues us into the passage of time, which apparently is most of the summer. Liam and Bonham talk ranching and cattle, Cordell and Augie work out and take whey protein, lifting weights, bonding over it.
You have to wonder if that’s their way of trying to feel some sense of safety again, like if they’re just physically strong enough, strangers won’t pluck them from their driveway and subject them to unspeakable torture. It may not make logical sense, but it’s a way of coping that’s allowed under current norms for masculinity, when many other ways of coping are still not – like talking about it.
Julia published her expose on what happened to them, which brings the horrible details of what Liam and Cordell went throughout in the open, traumatizing Abby and the rest of the family all over again. Cordell shrugs it off like it’s no big deal, saying the words “in captivity” with seemingly no problem and cutting his mother’s concerns off with “I’m tip top, Mama.”
She doesn’t believe him; neither do we.
Every time he trots out his “toxic positivity,” his kids walk away. Sometimes literally. His inability to open up to them, or anyone, about his feelings has created an emotional separation between him and his family, cutting him off from the support he desperately needs and deserves.
The directing by Aprill Winney is top-notch in this episode. Images like this used to set Cordell apart from his brother and his father in their matching rancher hats.
They’re not the only ones who are skeptical. Trey, almost done with his Ranger training, has also read the article, and so has Cassie. She wonders how someone comes back from something like waterboarding and electrocution, not convinced that even the mandatory therapy and PT that he’s doing will be enough.
Trey advises her to be sure that Walker really is “squared away”, otherwise as his partner she’s in danger too.
(I did, by the way, as a therapist myself, wonder what the therapist he was mandated to see was doing during this time to try to help him….you can’t rush this kind of work, but you also need to notice when a coping strategy is kicking a client in the butt rather obviously.)
Cassie helps Cordell collect stuff for the big camping and college trip, finding a box of his stuff from the war. She asks him to be real with her.
Cordell: I’m squared away.
Cassie admits she’s afraid to get back in the truck with him, that she needs to feel safe with him and “this guy, he doesn’t make me feel safe.”
It’s tough to hear, but I also don’t blame her. Cordell is hypervigilant and twitchy, easily distracted and not in touch with his own emotions, one of the best sources of information any of us has in reacting to our environments. In their line of work, that could be deadly. That’s very clear when Cordell interrupts their conversation to ask, “you hear that?”
It’s water dripping; he has a flashback to being doused with water and repeatedly, brutally electrocuted. Although he insists he learned from his mistake of going back too soon after the Rodeo Kings, and that’s why he’s doing the therapy and the PT, Cassie is still anxious.
Liam doesn’t even pretend to be okay. He’s brittle and angry, unable to share his feelings with the one person he knows would understand – his brother who was right there with him – but Cordell has pulled away from him. He laments that “little brothers are used to getting the short end of the stick” and tells Cordi that despite what he promised, it hasn’t gotten easier. Cordell’s insistence that everyone is dealing with it in their own way doesn’t help him – nor does Cordell’s constant repetition that he’s “all squared away”.
It is true, by the way, that everyone does need to deal with trauma and loss in their own way, and there’s no set timetable for doing that. Cordell is right about that, it’s just that the strategies he’s using right now aren’t working for him very well.
Liam lashes out at his mother, accusing her of prioritizing the way Cordell wants to deal when he was there too. I cringed when she said that they’d “found an equilibrium around here, a fragile one.”
That was so painfully realistic, because that happens all the time. No one wants to upset the one who’s not dealing well, so the one who seemingly is dealing better is expected to suck it up to keep that fragile equilibrium. Which of course isn’t fair, and ultimately just perpetuates things not getting better. I like when the Walkers aren’t perfect; it feels so much more real.
Liam: By all means, let Cordell dictate how everyone has to act, because that’s what’s best for him. So glad I’m a priority – I was in there too!
He was, and he clearly needs and deserves a lot more help than he’s getting. Unfortunately, he also seems stuck on his brother being the only one who can give that to him, and Cordell can’t do it.
I like that Geri feels like a part of both what’s left of the Davidson family and also, the Walker family, settled in as Aunt Geri to Colton, which I feel like both of them needed. Dan is, to my great delight, still around too at least for a while – he’s healed his relationship with his son and is also going to give it another try with Denise, something that Colton is happy about.
That means he’ll be out of town for a while, with Colton staying with Aunt Geri. But things seem to be okay between the formerly feuding families – Denise the deer is even back on the wall at the Side Step, something Denise herself insisted on.
Colton is worried that his relationship with Stella might not survive her going to college, so he goes along eagerly with the silliest part of the episode – Stella insisting on trying to get the Mustang back from “S-Nines,” who has been racing her at Desert Speed Wars. The kids are so worried about their dad that they refuse to tell him what happened with the car, convinced he can’t handle it, pretending it’s been in the shop for two months. In reality, they decide to steal the car back from the speedway.
This whole storyline is just plain dumb and I’m glad it’s over.
Augie distracts the woman and her brothers while Stella and Colton try to pull off their “grab and go”. They have an unlikely-at-that-time serious conversation about her going away to college too, and she assures him she’s not breaking up with him. Then they bond over hot wiring the car, which again seems like an unlikely time for romance.
In the end, they get caught anyway when the woman remote shuts off the engine. As a last resort, Stella confronts her and tells the truth – how her late uncle gave the car to her late mom and what the car means to their family, and how she doesn’t even want to go to college and wishes someone would bother to ask her that.
Not very realistically, the woman gives the car back, suddenly becoming empathic.
Stella and Augie are in for a rude awakening when they drive back up to their house though, confronted by their very angry father. He confronts them about keeping secrets, saying he thought they were over that, and Augie retorts “yeah, so did we.”
This whole scene is just beautifully written and performed by every single one of the actors – Jared, Violet and Kale. Stella gently tells her dad what is obvious to them, that ever since that horrible homecoming dinner, he’s been putting on a show.
Cordell: I am squared away…
Neither of his kids buy it. Stella says that’s why they couldn’t come to him about the car, fearing that if they were the ones to burst his bubble if he spiraled and got hurt because of it, they’d never forgive themselves.
Stella: We were afraid the mustang would break the dam.
It’s a perfect description for what’s happening with Cordell – he’s repressed all those fears and memories and grief, kept it inside a bubble, put up a dam around it. And if that bursts, he’s terrified he won’t survive it – and his kids are terrified of that too.
It’s a pretty common reaction to trauma and loss, and temporarily it can even be protective. But when it goes on and on, it starts to interfere with relationships, with work, with sense of self, with sense of safety. It’s all too fragile, and the person knows it.
Poor Cordell, he so wants to do the right thing by his kids, and he’s so helpless in the face of these horrible unfair things that have happened to him. I love that the show is not just putting it all on this most recent trauma either, because it’s not just that. It’s whatever happened in the war too, that he’s never been able to deal with. It’s the violent loss of his wife. It’s what he’s seen and done in his job, from Rodeo Kings to watching people die, to killing some of them himself. That’s all trauma, and it all adds up.
Augie: Look at you now, dad. Those kidnappers took a piece of you, and we just didn’t wanna lose any more.
Cordell is truly crushed.
Cordell: I had no idea y’all felt this way. I never want either of you to feel like there’s something you can’t tell me.
Stella says in that case, can Augie give them a minute. Cordell’s youngest, almost as tall as his dad now, hugs his father, gripping his neck so he’ll listen, says “I love you.”
Jared Padalecki and Kale Culley both are amazing in that moment, showing us every bit of the son’s desperate love and need for his father to be okay and really hear him, and the father’s love for his son and desperation to be okay for his children. August has grown up so much, the gestures almost more of a brother-to-brother interaction than father and son and inevitably reminding me, as an avid “Supernatural” fan, of all those times Dean Winchester gripped his little brother Sammy that same way, to get through to him, to show his love.
I might have needed to grab a tissue at that moment.
Stella and her father sit down, and Cordell speaks first, saying “you don’t wanna go to college, do you?” He says he had a feeling he wasn’t the only one keeping up appearances all summer.
Stella: Are ya mad?
Cordell says no, just confused, but Stella says that her mom wanted her to go, he wanted her to go… her? She’s not so sure. Cordell is understanding, asking her what she does want to do next, saying that it’s her future. Stella says that when her father was taken, suddenly college felt really small.
That too was great writing – and acting. Trauma does that, puts everything else into a completely different perspective. It’s so BIG, it recodes everything else. Things that seemed important no longer do.
Cordell gets it.
Cordell: Okay. Then we’ll figure it out…together.
He holds his daughter, a tear spilling and trailing down his face. All the awards for the acting in that moment, Jared Padalecki. All of them.
Bonus points for that being a “Supernatural” reference, something Sam and Dean said to each other again and again and again in order to keep going through anything life threw at them – and it threw at them everything but the kitchen sink. I may have needed a tissue myself, not gonna lie.
Liam finally gets to open up to someone, but it’s not Cordell. Unexpectedly, it’s his father. Bonham is mired in a bunch of toxic masculinity messages from the time in which he grew up and the place he grew up in, but he fights hard to push those aside when he knows he needs to for his family. Toxic masculinity and intergenerational trauma be damned!
Bonham: William, hold on. Sit down. We’re gonna do this exactly once. Your mother’s idea so, if we both leave this room feeling uncomfortable, we can blame her and stoically go hammer fences.
I loved that line – it both acknowledges those harmful norms for “masculine behavior” and subverts them. Maybe not easily or comfortably, but damn it, Bonham is gonna push through. He shares his own trauma history then, of coming back from the war and knowing he was back but still dealing with the flashbacks.
Bonham: I was back but it was like I could still smell the napalm. I thought, brews and banter at the VFW, that’s all I needed, because those people got it. I reckon that’s why you’re so fixated on talking to your brother.
This scene is gorgeously shot, the symbolism of the light in the window a hint at the hope that his father’s words are giving Liam – that it can get better. That it will get better.
