Supernatural Review: Absence (Season 14 Episode 18)
How do we say goodbye to a character that has driven the show since the very beginning? On Supernatural Season 14 Episode 18, “Absence,” the show attempts to do just that while also moving the Jack plot ever forward.
In short, “Absence” is an ode to Mary Winchester. Jack’s struggle with himself is definitely present, but overall, the episode is centered on her.
This season has been a hit or miss on whether or not the story is worth mentioning or repeating. Some episodes fall into the great category, some simply exist, and others fade away into the background.
Not “Absence.” This episode will probably go down as one of the series’ top episodes.
First, let’s take a look at the basic story of the episode, the surface material. Jack has started to lose control of his emotions which is causing chaos wherever he goes. As we soon find out, it’s because he doesn’t have a soul left.
This unfortunate side effect of killing Michael ends up disastrous for our dear Mary Winchester. All she wanted to do was to help and ends up sacrificing herself for it. This on the surface is a penultimate achievement for the family matriarch.
Ever since she returned, Mary has struggled with being a good mother to her boys. Her hunter nature and parental nature often being at odds with each other. In her final moments, she realizes that Jack needs help and sacrifices herself in the hope that it will make Sam and Dean more aware.
In fact, in a surprising turn of events, Dean insists they do what they always do for family: get them back. Initially, this looks as though he is showing faith and trust in Jack. However, by the end of the episode, it’s made clear that his decision to do so was made from a mixture of love for his mom and his own guilt.
That is the deeper layer I really want to unpack from this episode. While it really is a tribute to all the great motherly moments from Mary, there is an underlying message of guilt amongst their family as well.
Through the art of the flashback, Supernatural manages to pay homage to Mary while also delving into each character’s depth of hurt and regret in regards to Jack.
Castiel feels the most guilt because he knew that Jack wasn’t right for weeks and said nothing. He thought he could handle it on his own and only relay the information to the brothers once he had a solution.
Cas: I believed that he was good. That he could be good for this world.
Sam feels guilty because he felt like he should have tried harder to connect with Jack before the Michael incident. Instead, he pushed him to the side in favor of trying to find and save Dean.
However, the greatest, and most beautifully written, display of guilt comes from Dean Winchester himself. From the beginning, Dean didn’t want to trust Jack, but he let Sam and Cas convince him Jack was good.
His guilt stems from his inability to make peace with the fact that for the first time in a long time he let his family dissuade him from his own gut instincts. Dean’s emotions have always been a complex subplot on the show, but this episode really takes the cake.
Right before our eyes, we are allowed to see the breakdown of Dean. In the past few months, he has gotten the chance to spend time with his father again, only to lose him. He’s dealt with having Michael inside his head. Finally, he really started to connect with his own mom only to lose her once again.
Mary: Parenting is always a struggle. Most of the time you feel like you are failing.
Dean is usually a take his emotions and squash them down kind of guy. But in “Absence” we get to see as he reaches his emotional limit and makes peace with it. It’s a major growth on his part that really shows his maturity.
Past Dean would’ve sought angry revenge on the perpetrator of his loss. Current Dean knows that it is Jack, knows that the kid is family, and decides to move forward.
It’ll be interesting to see in the next few episodes just how far Dean’s growth goes. Will it allow him to forgive Jack and try to help him? Or will he write Jack off completely, refusing to trust him ever again?
That element of family is what drives Supernatural and makes it the success that it is today. For the writers and creators to take that element and break it down through grief and guilt it’s a journey handmade for the fans.
It shows us all that we are all a part of the Winchester clan. Our struggles and triumphs, our fears and joys are all valid and universal.
Further Thoughts:
- Rowena is a queen. No one else can tell me otherwise.
- It’ll be interesting to see if Lucifer will succeed in breaking Jack completely down for his own personal gain.
- Duma’s line, “Mary Winchester is at peace. You and the Winchesters may not be but she is,” is like the writers are reaching through the screens and reassuring audiences as well.
What did you think of this episode of Supernatural? Share your thoughts in the comments below! Be sure to catch up on our review of Supernatural Season 14 Episode 17, “Game Night” right here!
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Supernatural airs Thursdays at 8/7c on The CW.
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Mads Misasi
Mads is a part-time entertainment journalist and full-time marketing content creator. They love any and all TV Dramas with a few sitcoms mixed in. Join in the fun talking about TV by following them on Twitter: @dorothynyc89.