Review | 8x01 | We Need To Talk About Kevin
I guess it is fair to say that I have been dreading the S8 premiere more than any other Supernatural premiere before. The spoilers I have read over the summer lowered my expectations so drastically that I almost felt like not watching the season at all, and that is saying something. In the end, Jeremy Carver’s We Need To Talk About Kevin is not the train wreck I expected it to be, but it is not exactly an outstanding piece of writing either. All in all, the episode does its job as a season opener reasonably well, i.e. it establishes the main storylines, the character arcs and the season’s main mythology, and despite my misgivings, I enjoyed seeing my favourite brothers on TV again.
I don’t think I have ever spent a fandom hiatus more miserable than the last one. I came out of the S7 finale with very high spirits, because even though the episode itself was mediocre, it opened up exciting new possibilities for Sam and Dean’s emotional arcs, and I could not wait to see how the writers would resolve the situation they set up for the characters. But then ComicCon happened and with it came a multitude of spoilers, all of which left me extremely distraught and disappointed. In the months that followed, I sought out interviews with Jeremy Carver and his writing staff to see if maybe the spoilers were a simple misdirect, but those interviews did nothing to alleviate my worries. On the contrary, everything I read about Carver’s direction for the show in general and the characters in particular gave me the impression that his vision for Supernatural is not one I am likely to share. My main concern was his idea for Sam's arc in S8, because, quite frankly, the spoilers about the time Sam spent without his brother - he never looked for Dean because he didn’t know where to start and instead decided to get a dog and settle down with a love interest, he ignored Kevin’s cries for help because he retired from the hunt - read like a flat-out character assassination to me, and that would probably have ended my relationship with the show rather abruptly. So I am very, very relieved to find that the S8 premiere gave me enough reason to believe that not all is as it seems with Sam's storyline. After seeing Sam's actions and reactions in the episode, I am under the distinct impression that there is something going on with him that we don't know yet, and that alone managed to lift my spirits considerably.
That said, I cannot help but feel frustrated with the way the writers set the season up in the premiere. I mean, structurally as well as with regard to content, the episode is basically a rehash of the S4 and the S6 season opener. The details may differ, but the direction is the same, and that is not exactly what I expected from a new showrunner. Sera Gamble handed Supernatural over to Jeremy Carver with a clean slate, and he could have truly made this era of the show his own by telling Sam and Dean’s story in new and interesting ways, but instead he falls back on the same narrative patterns that have been used over and over again in this show: a jump forward in time, a quick reunion of the brothers, Sam and Dean’s time apart is shrouded in a mystery that is slow-to-unfold over the course of the first half of the season, secrets create an emotional rift between the brothers, newly formed relationships threaten the brothers’ unity, and so on and so forth. This set-up is not only annoyingly repetitive, but also comes at the expense of character continuity. Sam and Dean keep regressing to behavioural patterns they both acknowledged as detrimental to their personal and professional relationship several times in the past, and I find it extremely frustrating that, essentially, the brothers have to learn the same lesson about secrets and lies again and again, simply because the writers want to create tension between Sam and Dean but refuse to explore other types of conflicts between them. Or, you know, choose the alternative and structure the season around two brothers who actually get along for once.
Sam: "As far as I knew, what we do is the thing that got every single member of my family killed. I had no one. No one. And for the first time in my life, I was completely alone. And honestly, I didn’t exactly have a road map."
Given how much I dreaded Sam’s storyline in advance, I was surprised at how much I actually enjoyed the way it unfolded on screen. That is not only owed to the fact that Jared imbued Sam’s lines with tangible emotion - he appears tired, subdued and weary throughout the episode - but also to the fact that seeing the spoilers about Sam in context gave me a different perspective. I think it is obvious that Sam’s choices in the aftermath of Dean’s disappearance have never been about a lack of love and commitment to his brother. Sam may have ditched his cell phones, fake ID’s and credit cards, and he may have cut off all ties to his life as a hunter, but he took good care of the Impala, his only remaining connection to Dean. Moreover, as soon as Dean is back, Sam drops out of his new life - a life that, by his own admission, gave him something he never had before - without a second thought. Sam never hesitated to go after what he wants, so he could choose to continue the life he came to love rather than go back to the life he left behind, but he doesn’t; he chooses Dean, and that has to count for something. So the question remains, how did Sam, who was clearly distraught about Dean going missing at the end of Survival Of The Fittest, get to the point where he was able to move on with his life? I mean, not six months prior to Dean’s disappearance, Sam was terrified at the mere thought of losing Dean (The Slice Girls), so I find it rather difficult to believe that he would just walk away without exploring every possible angle of his brother’s disappearance first, if only to find some sort of closure. After all, there is a difference between trying to find out what happened to Dean but eventually giving up and not looking for him at all. The circumstances of Dean’s disappearance only allowed for two possible conclusions: Dean was either dead or alive, and if he was alive, he had to be somewhere.
