Mick’s slowly become much more of an interesting character on Supernatural.

His earlier appearances often had me mixing him up with Mr. Ketch, and the British Men of Letters storyline wasn’t so engaging as to make me care to know the two apart, either.

But it was Supernatural Season 12 Episode 14 that turned things around and really highlighted the differences between the two and the possibilities for making Mick more of a three-dimensional character.

He isn’t just some murderous psychopath with a “stiff upper lip.”

And Supernatural Season 12 Episode 16 continued to explore Mick and the changes his character is going through just by working with Sam and Dean.

It was fantastic to hear Sam and Dean bring up Garth and how despite him being a monster, he’s not some evil monster.

Even Dean’s one-on-one chat with Mick focused on the idea that not everything is black and white. It’s not as simple as just wiping out all monsters.

Dean even acknowledged that he felt that way once, and when you try and look at Mick’s upbringing, that’s just how he’s been taught to think.

He’s only ever seen the supernatural as monstrous beings that need to be killed. That’s his code. That’s what he’s known.

So it was good to see him disappointed to find the girl bitten or even that he “had” to go back and end things.

There was clearly a struggle there, but he was much more keen to try and help Claire by the end of the episode.

The possibility of finding that cure for her became more of a viable option rather than just using a silver bullet.

It only made sense then that Claire would have to survive. Because if she didn’t, then it would completely shift Mick away from Sam and Dean’s philosophies.

He wouldn’t recognize that miracle and that outside possibility from all his learnings with the British Men of Letters.

There’s definitely a possibility that he might even turn against the British Men of Letters.

I’m glad that Sam and Dean are willing to give him a second chance because he helped out in the end but at the same time were upset that he lied and killed the other girl in the first place.

There will be no third chances, but I think Mick’s tag-along experience may have shifted him into a new line of thinking where that may never have to be an issue.

Honestly, I’m much more on board with Mick as a character, especially in the way the show has been fleshing him out.

Plus, he also gets to provide for some humorous moments because of his differences and ways of going about his business.

How funny was it seeing Sam and Dean react to the three-star hotel? Or Dean having to deal with Sam and Mick wanting to listen to a podcast on lore rather than cranking up some tunes?

However, the drawback to the episode was mostly with Claire.

I wish I’ve taken more of a liking to her character, and maybe it’s just the way she’s written, but she always feels so abrasive and bratty.

It made me glad when she was telling Sam to stop treating her like a child that his response was for her to stop acting like one. And then she walked off in a huff.

Obviously, the goal by the end was to illustrate that she does love her family and understands Sam and Dean are there to help, even as she goes off hunting on her own, but I just didn’t care as much.

Also, her being bitten felt like a no-win situation as well.

If she did die, which the episode tried to make us initially believe, it would have felt like a cheap kill, bringing her character back just to kill her off without allowing her to grow from being that bratty character.

But if she survived, which was necessary for Mick’s character growth, it just would fall in line with most of the core characters never really having to worry about death. It would all just work out in the end, a miracle that was bound to happen just because things called for it.

As for her phone call, while I appreciate the sentiment and hope that her return to the show means less acting like a whiny kid, it would have had a greater impact if she was actually talking to Jody in person.

Instead, just saying those lines to a phone, let alone the voicemail, lessened the weight of the moment.

I probably would have preferred ending with something involving Mick, Sam and Dean, but I understand what the show was trying to do with Claire. I just wish that button to cap things off felt like a more powerful send-off.

So while Claire wasn’t an engaging aspect of the hour, Mick’s part in the hunt and his viewpoint on the supernatural was interesting. That I want to see more of, especially in how that will affect the relationship with the British Men of Letters.

But was that the last time he tags along with Sam and Dean on a case? Or are there more chances for Dean to go swimming and get chocolates on his pillows?

What did you think of the focus on Mick? Were you glad to see Claire back? Sound off below, and be sure to watch Supernatural online now.

 

Sean McKenna was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. He retired in May of 2017. Follow him on Twitter.