Supernatural: Mamma Mia (12x02)

Okay. So. I'm really, really thrilled with some things, but very frustrated with others.

Cons:

This British Men of Letters thing is still baffling to me. Last week, I asked why Toni needed to torture Sam for information, when she could have just asked for it. Beyond that, if she's able to learn so much about Sam and Dean, shouldn't she be able to crack the code on the other hunters as well? This week, we learned that Toni and some other members of the British MOL believe that American hunters have been corrupted in some way, and are working alongside monsters. This idea has the potential to be intriguing, but it still doesn't change the fact that Toni is a moron. In what universe does she think that torturing these guys is going to get her what she wants? Why on earth would she use this tactic, instead of trying to infiltrate? Like, why doesn't she pose as a hunter looking for connections in America, and become an ally to Sam and Dean in order to ferret out the secret conspiracy she thinks is lying beneath?

Also, one of Toni's torture techniques was to put a spell on Sam to make him think the two of them were in bed together. That was just... weird? I don't know. Toni is on my list of the most incompetent, least threatening villains we've ever had on this show, and that could be a big problem.

Over on the subplot side of things, we have Vince, an aging rocker played by Rick Springfield. He lets himself get possessed by Lucifer because he thinks it's his dead girlfriend coming to bring him peace. I'm reserving judgment on this newest incarnation of Lucifer. My problem is that Vince being tricked into accepting Lucifer is much less interesting than if he had volunteered. I wanted to be more invested in this vessel before Lucifer took over.

Pros:

While the Men of Letters plot thread has a lot of holes in it, the Mary Winchester plot thread is very strong, and very compelling. Cas gets a lead on Sam, and Dean wants to go get him. Mary insists on coming along. Dean gets himself kidnapped by Toni, but Mary comes in and saves them both, with Dean's assistance. At this point, another member of the British MOL, Mick, comes in and extends an olive branch, offering his card and saying he wants to work with Sam and Dean. He apologizes for Toni, saying that she undoubtedly went too far. We later see Toni and Mick talking, and Toni says she thinks that American hunters need to be eliminated. Mick says he's going to call in someone named Mr. Ketch to deal with things, which sounds all kinds of ominous.

Back in the bunker, Sam, Dean, and Mary start to try and get more comfortable with each other. Sam and Mary share a hug, as Sam reveals how much his mom being there means to him.

Okay. Where to even start? So much awesome with Mary Winchester. Do you realize that this is the second week in a row that she's saved everybody else? Last week, she saved Dean and Cas. This week, she saved Dean and Sam. Dean tries to get Mary to stay behind on this particular trip. I could have been annoyed at this weird chivalrous bent that Dean has for his mom, but I'm not. See, the thing is, as good as Mary is at hunting, Dean has a very solid reason to be concerned. His mother literally just returned after thirty years of being dead. It's not unreasonable to think she might need some time to catch up. And Mary's not in tip-top shape. She's still struggling to catch up with all she missed. However, ultimately it was a very good thing she came along. She gets to save the day, in the most bad-ass moment of the episode! I loved it when she rushed in with a gun pointed at Toni. She says "ground." and when Toni doesn't get down, Mary hits her in the face and pushes her down, saying "that's the ground." Mary Winchester is better than everybody.

Cas played a bit of a background role here, but I loved the moments we got. The Destiel feels were pretty strong with this one, especially the moment at the beginning when Dean confides in Cas that he's having a hard time with his mom being back. He's happy to see her, but everything is so awkward and stilted. Cas wasn't much help in the advice department, but it was so cute to hear Dean talking through his problems with his boyfriend. I also love the moment when Cas sees that Dean has brought Mary along on the rescue mission. Dean wants her to stay outside, and he gives Cas this look, raising his eyebrows. Cas steps forward and asks her to stay, saying that he could "use the company." Mary just give him a look. She knows what's up.

As much as I always crave dramatic reunion scenes between Sam and Dean, I really like the way this one shook out. Sam is beaten and bloodied, and then suddenly Toni is pulling Dean into the room, threatening to hurt him instead. Their only conversation about it is just "Dean, I thought you were dead." "Well, I'm not sure that I'm not." I'm sure Dean filled Sam in on everything after the fact, but sometimes it's okay not to show us the whole thing.

The episode's ending, back in the bunker, made me tear up a little bit. Sam, Dean, and Mary sit around the table eating dinner. (Although, where was Cas?) Mary chastises Dean for eating his pie too quickly, and breaks the news that she doesn't cook - apparently the food she passed off as her own when Dean was a kid was actually ordered from a restaurant. I love that. In the early days of this show, Mary was always presented as an archetypal mother figure. When we learned about her hunting background, things got more complicated, but still. I love that she's emerging as her own distinct person now. And that conversation between her and Sam? Oh man. Mary talks about how there are a lot of blanks she needs to fill in, and Sam says that having Mary there is filling in the biggest blank. Then they hug. And it's glorious. Oh, and Sam gives Mary John's journal. Most Supernatural fans hate John Winchester, and even those who don't probably don't think about him much anymore. But for Mary, her grief is still so fresh. I think it's wonderful of the show to acknowledge that.

Oh, and Mary is also pretty hilarious. Not only did she get the bad-ass "that's the ground" line, she also gets the moment at the end where she says that they should "call the internet" to find out more about the British MOL. She's trying!

This episode really felt like an ensemble show, which is rare for Supernatural. Not only did we have Sam, Dean, Cas, Mary, Toni, and Mick over in the main plot, we also had our subplot featuring Crowley, Lucifer, and Rowena. I mentioned that I'm still withholding final judgment on Rick Springfield as Lucifer. But many of the things being set up in this subplot are quite excellent.

Basically, Crowley enlists his mother to help him locate Lucifer. Rowena doesn't want to be caught up in all of this again, but Crowley threatens to kill her new sugar daddy, or at least tell him that his girlfriend is 300 years old and a witch. Lucifer shows up to demand that Crowley get off of his throne in Hell, and Rowena hits the devil with a paralyzing spell, while Crowley goes old-school and throws some sulfuric acid on him, burning the face of his vessel. However, Lucifer isn't messing around. He breaks free of Rowena's spell and heals his face. Crowley vanishes before Lucifer can kill him, leaving Rowena alone in the clutches of the devil himself.

I loved the sulfuric acid bit. That was intense. Also, Rowena is a delight. She tries promising to stay out of Lucifer's way, saying that she'll be "sipping martinis with Republicans at [her] tennis club." She's so great. I'm very excited to see what Lucifer does with her as a captive. Rowena has always been the kind of person who works for whoever's keeping her alive. She was working with Crowley because he had something on her. Now? I can see her jumping ship, especially given her devotion to Lucifer. Oh, and by the way, Crowley wears a white tux in this episode, and it is awesome. That is all.

That's where I'll stop. I want Mary Winchester to stick around for the long haul, because she is by far the most interesting element that this show has introduced in a long time. The developing relationships between her and each of her sons, and even between her and Cas, are sure to keep me interested for a long time. The British Men of Letters plot, which I was so excited about when it was being introduced, is not grabbing my attention as much. There's still time to turn it around, and I admit I am intrigued by this Mr. Ketch figure. We'll see where it all goes!

7.5/10