Supernatural returns to its largely successful monster-of-the-week formula that made Season One such an enjoyable romp.
Heartache wasnt the strongest episode its ever aired but it was efficient and held enough subtext to imply that this season is still going as strong as the previous two episodes have suggested. The monster-of-the-week turns out to be a Mayan warrior's group of crazed fanatics. The warrior, obsessed with competition, made a collection of deals and sacrifices, enabling himself to turn up, time and time again, as a different sporting hero, perpetually triumphing in his chosen field. His legacy isnt as clean-cut as one might expect it to be, however, when a host of individuals begin to make their own sacrifices in order to stay fit and healthy forever. Fanaticism at its darkest - more subtext perhaps... Everything passes by in a satisfactory manner; Dean and Sammy swing some back-and-forth banter at each other whilst growling about Kevin and Crowley and interacting with stubborn police chiefs, suspicious family relatives and a super-strength stripper. All in a days work. This episode was constructed with the finale in sight; when Kevin is secured and Crowley is ultimately defeated, Sammy will turn his back on
Supernatural and head off into the picnic-filled sunset with his new gal pal (if she hasnt moved on in his absence) and dog, Riot. Dean doesnt seem that perturbed by this as he believes he knows his brother better than anyone and that the lifestyle still holds too much pull for him. Its intriguing to see these dynamics at work considering during the shows run, each brother has taken turns at playing the different roles involved. For me, whenever Dean has wanted out, hes always accepted that he cant, and will never, have that. Sammy, on the other hand, is not as committed as Dean and though hes arguably a better hunter than his brother, I can buy the fact that he will leave and go back to his old life. This also raises a slight issue with continuity its already been mentioned that the ultimate end-game will involve demons being wiped off the face of the Earth, slung back deep into the pit. If Sammy is to aid Dean with one more mission, why not let it be this, the ultimate achievement, then they could retire, live their lives and die peacefully in their sleeps, surrounded by fat grandchildren. There seems to be two forces at work here; Im not sure which one is going to come into play. The main focus of the episode was spent on the Mayan warrior and his misguided minions or followers; it wasnt wonderful in any sense of the word and it didnt really possess those Season One scares but, with Jensen Ackles in the directors chair once again, it rolled on through nicely and it played around with the contrast between the two brothers. One thing Id like them to accentuate is the fact that the brothers need each other to stay alive. Sammy tells Dean that he can do it on his own and perhaps, due to his Purgatory getaway, Dean also believes hes been through enough (Hell and back, remember) to cope with anything thrown his way. However, we clearly see in this episode that Dean would have died if Sammy wasnt there. Its important to highlight this aspect in future episodes will Sammy truly leave Dean behind if he thinks hes in danger? Its a question that I expect to be addressed further down the road. Again, not a lot to say about this episode it delivered a conventional
Supernatural story with some nifty effects, humorous dialogue (the stubborn police offer this week was played by Alan Ackles, Jensens Dad) and a bit of brotherly subtext on the side. A decent offering but theres much more to come.