I think it is unlikely that Sam would immediately conclude that Dean and Castiel died in the blast that killed Dick Roman. There was no blood, no bones, no tell-tale sign of angel wings scorched into the floor or any other hard evidence to suggest that Dean and Castiel had been bodily harmed, and if the blast of the anti-leviathan weapon would have been so powerful that it disintegrated their bodies without a trace, surely other physical objects - like the lab equipment or the workbenches - in the immediate vicinity of the blast would have been affected by it as well. So, there was simply not enough physical evidence to conclusively prove that Dean had died. Sure, Sam could not entirely rule the possibility of his death out, but it was also not the only logical conclusion to draw from his disappearance. After all, the sudden temporal or spatial displacement of a person due to a supernatural influence is a common occurrence in Sam and Dean’s world. Angels, demons and gods can snatch a person away in the blink of an eye, so it would not have been far-fetched for Sam to consider the possibility that Dean had been taken rather than killed. Portals into other realms are not unheard of either, so Sam had to at least entertain the idea that the mystical blast of a weapon designed by God could temporarily create a tear between dimensions and suck Dean in. Overall, there have been too many variables and too little actual evidence for Sam to obtain any kind of certainty about Dean’s fate immediately after his disappearance, and I can’t quite fathom that he would just shrug his shoulders and move on with his life, without giving the possibility that something fixable had happened to Dean any thought. After all, at least one of the abovementioned scenarios would probably be resolvable without too much effort.
Now, the fact that Sam evades Dean’s question if Sam looked for him and just allows his brother to draw his own conclusions suggests to me that Sam is hiding something; a suspicion that is only cemented by the fact that he uses the same evasion tactic when Dean asks him why he gave up hunting. So, let me speculate about Sam’s story for a moment: I would assume that, immediately after Dean’s disappearance, Sam did what he does best, namely going into research mode. It is well established that Sam is very adapt at research and with his access to Bobby’s collection of obscure books and the Campbell's library, as well as Bobby’s contacts in the hunter’s community and his own remaining contacts - like Charlie, Garth and Jodie Mills - he would have been able to make at least some headway on his search for Dean. However, at some point something happened that made Sam drop his search and leave the family business, and I can see two possible scenarios for that decision - one that involves external reasons and one that is based on internal reasons. The first possibility is that Sam was forced into retirement by a deal that he thought will secure Dean’s return. Maybe Sam did assume that Dean was in purgatory after all, and naturally he would have turned to the one creature he knows is connected to purgatory, namely the alpha vampire. That would not only coincide with the fact that a vampire helped Dean to escape from purgatory, but also with the fact that Sam seems to be under surveillance - at least that’s what the shadowy figure watching Sam as he leaves Amelia’s house suggests to me. Not to mention that only a monster would make it a condition for Sam to stop hunting monsters if he wants their help. Of course, Sam would be hesitant to tell Dean about such a deal, especially since Dean keeps Benny and his role in his escape a secret from Sam. Without that knowledge, Sam would simply have to assume that the deal fell through for some reason.
The second possibility is that Sam abandoned his search for Dean deliberately as a result of his own personal history. Remember, the last time Sam lost Dean, his inability to let go of his brother and accept that there is nothing he can do to get Dean back, sent him on a self-destructive path that not only almost destroyed him, but also the world. The horrible consequences that arose out of his choices haunted Sam for years - centuries even, if we count his time in the cage - and it was only a few weeks prior to Dean’s disappearance that he had finally regained a measure of peace. Now, in the years that followed Sam’s fall from grace, he not only matured greatly, but also became a lot more self-aware, and I would have been very disappointed had that character growth not been reflected in the choices Sam made under similar circumstances now. So, I would assume that once Sam realised that his search for Dean again threatened to consume him with heart and soul, he would decide to rather quit his search - no matter how painful that may be - than going down a path he knows from experience will only lead to more madness, pain and suffering - and I could never fault Sam for such a decision. On the contrary, I think there is strength and wisdom in recognising the patterns that were damaging to oneself and others in the past and changing them. I think that, in this context, Sam’s retreat into privacy and his pursuit of personal happiness would make perfect sense, because without the search for Dean to keep him tied to the family business, he would naturally explore other options. And who could blame him? The fact is, Sam and Dean stopped being dedicated hunters long ago. They both stated on occasion that they cannot leave hunting, not because hunting still holds meaning to them, but because they cannot fathom leaving their brother behind, and I always felt that, after everything they went through, it would be perfectly normal for Sam and Dean to leave the life.
Of course, all this is wild speculation on my part, and it is entirely possible that Sam’s actions have a different reason altogether, but at the moment I am just relieved that things are not quite as they seem. That being said, however, I think it would have been much better had the writers revealed the full extent of Sam’s motivations right away, not necessarily to Dean - although I would have preferred that, too - but at least to the viewer. As so often, keeping Sam’s story a mystery comes at the expense of his characterisation, and given the sensitive nature of the conflict between Sam and Dean, it would have been more important than ever to make Sam transparent to the viewers. As it is, I am pretty sure that a significant part of fandom will condemn Sam’s actions as selfish and heartless, and it does not really matter if the reasons behind his actions are revealed as sympathetic at a later point in the season, because the damage will already be done by then. Unfortunately, it is not the first time that the writers seem oblivious to the damage they do to Sam’s character by refusing to lay out his thoughts and feelings more openly, just for the sake of creating mystery, and I am frustrated that they give the Sam-haters reason to dislike the character even more than they already do. Additionally, I am also disappointed with the fact that, barring unexpected plot twists further down the line, the writers once again denied us the satisfaction of Sam saving Dean. I think he really deserved that chance.
