Golden years.
By Matt Fowler
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
Named after a Van Morrison song, “Into the Mystic” was a solid-but-standard monster hunt, with smatterings of Dean pining for Amara, Sam being haunted by that time left his brother in Purgatory while he found true love, and “Casifer” infiltrating the bunker and learning about Dean’s sweet spot for the Darkness. Nothing too heavy. Definitely a come-down chapter after last week’s big, eventful cage match. With, you know, a little humor thrown in involving a retirement home woman, Mildred, having the hots for Dean. And hating to see him go, but loving to watch him leave.
Was it just me or did anyone else think something was suspicious about Mildred? As in, you were expecting her to be behind the Banshee attacks somehow. I don’t know. I thought there’d be more to her than just a character designed to deliver a few laughs and get the boys to reveal their secret Golden Girls crushes (ROSE ALL THE WAY, YOU HEATHENS!). Anyhow, she wasn’t behind the murders. It was a just plain ol’ “total dickbag” Banshee (the non-good kind). One that had been hunting and feeding for years.
Helping this episode tick up a bit was the inclusion of Eileen, a Banshee victim who’d been rendered deaf by the demon when she was an infant while her parents died in front of her. Her grandfather was a Man of Letters, so that led her down the Hunter’s path. And here she was, decades later, out for revenge. It wasn’t anything special, as this episode really had no twists at all, but her character was interesting enough to resonate. And she helped Sam get through his funk.
Once again, the Winchesters are keeping secrets. Sam finally opened up about his ongoing survivor’s guilt, and spinelessness, as pertaining to the whole Purgatory mess, but Dean’s still not telling Sam about Amara. I mean, Dead DID tell someone. He thought he was telling Cas when he went to get a gold dagger from the bunker. But it was Lucifer in Cas’ clothing. Which meant that not only did we continue to see Misha Collins doing his best “Pellegrino,” but we then saw Misha do Mark do Misha, since he had to pretend to be Cas. Normally we only see this kind of inside-out shtick on Orphan Black.
So Dean’s in love, or in lust, or has taken a fatal fancy to Amara. And he’s willing to admit it’s a problem. Sam sort of saddled up to this right at the end when he was wondering why the Banshee had targeted Dean, but it got brushed aside. Stored away for a later argument, surely.
Oh, and when are we getting a POP! Funko figure of Dean in his Bunker Robe?
“Into the Mystic” was a decent monster-of-the-week chapter that touched upon all the ongoing arcs of the year. Dean’s connection to Amara, Sam’s guilt/restlessness, and Cas – well – now being Satan. Plus, it had an old woman hitting on Dean. Oh, and Dean labeling Viagra theft as a “dick move.” Which cuts things bit close, censorship-wise, regarding how a character’s allowed to say dick on network TV.
