The Winchesters Season 1 Episode 6 Review: Art of Dying
The Winchesters Season 1 Episode 6, “Art of Dying,” finally makes John address his anger.
Since The Winchesters Season 1 Episode 4, “Masters of War,” John’s anger has been bubbling underneath the surface, ready to cause major damage.
But, instead of an explosion, it causes minimal impact on “Art of Dying.” The episode takes a passive approach to the consequences of John ignoring his anger. He doesn’t destroy everything with his Akrida obsession. He loses control through possession. This brings up feelings that not only John keeps hidden, but Latika as well.
The Winchesters leads us astray by making it seem as if John’s anger will continue to rise until it brings the group down, similar to Mac’s story. The surprising choice to not repeat history helps communicate the message of this episode: violence doesn’t have to reign supreme.
By having pacifist Latika act as the hero on “Art of Dying,” it shows that violence is not always the answer. This also ties in with the show’s overall message about the damage of war, specifically the Vietnam War.
The reveal of Latika’s past is also a choice we don’t expect. Her past of violence and dark history with her father shows that we still have a lot to learn about these characters.
Not destroying Mac may lead the series down an interesting path. Is Mac completely out of the picture or could he come back as a friend (or foe) on future episodes?
The episode leaves us wondering.
The Winchesters has been making a habit of resolving the monsters and problems of the week. It’s a bold decision to keep Mac’s story unfinished.
His vengeful spirit may never appear again, but it is the right choice to not kill him. Not following the usual route creates a little bit more intrigue as ghosts of the past can always return to haunt the living.
To counterbalance the seriousness of this episode, Carlos finds his official first love interest. Unlike Ada’s son Tony, it seems unclear if Anton may be a recurring character.
He should because of his history with Latika and his budding romance with Carlos. However, his absence from the rest of the episode makes him seem like another Kyle character — aka a potential love interest that vanishes.
Overall, it’s nice to see Carlos lose his cool over a crush. The character often flirts and says the first thing that comes to his mind. Carlos is not a shy character.
This change in his demeanor creates some comedy. It’s fun watching him go from Rico Suave to awkward Betty for a cute, nerdy boy.
He develops a crush on a male version of Latika. So, let that sink in.
“Art of Dying” makes choices that the audience isn’t expecting, which allows the episode a slight departure from the norm. It also establishes that The Winchesters may not be as predictable as it seems.
Overall, it’s an okay episode because it changes course a bit. Nevertheless, it feels more like a filler episode.
“Art of Dying” doesn’t do much to advance the story toward this big Akrida showdown. Additionally, the ending gives them a small piece of the puzzle — just like almost all of the recent episodes.
It seems as if the first half of The Winchesters Season 1 plans to focus more on letting us get to know these characters, and this isn’t a bad idea.
We need to love these characters to invest multiple seasons into them. However, it could do more to set up the big bad Akrida. We need to fear them. But so far, they only feel a little bit daunting.
Stray Thoughts
- This is one of the grossest episodes of the season. All the blood.
- The Winchesters’ monsters look very ‘70s and ‘80s horror films, so maybe that’s the aim.
- Cricket is a really cute nickname and fits Mary.
- “Art of Dying” feels like it wants to end with a John and Mary kiss. The Winchesters has a lot of restraint in letting them slowly burn.
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The Winchesters airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.
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Jerrica Tisdale
Jerrica Tisdale is your favorite neighborhood pop culture junkie. She will annoy you with random TV and film facts, while complaining about whatever is the hottest new book. She has been a TV fan all her life but writing about it for over a decade. You may find her work all over the internet especially reality TV rants. She is a senior writer at Tell-Tale TV.