Two Supernatural Men and a Baby

Okay, that’s a little more like it. After a morose episode last week that, while solid, rehashed old themes and ideas, we got a new episode of Supernatural that... Okay, rehashed old episodes and ideas. But at least it was fun.

Dean is still shacking up with his lady and not-son, keeping them essentially under lockdown just in case some unknown evil attacks them. Meanwhile, Sam is doing the Hunter thing, investigating a series of murders linked to the disappearances of six-month old babies.

And yes, we’re already starting off in a weirdly repetitive place right at the top of the episode. Thankfully – though perhaps also confusingly – the writers avoid the obvious connections here.

With Dean, we don’t get some sort of metaphor for “not being able to protect your kids forever.” Instead, it’s literally just Dean realizing he can’t protect his family forever, and by the end of the episode, he’s pulled out the car and hit the road to hunt once again. And with Sam, remember when his parents were attacked when he was a kid? Well, no mention of that, either. It just is what it is, and we move forward from there.

Again, it’s a little surprising that these easy connections weren’t hit... But when you get a fun, breezy, action packed episode like this one, it kind of doesn’t matter.

After Sam kills who he thinks is the monster attacking the families, he’s saddled with a tiny little baby left alive, and no idea what to do with it. So naturally, he calls up Dean, and they head off on the road, little baby in tow. I’m not usually a fan of Supernatural’s tendency towards putting Sam and Dean in “non-manly” situations, but credit director John Showalter (who’s new to this season) for giving the whole thing a much lighter touch than usual.

The scenes of Dean and Sam taking care of the baby – who, by the way, turns out to be a shapeshifter itself in the grossest, most Cronenburgian way possible – are actually pretty funny, and it’s nice to have a sense of humor back on the show.

Beyond that, we get to meet the unstoppable Alpha Shapeshifter – the first one ever in existence*. We also find out more about Granddad, and how he seems to be collecting monsters, rather than killing them. Oh, and did we mention Dean pulls out the car?

The best thing about this episode was probably the last scene, and it was for two reasons. First, we missed the car porn, as the camera lovingly passed over the Winchester boys' beat up Mustang. But more importantly, it’s nice to see Dean smile, after a season of crying and beating himself up. Jensen Ackles is a funny dude with a good attitude, and pretty much the whole reason for watching Supernatural in the first place. It’s good to have him back.

*Totally nothing like Buffy’s season seven Ubervamps, right? Right? Cough.

Random Notes:

• Hiding under a bed with a baby is the worst idea ever. I think if I’m ever put in that situation, I’ll just say, “Sorry baby!” or go all Medea.
• How many toppings are on a pizza with everything? This is an honest question.
• Nice cut to the baby in the back seat. Even if it was predictable, it was still fun.
• “Give me the baby or I'll stab you in the neck.”
• “We can't just drop it off at an orphanage, they might be upset when he turns Asian.”
• Can we get a spin-off of this show called “Parker Lewis Can't Hunt”?
• It looks like “Who do the Hunters work for?” will be one of the big mysteries this season... Any guesses, friends? Because it’s got to be someone we met before, right? And with people returning from the dead left and right, I'm guessing the Big Bad this year is... Dear old Dad.