Sam on the other hand is slightly off. I’m not sure where this show is going with Sam’s character, but I can honestly say I don’t like it so far. His flashbacks are not nearly as important or even as remotely interesting as Dean’s and the whole dog fiasco seemed ridiculous. Then then vet comes in and I’m wondering when I switched the channel and started watching a romantic drama. Sam in general seems extremely disconnected from the Supernatural world, which I can only hope serves a greater purpose than just an attempt to flesh out a character that doesn’t quite need it. I don’t really care how he got his dog.
Moving on with the story, the brothers ultimately find Kevin, who in a flashback of his own, kicked some demon ass and found a way to seal the gates of Hell for good. More bickering happens with Sam and Dean, which results in Sam convincing Kevin to help them seal Hell in order for him to have the normal life he left behind when he took the reigns of a prophet. Crowley and company come back with Kevin’s girlfriend and through some twists and turns, Dean, Sam, and Kevin end up escaping.
Personally, I find the guy who plays Kevin almost unbearable. I’m convinced it’s his acting skills, which can be improved – hopefully – but for the most part, I only see an identity crisis. From what I understand, Kevin is supposed to be somewhat fragile and confused as evident of his conversation with Sam. However, when he talks about sealing the gates of Hell, a disjointed snarkiness comes from him almost as if he became possessed by a demon. I know he’s revealing the overall plot for this season, but this boasting is very uncharacteristic. It would have worked better had he revealed it in an almost terrified way – you know, because he’s terrified. If he was indeed confident, he would have already tried to seal Hell, but instead he sits in an abandoned church doing who knows what. In fact, I hope he was already working on the seal. To top it off, Crowley kills Kevin’s girlfriend. So what. I don’t think anyone cared. Another attempt at giving Kevin too many personalities.
The final scene showed the charming Benny calling Dean. The two share a conversation about staying on their own paths while revealing very subtle hints that they do have a brotherly bond. Great way to end the premiere. Benny will be an interesting character to follow even if he ultimately ends up not having anything to do with sealing the gates of Hell. As others moan and groan, I feel it was smart to make him a vampire and not say, a shapeshifter. Before the sparkles, vampires were known to be more human than any other monster and a seductive one on that. Vampires have something an audience can latch onto, meaning Dean has something to latch onto as well. I can only hope they keep Benny around.
Overall, this episode felt unevenly paced with almost too much going on. I understand that this show went through a major turn in direction, but it should still feel like a continuation of season 7. Instead, we’re back at square one as if season 7 didn’t exist. That may be a good thing in the long run as this episode was made to be a set-up and solely a set-up, but there is much to be desired. They need to fix the whole Sam charade, kick Kevin a few times, and give us as much Purgatory as humanly possible. I know you can do it Supernatural. Carry on!
