Supernatural - S13E2 - The Rising Son

Previously on Supernatural, “Lost and Found”

The good times kept rolling after a raucous premiere which had given Supernatural a refreshing new beat for the battle-hardened Winchesters. “Rising Son” provided a respite of sorts for Sam and Dean as the two figured out how to “raise” Jack, or if they should at all. Thanks to the sudden appearance of an old friend and the briefest of introductions to their latest big bad, the boys (and the man-baby) will have to face their inner demons along with the ilk they prefer to slay, in the hope of keeping Jack on the straight and narrow.

Donatello has been off the grid since “We Happy Few” in season 11, after Amara left him soulless to know the whereabouts of the bunker. Turns out Donnie is very alive and doing quite well now after Jack was born. Thanks to Chuck and Amara leaving mortals on their lonesome, Donatello had to fend for himself without any instruction from God. Enter the nephilim, whose currently undiscovered powers shone like a beacon for the wayward prophet.

Naturally, Jack’s potential is on virtually everyone’s radar, including the last Prince of Hell, Asmodeus (Jeffrey Vincent Parise), a loyal servant of Lucifer and, in my personal head-canon, the demon responsible for giving Colonel Sanders the 11 herbs and spices needed to create a fast food empire. The truest believer, it’s apparent Asmodeus is willing to do whatever it takes to make Hell great again… including the rehashing of an old scheme even Lucifer vehemently rejected.

While giving a lackey the 411 about himself and how down he is with Satan, Asmodeus remarked that the scars he bares on his face were from Lucifer’s displeasure with his loyal soldier’s attempt to unleash the Shedim, a legion of animalistic demons that are feared even among Hell’s most powerful generals. If Lucifer didn’t want to use them in his war against Heaven, you know they must be bad news.

Speaking of the Lord of All Evil, Lucifer is laying it on a bit thick with Mary seeing as the two of them must rely on one another to survive in the alternate dimension which they’re trapped or ultimately perish. From the bits and pieces the pair have gathered, The Apocalypse went according to plan, resulting in an earth that’s been thoroughly destroyed and unsalvageable. If God left Sam and Dean’s universe to its own devices, there’s no way He and Amara are planning to restore order back to this reality if it’s been a war zone for eight full years.

That all being written, Lu and Mary will be in for a helluva time now the the Michael of this dimension (Christian Keyes) is aware that Satan lives, despite personally smiting alt-Lucifer early on in the war. Considering how the archangel reacted to his and Mary’s presence, the continued bloodshed has taken a toll on Heaven’s greatest warrior. As much as he may want to kill Lucifer (again), it appeared that Michael already has an arcane scheme coalescing in his allegedly divine brain.

Although it was fun to see Donatello alive and well and uncovering Asmodeus’ designs for Hell, Alexander Calvert was the highlight of the episode yet again with his wide-eyed and charmingly sincere portrayal of Jack. With exception to Castiel (and Crowley on occasion), the success of adding a third wheel to the Winchester dynamic has been hit and miss throughout the series. It’s only been two episodes but Jack has infused an appreciable amount of depth and complexity to a show that’s covered significant ground during its prolific run.

Jack may be the most dangerous being in existence and requires fierce guidance from Sam and Dean despite the fact that experience tells the brothers he should be put down for the sake of all. Nevertheless, Jack is pure of soul (as confirmed by Donatello) and for being born in such a dubious lineage. There’s a lot of story that can unfold through Jack and for the moment he’s an effective litmus test on the current mindsets of the Winchesters.

Obviously, Sam will always employ an impassioned, considerate view on people and creatures and has stayed true to this attitude in becoming a mentor of sorts to Jack. He’s no fool… Sam is well aware of the evil Jack could inflict on the universe. Yet he and Donatello believe the best course of action in preventing a dark streak to develop is remaining open and honest about the way of the world and his parentage. Dean, understandably, has his concerns about Jack but he’s in need of a bit of truth himself.

How much of what happened to him and Sam could truly be blamed on an unborn child? It’s a very tough sell because the brothers lost so much in finding Kelly Kline and protecting her during Jack’s birth. While Dean believed he lost Castiel to the baby’s influence then Mary to its father (because of the portal Jack accidentally opened), the kid must be inherently evil. Dean has softened on his stance just a touch, but he must stay his hand and try to impart his unique perspective on Jack, lest Dean’s contempt for angels and demons makes an enemy out of him.