We’re getting more
intriguing hints for the upcoming Wayward Sisters spin off.
Jack is back in the
picture, using an artist with some woo-woo (later explained because of his
Native American-ness because even the son of Satan is using Native people for
woo-woo) to dream walk between realms to show him where Mary is still being
held captive and tortured for no apparent reason. This process doesn’t seem to
be especially pleasant for the Native American artists.
So it’s no surprise when later his girlfriend finds him dead with his eyes burned out. Alas oh Native American woo-woo tool, your purpose is over
I also want to know
where Jack got the money from without being all morally dubious
Jody hears about this
from her police contacts and quickly contacts Sam and Dean with an apparent
angel death and an eye witness who clearly identifies Jack (unlike every real
life eye witness ever who I wouldn’t trust to clearly identify their own
mothers)
Sam and Dean hurry to
the scene and find the artist, a Dream Walker, has painted pictures of
apocalypse land where Lucifer and Mary are trapped
Dean assumes the
worst, believes Jack is trying to get his dad back and has gone full dark side
(since they don’t know Lucifer has already escaped). Which I guess I can kind
of see as plausible and Dean isn’t all smug and I told you so about it - but at
the same time I have to question why neither of them even considered he is
trying to rescue Mary
They plan to go to
the Native American reservation to have more woo-woo and likely cringeworthy
scenes; but instead Sam looks through the dead man’s contacts and finds he has
been talking a lot to a woman called Kaia - who he describes as the most
powerful Dream Walker, ever.
So Kaia - she’s an
orphan, haunted by terrible dreams from her dream walking who has resorted to
desperately taking drugs to try and suppress them and let her sleep without
this agony. She’s ended up forced to attend a rehab where absolutely no-one
understands her, obviously, as they believe she’s an addict
I have to say now
that she might be an addict- if she’s in the habit of taking drugs to suppress
the dreams doesn’t mean she’s not an addict. This is one of the problems that a
lot of depictions of addiction seem to miss: the fact that Kaia is using drugs
to suppress pain doesn’t mean she’s immune to addiction. Using addictive substances
for “good reasons” doesn’t mean addiction disappears - addiction isn’t some
kind punishment for using a drug with impure motives. It doesn’t work that way.
Jack meets her in the
rehab to continue to have bad people skills but also offer her a chance to
escape the rehab using his woo-woo: showing her that she’s not the only ones
with powers. Except she doesn’t really see her power as a good thing and is
duly suspicious of Jack. When he gets her out by putting several people to
sleep and breaking down the secure door, Kaia decides it’s time to leave. She’s
made no deal, she owes Jack nothing, she’s out. Jack would probably try to stop
her - but this is when Dean and Sam arrive
Jack claims that he
didn’t know the artist was did, he never did any such thing. And he wanted to
go to Apocalypse world to find Mary, to do something good for the Winchesters
and prove to them he can be good. He’s shocked they thought he would want to
free Lucifer and would kill people - and quite hurt by it. Sam tries to sugarcoat
it- but Dean doesn’t do that - he owns it. Yes, they thought that he was
capable of that. Dean is cynical and brutal but honest. And that doesn’t mean
he doesn’t care - in fact when Jack makes it clear Lucifer is nothing to him
but Sam and Dean and Castiel are his family, Dean agrees. He is family.
Dean can believe
terrible things of people but that doesn’t mean they’re not family. This is
classic Dean, he cares but has few illusions
But Dean is also
savaging himself - because he gave up on Mary. He gave up, he told Sam to give
up. They didn’t look for Mary. Dean is horrified and hates himself for this:
remember this is the same character who was blazingly furious with Sam for not
trying to free him from Purgatory. You. Do. Not. Give. Up. On. Family. Ever.
Not in Dean world. Given how much unhealthy codependence defines Dean this is
like violating his most sacred commandment.
Kaia, on her own, is
kidnapped by the angels who want to use her as bait to lure in Jack. Kaia
doesn’t believe this because she knows how mortal society works: women like
her, orphaned, poor, women of colour are not valued enough in society to be
worth looking for. She’s painfully aware - and the angels are clear they really
don’t care about her either - but Jack they need. They also conveniently tell
Kaia how they were the one who killed the artist because they want to cover
their tracks, in case we were even slightly thinking Jack could be guilty,
because Supernatural won’t allow any doubt
Jack & co arrive
and the angels begin to show us that they ARE supposed to be the most powerful
beings around (Supernatural does change the powers of their creatures,
especially angels, so often: which is a sadly common element when any show
introduces a character or being which is too powerful for them to handle). But
Jack reminds us he’s that + 10 and easily knocks them down even as they
desperately try to recruit him.
