No matter what the future may look like at times, fate can always be changed, even if it’s difficult.
As Mary and John try to figure out the identity of the mysterious man in the photograph, John’s fate is at the hands of a vampire on The Winchesters Season 1 Episode 9.
Meanwhile, John’s ex Betty is keeping a watchful eye on him and his new friends, and it may not turn out well.
Now that John and Mary have admitted their feelings to each other, their relationship is a bit different, and they’ve been worried about getting it out in the open.
With this being an origin story about John and Mary, it was expected for them to get together at some point.
It’s been really refreshing and intriguing seeing their relationship blossom since all we knew about them before was all that was on Supernatural.
Now that they are together, they have been acting differently because not only did they already have to worry about each other while hunting, but now there’s an emotional element added.
Both John and Mary weren’t necessarily ones to be open books, so it’s been fun to see how they’ve let their guards down around each other, and this case was just the ticket.
Office romances can mess up dynamics.
Mary
Mary was as worried as ever for John, and it’s not hard to blame her.
The reason why she’s been so guarded is because she’s already lost so much, or almost lost so much.
She lost her cousin, she nearly lost her dad and finally got him back, and now that she’s dating John, yet someone else she cares about, it adds on to the never-ending worry.
Then you have John, who basically accepts his fate after finding out about the vampire because he doesn’t know what else could be done.
It was completely in character for him to literally risk his life so his mom can be safe because he cares about those around him more than he does about himself.
However, it was interesting to see him stand down after being benched even though he initially refused, all because Mary talked him down.
This shows how much she means to him and how much of an impact she’s had on him and likely vice versa in just a short time.
Them also trying to pretend that nothing was going on between them was entertaining, considering that Carlos and Lata already knew since it was quite obvious.
Knowing the risks of their relationship and their lives, we only got a glimpse into what they’re enduring and what they will go through.
Their relationship will only get stronger as they, unfortunately, meet many more creatures along the way that will put them in near-death experiences.
As for the actual case, the group finally dealt with some vampires, which led to them digging deeper into the Men of Letters.
Supernatural had some pretty good vampire cases, and this one did not disappoint.
My fate’s already sealed, but yours isn’t.
John
Any one of the characters could have touched the amulet that the vampires were looking for, but it had to be John.
He’s still figuring things out, he’s with Mary, which adds greater risk, and having his mom there as well just ups the emotions because you don’t know what will happen.
Connecting the vampires to the Men of Letters was a genius idea because as the viewers are learning about them, so are the characters.
It also would have been genius to connect the case to Supernatural since one of John’s unfinished vampire cases is what ultimately killed Dean.
It was meant to be.
John
This episode did prove that fate can be changed, and we already know that Dean has been intervening in his parents’ love story.
Who knows what else he might have changed?
Even though you already know that John is going to live, otherwise Supernatural wouldn’t have happened, the series still makes you think the worst is going to happen.
It took a while for John to come back to life after Millie killed him, and both she nor Mary knew if he was going to live.
For a split second, you don’t see The Winchesters as a prequel series, you see it as a standalone show, and you have no idea what the end result is going to be.
It’s highly possible this won’t be the last near-death experience John or Mary have, but it will still probably feel like the end of the world.
Vampires aren’t the only things that John, Mary, Carlos, and Lata had to worry about in this episode, as John and Mary’s pasts returned and connected with one another.
It wasn’t surprising to see that John’s ex, Betty, was on the scene of the truck and vampire accident or the death of a lore expert, Diana, since she is a police officer.
Like any ex trying to stay friends with their former S.O., Betty was worried about John and what he’s been getting into.
Just because you’re punching monsters now, doesn’t mean you’re not still punching.
Millie
Her questioning Millie and airing out her concerns didn’t seem like much at first, but after she confronted Mary, there was something off about her.
That was what the writers wanted, since Mary’s reporter friend, Kyle, was the cause.
I didn’t put two-and-two together, as it wasn’t initially a cause for concern that the two people John and Mary had connections with were back in the same episode.
Of course, just after Mary and John got together, they had to be brought in to create some type of friction.
Since Kyle is a reporter, it was natural for him to do research on Mary, and we still didn’t know much about him, so to say that this wasn’t really like him would be a lie.
Betty, meanwhile, is likely just concerned about John since she’s known him for a while and almost married him.
Her intentions for the questioning and confronting were reasonable but, at the same time, sketchy.
You also can’t leave out the fact that Kyle is not Kyle with the mark on the back of his neck, so who or what is he?
With just a few episodes left of the season, and this storyline literally just getting started, hopefully, it isn’t rushed, and we will get to the bottom of it.
Between the confrontation and secret meeting, this storyline had me guessing and shocked about what it was really about, and I’m curious to see how it continues.
One storyline that didn’t get much screen time was the photograph one, but John and Mary are just as stumped as ever as to who the man in the photo is.
As the season gets close to the end, they will only get closer to finding out the truth.
Now that viewers know something that the characters don’t, it should be enjoyable to see how it all plays out.
Thing is, I’ve had more than a few dances with free will and fate, but as my dad used to say, ‘Fate is what you make it.’
Dean
I’m just as anxious as ever for this storyline to go on, and hearing Dean narrate now is different since you know how he’s telling the story.
This is another storyline that is just beginning, and it’s possible that this will become a bigger part in the remaining episodes.
Fans will just have to stick around to see what happens.
Overall, this episode was an emotional and intense roller coaster that had you on the edge of your seat even though you knew that the characters weren’t in any real danger due to it being an origin story.
I’m giving this episode 4.5 stars because it was so well done, but I was waiting for them to continue the Dean plot just a little bit more.
With only so few episodes left, though, it makes sense they’d want to drag it out.
Seeing how Kyle and Betty look further into Mary, John, Lata, and Carlos will also be something to look forward to, as well as what Kyle’s endgame is.
So, Fanatics, what did you think?
Did you see that Kyle and Betty twist coming? What do you think they’re up to?
How will John and Mary’s dynamic change now that they’re dating, and everyone knows it? Will they continue to be more protective of each other? Will they let it get in the way of hunting?
Do you have any more theories on what Dean is doing in the past?
How are you hoping these last few episodes will go? Share your thoughts below and be sure to watch The Winchesters online any time via TV Fanatic!
Megan Behnke is a staff writer for TV Fanatic, who you can follow on Twitter.