Supernatural Review, Season 7, Episode 22: “There Will Be Blood”
Written by Andrew Dabb and Daniel Loflin
Directed by Guy Bee
Airs Fridays at 9pm (ET) on the CW
This week, on Supernatural: Bobby moves towards the Dark Side, Dick writes one hell of a letter of recommendation, and Dean has to eat healthfully
The strong narrative drive present in the previous few episodes continues this week as Sam and Dean continue to formulate their plan to take down Dick. These are definitely characters who work better when they have a task ahead of them and the series benefits from this immensely. As the episode begins with the guys in possession of only one of the four necessary components of the Leviathan weapon, it’s somewhat surprising that the entire episode is devoted to obtaining only one of the three they’re missing. Though there’s much talk of the Alpha blood being difficult or the Angel blood, the one that seems the trickiest to this viewer is the bone of a man as pure and good as the Leviathan are evil. With only the finale left this season, though, the writers must have a trick up their sleeve if Sam and Dean are to find this, get Crowley’s blood, do the ceremony, and find and kill Dick in 45 minutes. It should be an action-packed finale, if nothing else.
Much of this episode centers on the Alpha Vampire, returning for the first time since early season six. Rick Worthy is a lot of fun as the Alpha and drips with elegant menace. It’s nice to see vampires return, but it is a shame that the guys seem to have gotten less proficient at fighting them. If memory serves, last time the two of them carved up an entire den by themselves in almost no time. Here they struggle to incapacitate one in tandem with each other. Regardless, we get more Leviathan v. (fill in the blank) power dynamics filled in, but after Edgar so easily chomped on a couple angels last week, seeing him prepare to fight an Alpha is decidedly anticlimactic. The past few episodes have done a good job of establishing the Leviathan threat to not only humanity, but the entire Supernatural world(s), and it’ll be fun to see just what comes together to give Sam and Dean their shot at Dick.
After a strong opening between Dick and Kevin, much of the episode is spent on the misdirect with Emily. Laci J. Mailey does well, selling Emily both as the unknowing, scared victim and the twisted teen with daddy issues. Though perhaps more alert audience members see this twist coming, it’s handled well enough to be affective and the guys’ insistence on saving at least the young boy, and the fact that this doesn’t come back to bite them (silly Jefferson Starships), is a pleasant surprise. It’s nice to get a reminder here of how Sam and Dean started out- two kids (well, 20-somethings) kicking around in an Impala trying to help people. Not saving the world, not taking on things this large, but helping a lost kid get back to his parents.
By far the most significant wildcard at this point is GhostBobby. Graduating to possession this week, Bobby is growing desperate and Sam and Dean’s persistent condescension towards him certainly isn’t helping. The difference in the group dynamic is significant, and rightly so, but one can’t help but wonder how much of Bobby’s escalation issues would be tempered if he felt even a little more heard and included in the fight against Dick. With so much left up in the air, it’s hard to imagine just how it’ll all come together and how GhostBobby’s potential fall to Vengeful Spiritdom will play in.
What did you think of this episode? Did you buy in to Emily’s act? Anyone else find the Alpha’s “See you next season” a bit too sentimental? Post your thoughts below!
Kate Kulzick