Supernatural S13E10 Review: Wayward Sisters
Supernatural returned last night after their winter hiatus with the backdoor pilot for its spinoff Wayward Sisters. And it turns out, the Wayward Sisters can really hold their own, in more ways than one.
Season 1, Episode 1 of Supernatural began with Dean telling Sam that their dad was on a hunting trip, and he hasn’t heard from him in a few days. The backdoor pilot of Wayward Sisters begins with Jody calling Claire and telling her that Sam and Dean were on a hunting trip, and she hasn’t heard from them in a few days. How perfect is this?
I don’t know how the writers could bridge the gap between the two shows any more seamlessly. I have been itching for a spin-off with Jody and her girls for years. Last night’s mid-season premiere delivered. And oh man, what a delivery it was. I went into the episode with high hopes, and every single expectation was not only met, they were exceeded.
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“Time to come home.”
The cold open has Claire kicking ass and killing werewolves in Iowa. After rescuing the little girl the werewolves were intending to eat, she gets a call from Jody. Jody tells her that Sam and Dean are missing, and that she needs to come home.
Upon returning home and greeting Alex and Jody, Claire meets Patience. Claire isn’t too pleased that Patience is there, and that Jody has converted her room into a storage room. In fact it seems like she would rather be anywhere but there. She’s still angry at Jody for holding her back, for not trusting her with being safe while hunting.
Patience and Jody soon reveal why Patience is there. Patience had a vision of Claire dying. Jody wants to use the vision as a way to convince Claire to stop hunting by herself. Or to stop just jumping into things without a plan. Claire doesn’t care about some vision though. She doesn’t plan to change anything, and she’s going to continue to do things the way she wants.
“Never stopped caring.”
Kaia is where we left her at the mid-season finale, lying unconscious on the side of the road. A man in a truck pulls over and calls 911, and Kaia is taken to the hospital, which happens to be the same hospital Alex works at in Sioux Falls. Claire is visiting Alex while she is at work, giving her a hard time about still working with monsters even though she had said she was done with that. Alex explains that she will do whatever Jody asks her to do, since she’s Jody and she wants to be there for her. She also tells Claire that Jody has never stopped caring about her.
Claire asks Alex to look in the computer to see if she can find anything about Kaia, who they know was probably the last person to see Sam and Dean. Conveniently, she has just been brought in. When Claire confronts her, Kaia runs. Until they’re stopped by one of the monsters from The Bad Place.
“The door’s still open.”
After killing the monster, they bring it back to Jody’s garage where they perform a gross, sticky autopsy on it. Kaia explains that the monster is from her dreams. She tells everyone that she’s a dream walker and can visit other worlds. She was helping Sam and Dean when something went wrong, and she is pretty sure Sam and Dean are now in the Bad Place. The women conclude that if the Bad Place monsters were in Sioux Falls, that means there’s still a door open somewhere. They will be able to go and save Sam and Dean.
In the midst of all of this discovery, there is an amazing little seen between Claire and Kaia. Kaia is telling Claire about the Bad Place and how if she gets hurt there, she gets hurt in the real world as well. When Claire sees the scars on her arms, she starts showing Kaia all of her scars from hunting and fighting monsters. It’s an amazing scene showing the two girls growing closer and bonding. And it really sets us up for the heartbreak and the decisions Claire makes at the end of the episode.
“Tastes like lizard.”
We catch up with Sam and Dean in the Bad Place, where Dean is cooking a lizard over the campfire. Sam explains that they’ve been there for a few days. They hear some loud growling sounds, and take off into the jungle. Later we catch up with them when a cloaked figure engages them in battle. They try and fight them off, but the figure knocks them out. When they awaken, they’re tied to trees, and the figure hits a giant skull with their spear. The loud growling starts to get closer.
“Called in some back up”
Patience decides that she’s not into hunting monsters and packs up to leave, even though Alex tries to convince her to stay. Before she has a chance to leave, she has a vision of Jody’s house being invaded by Bad Place monsters. Everyone escapes unharmed.
