Supernatural: The Memory Remains (12x18)

An episode I could honestly take or leave. I didn't have a problem with it at all, but there was very little that I felt strongly about.

Cons:

The case was just sort of shrug-worthy. A creepy goat-head monster ends up just being a dude wearing a mask, but there is actually a monster involved - a god who needs human sacrifices. Sam and Dean come in and save the day, but are unable to save two of the god's latest victims. There were a few things in here that I enjoyed, but for the most part I felt like the episode was just phoning it in with this plot. It takes place in a small town, but there was none of that middle-of-nowhere-inescapable feeling to the place. Each location, from the manor house to the meat-packing plant to the restaurant felt like separate and disjointed locations. There was no real cohesion.

Dean hooks up with a random girl in this episode. We don't even learn her name. She's there, Dean hooks up with her, she's out. Never to be mentioned again. I don't have a problem with Dean hooking up with women, necessarily. But I'd like even just a hint of a reason for it. I was really pissed that the girl didn't have a name or a personality or any point whatsoever. At least let Dean's one-night-stands have a moment where they can... I dunno... say a line of dialogue?

Pros:

The one cool thing about the case-of-the-week is how it thematically related to the Winchesters. This family, the Bishops, has been "hunting people. Killing them," for generations in exchange for the god's promise of riches. It's the family business. In the end, the sheriff has to contend with his dead brother and all of chaos that his family has left behind over the years. He promises to shoulder the responsibility, because it's his "legacy." This led to a lovely conversation between Sam and Dean about their legacy. Sam says they likely won't be remembered after they're gone, but the people they saved will remember them for a while. And anyway - they're leaving the world better than how they found it, and that's all that matters. They wonder if some other hunter will take up the fight and move into the Bunker after they're gone. And then Sam and Dean take turns carving their initials into the table top, just like they did in the impala when they were kids. They're making their mark.

In all honesty, this conversation felt like one that would happen towards the end of the show's final season. Since we know Supernatural will be back for Season Thirteen, I was surprised to hear such an in-depth discussion of legacy in the middle of this random C-plot episode. Still, I enjoyed it. There was a real intimacy to that moment, in that Sam and Dean are declaring their intention to leave their mark together. This is their legacy. Their life together is what matters most to them. With the influx of new regulars this season, and the continued presence of characters like Crowley and Cas, there was something sort of lovely about this reaffirmation of their brotherly bond. And this is coming from somebody who really likes the expanded ensemble, by the way. The more characters who stick around the better.

Briefly, let's talk about Cas. We see that Dean is calling him yet again, and he's still not answering. I love everything about the way that scene was framed, from Dean being the one to call, to Sam trying to reassure his brother that his boyfriend will be okay. Dean, in his message, says that he needs backup. That's ostensibly the reason for his call. But Sam doesn't say "it's okay, we'll find somebody else to help us against Dagon." He understands that Dean is in fact worried about Cas. In fact, as gross as Dean's one night stand was, it could almost be seen as a reaction against his worry about Cas. He can't get Cas' attention, so he goes out and gets somebody else's. I'm seeing things through Destiel glasses, but whatever.

Then we've got our gross British Men of Letters friends. Mr. Ketch sends an email to the Winchesters, but he impersonates Mick. He sends them off to work a case, so that Ketch and a whole group of minions can get into the Bunker and look around to learn all they can about the Winchesters. They're disappointed when they don't find the Colt. Dean took it with him on the case, and Sam ends up killing the god with it in the end. However, Ketch does find something else - a picture of Mary that he takes with him from out of Dean's bedside table. He also plants a bug so he can monitor the Winchesters.

Oh boy. I wish Mick wasn't dead. I do like the idea of Ketch bugging the bunker. For so long, the bunker has been a safe space. A ground zero. Even on the rare occasions when the bunker was threatened or infiltrated, usually things were sorted out within the hour. The British MOL introduce an interesting new threat. Sam and Dean's secret bunker is known to their secret sister-organization, if you will. And since Sam and Dean don't exactly want to trust the BMOL, this adds some interesting tension.

Also, Mr. Ketch is a creepy creeper who steals pictures of Mary cuddling with her child. What is wrong with him?! I hate him and I want him to die. I'm actually happy that his creepiness factor is increasing. At least it gives me more distinct reasons to despise him.

That's where I'll stop. I wrote a lot about my positive impressions of this episode, but I still feel like I walked away from it shrugging my shoulders. We're getting very near to the end of the season, and it's been a very disjointed one at that. I hope things tie together in a way I enjoy...

7/10