Supernatural – Season 12 Episode 18
“The Memory Remains”
Supernatural sends Sam and Dean on the hunt for a low level God as Mr. Ketch starts working towards his inevitable betrayal.
This is definitely one of those episodes where there isn’t a lot to say about what goes on. The case of the week is fairly standard as these things go with no real surprises and little in the way of depth. It wasn’t bad by any means but very little about it stands out as being something worth talking about as it does nothing to forward the main season arcs or develop the characters in any significant way.
There were a couple of things that stood out. I really liked how the Goat creature was handled. It was a blunt instrument as antagonists go with it’s main goal being to eat its victims but it was interesting to look at. I found it to be cleverly shot with more hints at the full creature which dialled up the mystery surrounding it while also covering up the fact that this show only has a modest budget for things like this. Working within its limitations is something that Supernatural has always been good at and this is a solid example of that.
Another interesting thing about the episode was the mastermind behind the Goat creature, Pete (Ryan McDonald). He wasn’t the greatest of villains but the fact that he was against what his brother was doing created an intriguing parallel between him and the Winchesters. He’s an example of someone who isn’t close to his brother and works to undermine him where Sam and Dean have spent all season being more or less on the same page so he serves as almost a “What if…?” for them. The fact that he reverses the famous “Saving people, hunting things. The family business” to “Hunting people, killing them. The family business” makes the comparison a little too obvious but it works well enough.
It feeds into Dean’s existential thinking at the end of the episode where he wonders what their legacy will be after their gone. Will other Hunters move into the Bunker and fight the good fight in their honour or will things change? Will they be forgotten? These are all big questions that can’t be answered. Sam is content with the fact that he will leave the world in a better condition than when he found it so anything else is a bonus to him. In an attempt to be remembered in some form Dean starts to etch his initials into the table and Sam follows suit. It calls back to them as kids carving their initials into the Impala and we see that intercut with them doing the same here. It’s a quietly powerful moment and lets the relationship between the brothers do most of the heavy lifting.
Now that they have the Colt back in their possession it appears that Dean is becoming somewhat overconfident. When Sam is telling him about his research he is more interested in a nearby waitress and seems very distracted even though he is listening. Having the Colt back appears to make him feel like he has become somewhat invincible. He points out that it “dusts anything” so isn’t really worried about a simple case. This doesn’t come to anything here but it easily could as the episodes go on though I’m not sure what. I just got the impression that it was foreshadowing something.
The B Plot involving Ketch mobilising a team to search the Bunker inch by inch to learn everything they can about the Winchesters is really underwhelming. Using comedic sounding music during these scenes suggested that the Men of Letters aren’t a threat worth worrying about and it doesn’t really make sense for Ketch to go down this route. When he pretended to be Mick and sent the Winchesters off on this hunt I expected him to use this as an ambush opportunity. Sneaking around really doesn’t seem like his style so it felt like a stalling tactic to remind us of their threat without actually doing anything with it.
I would have actually preferred if this plot had been done away with entirely and the reveal of the microphone under the table at the end of the episode had been our only clue that the Men of Letters had been in the Bunker. It would be far more effective and not subjected us to uninteresting scenes of them going through Sam and Dean’s stuff.
One thing to take away from this is that Ketch is definitely more affected by his one night stand with Mary than he let on. I suspect that stealing the picture will be the thing that clues Sam and Dean in on what’s happening and I’m hoping that will come sooner rather than later. Things have moved too quickly with this plot and there are certain things that would have been better with more time to breathe.
Verdict
A solid if unremarkable episode that delivers a fairly standard case that somewhat lacks in depth. The use of the Goat creature is effective as we rarely see the whole thing which adds to the mystery surrounding it as well as covering up the budget constraints. Having the main antagonist being a brother who looks to undermine his sibling rather than work with him creates a fairly obvious parallel to Sam and Dean but it does the job just fine. The suggestion that Dean might be coming overconfident because of the Colt might go somewhere but also may not. Sam and Dean etching their initials into the table in the Bunker after Dean’s existential thinking about what their legacy will be was a nice moment and I liked that it was cut with flashbacks to them doing the same with the Impala.
The B Plot where Ketch mobilised a team to go through Sam and Dean’s stuff was fairly underwhelming. I found the use of comedic music baffling as it makes them out to be something not worth worrying about. This would have been far more effective had it been dropped entirely with the microphone under the table revealing that they had been around to the audience. It’s clear that Ketch isn’t as unaffected by his one night stand with Mary as he let on and I suspect the stolen picture will be the clue that points Sam and Dean towards the Men of Letters but we shall see. As threats go there’s a lot of work to do to make them worthwhile and I fear that it may be too late.
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7/10
Summary
Kneel Before…
- Sam and Dean etching their initials into the bunker
- the visual trickery with the Goat creature
Rise Against…
- the unnecessary B Plot and the lack of threat associated with the Men of Letters
So, finally was able to see this episode. As usual, I agree with your comments about this one. Not so stunning, story-wise, but I do always appreciate the visuals this show provides in terms of direction. I particularly enjoyed the introduction to the sheriff, behind that magnifying glass so he presented in a distorted way, offering a misleading first impression to the audience. And The intro for the character Pete as well, suddenly appearing from behind the door and scaring Darin (sp?), already hinting the nature of this character. It is a standard type episode, but I do like the way they tell a story visually. Really is beautiful work.
Yes, it was a bit confusing to me regarding Ketch and his crew needing to go through a reconnaissance of the bunker while the boys were away. I, too, thought it was a trap as an opportunity to do away with the brothers, as was given the order to “exterminate them”. I pondered over the invasion, wondering what they had to gain from this as opposed to simply killing off the brothers and then raiding the bunker in peace.
I think the mention of missing Cas in both last episode and this one alludes to something not being right in that area. It is strange that the one thing occupying Cas is the Satan’s baby issue, so the fact he has not responded to Dean regarding raises suspicion that Cas is again in trouble for trusting another angel.
Sorry it took me so long to reply, I do get back to you in the end though 🙂
I didn’t catch that visual touch, looks like you have a good eye for effective shots and that’s definitely worthwhile. This show doesn’t always push the boat out visually so I don’t tend to be looking for it.
We’re back this week and it’s late in the season so I’m hoping it’s all plot from here on out with no filler. It really should be.
There’s a lot going on these days what with the release of the new Star Wars 8 trailer recently and the Guardians of the Galaxy out. A lot of distractions.
I understand regarding the visuals, though these guys really know their stuff. Being a visual person, I try to notice things when I can but in many cases, I get too caught up in the story to catch things. This is a good thing as good visual storytelling supports the story, and doesn’t overshadow it. The last thing one would want is to say that the visuals were stunning and nothing about the story. For the most part, this series offers a good variety in storytelling style throughout, and has a nice balance between drama and light-hearted comedy.
Indeed. We did a podcast on the Star Wars teaser and I’ve reviewed Guardians 2 so feel free to check those out and furnish us with your thoughts.
The reason I love this show is the variety we get in terms of storytelling and visuals. A lot of the time the show can look quite drab and grey though which isn’t always interesting to look at. We haven’t had a meta episode in a while either, it’s about time the show broke format and did something silly again.
I agree! Those silly episodes are so much fun. I guess we have to wait until next season for the next one though. And it will be sorely needed after the tragedy and drama coming up to end the season.
They probably won’t give us a meta episode this late on no but they’re always a delight when we do get them.