Supernatural : Into the Mystic

This episode is already off to a good start. The opening theme is one of my favorite songs, by The Shirelles: Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow. The episode opens in County Cork Ireland, 30  years ago. A banshee kills  the father of a baby girl and  is only stopped by the mother’s quick revocation spell before succumbing to the banshee’s screams herself.

I like the special effects on the monster this week. She looks suitably frightening and malicious. I like the wavy hair and the floating robes.

In the present day, we open with Lucifer, in Castiel’s body, enjoying being out of the cage while we are  serenaded by another favorite song of mine, Johnny Mathis’: Wonderful Wonderful, which I clearly remember from that one episode of The X-Files, titled “Home”. Its a scene  fraught with tension because this is Lucifer we’re talking about here. Any moment you expect him to get up to mischief, but so far, he’s surprisingly well behaved.

I’m very much enjoying Misha’s portrayal of Lucifer this week. Its a little more toned down than last week, which was a little over the top. Misha’s  got the  mannerisms and body language right, and the voice is pretty good too, although I think there may be computers involved in that. If not, then Misha is an excellent mimic. Watch how he sits and crosses his legs  the way Pellegrino would have done it.  You just know Misha’s been studying Pellegrino very closely. I love it when the show re-invents Cas.

Later, Lucifer has an argument and kills a lesser angel who tries to kill him. The entire scene is coded as illicit. He and the angel are sitting in the park, when Lucifer walks off onto one of the park paths. The other angel, also in male form, looks about suspiciously, before following. Its a subtle play on the secretive, anonymous, gay activities in parks from back in the 80s and 90s (probably not quite so much now.) I wonder why this show is always coding Lucifer as being gay, though. I had the impression that, like Castiel and Crowley, he is mostly indifferent to sexuality and only brings up the subject at all because he knows it bothers human males.

Sam is bothered by the things Lucifer said to him last week. He’s having another sleepless night. Whenever Sam gets restless or has a problem, he likes to disassemble and reassemble his weapons. I think its a comforting activity for him, like crocheting or drawing, for some people. Perhaps by making order out of disorder, over and over again, he can bring order to his thoughts, as well. Remember he did this a lot when he was haunted by Hallucifer in Hello Cruel World (7×02).

Dean comes to him with a locked room mystery, in an effort to take Sam’s mind off his troubles. Dean can clearly see he is bothered by something but doesn’t press the issue. He knows Sam will tell him in his own good time. Meanwhile Sam can put those weapons he’s playing with to good use. I like this new maturity in their relationship now.They still get it wrong sometimes or fall back on old habits, but they’re trying to be grown men and talk through stuff, you can see that they’re trying and that there’s a new level of comfort in how they behave with each other now.

I think the reason Dean hasn’t spoken to Sam about what’s going on between him and Amara is he probably doesn’t want to scare Sam. He knows Sam  will fret, just like he did  last season, when he thought Dean would die.  Dean has seen the desperate measures Sam will go to protect him now. Remember that talk they had last season about that.  Dean can see the foundation of Sam’s desperation this season too, as Sam is still upset about things he didn’t do. He can see Sam’s need to be over protective has not waned in the slightest, informed as it is by the guilt of not looking for him when he was in Purgatory. its like the writers are tying up  loose emotional ends, while trying to avoid introducing new ones.

We’re starting to get these little nuggets about the theme of this season. The writers are being a bit more subtle than usual.

The second reason is, I don’t think Dean understands exactly what it is that’s wrong with him or going on between him and Amara. If he understood it then maybe he could explain it. When he spoke to who he thought was Castiel, all he has to do was state whats happening and he can get away with that with him.. With Sam, however, he’s going to need an explanation because he knows  that’s how Sam works. Without an explanation, he knows Sam will assume the worst and go off the rails.

The two head off to the retirement home, where the mystery occurred, and find that the banshee we saw in the opening scene is taking victims. She only attacks the vulnerable, after which she feeds on their brains. Only her victims can hear her, which is a nice way to alert the viewers  who will be her next victim, so pay attention.

They also encounter one of my all-time favorite actors, Dee Wallace as Ms. Baker (from The Howling and Cujo), who witnessed the death by banshee. I’m just full of nostalgia this evening. I love this actress, she has a talent for seeming vulnerable but really having a deep, underlying strength, that I find appealing.

