Supernatural Round Table: "As Time Goes By"

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Supernatural aired a major episode last Wednesday, a standout installment that took us deeper inside the Winchester family.

In this edition of the TV Fanatic Round Table, staffers Carissa Pavlica, Carla Day and Sean McKenna are joined by Alice Jester (from The Winchester Family Business) as they break down "As Time Goes By." Gather around now!

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What did you think of Henry Winchester?
Carissa: His voice was a lot like John's. He wasn't very endearing. I get that he was a "man of letters" but landing with his grandsons and discovering he left his son childless and probably was ready to die, I expected a bit more emotion. He seemed so distant that I just didn't care about him much.

Carla: Unlike Carissa, I really enjoyed Henry. His involvement with the "Men of Letters" added to the intriguing Winchester mythology. Even though he never was able to share his knowledge with John, his son ended up in the family business of sorts. More importantly, it reminded Dean and Sam of their value in the world and of their brotherly bond.

Alice: I loved Henry.  He’s quite a sharp contrast to the rest of the family members we’ve met so far.  Of course, it’s always nice to see a grandfather that isn’t trying to kill his grandsons.  He really cared for John and I was moved by his reaction that John was dead.  I didn’t expect he would survive, but I’m pleased he left this world knowing that the Winchester legacy would go on honorably thanks to his grandsons. 

Sean: I thought he was great. There was a little bit of John there, but he added some interesting background. Plus, he seemed adamant to do the right thing even if they meant going to his death. Henry worked well with his grandsons and that was nice to see rather than like Alice said, having Samuel Campbell trying to get rid of them.

Was the new mythology of the Winchester's past a hit or a miss?
Carissa: For now, I'm going with a miss. There wasn't enough of it to make it a hit. I still don't understand what the hell a man of letters is, and I've watched three times. Am I that dense (shut up!) or was it just glossed over? Why wouldn't John have told them any of that if it was so important? He called them hunters, and all of a sudden they're "men of letters?" Blech.

Carla: So far, I like the idea, but it's too early to say if it's a hit or miss. The theme of the show will adjust based on this information, I hope for the better. Will having a home base provide stability that adds to the story or will it hold it back. I'm not sure.

Alice: I’m on the fence about it.  I do love the idea that Henry was part of a secret society, but I still don’t buy that suddenly John grew up without a father and he assumed Henry ran out on him.  It’s not like it ever came up before.  That’s pretty important info.  All in all though, if you look at it sideways, it could fit.  Henry’s bookworm ways of the supernatural at least explains why Sam has such a natural propensity for research.  He’s going to fit right in as part of the Men of Letters.

Sean: I think it worked at least in allowing the brothers to understand their past, their destiny, and a bit of why they are who they are. I did read that someone said that during one of the episodes where Dean went back in time to see John, that someone said to John, "Say hi to your dad." Now how can that work if he was dead or maybe it was a foster dad? But even if it does change some of the past, I still liked what came out of it. I guess I found the idea of a more bookworm group of supernatural info dudes to be interesting, as well as the type of man that Henry Winchester was.

What will Sam and Dean do with all that supernatural info if they find it?
Carissa: I got nothin. Use it against the bad guys like they always do? I don't see anything they learned from their grandfather in one day usurping what they learned from their father in 20 years of training. They'll always follow in his footsteps first, using his ways as theirs. 

Carla: They will use it to help them protect the world. It's going to be like their father's book times a million. I'm very excited for them to gain this knowledge. It could shift the fight much more in their favor.

Alice: It opens up a whole new direction.  I could easily see all that taking us into season 15!  I’m sure there will be info in there relevant to the tablets and whatever is happening between Heaven and Hell.  Plus Sam and Dean will be learning a whole lot of new tricks and spells which I’m sure will come in handy in the future.  I can see them teaming up with Garth to organize a whole team of hunters too.  It’s all rather exciting.

Sean: Who knows really. While I do think it sounds cool, having all that info, and how the show handles it is the major question. Remember when we had the ultimate, unbeatable Leviathan? Kind of a dud result. I just hope that this treasure trove turns the show in a new exciting direction and not one where Sam and Dean now can't be beat. Then again, I'm kind of looking forward to seeing what they find.

Will Abaddon escape or was she a one time deal?
Carissa: I hope she doesn't come back. She wasn't much of a menace, didn't offer much to the table other than thinking she was hot stuff and could use her sexy looks to kill. Puhlease.

Carla: She's gone.

Alice: I think she’s a one time deal, but that probably won’t be the last we hear of the Knights of Hell.  What I wonder is what does Crowley think of them?  Are they working for him now, or was Abaddon the last one?  I’m sure he’ll at least want to learn that using black smoke to read someone’s mind trick.

Sean: She's done and over. The concept of Lucifer's knights of hell was interesting, but I kind of want to get back to Crowley and just the regular demon gang.

Think we might ever meet Grandma Winchester?
Carissa: We might, but I don't think it's necessary. What could she add to the story? Henry barely added anything and he was a legacy. Am i being a thin skinned in my dislike of Henry and this episode? Oops. Sorry.

Carla: Perhaps, but I doubt it will be any time soon. I don't really care either way.

Alice: I don’t see why not.  If it does happen, it’ll be in season eleven or twelve around midseason when they’re sorely grasping for ideas.  I expected her to be a carbon copy of John Winchester, stubborn as a mule. 

Sean: I don't think it will be integral to the story at all, but sometimes I thought that maybe Grandma Winchester would be like a feisty hunter or something. Yet, while I know Henry wasn't of the hunter squad, having a Grandmother for the boys could be funny at the very least.

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Supernatural Season 8 Episode 12 Quotes

Who are you not calling?

Dean

He's my brother and he's the only family I've got.

Dean