Episode Review – The Big Empty

Sorry for the delay on this.  I’m trying to get my next video done.

Heh.  Jack is watching the Clone Wars this episode.  I just started catching up on the Clone Wars (3D) myself.  My theory that the SPN crew are stalking me increases…

Actually, it did bug me that Jack pronounced the character “osaka” instead of AH-SO-KA, but I approve of the writers giving a bit of parallel between Jack and Anakin there.  I see what you did, nice touch.

I know sometimes people ask me “do you even like the show? why are you so hard on it?”  This?  This episode right here is why.  Because I KNOW the show can be good.  When it puts in the effort and pulls it off?  Awesome.

For one thing, I enjoyed the writing structure this time, with the main plot being a MotW and the B-plot being related to the arc.  A fine job of balancing everything.  The scene where Sam blows up at Dean worked well and felt organic.  Plus it took on extra irony as the use of lies for the boys’ cover led to them being honest with each other.  Heck both of their motivations even made sense (and could still work even with my “reversed places” idea).

Good writing with having Jack help out in a very subtle, happenstance way (saying hi to their target at just the right moment).  A scene and payoff like that is what writers live for, I tell ya.  After that, i didn’t mind him hulking out and saving the day, he had earned that win.

Of course as someone who wrote an SPN fanfic once about a monster trying to reform, I appreciated the twist in this episode.  OH AND THEY WENT BACK TO CANON!  The show runners actually remembered that shape-shifters have to shed their skins etc and don’t just “morph” from one look to another like the Terminator.  I almost wanted to cry seeing this get restored.

The revelation of “the Void” is… annoying to me.  We have YET ANOTHER afterlife now and YET ANOTHER cosmic being which after Death, then the DarknessTM starts to just seem kind of silly.  They didn’t tie this place into possibly being the location of Amara’s cage which kind of bugs me.

HOWEVER I do approve of them leaving the place mysterious and giving it a sense of other-worldliness.  Is this the Void that Billie previously talked about?  Related to Amara?  If if predated her and Chuck, is the new guy THE real God?  Their father?  I do like that possibilities are left open and the questions that were answered are the ones needing answered for the plot.  Of course now we have the same problem all over again of how do we have tension with anybody possibly dying when we know they could still come back?  It certainly doesn’t seem like even the CE can kill beings (where do they go then?) because otherwise he would have done so to Castiel.

Was fun to see Misha acting for two again.  The imagery of the place was also perfect.

I’ll also admit, I’ve been pretty ambivalent about Jack this season.  This episode?  Got me to care for the guy.  That’s what I give this episode…

The bar for a 5 shell episode has just be set so high, but this one was a very good, high-end average.  This is what Supernatural can be.  This is what it should be.  This is what I love the show for.

Well done.