CW's "Supernatural:" a Deeper Look at "Unforgiven": A Television Review

Creator: Eric Kripke

More of Sam's past life comes to light in Unforgiven, the latest episode of "Supernatural." During the year before he reunited with Dean, Sam is revealed to be methodical, cold and cruel.

In the present, what Dean and the newly restored Sam have to do is to investigate a missing person’s case and they inadvertently revisit an old haunt. There is a number one rule that Dean has learned from dear old dad: never go back to the same place twice. That is because the people they meet will remember them. In Sam's case, suppressed memories start to surface and they are not good.

A year ago, Sam and his grandfather, Samuel Campbell, were on the hunt for Arachnae. As the name implies, this creature is a type of spider and it may have been drawn from Classical myth. In the episode, Sam is seen playing with a spider’s web and if the threads of fate are in question, where the last half of season six will go will no doubt be something of a Greek tale.

Atropos, Clothos and Lachesis, the Sisters of Fate, may even make an appearance. Given what this episode is implying, and remembering what Death has said about where the Winchester brothers are placed in the destiny of humanity, there are certainly a few loose threads that need to be wrapped up. That’s especially true if the CW Television Network is the one that decides if there’s going to be a next season.

The real question is if the writers can even come up with original content? So far, it looks like they’re continuing to draw from Classical sources. Ideally, the writers should take some more cues from Lucius Apuleius’ novel, The Golden Ass (Metamorphoses). And fortunately, there are shades of a morality play and themes from Metallica's song trilogy to be found in the aptly titled episode, “Unforgiven.”

Sam did argue with Dean that what has happened in the past is still him and that puts him into a troubling situation. While Dean is adamant that the previous incarnation of Sam is not Sam, obviously some kind of force has to drive the mind and body of what Sam was a year ago. Was it the devil inside or some other incarnate spirit? With memories from a year ago slowly surfacing, whatever that person was, it is part of what defines humanity as a moral, ethical, force.

Throughout the series, since season one, Sam has been put into many situations in where he is challenged to be something he is not. To take a life because that person is possessed by a evil force is not something Sam would do. There is no doubt this debate will continue on for later episodes.

The cinematography is blatantly obvious in this latest episode. Sam is a person divided deep inside because of the memories that are not his are slowly surfacing. When he is in prison, he is framed to look like half a man. The flashbacks reveal a dark side.

While these themes are part of the "Supernatural" universe, it does not help the series from progressing. It’s showing signs of stagnating. A finale is required to answer a deeper question of whether or not Sam can find redemption. A definitive end to the series is needed than dragging it out.

Previous seasons:



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