Liam asks how he stopped the smell and Bonham says he met a woman – an equine therapist, with a horse that was as broken as he was. Liam is so hurt, asking why if Cordell is seeing a therapist too, why he won’t talk to Liam?
Bonham: I think every time he looks at you he sees the fresh hell of what you want through. But just because he’s not ready to talk doesn’t mean you don’t have to talk to someone. You hear me?
Bonham pats him on the shoulder, a manly pat instead of a hug, which was realistic in this situation, and leaves. Hopefully, Liam did hear him.
Cassie comes by to give Cordell a plate of leftovers, and Cordell admits that she was right to worry about him. That he’s working on it and promises he’s going to keep working on it.
Cassie: Well, that’s all I needed to hear. See you on Monday, partner.
Cordell comes inside, brushes his teeth and then startles, his younger self (aka Colin Ford) in the mirror.
Reflection: So, this is a war hero, huh?
As much as they all want it to be, Cordell’s ordeal is not over.
All caps courtesy of spndeangirl
Kudos for the storyline of Liam and Cordell’s trauma and how their family is impacted, for both the writing and the acting and the directing in this episode. So many fans felt inspired by the story, some having felt like they too couldn’t speak up about what they’ve been through and yet aware of the price being paid for staying quiet about it.
I worked with Jared Padalecki as he was writing his chapter in Family Don’t End With Blood, in which he had the courage to speak up about his own depression and anxiety, and I know firsthand how many people have read that chapter and felt validated by it. This episode felt the same.
In “Supernatural,” Padalecki’s character Sam Winchester also endured repeated trauma but didn’t always have the story space to examine the aftermath as much as maybe the actor would have liked. As executive producer and star of “Walker,” here he has the space to do that, along with the writing team and fellow cast. Together they put together something special.
This “Walker” episode picks up right where the season premiere left off, with Liam being tossed into the cell where Cordell has been held. That was a shock – to both the audience and Cordell – and it raises the stakes for whether or not the mysterious Sean will be able to ‘break’ Walker like he says he wants to.
Liam asks Cordi to promise that he’s not gonna try some Lone Walker Ranger stuff and risk his life to save his little brother. Cordell promises, the brothers clasping hands, and then he holds his injured little brother and I am all filled up with “Supernatural-ish” brother feels.
Cordell is unchained since they’re playing mind games with him, though I still don’t entirely grasp how Sean thinks this is going to work. Cordell is going by his gut, he says, and assures Liam that he trusts his brother – and Julia Johnson too, the reporter who had been confined upstairs.
The scenes of the brothers locked up together are ominous and dark, but they’re also beautifully filmed, the light coming through the bars making the whole scene look surreal. A moment of applause for the director of photography! And for Padalecki and Keegan Allen, who make being roughed up and held in a cell look alarmingly attractive.
They give Liam dinner then put a hood over Walker’s head and take him to an office to eat dinner with Sean, part of Sean’s attempts to get Cordell to “join them”. He refuses, saying ‘I’m stuffed” and having flashbacks to when he served. They try to talk Cordell into joining them since he’s “edge of the coin” Cordell Walker, but I think they’ve seriously misunderstood that side of him.
He agrees there are some flaws in the system but insists there are good people making strides to fill those cracks. Sean tells him that Emily died at the hands of an organization that he serves, taunting that he’ll never get her back.
“You could save the next widower,” Sean says, but Cordell accuses Sean of murdering people who get in his way, which makes him a terrorist. Sean insists it’s necessary to trigger change, though I don’t really know how he thinks that’s going to happen. Power vacuums often get filled by even worse organizations, and this sounds like it could be one of those.
Sean: We are anarchists. First step is taking down the Texas Rangers. If you don’t come around, other tactics are gonna have to be applied. We didn’t bring your brother here for a family reunion. You may be able to handle this, but your brother?
He zaps the taser, threatening.
Liam being in danger unnerves Cordell a lot more than being threatened himself, Sean is right about that.
Cordell remembers his time serving in Afghanistan – we see a flashback of two men fighting, one coughing violently. It’s young Walker, losing the fight – and it’s Colin Ford, once again portraying a young Jared Padalecki! For “Supernatural” fans who so appreciated his portrayal of young Sam Winchester, it was a thrill to have him on our screens and working with Jared again. Perfect casting remains perfect!
His commanding officer reminds him to get out of his head, to fight in the moment in order to come out on top – try a little spontaneity.
This time Colin Ford prevails – and looks damn good doing it!
Cordell returns to the cell to find they’ve beaten Liam badly. He’s traumatized, shrinking away from Cordell while insisting he’s fine. Cordell knows he’s not at all fine, though, and he’s increasingly freaked out. Cordell holds Liam, saying ‘I got ya, I got ya,” just like Sam and Dean always said to each other when one of them was badly hurt.
Cordi knows they’re going to hurt Liam to try to break him – or kill him. And he knows they have to get out of there.
Back at the ranch…
Abeline and Geri look through photos, trying to find one of Cordell that’s not “so serious” as his official Ranger one (or maybe just trying to kill time since that seems more plausible) – and they comment on one of him in the Marines. And, as the fandom has been expecting and gleefully anticipating, it’s Colin Ford playing young Cordell.
Abeline: it’s the first time I didn’t know if he’d be back…
Bonham is doing his own distracting, choosing to fix a cattle collar at night because there’s nothing else he can do. The helplessness strikes me as very real, and painful. Also, Bonham calls her “Abs” and damn, that’s cute.
Abeline and Bonham snipe at each other, dealing with the worry in vastly different ways, which was also realistic. I like this show best when it shows that kind of realism in relationships, as it often does in theirs. They’re prickly with each other, but they push through and communicate. He’s not as worried as she is, and that bothers her.
“Ask me why,” says Bonham.
It’s because their boys are together, he says, and they taught them not only to love each other, but to stick together. So he’s not as worried as her. He holds her hand, and she laughs a little – it helped. That’s kind of the theme of the episode, sticking together and stronger together.
Cordell’s kids are also feeling helpless, which leads to a series of ill-advised decisions. The weirdest part of the episode is that the Rangers let Stella handle a phone tip line because she insists on “doing something.” I can totally understand her frustration and helplessness but letting her be a dispatcher doesn’t seem like the best idea – though James instructs her to give the messages to a Ranger. Which of course is not what she does.
Stella gets a tip call from a woman who wants a reward for sharing information, and Stella impulsively offers that (nonexistent) reward to keep the woman on the phone – and then goes to deliver it herself instead of telling an actual Ranger. Dumbest idea ever! Also did the woman think if a real Texas ranger was coming, that they would have brought money? Or that they could have overpowered actual Rangers? Augie catches her frantically searching for money and insists on coming with her.
Of course, things go very south, the bad guys being gross to Stella and beating up Augie. Stella ends up giving them her car to get them to stop beating on Augie, and off they drive. Toss up as to whether Stella and Augie or the blackmailers are less smart tbh. And they didn’t even give them any information!
Ben calls Cassie freaking out because he can’t reach Liam, which really, can you blame him? Cassie gives James a heads up that the other Walker may be missing too, and now everyone is freaking out, understandably.
Cassie figures out the van’s fake plate was from the shop Miles was investigating, but James insists on going through proper channels and protocols to avoid the feds hassling them. “We have to do it the right way,” he says.
This episode is about sometimes needing to do things not by the book, though, and that’s what Cassie does. She meets with Ben and takes him with her to see Miles. Ben pulls a Bobby Singer and impersonates a commanding office giving Cassie permission to visit Miles, who remembers the reporter Julia Johnson. He manages to convey that to Cassie just as they arrest her.
Ashley Reyes has a real gift for comedy, and she made me laugh out loud still trying to get information from Miles as they literally arrest her and walk her out of the room – backwards.
James is furious at Cassie, calling in favors to keep her out of custody, but they pursue the lead on Julia Johnson, who is also missing. Cassie finds a pin board at Julia’s house that looks almost John Winchester-worthy, and they also find an article about Sean and the operation he’s running – that Julia was doing an expose on. Cassie also finds a brochure for the closed psychiatric hospital, and they send some cavalry over there.
The Walker brothers, meanwhile, take matters into their own hands. Cordell says Liam has internal bleeding, and that if he dies, they may as well kill him too. It’s the oldest trick in the book but it works, and after a pretty brutal fight, the Walker bros overpower the bad guys.
This episode was dark in that they show Cordell not only being smart and caring, but he’s also ruthless when he has to be. The show has definitely had an evolution from the first season when Walker sometimes seemed more bumbling than deadly effective – now we can see it, vividly. Sometimes so vividly it’s hard for me to watch!
They stop to break Julia out too and then run (to a music montage of course, but it is a pretty good song).
I like Julia, she pushes right past them to get the hell out of there. Cordell notices some biological weapons in the warehouse that he recognizes from his days in the Marines and knows how dangerous they are. Another flashback with Colin, and more advice to “be your own man”. Caught between following orders and doing the right thing? Follow what your heart tells you, Cordell remembers his commanding officer saying.
He insists Liam and Julia go, but he goes back to try to get rid of the biochemical weapons. Liam tries to talk him out of it, but Cordi says “I have to” and finally, reluctantly, Liam lets him stay. Cordell promises to come back.
There’s a final (brutal – bone breaking brutal) showdown with Sean, who I confess I do not really understand, and then Walker is smart enough to take cover in the radiology room when Sean pulls the trigger on a grenade and explodes half the building (and himself I guess).
The fight is also a throwback to his Marine days and what he learned then presumably. I’m glad to have Walker be both a badass and smart this season!
James and Cassie show up just in time to save a fleeing Liam and Julia, and then the building explodes, and they panic, thinking the worst for Walker. Liam runs toward the building, yelling his brother’s name, and then Cordell staggers out of the smoking building.
