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Supernatural - Paint It Black - Review

Apr 1, 2015

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Supernatural, “Paint It Black,” was written by the team of Brad Buckner and Eugenie Ross-Leming and was directed by John F Showalter. It’s another monster of the week episode with just a few nods to the Mark of Cain storyline. Unfortunately, there’s also a heavy dose of the Rowena (Ruth Connell) storyline, which may or may not ever fold into the Mark storyline. This is not my favorite writing team, but I did like that they developed the Isabella’s (Catherine Michaud) storyline more fully and in a pretty interesting way.

It’s not apparent from the outset that Isabella is the ghost. We see her talking to Sister Mathias (Rachel Keller) and simply assume she is another nun. In the first flashback, we only see her from the neck up, so get now hints about the time period. I had pretty much figured out that she was a ghost by the time the camera pulls back to reveal what she’s wearing and then tells us that we’re looking at Florence, Italy, in 1520.
Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Sam (Jared Padalecki) think it may be a witch at first because cheating men are being targeted. Sister Mathias is also a good red herring at the outset. Dean just wants to focus on hunting, to distract himself, but Sam isn’t giving up and is continuing to research. The episode gives us quite a bit of insight into both brothers.
There are also a few nice humorous moments, such as when Sam gets their names wrong in front of Sister Mathias and when he tells Dean that she’s married to Jesus – so not likely interested in Dean. And did anyone else catch what's on the message board? "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother."
Sister Mathias feels close to Isabella and tells her, “We’re supposed to enter the convent for a higher purpose but many chose this because of the things that overwhelmed us.” Dean asks Sister Mathias why she’s joined the convent: “how one quits one life for something completely different and then believe in it so much,” she answers, “I felt I had no choice. My life had become painful, hopeless. I felt I needed to find something larger than myself. A kind of mission, I guess. You have no idea what I’m talking about, I’m sure.” But of course, we’ve seen Dean do this time and time again. Somehow, I doubt that Dean’s about to join a monastery.

Dean takes confession to lure the ghost out. The first half is pretty funny as he clearly has no clue what he’s doing and he spins a tale about Gina. But then the conversation turns serious. He tells the Priest (Steve Curtis), “What if I said I didn’t want to die? Yet. That I wasn’t ready.” The Priest asks if he’s expecting to die, and he continues, “Always. The life I live. The work I do. I pretty much just figured that’s all there was to me, y’know? Tear around and jam the key in the ignition and haul ass until I ran out of gas. I guess I just thought sooner or later, I’d go out the same way I lived. Pedal to the metal and that would be it.”

The Priest encourages him to go on. Dean says, “Now. Recent events made me think I might be closer to that than I really thought and… I don’t know… there’s things. There’s people, feelings that I want to experience differently than I have before or maybe even for the first time.” The Priest suggests, “a little deeper than with Gina.” Dean says, “Yeah. I’m just starting to think that maybe there’s more to it all than I thought.” The Priest asks if Dean believes in God because that might be a comfort to him. Dean tells him, “I believe there is a God, but I am not sure he still believes in us.”


For me, none of this really sounded like the Dean we’ve come to know. For my own part, the Dean that mourned his loss of innocence in Hell already cared deeply. The Dean that had dedicated his life to hunting things, saving people, killing as many evil sons of bitches as possible, already knew about these things. The Dean whose entire heaven consisted of family or the Dean who imagined a sun drenched picnic with Lisa in “Dream a Little Dream of Me” also knew these things.

In the end, after telling them that the church is on a burial ground but poo-pooing the idea of ghosts, Sister Mathias finally comes clean and admits that she’s been helping ghosts find their way to the other side. Dean is sure that Isabelle is tied to her journal, but Sam isn’t quite so sure. Dean and Sister Mathias go in search of Isabelle. Why? It really doesn’t make a lot of sense for them to split up. In the end, we learn that Piero (Peter J Gray) used Isabelle’s blood and bone – part of her finger – EW! – in the paint. She was actually tied to the painting, and Sam burns it just in the nick of time to save Dean after Isabelle possesses Sister Mathias.

