Review: Supernatural 12x14 “The Raid” - by sweetondean

This week’s Supernatural was a tour de force of character driven moments, alongside some pretty damn cool action. I liked “The Raid” a lot for these reasons, and because, once again, we are left with so many questions, which because we are who we are, sprouts so many theories! At this stage of the season, we usually have some inkling where it’s all going to go and how it’s going intersect, but right now I don’t! My assumption is we’ll have to deal with Lucifer and his Nephilim spawn, and maybe the British Men of Letters will be involved with that alongside the Winchesters, except that I have a distinct feeling that the brothers’ relationship with Mick, Ketch and sundry is not going to be a match made in hunter heaven! So it’s all a great big mystery and I’m loving that aspect of season 12.

I adored that we picked up the episode right where we left off with Mary, Sam and Dean - the three of them in the bunker locked in vehement disagreement over Mary’s decision to join forces with the British Men of Letters. In last week’s episode as Dean stood at Sam’s shoulder, Sam spoke on the brothers’ behalf, relaying their confusing as to why Mary would hunt with the assclowns who hurt both her sons. This time it was Dean speaking for the brothers, explaining to their mother why this whole thing sucks ass! The scene was magnificent, as it played out before the titles and then in flash back through Mary’s memory. It was magnificent and heart breaking. Heart breaking to hear Dean articulate what we all know - they lived their life without her and they pined for what they missed - he didn’t have to say those words, for those words to be heard.

Dean was right about Mary, maybe not about his expectations of her as a mum, but that for a mother who hadn’t been there as they grew up, she sure as hell seems to also not want to be there for them now. I think both brothers where thinking the same thing, we gave her space to find her footing, but really she just didn’t want to be around us. On the face of it this could seem like their pain talking, but I actually think it’s true. I don’t think she does. Now here me out - I’m not doubting Mary loves Sam and Dean, I’m absolutely sure she does, but I don’t believe the sole reason she is with the BMoL is to put an end to the supernatural so her sons can have a “normal” life - well actually that is why she’s there, but I think this stems from guilt, and I think that is a big reason why she has ostracised herself from the boys, and I think she’s denying that to herself. Of course she would know that they wouldn’t like her decision, so that’s why she lied - classic Winchester move - but I think it was easier not to be with Sam and Dean, because being with them reminds her of everything, of John and him being dead, but mostly of what her choices ended up doing to her sons - that they wound up being exactly the thing she had tried to get away from herself. 

I’m pretty sure Mary has no clue what Sam and Dean’s life has been, I mean she seems to be clueless about The Colt, and I think the reason she doesn’t know, is because she doesn’t want to know, because that’s a world of painful guilt she knows would be crippling. I also think Sam and Dean probably don’t want to lump all their horrors on her. But I think they deserve to have their story heard. They deserve to have their mum fully understand who they are, what they’ve been through, and what they’ve done. They deserve that. According to recent interviews with Sam Smith, all Mary knows is what’s in John’s journal and that’s NOTHING! And also, that’s not good enough! I remember thinking, when Dean said to Ramiel, “Do you know who we are?”, that I hoped he’d lay it out there, because I wanted Mary to hear it and to hear the pride with which her children now speak of saving the world. They deserve that. They deserve for her to see them as the magnificent men and brilliant hunters that they are. I don’t think she really has any idea.

The conversation between Mary and the boys was raw to the bone, I nearly curled into a ball when Dean said he’d never been a child. It’s true of course, his childhood stopped before it could even begin, when he suddenly became more a parent than a child, and then more a hunter than a child. And you know what, she needed to hear that, she needed to hear that about both her sons, because yep, they deserve that too.

Of course, the boys upbringing can not be solely laid at Mary’s feet, John could have chosen a different route when his wife’s past came back to kill her and infect her youngest son. But the blame is still there, and though I’m not sure the boys are piling that on her, I’m pretty sure she’s piling it on herself - and like I said, I think that has lent to her focus being on killing all evil things in the hope that she can change the course of her children’s lives - while steering clear of them, because love them or not, looking at them is hard.

