Friday, February 5, 2016

Supernatural, Season 11, Episode 12: Don't Forget About Me




Why do American teenagers even make out on these deserted roads? In fact how does the next generation of Americans even live to adulthood if this is a common right of passage? How are they not all dead at their deserted lovers’ lanes (deserted except for the hug decomposing mounds of the corpses of previous victims. I mean, can even the horniest teenager get it on surrounded by so many corpses?)

It’s a Jody episode! I’m always a little afraid of a Jody episode, always wondering of this will be the episode where Jody finally joins so many others in the Supernatural Walk-in-Freezer (Supernatural has long since graduated past mere fridges) – but so far so good.

Jody is running her home for waifs and strays with both Alex and Claire both of whom have issues; which is only to be expected given what they’ve come from and how Jody is trying to be a parent to these girls when she has no history with them: which doesn’t make it easy for Claire either since she came afterwards and feels something of an outsider

Claire has been hunting. Well… sort of. Claire has been menacing random people around her with lots of violence because she is seeing monsters everywhere. This is causing some friction – especially when she calls Sam and Dean in to help her with her hunts much to Jody’s annoyance (and wonderful, earnest awkwardness)

Now, obviously, this being Supernatural there are actual monsters – vampires to be exact – and they get predictably sliced and diced, but the main story is the Jody family coming together and, equally little insights into Sam and Dean

See, we see Dean all enthralled by one of his terrible terrible junk food awfulness early in the episode (and there is still no way he eats like that) but what makes him and Sam rhapsodise is Jody’s simple chicken dinner: because home cooked food is something they’ve never had. Or when Jody worries that Claire is using hunting to hide from her life because she doesn’t know anything else and Dean decides to pass that on to Sam because there’s way too much of himself in that statement. Or Dean being so utterly furious with Claire for disrespecting Jody because Jody has given Claire and Alex a home – an actual home; something Sam and Dean never had. Or Sam telling Claire to appreciate having a home, a family or school – because she may never have them again unlike Hunting which will always be there.


The life Jody has made for Claire and Alex is something utterly precious that Sam and Dean have never had. Even with awkward (but excellent) conversations about birth control with teenagers.

When the face the vampires it’s an excellent moment of Alex confronting her terrible past and, of course, Jody, Claire and Alex rally together as a family, supporting for each other, caring for each other, fighting for each other and risking life and limb for each other. Family bonding at its best

They leave them much stronger – with Claire facing a more reasonable outlook on hunting (while still planning on becoming a hunter) while Alex, with her past, is staying with them but one day wants to get away from all the monsters. What I think is extra special about this ending is no-one says either choice is wrong – not even the girls to each other.