Dean: "It was bloody. Messy. Thirty-one flavours of bottom-dwelling nasties. Hell, most days felt like 360 degrees combat. But there is something about being there - it felt pure."
So, let’s talk about Dean! First off, I think the way the writers play with Dean’s return from purgatory in the teaser sequence is quite brilliant. There is the typical horror set-up - a young couple in the woods is apparently about to become monster fodder - and it turns out that monster is Dean. This clever introduction tells us everything we need to know about the Dean who came back; there is something feral about him, something hyperactive, and throughout the episode Dean is visibly on edge, ready to jump out of his skin at any strange noise. Dean tells Sam later that he is not the same man he was when he disappeared, and that is obvious right away. The man who accidentally ended up in purgatory was a clinically depressed, functioning alcoholic, and the man who came back seems invigorated and purposeful in comparison. However, he also clearly suffers from typical symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, like sleeplessness, emotional volatility and hypervigilance. Now, I think Dean’s confession that being in purgatory felt pure is an interesting twist. While it is true that Dean always felt more comfortable with a clear separation between black & white and good & evil, he learned to compromise over the last couple of years - he struck deals with monsters, worked with demons and on occasion even sympathised with monsters and/or refrained from killing them. It is easy to see though, that a hostile place like purgatory would reinforce Dean’s original attitude, and I can understand that the absence of morally ambivalent choices in a kill-or-be-killed environment like purgatory would appeal to Dean on some level. I am curious to find out though, if and how purgatory changed Dean’s self-perception. I mean, ever since his trip to hell, Dean has come to think of himself as a monster, and I wonder if living in a place filled with actual monsters cemented Dean’s opinion of himself - his friendship with Benny could be indicative of that fact - or reaffirmed his humanity. I guess only time will tell, but I have to say that, so far, I find Dean’s post-purgatory characterisation very engaging.
And while we are on the subject of Benny: I think Dean’s friendship with the vampire is an interesting aspect of his storyline. I admit, I find the character quite intriguing, and his dynamic with Dean is fascinating. Of course, it is rather conspicuous that Dean just happens to run into a vampire who knows how to escape from purgatory, and their first encounter definitely does not feel like a chance meeting to me. Obviously, that would tie in well with my theory that Sam enlisted the alpha vampire’s help to get Dean out of purgatory. Anyway, I think it is rather curious that Dean keeps his association with Benny a secret from Sam. After all, there is nothing inherently wrong about striking an alliance with a fellow combatant - monster or not - in order to increase his chances of survival. Moreover, Sam has always taken the view that monsters are not necessarily evil - he even befriended monsters himself - so Dean has no reason to believe that Sam would judge him negatively. Now, from Dean’s conversations with Benny it is apparent that they had to commit horrible acts to survive and/or escape, but I doubt that such a confession would come as a shock to Sam. Not after everything they both went through in hell. So what could Dean have possibly done with Benny that makes him feel so guilty (or ashamed) that he cannot even admit Benny’s existence to Sam? Again, I see two options here. Firstly, it is possible that Dean was forced to harm Castiel in order to escape, which would coincide with Dean’s evasiveness where the angel’s fate is concerned. Secondly, I think it is possible that Dean allowed Benny to feed from him. I mean, if vampires retain their need for blood once they enter purgatory, an actual living human like Dean would be the equivalent of a five star meal for them. Maybe being able to feed on fresh blood gave Benny an advantage over other monsters in purgatory and thus secured their survival as a team. This scenario would certainly open some very interesting parallels between Dean & Benny and Sam & Ruby.
Talking about parallels between Sam and Dean: While Dean’s disappointment and hurt after learning that Sam (seemingly) did not look for him are perfectly understandable - he might feel somewhat sympathetic to Sam’s plight, but his self-worth and abandonment issues will inevitably mess with his mind - his outraged reaction to Sam’s retirement from the hunt is rather uncalled for, if not downright hypocritical, considering that he retreated into privacy himself after he lost Sam in Swan Song. Not to mention that he was ready to give up hunting after Sam’s death in All Hell Breaks Loose, too. When Dean lived with Lisa and Ben, evil continued to roam the earth and people were dying as well, so he really cannot claim the moral high ground here, especially since the reasons that motivated Dean to drop out of the hunt were in no way more valid than Sam’s. Moreover, Dean of all people should know that hunting without a partner is a recipe for disaster, especially for a man who is mentally and emotionally at the end of his rope. So I have to agree with Sam on this one. It is not up to Sam (and Dean) alone to stop the evils of the world; they truly did their part, and I think to recognise and act on that insight shows maturity and self-reflection on Sam’s part. Of course, we have to take into account that Dean just escaped from a world where hunting was the only way to survive, so he is probably in no state of mind to acknowledge the validity of Sam’s arguments. After all, Sam’s recount of his past year has to sound completely alien to Dean at the moment. I just think it is important to keep in mind that giving up the search for Dean and giving up hunting is not the same thing, and while it is easy to understand that the first would aggrieve Dean, he really should not hold the latter against Sam.
