The Winchesters Season 1 Episode 8 Review: Hang on to Your Life
When the past returns, it’s always hard to tell if it’s going to be good or bad, but in the case of The Winchesters, it’s both.
Following Samuel's surprise return in the previous episode, on The Winchesters Season 1 Episode 8, Mary, John, and Millie watch over him, but different feelings arise while doing so.
Meanwhile, as Carlos and Lata investigate the death of a musician, someone from Carlos' past makes an appearance and causes trouble, but some familiar faces come back in unique ways.
With Samuel finally back, deep-rooted feelings are brought up, and it doesn’t help that he’s still in recovery.
Even though Gil McKinney reprised his role as Henry from Supernatural on The Winchesters Season 1 Episode 7, that was not the case for Samuel. After seeing Tom Welling play him for an episode, I don’t really mind.
John: You did it, Mary. You found him.
Mary: We found him.
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Fans of Supernatural know that Mitch Pileggi portrayed Mary’s father, Sam and Dean’s grandfather, in multiple episodes of the original series. Now Tom Welling has taken over that mantle.
It doesn’t necessarily have to make sense with who plays what since the end result is still going to be the same.
Mary confronting her dad about leaving her and disappearing was heartbreaking, but it was important for her to have because not only does the audience see how far she’s come already since the pilot, but her dad sees how much she’s grown since he’s been gone.
She was relieved when she reunited with her dad, but she also had this pent-up anger in her over his leaving. Not only that, but he knew about the Akrida and didn’t think to share it with her.
Her behavior, when it came to her dad, was in character at all times. She tried to stay focused on the investigation, but at the same time, she also couldn’t stop herself from being angry at Samuel because of what he did.
Well, fighting monsters isn't for everyone.
Samuel
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Then you also have the fact that Samuel didn’t particularly like the fact that John’s father was a Men of Letters.
We already knew from Supernatural that hunters and Men of Letters didn’t really see eye-to-eye at times, and that reflects with how Samuel felt about them in this episode, even calling Henry a “mole man.”
This included a moment with him and Millie, who is still on the edge about anything pertaining to hunting, still not wanting her son to end up like his father.
I do feel that after Millie was able to get somewhat closure with Henry in the previous episode, that opened her eyes more about the hunting world.
Her defending Henry and disliking what Samuel called him, making note that it’s because of her husband that he’s alive, shows that she is slowly giving in, and it should be interesting to see if there are any more scenes with the two parents.
We did get to see some of Samuel and Mary’s relationship on Supernatural, so it’s been intriguing really digging deeper into that and their differing opinions on hunting.
As Mary got reacquainted with her father, Carlos did the same with someone from his past, and he nearly, and literally, burnt up because of it.
Carlos reuniting with an old friend, who was also a former bandmate, opened up this whole new world for him that we never knew existed.
It's like looking in a funhouse mirror of what my life could've been.
Carlos
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We know about Carlos' army background, and some of his hunting background.
Now we have details on what he did when he wasn't doing either, but unfortunately, it almost came at a cost.
This storyline also brought back a face that Supernatural fans would know very well, and it pulled everything together.
Richard Speight, Jr. returned to reprise his role as the mischievous Loki, still just as cunning and tricky as ever.
Thanks to a curse from Loki, Carlos felt like he had to sacrifice himself in order to save Jericho, even though he didn’t know if there was a way to break it.
I am not gonna lose to you!
Loki
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He is always one to save his friends, no matter the costs, so what he did was in character for him, but it does make me wish we got a bit more of his musical background on top of his war background.
However, seeing Richard Speight, Jr. again was a treat.
I’m curious to see if he comes back and what other trouble he will cause. Does this mean he knew exactly who Sam and Dean were when he first met them? Even as Gabriel? Is there a Gabriel this time, or is it all Loki?
The end of the storyline felt a bit rushed, but knowing Loki, this won’t be the last time we see him.
On the plus side, Carlos did get to reconnect with Jericho a bit more without having to worry about getting burnt to a crisp.
I've noticed that the past tends to pop up frequently on The Winchesters, so who knows what's in store next.
Since Carlos was in a band, it was only fitting that he would sing at least one song, and he definitely delivered.
It’s always refreshing when an actor on a film or series shows off other skills and abilities they have, and Jojo Fleites can sing.
It was a somber moment, paired with montages of the gang watching and doing other stuff at another time, and it was beautiful.
The Winchesters is barely halfway through its first season, and already we know so much about the characters and have learned something new in almost every episode.
Carlos’ musical history is just another thing we learned, and if he just so happens to sing another tune in a future episode, I wouldn’t stop him.
Writers for The Winchesters, can we please get more of Jojo Fleites singing? I need it, and I’m sure I’m not the only one.
Saving the best for last, we need to talk about that ending.
I wanna live with the consequences, and I hope that you do, too.
John
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After John tried to talk to Mary about their kiss, Mary blew him off, rightfully so since she had much more on her mind.
This can’t be said enough, but since this is an origin story for the two of them, they are bound to get together at some point.
The question is just when?
Taking John, and the audience, by surprise, she pulled him into a kiss, and it was as magical as ever. Their chemistry just eight episodes in really shows how close they are both on and off screen.
I don't want to think about the Akrida, whether the world has a future. I wanna be with you. Right here. Right now.
Mary
However, just as Mary opened up about her feelings, their moment got cut short when John noticed the man who gave him the letter in one of Samuel’s photos.
Since The Winchesters Season 1 Episode 1, there has been speculation as to who could have given John that letter from Henry.
Was it someone from the future? A Supernatural character fans know? Would it be someone completely new?
I was shocked, yet at the same time relieved, to find out that it was actually Dean who gave his own father the letter.
This opens up a whole batch of new questions, with the biggest being, what does this all mean?
Since Dean has been narrating his parents’ story, it’s possible that he was able to go to the past prior to the Supernatural finale and wanted to watch it all go down.
There has also been speculation that this is a different universe, which would make sense for some familiar characters being different.
A third could be that Dean is in Heaven and somehow managed to interfere that way.
It’s hard to predict how Dean gave his dad the letter and where he even got it from, but as the season goes on, that will likely be one of the many questions that will get answered.
I cannot wait to see what they come up with.
All in all, this episode was shocking, emotional, and enjoyable, but not exactly at the same time.
With Mary’s confrontation with her dad, Loki’s appearance, and Dean’s surprise reveal, this episode gets a full five stars.
The Winchesters has done a wonderful job executing what would be complicated storylines to flow really well.
Supernatural lasted for 15 seasons, and yet they still manage to keep things fresh while also keeping the original series alive in ways that you may not see coming.
Getting the end result of how Dean delivered that letter should be a fascinating storyline.
So, Fanatics, what did you think of that bombshell of an episode?
Are you hoping that Mary and Samuel’s talk will change things for them and the two will hunt side-by-side again? Or do you think he’ll go off on his own again to look for the Akrida and their queen?
What are your theories about Dean? Is this the same Dean we all know and love, or is it someone different? How is he in the same time with his young parents? Where did he get that letter?
Share your thoughts below and make sure to watch The Winchesters online any time via TV Fanatic!