Supernatural Season 8, Episode 18 - Freaks and Geeks
I have to admit to not really being terribly excited by the premise for this episode when I first read it a little while back. While I did like the character of Krissy when she showed up a season ago, the idea of a "hunter's school" sounded like sort of a lame idea - too much like an X-Men ripoff, and not enough like Supernatural.
That being said, I wound up really enjoying the episode. After watching for eight seasons, I've learned to sit back and enjoy each episode for what it is on its own, as well as in relation to the greater myth-arc, which basically means I can enjoy a good standalone episode just as much as one that's mythology-heavy. And while this was not at the top of my list for standalones (Yellow Fever, anyone?), it definitely had its moments. So let's start from the beginning, shall we?
Finding out from the opening that we were returning to classic monster lore actually made me really happy. I was just thinking the other day that we're most of the way through this season, and we've encountered only one ghost this whole time, a few werewolves (and even that didn't really feel like your classic monster), and our only interaction with vamps has been through Benny's story. Of course, this vamp story didn't end up playing out quite like a classic vamp tale, but that didn't stop me from enjoying it. It's been way too long since we've seen anyone behead a vamp, and the idea of the cure has sort of sat around going to waste for a couple seasons now, so it was nice to see that pulled back in, however briefly. Side note: I think the chance to cure the girl who'd been turned also fit very well with how Dean has progressed this season - giving him on opportunity to save a monster rather than just kill it. He's come a long way, and it's really good to see that.
Returning to the flow of the episode itself, I really liked the fact that we didn't just sort of forget about the events of Goodbye Stranger, at least not until Dean totally shut that avenue of conversation down... It always makes me happy to see Dean in protective-big-brother mode (probably because I can totally relate to that), but the best part of that conversation for me was Sam trying to check up on Dean as well. We don't see that nearly enough, I don't think, at least not without someone's life on the line, and it was good to see those roles reversed for a moment.
And I assume all the Destiel shippers out there are going to have a field day with where the conversation went from there. But even though I don't know if I ship them, I felt like it was good that the show acknowledged that even though Dean may not have come out of the fight with any physical scars, he's got mental ones aplenty from it. Whether you ship Destiel or not, Dean spent the last year fighting alongside Cas, and in Dean's own words, they're family, so it felt right to not have that be simply disregarded this week because it wasn't a part of the episode's main storyline.
Moving on through the epsiode now... I liked the interactions between Dean and Krissy when she was on the show before, and that continued this time through. From Dean's comment about teenagers (which reminded me that he did raise a pre-teen boy for a year, and pretty much raised Sam as well, so he's probably actually got a decent perspective on parenting teenagers...) and their stubborn head-butting, to her teasing him about being old and the quick peck on the cheek she gives him as he's leaving, it felt right and good seeing Dean stepping into the role of protector and friend for someone besides Sam. With Sam messed up, and with all of Cas' latest issues, I think Dean needed to feel like he could help someone he cared about, and that worked well with Krissy. Plus it resulted in a couple of "Awww" moments for me, most notably the one where Krissy skips the fist bump and kisses his cheek instead - it was the perfect touch. And Dean calling out Aiden to remind him to treat Krissy right or she would kill him... I couldn't stop chuckling at that.
And Sam's last comment before they got in the Impala and drove away - that maybe those kids aren't the only ones who'll get a chance at a normal life after the gates to hell are closed - major "Awww" moment... We've seen a lot lately about Sam's desire for a normal life, and we know that Dean wants that for Sam too, but it felt to me like Sam was talking about Dean too, not just himself. And it's been pretty clear that Dean just doesn't see a happy life for himself ever happening, and doesn't waste his energy on hoping for it, so it's nice to see Sam not giving up on Dean having some semblance of normal at some point down the road. Again, side note: I find it interesting that Sam is the one who actively expresses a desire for a family, but Dean is the one who really understands better what it means to actually be a family, and whenever there are kids involved, he's always way better with them than Sam ever is. Maybe it's just more practice (raising Sammy and all that), but it feels like Dean, without ever admitting he wants it, is more of a family man than Sam.
And back to the episode again... After hitting on everything I really liked about it, I feel the need to comment on the predictability of the plotline. I mean, seriously, was there anyone out there who had seen the promo and didn't realize that Victor had to be in cahoots with the vamps by the time the first ad rolled around? So yeah, I guess my fears about the episode's main premise being a little lame were legit. Fortunately, predictability didn't detract much from the character interactions, and the storyline was decent, if a little easy to figure out in advance. So I won't be giving the episode a 10-star rating, since it was merely good, not great, but I'm coming away from it content, happy inside from the ending bit, and glad that this season is continuing to move along at a much higher level than either of the past two.
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