CW's "Supernatural:" Who is Serving Kevin When Benny is Resurrected Sunny Side Up? A Television Review

Director: Robert Singer

Writer: Jeremy Carver

CW's "Supernatural" has changed its time slot from Fridays to Wednesdays, and perhaps even gone Cajun if the premiere episode, "We Need to Talk About Kevin," is any indication. An unlikely villain of the series — and a friend of Dean Winchester's — is a mysterious vampire by the name of Benny (Ty OiIsson). He may well be the focus of this season.

That begs the question of what Dean has done in Purgatory? This elder hunter has refuted an Angel, been to Hell, made a deal with Death and escaped from the Fairy world. Maybe he's made a deal with an alpha monster and that can be very troubling. To see this episode skip ahead in time is not all that surprising.

The series cannot go an episode or two without the two brothers quickly reuniting. Although they made a promise to try to live out a normal life should one of them perish, the likelihood of that happening is getting slimmer as the ratings slip. This show has a lot of competition to face on Wednesday nights.

To recap, the Winchesters have won the day ... again. They stole a stone tablet from Dick Roman that contains writing from a greater power. When they broke the seal, they found "The Word of God" and Kevin Tran (Osric Chau) turned into the next prophet for humanity. He assisted the brothers in making a weapon that will defeat the Leviathans. In their standoff, the mighty Dick exploded and his last act was to teleport Dean and Cas to Purgatory.

With everyone gone, Sam has no one to turn to for help or advice. He assumed everyone died, and soon enough, he found a girl to settle down with. In a strange plot hole, he decides to leave the girl at the episode's start so he can have a run-in with his brother. But before that can happen, the previous episode showed Cas fleeing the coop to protect Dean. Although Dean hinted that he was killed when the brothers reunited, Misha Collins can still easily appear in the series in flashback.

Viewers hoping for a glimpse at what Purgatory looks like will not be shortchanged; it's apparently a grey swampland. Conveniently enough, all the monsters Dean met decided to retain their human appearance. Sadly television budgets rarely allow for creating truly monstrous creations or the imaginative; viewers have to live with what series television can produce. But when one of these beasts, Benny, helps this Winchester out, they forge a friendship which looks rocky at the start. All Dean has to do is to take Benny out of Purgatory because this vampire knows of a place where the veil between worlds is thin. Of course, this back door is only accessible by humans.

A year has passed in the mortal world and who knows how many days have actually passed in the nether realm. While Dean goes to unearth the remains of Benny and bring him back to life, viewers have to wonder just how long the two have fought alongside each other to get the man hug of the century. They agree to go their separate ways and for viewers, their relationship is only beginning as this plot thread will be stretched out as season eight progresses. While Dean seems to be suffering from shell shock like a Vietnam vet (brilliantly performed by Ackles), the other is quickly adapting.

But the other strands from last season needs to be tied up. Kevin was taken away by Crowley (Mark Sheppard). The tale of the prophet will be another story this season will explore, and the first half may be all about him. That will be good, because Chau has a great screen presence that improves with each new episode. As viewers get acquainted with this character, so will his fan base improve. As the next Moses or Nazareth, he has the knowledge to banish demons from earth for good. Crowley wants him to open the Gates of Hell and bring more in.

The tablets contain various pieces of knowledge that the prophet can use. There are two of them now: the one Roman had and another Crowley found. Who needs the Ark of the Covenant when God's iPad is at Tran's disposal?

Overall: 7 out of 10.

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