I’m so enjoying this back and forth between the Winchester brothers and their mum, it’s amazingly deep character work. We are seeing the anger, the hurt, the confusion. We are hearing deep, never forgotten pain of loss on all sides. Mary has been delivered to us as a riddle wrapped inside an enigma wrapped inside a taco! She’s way more than I thought she was going to be, while also being way less, and while I really don’t like her that much right now, I do enjoy her. If that’s makes sense! The whole thing is a complicated triangle of angst! And I love it. I loved when Sam asked when she joined the BMoL. I love that the boys called her on getting Wally killed, and nearly getting Cas killed - let alone them. I loved that Dean ended up calling her Mary and not mum. I loved all of it, every damn second and I loved that Sam had Dean’s back and held firm with his brother when he asked Mary to leave. Love love love love LOVE!

This scene is what this show does so well. It may have vampires in it, and action and gore, but it’s these complex emotional beats that sets Supernatural apart from so many other shows on TV. It’s why we’re so invested in these characters, because they’re so real and we can believe in them, believe in their emotions, and hurt alongside them. GAH! I love this show!

LORD I HAVE BARLEY GOT PAST THE OPENING TITLES! You might want to grab a cuppa or something….

As Dean went out to hit the drink because he needed to hit something, Mary manipulated Sam into going to see her. Really bad form FYI sending your son a text like that when you are both in a kill or be killed line of work…anyhoo. Sam went off to the BMoL space bunker! Seriously, that joint looked like something from a 1970’s space show! And it turned out to be a useless piece of crap that any old monster can break into!

I adored how Sam really never gave anyone anything until the very end of the episode. You would never have known if he was going to agree to be a part of the Brits or not, because he literally gave nothing away the entire time. The way he used his size was so cool. I mean, Sam is a big dude and towers above everyone naturally, and in this case, he really used it to establish his presence in the room. 

Not sitting when the briefing was happening set him up as a take absolutely no shit guy. He just stood there looming! Bigger than big! God damn he looked magnificent! And the way he took over when everything went pear-shaped. DAMN. I mean DAMN! There was a moment there where he’s perched on the table and everyone is around him, he is literally commanding the whole room without even a tiny bit of effort, as he stepped up and show those assclowns what a real hunter is, and who really is the best Winchester (along with Dean of course!). Sam was so epic.

And then The Colt came out and I simply wasn’t prepared for the emotion that moment had. I just wasn’t prepared for Sam’s tear-filled eyes! 

The Colt is a piece of the brothers’ history, good and bad. It was theirs. It killed the demon that killed their mother - and she doesn’t even know that. They tried it on Lucifer, for a while they thought it might save Dean. They travelled back in time and Sam even met the man who created it. They saw it unlock the gate to Hell. That gun. Just to see it brought tears to Sam’s eyes, but then to discover that his mother stole it, that she stole it from Ramiel, that she was the thief the Prince of Hell was talking about. And this gun, this gun that really is rightfully the Winchesters if anyones, was handed over by his own mother to the men who once tried to kill him. Lord. The pain. How he could swallow down the emotion of that moment and kick some serious ass I really don’t know! But he did and he put in bullet through the Alpha Vamp’s brain in what was an exceptional headshot! Nice VFX! How good was it to see The Colt in action again. It’s funny how in this show objects like John’s Journal, The Colt and Baby have grown to have their own emotional connection for us. I gasped when Sam fired that gun. Gosh it was, and he was, spectacular.

You have to wonder though, why Mick paraded the gun out if they knew they didn’t have the magical bullets required to fire it. Do they know the Winchester boys’ history with that gun - if they’ve been following their deeds as they said they were, they may well know. In that case, did they know that Sam may know the spell? That Sam could help them get the gun working. Part of me was starting to wonder if Mary was involved in another deception to get Sam there, and part of me wouldn’t be surprised if that was the case to be honest. I can’t trust her now. I’m constantly side-eyeing that woman! In any rate, Sam bloody well better have popped that gun in Baby’s trunk. That thing needs to be back with its rightful owners, Sam and Dean Winchester! I’m pretty stoked The Colt is back in play.

And while Sam was being awesome killing the Alpha Vamp, Dean was scoping out Ketch.

Another fantastic scene was that of Dean and Mr Ketch in the bunker. Dean giving Ketch absolutely nothing, and when he did speak, he spoke as “us”, man I love the unity of the brothers this season. 

I don’t think Dean simply invited Ketch in for his fancy booze, just as I don’t think he went with Ketch on the vamp hunt, simply because he needed to hit something. I think Dean saw an opportunity to get a bit of up close and personal intel on this man and the men that are shadowing his and his brother’s lives and that has managed to win their mum over - both to try and figure out what they truly want and also, to see what their mum has got herself into - his way to ensure she’s okay and safe.

