Supernatural 2.14: "Born Under a Bad Sign"

Written by Cathryn Humphris
Directed by J. Miller Tobin

Once again, the writers for “Supernatural” have managed to surprise me with a willingness to go into dark territory and step into more and more dangerous ground. Just when things couldn’t have seemed worse for the Brothers Winchester, the situation gets even more complicated. If things continue along these lines, the brothers won’t have many allies at all going into the Big War.

Sooner or later, the writers were going to have to address Dean’s promise to take down Sammy if he went “darkside”, and this episode takes the subject on rather directly. From Dean’s point of view, this could have been the beginning of Sam’s descent into evil. After all, thanks to Gordon, he’s had to have the whole “demonic sleeper agent” theory in the back of his mind. So if Dean was ready to keep that promise, the evidence against Sam was there.

Presumably, “Meg” was using that against Dean. Would the yellow-eyed demon have allowed Meg to get Sam killed? Whatever plans might exist for using Sam, it may be a win-win for the demons in either case. If he stays alive, he’s a potential player for the team; if he dies, he’s no longer a potential roadblock. For that matter, Meg might have been testing Dean’s resolve on behalf of that higher authority, and just decided to play her own game instead. Since Meg survived, the dynamics of the demon world remain an open subject for future exploration.

Whatever Meg’s motivations might have been, it’s now clear that Dean won’t give up on Sam quickly, and that’s a source of tension. Sam doesn’t want to hurt anyone, but now it’s too late. He was aware of Meg’s actions, and to a certain extent, he has to wonder if he’ll start doing the same without possession as a part of it. He has to wonder how high the body count will get before Dean will fulfill his vow. Dean’s made it rather clear that it will have to be a lost cause in every respect before he’ll act, and that should add even more weight on their shoulders.

Looking at the big picture, previous episodes indicated that some hunters were beginning to view the Brothers Winchester as a problem to be solved. That situation just became worse by several orders of magnitude. Sam has killed or attacked hunters, and some of them will find out about it. The demon has managed to destabilize the hunter community, and the brothers will be targets. As mentioned before, this serves to isolate Dean, increasing the pressure on him to resolve the issues with Sam.

This episode also ties Meg and the demon to the situation with the Winchesters and Ellen/Jo, which is a good enough excuse for bringing Jo back into the story. Unfortunately, the writers felt the need to resolve some pre-existing relationship elements in the process. As annoying as it was, it’s probably better that the writers addressed what they introduced earlier in the season, rather than pretending that it never happened. Jo was interested in Dean, Dean saw her as a little sister. It makes sense, just as it makes sense that Meg would use that against Jo as a means of hurting the Winchesters.

That said, I was a little annoyed with how easily Jo was overpowered. In most of the episode, Jo was a lot stronger and determined than she had been in earlier situations, which was a nice evolution. But she made some incredibly stupid decisions in service to the plot. For one thing, she didn’t notice Sam’s unusual behavior, which should have been an easy read. But once it was clear that Sam was out of control, Jo should have known better than to turn her back to him. It’s Self-Defense 101.

The fact that it left her vulnerable to possible sexual assault just makes it worse. Frankly, given her background, she should have known better; she’s a young hottie who worked in a bar for years. Her introduction made it sound like she knew a thing or two about how men saw her and how to keep a handle on the situation. I would have expected Ellen to teach her daughter a few simple lessons on constant awareness of surroundings, if nothing else. Thankfully, the writers didn’t go there, because I’m not sure it would have been easy for the audience to forgive.

On the positive side, this is probably meant as a sign that Jo will be included in the season finale event. This episode gives her plenty of reason to take a personal stake in the situation, and with the relationship elements effectively addressed, the writers can focus on her feelings of betrayal. I’d love to see Jo even stronger and more determined when she appears again.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10