He falls into his little brother’s arms. It’s reminiscent of that time Dean Winchester killed Cain and then fell into his little brother’s arms. We even got a forehead touch between the two brothers and damn, all those “Supernatural” brotherly callbacks really got to me.
“What do you need?” his partner asks, and Cordell says just to hug his kids.
I would argue that both Walker brothers need an ambulance or a med check first, however.
Caps courtesy of samdeangirl
The brother moments were my favorite thing about this episode other than seeing Colin Ford portray a young Jared Padalecki again. I didn’t entirely grasp the plot that revolved around Sean and his mercenaries, but I enjoyed the way it put the Walker brothers in harm’s way and forced them to depend only on each other.
The other really great thing about this episode? None of the Walker fandom’s mortal enemy – hair gel! We actually get to see Jared Padalecki’s tresses flying free instead of plastered down. Mmmmm. Can someone just like hide that stuff on set??
Next week I’m hoping we get to see some aftermath of the trauma that the Walkers – all of them – went through. I know how good Jared is at portraying PTSD, and how careful he is to be sure it’s shown realistically, so I’m looking forward to seeing the show tackle some of those difficult themes.
I already posted my emotional non-spoilery reactions to the pilot episode of “The Winchesters” which aired at New York Comic-Con, but I also wanted to do a rewatch and a deep dive into the events of the episode itself and the introduction of the younger version of John and Mary Winchester who we know from the original series, “Supernatural.”
As a very very passionate “Supernatural” fan who watched that show for 15 seasons, I felt both anticipation and trepidation at a prequel kicking off – it was mostly due to the reassurance of people who knew the “Supernatural” world intimately that I went into watching “The Winchesters” pilot hoping for the best. I was also anxious, though. I am very protective of My Show and always will be.
So, it was with a lot of conflicting emotions that I watched the series premiere. Now that I’m home and have done a rewatch, here’s my deep dive into the events of the pilot and the characters, familiar and new, introduced in the episode.
It’s a suitably spooky beginning, a dark graveyard and an Indiana Jones-esque character entering a crypt by torch light to slice his palm and draw a blood sigil, opening a stone container to retrieve something – and then run like hell trying to escape from the monster that’s now after him! As “Supernatural” beginnings go, that’s pretty on point!
And then we’re greeted by a “Welcome To Lawrence” sign and an instrumental music background that’s also reminiscent of what Jensen Ackles likes to call “the mothership”, OG “Supernatural.”
That show used lots of signage to mark the brothers’ travels, so this also feels familiar. Young John Winchester (Drake Rodger) is on a bus heading back to Lawrence, fresh from the war, still rattled by flashbacks thanks to the PTSD he’s brought back with him, and clutching a mysterious letter addressed to him.
Apparently, the show had to fight hard for the extra budget to film John’s war scenes, but I think those instincts were good – we need to understand how much impact the violence John experienced had on him, and how much guilt he’s carrying around as a result of not being able to save his comrades. Those experiences are integral to his determination to head down the ‘saving people hunting things’ path, especially the guilt and the subsequent need to save everyone he can. Similar motivations will send his sons down the same path eventually, as we all know.
“March 23, 1972” a familiar voice narrates – it’s no surprise to anyone that it’s Jensen Ackles reprising his role of Dean Winchester. The narration is emotional for any “Supernatural” fan, but it’s also a bit confusing, because we don’t know who Dean is supposed to be talking to, and it actually sounds like he’s talking to us, the audience – and that he’s somehow savvy about the anxiety fans have had over whether this prequel will mess with established canon. “I know this story might sound familiar, but I’m gonna put the pieces together in a way that might surprise you” seems directed at us, the anxious viewers. Perhaps that’s only for this first bit of narration but it struck me as odd. I guess we’ll see!
I’m not entirely convinced that we really needed Dean as the narrator, as much as I’ve missed having my favorite character in the history of the universe on my screen. I would kinda like to watch this story as its own thing and am not sure I need the frame of Dean looking back. But hopefully, they worked that into the ongoing story in an organic way that just hasn’t been revealed yet.
Anyway, John does indeed bump into Mary Campbell (Meg Donnelly) just like we’d heard in the original show. It’s a “meet cute” in the tradition of meet cutes, and both John and Mary are likable, but they don’t get that cup of coffee that we heard they did right away. Instead, Mary walks away with a “see ya around, soldier boy,” a cheeky shout out to Jensen Ackles’ role on “The Boys” as Soldier Boy.
I admit I smiled at that and both her and John’s love of licorice (something their son Dean will later share and which I cannot fathom at all..). Also I love Mary’s bell bottoms! Don’t tell me that bell bottoms aren’t awesome, I remember how awesome they were! I’m hoping fervently that Danneel Ackles agrees with me, because I’m fairly certain she’s the biggest influence on the fashion choices we’ll see on this show.
John’s reunion with his mother Millie (Bianca Kajlich) is frosty to start, which is interesting. Millie owns the gas station and is a mechanic, and she pulls no punches reminding John that from her perspective, “my husband and son walked out on me, so…”
She also clearly adores him as she sweeps him into a welcome home hug. I like the complicated mother-son dynamic, which strikes me as realistic. John pops open a beer saying he’s legal now; Millie takes it away. It’s like every college kid who lives independently at school and then comes home on that first break and gets treated like a kid all over again.
We also find out that John enlisted illegally when he was actually too young, which explains some of the age inconsistencies fans were wondering about but also adds to existing canon which makes me nervous anyway. It’s an anxiety-provoking experience to love something passionately and not want anything to ever change it, and then to have something that has the potential to change it.
It requires a tremendous amount of trust to believe the people who have the power to change it care as much as you do, and to believe them when they say they won’t destroy anything that you love so fervently. That’s what I’m doing, I’m trusting, but that doesn’t entirely eradicate my anxiety!
Millie accuses John of chasing after his dad ever since he disappeared mysteriously, saying that’s why he enlisted, and not exactly believing him when he assures her “I’m fine.” Mom advises John to let the past go, but John sets out to follow the instructions in the mysterious letter – and runs right into Mary again. That’s because a demon tries to take the key that was in the envelope (and then ‘kill you quick’) and Mary comes to the rescue.
The ensuing fight scene was in the trailer and isn’t one of my favorite parts of the pilot. I’m all for Mary being that overused word “badass.” but I need that to be realistic. She’s a trained hunter and no doubt a skilled fighter, but she’s about half the size of the demon she’s fighting so it ends up not looking all that plausible.
John has also presumably had some fight training, so his ineptitude is a bit baffling. I didn’t like when “Supernatural” did the ‘make the guys look silly to make the women look more badass” and I’m not a big fan of that here either – let them be badass and competent, period. That said, I did like Mary using her brains and having the vat of holy water ready to push the demon into. That I totally believe!
The demon makes the mistake of taunting Mary about someone she cares about being “down there,” and the reference to Maggie pushes Mary to spout off an exorcism and send the demon smoking out, much to John’s bewilderment. There’s a welcome reference to the fact that some hosts can in fact be saved after possession (though not the poor guy floating in the holy water tub).
Drake Rodger does a good job with portraying John’s What The Effing Hell reaction, and Mary is matter of fact as she tells him the truth about what he just saw.
John tells Mary the truth about the mysterious letter and key – that a man he didn’t know gave him the letter and then vanished. Literally. (Dean?) It’s a letter from his dad, who John is understandably obsessed with figuring out what happened to him, saying that if he wants answers, he had to come to that address. They realize they’re both looking for their missing dads, and so they enter the crypt together. Mary couldn’t get in before, since the door is magically sealed.
John: Wait, magic is real too?
Mary: It’s all real.
John: Right. Of course, it is.
Shades of young Dean telling very young Sam the truth reluctantly, heartbroken by Sam’s heartbreak in response.
(For me as a viewer, these reveals were also discomfiting, since in the original show John didn’t know about any of this: hunting, Men of Letters, nothing. So, it’s a big change and I trust it will all make sense eventually with a mind wipe or the reveal of an AU or something, but for right now it just feels anxiety provoking! I guess I’m with John on that.)
As John uses the key to open the door, Mary realizes why the demon didn’t possess either of them – there’s an anti-possession charm on the key, and Mary has one on her charm bracelet. Good thinking, Henry Winchester!
The exposition is inevitably a bit clunky as Mary has to fill John in on virtually everything hunting in like three minutes, but I suppose that had to be done to move the story along. Not sure they couldn’t have slowed the pace down a little instead of jam-packing all that reveal into the first ten minutes of the show though.
John suspects that maybe his dad was “one of those paranormal freemasons,” especially with the symbol on the envelope, but Mary insists there’s no such thing. Also, canon that Mary didn’t know about the Men of Letters, it should be noted.
As they look around the cavernous room they’re surprisingly in, Mary sees a switch and throws it – and the lights come on to illuminate what is reminiscent of the Men of Letters bunker from “Supernatural,” so much so that it brought a lump to my throat.
I was immediately thrown back to the time I was on set to watch filming and got to roam the incredible Men of Letters set, with none other than “The Winchesters” showrunner (then “Supernatural” writer) Robbie Thompson to play tour guide and show us around. I also immediately remembered Jensen Ackles’ emotional video as they tore apart that set as the show came to an end.
So, when I say that my emotions around this show are complicated? Yeah, they’re complicated.
John: What is this place? Clubhouse?
He wipes the thick dust off a plaque, and my emotions get even more complicated as he reads it.
John: Who are the Men of Letters?
Mary easily picks the lock on some file cabinets, while John finds a locker labeled “H.E.W” – Henry Eric Winchester. (I’m guessing Henry’s previously unrevealed middle name is a shout out to the man who created this universe, Eric Kripke)
John unlocks it with the combination that’s his birthday and finds photos and a watch that were his dad’s. he shares a story with Mary that’s another callback to the pilot of Supernatural.
John: When I was little, I thought there was a monster under my bed. My dad would say, don’t worry son, I know how to trap it.