This week Sam and Dean are Agents Butler and Osborne. Ms. Baker is immediately taken with Agent Osborne. That’s entirely understandable. Sam encounters a hearing impaired staff member named Marlene, but according to Ms. Baker, Marlene is on vacation, and is not hearing impaired.  This is what’s known as a clue.

Dean goes back to the bunker to do some research and finds Castiel tearing up the place, supposedly looking for a spell to destroy Amara. I’m sure Dean thinks something is up, as Castiel is all compassionate, understanding and more than a little touchy-feely.  Dean tells him all about the Dean/Amara situation. Lucifer seems mysteriously happy to know all this. I’m guessing Dean told him about the Mark of Cain too, although we didn’t hear that. Its interesting that Lucifer is in the bunker looking for a weapon. I had the impression he had an idea what to do about her. Is Lucifer just looking to be a hero? And if so, why?

Sam and Ms. Baker (Mildred) come up with a plan to trap the banshee, using her as bait. Sam informs her, that it will be dangerous.

Sam, seeing Marlene again, pursues her into the laundry room, where she traps him with a spell. It turns out she’s not actually a villain. She’s a hunter whose name is Eileen. This is the grownup version of the baby we saw in the opening scene and this is the same banshee that killed her parents. Sam talks to her about vengeance, and how its maybe not a good idea. I like Eileen, a lot. She’s pretty cool. The show seems to be introducing a lot of female hunters. Its incredibly cute to see Eileen and Mildred bonding. They are both probably more than a little lonely and I like that the show is getting a lot of feminine behavior correct. Sometimes we talk to each other about stuff, without fighting, or competing for a man’s attention. I just realize in this scene, that all the inter-sectional bases are covered, except for race. The show could try fixing that by adding more PoC to the cast. How come there are no Latinos  in this alternate universe?

Mildred is definitely hitting up Dean with her best feminine wiles. Its really cute and charming without being creepy. She doesn’t seem to be objectifying him (although she is a little bit). She genuinely seems to just like him.  She Invites him to watch the sunset with her and its  really sweet because she is scared about it being her last one and just wants to sit next to a pretty guy and enjoy it. She tells Dean she  used to be in a Patsy Cline tribute band, so she knows what its like to live on the road. She tells him to listen to his heart. I suspect this is advice that will come back to him later this season. Probably regarding Amara. Dean promises Mildred she’s in no danger.

So its something of a surprise when its Dean who hears the banshee,  not Mildred.  Is the banshee attracted to the Darkness in him. ? How does that make Dean vulnerable, somehow?

Speculate among yourselves!

Eileen and Mildred successfully save Dean and destroy the banshee. Once again a “no-save” for Sam. (Its okay, Sam. One day it will happen.) Mildred again tells Dean to follow his heart. I think we’re supposed to remember this line. This is what’s known as foreshadowing.

Mildred is definitely my new girl when she signs to Eileen, “They look even cuter walking away,”while watching the brothers leave. She’s durn-tootin’!

Dean asks Sam if he’s noticed anything different about Castiel. Sam hasn’t spent enough time with him to really notice, I would think. They’re close and get along, but not so close Sam could tell if something was “off” about Cas, but it’s nice to see that Dean’s spider sense is tingling. They still don’t know that Rowena is dead and Crowley has…well, we don’t know where Crowley is.

Sam, still fretting about Purgatory, finally tells Dean what his problem is. Dean says he long ago forgave Sam for not looking for him in Purgatory. Sam wonders why the banshee targeted Dean, who gives him a bulls**t excuse. I’m sure Dean has suspicions but probably can’t quite articulate what those are. Dean is, I think, still working things out in his head. I’m the same way. I have to figure out what the problem is first.

But now Dean can’t sleep, while Sam seems to feel better and rests more easily.

Its a trade-off.

I really enjoyed this episode. the episodes have been on point all season .there were some slow eps., but no truly bad ones, yet. So far, this season has been thoroughly focused on the big bad and it’s themes. It’s also been all the best about Supernatural,  from funny to tragic and a few surprises, too.

One of my favorite actresses  (Wallace) gets to have a heartfelt moment with the brothers. We get a hunter with a disability, that’s handled pretty well. It makes me curious what it must be like to be a hunter who cant hear. What are the advantages and disadvantages to that? I hope she takes Sam up on his invitation to come visit.