In the twelfth episode of the eighth season of Supernatural, Dean and Sam play host to a visitor from the past who tells them that they are not who they are supposed to be. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Supernatural.
Well, this was a weird one. I’m still struggling to understand exactly what the Men of Letters are. Are they a more arrogant version of the Watcher’s Council in Buffy? Were they an organization solely designed to do research of supernatural phenomenon? I got the sense that this was what “As Time Goes By†aimed for, but I’m remain confused about the point of this.
However, I want to start off by saying that while I was confused, I think this episode is merely here to set up a mythology. Sam still has the Key to… the Lock? That room? The headquarters? I don’t know what it is, but it’s apparently the home of ALL KNOWLEDGE EVER or something. It’s important, and I don’t think the show is going to abandon that. Plus, this episode advances the mythology of the Winchester bloodline, so that must mean something, right? So it’s entirely possible that this is the start of something that’s necessary for the second half of this season, so I’m fine not being as harsh about it. It’s not a terrible episode by any means, but my issue with it is that it’s just so typical.
“As Time Goes By†is a mish-mash of a number of tropes, none of which are subverted at all, and none of which is given all that much attention. This is a script that is spread thinly across forty-odd minutes, and so nothing ever feels like it was developed as it was intended. For example! We’ve got the time-traveling hero who dies in the future, thus creating the tragic past for his descendants. At no point did I ever think that Henry Winchester would get to go back and be with his son. That would so wholly undo the timeline established by this show, and I don’t think this is the kind of show that’s willing to re-invent itself in the midst of its eighth season. So Henry, while an interesting character on the surface, could never really be a challenging part of the narrative. He’s here to give exposition and develop the Winchesters, and then he dies after helping to save them. There’s no surprise there.
We’ve got a mystical, ambiguous secret society that’s introduced within a supernatural world, one that has far too many similarities to the Watchers, and it is also not developed beyond a surface glimpse. What exactly did they do? What did the initiation entail? How did Abaddon come to find out what they possessed? Why didn’t anyone seek out John Winchester to initiate him? Why would you have such a tiny organization if it was constantly under threat of demons and monsters? Like, if one demon could enter and murder everyone in a couple seconds, wouldn’t you want some sort of safeguards in place to protect this legacy, particularly if it’s as important as this episode says it is? Are you telling me that an organization that is that vital to the safety of the world doesn’t have other locations? Other members? A headquarters that’s NOT in some tiny city in Kansas?
Look, I’m not nitpicking for the sake of it. You could nitpick this show to death! It’s very easy for me to suspend my sense of disbelief when watching this show, and I almost think you have to in order to enjoy a lot of it. That’s fine! But for me, there’s so little worldbuilding done in this episode that I feel like the show dangled a carrot and then, but the end of “As Time Goes By,†I can’t even see it anymore.
Again, I know it’s entirely possible that my feelings on this will change, but I can’t say I’m all that interested in the Winchesters’ update to their Chosen One narrative. What does this add to their characterization? Before, the show toyed with notions of free will and predetermination, and it did so in ways that were philosophically fascinating. Here, though, we find out the Winchesters are special because… they were in a secret club? A secret club that was so poorly organized that it was taken out by one demon in a matter of thirty seconds? It doesn’t feel epic, y’all. I did appreciate that this episode caused Sam and Dean to re-think their father, particularly how John’s upbringing may have affected how he raised his sons. What if Henry Winchester had been in John’s life? Would John have failed as a father as often as he did? Or would he have remained exactly the same? It’s a nature versus nurture question, sure. But it’s also a matter of perspective. I feel like Sam and Dean are far enough from John’s death that they’re able to look upon him with a lot more fondness than, say, season two Dean and Sam. So what value is there in them asking this hypothetical question? By the end of “As Time Goes By,†both of them are well aware that there’s really no point in doing so. Their lives happened as they did, and they’d much rather deal in the complications of the present than to rehash the past over and over again.
I kinda wish Abaddon would come back. A Knight of Hell! What a cool concept, y’all. Well, she’s not entirely dead, so that’s still a possibility. There’s actually a lot of possibility within this episode. I just hope that Supernatural uses it.
The video for “As Time Goes By†can be downloaded here for $0.99.
Mark Links Stuff
– Mark Does Stuff is now on Facebook! Feel free to Like the page, which I’m running myself, for updates and SILLINESS.
– If you would like to support this website and keep Mark Does Stuff running, I’ve put up a detailed post explaining how you can!
– Please check out the MarkDoesStuff.com. All Mark Watches videos for past shows/season are now archived there!
– My Master Schedule is updated for the near and distant future for most projects, so please check it often. My next Double Features will be The Legend of Korra, seasons 2 – 4, series 8 of Doctor Who, and Kings.
– The 2015 Mark Does Stuff tour is being announced!!! Check my Tour Dates / Appearances page often to see if I’m coming to your city!