Mary far too easily finds the file on the first try that her dad was looking for and they set out to find Ada Munroe and the box he risked his life to find. And then they part ways, Mary advising John that he doesn’t want any part of the hunting life.
Mary: Go home, soldier boy…
There’s a shot of the movie marquee playing “Slaughterhouse Five,” referenced in “Supernatural” as where John and Mary met – one of the “signposts” that Ackles talks about hitting (but changing what happens in between them). I’m still nervous, but I can see what they’re trying to do at least.
We find Ada (Demetria McKinney) in Texas in her bookstore, running like hell before being unable to escape being possessed by a demon. John doesn’t listen to Mary’s ‘stay away’, wooing her with coffee and some research that leads to the missing Ada in Lubbock.
Mary: You’re like a dog with a bone.
John: And coffee…
Mary: Your dad kept all this from you for a reason.
John: Yeah, and I hate him for that… and I love him.
There’s a kind of running joke that codes Mary as Dean and John as Sam, including how they take their coffee. So off they go, driving from Lawrence to Lubbock. We meet Latika (Nida Khurshid) in the library and I like her immediately.
She’s smart and great at puzzles, and worried about Samuel Campbell hunting alone without family and disappearing after he saved her life. She also insists on coming with them, despite not being a fan of the scary (or rats – understandably).
It’s both jarring and satisfying to see Mary and John driving to their next case so much like Sam and Dean. John has more flashbacks, most notably him promising another Marine called Murph “I’ll get you through this” and then that guy stepping on a landmine, turning in slow motion to say “John…” I can’t imagine really understanding John’s mental state without these flashbacks, so kudos to whoever fought hard for them – the Ackles as exec producers, I’m guessing.
Scenes worth fighting for in The Winchesters
John still has a piece of Murph’s silver cross necklace literally embedded in his shrapnel-scarred arm. John thinks he’s being haunted by the man’s ghost, but Mary pulls out an EMF meter and says nope, no actual ghost. She empathizes though, saying that she sees the face of everyone she couldn’t save. They bond a little over that shared struggle and understand each other a bit better.
They find Ada’s rare book shop trashed and reeking of sulphur, and a familiar looking pin board on the wall marking Samuel’s search (with one paper prominently reading “Manners”, a shout out to the late and dearly beloved “Supernatural” director and producer Kim Manners). John himself will leave behind similar pin boards when he goes missing and his own sons are searching for him in “Supernatural.”
Unfortunately, the demon Mary exorcised before has a new host and confronts them in the street. Luckily, fourth member of the new team Carlos (JoJo Fleites) shows up just in time to run the demon down with his Scooby van.
I think I’m going to really like the character of Carlos and was looking forward to meeting him, but his character was also a little over the top, so I’m hoping that was just for the big intro. I like his personality and sense of humor, but the ‘Jimi Janis Jim Morrison’ was a bit much.
Drake and JoJo Fleites have some great comic chemistry together, especially when Carlos asks John to read the exorcism scribbled on a menu and John instead starts reading the actual menu. I laughed out loud!
John manages the exorcism and this time they can save the woman, though she can’t be in too great shape after being hit by a freaking van!
Mary and John do the same looking-at-you-while-you’re-not-looking thing that Sam and Dean did when they weren’t saying what they were thinking, as they look through MoL folders. (I have one of those from the “Supernatural” set so that made me unexpectedly nostalgic too).
The pilot introduces some of the dynamics between Carlos, Lata and Mary, including that Mary doesn’t think Latika is ready to hunt and thinks she should walk away while she can (Mary is still feeling guilty for what happened to Maggie, just like John is feeling guilty for what happened to Murph). We also learn that Carlos used to have a crush on Mary and “flaked on her” while making out with someone’s ex-boyfriend, so we know Carlos is bisexual or perhaps sexually fluid.
That puts some pressure on the show to avoid stereotypes but I’m looking forward to learning more about Carlos – and I love every interview I’ve seen with JoJo. We find out that a ghoul killed Carlos’ family before he could kill it, giving him a similar motive for hunting. The pilot is not as dark as “Supernatural” in tone, but we get some hints of the underlying darkness in Carlos’ conversation with John.
Carlos: The only thing worse than how it starts for a hunter is how it ends.
Ouch.
He’s also a musician, which should bode well for more classic 70s tunes.
Lata figures out that the box that Samuel was looking for is one that traps monsters, pulling them inside and killing them (like that ‘egg’ that the British Men of Letters had on “Supernatural,” presumably). She also figures out how it can probably be opened.
Samuel has left some coordinates in the book – now we know where John got that practice of leaving coordinates for his sons – and that leads the foursome to New Orleans, Mary insisting on driving (now we know where Dean gets that…)
Lata and John bond over being nervous but they both choose to go in and face the danger, following Mary and Carlos.
Mary shares that Maggie was her cousin and like a sister to her, killed by a vampire a year ago. She was killed at eighteen, just like John’s buddy Murph. Mary tells John she wants out of the life, that her parents put a knife in her hand when she was four years old – a callback to the “Supernatural” pilot when Sam, who also wanted out, complains that their dad (John) put a .45 in his hand when he was eight years old and said he was afraid of monsters. Intergenerational trauma at its best!
Their conversation is also a direct callback to a painful conversation between Sam and Dean, where Sam says that after they find their dad, he’s walking away, much to Dean’s anguish. John isn’t invested in the same way, but he does question what she wants to do with her life instead.
They’re now in the tomb where we first saw Samuel running from the monster, and they open the same lid and descend into the “giant hole in the above ground cemetery” as Lata describes it. John and Mary go down, John feeling more and more like this is “a normal night.” These scenes are all shot by torchlight, which is really beautiful and gives a much more believable feel to monster encounters – it’s beautiful in the way that director of photography Serge Ladouceur’s famous flashlight lit scenes in “Supernatural” always were.
Carlos and Latika stay on top, and Carlos inexplicably leaves her alone for a few minutes, and that of course is when the demon possessing Ada shows up. Carlos returns in time, having figured out there’s a loup-garou below menacing John and Mary, but gets knocked out.
Meanwhile, John and Mary find the box and then the monster finds them, and the next few minutes are full of action and suspense that is well done.
It’s a loup-garou, which I would have preferred to not actually see clearly, but it’s a scary scene, nonetheless. John proves himself a true Winchester by cutting the silver cross out of his own arm to slow the monster down enough to buy Mary time to get out of there alive. She crawls back up and retrieves the knife, tossing it down to John and tossing the box to Latika to open.
In true “Supernatural” fashion, John finally finds the knife and Lata figures out how to open the box just in time, the demon being sucked into the box and John beheading the loup-garou as a preview of the badass hunter he’s clearly going to turn out to be. I saw “our” John Winchester then, in that moment. The man he’ll end up being, for better and for a lot worse.
John brings Henry’s watch back to Millie, demanding to know how she could keep this from him. She says all she ever wanted was her own garage, like her old man had (aka “normal”). That when he was born she knew she’d do anything to keep him safe – a Winchester tradition.
Millie: Maybe one day, when you have kids, you’ll understand.
We would have thought of Sam and Dean at that moment anyway, but Jay Gruska’s “Americana”, the family theme of “Supernatural,” plays to make it even more poignant.
John: That’s what Dad was trying to do too, keep us safe.
He gives Millie the letter – from Henry. Voiced, as we knew from the convention a few weeks ago when they clued us in, by Gil McKinney, who played Henry Winchester on “Supernatural.” It was so good to hear his voice again!
Henry apologizes for keeping the truth from his son, writing that their family has fought the dangers out there for centuries, and ending with “I love you, and your mother, always.” Millie is tearful reading it, begging John not to go down this road. But John is determined.
John: Saving people, hunting things, I was born to do this.
The callback is so specific it starts to feel too much to me at this point, the very mantra of “Supernatural” repeated here. I get it, that they want to tie this explicitly and specifically to the mothership, but there’s a part of me that wants to watch this as its own show and let it succeed on its own merits.
Millie: You sound just like your daddy. Just come home.
John: I promise.
Ah, the Winchester promise. We know how that goes.
The four connect with Ada, who tells John that he looks like his dad.
She also tells John that all the Men of Letters she knew disappeared 15 years ago. Ada also clues them in to what they – and Samuel – are up against. The Akrida, who tried for centuries to invade their world but were held back by the Men of Letters. Now they’re all gone – and so the Akrida are back. They want to wipe out everyone, including demons and monsters and humans, and take over the world, as the best of monsters do. Samuel was trying to find out where they were coming in (somewhere in Savannah).
Mary: Well then it looks like I have to get to Savannah.
John: We. Looks like we have to get to Savannah.
Mary nods and the foursome set off, and we hear – and see – Dean Winchester again.
Dean: What they didn’t know was that the Akrida weren’t just a threat to Earth, but to all of existence.
The narration continues, once again seemingly directed more to us, the worried audience, than anyone in story.
Dean: Like I told you, there’s gonna be some surprises…but I’ll explain everything. And until then, I’ll keep picking the music.
Jensen Ackles pops up as Dean Winchester with Baby in The Winchesters Supernatural prequel.
Another shout out to the “Supernatural” pilot, when Dean reminds Sam that “driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole.”
Dean climbs into the Impala – with a pointed (worried?) look at the Samulet hanging from the mirror – and drives off to some classic rock. The typical early days of “Supernatural” ending which made me smile.
The first part of that narration seems like a clue to what might be happening and why Dean is “back.” Could the Akrida be a threat to Heaven too? Or could this be an AU world that’s also threatened? Does it involve some threat to Sam, and that’s why Dean cast that worried glance at the Samulet (and the empty seat beside him?)
I hope so, because I need an explanation of why Dean is back on my TV and Sam is not – because right now, that hurts a lot.
