The Winchesters Season 1 Episode 2 Review: Teach Your Children Well
Megan Behnke
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John’s relationship with his mom may put him in jeopardy, but it’s nothing the team can’t handle.
On The Winchesters Season 1 Episode 2, the young hunters follow a lead about Samuel to Topeka, where they try to solve the case of a monster taking people at a commune.
Meanwhile, John feels he may not be cut out for this life as Mary gets more frustrated with not finding her father.
Just getting right to it, this episode feels like a true Supernatural episode.
Supernatural was known for having episodes that are “Monster of the Week,” and the new episode of The Winchesters was exactly that while also still keeping true to the series itself.
While some may not like those episodes, I, for one, love them.
And this wasn’t just some normal “Monster of the Week.”
This is because of another lead about Samuel and his whereabouts, and it’s something that Mary nearly broke up the team for.
So far, all I see is peace, love, and happiness.
Mary
At the same time, John’s new hunting life created tension with his mother.
Millie was still heartbroken over Henry leaving, and she’s afraid her son will do the same.
One little scene that I adore is when Ada and Millie meet each other.
When Ada told Millie that she worked with Henry and knows what John was like, it gave Millie this little sense of hope that everything will turn out okay.
It’s jasmine. It’s for protection.
Ada
It’s a small scene, but it’s so wonderful, and it’s when Millie realizes that John is going to be okay.
Even after Ada gave her information on where he is, she still doesn’t check in on him because she knows he’s fine.
I absolutely love the dynamic between Millie and John, and it’s something we never really got in Supernatural.
Sure, after Mary came back from the dead, Sam and Dean were able to have some time with her and closure.
Especially Sam since he didn’t really get a chance to have her as a mother.
I do believe in you, John.
Millie
But this time around, Millie, who already seems like such a great mother who has sacrificed so much, is just worried about her son.
She knows what the Men of Letters turned Henry into, and she’s simply afraid she’s going to lose John the same way she lost Henry.
Mary, meanwhile, is just as motivated as one can be when it comes to family.
She is so determined to find her father that she ignores her friends and endangers them in the process.
Her determination is what makes her such a great hunter.
We also see John and Mary bonding more over their very similar goals: finding their fathers.
Their bond is already so special, and even though they’ve only known each other for a short time, they are confiding in each other.
Hunting is obviously a big change from the Army.
I like that they aren’t just throwing John into hunting, and he’s good at it.
While they did throw John into hunting, he still has a lot to learn.
He didn’t grow up in this life, unlike Mary, but she knows the potential he has.
But John is already turning into a great hunter, even noticing subtle hints that his mom was not his mom and was, in fact, a monster.
I cannot stress enough how much I love this new cast.
I’ll admit that again, I was hesitant about how Drake Rodger, Meg Donnelly, and the others will be.
But origin story and Supernatural connections aside, this cast has such great chemistry.
There are already little moments with the characters that show how close they are, on-screen and off.
We make quite the pair, huh?
John
The heart-to-heart moments, confessions, and realizations all work because of the chemistry.
They definitely have a lot to live up to with the long-lasting legacy Supernatural has left.
But only two episodes in, I can tell that the franchise is in the right hands.
And, of course, it’s not like they are doing this alone.
We did get more of Jensen Ackles as Dean, and even though he is mostly narrating, it is so good to have him back.
The ties that bind the family together can be complicated.
Dean
It makes me hopeful that we’ll be getting more Supernatural alumni to return on top of Gil McKinney.
If you are a hardcore Supernatural fan, you might also recognize some very familiar music in the background in some of the scenes.
It’s subtle, but the mellow tone of the music was also used in a number of scenes on the original series.
And it definitely brought me right back to whenever Sam and Dean had a heartfelt moment with each other.
This episode was also great for the Carlos and Latika moments.
My dad left me that letter because he wants me to follow in his footsteps… and I don’t know how.
John
Whether it was Latika researching the monster and pushing back at Mary for trying to get her to listen, or Carlos just wanting to have a fun time after it all.
With the series being called The Winchesters, you'd expect it to mostly focus on John and Mary.
But it's already doing such a great job in including the other characters, who have so much to add to the story.
Since Latika and Carlos are never mentioned on Supernatural, it’s safe to assume something happens to them.
So getting that backstory before the inevitable happens is always good. But hopefully, it doesn't happen any time soon.
Perhaps The Winchesters is where we get answers?
Last but not least, we also have to talk about the fake IDs.
These were part of Sam and Dean's, and soon Castiel and Jack's, identities on Supernatural whenever they caught a case.
Whenever they went undercover, it was always fun to see what ridiculous (and obviously fake) names they would use.
We finally saw the origin of that.
While in Topeka, the group runs into the monster of the week, and John and Mary pretended to be a missing kid's friend.
They can't exactly use their real names, so they have fake IDs. And the names? Mick Fleetwood and Christine McVie, also known as two members of Fleetwood Mac.
It's a small moment and it's not in the episode for long.
But the fake names are such a big part of Supernatural, and seeing how it kind of all started, knowing that Mary and John even did it way back when, is definitely a fun Easter Egg.
Only two episodes in, and this series already has such a strong start. And with a few more Supernatural Easter Eggs in the bag, who knows what more will happen.
With Millie slowly coming around to the idea of John being a hunter and Ada admitting she knew Henry, will we get more scenes with the two of them? Meanwhile, where will the next case and lead take them?
There is still so much to go off of, and we are only just beginning.
Fanatics, what did you think? Drop your thoughts in the comments and be sure to watch The Winchesters online any time via TV Fanatic!
Megan Behnke was a staff writer for TV Fanatic, who you can follow on Twitter.
