Paying Homage in "Supernatural's" "Citizen Fang"

Director: Nick Copus.

Writer: Daniel Loflin.

Cast: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Ty Olsson, Liane Balaban, Jon Gries, Kathleen Munroe, Paul Campbell and Chad Rook.

This season of "Supernatural" is showing that plenty of loose cannons are looking at Sam and Dean Winchester for support in one way or another. But that is not the case for Benny (Ty Olsson). In the episode, "Citizen Fang," he's trying to live a simple life. But that will not happen when there is a rogue vampire out to create a new nest and he wants Benny to be part of it. 

That includes killing some innocents along the way until Benny relents. That draws the Winchester's attention and a mentally unstable Martin Creaser (Jon Gries), an old friend of the Winchester family. In an interesting revision of how the brothers tend to treat their prey, Sam is out to kill and Dean wants to protect Benny. This role-reversal is interesting because, potentially, Sam is becoming more like Dean, and Dean like Sam. To protect anyone, even if he's a vampire, is very unlike this elder Winchester.

And it is a plot hole when considering the early part of the season showed how unstable Dean was since escaping Purgatory. Maybe he has learned some self-control, but that is information not fully presented in past episodes. 

Wrapped around this story is more of Sam's past and a continuation of what caused his relationship to Amelia to dissipate. He wants to leave, but she will not let him. Sam wants to do the right thing by sacrificing his happiness. By the time Don (Amelia's husband) finds him, neither of them seem ready to bend. They both agree that Amelia (Liane Balaban) will choose, but hold on! If this triangle seems complex, it is not. Writer Daniel Loflin does not spend a lot of time exploring how Sam has reached the decision to leave. Apparently, Sam did not leave a Dear Jane letter on that night, and that leads to how this season reached its mid-season cliffhanger.

The nine episodes leading up to this episode has been a weird ride. Most of Sam's flashbacks are juxtaposed with current events to explain what he is feeling. To see how they relate really requires re-watching the episodes in one huge marathon run, or creating a fan-edit that focuses specifically on Sam's flashbacks so they are understood in context with one another. With a week separating each episode, viewers will not remember every single detail.

Dean's tale about life in Purgatory is done. When looking back at how straight-forward his flashback sequences are, nothing new about either Dean or Castiel gets explored until they are brought to the present tense. Instead, this episode looks at a part of what makes up the legacy of Benny Lafitte in a style similar to Orson Welle's classic. When considering the direction of the past eight episodes were laden with tons of flashbacks, to have the title of "Citizen Fang" was very appropriate.

But in a series that still has to worry about Kevin Tran and his mother, just where this main story thread will go will not get revealed well into next year. Benny has disappeared for good reason and as for whether he will return, nothing in this episodes suggests that he will. That is a shame, because he's been the true highlight of season eight. His mysterious past and why he wanted to escape Purgatory is one story thread that may never get fully explained.

Just because he was killed by his creator because of his love for a mortal woman does not say enough.

Overall: 7 out of 10.

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