Supernatural Review: Out of the Darkness, Into the Fire (Season 11 Episode 1)

When we last saw the Winchester brothers, Dean had finally rid himself of that pesky Mark of Cain, and as a result, released the Darkness upon the earth. He and his brother Sam tried to avoid getting sucked into the black Darkness cloud, but could not.

We picked up right where we left off in Supernatural’s eleventh season premiere, “Out of the Darkness, Into the Fire.” You read that right. The Winchesters are entering their eleventh season on television, and they’re showing no signs of stopping, at least not based on this premiere.

This new season of Supernatural seems to be about making changes. The show has followed a very predictable “Brother A is in trouble. Brother B saves him,” format since its first season.

While over the years that concept has taken very interesting twists and turns, primarily with the Michael/Lucifer story that concluded at the end of season five, in recent years it’s been a stagnating gimmick, one that even fanatics of the show will agree needs an adjustment.

After the cloud settles, Sam and Dean enter a new town to discover what’s changed as a result of the Darkness, they find a town of zombie-like people who are giving every human they come across a dose of their Darkness infection.

They meet a young sheriff’s deputy lady, Jenna, and she fills them in on the details of the town’s infection. When they travel to a local hospital, we also meet new dad, Mike, who’s been infected but not yet experiencing the effects of being zombie-fied. Mike’s only concern is to protect his hours-old daughter, Amara.

Before he can go total zombie, he leaves her in the care of the deputy Jenna, who is basically an acquaintance-stranger to him and has no previous childcare experience. I suppose it’s a better choice than to leave her with two strange dudes who have guns and an unusual amount of knowledge in killing things.

Dean wants to expel all of the Darkness zombies and save baby Amara. This is the catalyst moment for Sam, who is probably the most earnest as we’ve seen him in several seasons, to suggest that things need to change for the Winchesters.

The brothers keep making the same choices and mistakes over and over. Their mission used to be helping people, and reversing the effects of demons, and the like, on them. It’s somehow, over the years, become a shoot first and ask questions later game. In the old days, the Winchesters would have gone out of their way to find a cure for this town of zombies, rather than eradicate them all, just to save one baby.

It’s a reminder that Dean needs to hear, and quite frankly, it feels like an apology from the writers. For fans that have been questioning the psyche of the Winchesters in recent years, this is a much-needed statement. The moral compass for the brothers has been gone ever since Bobby met his demise back in season seven.

What looks to be bright light, and a revamp of the brothers’ actions, is dashed by their immediate deception of one another.

As Dean and the deputy get baby Amara out of town, Sam stays behind to try and find a cure for the Darkness zombies. After a scuffle with a zombie, Sam becomes infected. It’s bad news for Sam, and for viewers who rolled their eyes.

When Dean calls Sam to confirm Amara’s safety, Sam could have easily taken the moment to tell his brother than he’s been infected, considering he’s such a champion of change. Sam doesn’t tell Dean, and again, Brother A is in trouble.

Not much has changed at all.

Dean’s role in deception is far worse. He’s failed to share with Sam the entirety of what happened between himself and the Darkness before the car was sucked into a cloud at the start of the hour.

The Darkness removes Dean from the car, and they meet face to face. Because of the Mark, they are now connected. They won’t harm one another and will help one another. When the Darkness, who happens to be a beautiful woman, reveals her mark on her shoulder, Dean seems to have an immediate understanding with her, and wakes up in a field where Sam found him.

This will complicate things for Dean, as he’s bringing Amara and Jenna to a safe home. Amara has the Mark on her shoulder, and it would appear that after their chat, the Darkness manifested itself into baby Amara as she was born. Dean doesn’t know this information — yet.

Elsewhere, Crowley has a threesome, and Castiel is being bound and tortured by his angel brothers, who it seems are punishing him for his many transgressions. It’s quite sad that I can sum up their stories in one pathetic sentence. These two characters need to have a solid storyline this season, because both were underused and abused in season ten.

The most promising tidbit that is dropped in the premiere is that Michael and Lucifer have heard about the Darkness’s arrival and broken out of the cage they’ve been prisoners in since the finale of season five.

My hope is that since no one seems to know anything about the Darkness, (how can they? It predates even the Bible.), we’ll get to see a return of Michael and Lucifer, who will most likely be the only ones with enough information on the Darkness to stop it. It would also be a nice return to a time when Supernatural’s stories were fresh, intriguing, and a joy to watch.

Overall, I’m hoping that this change prospect isn’t a tease, and that ultimately we will see something new from the Winchesters.

Did you enjoy the premiere? Do you think Sam will find a way to cure himself, and the other Darkness zombies? What will Dean do when he discovers the Darkness in Amara? Share your thoughts below!

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Supernatural airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on The CW.