Supernatural Review: Mamma Mia (Season 12 Episode 2)

Full disclosure — I tried to think of a “Jesse’s Girl” joke to start this review with, and I came up empty.

That being said, Rick Springfield’s debut as Lucifer is just the yummy frosting on the cake that is Supernatural Season 12 Episode 2.

It’s a bit confusing, Lucifer’s ability to use Vince Vincente as a vessel. The former rules and continuity as far as who can use what as a vessel don’t seem to apply any longer.

Vince is a lonely man, one who lives the high life as a rock star, but desperately longs for the company of his dead love, Jan, and drowns his sorrows in a bottle of whiskey. That seems like prime real estate for Lucifer to move into.

Springfield brings a new life to Lucifer. He doesn’t try to imitate Mark Pellegrino’s famous iteration of him. He doesn’t add a menacing whisper to his voice. He’s creepy and vicious, while simultaneously being charming and attractive. He embodies everything that Lucifer should be in this 2.0 version, and I really hope sticks around.

What I enjoy most about Lucifer’s new story is the way the dynamic between he and Crowley is written. I’ve complained in the past a number of time about how Crowley has felt aimless.

Having he and Rowena work together in a power struggle against Lucifer feels great, giving Crowley a chance to shine as a villain again, while still maintaining that comic relief we’ve come to know and love from him.

Dean and Mary’s story is really the star of the hour, as Dean struggles with the fact that his mom wants to return to a life of hunting. It’s even more challenging for Dean to accept that she’s really good at it.

I really enjoyed seeing Mary pull the “I’m your mother,” card on Dean so often as they worked together to free Sam from Toni, AKA Angry Spice.

It was even more fun watching Mary kick Toni’s butt. For a woman who’s recently been resurrected, her fighting skills aren’t rusty at all. My biggest frustration with Sam’s rescue is the moment Mary arrives on the scene, and he connects the dots that she’s alive, is so fast that we miss it.

Granted, the story didn’t lend itself to Dean breaking the news to Sam sooner, but it was an emotional punch that I WANTED to be hit with.

While Dean basically reenacts THAT infamous pie scene from American Pie, Sam and Mary still don’t have that moment I’m looking for. It’s a comforting moment, watching the Winchester family reunited over a bucket of chicken, but it just feels like something is missing from it.

Which is why I love that Sams bring Mary tea later on, and gives her John’s journal. It’s one of the most powerful scenes Supernatural has had in years, as Mary confesses the things that she’s sad that she missed; first teeth, first crushes, or as she calls it, “mom stuff.”

Sam studied John’s journal to fill in blanks about his parents, and he hopes that it will do the same for Mary.

Sam: Mom, for me, having you here — it fills in the biggest blank.

But it’s the scene the follows, as Mary sits with John’s journal, taking in the words and photos that once belonged to her husband that hit you with the “feels.” Mary has a lot to catch up on, and it’s probably breaking her heart that she’s doing it without John. Sam Smith sells those feelings so well.

Having Mary around continues to feel natural for Sam and Dean. She fits so perfectly that it seems inconceivable that she hasn’t always been around.

As for the British Men of Letters, I’m still not invested. Toni continues to, well, quite frankly, bore me. I’d like to see something more for her; maybe she’s being used by the British MoL, or she wants to work against them — something that would give her a redeemable quality that I can latch onto.

She doesn’t have the charisma of Ruby or Bela, so I don’t view her as a frenemy of the Winchesters, as it was so easy to do with the aforementioned ladies. That being said, I’m still keeping my views on her open, because I can see the potential for that relationship with grow. It just feels like there’s something more to Toni than we know right now.

What did you think of this episode of Supernatural? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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

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