Supernatural: The Foundry (12x03)

Ugh. Blarg. No.

Cons:

I should be more articulate. I actually didn't dislike this episode for the most part. But what I do dislike is the fact that Mary and Cas have both been given side quests that conveniently remove them from the story proper. I hate this. I wanted them to stick around. I wish we could actually keep characters in the main story line other than Sam and Dean. With Cas, it's another lame excuse about needing to find Lucifer by himself, since it's his fault that he's free. Okay... seriously? How many times has Cas helped with something that was totally the Winchesters' fault? With Mary, the reason is a lot more compelling. She's feeling lost, like she doesn't belong. She's pulling a Buffy Summers, actually. Being pulled from Heaven is messing with her head, and she needs some time alone. I don't mind this in theory, but wouldn't it be more interesting to have her stick around so that we could actually watch her go through these growing pains? I want to see her develop and come to terms with her new reality. Instead, it seems that all of that potential growth will be happening off screen somewhere. Mary will pop back in to the A-plot at some point later on, and we'll miss out on a ton of really valuable stuff.

Mary is still struggling to adjust to the present day in terms of technological advancements, which I quite enjoyed. There was this one really annoying moment, though, when she called the county records office and the guy asked why she couldn't use the website like everyone else. It was unrealistic for the dude to be so rude to her, honestly. No subtlety there.

The actual monster-of-the-week element in the main plot was okay, but nothing to write home about. I never really like it when Sam and Dean resort to salt-and-burn operations, because it always happens like half way through the episode and makes it painfully obvious that there's going to be a "twist." They could just forego that part, honestly.

Pros:

But, the main plot did have a lot of good things, and those good things were mostly centered around the developing relationship between Mary, Sam, and Dean. I mentioned that I was annoyed at her departure, but the fact is, it was developed and delivered with such nuance and power that I can't be too frustrated. (That being said, I do hope she comes back very, very soon, or that we get to check in with her even if she's not with the boys). This case involves a dead little boy, and that dredges up a lot of memories for her about her own death, and all of the things she's missed in her own children's lives. It was really touching to see her going through her own grief. What an odd experience it must be to see these two grown men in front of her, and to know that she's never going to get her little boys back the way she remembers them.

Also, the little ghost boy was appropriately creepy. I liked the scene where Mary goes to talk to Lucas. It reminds me of the ghosts from the movie El Orfanato. That particular ghost wasn't evil, but it was still scary! Especially the moment when Mary asks him "what's keeping you here?" and the kid points at nothing and says "him." Yikes. Goosebumps. Turns out, there was a dad who lost his infant daughter, and then starved himself to death. He was luring the other children there to die and keep him company. When Sam eventually salts and burns the skeleton, the bad ghost leaves, and all the children get to leave in peace.

Sam and Dean's reactions to Mary are so different, and so very true to character. Dean is trying to stay in denial, to take the miracle at face value. Sam, meanwhile, is worried about how is mom is coping. He knows, based on years of personal experience, what it's like to bury yourself in hunting to avoid dealing with personal stuff. Sam tries to share his concerns with Dean, but Dean brushes him off. The end of this episode packs a real punch: Mary talks about being in Heaven with John and with her boys the way she remembers them. She needs some time to grieve and to adjust. She has to leave.

Sam and Dean's reactions to this moment... OUCH. Sam looks devastated, like a little boy, on the verge of tears. But Dean? Dean looks like he should have known. He can't even meet Mary's eyes, and he takes a step away from her when she comes forward to hug him. Mary hugs Sam, says she's sorry and that she loves them, and leaves the bunker. We end on Dean's face. He gives the tiniest nod of his head. Why should he have expected anything different? Everybody leaves him. I cannot even take it. While I'm disappointed with Mary leaving the story proper, I've got to say, it's making for some lovely character work for all of our leads.

In subplot news, Cas tries to track down Lucifer. Crowley finds him and insists on tagging along. They find Vince's sister, who has been cured of paralysis by Lucifer. While this unlikely duo is trying to track Lucifer down, we see Rowena and Lucifer together. Lucifer asks for Rowena's assistance in making his vessel a more permanent one, but she tricks him by actually speeding up the decaying process, and banishing him to the bottom of the ocean. You go, girl!

I loved Cas and Crowley teaming up. Cas was so... Cas-like in this episode. He starts by unceremoniously telling Sam and Dean he's leaving, refusing their help, and then tracking down Vince's band mate under the name "Agent Beyonce." When Crowley shows up, he says that must make him "Agent Jay-Z." The best moment is when Crowley and Cas first knock on Vince's sister Wendy's door, and she slams the door on them mid-sentence. Cas asks Crowley: "Do you think this happens to Sam and Dean?" to which Crowley replies, sarcastically, "oh, all the time." It was so refreshing to see Cas have something valuable to do, even though it makes no sense that Sam and Dean wouldn't come along. And seeing Cas without the trench coat was all sorts of awesome!

Rowena was extra-strength awesome. I thought for sure she was going to side with Lucifer because he was the strongest player in town, but instead, she helped to send him away. When Crowley and Cas catch up, Rowena promises to help banish Lucifer if they track him down and have him cornered. That was surprisingly generous of her. It seems that her hero-worship days are over. Even Rowena has a line, and working with Lucifer appears to be crossing it.

So, in summary, I'm annoyed that Mary's already making her exit. The formula of having a three part season premiere to Supernatural has sort of continued, but things went a little weird this time around. The British Men of Letters were barely mentioned, and instead we used this time to wrap up the three-episode arc on Mary's reintroduction to the land of the living. While I'm disappointed that she's not going to be around more permanently, I did love the development we've seen so far. I can't wait for her to come back!

8/10