This episode started down a retread path that Supernatural has traveled many times. The mid season break left off with Death returning Sam’s soul retrieved from the Lucifer’s cage.The reunion is bitter sweet at best because one brother is keeping a secret from the other. We did the same thing when Dean returned from hell, and when Sam’s soulless body started flapping around. I would have yawned if this episode didn’t turn out to be so entertaining.
You’d think that the Winchester boys would learn that keeping secrets is bad m’kay. I mean Dean lied about remembering hell. Sam lied about using his demon powers, and his relationship with Ruby. In the third season finale just before Dean is taken by hell hounds, the brothers reach the conclusion that their self sacrificing nature for each other is a detriment. So you’d venture a guess that they would realize hiding the fact Sam has been a soulless automaton won’t lead to any good. I know Death said that they shouldn’t scratch at the wall to protect Sam from his memories of hell but seriously everyone knows Sam’s gonna figure out what happened to him. At least Supernatural didn’t dance around the issue, and kept the secret related drama limited to one episode. It was also nice to see a human, and compassionate Sam again. I’d forgotten at the start of the series Sam was the gentle brother, and Dean was the rough one.
On to the cases the brothers end up working. Something is kidnapping young virginal women, stealing treasure, and living in underground caves. Apparently there be dragons about, and of course Sam and Dean need to rise to the role of knight in shinning armor to save the day. True to Supernatural form we only get a glimpse of the dragons true form. They assume human shape. Dean visits an old flame of Bobby’s Dr. Visyak, to obtain a dragon slayer sword. An expert in dragon lore, (not to mention a bit of a MILF) Visyak shows Dean Sword of Bruncvik. Playing on high fantasy tropes Dean attempts to remove the sword trapped in a stone as dramatic music plays. With little success he hilariously resorts to plastic explosives. Ripe with World of Warcraft, and Tolkien parody the brothers slay the dragons, and save the girls. But all is not well. Another group of dragon was able to take several girls without the Winchester knights to stop him. They sacrifice one virgin into a volcano to release something from purgatory.
Previously in this season the origin of the monsters had been teased, but this is the first episode which has actually delivered. The being they release from Purgatory is know as “Mother of All”. What type of mother this is up for debate but two ideas spring to mind. It’s either the creature from Greek mythology Echidna, or an Earth mother in the Form of Gaia. Echidna was also known as the Mother of all Monsters, and had given birth to the Nemian Lion, the Hydra, the Chimera, and most other demonic beings for the heroes to fight. She would fit the mold as mother of all, but I’d like to dream a little bigger. The mother released from Purgatory should be the mother Goddess, like Gaia. Despite the fact most new age interpretations of the Earth mother portray Gaia as a benevolent life giver, Greek Mythology her personality was more complex. Gaia’s strong and beautiful descendants, the Titans and the Olympians, banished her monstrous children to Tarterus. She wanted all her children to be free, and spawned greater and greater monsters to threaten the world and free her brood. What if this Mother is similar. Human hunters, demons and even God’s angels have been kill her children for centuries. With Crowley recently killing off the Alpha monster she got to be pissed, and want to defend her young. This opens an enormous realm of potential for series. How does a primordial Earth goddess relate to the Father (God). Maybe at one point they were related. Is she going to release a new race of monsters on the world? Will she want revenge on the hunters for killing her family. If Purgatory is a wild untamed dimension, will she want to return Earth to a state of nature?
It’s already been stated that Mary Winchester’s soul is in neither Heaven nor Hell. The only option left is Purgatory. This can’t be a coincidence. The brothers as the true vessel for Michael and Lucifer. Their relationship to their father was mirrored the relationship of the angels to God. How does dear old mom fit into this set up. Maybe Mary is connected with Mother. In any case I really cant wait to see how this story plays out.