Leylin Vixen's Quick Draw Recap - Keep Calm and Carry On

Season 12 here we come! I've got to tell you how proud I am of our show. While the season premiere aired they were already filming mid-season finale which in this case is also the 250th episode of the show. How amazing is that? And believe me, even for a tough girl gunslinger like me, the premiere was a tear jerker. Oh who am I kidding? I cried at the start! Welcome to the 1st! Leylin Vixen's quick draw recap of season 12!

EPISODE DETAILS

Title         Keep Calm and Carry On
Episode         12.01
First aired October 13, 2016
Directed by Phil Sgriccia
Written by Andrew Dabb
Monster         Men of Letters
Timeline Immediately after 11.23 Alpha and Omega
Location(s) Lebanon, Kansas
                Aldrich, Missouri 

STORY

We start right where we left off.

The grittier colouring already hits the right notes with me. We follow three stories in the first episode. Dean, Mary and Cas trying to find Sam, while Mary and Dean try to cope with their current situation. Crowley is on the hunt for Lucifer, and Sam is "having fun" with the Men of letters.

The best part from these three story points is the first one because it worked on all levels. Next I will explain why.

Dean and Mary's meeting at the start was very emotional. Ackles and Smith made everything work, as did Collins with Castiel. We learnt more about Mary and her being a hunter subtly throughout the episode. Cas also has his mojo back, and did anyone else notice the Mystery Spot sign Cas crash landed through? Our show remembers! Dean was taking charge and he was smart and strong in this episode. Dean often belittles himself, but we know that Sam is having none of it. He knows his brother is smart! Mary's memories about Baby and Dean's reaction made me giggle. It would be so fitting if Dean and Sam "came to be" on the backseat of the Impala!

While they go in search of where ever Sam is being kept, Cas offers some understanding to Mary, and Dean gets his Taken movie moment with the British Men of Letters, while snapping the phone in two, which Ackles actually did for real without help! I really wouldn't want to be the person who he thought that phone was!

Ms. Watt hurts Baby and beats the living daylights out of Cas and Dean. Did I tell you I want those magical brass knuckles? Some people thought it was weird how she could win against both of them, and in reality she shouldn't have. She cheated. She was a good fighter but if I needed to guess, I'd say the magic on the knuckles gave her a warding against everything Supernatural and also the strength to fight against both Dean and Cas. Anyway, she gave them a good fight. Too bad she had to go.

Sam's story was the second best part of the episode. Poor Sam, he always seems to get the short end of the stick, but Sam was tough and smart and pretty great in this episode wasn't he? Now, what lowered my grade was the British Men of Letters. I have an issue with torture images, and also, they got on my nerves. If they're going to be the bad guys, then good luck redeeming Toni. That will take a lot of work. The fact is, they are usually the good guys, but this is the wrong way to do things. I am glad that the writers made it clear that Sam has been tortured by the worst so what can they do? Also the mind games and hallucinations he had from Lucifer, so I knew the drug was a bust. He cut his hand to know what reality is, and I couldn't help but remember Dean's words: "You've gotta make it stone number one and build on it." Nice continuity. Sam knows his worth already so when he tricked Toni it was great.

The weakest was the demons and Crowley. I love Crowley and him offing the worthless demons was the best part. Demons are menacing. Well, they used to be! They are servants of Lucifer. They should act like it too! Otherwise I hope Crowley finishes all of them and moves along.

CHARACTERS

What can I say about the main players? I am all aboard with Mary. She reminds me of Imperator Furiosa - Mad Max: Fury Road, Marion Ravenwood - Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Charlene Elizabeth Baltimore - The Long Kiss Goodnight, Sarah Connor - The Terminator, and Ellen Ripley - Alien. Even Ms. Watt fits the bill, but only as the bad guy. I hope Mary continues on this path because it works.

I told you a lot about how Sam and Dean kicked it out of the park in this episode in the story section so I will keep this short....They were spine-tingling, and ass kicking!

Castiel or should I call him "Casteroid" and Crowley are back like they should be. It was nice to see what actually happens when an angel is banished. No wonder they're never in a great mood after that. Bad Crowley is also the best Crowley in my book. I hope he stays and continues to be evil and not Lucifer's pet.

