Supernatural: Frontierland

Posted by: Kyle Tetarenko  •  April 25, 2011 @ 8:46pm

Filed under: Recaps & Reviews

The Winchesters are running out of options; demons are coming out of the woodwork and Sam and Dean are no closer than they were before to finding a way to stop Eve. But just when hope seems lost, Castiel steps in with a solution that Dean has been waiting his entire life for.

With no answers of their own, Bobby and the Winchesters decide to search Samuel's library at his old fortress to find some answers. As luck would have it, Samuel Winchester has Samuel Colt's journal and it details that the ashes of a phoenix can burn Eve and give them the advantage they have been waiting for. Since none of them knew phoenixes existed, the only place they know where they can find one is in the year 1861 when Samuel Colt killed one as mentioned in his journal. But there is a catch, because Castiel is sending Sam and Dean so far back in time they will only have twenty four hours to get the ashes of the phoenix; any longer and they will be stuck there forever. With time running out, Dean knows that it is time to "Star Trek 4 this bitch".

Though the best of intentions went into the making of "Frontierland", the episode turned out to be a creative disaster. Turning the phoenix into a revenge driven monster that was wronged by the townspeople was a clever play on the classic myth but it also took away the power of the phoenix in the process. Not only is the phoenix known for rising from the ashes but they are known for their incredible power and burning townspeople to ash one by one is was kind of pathetic. It was just another concept that was too ambitious for Supernatural in addition to the western theme.

As this was the eighteenth episode of the season I also expected to get some answers about Eve and where this season is going. I know have mentioned this in several of my past reviews but it has almost gotten to the point of frustration. I know that Sam and Dean need to stop Eve but what has she even done? Besides being the mother of all demons and seemingly invincible she has done nothing to even threaten Sam and Dean let alone put others in danger. Last year Lucifer was killing people left right and centre and also planned to kill everyone else on the planet. Eve might be the first demon but she is way behind the curve. The civil war in heaven and Castiel's "dark actions" are also just as obscure as the story surrounding Eve and the demons. Don't be mistaken, I enjoy a mystery as much as any other fan of Supernatural but I know so little that I do not even have enough to care what happens either way.

"Frontierland" was a huge disappointment on so many levels with its uneven storytelling and time travel gimmick that is definitely running out of mileage after two episodes. I'm not holding my breath but am hoping to be pleasantly surprised next week when Eve returns in "Mommy Dearest".

Tags: Supernatural, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Bobby Singer, Castiel, Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Jim Beaver, Misha Collins

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Original Comments Posted (4)

ladybug37 says...

Again, I am going to ask you. Are you watching the same story that I am? First of all, Castiel did not come up with the time travel idea. Dean did, after they found the journal. And, as for the Mother, did you miss the episode when she made that ear worm demon and it took over Bobby's body? It told them that the Mother had a message for them. That she was going to kill almost all of the humans on Earth and anyone left would be made slaves to the demons now running Earth. She clearly has an agenda. As for Castiel, I believe that his agenda is to win the civil war, no matter what, even if it means doing things that he wouldn't normally do. He is losing sight of his goodness, in order to win. Also, I felt that it was a nice touch when Samual finds his humanity and helps the guys out, in the end.

Apr 26, 2011 10:22am

Kyle Tetarenko says...

Hey ladybug37,

Once again, we will have to agree to disagree. Good catch that it was Dean's idea and the reference to the episode "And Then There Were None" for Eve's plan.

That being said, I find it very difficult to take Eve seriously as the horrible mother of all demons when last season we saw the root of all evil in Lucifer. In comparison to destroying existence and heaven itself, Eve is the creepy daughter that likes scaly things. As Eric Kripke has said in numerous interviews, he created Supernatural as a five year show which is why he is no longer the creative force behind the series since taking the role of an executive producer. As you showed, Eve clearly has an agenda, but Supernatural is not the show it once was.

Castiel's willingness to take morally questionable actions against the angels in his civil war is intriguing, however his actions last season were heartfelt. In season five, he killed several angels while protecting Sam and Dean and eventually sacraficed his immortality just to give the Winchesters a shot at Zachariah. Castiel may not be doing the right thing here but he isn't taking any risks that are completely out of character. The only difference I see is that he is willing to risk the lives of other angels this time opposed to just his own.

Your #1 fan,

Kyle

Apr 26, 2011 6:46pm

Andrew Burns says...

Sorry ladybug 37 but I'm going to have to side with Kyle on this one. You are right Eve has said all the things you said she did, but so far she has pretty much all been talk. This time last season Lucifer had already had tons of collateral damage in his wake. The most interesting stuff this season has been the angels civil war; I think they could have done without this Eve character.

I thought the time travel gimmick was a bit out of left field. I know they have done it in both season 4 & 5, but both times the Winchesters didn't seem to enjoy their trips back in time. The thing I had the biggest problem about (and its a stupid one) was Dean's sudden love for Westerns. In five and a half seasons I've only ever remembered Dean talk about old monster or sci-fi movies.

With Supernatural getting picked up for one more season I have no clue how they are going to keep things going? BTW I love that others are passionate about this series too.

Andrew

Apr 27, 2011 6:52pm

ladybug37 says...

Again, Andrew, I know that Eve has not killed alot of people, but she has killed. In order for the boys to be lured to the Cannery, she had that worm thingee kill off alot of people and than Gwen was killed, Samuel was killed (2 times) :-) and Rufus was killed. Yes, she didn't really do the killings but Lucifer didn't either. And, of course, we still have some more episodes to watch before the end of this season. Give her some time. I would be disppointed if she went on a huge killing spree, right away, and left nothing to the imagination. I don't know about you guys, but I kind of like that they have made her all mysterious. We always knew what Lucifer was capable of. But not Eve. Is she all talk or is she worst than all the rest? I'm interested in finding out. That's the point of a good story. Everyone nowadays wants all the info, right away. But, I feel if we slowed things down, than good shows like this would last longer and I wouldn't be trying to find something good on tv everynight. :-)

Apr 28, 2011 9:33am

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