Supernatural returned for a remarkable 12th season with “Keep Calm and Carry On” – maybe the title gimmick this year will be quote a Supernatural T-shirt slogan? The episode was written by new showrunner Andrew Dabb and was directed by stalwart Phil Sgriccia. The episode featured the epic return of Mary Winchester (Samantha Smith) and the further introduction of Lady Toni Bevell (Elizabeth Blackmore). I appreciated the many touchstones of continuity in the episode, but there were also a number of elements that I found rather jarring. Sam’s (Jared Padalecki) entire storyline seemed to be a loving tribute to torture-porn, torn from the pages of hurt/comfort (heavy on the hurt) fan fiction. I’m not dissing fan fiction or even hurt comfort, and I’m not criticizing Padalecki’s performance which was excellent, but it seems like an odd direction for the show to take after never giving us much of the details of either Sam or Dean’s (Jensen Ackles) time in hell.
The episode opens with Dean’s reunion with his mother. This was a terrific scene and Ackles and Smith nail it. Dean’s sense of wonder at finding his mother and Mary’s utter confusion are spot on in their performances. I loved Mary pinning Dean when she felt threatened – nightie and bare feet and all! And then we get a beautiful account of how Mary and John met. I loved how Dean went through the highlights of Mary’s life until after Sam, Mary suddenly adds, “And then I burned.” Smith’s delivery of the line is devastating. But at heart, she’s a hunter, and she sees the story as the truth. This is her son – 33 years later. So, I’m curious. Is Dean (and Sam for that matter) older than she is now? Regardless, the two finally embrace, and Dean’s face is the face of a four-year-old – it’s Ackles turn to nail it.
Castiel (Misha Collins) makes landfall somewhere far from the bunker. His exchange with the truck driver (JD Thiessen) who thinks Cas is an alien is pretty funny. Cas seems to have landed with an attitude, however. And here’s the part that felt totally out of character for me – why is Cas suddenly the muscle in the Dean/Cas team? Since when is Cas the angry one, ready to beat people up for information? And since when is Cas ready to lose it over Sam? And what exactly are Cas’s powers these days? He can zap a guy to sleep, but he can’t zap himself anywhere – didn’t God power him up? And if not, why not? And if he can zap a guy to sleep, shouldn’t he be able to zap a guy’s memories? What about simply locating someone? Too many questions here…
I did, however, like the conversation between Mary and Dean on the park bench, which did actually answer a few burning questions. He tells her that they did meet in the past twice, but her memory was then wiped – so she doesn’t remember. Mary brings up “Home” when she saved Sam as a ghost, and she has no memory of that.
Lady Toni takes Sam to a vet – Dr Marion (Colin Lawrence) who takes care of the bullet wound in his leg. Exactly why didn’t Sam think she wouldn’t shoot him in the first place? Doesn’t he remember Bella shooting him under similar circumstances? In fact, both Dean and Sam have rather insulting attitudes towards women in the episode. Dean also completely under estimates Ms Watt (Bronagh Waugh).
Crowley (Mark Sheppard) is hot on the trail of Lucifer who is leaving a trail of burned out vessels and a clean up crew. Crowley seems to have been shunted to comedy relief. I did enjoy the disconnect between the burly henchman (Dan Willows) who had just shifted from a 14 year old girl vessel. Jarvis (Jesse Reid) tells Crowley that no one is going to take him seriously while Lucifer it around, and Crowley reveals his plan to kill Lucifer. I hope he offs Rick Springfield as quickly as possible – am I the only one who thinks he looks ridiculous and hasn’t got much hope for his acting skills? I’m willing to bet right now that he’s going to be directed way too far over the top.
Sam wakes up tied to a chair and we get long, lingering shots of his tied up hands and feet, not to mention the time devoted to the actual torture. And this from a show that for years would have the main character beaten to within an inch of their lives and not even have a bruise the next day! Padalecki does a nice job in “standing” up to Toni. I loved the line – and his deliver: “I’ve been tortured by the devil himself. You’re just an accent in a pantsuit.” And why exactly IS she torturing him, when she professes later on that she simply wants to develop a working relationship with the US network of hunters “to make America safe again.” And is this supposed to echo the Trump “to make America great again?” Sure seems like it. And like it’s supposed to demonstrate what a psycho and bad guy she is!
