'Supernatural' | 'Regarding Dean' S12E11 Overview
It was another tenuous episode of ‘Supernatural’ this week, but did it leave viewers satisfied? Let's take a look why ‘Regarding Dean’ had us gripped to the edge of our seats, and what left us scratching our heads.
Spoiler Alert!
Dean (Jensen Ackles) wakes up in a park with no memory of how he got there. He and Sam (Jared Padalecki) continue with a case, but Dean soon realises his memory is waning. As his memory continues to fail, Sam contacts Rowena (Ruth Connell), who suggests a witch may have cast a memory spell on him - not only forcing Dean to forget his life as a hunter gradually, but eventually how to keep himself alive.
‘Regarding Dean’ starts out rather comedically - the show’s writers throwing in plenty of perfectly timed quips as the activities of the previous night are revealed. As the memory spell progresses, Dean is delighted whilst re-discovering his past; like the fact that they hunt monsters for a living (“Awesome!”), or that their best friend is an angel (“Whaaaat?”). It is heartfelt, and yet incredibly sad at the same time. Dean defaults to an innocent, friendly, naive man as the spell works its magic – a stark difference to the hardened killer we have become accustomed to seeing on our screens.
The title of this episode is a reference to the 1991 film ‘Regarding Henry’, in which Harrison Ford’s character loses all memories of his life after receiving a shot to the head; but rather than lose all memories at once, Dean loses them over the course of the episode - something that is more akin to the 2000 film ‘Memento’. Perhaps even more powerful is its realistic nod to present day illnesses such as Alzheimer's.
Sam tries to help Dean by placing sticky-note labels around their hotel room. At first, Sam is frustrated by his brother’s memory lapse, but gradually becomes more worried as he realises how badly the spell has affected Dean. Both Ackles and Padalecki show their incredible emotional range in this episode - Dean regressing further and further into his memory loss, and becoming more terrified and bewildered by the second; and Sam’s heart breaking as his brother begins to forget him. Yes, inevitably the ‘man-tears’ make their return.
The most evocative scene however takes place in the motel bathroom, with Dean staring into a mirror, trying to remember his name, and the names of his family members. ‘Supernatural’ has dealt with all manner of strange beings, creatures and magical elements, but this scene is one to remember as it is a raw reflection of real life.
Although balanced with cleverly timed comedic moments throughout, this episode ultimately deals with a very real affliction that viewers are likely to either suffer themselves, or watch someone close to them suffer.
In regards to supporting characters, Rowena is at her best without Crowley - a refreshing change. We learn part of her back story and her character growth whilst admitting to Dean that she regrets her actions in the past.
Then there's the coven. Though creepy, the witches' origins and ancient druidic spell book barely gets a mention, so the other witches’ part of the story is light in comparison to Rowena’s.
Disappointingly, the episode’s conclusion was lack-lustre. Though Dean’s entrance with the sticky notes was amusing, more could have been made of the fact that Dean nearly shot his own brother. It would have been all the more heartbreaking for Sam (and the viewers) if Dean had forgotten Sam completely, and had to work out who he could trust.
And lastly, the montage... featuring Dean riding ‘Larry’ the bull - a redundant and odd way to finish an episode to evoke such a strong emotional response.
It was an episode that burdened itself with a responsibility to draw attention to a real-life illness, evoking an emotional response from viewers as they watched two brothers inevitably torn apart. However, its final execution was unusual, and left the audience somewhat disappointed.
Watch ‘Supernatural’ on the CW at 8pm EST, Thursdays. Airing on Eleven at 9:30pm Mondays in Australia.
