Synopsis 12×16: Historically, Supernatural werewolf episodes were never much of a hit for the show. Perhaps werewolf episodes flop with Supernatural audiences due to their Blair Witch Project style introduction or perhaps it was because werewolves were terrible monsters up until Garth got turned. Regardless, this episode was met with a lot of trepidation.
This episode starts out creepier than previous werewolf episodes as two teenagers walk down a lonely winter road, like a stereotypical horror movie. A human looking werewolf with a mouth bandana knocks Hayden unconscious, and as her brother goes to help her, the werewolf yanks his heart out of his chest.
Over in Kansas, Sam is geeking out about the British Men of Letters Hogwarts and collects a bunch of their library to read. There are several Harry Potter and pop culture references during this exchange. Mick decides to come along with the hunt, although Dean is not impressed and does not want him to come. Sam disagrees and intends to train all of the British Men of Letters so that they will be better prepared for an attack.
As they are in the car listening to a podcast, Mick explains that all werewolves and monsters need to be killed, because they are monsters. Sam and Dean disagree with their stance and mention that Garth is a friend and a werewolf who eats beef hearts and avoids killing people.
Dean is less skeptical about Mick when he sees the nice hotel they are in and tosses Sam his keys so that he can enjoy the three-star hotel. Though pleased with the digs, Dean is still surly with Mick as Sam explains that he read about a blood cure.
Mick wants to ask questions, but Hayden’s mom says no. Mick dresses as a doctor and finds that a bite mark was among Hayden’s injuries. Mick lies to Dean and Sam and says that she was not bitten. Mom reveals that Claire is also on the case and provides them with her number. Dean and Sam call Claire and meet with her at their hotel. Dean treats Claire like his little sister, and they are very similar in character, while Sam tries to offer life advice.
Mick kills the Hayden at the hospital but is injured by her as she turns. The Winchesters, Mick, and Claire go to the hospital which shows them that her wounds healed and Sam and Dean figure out that she had been bitten. Dean is immediately suspicious of Mick and starts questioning him, ultimately grabbing his injured shoulder and telling Mick that things aren’t black and white. Mick argues that they have a code, to which Dean scoffs at and walks away. Dean and Sam have spent years learning that things are more complicated than good versus evil and seem to have a better grasp on morality.
Sam tries to have a heart to heart with Claire, who is having none of it. Sam asks Claire about Jody and how she feels about Claire hunting on her own. Claire becomes defensive and demands that they stop treating her like a child. Sam tells her to stop acting like a child, Claire gets mad and leaves Sam, and listens to headphones while there is a werewolf on the loose. The episode does make use of, “Make Me Want to Die” to describe Claire and her feelings. Claire is attacked by the werewolf and puts up a good fight, but ends up getting bit.
They take Claire back to the hotel and Sam yells at Mick, tells him they are done. Claire thinks of this as a death sentence because she doesn’t think she can manage to be a werewolf. They remember that there is a blood cure, but Mick explains that there were no living subjects. Sam and Dean go to find the werewolf that bit her.
Claire’s bite heals, and she attempts to grab the gun to kill herself, she is more Winchester than she thinks. She wants Mick to kill her, but he won’t do it because he is haunted by Hayden’s death. The werewolf comes and attacks Mick and Claire and kidnaps her.
The werewolf explains that hunters killed his pack and that they were all separate and he had to make his pack. This is the beginning of insinuating that the Men of Letters do more harm than good in their quest to eradicate all monsters.
Mick shoots werewolf with the dart they quickly make the cure. Claire attempts to attack Sam and Dean when they inject her with the needle. Claire begins to convulse, and Dean has to step outside. Initially, it looks like she died but the cure worked, and she regains consciousness with a gruff quip.
This whole episode makes me wary, as they similarly killed Charlie and brought her back to life only to kill her later. Given the rate at which female characters tend to live on this show, it would be unsurprising if Claire is killed off in a hunting-related accident. The boys decide to give Mick a second chance, and Claire thanks the boys for being there when she needed them (like real brothers).
Claire is finally more honest with Jody, but she establishes relationships with her family and with Jody. The episodes ends with Claire driving down a road, presumably on her journey as a newly minted hunter. Claire reminds me a lot of Jo, but the fact that she finally established herself in her makeshift family and with the Winchesters never bodes well. However, if they choose to make a spin-off with Jody and her girls, I wouldn’t say no to watching that.
English