Like superheroes every
hunter has a sad story that leads them into the nomadic life of
fighting ghosts and demons. For Sam and Dean Winchester (Jared
Padalecki and Jensen Ackles) it’s the death of their mother and in
this weeks episode “Pac Man Fever” we learn all about fan
favourite Charlie Bradbury’s (Felicia Day) tragic past.
Charlie emails Sam and
Dean – who are currently hiding out in the “Men of Letters”
batcave – informing them of a nearby case. Sam’s still struggling
with the side-effects of the trails so Dean and Charlie head out on
their own. There’s a makeover montage, and some on the job
training, as Dean turns Charlie into a real hunter. Turns out
it’s a Djinn that feeds on fear. When Charlie is captured, Dean has
head into her video inspired dream to save her. But really it’s up
to Charlie to save herself, she has to let go of her mother who has
been on life support since Charlie was twelve. Charlie let’s go,
Sam kills the Djinn and everyone hugs… it’s beautiful.
Having what is
essentially a monster-of-the-week ep showcasing a guest star this
close to the season final is massive risk. But Felicia Day’s
Charlie is one of the best supporting characters to be introduced
since Castiel (Misha Collins) and there was just enough of the series
arc to maintain the momentum in the lead up to the final.
This episode is a perfect
example of everything Supernatural does right: an intriguing
mystery, a last minute twist, quirky humour, shout-outs to previous
episodes and plenty of angst to go around. The interaction between
the Winchesters and Charlie is endearingly sweet. She really is the
little sister they never had. After all this show is about family,
but family don’t end with blood. It’s nice to see Sam and
especially Dean opening up to someone new (the Han Solo shout out at
the end was perfect).
This show was in
desperate need of new blood, but the with a difficult fanbase it has
been hard for the powers-that-be to find the right balance in their
support cast. Charlie is a fantastic addition especially considering
Supernatural doesn’t have a great track record with female
characters. It seems they’ve finally hit the nail on the head with
Charlie and the casting of Felicia Day was inspired. She’s just the
right mix of geeky humour and feminine strength (not to mention the
fact that she’s a lesbian prevents her from becoming a romantic
threat).
Although Charlie shines
in this episode, she doesn’t detract from the most important
relationship on the show: the bond between Sam and Dean. There are
plenty of brotherly moments in this episode that range from cute,
Dean had a go at Sam’s hair, to heartbreaking, Dean grabs Sam into
a tight hug realizing that he has to let go of his little brother.
Anyone that watches this
show religiously will know that this episode was just a little too
happy. When things go this well you know the next episode is going to
hurt… a lot. Considering we’re at the pointy end of the season,
my guess is it’s all down hill from here.
Next week sees the return
of Naomi, Castiel and the tablet storyline: brace yourselves, it’s
about to get real.
Review by Yvonne
Popplewell
0 comments:
Post a Comment