What else is noteworthy:
(1) Despite the tension between Sam and Dean, there are some great brotherly moments in the episode. Their reunion is in equal parts funny and heart-warming. Dean’s rather enthusiastic execution of the holy water/borax/silver ritual and Sam’s perplexed reaction to it are quite amusing, and their heartfelt hug is wonderful to watch. ♥ It’s obvious that both brothers are genuinely happy to see each other, and I love that they have at least this one truly light-hearted moment between them before all their baggage comes crashing down on them. One of my favourite moments in the episode is the one where Sam buys Dean some fries and a burger, even though Dean obviously did not ask him to. I just love that Sam anticipates his brother's needs, because Dean obviously stopped recognising his own needs - he refuses to sleep and rejects Sam's offer of food at the cabin - so Sam takes care of him in more subtle ways. Dean’s awe at Sam's gesture is kind of heartbreaking, but his 'orgasmic' faces when he devours the food are hilarious. ♥ I also love the little shout out to Lazarus Rising in the scene where Sam throws his brother the Impala’s keys and Dean is relieved that, this time around, Sam didn’t violate his baby with the installation of an iPod. Last but not least, I enjoy it immensely that, despite the secrets they keep between them, the brothers actually sit down together and have a series of meaningful conversations. I really hope that will become a trend this season.
(2) I was really looking forward to the Sam/Amelia storyline, not least because it has been a long time since Sam last personally connected with someone, and I would love to see Sam in a beneficial relationship with someone other than Dean. However, Amelia’s introduction in this episode unfortunately dampened my enthusiasm for the storyline considerably. Not only does Liane Balaban have zero chemistry with Jared, her character is also very awkwardly written, in this episode at least. I mean, no respectable veterinarian would force an injured dog - one freshly out of surgery even - on the man who accidentally ran it over, especially after said man made clear that he does not want the dog and is unable to provide the necessary care for it. Moreover, Amelia’s condescending tone towards Sam is completely out of place. It’s not like he ran the dog over on purpose, and he did everything he could to get the animal the help it needed, so there is no reason for her to question Sam’s integrity. Of course, it is possible that the character is deliberately written as cold and aggressive, and that she will be more sympathetic once the character is fleshed out more, but at the moment I find it somewhat difficult to imagine a romantic involvement between Sam and Amelia.
(3) I have to say that I really like this new and improved version of Kevin, the prophet. He adapted amazingly fast to his unusual situation - I guess he had to, given that he was abducted and held captive by the king of hell - and I am impressed with his quick thinking and courage in the face of emotionally distressing situations. I especially loved Kevin’s short, introspective conversation with Sam about being forced into a life that is not of one’s own choosing and being unable to see a way out of it. That is certainly something Sam can relate to. I am also pleasantly surprised that Kevin does not seem to hold a grudge against Sam for dropping out of hunting and thus leaving him hanging, even if unintentionally, but instead understands where Sam is coming from, because he finds himself in a similar situation. So I can honestly say that, despite the characters’ ties to the tiresome god/angel/demon mythology, I look forward to seeing more of him. Of course, the logical conclusion of liking the character is that he will be killed off sooner or later.
(4) I admit, I am not particularly thrilled about the fact that the mytharc this season returns to 'epic' storylines about demons, hell, prophets and the word of god. And, by the way, I find the idea that the 'word of god' is a bunch of tablets containing spell recipes pretty ridiculous. I mean, really? God had nothing better to do than etch lists of spell ingredients into stone tablets and hide them all over the world? Anyway, I had high hopes that the writers would finish in S8 what Sera Gamble had started in the past two years, namely a gradual disengagement from the angel and demon mythology that dominated the mytharc for five years. Alas, the writers decided to march in the exact opposite direction, much to my disappointment. Sure, closing the gates of hell and banishing all demons off the face of the earth represents a major development in Supernatural’s overall mythology, but once again it has nothing to do with Sam and Dean, personally. It’s a worthwhile quest, no doubt, but the brothers have no real personal stakes in it, and I just feel more engaged by the mytharc if it makes Sam and Dean the focal point of the story. I am also rather irritated by the writers’ attempt to create a personal angle by having Dean point out to Sam that they can finally avenge Mary and Jess. Really? They already did that! They took their revenge in All Hell Breaks Loose, and that was a moment that felt truly meaningful, and Dean’s words somewhat undermine that in my opinion.
(5) Last but not least, I love the new title card. ♥ The gold/brown colours, the rows of tablet symbols in the background - which is very reminiscent of the green code in The Matrix, by the way - the random floating symbols and the changing letters in the Supernatural writing, it all comes together nicely. It’s definitely one of the more artful title cards of the show. I might not like it quite as much as the S3 and S6 titles, but it is certainly in my Top5.
In conclusion: We Need To Talk About Kevin is not a bad season opener, but the writers’ stubborn refusal to try a new approach to the way they tell Sam and Dean’s story makes the episode feel really repetitive. It is no secret that I am a Sam'n'Dean girl through and through, so I am not exactly looking forward to yet another half-season of fights and mistrust between the brothers. I really had enough of those to last me a lifetime, and I think at this point the characters simply deserve better. I am also not sure if the mytharc this season will manage to engage me at all, so overall I come out of the season premiere with little enthusiasm. However, I am relieved that I did not hate the episode, and I think there is still plenty of potential for the season to surprise me positively these next couple of weeks.
