Supernatural Review: Nightmare Logic (Season 14 Episode 5)
We all know that Supernatural is a story about two brothers. It’s been that way for 14 years.
That’s not to say there haven’t been good characters introduced along the way. Great characters, even.
Supernatural Season 14 Episode 5, “Nightmare Logic,” re-integrates some of the larger guest-cast after a Sam and Dean solo adventure.
One of the best things that Supernatural does is integrate its secondary characters. After all, where would the show be without the likes of Bobby, Charlie, Castiel, Jody Mills, etc.?
All of that to say, “Nightmare Logic” is interesting because of the way it uses these other characters to tell a story. Questions like “what is Michael up to?” get explored through the lens of Sam and Dean, but use other characters to illustrate both the answers and how it affects Sam and Dean.
Supernatural wouldn’t really work if it was just Sam and Dean all the time, and “Nightmare Logic” is one of the better group hunt episodes.
Furthermore, “Nightmare Logic” illustrates a couple of interesting shifts for the show. For MUCH of the show’s 14-year run, Sam and Dean have been saving people and hunting things while secondary characters rotated in and out. Sometimes for a short arc, and other times for 7-10 years.
Two things strike me about this episode in particular.
One, Sam is actively leading this entire team of hunters. We hear about the hunter network fairly often, but now thanks to Earth-2, Sam has nearly entirely rebuilt the Men of Letters.
This also creates a lot of redshirts and opportunities for emotional gut-punches, since we now know Michael is setting traps for hunters.
Two, it really resonates with me that Dean is extremely positive about finding Maggie alive and well, while Sam is not. Since just two episodes ago, Dean had every reason to be negative, but instead it’s Sam who is worn down and Dean who is re-energized.
I guess living his horror movie fantasy really did the trick. Perhaps I should re-evaluate my own relaxation techniques.
A few stray thoughts:
- Half of the recurring characters from this season are Earth-2 versions, so I appreciated the references to Bobby being different than the one Sam and Dean know.
- I don’t know, guys. I think it’s good for Earth-2 Bobby and Mary to have companionship, but them being together is WEIRD.
- Mary asking if Earth-1 Bobby had kids was a bit of on-the-nose foreshadowing, too.
- Speculation time: The avoidance of Adam (the third brother and this world’s Michael vessel) in all of the stories so far has me thinking that either the brothers will defeat this Michael, only to have to contend with theirs, or that they will have to release their Michael to defeat the other one. Thoughts?
- Overall, it’s wonderful to get back to some good old fashioned monster hunting, just with slightly higher stakes.
What did you think of this episode of Supernatural? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Supernatural airs Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW.
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Nick Hogan
Nick Hogan is an experienced podcaster and writer (particularly on media topics), who loves discussion and analysis of TV and is always looking for new shows to watch. He is also a parent who loves buffalo wings, blowing raspberries, and his beloved Cincinnati Reds.