Kaia is freed - but
again, wants to go her own way. Despite all the talk of nephilim et al she
doesn’t want to get involved which isn’t exactly unsurprising. Sam appeals for
help - but again Kaia doesn’t owe them anything. Yes they rescued her, but the
only reason she’s actually in danger at all is because of them. I like that
Kaia is always clear about this, she doesn’t let anyone else define the
narrative or claim debts from her. She knows who is responsible and she knows
who she does or doesn’t owe.
So Dean draws a gun
on her, demanding the rescue Mary no matter what.
They drive off and Jack
tries to play nice to the kidnapped Kaia - but Kaia isn’t letting him off the
hook either: the whole reason the artist Derek is dead is because of him. Again
something I really like about Kaia and hope continues into Wayward Sisters,
she has a harsh but clear view of who is responsible, of the consequences of
their actions.
She does tell Jack
she feels cursed, because she doesn’t see wonderful things, she only goes to
one bad realm, a realm of horror from which she wakes with injuries and wounds.
Jack asks to show her the good places she can access as well - and she agrees
and is clearly gleeful and happy with what she sees. I think this matters
because at least a little we’re seeing that Kaia is being offered SOMETHING
from all this, her co-operation doesn’t just stem from fear and she doesn’t
turn from coerced prisoner to willing participant with the wave of a hand.
They get to the
woo-woo location - but the angels are back. With an army. A huge army of
angels. Dean and Sam hastily ward the warehouse they’re in but that may work on
the odd angel, but this swarm of angels all begin battering at the wards which
clearly begins eroding the ward. It’s only a matter of time before they break
in
Dean apologises
belatedly to Kaia for dragging her into certain death but she’s all ready to go
realm hopping. With Jack’s guidance she manages to focus away from the bad
place she keeps visiting and getting injured and focus on the many other realms
- and apocalypse realm. And Mary
There’s a huge wash
of power - and Jack ends up in apocalypse
world with Mary. Which is probably worrisome because he also ends up with Evil
Archangel Michael so that’s going to be a thing
Kaia ends up… somewhere?
And Dean and Sam end up somewhere else, possibly Kaia’s evil place… and by the footprints and the roars I’d say possibly dinosaurs except that footprint looks waaaay too big even for dinosaurs
And the angels? Die
in the backwash of power. I wonder if we’re going to follow up on that because
we’re looking at perhaps a dozen dead angels where the whole angel storyline
this season has been “we’re going extinct”. I assume angels are actually
involved in doing stuff other than chase the Winchesters around - what happens
when that stuff isn’t done?
We have a brief scene
from another Wayward
Sister - Patience. Despite her dad’s objections, the visions haven’t stopped, she can’t
ignore them and her attempt at a normal life is failing; her grades are
slipping and she can’t keep denying them. The last straw is when she sees a
powerful vision of the Winchesters and Jody all dead - she can’t sit on this
and she realises if she does nothing people will die. She has to go
Her dad is vehemently
opposed, knowing just how dangerous the hunter life is. He tells her if she
goes she won’t be coming back… she goes, having to do the right thing
Ok a preliminary
statement on Wayward Sisters - so far we seem to have Jody, Donna, Patience,
Kaia, Claire and Alex and there’s diversity there: but I feel my eyebrow
quirking that it’s the two women of colour who have woo-woo. Which is a trope
We need to address
Dean kidnapping Kaia at gunpoint. Or, rather, Supernatural does. Because
“I’m sorry I got you into this” doesn’t cover it. Nor does knowing why Dean
does this address this - we know Dean’s damage, we know his obsession, his
self-hate and why he needs to save his mother. But none of that addresses what
he did here, nor does Kaia’s ultimate co-operation. This needs addressing and
challenging with both Dean AND Sam who didn’t draw his gun but confined his
objection to a basic “dude”. Because refusing to do terrible things is one
thing; refusing to do terrible things because you know someone else will do it
for you for is something entirely different. I think this is even more
necessary since the last episode already established the idea that there are
lines the Winchesters
knew they couldn’t cross.