[Addendum - August 2013]
About a year ago, when I wrote my review for the S8 opener, I was convinced that Sam’s evasiveness and vagueness regarding the year he spent without Dean was due to a secret that would be revealed later in the season. Obviously, that assumption turned out to be wrong. However, looking back at S8 as a whole, I have revised my interpretation of Sam’s demeanour in the season opener. So I wrote an additional piece of meta on the issue of Sam not looking for Dean. It can be found HERE.
I don’t think I have ever spent a fandom hiatus more miserable than the last one. I came out of the S7 finale with very high spirits, because even though the episode itself was mediocre, it opened up exciting new possibilities for Sam and Dean’s emotional arcs, and I could not wait to see how the writers would resolve the situation they set up for the characters. But then ComicCon happened and with it came a multitude of spoilers, all of which left me extremely distraught and disappointed. In the months that followed, I sought out interviews with Jeremy Carver and his writing staff to see if maybe the spoilers were a simple misdirect, but those interviews did nothing to alleviate my worries. On the contrary, everything I read about Carver’s direction for the show in general and the characters in particular gave me the impression that his vision for Supernatural is not one I am likely to share. My main concern was his idea for Sam's arc in S8, because, quite frankly, the spoilers about the time Sam spent without his brother - he never looked for Dean because he didn’t know where to start and instead decided to get a dog and settle down with a love interest, he ignored Kevin’s cries for help because he retired from the hunt - read like a flat-out character assassination to me, and that would probably have ended my relationship with the show rather abruptly. So I am very, very relieved to find that the S8 premiere gave me enough reason to believe that not all is as it seems with Sam's storyline. After seeing Sam's actions and reactions in the episode, I am under the distinct impression that there is something going on with him that we don't know yet, and that alone managed to lift my spirits considerably.
That said, I cannot help but feel frustrated with the way the writers set the season up in the premiere. I mean, structurally as well as with regard to content, the episode is basically a rehash of the S4 and the S6 season opener. The details may differ, but the direction is the same, and that is not exactly what I expected from a new showrunner. Sera Gamble handed Supernatural over to Jeremy Carver with a clean slate, and he could have truly made this era of the show his own by telling Sam and Dean’s story in new and interesting ways, but instead he falls back on the same narrative patterns that have been used over and over again in this show: a jump forward in time, a quick reunion of the brothers, Sam and Dean’s time apart is shrouded in a mystery that is slow-to-unfold over the course of the first half of the season, secrets create an emotional rift between the brothers, newly formed relationships threaten the brothers’ unity, and so on and so forth. This set-up is not only annoyingly repetitive, but also comes at the expense of character continuity. Sam and Dean keep regressing to behavioural patterns they both acknowledged as detrimental to their personal and professional relationship several times in the past, and I find it extremely frustrating that, essentially, the brothers have to learn the same lesson about secrets and lies again and again, simply because the writers want to create tension between Sam and Dean but refuse to explore other types of conflicts between them. Or, you know, choose the alternative and structure the season around two brothers who actually get along for once.
Sam: "As far as I knew, what we do is the thing that got every single member of my family killed. I had no one. No one. And for the first time in my life, I was completely alone. And honestly, I didn’t exactly have a road map."
Given how much I dreaded Sam’s storyline in advance, I was surprised at how much I actually enjoyed the way it unfolded on screen. That is not only owed to the fact that Jared imbued Sam’s lines with tangible emotion - he appears tired, subdued and weary throughout the episode - but also to the fact that seeing the spoilers about Sam in context gave me a different perspective. I think it is obvious that Sam’s choices in the aftermath of Dean’s disappearance have never been about a lack of love and commitment to his brother. Sam may have ditched his cell phones, fake ID’s and credit cards, and he may have cut off all ties to his life as a hunter, but he took good care of the Impala, his only remaining connection to Dean. Moreover, as soon as Dean is back, Sam drops out of his new life - a life that, by his own admission, gave him something he never had before - without a second thought. Sam never hesitated to go after what he wants, so he could choose to continue the life he came to love rather than go back to the life he left behind, but he doesn’t; he chooses Dean, and that has to count for something. So the question remains, how did Sam, who was clearly distraught about Dean going missing at the end of Survival Of The Fittest, get to the point where he was able to move on with his life? I mean, not six months prior to Dean’s disappearance, Sam was terrified at the mere thought of losing Dean (The Slice Girls), so I find it rather difficult to believe that he would just walk away without exploring every possible angle of his brother’s disappearance first, if only to find some sort of closure. After all, there is a difference between trying to find out what happened to Dean but eventually giving up and not looking for him at all. The circumstances of Dean’s disappearance only allowed for two possible conclusions: Dean was either dead or alive, and if he was alive, he had to be somewhere.
