Looking for "Southern Comfort" in CW's "Supernatural:" A Television Review

Director: Tim Andrew.

Writer: Adam Glass.

With a title like "Southern Comfort," some viewers might think this episode will be more about Benny and less about the Winchesters. Instead, Garth (DJ Qualls) from last season's "Time for a Wedding" gets the stage. Both he and the Winchesters partner up to solve a case of an angry Civil War, where unrelated killings materialize. Just how they tie together is a mystery.

Not even Garth can figure it out. He tries to be the new Bobby--the man with all the answers and knowledge of the occult. Dean (Jensen Ackles) does not like the idea; but strangely, Garth does a reasonably good job at it. He dispenses advice to the other Hunters who call him up for help. But for the Winchesters, this irrepressible wannabe needs to prove himself before he is accepted. They are not certain if he can be the new Bobby. They are definitely apprehensive when he tries to prevent the brothers from beating up one another!

Amusingly enough, every time Garth steps in a pile of ectoplasm, that's a sign that writer Adam Glass and the series' show runners want to get across to the viewers at home. That only happens when the brothers are about to start criticising each other. The visual cue is effective, and hopefully most audiences will notice.

When the Kearny, Missouri murders finally get worse, the team finds a few leads. One of them provides an outsider's look at what the Winchester brothers may be feeling. Apparently, during the Civil War, the two siblings of the Collins family were saved on opposite sides: one served the Union and the other the Confederate. When Vance Collins died by his brother's hand, a Corporal, he felt betrayed. By his dying breath, he uttered a curse to never forgive upon a coin he wore. Whoever touched it would be overcome by the Confederate Ghost's thirst for blood. Although the other brother, the Corporal, took a bid to reconcile, he only died with nothing gained. He thought that by giving his brother's body a decent burial in the family mausoleum, the two might be able to make amends in the afterlife. This is not so.

The ghost story that's written for this episode is a good one, and it may foreshadow what may come for the Winchesters. The series has always dwelled on how each of the brothers express their emotions. But after eight years worth of the same hogwash, just how long can the writing team behind the "Supernatural" series keep the concepts fresh? The only way the two can talk is after Dean touches a cursed penny. The way he opened up was a long time coming. True to the series style, nothing about their relationship ever gets fully resolved. The way the series see-saws back and forth between Sam (Jared Padelecki) or Dean trying to console their bitterness is getting ridiculous. The brothers are more like eight-year olds than adults. In the eight-year series run, their maturity has barely advanced by a few months.

That mind-set may well make Purgatory a simple sand-box where Dean was King. When his Camelot crumbled, he had no one to rule or protect. With no Sam to rescue him, just who can he protect? His father John, did tell him to keep Sam safe and he did that to a tee. Unfortunately, that shirt has a lot of rips.

Garth is the master of his playground since he is the next Lone Ranger. If his words to Dean is any indication, he learned how to let go of his frustrations. Maybe the brothers can learn a thing or two from this new Bobby after all. His words are strangely comforting. Just how long it will take to sink in will depend on the next episode. The two are in for another split very soon. And with the next episode, they will most likely reconcile.

Or, better yet, the Trickster can return and maybe put them into some crazy counselling session a la "Frasier."

Overall: 6.5 out of 10.

Supernatural on the CW

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