I had so many feelings when the episode ended – especially the first time I saw it, sitting in the giant Empire Ballroom at New York Comic-Con and watching it on the big screen – that I sat there a bit dumbstruck for a few minutes. There’s a remembrance of a beloved crew member, stunt coordinator for the early seasons Lou Bollo, on the screen at the end, making me even more emotional. Lou was an integral part of that episode I got to watch film in the Men of Letters bunker, and I was fascinated to watch him choreograph a fight scene so brilliantly.
So much has changed, I was reminded, and there’s been a lot of loss in the 17 years since “Supernatural” began, and it all ganged up on me as I sat there. Rewatching the episode now, I still feel pretty emotional. And I’m still worried about the show that changed my life that I will love forever, but I also did enjoy this brand-new show and its new cast of characters.
I like the callbacks and homage as long as it it’s not so much that it loses its impact, and I like all four of the “core four” characters. It had enough of a “Supernatural” vibe to seem like it is indeed a prequel, but it was also different – as an ensemble from the start, I want to get to know all four of them (and Millie) and hope that the interrelationships will remain complex.
Drake Rodger was particularly good at making me care about John and showing us his vulnerability as he struggles with guilt and PTSD. I can see both of his future sons in him, a mix of Sam and Dean with both their strengths and vulnerabilities. The chemistry between John and Mary isn’t quite there yet, but I like the comedic moments between Drake and Meg already so that’s a start. Carlos and Latika and Millie are all characters I want to know. So, I’m trusting you, Robbie Thompson, Jensen and Danneel Ackles. I’ll go on this ride with you, hoping that this “Supernatural” universe that’s so beloved to me will stay alive and thriving, and will someday bring Sam and Dean back to me too. Until then, looking forward to the next episode ‘Teach Your Children Well’ on Tuesday and getting to know these characters even better.
Last Thursday was a double dose of excitement for “Walker” fans – the original show returned for its third season and its brand new prequel, “Walker Independence,” premiered right after.
For me as a long-time Supernatural fan (who’s been a Walker fan since the start), it felt a little like the “good old days” of “Supernatural” fandom, with anticipation all day and then a live tweet fest with fans and cast alike all sharing their real-time reactions. Jared Padalecki and Gen Padalecki joined in the fun, which made it extra special for fans – and I think most of us were not at all disappointed with either the original show’s return or what looks to be an excellent new show in “Walker Independence!” You can also read “The Winchesters” review here.
I’m not doing an actual review of “Walker Independence,” (because holy crap there are a lot of shows out there to watch right now!) but suffice it to say that I thoroughly enjoyed it and its intriguing cast of characters. I can’t wait to see more and will be watching on Thursday nights for sure.
As the second episodes prepare to air, let’s look back at what happened on the season premiere of “Walker.”
We get a brief recap (as if anyone forgot that Cordell didn’t come back from his run with Trey and Liam!). Dan Miller is mentioned, so we know he’s still around, which makes me very happy indeed – I love Dave Annable and his character, and I always thought Dan got kind of a raw deal, so I’m glad to hear that the Walkers gave him some of the disputed land back. More Dan and Liam push-pull-kinda-reluctant-friendship please!
And then we pick up right where we left off, with poor Cordell being dragged to a shady-looking van and tossed inside.
That set the tone for the episode for “Walker,” who spent it locked in a cage and periodically tortured by his captors as they tried to “break” him.
The men refer to him as their new inside guy, saying they have to “initiate” him. Honestly, I don’t entirely understand what their goal was as they keep torturing him and demanding that he somehow give in so they can stop. Give in to what? They’re not asking him for any information. I guess they want him to agree to join them? Not sure how torture gets someone to want to do that, but Cordell figures out they want him to be Fenton’s replacement.
Bad Guy No. 2: So this is the war hero, huh?
That cues us in that what Cordell is going to experience is tied to his past, and whatever trauma he went through then.
The music during the initial putting-a-blindfolded-Cordell-in-a-cage montage was a good song, very “Supernatural-esque,” but I’m mostly not a fan of how prominent the music is sometimes in the show.
In this case, it mostly worked, but sometimes it pulls me right out of a scene that might otherwise have been powerful. In this episode, however, the music was well chosen and worked with the couple of scenes in which music was prominent.
We get to hear Cordell’s thought process as he uses his training and experience to try to figure out where he is and who’s holding him, first with a monologue and later as he imagines Emily there with him, keeping him calm and helping him talk through strategizing.
He tries to throw Neo off by bringing up his daughter Jenny, saying at the end of the day they’re both dads – as Neo repeatedly tasers him. Ouch.
Gotta say, I got squeamish when they brought the waterboarding chair in, thinking I was gonna have to stop watching for a few minutes, but luckily they didn’t actually show that part. Cordell makes contact with a woman also being held on the floor above him, who sends him a code that they’re in danger, though that’s pretty damn obvious already.
She says she’s a reporter who figured out they want him to be the new Fenton, and that they’ll break him and then be the ones there to pick him up. He eventually realizes they’re taking her away, but not before she tells him her name and lets him know they’re in an abandoned hospital – and ominously asks him if he has a brother. Uh oh.
Walker channels a bit of his inner Winchester, greeting his captor Neo with a “sorry you’re not my type” when Neo chains him to a hook in the ceiling.
It doesn’t deter Neo but it gives us more insight into Cordell’s coping strategies, and a “Supernatural-ish” callback never hurts. We even get Jared Padalecki restrained with cold water thrown over him ala Sam Winchester being tortured by the Men of Letters.
So, not a good day for Cordell, but a pretty good day for much of the fandom, who isn’t averse to a little “Walker Whump” with their heroics. Anyone who has ever seen Padalecki’s incredible performance in the “Supernatural” episode ‘Red Meat’ knows how good he is at portraying his character’s pain, and this episode showcased that talent vividly. I can certainly appreciate some fictional “whump”, but some of this episode was hard to watch simply because Jared is so good at making you feel what he’s feeling.
Meanwhile, the rest of the family struggles to deal with the not knowing and the waiting, which really is “the hardest part”. They don’t know what’s happened, or who has Cordell, or if he’s even alive or remotely okay. Trey and Liam at first try to protect Stella from seeing how concerned they are, but she’s not a child and she’s got good instincts.
Those she apparently got from her Mawline, who says she also always knew when one of her kids was in trouble. Like now. She always reminded her boys of the invisible string, and all they had to do was tug on it if they were scared, and she’d know.
As a mom? Yeah, I can relate.
Trey and Liam find Walker’s watch on the side of the trail they were running on – if Cordell is anything like Jared, there’s no way he’d give up his watch so that instantly tells us that something is very very wrong. Liam agrees, saying “he never took this off.”
Soon everyone is convinced that Walker is in fact missing, and Cassie is sure this is related to Miles and Fenton, though Captain James is more reluctant to go down that path.
Stella and Augie are thrown back to the trauma of their own – of not knowing where their father is and if he’s okay. Stella reaches out to Colton, who’s with Geri trying to come to terms with their own recent family trauma, and Liam consoles Augie, the two playing a piano duet to ground themselves.
Stella and Augie are pretty much at the end of their ropes, wondering if this will be the case that kills their father and scarred from when he was gone before, and they didn’t know then either.
Stella tries to be the big sister, saying it’s her job now to keep him safe, though Augie protests that he’s not a child and she’s acting like their father, the selfish hero.
Augie: And who was always there to clean up after him? His little brother.
Ah sibling issues, right up my “Supernatural” alley.
Trey becomes a Ranger more or less, which strains credulity but I’m willing to ignore it so we can keep Jeff Pierre an organic part of the show.
Cassie and James head out to find Cordell – she’s of course reminded of the way Miles suddenly disappeared too, so everyone is dealing with extra apprehension because of their pasts, unfortunately. Cassie follows a lead from her recon “date” but it doesn’t pan out, leaving everyone increasingly frustrated.
Before they leave, James talks to Abeline, who’s understandably worried as hell and equally understandably pissed off, wishing her son could take a desk job and not constantly be in danger. I did find myself yelling stop wasting time, go go go!! Which I did from time to time in “Supernatural” too – there’s urgency, stop hugging and chatting, people!
But Abeline breaking down in half-strangled sobs really did get to me. I’m a Molly Hagan stan, what can I say? She makes me feel.
Cassie opens up to Abeline about her fears, and her guilt about ‘missing something’ as she’s been unable to find Walker just like she was unable to find Miles. Abeline reassures her, saying she too believes in the art of just knowing.
Ben shows up to support Liam, and we find out a little backstory about Ben and Cassie oddly, and Liam realizes Cordell stopped his watch, so at least they know when he was taken.
Someone also finds a bullet casing so they realize that Cordi got a shot off, and an entire fandom scrutinized screen caps wondering WHERE Cordell was hiding that gun…
Colton also shows up to support Stella, and Geri bakes Emily-recipe cookies to help herself cope and to be there for the kids too. Geri’s not so sure she should be comfortable with Colton and Stella going upstairs to her room, which is kinda adorable.
I so feel for Abeline as she takes down the decorations for her granddaughter’s graduation party, wondering if maybe “this is it.” I love the way Bonham is there for her though.
The last scene is a shocker, or at least it was for unspoiled me. No sooner does Cordell insist to imaginary Emily that “I’m not broken” than the worst happens. Emily prepares to leave, and Cordell begs her not to go, pleading “don’t – don’t leave me,” in the exact same way that Sam begged Dean not to leave him as he died in the finale of “Supernatural.”
I instantly recognized it for that callback and got emotional, tweeting about it with an OHNOOOOOO – Jared tweeted back, saying “good catch”. It turns out that he improvised those words, an intentional callback to that powerful heartbreaking scene.
And the next thing we find out is about as “Supernatural” as you can get, as the bad guys drag in a beaten-up Liam.
Liam (gasping): Cordell…
Cordell (horrified): No…
Screencaps courtesy of spndeangirl
That was quite an ending, and I cannot wait for this week’s episode to find out what happens. I love the brothers’ relationship on this show too, and I’m worried that Walker’s captors have indeed found the way to break him. As Dean Winchester once said to his own little brother, “you’re my weakness – and I’m yours.”