From the rest of the cast I can say that Ms. Watt was a worthy adversary, and the poor veterinarian was clueless enough. Bronagh Waugh was deadly and chilling as Ms Watt. I am reserving my judgement about Toni and the demons. I do hope something will change or be revealed as we head forward in the season. My personal preference is that I don’t like silly demons, like at all. Once they were great but now. Watt could have been, if not a Men of Letters, actually a good demon or bad angel!

The most interesting bit was a name Toni uttered who she thinks is a psychopath, one Mr. Ketch. Usually we can say he would just be fictitious character but there is real life information about Ketch.

"John Ketch (died November 1686), generally known as Jack Ketch, was an infamous English executioner employed by King Charles II. He became famous through the way he performed his duties during the tumults of the 1680s, when he was often mentioned in broadsheet accounts that circulated throughout the Kingdom of England. He is thought to have been appointed in 1663. He executed the death sentences against William Russell, Lord Russell, in Lincoln's Inn Fields on 21 July 1683, and James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, on 15 July 1685, after the Monmouth Rebellion. Ketch's notoriety stems from "his barbarity at the execution of Lord Russell, the Duke of Monmouth, and other political offenders." Because of his botched executions, the name "Jack Ketch" is used as a proverbial name for death, Satan, and executioner."

This opens up a whole lot of possibilities. Maybe we will have another Cuthbert Sinclair on our hands. Creepy ain't it?

LOCATIONS
We got to see more of the bunker again and especially the garage, which is always a treat.

The place where they're holding Sam is genuinely creepy, an old abandoned house or cabin. Castiel's crash-landing site gave vibes of Superman, and the road trip sites of the cavalry were also very different from the others. All in all we got a lot of different looking locations in this episode!

COSTUME DESIGN

There was not much to talk about costumes in this episode so I will talk about those that were different or new. I think the whole hunter gear on Mary Winchester fits her well. It was subtle and well, it made me think about Ellen Harvelle, which is not a bad thing. Of course I hope Mary will get her own flare to her outfit when she settles in.

This is my bias but I truly love well designed black attire. Ms. Watt’s outfit was simple and it reminded me of Fringe, Matrix, Salt and costumes in Jason Bourne movies. You could call it modern hired hand or assassin attire! I am a bit sceptical about the British Men of Letters, still Watt could have been a good nemesis. Oh well.

What I liked the most was the brass knuckles Watt had. What I liked about them was that they were similar to a long line of other magical weapons on the show. Who could forget Ruby’s knife or the colt or warded shackles, cuffs and bullets. Maybe I have been a goth in past life but I dug the knuckles!  

MUSIC

The music for this episode was, Bad Boys by April Wine, Diesel Smoke, Dangerous Curves by Tom Powder and Solitude by Black Sabbath. It is a matter of individual tastes, but for me the opening montage music worked. Castiel’s crash landing music was quirky but not my cup of tea. Still it fit. My favourite though was Solitude. My heart broke for Sam who was left alone, only his pretty sad thoughts keeping him company.

“My name it means nothing 
my fortune is less
. My future is shrouded in dark wilderness. 
Sunshine is far away, clouds linger on. 
Everything I possessed - Now they are gone”


Here is the short +/- rundown for the Keep Calm and Carry On:

+ Mary Winchester the reluctant hunter
+ Sam Winchester
+ Dean Winchester breaking the phone with his bare hands
+ Castiel & Crowley being a Badass
+ Ms. Watt - Bronagh Waugh
+ Brass knuckles
+ Baby is a Sweetheart now by its one name
+ Borrowing Amy... Dean was so made on the backseat, at least in fanon.
+ Solitude by Black Sabbath

- British Men of Letters
- Silly demons
- Torture/hurting Sam ;’( (Blowtorch, foot, SERIOUSLY?!)
- Damaging Baby

-/+ British Men of Letters

Trickster stamp, Sam f***ing Winchester








Keep calm and carry on onwards to episode 2!


References: http://www.supernaturalwiki.com/ and http://www.azlyrics.com


For more on the season premiere read sweetondean's review HERE and Anna's Think Tank HERE