Supernatural, Episode 281 “Good Intentions” Broadcast on March 1, 2018
Written by Meredith Glynn
Directed by P.J. Pesce
Then: Jack and Mary are transported to the Apocalypse dimension. Dean’s plan to rescue the pair is to take some of Lucifer’s grace to open a portal and slam the door before Michael follows them. They’ve procured a demon table and gotten Donatello to decode it, unfortunately Asmodeus has put a spell on him to report once he can read it.
Now: Jack wakes in the Winchester’s bunker hearing their voices happy to have him safely back. A red light goes off in his room and a claxon blares. Smoke is creeping under his door and he hears Sam and Dean yelling for him. Rushing to the hall, he finds the pair screaming for help, locked behind a door that has flames licking out from under it. Jack tries to use his abilities, but can’t open it. Reality bends and Jack is shown frozen in concentration in Michael’s church in the Apocalypse dimension. The evil archangel appears behind him. “Zachariah, these mind games of yours aren’t working.” The pair of angels are trying to use the “half-breed” to get to the other side. In fact, Jack contains so much power he could open a portal big enough to march an army through. Michael commands Zachariah to hurry. The opening title then blasts onto the screen.
This was a terrific episode in several ways. First, the story by Glynn is great. There is a lot going on in the story that covers each strand perfectly, constantly building tension and pushing the story of the rescue further forward. Donatello gets quite a bit to do in this episode and he’s great. Castiel has an incredible scene with him, and the fallout from their meeting of the minds is powerful stuff. Dean and Cas get to take on two demons, who have hilarious dialogue. Second, the direction in this episode is great. The montages of the symbols over Donatello as he’s trying to translate the demon table are great. The battle scene between Dean and Cas versus their two foes is one of the best battles this season. Third, the music is really strong, especially when (wait for it…) Donatello is on the screen. Fourth, the make-up. Though there’s nothing too flashy, the work done on Sam for the last half of the episode is excellent. Fifth, the acting. Samantha Smith and Alexander Calvert, Mary and Jack, are an excellent pairing, with each working off the other outstandingly. Keith Szarabajka devours the scene as a man on the edge, over the edge, and then crossing the line. Mischa Collins gets to end the episode with a deliciously evil line hurled back at another character. Trust is going to be an issue quickly! There’s also a returning fan favorite that made me misty at his appearance. Jensen Ackles gets some fun Dean lines to deliver and gets a cool action sequence, while, sadly, Jared Padalecki doesn’t get much except to look worried and take a hit.
The good: The story, the direction, the music, the make-up, the acting, the special effects (“Angels!”), and a great cliffhanger.
Fun lines: “If bacon’s what kills me, I win,” “Let me show you,” “…is what Michael does,” “They are equally pretty,” “Dean, we have a problem…”, “Covetous!”, “Well then, that’s your choice,” “What I have to,” and “I did what soldiers do.”
The bad: I got nothing. Seriously. I’ve got nothing to complain about.
The final line: An episode that’s as perfect as it can get. Yes, it just moves the pieces about in the middle of major storyline, but it hits all the right buttons consistently. Wow! Overall grade: A
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