Supernatural Season 10 Episode 2 Review: Reichenbach
Sean McKenna
at
.
Updated at
.
With Supernatural entering its 10th season, it’s pretty obvious that for the show to have any hope of staying fresh and entertaining, there have to be some risks involved.
And I’ve said again and again that Supernatural as a series does have a willingness to try something new. It doesn’t always work for the show, sure, but the decision to turn Dean into a demon is a choice that is definitely paying off.
Because there’s nothing more intense to watch than two friends, two brothers on opposites sides. And it’s not just silly drama this time. This is a far more dangerous situation that is much more life and death and so much more further explored in Supernatural Season 10 Episode 2.
Dean may still have some of those Dean-like tendencies that make him such a fun character to watch, but this new version is so much more chilling and scary. To see Dean as the bad guy is both fantastic and heartbreaking at the same time.
We want Sam to save his brother. That’s the eventual end goal, because the brothers are the brothers and most likely they’ll go out fighting together on the same side.
It even makes sense watching him pursue Dean at all costs. We’ve seen him and Dean do the same thing all the time.
So to hear Dean mock Sam’s speech about taking him home? To see him smirk and grin with that Dean charm but have such an evil edge? To see him joke about Lester being a loser and then full on stabbing him like it’s no big deal? To see him ready to throw down with Crowley in such a menacing way?
It’s so different to see Dean, the hero, the good guy, be nothing like that at all.
And I’m glad that the show isn’t wrapping that aspect up in just one episode. We’re going to get to see that conflict and that something new grow.
That was always my biggest disappointment after Castiel become God and then the really scary Leviathan in Supernatural Season 7 Episode 1. I was excited to see a story where the brothers would have to face their best friend, maybe even have to grapple with possibly killing him to save everyone else. Plus, to see Misha Collins portray something so different from Castiel in those brief moments as this crazy and insane evil was a promising prospect.
But it was dashed away so quickly, so I’m really pleased that that isn’t the case for demon Dean.
As it is, I can only imagine how good of a time Jensen Ackles is having in playing something very different from "regular" Dean. Just seeing the way Dean acts and carries himself and taunts others as the demon must be a fun change. Sometimes its just fun to play the bad guy.
And I really believe it when Sam says his brother has gone dark side.
It even made me feel for Cole, who beat the crap out of Sam and was just trying to get revenge for the death of his father. (Wasn’t it a great flashback to see Dean back to an earlier season look?) We’re not supposed to like Cole. Our heroes are Sam and Dean. Do we understand where he's coming from? Sure, but it's that added layer of just how Dean acts and toys with him in the fight that makes you feel bad for him.
It’s especially interesting that Cole as a character wasn’t quickly dispatched either. Dean could have killed him and then Sam grabs Dean. But instead, like with demon Dean, the show is giving Cole time to grow and become something more. I’m curious as to where that part will go, certainly when and if Dean does stop being a demon.
Cole’s coming back with a vengeance... after he does some studying.
Unfortunately, Castiel and Hannah’s parts again felt like detractors from the Sam and Dean stuff. And that’s disappointing because I like Castiel, but it's not quite as engrossing to watch him and Hannah hang out on a farm. Though it was interesting that he wouldn’t bargain with Metatron for his soul.
But I’m kind of done with Metatron as the big bad and not sure if I really want him to come back as a villain to face off with again. He works much better in that cell for now, though I’m sure his words are eating at our trench-coated angel. Can Castiel survive this season? He has to find a way, right?
Overall, this was an intense hour providing a mesmerizing and freighting Dean right until the last moments. There’s something terrifying (and I can only imagine for Sam) in listening to the elder Winchester brother talk so coldly about what he’s going to do to Sam. And as much as I want Sam to save him, I can't help but be pleased at Supernatural's success with exploring a story that involves a demon Dean.
What did you think of demon Dean's antics? Are you surprised Crowley sold him out? Can Sam save him? See it all again when you watch Supernatural online.
Meanwhile, here's your look ahead to Supernatural Season 10 Episode 3, "Soul Survivor."
Sean McKenna was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. He retired in May of 2017. Follow him on Twitter.
