Given the macho tone of the series - and the fact that both male leads are good ol' boys from Texas - its' not shocking that Supernatural finally chose to do a Western episode. Fortunately, the episode airing on Friday, April 22 doesn't feel like a gimmick, but fits in with the overall storyline to defeat the Mother of All Evil.
Sam manages to lead Dean and Bobby to the Campbell family library. While there, they discover that the ashes of a Phoenix might be able to defeat Eve. Unfortunately, the boys always thought that Phoenixes were a myth, but they soon discover that one man actually killed one: Samuel Colt, in 1861 Wyoming. Dean, eager to head to the Old West, decides that they should simply use this opportunity to travel back in time and retrieve the ashes they need.
Castiel agrees to send them back for 24 hours. After arriving, they experience their first authentic Western experience: a public hanging. Elias Finch, convicted of murdering his wife, is being hung in the town square. Before he dies, he vows to kill the men he thinks are responsible for his circumstances. When some of the men start dying as threatened, Dean and Sam need to race around the clock to try and kill this Phoenix creature and collect its ashes to bring back to their time.
Besides the obvious novelty of the episode, here's five reasons why you definitely don't want to miss the Old West episode of Supernatural:
(1) The Return of Goofy Dean. Dean's had a lot on his plate lately and hasn't exactly been Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky this season (although he's been getting better - particularly in "The French Mistake"). So it's with happiness that I announce that the goofy/amusing version of Dean is back in full force throughout this episode. From his quiet hurt that the locals don't like his outfit, to his use of the word "posse" in a graveyard scene, to his reaction to the local saloon girl (who is definitely not what he pictured), you'll be thrilled to know that Jensen Ackles pulls out all the stops to make you laugh your head off at Dean in "Frontierland".
(2) Samuel Colt Turns Out to be Awesome. While we've known about Colt and his special gun since the end of the first season, we've never actually seen him before. Sam is fortunate enough to meet Samuel, who is, unsurprisingly, a hunter, albeit somewhat retired. He's tough as nails, accepting of Sam's time-travel story, quick with a pistol, and only somewhat surly. Sam Hennings does a great job and turns this one-time guest star into a very memorable appearance that's worthy of the reputation this show has crafted for Colt. Props should also be given to Matthew John Armstrong, who played Elias Finch with a constant air of danger.
(3) Meet Rachel, the New Angel on the Block. We're supposed to learn more about Castiel and the war in Heaven in an upcoming episode entitled "The Man Who Would be King", along with meeting one of Castiel's allies: an angel named Rachel. I don't know if I simply missed this spoiler, but we actually first meet Rachel in this episode. She may be an ally of Castiel, but she has a lot of disdain for the Winchesters (and possibly for a lot of humans, but we'll need to see). Because of her presence, we have some continuity from the things we learned in "My Heart Will Go On", particularly Castiel and his plan to gather souls, as well the power of a human soul through a demonstration by Cas. We also see a side to Cas that we don't often see, but you'll have to watch to see what I mean.
(4) Dean's Outfit & His Shoot-Out. I'm not going to make apologies for being an unrepentant DeanGirl, but I was very happy to see Dean dressed in authentic Western clothes. Couple that with some tough-guy looks from under the rim of a cowboy hat, and a tense shoot-out at high noon, and any DeanGirl should be very happy with this episode. But don't worry, SamGirls, your boy has a lot to do as well, except he's not as eager to purchase the Western garb as Dean. But he does get to go by the name of Walker, Texas Ranger, which is awesome.
(5) Brotherly Banter and Pop Culture References. The return of Goofy Dean, coupled with Soulful Sam, leads to some awesome moments between the brothers, including Sam insulting Dean's love of old Western films and Dean ordering the good drink for himself and the girly drink for Sam. Then there's an incredible amount of pop culture references, including Phoenix jokes, Star Trek jibs, a Die Hard catch-phrase and Back to the Future references. There's even a Hangover reference in there if you can spot it.
On a final note, one fan on Twitter asked me about the music for this episode. The scenes that take place in 1861 have almost exclusively Western-themed music, and there's an amazing montage at the end with a terrific Old West score.
Make sure to tune in to the "Frontierland" episode of Supernatural on Friday, April 22. You can also view promo photos, a trailer and a sneak peek for the episode (here, here and here, respectively).
If you're not afraid of spoilers, check out our collection of spoilers for all of the remaining season 6 episodes.
clarissa @ tvovermind.com
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This ep sounds awesome! Well, except for #3. Didn't TPTB learn the first couple of times? Forcing a woman into the plotline just so they can say there's one on the show doesn't work, and personally, I'm quite happy with Balthazar as Castiel's sidekick if he absolutely must have one. Sigh. Maybe they'll handle it a little better this time around.
Keep your sexist thoughts to yourself. There absolutely should be more women on this show. It's a sausage fest and it gets tiresome.
Just reading the part that goofy Dean is back got my heart racing! I miss goofy Dean SO MUCH!<333 And the brotherly relationship we all love is appearing to! YAYYY! =]]]
Thanks for your review, I can't wait. I too love goofy Dean [and so does Jensen apparently-as he mentioned at a recent convention that the comedic moments are his favorite scenes to film] and have missed that as well as the brotherly bonding.
I've grown a bit bored of the Castiel/angel arc [no offense to the wonderful Misha] though it sounds like there might be something actually of interest happening.
I love this show!
♥♥♥