In the second episode of the third season of Supernatural, I AM NOT GOING TO FORGIVE ANY OF YOU FOR THIS. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Supernatural.
ALL ABOARD THE U.S.S. NOPE.
Let me start this off with a recommendation. I’ve mentioned this film before, but if you’re craving a horror flick that riffs on the themes brought up here – namely, of creepy children stalking adults and the horrible moral quandary that arises when adults realize that children are a threat to their life – then you should go find a copy of ¿Quién puede matar a un niño?, which might also come under the title of Island of the Damned. Fair warning that it takes this concept about a million times darker than “The Kids Are Alright,” that it’s remarkably claustrophobic, and that it’s one of the only horror films I’ve ever seen that takes place almost entirely in summer daylight. IT IS RELENTLESSLY FUCKED UP. I mean, it’s very ’70s horror in one sense (which you’ll see if you watch it), but for me it didn’t detract from how unnerving and soul-disturbing it was. And really, “The Kids Are Alright” disturbs me at the very core of my being. I seriously cannot deal with creepy, omniscient children, and it’s one of the few tropes that basically terrifies me no matter how terribly it’s used. That’s not to say that this is the case here; the brilliance of Sera Gamble’s script is in the fact that a great deal of this episode is seen from Katie’s mother’s point of view. In fact, aside from Ben’s birthday party, no one from the main cast ever interacts with her, so what we get instead is a haunting portrayal of a mother who is convinced that her child is not her own. It’s devastating, and Kathleen Munroe is absolutely incredible here. Aside from Nicholas Elia, who plays Ben/Dean child, she steals the show.
Lord, there’s just SO MUCH HERE. I felt like this was a thrilling update on the changeling myth, a reference to the Susan Smith case, and a bit of a nod to The X-Files‘s season six episode, “Arcadia.” It’s also a chance for Dean to get a glimpse of a life that could have been, which reminded me of “What Is and What Should Never Be,” except this was, largely, a lot funnier. Sort of? It’s also really eerie for a while because Ben is too much like Dean, and it seems impossible that he’s not Dean’s child. And you know, it just struck me that this episode deals with the idea of children not being what they are, so it fits perfectly with what Ben represents for Dean, doesn’t it? While you can’t deny the similarities, I think it’s easy to see how Dean was projecting onto that child, imagining a life of his own that he never thought he would have.
For what it’s worth, I think that the writers show us why this isn’t necessarily appropriate, and I’m thankful that while Dean helps out Lisa and Ben, this isn’t about how Dean deserves to be in their lives. Lisa is shocked to see Dean after eight years, and while his presence is a nice surprise at first, Lisa quickly feels like he’s overstepped his boundaries. He isn’t Ben’s father, and treating him as such isn’t fair to Lisa. It’s nice, I admit, to know that someone is teaching Ben to stand up for himself. I know I’m deeply biased on this issue because I was bullied and never really fought back, but I could still see why Dean’s behavior wasn’t okay.
It’s complicated, of course, by the horrifying events of the episode. Again, I’m drawn back to the story of Katie and how her mother reacts to the eerie and unnerving behavior of her daughter. The cold open made me think that this might have to do with divorce or abuse, but once Katie’s mom spoke to Lisa, this all felt wrong. And that’s what was so creepy about how Katie’s mother framed this. She couldn’t quite pinpoint it, but she knew her daughter wasn’t her real daughter. God, do you realize that this is all a subtle reference to what the yellow-eyed demon said about Sam during last season’s finale? You know, the whole thing about Sam not being who he used to be after being resurrected? I like that it’s not directly addressed in the episode itself, but merely hinted at during the “Previously On…” segment. EXISTENTIAL TERROR, Y’ALL.
Seriously, despite that I’m not a parent at all, this episode (and Katie’s mom’s performance) simply scared the daylights out of me. It was hard to watch that mother question her sanity and then question her value as parent as her child increasingly tormented her. What was she supposed to do, especially after discovering that horrible bite mark on her neck? My god, I’m going to be haunted by the image of her pushing her car into a lake with her daughter in the back seat, WHO ISN’T MOVING OR TRYING TO ESCAPE AT ALL. Even worse? That scene right after where the mom is so fucking devastated that all she can do is sob her way into her house and KATIE IS SITTING AT THE BAR, SOPPING WET, READY FOR HER ICE CREAM. FUCK NO. FUCK NO FOREVER.
And for those of you who managed to stomach season 4 of Angel and got to “Shiny Happy People,” did the mirror image of the changelings remind you bs gur gehr snpr bs Wnfzvar? Because that’s all I could think of. No, that’s wrong. I was also thinking GET THAT OFF MY TELEVISION I NEVER WANT TO SEE IT AGAIN.
I initially thought that the bulk of this episode would focus on Dean since he split off from his brother to try and hook up with Lisa. BUT NOPE. Oh my god, who is that woman? She shows up again (I DIDN’T EXPECT HER SO SOON!) to tease Sam with knowledge. Namely, it’s knowledge about himself. I admit that I totally bought her explanation of being a hunter because it kind of made sense. Well, it was believable. I’ll give her that. It was credible given that the hunter community at large were quite aware of the Winchesters and their history, and it would also explain how she knew there was a job in the town. But then she dropped that weird clue about something happening to all of Mary Winchester’s friends and family and what? When Sam discovers that LITERALLY EVERYONE connected to his mother is dead, it takes this to a whole ‘nother level of what the fuck. I honestly thought that based on the premiere, we weren’t really going to deal with the yellow-eyed demon again. Granted, I still don’t think he’ll show up again, but clearly, the yellow-eyed demon and Mary Winchester had a past that we aren’t aware of. She recognized him, remember??? So what gives?
WHO CARES BECAUSE THAT WOMAN IS A DEMON. WHAT THE FUCK. WHAT THE FUCK. I mean… I guess she could genuinely want to help him? My instinct isn’t to trust her immediately because I don’t see how a demon can defy their nature and do something good. Aren’t they inherently evil? Regardless, this demon stands to benefit from something involving the conspiracy around Mary, but what? What’s enough for her that she’ll HELP SAVE DEAN? OH. OH SHIT, Y’ALL. I guess I’m potentially right about how Sam will save Dean? It could all go to shit, but still. THERE’S HOPE. It’s a tiny bit of hope, but it’s there!
The video commission for “The Kids Are Alright” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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