Getting back to basics, which seems to be this season’s theme, we got a brief glimpse into hunter culture with the latest episode. After a beloved hunter passes away, his fellow hunters gather to mourn and get in trouble all at once. It’s indeed an interesting wake, to be sure.
Note: This recap may contain spoilers!
As the episode opened, we got an interesting reveal of Mary’s life post-marriage. During the run of the show, as we got more information about Mary’s past and the fact that she was the one that came from the hunting family, we always assumed that she turned her back on that destiny in order to have a normal life with John. However, as her boys are often reminded, hunting is in their blood and it’s not so easy to just walk away. Instead of making a clean break, Mary kept getting drawn back in even after Dean was born. I do have to wonder, though, what she told John to be able to leave him with their son so that she could go on a hunt all the way up in Canada. Just something to ponder, as we get little tidbits of the Winchester past to build upon.
Also, we have to consider the effects that hunting has on others. As a boy, Asa Fox was shown what was lurking in the shadows. Instead of running away in fear, he dedicated his life to saving people, hunting things. Had Mary not saved him, he would have been dead, but had she tried to cover up what actually hurt him, maybe he would have lived on being oblivious and had a semi-normal life. There’s no way to know which way it could have gone. However, we see a lot of similarities in the actions of Mary and the actions of her sons during their own hunts. They have caused others to become hunters, and these newly-minted hunters all have the possibility of a shortened lifespan as a result. Decisions made in the course of saving people has long-lasting repercussions.
I really loved seeing Jody again, and her interactions with the boys are always a treat. This time around, we got a bunch more depth into her what her life is like away from the Winchesters, including how she’s integrated herself into the hunter community. It’s interesting because Dean and Sam have never been able to do the same as a result of how they were raised. John kept them isolated, only relying on each other. It’s no wonder they have a codependency that excludes all others in the process. However, just because they haven’t been deeply involved with other hunters doesn’t mean they are unknown. Quite the opposite, actually, because the hunting community certainly knows about them. They are legends, for better or worse.
Jody’s attempts to bridge the gap between Mary and Dean was very nice, and she is one that could well understand what they’re going through. Nice that she isn’t letting the pain of losing her husband and son be forgotten, as I felt the writers sometimes did tend to let that go unsaid over the years. She knows loss, and she also knows how frightening it would be if she got her loved ones back. Mary’s got to work through a lot, as does Dean.
While Mary’s not yet ready to come home, she and the boys did leave on good terms. Hopefully, when she does finally come back to the bunker, they will be able to have a solid relationship for however long she stays alive. Billie’s always there, willing to take her back to Heaven whenever she wants to go. At least she’s not ready yet, which I was relieved for. There were doubts in my mind, if only temporarily. Keep Mary alive!
Rating: 4 / 5 Stars
Screencaps by SupernaturalWiki
