Supernatural 2.17: "Heart"

Written by Sera Gamble
Directed by Kim Manners

The key to any script of “Supernatural” is psychological and emotional resonance. Every time a new threat is discovered, it’s not just a matter of taking down a monster or fighting a demon. The inner demons are a lot more powerful and challenging than the physical threats, and this episode is another perfect example of that.

Emmanuelle Vaugier is a gorgeous woman, but despite a massive resume including dozens of movies and several recurring roles on television, she doesn’t have much of a reputation for her acting ability. So for some, her performance in this episode might be a revelation. She managed to sell the idea of Madison’s plight to the very end, which had to have been a challenge.

The plot seemed to gloss over some of the motivations along the way, which could have been a matter of cutting the episode for time. Sam’s attraction to Madison was obvious, but they seemed to get a bit too close too fast. Given her character history, Madison didn’t seem like someone ready to trust so completely. It wasn’t enough of a problem to kill the episode as a whole, but it did seem like the writer’s intentions and needs were a bit more apparent than usual.

The connection between Sam and Madison was necessary to establish the aforementioned emotional and psychological resonance. Sam had to have a stake in Madison’s future, even beyond his usual sense of empathy. He had to get close enough to Madison to see the goodness within. That made it possible for him to recognize that Madison was trapped by a demonic imposition beyond her choice and control.

And that, of course, is precisely how Sam feels, which is why saving Madison is so important to him. Regardless of how different the respective situations might be, it’s about the possibility of salvation. Sam needs to be able to save Madison, because then it’s one more reason to believe he can be saved. Killing Madison, even at her own behest, is an acknowledgment that his own story may end the same way.

It also forces Sam to consider how Dean has been handling the situation. Dean is more than happy to make the clinical decision to take down a threat, unless it means taking down Sam with the same kind of detachment. Sam recognizes the contradiction, and he calls Dean out for it. Yet the question remains: if Dean is usually willing to err on the side of caution and take out a threat, and he acts against those instincts with Sam, can he be trusted to do the right thing if Sam does turn?

None of these issues are particularly new, but that’s not the point. “Supernatural” is at its best when it takes a known psychological issue and then demonstrates how those issues affect the work of the Brothers Winchester. Situations don’t just remind them of their problems; their problems haunt them at critical moments. This keeps the standard “monster of the week” episodes, much like this one, from becoming stale.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 1/4

Final Rating: 7/10