In the final scene, Sam is actually driving. And in contrast to the opening when Dean was driving and directing how they’d proceed, Sam says he’s not giving up. He offers to be there for Dean if Dean wants to talk. Sam tells Dean, “There has to be a way. There will be a way and we will find it. That’s what we do. So believe that.” Dean says, in a very world weary way, “Okay Sammy.” Sam isn’t satisfied until he gets Dean to growl “okay” convincingly. As Sam drives, we can see that Dean is physically uncomfortable. Is the Mark starting to manifest itself physically again? Making Dean ill as he resists its murderous tendencies?

Rowena is causing havoc in Hell’s court. To placate her, Crowley (Mark Sheppard) brings her the High Priestess of the Grand Coven, Olivette (Teryl Rothery). Rowena takes great pleasure in torturing her, learning that the Grand Coven isn’t so grand anymore, mainly due to the interference of the Men of Letters. She also tells her that the only two Men of Letters left in North America are the Winchesters. We also learn that the Men of Letters took all the spells and secrets of the witches. Could there be something in there that would help with the Mark? In the end, Rowena doesn’t kill Olivette, she simply turns her into a hamster.

Crowley reiterates that his relationship with the Winchesters is his own business and he’s not killing them, regardless of what Rowena might want. Even in the Crowley storyline, we hardly get any Crowley. Having the “villain” a total wimpy mama’s boy is becoming increasingly less interesting for me.

All in all, this episode had some interesting moments, but really didn’t work over all for me. I wanted more out of an episode with such a great title – sure it tied into the painting, but the black should imply some demonic element at the very least. It was nice to see both brothers speak about what they’re thinking and feeling. I felt Sam’s dedication to saving his brother felt a lot more in character than Dean’s confession. What did you think of the episode? Are you as tired of Rowena as I am? Do you miss the days of Crowley’s witty repartes? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!



About the Author - Lisa Macklem
I do interviews and write articles for the site in addition to reviewing a number of shows, including Supernatural, Arrow, Agents of Shield, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, Forever, Defiance, Bitten, Glee, and a few others! Highlights of this past year include covering San Diego Comic Con as press and a set visit to Bitten. When I'm not writing about television shows, I'm often writing about entertainment and media law in my capacity as a legal scholar. I also work in theatre when the opportunity arises. I'm an avid runner and rider, currently training in dressage.

25 comments:

  1. the last two episodes have been pretty boring/average and not many people like Rowena. She is terrible and I hope her character doesn't carry over to season 11. Especially when good characters like Cain only got two episodes. I hope tomorrow's episode is better. The previews give me some hope at least.


    We are quickly coming up to the season finale which I believe is being filmed early. Which may indicate a hard-to-get actor will be in (possibly a returning character) but that's just my personal speculation on the matter.

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  2. The only part I liked was Rowena's comment calling her son Ferrrrrrrrgus, "numbnuts"

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  3. I'm in the minority in not absolutely hating this episode, but then I don't have a hate boner for Bruckner & Ross-Leming. It was kinda nice to see an episode like this where the audience is more involved in seeing what made the ghost a vengeful spirit, Sam rattling its origin off to Dean. Though I will admit I wasn't necessarily sure it was a vengeful spirit story right away, the odds of it being a ghost or a witch story were pretty even for me (though Isabella did get burned at the stake as a witch). It was a solid B/B- episode for me.


    Though of course people began whinging about Dean's interactions with the Sister Mathias, it was gross for him to think the nun was hot, and the best one taking an out of context screencap of Dean smiling during his first conversation with Sister Mathais and calling him predatory, it's getting ridiculous.

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  4. I like Rowena, I think everything they are doing with her is deliberate. That she's kinda over-the-top/theatrical, and transparent in her manipulations* is deliberate.


    *Carver and Shepard have both gone on record as saying Crowley has been aware of Rowena's manipulations from the start.

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  5. The one good thing in the episode was Serge's lighting in Dean's confessional scene. Other than that, I rank the episode right down at the all-time bottom with Bloodlines.