Stay tuned for a brand new “Walker” on Thursday, followed by a new episode of “Walker Independence!”
You can check out Lynn’s full interview with the cast and Jensen Ackles about “The Winchesters” at New York Comic-Con 2022 here. As you would expect, she asks plenty of great questions to find out more for all you fans and #SPNFamily!
The big day is finally here – tonight is the premiere of the new series (and prequel for “Supernatural”), “The Winchesters.” For the #SPNFamily, it’s been a long, lonely time without the “saving people, hunting things” story we came to know so well, so there’s a lot of anticipation, and all sorts of strong emotions, surrounding tonight’s premiere.
Jensen Ackles waving at fans during The Winchesters New York Comic Con 2022 panel.
New York Comic Con was a whirlwind Winchesters-focused weekend that resulted from a last-minute decision to trek to the Big Apple – because yes, we really are that passionate about all things “Supernatural.” We, being Lynn Zubernis (of MovieTVTechGeeks and Fangasm) and Laurena Aker (“Nightsky” of The Winchester Family Business).
After covering the original “Supernatural” series (or, as Jensen Ackles likes to call it, the “mothership”) for the past decade and a half, we were eager to immerse ourselves once again in the “Supernatural” universe, so the last two days were a frenzied blur of planes, trains, and automobiles followed by panels, press rooms and lots and lots of people at Comic-Con. But, finally, we are excited to share with you our first impressions of this highly anticipated prequel in the same way we experienced it – together.
As longtime fangirls and writers about “Supernatural,” we’re transcribing for you the exact morning-after, a Starbucks fueled, adrenaline pumped conversation we had as we unpacked both our personal (emotional fangirls) and professional (analytical reviewers) reactions to “The Winchesters.” Obviously, no spoilers here for the episode itself. Instead, we’re sharing the evolution of unfiltered initial reactions to evolving deeper understandings of what it meant to finally see a piece of “Supernatural” again.
To set the scene, “The Winchester” pilot premiered to fans in the largest ballroom at New York Comic Con, the Empire Stage. While not as gigantic as San Diego’s Hall H, the Empire is nevertheless really, really big, so it was exciting to watch it fill up with “Supernatural” fans eager to reenter the world we’ve been missing for the past two years.
To amp up the anticipation, the hosts blared the music that the reunited SPNFamily immediately recognized as the instrumental music cue on every “Supernatural” DVD. Apropos for the screening of a new episode!
Soon enough, the house lights dimmed, and we slumped down in our second-row seats to crane our necks (ouch!) at the giant screen that was looming over us (“immersed” in “Supernatural” in every sense of the word now!) Cue: “The Winchesters!”
Lynn: I think I went into watching this new series with a little more trepidation than you did, right?
Laurena: Absolutely. I’ve been excited about this show since it was first announced. I had a few unspoken reservations based on the pre-screening promotions, but I unreservedly believe in Robbie Thompson’s abilities as a writer, so I was determined to stay optimistically hopeful.
Lynn: I wasn’t really blown away by the trailer or the teasers either, so I was more cautiously optimistic.
Laurena: I was greatly relieved when the trailer was re-released with music. “Carry On” and “Supernatural” background music made it more relatable. So, given your concerns about the series, what was your first impression of the pilot?
Lynn: I was pleasantly surprised. I liked it even more than I expected to, particularly after having a chance to chat with (series stars) Drake Rodger and Meg Donnelly in the press room and seeing what big fans of “Supernatural” they are. I was especially blown away by Drake Rodger’s acting – his character is someone I’m interested in, over and above knowing he’s John Winchester. What about you?
Laurena: Even given the small part of me that was secretly worried about the hippie vibe in the trailer, I can honestly say I loved the episode. I’m completely invested in Drake as John Winchester and totally bought into John’s relationship with his mother. The pilot immediately delivered a depth of story that I didn’t expect. I was actually in tears when a certain familiar musical instrumental (that I won’t name to not spoil it for others) underscored the emotional scars in the Winchester family.
Lynn: I know, I was sitting next to you! I didn’t actually cry during that cue but yeah, that got to me too. And I also believe in Robbie Thompson and have missed his “Supernatural” writing ever since he left the show. They did a great job depicting John’s relationship with his mother, and Bianca Kajlich was able to bring Millie to life even with the short amount of time she had onscreen. We knew so little about John’s mother in the original show, so that’s a cool thing to be able to explore more.
Laurena: She gave a very emotional performance portraying the complexities that had developed over the years between the two people left behind by a loving father/husband who seemingly abandoned them.
Lynn: The quintessential theme of “Supernatural” – secrets, trying to protect the people you love, the aftermath of doing whatever it takes to make that happen, etc. I recognized all that in John and Millie’s loving but fraught reunion. What was your reaction to the other characters?
Laurena: I was pleasantly surprised by Mary. There was more to her than is typically depicted in a 19- or 20-year-old young woman on television. I feel her character was teased rather than developed in the pilot, though. We saw more of who John is than Mary, but, like John, I’m intrigued enough to want to get to know her as she gradually lets both him and the audience see more of who she is as a person.
Lynn: Agreed. I didn’t get much of a feel for her from the trailers other than ‘badass’ and maybe a little ‘smartass’ but not what was underneath. In the pilot, we start to get some clues of the emotional turmoil that Mary and her family have gone through. Her relationship with her parents is as complex and fraught as John’s, it seems, but in a different way. But I agree, we don’t get to see inside as much with her in the pilot, perhaps because she’s more closed off than John anyway.
Laurena: Now that you say that, I believe it was intentionally written that way. I didn’t realize it while watching the episode. She is a more closed off person than John. They even acknowledged to each other how open and unguarded he is versus her, so it makes sense that we wouldn’t get to know her as easily as him. That was actually very skillfully portrayed.
Lynn: Right, she’s more closed off, so we the audience don’t get to know her deeply as quickly. We’re in the same boat as John.
Laurena: Oh, right, good job Robbie!
Lynn: We’re sending you kudos, Robbie, hope you’re hearing them…
Laurena: Rounding out the Scooby Gang, the first surprise was learning that I’ve been pronouncing Latika’s name wrong. They pronounced it LAH-ti-ka, but I’ve been saying La-TEE-ka in my head.
Lynn: Me too!
Laurena: Latika won me over immediately. She has a sincerity that I instantly related to. A quiet researcher, fiercely loyal to friends, totally afraid of horrors and scary things so she hangs back when the others charge into dark, damp, scary places. (Come to think of it, she’s a lot like me…)
Lynn: But she does ultimately dive in, facing her very understandable fears! I liked her too, though I don’t have a real feel for her yet. She’s a contrast to Mary for sure, and a bit of a callback to Sam Winchester with his intellect and his love of books and research.
Laurena: Which makes sense, because I always related more to Sam than Dean (Jensen Ackles) in “Supernatural,” as the researcher and the deep thinker.
Out of the four of them, I’m not yet sure about Carlos. The hippie in him doesn’t immediately speak to me, as someone who lived through the 70s and didn’t jump on the flower power peace train the first time around. But I’m reserving judgment because I recognize him as a manifestation of pure Robbie Thompson creativity. I want to see how Carlos balances his Woodstock chill attitude with the tragic hunter realities of his past.
Lynn: There’s a real dichotomy with those two things in Carlos that’s only just hinted at in the pilot, but I’m intrigued by the character – partly because, like you said, it’s one of those original characters that sprang from Robbie Thompson’s big brain (like “Supernatural’s” Charlie) and that usually turns out to be a character I like. I also was alive in the 70s, but I love the whole hippie vibe – I used to call myself a wannabe hippie because I wasn’t old enough to go to Woodstock but I definitely dressed the part and LOVE that 70s aesthetic. That said, I worried about that in the teasers, Carlos was a bit over the top, and I still worry about that a little. I want to know the real Carlos, underneath the “Jimmy Janis etc” hamming it up.
Laurena: Past first impressions, what surprised you the most about the pilot?
Lynn: I think how much I got drawn into John Winchester’s story. He’s sort of the audience point of view for the pilot, as he discovers this whole new world of hunting and also some new things about his father and his own past – and Drake Rodger made me really feel all John’s emotions. From the PTSD-like flashbacks of Vietnam to his mix of curiosity and revulsion about hunting, to his need to ‘save people’, I started to believe him as a character.
That was unexpected. Fandom has a conflicted relationship with John Winchester as played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan (and Matt Cohen) on “Supernatural,” since we see him portrayed both as a hero to his sons and as an emotionally compromised father who at best neglected them at times. But this is a different John, not yet shaped by the tragedy that awaits him later but already impacted by abandonment, violence and guilt. What about you?
Laurena: I was surprised by two things. First was the music. It was as much a part of the story telling in the pilot of “The Winchesters” as it was for “Supernatural.” It emotionally drew me into the story viscerally the same way the first episode I ever saw of “Supernatural” drew me into Sam and Dean’s lives. The second surprise was the tone – the believability of the hunting dangers they faced repeatedly throughout the pilot. I was worried there was going to be a campy silliness to the show, but the intense situations were cinematically true to “Supernatural.”
Until we started talking about it, I didn’t realize that the tone of the show was my greatest concern. I think the trailers were aimed at a younger more general audience, and I was afraid the “Supernatural” veterans wouldn’t recognize the story as part of the “Supernatural” universe. Now that I’ve seen it, it’s truly part of the story. Not as heavy, but we have to allow that this was one episode and it needs time to unfold to the depth and the darkness and emotional weight that developed over 15 years and 327 episodes of tragedy with Sam and Dean.
Lynn: Yes, I agree on that second one especially. Calling them the ‘Scooby gang’ and the teasers really highlights the playfulness that is sometimes there, just as it was at times in “Supernatural,” but they definitely didn’t shy away from when “shit gets real”. I was on the edge of my seat a few times with the suspense honestly – It was well done. And it did feel like “Supernatural” to me too, something I was also concerned about. It’s not the same, certainly not in one episode, but the tone matches, and the characters feel like they could fit into that world.
