Mallena’s Musings: Supernatural 13.02 “The Rising Son”

Last week, I embraced my inner Chuck and pronounced the premiere episode of Supernatural to be “not bad.”  This week, I’m going to have to go with “not terrible.”  I really hope this trend doesn’t continue and the episodes get better, but for now…there’s some enjoyment to be had.  I did laugh a few times and Jack continues to be an intriguing character, so there are quite a few good moments in this one.

It’s not encouraging to me, anyway, that the episode starts with demons in office attire hovering over an empty throne.  I was hoping for a different depiction of demons, this time around.  Remember Azazel or Meg?  They didn’t wear suits and carry clipboards!  I just don’t get why demons or angels are still being depicted this way.  It’s so boring.  Then, we get Asthmado…Amodium…Amadeus…okay, I give up.  That fourth knight of Hell, who I’ll call Assy, strides on the scene in a white suit and speaking in a languid southern accent.  Does Hell have a South?  No matter, I’m digging the hair and will reserve judgment on the character until a later date.  I’m not sure about his backstory, though.  He said that he bonded with Lucifer because of pain and humiliation?  I’m still puzzling over that one.

I do like the idea of Dean hallucinating sheep on the road, that one definitely invokes some fun brain canon…

and I love Jack’s enthusiasm for the room.  “This is nice,” is something that a Winchester never says when entering a motel room, ever.  The scenes in that room are fun with Jack being literal, once again, and showing Dean how he would walk out the door to leave, because that’s what one does.  More fun moments are when it’s understood that God is Jack’s grandfather, Jack’s fascinated by Dean and copies his movements, and then Donatello shows up.   Well, maybe that last part isn’t that fun, for me.  I’m afraid that I don’t care for his character.  I just don’t find anything interesting about his fuddy-duddy prophet interpretation.  If the show is going to have a prophet, I’m sorry to be mean, but I’d like Donatello to bite the dust so that we can have someone more compelling.  If a casting spoiler is to be believed, I might get my wish.

Like Castiel in that mental hospital in season seven, Dean scares poor Jack away.  That just breaks my heart when Jack says that Dean hates him.  I also found the scene where Jack’s stabbing himself and asking what he is…oh, that’s painful to hear and to watch.  Jack’s so confused and Dean’s attitude toward him isn’t helpful at all, unless maybe Dean means to scare him straight.  But, come on!  The kid might be a powerful force, but he still has feelings, Dean!  I’ll expound on my thoughts about Dean’s behavior, but I really did like Sam’s explanation of Dean to Jack.  Sam knows Dean better than anyone and I’m really encouraged by the way that Sam’s being understanding – both of Jack and of his brother.  If anyone can teach Jack what it means to be human, while also dealing with dark supernatural forces, it’s Sam.

That’s an interesting fight scene between Dean and that big demon fellow.  I’m not sure we’ve had a demon lift Dean onto his shoulders (backwards, even) and propel him through a divider, before.  Dean also makes an incredible angel blade throw that sticks its landing, one that I couldn’t manage if my life depended on it.  Dean should enter the Hunter’s Olympics, if there is such a thing.  Oh, they really should start one.  Sam would beat everyone at the Latin Incantation Contest.

I don’t know what to think about the Shedim, yet.  All I saw were some nasty looking claws.  God created them, or someone in Hell?  Why would God make things like Leviathans and those monsters, anyways?  I don’t think that they make good pets.  Jack needs to be more careful about doing whatever someone tells him to do.  Hopefully Dean will come to realize that he can’t kill someone who doesn’t understand good from evil, as of yet, and that he needs Sam to help guide and teach Jack. 

I didn’t think that it’s fair when Dean says that it’s just a reflex that Jack chooses to save his friends.  It seems like a conscious choice to me, but Jack might stop choosing for Dean to be anything but a charcoal briquette if Dean doesn’t stop acting so mean to him.

Meanwhile, back in the AU, Mary and Lucifer are trudging through the endless Sand Dunes of Desolation.  Lucifer is being mildly interesting and quippy, but the scene with Mary and that skeevy hunter really bothers me.  Do we have to go there?  That’s totally unnecessary.  I think that the guy would be more interested to find out if Mary had any food or water.  It would have been less cringe inducing, anyways.  I’m also not enjoying the new Michael, but his screen time was limited so I’ll give him some time to impress me.  Oh good, another fistfight between angels.  I guess the show can’t afford special rigging and green screens so that they could fly and hurl thunderbolts at each other.  I’m hoping for better than what we’ve seen so far, in this alternate world.  What happened to Paradise?  I thought that when Michael defeated Lucifer, it was supposed to turn everything into an angel paradise.  Guess not.

Now, here’s my theories on why Dean’s acting like such a jerk.  He’s not fond of Lucifer – who has tortured his brother, killed his best friend, and spawned a child who could destroy all of mankind, I get that.  I also think that Dean’s getting what is happening with Jack mixed up with what happened to Sam.  When Dean was a boy, he was taught to kill monsters without mercy.  His dad, the most influential person in his life, told him to kill his beloved brother if Sam showed signs of turning evil.  Of course, Dean didn’t do what his father told him to do, he let Sam live and they made it through all those bad times together.  Dean let his emotions stop him from doing what his father told him was right.  I’m thinking that Dean has decided that he’s not going to let his emotions stop him from doing his duty, not this time.  I know Dean loves his brother, but those terrible events preceding the Apocalypse and after – they must have left deep scars on Dean’s soul.  Now that too many people that he loves is dead…well, he’s not in the mood to give anyone or anything, the benefit of the doubt. 

Hopefully, Sam won’t see Dean’s mistrust of Jack as a reflection of how Dean sees him.  Even though a lot of time has passed, I’m sure Sam remembers very well how it felt to be judged by Dean for using his dark powers. 

Bonus Alternate Universes/Realities

The Matrix and its sequels are mind-blowing action and adventure on the big screen.  I really enjoy the first film, but I’m less enthused about the rest of them.  The Flash (which I’m losing interest in) has parallel universes, Buffy the Vampire Slayer has two great alternate reality episodes – “The Wish” and “Doppelgangland” (two of my favorites), and Stargate SG-1 has a quantum mirror that sends characters back and forth to alternate universes.  Good times.  I love feeling badly for Sam Carter, who has long blonde hair and is mourning the loss of a certain someone.

I also love the film where Tom Cruise’s character is searching for his own Minority Report – his alternate future.  Also amazing is The Man in the High Castle, which is a story by Philip K. Dick – adapted for a series on Amazon.  This show features an alternate universe where Hitler and his allies won World War Two.  Season one’s a little slow, but season two really is amazing – plus it features several members of Supernatural, such as DJ Qualls (Garth), Sebastian Roche (Balthazar), Rick Worthy (Alpha Vamp), and Tiio Horn (Dorothy Baum).  I also love Fringe which spends many seasons in alternate worlds and timelines.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot my beloved Farscape.  They have a really cool episode with an “unrealized reality.”  It’s heavy, man.

So far, I’m not very impressed with Supernatural’s alternate universe, but I’m hopeful that it will get better.  Did you enjoy this week’s episode and are you happy when one of your favorite series takes a trip to an alternate reality?

Thanks for reading, I appreciate you!

—-Mallena

Additional images courtesy of

Pixabay.com

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