They all stop somewhere to regroup and decide what to do next. Jody informs the girls that she has called in some back up: Donna! Donna’s trunk is very reminiscent of the trunk of the Impala. It is full of weapons. Donna is amazing, and she brings in the comic relief in the group. Kaia fills everyone in on the last night she was with Sam and Dean, and Alex is able to locate the boat yard via the Internet.
Jody and Donna go to the boat yard alone, leaving Claire in charge of protecting the other girls. When they get to the boat yard not only do they find the rift still open, but they find the place infested with monsters. Instead of going into the rift like she wants to, Jody stays and helps Donna fight the monsters.
“I called, you didn’t answer, we worried.”
Just when it seems like Jody and Donna couldn’t win, as they are trapped in a car, a stream of fire kills one of the monsters. Jody and Donna get out of the car, and it’s Claire with a flamethrower. Even though she wanted the girls out of danger, Jody is happy that they are there. Unfortunately, Claire hears the rift and runs up to find it. They notice the rift is getting smaller, so they’re running out of time. Claire and Kaia go in to save Sam and Dean while Jody and the rest of the Sisters stay and fight off the monsters.
In the Bad Place, Claire and Kaia have an easy time saving Sam and Dean. But just as they get to the rift to go back home, they’re stopped by the cloaked figure. The figure throws their spear toward Claire, but Kaia jumps in front of it, falling to the ground. She’s dead. As a monster appears over the trees, Sam, Dean and Claire jump through the rift just as it is closing.
While this is all going on in The Bad Place, Jody, Donna, Alex and Patience are holding their own against the monsters. Donna teaches Patience how to shoot a gun, but she is still leery. She doesn’t want to do any of this. As they’re fighting and killing the monsters, Patience gathers up the courage and shoots at a monster, killing it.
When Claire, Sam and Dean come back through the rift, Jody immediately cradles Claire in her lap. Patience looks on, this is the scene in her vision. But instead of Claire being dead, she’s just upset at the loss of Kaia. Kaia’s death changed the future Patience had seen.
“We’ve got Sioux Falls covered.”
Back at Jody’s house in Sioux Falls, Claire has locked herself away in her room. She’s feeling guilty about Kaia’s death. If she had made a plan and not just jumped in, maybe Kaia would still be a alive. Jody tells her that it isn’t her fault. Jody also apologizes for doubting Claire’s ability to hunt. She also tells Claire that she doesn’t have to do it alone. That they’re there for her, when she’s ready, and that they can be a team. Claire goes down and joins everyone for dinner. Her voice over explains that they’re her family, her team, and she’s happy to be with them to defend the world.
Before Sam and Dean leave, Jody assures them that they have Sioux Falls covered. Sam and Dean can go ahead and concentrate on saving the world. Somewhere, in a park, there’s an open rift, and the cloaked figure who attacked Sam and Dean in the Bad Place steps out. The person takes off their hood, and it’s Kaia.
https://twitter.com/katelutz13/status/954355878794285056
Performer of the week
This week had so many amazing performances. It really showcased that these women can headline their own show. However, I make it a point to only choose one person each week, and this week I’m picking Kathryn Newton. Claire has been around on the show for a long time. And for most of the recent seasons, she’s been a defiant teen. In last night’s episode, we really saw some growth from her, and Newton did an amazing job showing these changes. In the beginning of the episode she was kicking ass as a hunter. She made a point to Jody that she wanted to hunt alone. As the episode progressed, slowly, and subtly, you can see her changing her mind.
Claire owes a lot to Sam and Dean, and she doesn’t want to waste the life they have given her by saving her so many times. She also bonds with Kaia in the short time they are together. After Kaia’s death, you can see that shift in Claire very clearly. Maybe she can’t do this alone. Maybe she does need her family. Newton’s acting is not over the top. It is subtle. The tears glistening in her eyes, the tone of her voice. It all shows the growth in her character in this episode. Which is why she’s my performer of the week.
Next: Supernatural recap: Wayward Sisters assemble
What did you think of the Wayward Sisters premiere? Was it everything you hoped for? Are you hoping it gets picked up as a series? Who is your performer of the week? Let us know in the comments below!
Supernatural airs Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW.