SUPERNATURAL
Keep Calm and Carry On
Season 12, Episode 1 Recap

10/04/2017

"My Dean is 4 years old." "I was when you died."

I'm always behind on Supernatural lately, I think since the beginning of season 11. I used to be able to watch it live, but suddenly my family had different priorities. Any new, mind-numbingly average series would always get watched first, relegating Supernatural to the level of a background noise show you put on when you're making dinner or paying bills. We would eventually get to a new episode of SPN days after it aired, and once it was three weeks. Early this season, I made a plea for Supernatural, and from then on we started mostly watching same-day again. Not quite live, but close enough again to feel right. Why did I not do that last year?

We've always watched too many shows, but it never used to be that the merely okay shows would win out over the best. For example, we started watching Bull during Supernatural's air time in season 12, and they weren't even on the same day. (If you love Bull, keep on loving it and skip the next couple sentences.) It's starting to grow on me after a year, because I've liked Michael Weatherly since Dark Angel, but it's formulaic and forced. I find my eyes rolling at least a few times an episode, and my mind wanders to work. But Supernatural is a show I've loved for more than a decade, a show that still surprises with unexpected turns and story lines, a show with characters that I didn't have to warm up to, talented actors that can handle anything and give everything, and great writers that combine humor with emotion without missing a beat.

So, because I was behind at the start of the season, I never ended up tweeting much about this episode. But, as I mentioned already, I haven't given up, so here are my first thoughts on season 12, just before season 13 starts on October 12. After this, I'll only have 22 to go, while also posting about 4 other shows. 😜

"And then I burned." Dean and his mom together after 33 years. This can only end up more heartbreaking than ever, right? #Supernatural

— Erin Bates (@Reinbeast) October 16, 2016

Mary is taking all this crazy God and The Darkness and she's been dead for a long time news like a champ. #Supernatural

— Erin Bates (@Reinbeast) October 16, 2016

Even though I've been living this world vicariously through Sam and Dean since 2005, I'm sure I would be a bit freaked out. Mary has actually lived it, though, so her reaction is more of someone inured to it all...who's been dead for decades and has to learn how to live again.

Cattle prods are always a delightful way to wake up. #Supernatural

— Erin Bates (@Reinbeast) October 16, 2016

Looks like I didn't get very far with my first ever SPN tweetcap. Everything that follows didn't get tweeted. I thought I had done a good amount of every episode this year, except for two in February when I was too busy. Maybe I hadn't made the decision yet to recap the season.

"Now, Sam, let's begin."

Hmm, how about noooo?! She seems eager to torture. I really don't like the looks of this. I know Sam will get out of it. He has to, right? It's only the first episode. Deaths come at the end. Yeah, he'll be okay. Physically, anyway. Psychologically, though, I have no idea.

"Just wondering how far I'm gonna have to walk back to town after I kill you...and her. But you first."

I would love to see that, but I have a feeling they're going to stick around for a while as this season's villains. I also love it when people make threats when they're clearly not in any position to threaten, but when they're people I know who can totally back it up.

"Before you murder us all, we do have a few questions about you, your brother, hunters in America, and how you saved the sun." "Right. You shoot me, kidnap me, but, yeah, happy to help."

Saving the sun is a huge deal, but I bet these bastards are going to have a problem with how they did it and what led up to it. They'll blame them for everything bad that has happened rather than the monsters that make it happen, she says after seeing the entire season. But I had the feeling when their relationship with Sam and Dean didn't start off so great, especially after the sentence below.

"We've been watching you and your brother for years, ever since you almost ended the world the first time. We knew all about Lucifer, the angels falling." "Then where were you?"

Uh, judgmental witch, why don't you try actually saving the world, see how well it goes. Maybe instead of being awful, you could help out.

"You can ask me any kind of question you want. The answer's gonna be the exact same: screw you. You want to get mad? You want to get mean? I've been tortured by the Devil himself. So you, you're just an accent in a pantsuit. What can you do to me?"

When half of the episode is just two people in a room and it's entirely captivating, it showcases the talent of the actors and the writers. That Supernatural can still do this 12 years in is always impressive.

No one shoots Cass...not even Mama Winchester. Anyone who does will have to answer to me. Luckily, she only pointed a gun. I feel protective of my little angel buddy, always have been, and that makes me think of all those times I heard people say that Cas(s) had to go, that they hated Misha, said heartless and imbecilic things about him, and acted like Cas was an interloper and didn't add a heaven of a lot to this series. Some people don't understand that a story needs to evolve to avoid stagnation. Some people think the anonymity of the internet is a free pass to be despicable.

Castiel hugged Dean! This episode is more huggy than I dared hope for. How sweet and beautiful this way too short moment was.😍

"Dean, you're alive?" "Yeah." "What about the bomb and the Darkness? What happened?"

A lot, Cas. A lot. In the simplest terms, Dean convinced the Darkness that she was wrong, God stopped the bomb in Dean's chest, and we were given back the sun.

Dean realizing his Mom and Dad had some "fun" in Baby was priceless.

"Do you think you're being brave, that you're the hero of this story? Well, you're no hero, Sam. You're just bad at your job."

Oh good, Lady Bevell is one of those people that thinks she knows everything and is God's gift to monster hunting. Sam is most certainly a hero. He has saved so many and has helped stop a number of apocalypses. Also, fyi, you little British Bitch of Letters, a large country without enough hunters leads to the already small group being more easily picked off. They're spread too thin.

"So...so gross."

I love the demon who's grossed out by dead bodies. He must have been a white collar criminal.

"That's an angel?"

Yeah, Mary. Castiel has been through a lot. And he's the nicest of all of them. A good guy who tries to do right. Most of the rest of the angels are as selfish as demons; add in that annoying self-righteousness and they're not anything you want to come across, but you certainly want one on your side. And now you're all caught up.

"We stop trying to break his body... We break his mind."

I'm gonna kill her myself. Lady Bevell is horrible. Give me a vamp or werewolf any day over this one.

"Ran the tail number that what's-his-face gave us. The plane that Evil Elsa flew in on has diplomatic registry."

Evil Elsa. 😂 I somehow missed the Frozen reference before. Uh, when did Sam and Dean have time to sit down and watch that one? What other Disney movies do they bond over? 🤔

Damn it, people, stop hurting Baby! Poor girl takes so much abuse.

"Thanks, Mom."

That's it? You were about to lose your life (again), Dean. Be a little more grateful.

And this is where I lost track of taking notes, because I was just caught up in the last quarter of the episode. I didn't realize that, so this is where I must leave you until I have time for a rewatch. This was another fantastic premiere for a show that has been doing fantastic premieres (and finales and everything in between) for many years.

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