Supernatural: Ouroboros

Posted by: Kyle Tetarenko  •  March 7, 2019 @ 10:42pm

Filed under: Recaps & Reviews

It's all about Dean.

While tracking the strange killings of several people, the latest case has the Winchesters in New Mexico where they are once again too late to stop the monster. The gang notices that both of the victim's eyes have been removed – something that leaves all of them puzzles. The group splits up as Jack, Dean and Castiel stay out to get something to eat while Sam and Rowena continue to research what the human eating monster fiend might be. Dean admits to Castiel that it takes a near constant effort to keep Michael from breaking free. Meanwhile, Jack's condition continues to deteriorate and is only staved off by his use of soul magic; costing him a bit of soul every time he uses it. Minutes later, they get a call from Sam with news about the monster. Rowena has determined that they are hunting a gorgon that has the ability to see the future by consuming human eyes. It's the reason why he's been able to stay one step ahead of them every time they get close. Unfortunately, the gorgon has struck again but has left a note for Dean at the scene. The note mentions how the gorgon can see Dean standing alone at the crime scene and that he will go after Rowena and Sam if he keeps pursuing him. It's all good and creepy except for one thing – Dean wasn't alone. The gorgon may not be able to see the angels at all, giving the Winchesters the break they needed to hunt this one down and end his spree for good.

As the return back from season fifteen's last hiatus, Ouroboros was a serviceable episode that kept a narrow focus on Dean Winchester, often to the detriment of the episode's story and potential for the rest of the season. To kick things off, the monster of the week was pretty...weak, to put it mildly. The gorgon is a mythical demi god that has a place in classical tales but this one preyed on truckers and the like he could lure into his traps. It's not a first for Supernatural to do a modern overhaul of an older monster but this felt like a big name for no payoff. During the hunt, it felt like we should have been concerned more with Jack but Dean got all of the attention. While Dean's struggle to keep Michael locked away inside his mind has been explored across several episodes, Jack's screen time this season has been terribly light and I feel like his due rushed in a way to force the season's story along rather than give the character the time needed to serve the story. It would be something if this was the first time it happened but Jack did die and return to life in the span of one episode before the Christmas break.

Ouroboros's brief resolution to the Michael plot will either be great for the rest of season fifteen or spell disaster. Assuming that Michael is dead, his destruction was pretty anticlimactic as it means that Jack didn't need his Nephilim powers to defeat an archangel. Maybe no one does as long as they have a soul. Either way, it was a heck of a lot of build up between the plotting, the battles with Dean and Michael and a lot of Jensen Ackles wearing that newsboy hat for nothing. If Michael is still alive, the plot could pretty much go anywhere since we have seen that character disappear and reappear whenever it's convenient to the plot. Each time that happens, it does lower the stakes and make Michael less threatening whenever he is defeated and needs to recover. Don't forget that it already happened with Dark Kaya. No one ever thinks about how mad she will be when she finally realizes that she's never getting that spear back.

Ouroboros is an average episode from Supernatural that sets up the back end of season fourteen for a surprise. However it goes, Jack's restored power will no doubt play a big part of that. We'll see how it all starts to unfold when Supernatural returns next week with Peace of Mind.

Tags: Supernatural, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Castiel, Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Misha Collins

Related Posts

• Supernatural: A Farewell
• Supernatural: Carry On
• Supernatural: Inherit the Earth
• Supernatural: Despair
• Supernatural: Unity

Comments Posted ()