Supernatural “Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox” was written by newcomer Steve Yockey and was directed by John Badham. Yockey’s rather slim resume lists
Scream: The TV Series and
Awkward as his previous credits. The episode features the return of surrogate mom to the brothers, Jody Mills (Kim Rhodes) who gets to meet actual Mom Mary (Samantha Smith) when they all converge on the funeral of hunter Asa Fox (Shaine Jones).
The episode quickly reveals in the opening teaser that Mary didn’t give up hunting quite so easily as everyone thought. In fact, she was still hunting in 1980, when Dean (Jensen Ackles) was one and Sam (Jared Padalecki) hadn’t even been born yet. She rescues Young Asa (Jack Moore) from a werewolf – with whom she had “history.” She’s been hunting it for a long time, so we can possibly assume that this predates marrying John. She tells Asa that she’s retiring – and officially is retired. He worries about who will save people – and that’s enough to suck him into the hunting life. Something else for Mary to feel guilty about.
In more homages to season one, we get to see the development of his hunting wall and the picture he takes of Mary becomes an important point in the episode. Asa won’t replace his car because it’s his lucky car – like Baby? I loved the montage accompanied by BTO’s “Roll on Down the Highway” that is suddenly cut off as Asa’s life is also cut short. It’s a nice use. And as a Canadian, I have to admit I was pretty thrilled to see an episode finally set in Canada – even if it is Manitoba – kidding!
Sam and Dean show up on Jody’s doorstep on the way home from killing Hitler – which Dean proudly tells Jody and she’s just not sure how to process that. They interrupt her day off and proceed to eat her pizza. Happily for me, Alex and Claire are away at a Radiohead concert. I did love their banter as Dean is aghast that badass Sheriff Jody might be a Rom-com chick! And then Sam gets back at him by revealing that Dean is more an erotic anime chick. When Dean tells Sam not to tell that kind of thing to Jody, it’s a nice nod to how he views her – it’s something you might more easily share with a friend than a mother.
They’re interrupted by the call about Asa’s death and Jody tells them she met him when he came to town and pretended to be FBI Agent Fox Mulder! Because of course he would - his name was already half way there! And we have yet another nice
X-Files shout out, which always feels like a shout out to the wonderful and ever missed Kim Manners – so another shout out to seasons past. The brothers remember Ellen talking about Asa at the Roadhouse. He would have been a good 10 years their senior, so it makes sense that he would have already had a reputation. Rhodes does Jody’s grief justice and brings the emotion as she always does.
The brothers insist on accompanying Jody to the funeral – salt and burn – and arrive in the middle of the wake. His mother Lorraine (Laurie Paton) is bitter about his death. Dean and Sam quickly discover that they are legends in the hunting community. Bucky (Mac Brandt) gets Dean to say Wendigo, which turns out is a drinking game!
Sam asks Dean if he realizes that people tell stories about them. Dean is clearly tickled that they are kind of legends, but Sam points out that Asa was a legend too and ended up dead, alone in the woods. Dean is completely philosophical about it – he died on the job – it’s a good way to go. When Dean asks if Sam doesn’t think the same. Dean reiterates that the hunting life only ends one way – but Sam is clearly still troubled by that.
The party winds down until only Jody, Bucky, Elvis (Billy Wickman), Randy (Darren E Scott), the twins – Alicia (Kara Royster) and Max (Kendrick Sampson), Sam, and Dean are left. It comes out that Asa was quite the lady’s man – he had a ‘thing’ with Jody and the twins’ mother talked about him all the time.
Mary arrives just after Randy’s throat is slit. Both she and the brothers are surprised to see each other, but Dean is the first to say “hey” though he’s clearly not sure how to react. Sam looks to Dean, seemingly more concerned about how he’s going to react.
Sam, Dean, Mary, and for some inexplicable reason Jody leave the room to talk privately. Mary wants to know what they’re doing there, and Dean – typical kid fashion – responds with a question – the same question. Sam tells her they came with Jody who was Asa’s friend. Sam then does the introductions, and Jody immediately picks up on the “Mom.” Her reaction doesn’t disappoint and ends in a hug. She then excuses herself, realizing that she’s butting in.
Dean asks where she’s been. She tells them she went back to Lawrence for a few days and has been using John’s journal to retrace a few things and try to catch up on what she’s missed. Dean petulantly points out that she could have used them to catch up. Sam tries to shut him down, but Mary says he’s right, but this was something she needed to do alone. Most of the people she knew are dead, but she remembered Asa and thought he’d still be around because he was so young when she met him – and then she saw the notice of his death. Dean is angry that she’ll drive all the way to Canada for a dead guy but only text them once a week and stomps off.
Jody asks how Dean is – and call him on lying about being fine. She reminds him that she’s also lost loved ones. She’d give anything to have her husband and son back, but it would also scare the hell out of her. What if she’s changed (and boy has she!) or they’ve changed? She is clearly striking a chord with how Dean is feeling. She goes on to ask what if it just didn’t work out the way I wanted? She tells him she’s there for him if he wants to talk, and he clearly appreciates it.
