Final Thoughts from the Supernatural Episode "Out of the Darkness, Into the Fire"

This season premiere ended with Sam being infected by the new plague. The season before focused on Dean and the Mark of Cain. Before that, it was Sam being possessed by an angel. Every year, it seems one (or more) of the brothers in infected with something and needs to be cured.

Sure, the writers at least attempt to throw in a twist or two. But, I seriously wish the series would at least try to be a bit more original rather than following the same template every year.

I swear, those two can't seem to be in a room together without getting in an argument over something. And, in all honesty, there are times when it really makes me want to turn the sound off on the TV until they are done.

The worst part is the arguments are always the same. Sam or Dean wants to do something to save the day and the other one finds a reason to argue against it and, at some point, someone brings up the whole "we can't go down this road again" argument. Meanwhile, the world is ending around them.

One of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to television series in general is, once a show has been on the air long enough, writers will almost always choose to add a baby. And, sadly, that appears to be the case this time too.

To be fair, the baby, in this instance, does carry the Mark of Cain. But, I'm not sure if that makes it better or worse. Are we going to see Sam and Dean trying to save the baby, leading to all sorts of cute moments? Or, does the baby need to be killed (much, much worse)? Or, are we just getting a teaser and have to wait until the child grows up?

The new deputy they meet, Jenna, seems to be taking all the supernatural stuff in stride, like it is something she sees every day. She doesn't even begin to question why Sam and Dean know so much about what is going on. 

If she were a veteran officer who had seen a lot in her career and, like Sheriff Mills (Kim Rhodes), had met another hunter at some point in her life, I would have been more likely to believe this. The fact she is right out of the police academy really makes me question both her acceptance and the fact she is so quick to trust the brothers.

One thing that was subtly hinted at in this episode was the Darkness' effect on the powers of Heaven and Hell. Castiel (Misha Collins) couldn't kill Crowley (Mark Sheppard) with his angel blade and Crowley, at times, seemed to lack even basic magic skills.

Does this mean everyone, including Rowena (Ruth Connell) is suddenly powerless? And, does this affect some of Sam and Dean's weapons too? This twist might be worth watching, especially since killing demons has been relatively easy for the brothers the past few seasons.

When we were first introduced to Castiel, he was a no-nonsense Angel of the Lord. Now, there's so much drama around him, it's hard to even recognize him. Simply put, he's just not as fun to watch as he was in the earlier seasons.

My wife and I didn't get a chance to watch this episode until this weekend and, after seeing it, I'm still seriously undecided about whether or not it was worth the wait. The season premiere honestly left me a bit disappointed and I have some doubts about whether or not future episodes will change my mind about this show's direction.

My Grade: C