I think it is unlikely that Sam would immediately conclude that Dean and Castiel died in the blast that killed Dick Roman. There was no blood, no bones, no tell-tale sign of angel wings scorched into the floor or any other hard evidence to suggest that Dean and Castiel had been bodily harmed, and if the blast of the anti-leviathan weapon would have been so powerful that it disintegrated their bodies without a trace, surely other physical objects - like the lab equipment or the workbenches - in the immediate vicinity of the blast would have been affected by it as well. So, there was simply not enough physical evidence to conclusively prove that Dean had died. Sure, Sam could not entirely rule the possibility of his death out, but it was also not the only logical conclusion to draw from his disappearance. After all, the sudden temporal or spatial displacement of a person due to a supernatural influence is a common occurrence in Sam and Dean’s world. Angels, demons and gods can snatch a person away in the blink of an eye, so it would not have been far-fetched for Sam to consider the possibility that Dean had been taken rather than killed. Portals into other realms are not unheard of either, so Sam had to at least entertain the idea that the mystical blast of a weapon designed by God could temporarily create a tear between dimensions and suck Dean in. Overall, there have been too many variables and too little actual evidence for Sam to obtain any kind of certainty about Dean’s fate immediately after his disappearance, and I can’t quite fathom that he would just shrug his shoulders and move on with his life, without giving the possibility that something fixable had happened to Dean any thought. After all, at least one of the abovementioned scenarios would probably be resolvable without too much effort.
Now, the fact that Sam evades Dean’s question if Sam looked for him and just allows his brother to draw his own conclusions suggests to me that Sam is hiding something; a suspicion that is only cemented by the fact that he uses the same evasion tactic when Dean asks him why he gave up hunting. So, let me speculate about Sam’s story for a moment: I would assume that, immediately after Dean’s disappearance, Sam did what he does best, namely going into research mode. It is well established that Sam is very adapt at research and with his access to Bobby’s collection of obscure books and the Campbell's library, as well as Bobby’s contacts in the hunter’s community and his own remaining contacts - like Charlie, Garth and Jodie Mills - he would have been able to make at least some headway on his search for Dean. However, at some point something happened that made Sam drop his search and leave the family business, and I can see two possible scenarios for that decision - one that involves external reasons and one that is based on internal reasons. The first possibility is that Sam was forced into retirement by a deal that he thought will secure Dean’s return. Maybe Sam did assume that Dean was in purgatory after all, and naturally he would have turned to the one creature he knows is connected to purgatory, namely the alpha vampire. That would not only coincide with the fact that a vampire helped Dean to escape from purgatory, but also with the fact that Sam seems to be under surveillance - at least that’s what the shadowy figure watching Sam as he leaves Amelia’s house suggests to me. Not to mention that only a monster would make it a condition for Sam to stop hunting monsters if he wants their help. Of course, Sam would be hesitant to tell Dean about such a deal, especially since Dean keeps Benny and his role in his escape a secret from Sam. Without that knowledge, Sam would simply have to assume that the deal fell through for some reason.
The second possibility is that Sam abandoned his search for Dean deliberately as a result of his own personal history. Remember, the last time Sam lost Dean, his inability to let go of his brother and accept that there is nothing he can do to get Dean back, sent him on a self-destructive path that not only almost destroyed him, but also the world. The horrible consequences that arose out of his choices haunted Sam for years - centuries even, if we count his time in the cage - and it was only a few weeks prior to Dean’s disappearance that he had finally regained a measure of peace. Now, in the years that followed Sam’s fall from grace, he not only matured greatly, but also became a lot more self-aware, and I would have been very disappointed had that character growth not been reflected in the choices Sam made under similar circumstances now. So, I would assume that once Sam realised that his search for Dean again threatened to consume him with heart and soul, he would decide to rather quit his search - no matter how painful that may be - than going down a path he knows from experience will only lead to more madness, pain and suffering - and I could never fault Sam for such a decision. On the contrary, I think there is strength and wisdom in recognising the patterns that were damaging to oneself and others in the past and changing them. I think that, in this context, Sam’s retreat into privacy and his pursuit of personal happiness would make perfect sense, because without the search for Dean to keep him tied to the family business, he would naturally explore other options. And who could blame him? The fact is, Sam and Dean stopped being dedicated hunters long ago. They both stated on occasion that they cannot leave hunting, not because hunting still holds meaning to them, but because they cannot fathom leaving their brother behind, and I always felt that, after everything they went through, it would be perfectly normal for Sam and Dean to leave the life.
Of course, all this is wild speculation on my part, and it is entirely possible that Sam’s actions have a different reason altogether, but at the moment I am just relieved that things are not quite as they seem. That being said, however, I think it would have been much better had the writers revealed the full extent of Sam’s motivations right away, not necessarily to Dean - although I would have preferred that, too - but at least to the viewer. As so often, keeping Sam’s story a mystery comes at the expense of his characterisation, and given the sensitive nature of the conflict between Sam and Dean, it would have been more important than ever to make Sam transparent to the viewers. As it is, I am pretty sure that a significant part of fandom will condemn Sam’s actions as selfish and heartless, and it does not really matter if the reasons behind his actions are revealed as sympathetic at a later point in the season, because the damage will already be done by then. Unfortunately, it is not the first time that the writers seem oblivious to the damage they do to Sam’s character by refusing to lay out his thoughts and feelings more openly, just for the sake of creating mystery, and I am frustrated that they give the Sam-haters reason to dislike the character even more than they already do. Additionally, I am also disappointed with the fact that, barring unexpected plot twists further down the line, the writers once again denied us the satisfaction of Sam saving Dean. I think he really deserved that chance.
Dean: "It was bloody. Messy. Thirty-one flavours of bottom-dwelling nasties. Hell, most days felt like 360 degrees combat. But there is something about being there - it felt pure."