Laurena: Part of the challenge this show will face is whether the “Supernatural” fans will give it enough time to tell its unique story. It is not a continuation of Sam and Dean’s story, so we can’t expect it to pick up where ‘Carry On’ left off emotionally or psychologically. We have to give this enough time to win us over on its own merits. It’s a part of Sam and Dean’s story, but it’s their parent’s lives, not theirs. We’re all a product of who our parents were before we were a part of their lives, but we rarely understand the world they lived in or who they were before us. We have to explore that piece of John and Mary’s development to more fully understand who Sam and Dean became as people.
Lynn: And I think that is a challenge. I won’t deny (because not a single solitary person would believe me) that I really, really, REALLY want a continuation of Sam and Dean’s story. It’s what I love so passionately about “Supernatural” and I am not ready to give them up or hear the last of their story. But this is a different story that precedes and informs theirs. I’m looking at it as something different while still fervently holding out hope for an actual reboot!
Laurena: I agree. I feel we’ve been metaphorically holding one collective breath waiting for the continuation of the “Supernatural” story. But after seeing the pilot, I feel I need to let go of that long lingering breath and patiently let this story fill out Sam and Dean’s lives. We’re all aching to have Sam and Dean’s story continue. But this is taking a step back and filling out the universe so that the next time we see Sam and Dean, we have a fuller appreciation of the family history that made them the complicated tragic heroes we love so much. We need to take a new, deep breath and let this story unfold.
Lynn: I don’t think anything will help me let go of my longing for more Sam and Dean – it’s never going to go away (let’s be honest, I don’t want it to), but having seen the pilot, I think I can thoroughly enjoy this story while I’m waiting. Enjoy it as a separate thing, which hopefully will mesh with OG “Supernatural” smoothly enough that if – when – the reboot happens, this will enrich that. It entertained on its own terms, and I’m looking forward to more.
We haven’t yet talked about an obviously important part of the pilot – Dean Winchester’s narration. We’ve all seen that scene in the trailer when Dean stands beside the Impala writing in a journal, determined to untangle some mystery about his parents’ history, so we all knew he’d be appearing sooner or later in the pilot episode.
When he did, a loud cheer went up from the audience, excited to have such a beloved character finally back onscreen. There were call-backs to OG “Supernatural” throughout the pilot episode, some overt and some subtle – all of them instantly picked up on by the fans. Seeing Dean and Baby was the biggest call-back of them all, though. We both had complicated reactions, which we hadn’t realized or talked about before this morning.
Laurena: It touched that part of me that’s in suspended anticipation of seeing Sam and Dean together again but, to be honest, it didn’t quench that need.
Lynn: Yes, exactly! It did touch me, Dean is my favorite character of all time and I miss him so much, but it also left me feeling longing instead of satisfaction. It…it’s complicated!
Laurena: It’s the purgatory of waiting for them to be reunited. If Dean’s in Heaven waiting for Sam, we share his emptiness of waiting for his brother.
Lynn: And maybe that’s just as intentional as keeping much of Mary a mystery. Is Dean waiting for Sam, or has something happened that threatens his brother getting there somehow? We don’t know, but I hope we get an explanation rather quickly.
Laurena: You know, I was going to avoid going there. It’s kinda painful to acknowledge how much we miss them. But as an actual psychologist, you went straight for the jugular!
Lynn: And now we’re both laughing and crying simultaneously and need to take a break to get tissues.
Laurena: Nope, I’m not paying you for a therapy session!
Lynn: That’s okay, I’m crying too, so I’d just have to pay you right back.
Laurena: That’s why I liked the music so much, because the music was OG “Supernatural.” If I closed my eyes, I was back with Sam and Dean.
Lynn: Except Sam wasn’t there, and I miss him. But if Sam’s not there, I suspect that Dean misses him too.
Laurena: That’s also why I was so happy with the tone of the pilot. It meshed seamlessly with the mothership. So, happily, I’m bought in enough on the John and Mary and friends story to want to invest in the backstory of Sam and Dean. It all still comes back to Sam and Dean!
Lynn: Always. Okay, we’re both all in on “The Winchesters!”
A little behind-the-scenes insight:
At first, Laurena didn’t want to share her reactions to seeing Dean again because the emotions were very mixed. Lynn wasn’t sure either, for the same reasons – and it felt too BIG. We had very different reactions to “Supernatural’s” finale, one loving it passionately and one disliking it just as fervently, so our conflicting reactions to seeing Dean again weren’t based on that, but rather on what we have loved so much about the show over the years.
Winchesters cast and producers at New York Comic Con 2022.
New York Comic Con ‘Winchesters’ Panel
Let’s finish up by giving one quick reaction to the panel. What did you enjoy most about the panel following the screening? (EPs Jensen and Danneel Ackles and showrunner Robbie Thompson were joined by Meg Donnelly and Drake Rodger, with panel moderator, the adorable Damian Holbrook).
Tom Welling joining cast of The Winchesters on CW.
Laurena: The most memorable moment in the panel was, of course, the surprise announcement that Tom Welling will play Samuel Campbell. I loved him decades ago in “Smallville.” I can’t begin to envision him as Samuel, which is a fascinating tease. How are they going to bring him to life as a younger version of the gruff, jaded Samuel that we knew? Tom is so experienced and talented that his mere presence onscreen will instantly expand the “Supernatural” universe. I look forward to seeing the impact he’ll have on the tone of this show.
Lynn: I look forward to him being a pre-Mitch Pileggi, because that’s also hard to imagine! I loved that moment during the panel when Jensen was so excited to make the big reveal onstage, and to introduce his old buddy Tom to the “Supernatural” family. One of the best things about live events like Comic Con is you never know what’s going to happen, and huge announcements come out of nowhere and just knock everyone out, and it’s glorious! I guess Samuel won’t be a villain character in this time, so it will be interesting to get to know him a bit more.
Laurena: Which will maybe touch back to his Clark Kent secretive, larger than life, wholesome family man persona.
The second thing that struck me about the panel was the brilliance of Robbie Thompson. It was clear he has this whole story laid out in his head in articulate detail. He understands the emotional resonance of the story, the foundation of its canon, and the need for the characters to drive the story. I was totally willing to trust my emotional investment in “Supernatural” to him after hearing him fluidly and confidently answer every question thrown at him.
Lynn: It’s no secret that both of us have loved Robbie for a long time, so I sort of felt a little like a proud mum watching him step up to the plate and be every bit the impassioned confident showrunner that he’s become for “The Winchesters.” I was literally sitting there glowing with pride listening to his great answers – and I do feel reassured that he’s going to do his very best to make “The Winchesters” a show that will mesh with the mothership and pave the way for yet more “Supernatural.” And that makes me very happy!
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Don’t miss the series premiere of “The Winchesters” tonight on the CW! And check out our press room interviews with the cast and producers of “The Winchesters” for even more backstories on bringing this show to life!
It was a whirlwind weekend in New York City, and for me – a long-time passionate “Supernatural” fan – the most exciting part of the weekend was getting a chance to ask a few questions to the cast, showrunner, and executive producers of the “Supernatural” prequel series “The Winchesters” which premieres tonight on the CW!
Press rooms are always a combination of highly stressful (will I have time for this one or have to run to the next one…) and highly enjoyable (especially when it’s a cast and a show you really care about, like this one is for me).
A big thank you to the publicity team who organized this one, because they kept everyone on schedule, despite it sometimes inevitably being like herding cats, and made sure we all got a chance to meet with all the talent. For me, this press room was also a “Supernatural” mini-reunion, and I was thrilled to get the chance to see some fellow journalists who are also long-time SPN fans in the room.
Movie TV Tech Geeks Lynn Zuberniss getting a big hug from Jensen Ackles at NYCC22
Executive producers Jensen and Danneel Ackles came with daughter JJ, who patiently waited for her parents to walk the carpet and make the rounds to each press table. It’s always wonderful to see Jensen, whose hugs are exuberant (and whose green velvet jacket, I can happily report, was just as soft and cuddly as it looked when squished against it). It was extra wonderful to see Danneel, who I haven’t had the pleasure of saying hello to in far too long – her hugs are also wonderful, as was her 70s-inspired outfit. Gorgeous!
I’ve been lucky enough to have some in-depth conversations with showrunner and writer Robbie Thompson over the years, but it’s been a while, so seeing him again was also a thrill. His episodes of “Supernatural” are some of my favorites, so I’m ecstatic to have him helming “The Winchesters. “
Drake Rodger and Meg Donnelly are brand new to me, so I was happy to get a chance to talk to them about taking on the iconic roles of John and Mary Winchester – and by the time they left our table, I was even more excited to see them do just that! Drake has been a “Supernatural” fan for a long time and clearly cares about the show and its canon just as all of us fans do.
Meg is new to the show, but its history and importance are something she’s clearly already absorbed and understood. Here are a few highlights of our conversation, which is included in its entirety in the YouTube video linked here.
My question for them kicked off our table’s chat.
Lynn: The fandom was both excited and nervous about a prequel for Supernatural. One of the things that has been reassuring for me is to hear how you both talk about the show – Drake, you’ve been a fan long before this new show came along, and Meg, you talk about it in a way that suggests you really ‘get it’.
Fifteen Seasons and It Was So Good, How Could It Be Better?
Drake: I resonate with you, because when I saw the prequel come along, I was like oh come on, there’s no way, 15 seasons and it was so good as what it was, how could it be better? And then I read the script and was like, that’s how! They have something here, this is not just to put product out – the series means so much more to them (the creative team). For Jensen, after 15 years, it’s not about product, it’s about story. He had a story that he really wanted to tell for characters that he loved, John and Mary.
Meg said at the time it aired, it was too scary for her (and sometimes this one is too).