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  6. Here's my quick review. One of the worst episodes of Supernatural.

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  7. This used to be the only series I watched the night it was on, now it may takes several days before I get around to it. Sad how a change in showrunner can bring a show down.

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  8. It's become a habit now that people connected with the show come out in interviews and TELL the audience what is not coming through on-screen.

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  9. ha, I would put it ahead of any ep with Charlie, Ghostfacers, Bloodlines, or Bitten.

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  10. I've never missed a live airing of the show, but I think that I will see this season through and then I'm done. No matter what big "wow" they come up with in the finale, all potential will be thrown out and we'll see another steady stream of "nobody cares" character episodes next season.

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  11. Since the Winchesters have been part of my family all this time, I will stay with they until the bitter end. :(

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  12. I am still 100% invested in the Winchester brothers, but the way things are now, I can watch the series finale and know how their story end. What is happening in-between, if this season; especially, but last season, too, are any indication, is of no importance to them. They have lost their show to characters I don't give a dam* about -- especially FAN FAVORITE Charlie, Barbie werewolves, donut eating Sheriffs, foster parent sheriffs, and telenova nuns.

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  13. What!!! You don't like seen Robbie Thompson in drag -- I mean FAN FAVORITE Charlie. We are kindred spirits in that respect.

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  14. The destruction of Crowley is unforgivable. Thanks for bringing up the lighting. I was very remiss in not touching on it - but I was distracted by how generally terrible the episode was...

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  15. I don't have a "hate boner" for the writers, but they've yet to write an episode I've thoroughly liked.


    *sigh* it seems there are several factions that will spin the plot to crucify the show for their personal bugbears regardless. Frankly, I thought it was actually kind of refreshing that Dean thought of her as a person - not simply a stereotype. And did they not get that he was bugging Sam by saying that? And have they met Dean? He's inappropriate and doesn't have a filter.

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  16. Yep. Right there with you. I used to get butterflies I was so excited to see the next episode. Not any more...

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  17. Thereby breaking the cardinal storytelling rule... show do not tell....

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  18. The finale is being filmed at the same time it always is. Last week of March/first of April. This is when they always finish.


    I'm fully expecting a huge flurry of activity in the last 2-3 episodes. This is Carver's modus operandi. A bunch of filler/boring episodes from 16-20 and then 2 or 3 packed episodes that introduce a bunch of new stuff and go in some completely new direction. Hasn't worked for me in the past at all. In fact, I've found the ending of each of Carver's seasons to be the most disappointing parts of each season....

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  19. Agree re Dean and Sister Mathias – he seemed genuinely interested in her story. And he always plays up his own lasciviousness to Sam.


    Also agree that it was a nice idea to reveal the monster's origin in a different way, but the execution didn't work for me. The flashbacks were too 10-cent paperback.

    That Sister Mathias was just chatting with Isabella was far more intriguing. I wish the episode had spent more time on that instead of the cheesy flashbacks. I wouldn't mind our ghost-friendly nun making another appearance in the future.


    The episode had a lot of good ideas but just didn't put it all together right. It felt like a sloppy first draft that could have been great with several rounds of revisions.

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  20. What I understand from Jim Michael tweets and reporting on JA's meet and greet in Seattle, the finale is being filmed before 10.22 to accommodate Felicia Day's schedule. Jim Michaels said "a character's" schedule, but JA specifically said Felicia Day's schedule.

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  21. As I say, each Carver season is worse than the one before it. Like you, I was not bored during "Bloodlines" but I was bored to the point of changing the channel and basically watching an entirely different show during "Paint It Black." Haha!

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  22. Perhaps they should change it to watching paint dry...

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  23. Ten minutes in and I was so ticked off, I was PM'ing some friends overseas ranting about how atrocious it was.

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  24. That's kinda always been how the show operates, flurry of activity in the last 4-3 episodes.

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  25. It seems those people that complained about Dean thinking the nun was hot or looking at coeds are the types that want Dean to be completely asexual around women, so they can have their crackfic about him being bi and in love with Cas.

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