She tells Sam that they know all about him and Dean. They’ve been watching them since the Apocalypse. The “old men” wouldn’t let the British Men of Letters who wanted to get involved do so until now. But now she wants to know about how they saved the sun – but if they know everything else, why not that? And really? The four horsemen, Lucifer on Earth, the apocalypse? That wasn’t enough to motivate them? And where did Watt come from? Clearly they have people in the US already? And who is this mysterious Mr Chance?
Meanwhile, Dean and Mary arrive back at the bunker and discover the angel-blasting sigil and the blood on the floor. While Dean is searching for Sam, Mary wanders into the library just as Cas arrives home. Dean bursts in just as Mary is about to shoot Cas (maybe?) and introduces them – but only after Cas gives Dean a big hug. Dean explains that they’re friends, and it’s clear that Mary is wondering what kind of friends. I loved her asking if Cas is a hunter and them explaining he’s an angel – “come again?” And of course, Cas clarifying that he doesn’t actually have a harp.
Mary is astonished by Dean’s laptop – “Is that a computer?” But why does Cas say he doesn’t trust them? I mean, what? I did love Dean easily hacking into the traffic cams – thank you show for remembering that Dean does have skills that he learned from Frank way back in season seven. They get the lead on Toni’s car and follow it to the driver (Ronald Patrick Thompson). From their they find their way to Marion and finally to Toni.
However, before all that, we get a beautiful hero shot of Baby in the Bunker garage – and Mary’s reunion with her. She is happy to see her – “She’s still beautiful” – and you can feel the pride radiating off of Dean. She is clearly recalling a lot of memories as she caresses the car and comes to rest on one side leaning in to the back seat. It’s utterly clear what she is remembering – and it’s worth remembering that Mary is only in her thirties – maybe her late twenties – it also makes what she’s lost even more poignant. She’s lost her husband and her children – Sam and Dean aren’t kids – she’s lost the chance to raise her children. She may have them back, but they’re adults.
Dean is enjoying her appreciation of the car – something he never gets from Sam. He’s looking at the back seat, no doubt remembering family trips, etc. And suddenly the lear on Mary’s face registers with Dean – I love Ackles’ reaction shots as the penny finally drops! He suddenly backs away like the car is red hot and suggests they leave!
While they wait for Marion to return, Mary and Cas get a coffee and catch up. It’s clear that Mary is more than a little overwhelmed at all the changes. She tells Cas that as a Hunter, she is well aware of people returning from the dead, but to actually do it herself after 30 years is a bit different.
Once again when they accost Marion, Cas is the one to be aggressive. However, I did love that we finally get vintage don’t-mess-with-my-brother Dean when he gets Toni on the phone. He’s so angry that he snaps Marion’s cell phone in half.
Toni is starting to gain some respect for Sam – as is Watts. She really doesn’t think she can break him and suggests calling in Mr Chance, whom Toni doesn’t like. Toni has one more ace up her sleeve – they’ll try to break his mind with drugs if they can’t break his body. Of course, Sam’s been subjected to hallucinations before too. While Watt is out trying to take care of the Dean problem, Sam manages to fake out Toni. He’s seen that he’s free and has been drugged but is still under surveillance, so he fakes killing himself. Toni freaks out and rushed down into the locked basement armed with a cattle prod. Sam gets her by the throat and mostly chokes her out, but doesn’t finish the job or tie her up, leaving her free to zap him with the cattle prod and escape, locking him in again.
Watt, meanwhile, hits the Impala, knocking Mary out. Cas checks her out and tells Dean she’s fine – but doesn’t seem to heal her. Meanwhile, Watt has her hands behind her back – complete with sigil carved brass knuckles. And here Dean underestimates her – and she takes full advantage, kicking both of the boys’ asses. It’s Mary who saves them just as Watt is about to shoot then, she drives the angel blade through Watts’ chest!
Afterwards, Dean asks her if she’s alright, and she honestly tells him NO. She got out of hunting because she didn’t want this life. She certainly never wanted it for her children. I really loved this scene – which opens with Mary sitting half in the back seat, just staring at her hands – that just took a life. Dean crouches down in front of her and tells her, “Saving people, hunting things. This is our life. I know we make the world a better place.” Mary seems unconvinced, however.
The final musical montage shows Mary in the backseat looking pensive and Dean shooting concerned looks at her. Sam is still locked in the basement, and Crowley is with Lucifer’s latest burnt out shell. There were some good moments in the episode, and a few headscratchers – the biggest being that the entire British Men of Letters seems very contrived. What did you think of the episode? 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, Designated Survivor, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, The X-Files, Timeless,12 Monkeys, Killjoys, and a few others! I'm active on the Con scene when I have the time. 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.
