Grade: C
Season 11 of the CW’s “Supernatural” premiered Oct. 7, and to be honest I was less than impressed.
Maybe it’s because the episode begins with Dean and a traditionally beautiful woman in some kind of stormy vortex with wind whipping all around them and yet their hair never stirs. Great job, special effects department.
Maybe it’s because when Sam realizes his brother has vanished he just happens to walk in the right direction for a mile to find Dean passed out in a pretty field. Surely that was just a coincidence and not lazy writing.
Maybe it’s because once again a season begins with Castiel in imminent danger because he tried to help the Winchesters and oh, look at that — not a single Winchester nearby to help him for once.
Maybe it’s because the big bad this season is called the fucking Darkness.
What am I supposed to do with that, Bob Singer? I mean honestly, the Darkness? That’s the best you could come up with after 10 years with this show? The same thing children use Scooby-Doo night-lights to fight off?
But, anyway, that was just the beginning.
From there, the episode spirals into familiar territory. Sam and Dean get stuck with someone to protect. They get holed up in a hospital while trying to hide from the people who have been turned into violent monsters by the Darkness. Sam and Dean have a bro-ment.
Out in the world, Cas is kidnapped by angels and Crowley has an orgy. Typical.
The best part of this episode was Sam and Dean’s heart-to-heart where Sam addresses their character flaws and the way they’ve changed throughout the years.
It’s impossible not to notice how the brothers have become colder compared to the first four seasons or so. Their motto went from “saving people, hunting things” to “kill now, ask questions later.”
If the first episode is any indication, season 11 is going to revert to the classic “Supernatural” style: two brothers against the world.
Though I wasn’t pleased with the first episode, I have hope for the rest of the season.
The overarching storyline has promise. The Darkness might have an incredibly stupid name but its origin predates the biblical creation of Earth, which will take “Supernatural” into uncharted waters.
We learned in season 10 that God and the angels had to battle the Darkness, which makes me suspect we’ll see some guest appearances from Robert Benedict and Richard Speight Jr.
My biggest expectation has to do with the devil himself. Dean sealed Lucifer in the cage — along with his two brothers — in season five. Sam made it out but Lucifer and Adam remained imprisoned. But I think the Darkness is going to provide their get out of jail free card.
There’s a lot to speculate about the infant, Amara, with the Mark of Cain and whether or not she’ll grow to be an adversary or an ally to the Winchesters.
Filler episodes are always a big part of the “Supernatural” season. They’re a nice breather from the storyline when things are getting hot and heavy. In the past they’ve led to fan favorites like “The French Mistake” and “Yellow Fever.”
This season, we’ll have “Baby,” and episode completely shot in the beloved car it’s named after.
“It’s going to touch on, ‘What happens in the moment when they agree to take a case and normally you cut to whatever and they’re walking in?’” Executive Producer Jeremy Carver said. “’What if you stayed in the Impala for another five minutes? What do they talk about then?’”
It had a rough start, but season 11 has a lot of potential. The capacity for guest stars and beloved reoccurring characters is expansive as it takes on this storyline that has never been explored.
It’s going to get dark — pun fully intended — but the Winchesters have literally been to hell and back. What’s a little Darkness?
