Sadly, the timing of last week’s The CW’s The Winchesters didn’t celebrate All Hallow’s Eve with a special. Instead, it concerns other ghosts, but they’re not the type to be frightened over. Instead, it’s the trauma. This prequel has a lot of the classic Supernatural direction which I adored before it jumped the shark. Even though the focus is on two young adults trying to figure out what’s going on in their hometown, there’s a greater concern which I’m just waiting for the series to eventually manifest.
The Wild West vibe Dean Winchester instils as that narrator is perfect. He’s on his parents’ lives as though he were there, watching it all unfold. It’s possible Jensen Ackles will fully reprise his role. For now, he’s merely a voice as he reflects on how his mom, Mary Campbell (Meg Donnelly), has been the guiding force and the true hunter in this family.
As the pilot episode revealed, she’s motivated to keep on dealing with those monsters that go bump in the night, because her father, also a monster hunter, was trying to figure out what their master agenda is. But after John Winchester (Drake Rodger) comes home to Lawrence, Kansas, to resume a normal life, he gets caught in this conspiracy and decides it’s better to help than hide. He’s a complete neophyte, and it’ll be up to Mary to teach him.
This idea is decent, but it also retcons what’s known from the original series. He wasn’t much of a competent monster hunter until after Mary died, not before. In the episodes where their children, Sam and Dean travel back in time, the older boy tells his father (unaware of the fact) to draw some magical sigils and he had no clue in what they are. Anyone who knows the events from Supernatural can easily point out what else is wrong.
When considering the only seasons I acknowledge as essential are the first five, I’m okay with everything original showrunner Eric Kripke outlined. Everything else took place in an alternate universe–which may be where this new series operates in. As for how involved this series creator is to this spinoff, all he has is creative credit. Here, there’s a magical box that can put supernatural beings back in their place–provided it can be found. I’m thinking this item is Pandora’s box. A better person to know is Mary’s friend, Ada (Demetria McKinney). She’s the bookworm in the group, whereas Latika (Nida Khurshid) is the fighter, and Carlos (Jojo Leites) is the exorcist.
They’re a solid group, but when the group considers John is a “distraction,” they need to reorganise. The bouncing between their courtship and adventure is nothing new, and I’m expecting an episode where tough choices are going to be made–who’ll sacrifice for love, or will it be to finally get that container?
The two leads will have to meet Ol’ Yellow Eyes so that what happens in this prequel series can connect to the main story. Those who’ve followed Supernatural know Mary made a deal with the devil in season eight. And just maybe, with The Winchesters, we’ll see some terms that we never knew before. Until then, the episode titles don’t reveal too much. The next episode due November 15 will concern fleshing out more of who Ada is, and it’s safe to say the other two will get their “solo” episodes.
Sadly, the series may well get cut short. That’s because of The CW’s leadership shakeup. I’m hoping Robbie Thompson, the creator and showrunner for The Winchesters, has an exit strategy or a finale in mind. I’d rather want this series to have a planned ending so that the transition between both the parents’ adventures to their kids isn’t as abrupt instead of going up in flames.
The Winchesters Season Trailer
