Supernatural 15.12 “Galaxy Brain”–The Stupid Right Thing

Wow. I am writing this moments after finishing the episode and I am completely and utterly floored. No show I watch could nail an episode with as complex moral, personal, and human issues as well as Supernatural. It is entrancing to see how the writers, actors and crew work together to create something that is so affecting. At the same time, though, I feel very conflicted about this episode. I’m struggling to sort through it all in my head (and recency bias is a thing, so that notwithstanding). I’m going to cover what I liked about the episode and then we can get into the things that I’m confused about.

Kaia’s Rescue: I loved this part of the episode. I think it covered all of the right bases and all of our characters got their moment. Dean’s moment with Kaia really stood out to me because I think it showed growth in both Kaia and Dean. When Kaia and Dean were last together, she was threatened at gunpoint. While I understand that he was under duress and was looking for a solution, I think that it was an amazing moment to have Kaia forgive Dean so easily. It showed that she might have understood where Dean was at that moment and was willing to forgive him because she knew only someone like Dean would be willing to come back and rescue her, even if far too much time had passed. Sam’s presence was a lot quieter at this moment, but it was still there. His shining moment was when they were getting ready to go. His and Dean’s short conversation made it clear where they both stood on this whole thing. It might have been stupid, but it was the right thing to do and that’s all that matters.

Cas and Jack both had their moments here, too – Cas with asking Jody to remain behind and Jack defying Death’s orders in order to save Kaia. Both of these moments are small, but they are indicative of something in both Jack and Cas that I love seeing: care. Cas asks Jody to stay behind because he cares so much for Claire and wants her to have someone in case this whole thing goes south. Jack defies Billie because he believes that he is responsible for the situation Kaia is in. Whether true or not, Jack takes that responsibility and uses it to save her life, despite the fact that he knows that Billie won’t be happy. He takes the risk because he cares about Kaia and he wants her to be able to have a life. (While the whole soul discussion regarding Jack is a little hazy, I believe that this is an indicator that he still has a soul, despite what Sam said.) On the subject of Jack, I loved watching him negotiate with the reaper, who by the way, I LOVED. A reaper named Meryl! Amazing! I think it showed real maturity in Jack and a sense that Jack knows what the right thing to do is and he is not going to allow a reaper, or even Death, stand in his way.

Billie’s Conversation: I should feel conflicted about this part of the episode, but it was so well done, that I can’t help but love it. First of all, the killing of Meryl, which was reminiscent of Dean killing Death at the end of Season 10, was amazing. Second of all, the flashback to Season 4 or 5 was incredible and put everything into perspective, even if it wasn’t necessarily intentional. Thirdly, Billie’s reveal that Sam and Dean “have work to do” and that “this is their destiny” makes me excited and nervous because it doesn’t give us any sort of answers as to what that actually means, but it makes it clear that this story is going to end with a bang, no matter which way you slice it. Also, Lisa Berry is a queen and I love her.

Now the parts that I didn’t like so much.

Chuck: If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a thousand times, Chuck is driving me nuts. I can not deal with him. Even in this episode, where he was less maniacal and more destructive, he drove me nuts. It feels to me like he’s just there to chew the scenery, which isn’t interesting to me, and also it takes away valuable time we could be using to see Sam and Dean. I get it, Chuck needs to be involved, but I think that it takes away from the story to have him show up and waste our time with obvious, over the top, ridiculous villainy. I hope that in the coming few episodes we will see less of Chuck physically, and just feel his presence throughout the episode.

Jody: I love Jody, everyone. But, in this situation, I feel like her presence wasn’t super necessary. Yes, I get why she was there, but I think the episode could have happened almost the same way without her. It felt like she got shoe-horned in, just so we could have Jody back for an episode before the end of the series. I hope this isn’t the last we see of Jody, because if it is, I’ll be disappointed.

I’m struggling with this episode. Maybe because I just watched it and haven’t had time to fully come to terms with everything, but I can’t figure out what I didn’t like so much about it. I enjoyed most of it and I think it was a great addition into the Supernatural canon, I just am having difficulty sorting through it all to offer an opinion. In general, I loved the episode, but I also feel like there was something left on the table.

So, there are my odd and hopefully understandable ramblings about “Galaxy Brain.” I hope that in these crazy times, someone can find some comfort in this. As always, comments are welcomed. Because of all of this panic regarding the Coronavirus, I am taking a break from Twitter, but will be around often to respond to comments. I hope everyone is staying safe and making good choices. Our time has come, home-bodies!

Enjoy more of Kate’s seasons 14 and 15 character analyses and episode reviews by visiting her Writers’ Page!