So, let’s talk about Dean! First off, I think the way the writers play with Dean’s return from purgatory in the teaser sequence is quite brilliant. There is the typical horror set-up - a young couple in the woods is apparently about to become monster fodder - and it turns out that monster is Dean. This clever introduction tells us everything we need to know about the Dean who came back; there is something feral about him, something hyperactive, and throughout the episode Dean is visibly on edge, ready to jump out of his skin at any strange noise. Dean tells Sam later that he is not the same man he was when he disappeared, and that is obvious right away. The man who accidentally ended up in purgatory was a clinically depressed, functioning alcoholic, and the man who came back seems invigorated and purposeful in comparison. However, he also clearly suffers from typical symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, like sleeplessness, emotional volatility and hypervigilance. Now, I think Dean’s confession that being in purgatory felt pure is an interesting twist. While it is true that Dean always felt more comfortable with a clear separation between black & white and good & evil, he learned to compromise over the last couple of years - he struck deals with monsters, worked with demons and on occasion even sympathised with monsters and/or refrained from killing them. It is easy to see though, that a hostile place like purgatory would reinforce Dean’s original attitude, and I can understand that the absence of morally ambivalent choices in a kill-or-be-killed environment like purgatory would appeal to Dean on some level. I am curious to find out though, if and how purgatory changed Dean’s self-perception. I mean, ever since his trip to hell, Dean has come to think of himself as a monster, and I wonder if living in a place filled with actual monsters cemented Dean’s opinion of himself - his friendship with Benny could be indicative of that fact - or reaffirmed his humanity. I guess only time will tell, but I have to say that, so far, I find Dean’s post-purgatory characterisation very engaging.
And while we are on the subject of Benny: I think Dean’s friendship with the vampire is an interesting aspect of his storyline. I admit, I find the character quite intriguing, and his dynamic with Dean is fascinating. Of course, it is rather conspicuous that Dean just happens to run into a vampire who knows how to escape from purgatory, and their first encounter definitely does not feel like a chance meeting to me. Obviously, that would tie in well with my theory that Sam enlisted the alpha vampire’s help to get Dean out of purgatory. Anyway, I think it is rather curious that Dean keeps his association with Benny a secret from Sam. After all, there is nothing inherently wrong about striking an alliance with a fellow combatant - monster or not - in order to increase his chances of survival. Moreover, Sam has always taken the view that monsters are not necessarily evil - he even befriended monsters himself - so Dean has no reason to believe that Sam would judge him negatively. Now, from Dean’s conversations with Benny it is apparent that they had to commit horrible acts to survive and/or escape, but I doubt that such a confession would come as a shock to Sam. Not after everything they both went through in hell. So what could Dean have possibly done with Benny that makes him feel so guilty (or ashamed) that he cannot even admit Benny’s existence to Sam? Again, I see two options here. Firstly, it is possible that Dean was forced to harm Castiel in order to escape, which would coincide with Dean’s evasiveness where the angel’s fate is concerned. Secondly, I think it is possible that Dean allowed Benny to feed from him. I mean, if vampires retain their need for blood once they enter purgatory, an actual living human like Dean would be the equivalent of a five star meal for them. Maybe being able to feed on fresh blood gave Benny an advantage over other monsters in purgatory and thus secured their survival as a team. This scenario would certainly open some very interesting parallels between Dean & Benny and Sam & Ruby.
Talking about parallels between Sam and Dean: While Dean’s disappointment and hurt after learning that Sam (seemingly) did not look for him are perfectly understandable - he might feel somewhat sympathetic to Sam’s plight, but his self-worth and abandonment issues will inevitably mess with his mind - his outraged reaction to Sam’s retirement from the hunt is rather uncalled for, if not downright hypocritical, considering that he retreated into privacy himself after he lost Sam in Swan Song. Not to mention that he was ready to give up hunting after Sam’s death in All Hell Breaks Loose, too. When Dean lived with Lisa and Ben, evil continued to roam the earth and people were dying as well, so he really cannot claim the moral high ground here, especially since the reasons that motivated Dean to drop out of the hunt were in no way more valid than Sam’s. Moreover, Dean of all people should know that hunting without a partner is a recipe for disaster, especially for a man who is mentally and emotionally at the end of his rope. So I have to agree with Sam on this one. It is not up to Sam (and Dean) alone to stop the evils of the world; they truly did their part, and I think to recognise and act on that insight shows maturity and self-reflection on Sam’s part. Of course, we have to take into account that Dean just escaped from a world where hunting was the only way to survive, so he is probably in no state of mind to acknowledge the validity of Sam’s arguments. After all, Sam’s recount of his past year has to sound completely alien to Dean at the moment. I just think it is important to keep in mind that giving up the search for Dean and giving up hunting is not the same thing, and while it is easy to understand that the first would aggrieve Dean, he really should not hold the latter against Sam.