Ketch - who I am disturbing starting to like in that love the bad guys in this show way - seems to think he and Dean are comrades in kills, the one difference that he doesn’t distinguish is, that though there is no doubt Dean does enjoy the work, and the kills, he is not a sociopath. Dean has a strong moral compass, and we saw that play out as Ketch chose to unnecessarily beat the information out of the vampire girl, and obviously enjoy doing it. When Dean stepped in and said “Enough”, Ketch said, “she’s a monster”, and though Dean agreed, he took a different route - one that wasn’t so cruel, even if the outcome of her dying was the same. Dean knows that the chances are this vampire, who was once a human, did not choose to be this thing. 

This scene reflected something I spoke to Jensen about recently. I asked him specifically about the growth we’ve seen in Dean in the last couple of seasons and if he agreed there had been growth and if there was something he found particularly interesting or was particularly proud of for Dean. He spoke about how there had definitely been growth in Dean and that there had to be, because his character couldn’t remain unchanged for 12 years, 1. because that’s unrealistic, and 2. because that would be boring for both the audience and him if the character did not grow. He didn’t think he’d be able to play Dean for as long as he has if the character had not grown through the seasons. He said that one of the areas that he found the most interesting in Dean’s growth is his take on supernatural creatures. He talked about how in the beginning Dean was very black and white in his approach to hunting and to the creatures he hunted, but through the years, through his experiences, he’s come to understand that it’s not all black and white, that just because something is a monster, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s evil and has to die. He talked about how the black and white for Dean is now a very grey area and he thinks that’s an important change in Dean and something that he personally finds very interesting and interesting to portray.

I think that change in approach came into play in the scene with Ketch and the vampire girl, and I think it’s going to come into play later, especially if the brothers discover (which I suspect they will), that the BMoL killed Magda and all those soldiers, people that Sam and Dean specifically went out of their way to ensure did not die at their hands. Ketch’s approach to the work and Dean’s is different, even if Ketch doesn’t see it yet, and I think this is going to be the thing that blows the BMoL and whichever Winchesters are working with them, up. I mean, what will the boys do if the BMoL go to eradicate all werewolves, there is no way that Sam and Dean will allow Garth and Kate to die. Would they allow Crowley to die if demons were next? Rowena if they went after witches? Would they go after angels? The brothers’ world is riddled with supernatural allies and frenemies. I think this will be a problem!

In the end of the episode, somewhat surprisingly, Sam tells Mick that he’s onboard with the British Men of Letters, and to give him time, he’ll try to get Dean to come around too. There’s two ways that you can look at this, as Sam being pragmatic, or as Sam being shifty and playing the Brits.

I think it’s probably the simpler answer, Sam being pragmatic. One thing Sam has always been able to do is strip the emotion out of something if he thinks that it is the right direction to go. Everyone always says Sam is the more emotional brother, and though I agree he’s certainly the more empathetic brother, I think it’s Dean who is the emotional one. Dean’s decisions come from his gut and heart more than his head a lot of the time…it sometimes takes a while for his head to intervene, his head does get there eventually though! Sam is able to allow his head to make the call over his heart far more readily than his brother can, and I think this is what he may be doing here. Even though the British Men of Letters royally screwed up on two occasions, he can probably see with his and his brother’s skills and the BMoL’s backing and technology, they really could make a bigger dent in the supernatural world. Is this because he can see that it might improve their ability to do the job big picture and save more people doing it, or that it might, as Mary said to him, give him and his brother a life away from the life. Sam may want that for himself, but I believe he wants if even more for Dean. In fact he wants it for both of them. We’ve heard him say it, we’ve heard him offer to take Dean to the light at the end of the tunnel of hunting, we’ve seen him squirrel away a brochure for a retirement home Dean made an off the cuff remark about making a reservation at for the both of them. 

So maybe Sam’s motivation is two fold, the job and the future. 

Or maybe he just wants to keep close to his mother to ensure that she doesn’t get killed in amongst this less than brilliant group who are supposed to be brilliant! Or maybe he's going to play double agent! Oooooo! The brothers are great at keeping their enemies close.

