Supernatural Review: Ladies Drink Free (Season 12 Episode 16)

Has anyone printed “Eat Me Teen Wolf,” on a t-shirt yet?

Supernatural Season 12 Episode 16, “Ladies Drink Free,” starts off slow but pulls out the big guns before it ends.

It’s been a while since we’ve seen Claire, but it certainly comes as no surprise that she’s become quite the hunter. It’s not TECHNICALLY in her blood, but in a completely different way it totally is.

Claire has seen things in her life that would be tough to explain to your average teen — but Claire has never been average.

I can’t help but wonder if she is just a glimpse of a young Dean Winchester.

Claire’s ties to Castiel, being abandoned by her mom, and then taken in by Jodi are all traits that prove that she’s tough – maybe one of the toughest characters we’ve ever met on Supernatural. 

When a werewolf case pops up on the Winchester radar, they find that Claire is already working the case – and manages to get bit in the process.

Here’s why this works: every once in a while, we need to see the stakes get real for Sam and Dean, and unfortunately, those stakes have to involve someone we know and love from the past.

At least Claire’s outcome is better than Charlie’s. (Still not over it.)

So are the stakes real enough to teach the Winchesters anything? What little tidbit from nearly losing Claire will they carry with them as they make their way toward the finish line of the season?

I think it comes down to respecting choices, even when every fiber is saying that those choices are the wrong ones.

Claire makes it clear that she does not want to live as a werewolf – she’d rather be killed than risk killing anyone else, or lose who she is in the process.

When a risky opportunity arises that can either save or kill Claire, she immediately resolves that she wants to try it. She sees it as a win-win.

The Winchesters want to avoid any plan that ends with Claire dying, but they need to respect her decision – and even when Dean tries one last fight to change her mind, Sam stands up for Jimmy Novak’s little girl and agrees to respect her choice.

The risk is rewarded, thankfully. (See above, RE: Charlie.)

But that acceptance – that thing that has always been so hard for Dean and Sam to swallow – it seems to be the big takeaway for them here.

So now I need to speculate whether or not someone will be making a choice that the Winchesters will have to just suck it up and deal with in these final episodes of the season.

Mary springs to mind first – but we’ve also watched the “respecting choices” storyline play out with her over the course of the season.

My money would be on Castiel.

He’s going to have to make some tough calls after Lucifer’s baby is born. The idea of Castiel being “family” keeps coming up. Maybe Castiel will be the guy who needs some respect after making a decision that will get under the Winchesters’ skin.

I’ll sit tight on that theory.

Another highlight of “Ladies Drink Free” is the chance to get to know Mick a little better.

I haven’t been a fan of the British Men of Letters storyline. Mick’s time in the spotlight does very little to change my mind.

He killed a kid. Straight up.

That’s not okay.

It wasn’t okay earlier this season when Mr. Ketch did it. It’s 100% not any better when Mick does it.

Sam and Dean may be a little reckless when it comes to killing monsters and saving lives, but killing kids is a line they wouldn’t cross – it’s a line I didn’t think Supernatural would ever cross, and here we are crossing it twice in Season 12.

In a season where the biggest wildcard is a baby whose birth we’re all awaiting.

WAIT A MINUTE.

Is this another takeaway lesson for the Winchesters? That death can’t be an option for  Lucifer’s love child? Have we covered that already?

I still don’t trust Mick, even after he “saves” Claire. More than anything, I want Dean to punch him in the face. And I can’t fathom why Sam continues to trust the BMoL organization.

Mick is a mess. An absolute mess.

But I can also see the potential for him to turn on the BMoL. The very fact that he’s willing to break protocol is an indicator that he’s questioning what side he’s on.

THAT’s the story I want to see. I hope the writers explore this idea more as the rest of the season plays out.

Or at the very least, gives me a reason to care about the entire storyline before the season ends.

Stray Thoughts:

• Claire’s phone call the Jodi is too sweet, and I have no trouble admitting that I cried. Especially when she calls her ‘mom.’
• Neck tattoo guy is the worst.
• Dean’s enthusiasm for tiny shampoos from hotels makes him my spirit animal.
• I totally called it that the first bartender was actually the werewolf. He was too dodgy.
• Dean mentioning sleeping in his ‘baby,’ is a nice touch.
• Where is Mary during all of this? Or Castiel? Or Crowley? I’ve said it before, but I’ll repeat it: I just need a line that tells me where they are. Show that this team is in contact.
• Sam Winchester is not a creeper. If I came out of school and saw him leaning up against a car, I’d be giddy, not grossed-out.

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

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Supernatural airs Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW.

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