Supernatural: Peace of Mind (14x15)

This episode was pretty great!

Cons:

The emotional underpinning of Sam's character this week is that he's grieving for the dead hunters. I loved everything about Sam in this episode. I love how he's dealing with his grief and how he's acting out and processing things. But that doesn't change the fact that the hunters were way underutilized this season, and killing them off was pretty stupid, given how easy it would have been to keep them around. They weren't important enough for their deaths to have real emotional impact - not even Maggie, really, although of course it's extra annoying that yet another woman gets the ax on this male-dominated show.

Pros:

But setting aside the fact that Sam's reason for angst is kind of weak, I thought everything about this episode was really amazing. First of all, let's talk about the comedy for a minute. It's hard to pick my favorite moments, but Cas honestly stole the show this week in a big way. I loved his exchange with Dean, where he struggles to remember the saying "til the cows come home." His indignant declaration that "God has a beard!" and his description of Sam as having "beautiful hair" were also both hilarious.

It was also just so nice to see Sam and Cas get some serious bonding time. I love that Cas was able to break through Sam's brainwashing. These two don't get as much focus as Dean gets with either one of them, but episodes like this remind us of their bond. It's nice to see Cas in an episode like this, where the A-plot isn't necessarily the focus, and he gets to just go on a normal hunt.

The concept of the case this week was very creative, and the right mix of comedic and creepy. I thought this was going to be a Lotus-Eaters type thing, which would have been cool, but the story took on a different direction, which I also appreciated. It was a cool twist to have Sunny have the same powers as her dad, and be able to solve the problem in a way that was slightly heartbreaking, but undeniably effective. I'd love to learn more about how these two got their mind-control abilities, but I doubt we'll ever find out.

So... Sam. Obviously his transformation into Stepford!Sam was really funny - the glasses, the hair pulled back, the "H-E-double-hockey-sticks," and everything. But what made the comedy work was the heart underpinning it. We see Sam start to buy in to the town's suspiciously idyllic atmosphere even before he transforms into one of them. He thinks the environment, while odd, is kind of nice. Obviously his mind is being altered, but the fact that Cas is able to snap him out of it by reminding him of his responsibilities proves that to some degree, Sam craved the fake life. He was happy. Sure, it was a false happiness, but he wasn't burdened with the loss of his hunters. He wasn't being forced to live with being a failure.

There's a conversation there at the end where Sam talks to Dean about it. He admits that he hates the bunker right now, that he can't stand the losses he's suffered. But he knows the happiness he felt while under the thrall wasn't real, and he just needs time. This was a great example of how the Winchesters have actually improved their communication skills over the years. There hasn't been time to celebrate the fact that Dean is Michael-free, because the hunters were all killed, Jack's situation is tenuous, and things are just generally less-than-happy. And Sam pushes a little too hard, going on hunt after hunt to try and run from how he's feeling. But here, he slows down, and he's honest with Cas and Dean about what he's going through. I'm proud of him!

Over in the subplot, Dean is tasked with trying to figure out how Jack is doing. He's got his powers back, but killing Michael required burning away a lot of his soul. How much? Well, it's hard to tell. Dean and Jack visit Donatello, who has been living successfully without a soul for some time now. He tells Jack that being soulless doesn't make you evil, it just makes you... nothing. Donatello's trick is to think about what Mr. Rogers would do, if he's not sure how to behave in a certain situation. So, Jack decides to think about what the Winchesters would do, in order to keep himself on track. The only problem is... he takes things a little far. The snake that he rescued last week seems to be in distress, and Dean suggests that it's sad and misses its former owner. So, as the episode ends, Jack decides to "help" the snake by reuniting it with its former owner by killing it. Uh oh.

On the one hand, I wasn't really looking forward to soulless Jack, because it seems like such a cliche route to go. On the other hand, we've seen Sam without a soul, Donatello without a soul, and now Jack, more or less without a soul, and each one is interesting and different in a way I wouldn't have expected. I love the idea of Jack grappling with his humanity, something he already had a hard time with, and now having this extra obstacle with no good solution.

I also just want to take a moment to praise Alexander Calvert's performance as Jack. He's always been so good at playing the dangerous innocent, the kid with the explosive powers who still experiences wonder at the world. Now, we're adding in a dash of soullessness to the mix, and I can feel it through Calvert's performance. Jack is still... Jack, for the most part, but he's maybe a little more reserved, a little anxious about things... he wants to protect his family from worry, but he doesn't want to lie to them either. I'm nervously awaiting how this is going to play out.

I can't believe we're already towards the end of the season! I'm getting anxious about Cas' deal with the Empty...

9/10