Supernatural S4E13: After School Special

I don’t really have time for this so if you didn’t watch it, check out a full recap at Buddy TV. While there is no such thing as a bad episode of SN, this has got to be the most disappointing flashback episode ever. Shame on you, Supernatural. Usually SN flashbacks are phenomenal (“In the Beginning,” “A Very Supernatural Christmas,” “Something Wicked,” “Home”) but this one didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know and even Jensen Ackles in the above outfit couldn’t save it. Although the part when he nailed that kid in the stomach with a ball almost did. Some thoughts:

1. How on earth did Dean have time to absorb all these pop culture references in his life as a hunter? Heathers, Dead Poets Society, Hello Kitty -- he was all over the place in this ep. Although I guess young Dean and young Sam did spend a lot of time holed up in hotel rooms waiting for John to come home.

2. Young Dean was basically the same as old Dean. I was surprised by Young Sam, though. It had never occurred to me that they went to school, nor what their skills would translate into as far as high school goes. One of my favorite moments was when Dean asked why Sammy let the bully beat on him. “You could have torn him apart!” says Dean. But little Sam didn’t want to be a freak. Touching, and yet scary.



3. I already complained about this, but why does Dean look so much older than Sam? They are only supposed to be a couple of years apart.

4. Also, what came between these boys in the first place? In the pilot ep, they haven’t spoken in some time -- Sam asks why Dean didn’t call before showing up, and Dean says Sam wouldn’t have answered even if he had. And in the flash-forward ep “What Is And What Should Never Be,” Sam and Dean are totally estranged. But in the flashback eps, the brothers always get along relatively well. I get why John and Sam had issues -- supposedly when Sam left for college, John told him to “stay gone.” But Dean and Sam? What’s the deal there?

5. So, Sam’s teacher had some great effect on him by encouraging him to write? Maybe it would have been too perfect, but this would have made more sense if College Sam had majored in English rather than Law. I understand that the point of the inspiration was that he didn’t have to go into the family business, but they focused on the writing thing so much that I thought it could have flowed better.

And so could I, if I weren’t in such a damn rush.