Grade: A-
“You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.”
Harvey Dent might have been talking about Batman , but these words have never applied to anyone better than Dean Winchester.
Season nine of the CW’s hit series “Supernatural” left fans in shock when it ended with the biggest cliff hanger in “Supernatural” history: Dean became a demon.
Now the series’ 10th season is picking up the shattered pieces of our hearts, but I don’t think the creators intend to glue them back together for long.
Season 10’s premiere, “Black,” opened with a dark scene between a female demon and our beloved “moose,” Sam Winchester.
We last saw Sam, played by Jared Padalecki, carrying his brother’s dead body home. Then Dean goes missing, only leaving a note that reads “Sammy let me go.” Yes, cue the tears, I know, I know, it’s OK.
Now, it’s been weeks since Dean’s gone missing and Sam is determined to get him back. He’s making phone calls to old friends, searching the deepest parts of the Internet for any weird signs that could lead him to his older brother.
As always, Sam finds what he’s looking for. After all, he’s a Winchester. But Sam isn’t prepared for the truth. They say we all have to face our demons, but when that demon is our brother, things get complicated.
Meanwhile, Dean, played by Jensen Ackles, is having a disturbingly grand time as a demon. His days are full of meaningless sex with the pretty blonde waitress at a roadhouse. His nights are sweet with large quantities of alcohol and horrible karaoke.
Crowley, played by Mark Sheppard , the King of Hell and the demon somewhat responsible for Dean’s turn into a demon, is charged with looking after the older Winchester. But things aren’t working out the way he planned.
Dean has always been the protector. He has always felt the heavy burden of saving the world and, most importantly, keeping his baby brother safe. And through nine seasons we have seen again and again the lengths Dean will go to in order to protect Sam, even if that means selling his soul or working with an angel.
Demon Dean feels none of those responsibilities. He is a Dean free of all burdens other than a need to get drunk and sing “I’m Too Sexy.” And while it’s nice to see Dean all easygoing, it soon becomes apparent that a Dean without a conscience is especially dangerous.
These days, there is no “Supernatural” without fallen angel of the lord, Castiel, played by Misha Collins. Cas is in trouble. At the end of season eight, Cas’ grace was stolen, turning him into a human. In season nine, Cas was able to steal the grace of another angel.
However, this stolen grace is fading and every day Castiel is getting weaker.
While Cas is sick in bed with the angel flu, Hannah appears, seeking his help. Hannah is an angel introduced in season nine. She was one of Castiel’s most loyal followers before leaving him to return to heaven.
Once again, heaven is in chaos. Two angels, who refuse to return to heaven, killed one of their own, and Hannah needs Cas to help her bring them home.
“Supernatural” also introduced a brand new character, Cole. Cole isn’t the kind of hunter “Supernatural” fans are used to. But he does have a specific target: Dean.
His story line will delve into Dean’s past, hopefully in those murky years before the brothers reunited for the pilot episode.
In nine seasons, 195 episodes, of “Supernatural” we’ve never seen the plot get so complicated. And we’ve seen a lot: ghosts, vampires, shape-shifters, demons, angels, the apocalypse and the four horsemen, leviathans and demi-gods.
But season 10 is going beyond the complications of weird monsters. It’s going to twist the way we view the characters we’ve spent almost 10 years getting to know and that have ultimately kept the show afloat.
When “Supernatural” first premiered Sept. 21, 2006, creator Eric Kripke had every intention of introducing the CW audience to a horror show. In the “A Very Special Supernatural” retrospective aired Monday, the night before the season 10 premiere, he revealed it was supposed to be about the monsters.
He said things began to change after the episode “Faith.” In “Faith,” Dean is fatally injured and Sam goes to odd means to save his brother. It’s the first episode that’s more about the relationship between the brothers rather than the hunt.
Kripke noted that the more the show became about Sam and Dean the better the show became.
And he is right. Science fiction shows such as “Supernatural” don’t do well. They usually don’t last long. Plot lines become repetitive and the characters get worn out and boring.
But at its core, “Supernatural” is about family. It started with two brothers looking for their father and has become two brothers and a close friend trying to hold onto each other through the end of the world.
Without the family dynamic, “Supernatural” would have dried out a long time ago, which is why fans are going to be uncomfortable with season 10.
Through everything we’ve gone through with the brothers, they have always had each other, which is not the case this time. And when the brothers do inevitably meet, it’s clear that it isn’t going to be the happy reunion we might want.
I don’t know where this season is going to go. It’s starting out with the main characters already so broken, and we know it’s only going to get worse from here, no matter how difficult that is to imagine.
Season 10 of “Supernatural” is going to be a dark and wild ride.