Lorraine introduces herself to Mary and won’t believe who she is because she should be Lorraine’s age – which is a good reminder. She blames Mary for his life and his death. She gives Mary the postcards Asa wrote to her. He never had a family or kids because after he met Mary, he was obsessed with the hunting life.
Sam sees Mary is upset and asks her if she’s ok – she’s not, she feels guilty. Sam tells her that it was Asa’s choice and points out how many people he saved. Mary tells him that she doesn’t know anymore. Everywhere she goes, everything just feels wrong. She insists that she’ll get used to be back. Sam tells her it’s ok. He gets that she needs both time and space. But he also pipes up for Dean, telling her that Dean’s afraid that Mary is going to walk away because they’re hunters. And it’s clear that Dean is worried about that – and that he’s a disappointment because of it. Sam picks up on when Mary saved Asa, and Sam intuits that Mary is still hunting. He tells her that this life is crazy, but it’s in their blood. It’s interesting that he doesn’t seem as conflicted about it when talking with Mary.
Sam takes Mary to say goodbye to Asa, and we get the classic blood dripping from the ceiling. And another nice shout out to season one and the "Pilot" with Mary following the blood to the ceiling this time. They try to get the others to leave, and they smell Sulphur. Bucky claims it’s the crossroads demon that killed Asa. They can’t get out the door, and Max reveals the wards keeping them in. It’s a nicely structured episode as it turns on dime at the halfway mark.
Dean has stepped outside to gather his thoughts – and have a private drink – when Billie (Lisa Berry) shows up. She tells him she just came from reaping a soul in the house – and Dean immediately tries to get in – was it Sam or Mary or Jody??? Too many people he loves in that house! I love Ackles’ “I’ll kill everything” face! Billie insists she had nothing to do with it. Dean gets Billie to let him in, but she tells him it’s a one way ticket and he’ll owe her one – that can’t be good.
Inside, the demon possesses Alicia and then smokes out. The others search the house in pairs. And Elvis immediately goes off on his own to get Lorraine a drink and get possessed – really? When Dean blasts in, Elvis pulls a knife. The demon tells Dean that Hell is a complete train wreck without either Lucifer or Crowley in charge. The demon breaks Elvis’ neck when Dean starts an exorcism.
They all come back together, and I loved them all pulling out their blue flashlights (
X-Files!) when the lights go out. Dean takes charge and tells them to lay down a Devil’s trap. Mary asks how they’re going to lure the demon inside, and Dean tells her it’s to check that they’re clean – anyone who doesn’t get in, is clearly possessed. Mary compliments him on it being clever – and of course, Dean is pleased!
I loved the banter over what kind of pentacle they should draw. And of course, once again they go off alone. Jody tells Sam that the demon is in Mary and then insists to Dean and then gets hysterical, which is Sam and Dean’s clue that the demon is in Jody. Kim Rhodes clearly had a blast playing demon, but I’m finding her performance is less like Jody and more like Kim. And I fully acknowledge that it has to be exceptionally hard to play a character irregularly over so many seasons and keep the essence of the character pure. And while it really looked like we were about to lose Jody, I was really happy to see the writers didn’t go there.
Mary tries to kill Jody with the angel blade and Sam stops her, allowing her to take control. We do get some nice monologuing in which it’s revealed that the twins were actually Asa’s kids – giving Lorraine the gift of grandchildren. She also reveals to all of them that Bucky actually killed Asa. Bucky confesses that it was an accident. I also LOVED the group effort exorcism.
At the salt and burn, Lorraine tells Mary that she was wrong. Asa did have a family – he even had kids. Mary apologizes to Jody. And Jody gives her a little Mom advice. She tells Mary that her boys are good men. Mary tells her that they aren’t the problem.
Billie shows up and tells them that Mary really isn’t ok. Billie tells Dean that he owes her one – and it’s Mary. Billie sees that Mary has the “deadman’s look” – that she doesn’t want to be there, that she doesn’t feel like she fits. She tells Mary that she’s not there to hurt Mary but to show her mercy. Dean insists that Mary isn’t alone, but it also seems like he's starting to understand her struggle a bit. Mary asks how it will work, and Billie says she can’t kill her – rules. Mary thinks about it but tells Billie that she’s going to have wait. Sam asks if that means she’s coming home. She says yet… but not quite yet. Dean seems to be getting it and invites her for breakfast – extending his version of an olive branch – bacon! All the bacon!
This was a satisfying episode – more so because we didn’t lose either Mary or Jody! It seems inevitable that Mary can’t last much longer, but I’m really enjoying having Samantha Smith on the show, so I do hope they find a way to make it work. Lots of fun season one throwbacks in this episode. What did you think of the episode? Are you enjoying Mary or are you ready for the storyline to come to some kind of conclusion? Did you think Jody was a goner? Anybody else wondering that Misha Collins or Mark Sheppard are doing? It seems the writers this season are struggling even harder to find them a storyline. Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