What else is noteworthy:
(1) Despite the tension between Sam and Dean, there are some great brotherly moments in the episode. Their reunion is in equal parts funny and heart-warming. Dean’s rather enthusiastic execution of the holy water/borax/silver ritual and Sam’s perplexed reaction to it are quite amusing, and their heartfelt hug is wonderful to watch. ♥ It’s obvious that both brothers are genuinely happy to see each other, and I love that they have at least this one truly light-hearted moment between them before all their baggage comes crashing down on them. One of my favourite moments in the episode is the one where Sam buys Dean some fries and a burger, even though Dean obviously did not ask him to. I just love that Sam anticipates his brother's needs, because Dean obviously stopped recognising his own needs - he refuses to sleep and rejects Sam's offer of food at the cabin - so Sam takes care of him in more subtle ways. Dean’s awe at Sam's gesture is kind of heartbreaking, but his 'orgasmic' faces when he devours the food are hilarious. ♥ I also love the little shout out to Lazarus Rising in the scene where Sam throws his brother the Impala’s keys and Dean is relieved that, this time around, Sam didn’t violate his baby with the installation of an iPod. Last but not least, I enjoy it immensely that, despite the secrets they keep between them, the brothers actually sit down together and have a series of meaningful conversations. I really hope that will become a trend this season.
(2) I was really looking forward to the Sam/Amelia storyline, not least because it has been a long time since Sam last personally connected with someone, and I would love to see Sam in a beneficial relationship with someone other than Dean. However, Amelia’s introduction in this episode unfortunately dampened my enthusiasm for the storyline considerably. Not only does Liane Balaban have zero chemistry with Jared, her character is also very awkwardly written, in this episode at least. I mean, no respectable veterinarian would force an injured dog - one freshly out of surgery even - on the man who accidentally ran it over, especially after said man made clear that he does not want the dog and is unable to provide the necessary care for it. Moreover, Amelia’s condescending tone towards Sam is completely out of place. It’s not like he ran the dog over on purpose, and he did everything he could to get the animal the help it needed, so there is no reason for her to question Sam’s integrity. Of course, it is possible that the character is deliberately written as cold and aggressive, and that she will be more sympathetic once the character is fleshed out more, but at the moment I find it somewhat difficult to imagine a romantic involvement between Sam and Amelia.
(3) I have to say that I really like this new and improved version of Kevin, the prophet. He adapted amazingly fast to his unusual situation - I guess he had to, given that he was abducted and held captive by the king of hell - and I am impressed with his quick thinking and courage in the face of emotionally distressing situations. I especially loved Kevin’s short, introspective conversation with Sam about being forced into a life that is not of one’s own choosing and being unable to see a way out of it. That is certainly something Sam can relate to. I am also pleasantly surprised that Kevin does not seem to hold a grudge against Sam for dropping out of hunting and thus leaving him hanging, even if unintentionally, but instead understands where Sam is coming from, because he finds himself in a similar situation. So I can honestly say that, despite the characters’ ties to the tiresome god/angel/demon mythology, I look forward to seeing more of him. Of course, the logical conclusion of liking the character is that he will be killed off sooner or later.
(4) I admit, I am not particularly thrilled about the fact that the mytharc this season returns to 'epic' storylines about demons, hell, prophets and the word of god. And, by the way, I find the idea that the 'word of god' is a bunch of tablets containing spell recipes pretty ridiculous. I mean, really? God had nothing better to do than etch lists of spell ingredients into stone tablets and hide them all over the world? Anyway, I had high hopes that the writers would finish in S8 what Sera Gamble had started in the past two years, namely a gradual disengagement from the angel and demon mythology that dominated the mytharc for five years. Alas, the writers decided to march in the exact opposite direction, much to my disappointment. Sure, closing the gates of hell and banishing all demons off the face of the earth represents a major development in Supernatural’s overall mythology, but once again it has nothing to do with Sam and Dean, personally. It’s a worthwhile quest, no doubt, but the brothers have no real personal stakes in it, and I just feel more engaged by the mytharc if it makes Sam and Dean the focal point of the story. I am also rather irritated by the writers’ attempt to create a personal angle by having Dean point out to Sam that they can finally avenge Mary and Jess. Really? They already did that! They took their revenge in All Hell Breaks Loose, and that was a moment that felt truly meaningful, and Dean’s words somewhat undermine that in my opinion.
(5) Last but not least, I love the new title card. ♥ The gold/brown colours, the rows of tablet symbols in the background - which is very reminiscent of the green code in The Matrix, by the way - the random floating symbols and the changing letters in the Supernatural writing, it all comes together nicely. It’s definitely one of the more artful title cards of the show. I might not like it quite as much as the S3 and S6 titles, but it is certainly in my Top5.
In conclusion: We Need To Talk About Kevin is not a bad season opener, but the writers’ stubborn refusal to try a new approach to the way they tell Sam and Dean’s story makes the episode feel really repetitive. It is no secret that I am a Sam'n'Dean girl through and through, so I am not exactly looking forward to yet another half-season of fights and mistrust between the brothers. I really had enough of those to last me a lifetime, and I think at this point the characters simply deserve better. I am also not sure if the mytharc this season will manage to engage me at all, so overall I come out of the season premiere with little enthusiasm. However, I am relieved that I did not hate the episode, and I think there is still plenty of potential for the season to surprise me positively these next couple of weeks.
[Addendum - August 2013]
About a year ago, when I wrote my review for the S8 opener, I was convinced that Sam’s evasiveness and vagueness regarding the year he spent without Dean was due to a secret that would be revealed later in the season. Obviously, that assumption turned out to be wrong. However, looking back at S8 as a whole, I have revised my interpretation of Sam’s demeanour in the season opener. So I wrote an additional piece of meta on the issue of Sam not looking for Dean. It can be found HERE.