That’s also why Dean rushed straight to the BMoL bunker - because of Mary, because he knew, once they’d sussed out where the vamps had gone, that his mum might be in trouble, and no matter how hurt and confused and angry he is at her, he loves her, and she’s family, and for Dean, that trumps everything. Nothing else mattered in that moment. I don’t think that means the hurt is gone, or that he’s forgiven her, but sometimes you have to put that stuff to the side. I think Dean, no matter what, would want to have a relationship with Mary. I think it would kill him to have her out there and him to be estranged from her. 

I loved that Dean pointedly called Mary mum in the final scene- as a bookend to him calling her Mary in the opening scene - and that we hear Dean say that he will accept Mary’s choices, even if he really, really doesn’t like them (he cracks me up with his really, really). I love that Dean is now capable of this. That’s been a lovely growth in Dean’s character and is why Sam and Dean are so harmonious now in their lives, because Dean, for the most part, has released that need to make all the calls and be the one to protect everyone even if they don’t need or want it, even when goes against the grain! The brothers are more equals now because of this, and you can see that clearly in their relationship. There is a balance because of that equality, and we reap the benefits. It’s such a blessing to have them on an even keel!

Now…speaking of blessings and even keels, the one thing I hope doesn’t happen is that Sam goes behind Dean’s back and works with the BMoL without telling his brother. That would be a disaster, FOR ALL OF US! But I don’t think Sam will do that, and though Dean might be exasperated by Sam’s decision/desire to work with the Brits, I think that he’ll understand - if it allows them to ensure their mum is okay, at the same time as save more people, and maybe Sam can have that normal life Dean’s always wanted for him…. I dunno, but bottom line I think Dean will give it a go for Sam, maybe a little unwillingly but I think he will follow Sam’s lead on it. I do expect some heated discussions though, but I’m hoping that it’s no more than that! I truly don’t think Dabb would screw with their relationship, he loves it too much.

Okay, I’ve gone on way too long, so I’m just going to quickly hit a few other points.

I like very much that we got more of an insight into Mick and Mr Ketch. They are no longer two dimensional bad guys and I find them interesting and I can’t deny, I enjoyed them both immensely in this episode. Mick is disarmingly likeable, and Ketch, though evil in a human way, is thoroughly watchable. I’m looking forward to seeing how everything plays out with them. I’m damn fascinated.

I loved having the Alpha back. I’d forgotten how creepy he was. Damn, Rick Worthy did a great job with that character. I’m sad he got killed, but it had to happen, and if a character has to go out, that’s a damn good death, at the hands of Sam Winchester wielding The Colt. And adored the conversation between the Alpha and Sam, and that Sam had all that information on big daddy vamp. When the Serena said that the Alpha had been in Morocco for 10 years and Sam goes, “WRONG”, I freakin’ laughed out loud! Go Sam!

Who the hell are these “Old Lads/Men” we keep hearing about. Will we get to see them? What do they really want with the Winchesters? Because I seriously have doubts that it’s just because they want the boys to hunt. I think there must be something else going on. They want them for something and I don’t think Mick knows, but maybe Ketch does? Or vice versa? Something fishy is definitely going on!

Is Lady Toni being set up as a patsy? Everyone keeps harping on about her going rogue, but I have the distinct feeling she carried out her mission exactly right, which allowed Mick to swoop in as a good guy and that, they hoped would win the brothers over. I think Mary was the surprise package in it all and has been very beneficial to them. Of course Mick also ordered Ketch to kill Magda and the soldiers, so there’s more to him for sure. He comes across as the good cop, but if he’s pulling Ketch’s killer strings….

Did anyone else wonder if the whole vampire thing was a set up? If it wasn’t for Mick question Mr Ketch at the end, I would have thought the whole thing was a rouse to get Dean to the bunker to save his mother? What if Ketch knew the hunter Piece was a mole and used him to make the whole thing go down? Reaching? I’m side-eyeing them too!

It’s pretty interesting that in the last few weeks, we’ve got the long lost Colt back, sent Gavin back to his own time period, and killed the Alpha Vamp. That’s some seriously threads being tied up there!

The Raid was a really solid, edge of the seat, thoroughly enjoyable episode. Another season high point, if for the character work alone! The cast, each and everyone of them, was so good, and everything is so weird and murky now and I have no clue who’s going to do what when and to whom and what the outcome will be! I’m actually enjoying the British Men of Letters now and I really didn’t think I would, so go Show for turning me around on that one!

Anyhoo, I’ma gunna shut up now! I’m sure I missed a bunch of stuff but I gotta stop!

Thanks for persevering and reading this long assed stream consciousness! 

-sweetondean