Meg: Watching it now, especially the John and Mary scenes for context, it’s such a beautiful show. And learning about it from Jensen and from Jared (Padalecki), it was such an honor learning about the show. We constantly think about the fans and their expectations and keep asking how can we make it better.
Lynn: Well your passion for this really helps!
Meg talked about taking inspiration from shows like Buffy – and Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
Drake: That’s the vibe!
Winchesters Meg Donnelly with Drake Roger talk to Movie TV Tech Geeks Lynn Zuberniss at NYCC.
She’s not used to playing a character that’s so closed off, Meg said, but it sounds like she’s enjoying that challenge too. Drake is finding all the Latin a challenge, just like Jensen and Jared did years ago.
Meg shared with a laugh that Jensen gave her the advice not to ever sink on her heel when standing next to Drake, since that will make you look even shorter – something he had to learn from all those years of standing next to Jared Padalecki!
Jensen also gave Drake the advice that, when it’s not your coverage, make sure you make the other people pay for it – as in, making faces to crack them up! A “Supernatural” tradition for sure.
I was very happy to see showrunner Robbie Thompson in person after a long time, and we all were excited to get to ask him some questions. I asked him about the character of Carlos, after his history of writing some of the most beloved original characters in Supernatural like Charlie, who was important to fans in terms of representation.
Robbie: When I’m creating characters, I don’t really think about that. I know that Charlie is a character who has really endured – someone just thanked me for her and I said thank Felicia (Day)! It’s hard for me to separate coming up with the idea and the collaboration with the actor. JoJo is non-binary and uses they/them pronouns, and they are such a national treasure and a delightful energy. So what they’re bringing, I’m excited to have that connect with the audience. But you just never know. For Charlie, I had said, we need a Felicia Day type and Sera Gamble was like well, how about Felicia? And I was like, we can just do that?! But it’s a real credit to JoJo and also to Robert Ulrich, our casting director, and his team. They cast “Supernatural” too. Carlos was probably harder to cast, since it’s a very fun character who had a very dramatic entrance as you’ll soon see. I’m really excited for people to meet these characters, they’re amazing and it’s been such a collaboration with this cast. You can’t recreate Jared and this guy (pointing to Jensen), you just can’t, but what we wanted to do was find the type of fun atmosphere that we had and I think we’ve done a good job.
Someone else asked how he made sure that everything will align with “Supernatural” (adding that otherwise the fans will be coming for you!)
Robbie: And they should! I was the first to ask that question. The great thing about working on “Supernatural” was we always pushed the boundaries and could think outside the box, and that takes two to tango, a great cast which we had and a great audience who’s willing to go there with you…. We do not want to one thing that will undo one moment of Supernatural. So for anyone who thinks this will change things or change the ending, no. How we get there? That might be a surprise, but we will reveal it in episode 13, I promise. Now if you’re someone who’s seen 15 seasons of “Supernatural” (stares at Lynn meaningfully…) you’ll probably have a good solid guess about what’s going on in a couple directions. I’m sure fans have theories already and that’s good. But we have no interest in control alt deleting “Supernatural.” We want a show that can live on its own and be its own thing, and because we have the ability to do these out of the box things, we have a creative solution for it.
Robbie said that it was equal parts terrifying and exciting to tackle this prequel. I didn’t get video of the rest of Robbie’s chat with us, so I’m including here most of the rest of his interview because it was all equally fascinating!
Supernatural Didn’t End, We’re Just Pausing It
Robbie: When we did the 200th episode of “Supernatural,” it wasn’t my idea, but they said we’re doing a musical episode, and I was like, that’s terrifying – I wanna write it! When we were in that scary space, that was the sweet spot. Jensen says it all the time, “Supernatural did not end,” we’re just pausing it. It is my firm hope that he and the taller one put the boots back on someday and get back in that Impala, and we spoke very explicitly about not doing anything that would impede that or undo anything that fans have loved over the seasons.
He said he went back and watched ‘In The Beginning’, the episode where Matt Cohen and Amy Gumenick played John and Mary.
Robbie: the thing that struck me about it on the rewatch was the thing that struck me originally, which was who is this guy? That’s not Jeffrey Dean Morgan! Obviously a different actor, but the performance was so wonderful and so layered and interesting, I was like, something else was going on in this kid that predates Mary dying. The fact that she dies obviously is horrifying and traumatic, and there’s the Viet Nam trauma as well, but it sort of created a lane to be in. When I left Supernatural, Mary was being brought back, and it was the only thing that might have pulled me back in because I love the character and Samantha Smith is a great actress. And that was another character who someone put a knife in her hand at four. That’s a character I wanted to explore more of. I want to show the audience why they made some of the choices they made. She’s already decided to leave hunting in that episode, and that’s like a superhero life, it blew my mind when I saw it. But the decision tree that led to that seemed like a lane for us to explore. We have a great group of writers, David H. Goodman, and we all got excited about how do we find our lane from what existed and both amplify and shed new light on things the audience didn’t know about.
He also said Millie is another character through which they do that exploration, and talked a bit about the casting process for John and Mary, acknowledging that Jeffrey Dean Morgan really put his stamp on the character.
Robbie: He showed up and it’s like oh, shit’s going down, dad’s home! Same with Sam, that iconic image of her is seared into your brain, so that was a challenge.
Robbie also said that Drake has a really fantastic perspective on John and his history and is really excited about playing that darkness. The Matt Cohen you meet is oh, I like that guy, then you meet Jeffrey and you’re like oh, that guy’s kinda scary! Being able to show that journey is fantastic and it’s a similar thing with Meg and Mary.
I’ll Never Be Done With Dean, And He’ll Never Be Done With Me
Our conversation with Jensen and Danneel Ackles started with us asking about his long hair (that he’s now stuck with thanks to his role in Big Sky).
Danneel (smiling) I love it.
Jensen: I may not have a say in this…
Everyone: We’re with her.
I think he lost that battle, like completely.
Someone at our table dared to say ‘just when you thought you were done with Dean….” and Danneel immediately corrected, ‘he’ll never be done with Dean.’ Jensen agreed that he’ll never be done with Dean and “Dean will never be done with me.”
Me: (silently) THANKGOD!
Jensen recalled how in the early days of “Supernatural,” he didn’t think they’d get more than 3 seasons – and he’d be excited about getting 3 seasons!
Jensen: You get more than three, that’s a runaway success.
Not to mention the show was on multiple networks and survived all those changes.
Jensen: I’m still very proud of every episode we did and every season we completed…. I think all of us ingrained into this world were always looking to expand it.
He also shared the story of coming up with this idea during the Covid break and of wanting there to be a Winchester in it, of following the waypoints of the original story but filling in the blanks in a way that wasn’t suspected.
Jensen: Enter Robbie Thompson!
Jensen Ackles discussing The Winchesters with Movie TV Tech Geeks Lynn Zubernis at New York Comic Con with wife and co-producer Danneel.
Jensen Ackles with wife Danneel at New York Comic Con 2022 for The Winchesters
A Romance Instead of a Bromance
Someone asked what fresh perspective Danneel brings to the table and Jensen laughed.
Jensen: The 70s!
Danneel: That’s what got me excited, I do love that period in time and there are things happening now that are very similar so it’s interesting to watch those parallels. But I also kept driving home the love story of this. Because that’s something that’s been said again and again, Supernatural was not loved because it’s a show about monsters, it’s about the brothers.
Jensen: it was the love story of two brothers, to be honest, it really was.
Danneel: We’re following another love story.
Jensen: This is a romance instead of a bromance.
Danneel: And there are other characters, so when you see those other characters you also see the love between Carlos and Latika and Mary and all those other relationships, which reminded us a lot of “Supernatural” because we brought in like Castiel and the love that was created there.
Jensen: It’s a team, not only fighting the good fight but fighting for each other.
My question followed along from that discussion.
Lynn: I so agree, “Supernatural” was a love story, absolutely. It was a love story that was a platonic one, which is so unique and rare, so what’s the difference when you’re conceptualizing this love story, which is a more traditional romantic love story?
Jensen: Well obviously we know where they end up so we know the romance worked, but it is the getting there that we really wanted to mess with. And that’s where Robbie came in and said it should be not necessarily a forbidden love, but it should be a love that is fought against. It should be something that is, I can’t do this because it means that I’m gonna have to do this. I can’t bring you in, I can’t get too close to you, so it’s that friction, that resistance, but ultimately they can’t help wanting to fight for each other or wanting to fight for that love. And I think that resistance and struggle gives us great story and great character drive and motivation, not only individually but also together.
Danneel: And the sacrifices people do for that kind of love, I mean you do in all love, but the kind of sacrifices you’ll make for your children.
Jensen: It’s a different kind of love.
Danneel: If you have children or even a dog, because Jensen would have laid down his life for our dog just the same – everyone who’s a parent knows.
Jensen: That unconditional love, yeah.
Lynn: That’s a pretty good parallel, that was a great answer!
Jensen: (triumphantly) Hah!
(I don’t have an update on the Ackles family dog Icarus, but I can certainly vouch for the love they have for him – and him for them! I had the pleasure of meeting him when he was a pretty new fluffy puppy fifteen years ago and he was already besotted with Jensen, wriggling with joy as soon as he came offstage.)
Having a chance to talk with the Ackles, Thompson, Rodger, and Donnelly gave me some of the reassurance I was looking for as a long-time “Supernatural” fan who loves the canon just as it is and doesn’t want it messed with.
It’s plain to see they all care about not just this series, but the Mothership series that inspired it and is its sequel. And I’m as hopeful as ever, if not more, that – as Robbie said – one day soon Jensen and “the taller one” will put those boots back on and climb back into the Impala. Until then, I’m ready to watch John and Mary drive.
You can watch the videos of all three full interviews in this article – and you can watch “The Winchesters” series premiere Tuesday night October 11, 2022 on the CW!
