The Winchesters – A Review

Yesterday I finished watching The Winchesters. All in all, I didn’t hate the show. If I had come across it without knowing about Supernatural, I’d definitely have been intrigued. You can tell there’s still some growth opportunities in the group dynamic, but it has all the makings of becoming a good show. Too bad it didn’t get the chance.

My favourite episode was “The Tears Of A Clown.” I kept thinking how Sam would react if he came across Limbo, though. Would have been fun to watch, I think. It had a good backstory of the villain, and it’s a case that tugs at your heartstrings, prompting the main characters to deal with their feelings. I always love episodes like that.

The way the characters interact is nicely done, but introducing four main characters at once and adding two regulars from the get go was perhaps a bit much. In Supernatural you have two main characters in the beginning and others get added along the way. It gave us more time to connect with each one. But still, they’re a steady group of friends that work well together.

I love the link they make with Supernatural, with Dean appearing in the first and final episode. He seems a bit quiet though, not his usual self. The fact that he defies Jack’s decision to stay hands off is true to form though, so that makes up for it.
I’ve seen people say that thanks to this, they’ve been able to make peace with the way Supernatural ended. For them, knowing that even after death Dean is still hunting makes up for the way he died on this earth. I get where they’re coming from, but since I didn’t have any problems with the Supernatural finale, I’m not certain it was necessary. People who didn’t watch Supernatural and just started on this show could become very confused by the sudden appearance of Bobby and Jack. It’s a nice plug-in, though. Rowena’s appearance was a real treat. It didn’t require any former knowledge of Supernatural, but when you do have it, it makes it extra special.

However, there are some elements that I don’t like much.
Lata’s backstory was far less than I had imagined. I thought she’d have killed her father or something, but in the end what she was ashamed of was rather lame. Then again, it would have taken place in India around 1960, so I guess it could have made a big impact on her. The caste system was still very much in place and for women to go out on their own was unheard of. So while it seems meek by today’s standards, I’m sure it was terrible for her.
The queen was very easily defeated in the finale. There’s a whole buildup where she’s basically indestructible, and then all of a sudden you can kill her by just running her over with a car that comes from another world? I get that it wasn’t renewed for a second season and that as a result they suddenly had to wrap things up, but still… that was way too easy a solution.

Overall, I did like the show and I think it certainly had potential. Watching it at the same time as I was reading “Heart Of The Dragon” was fun as well, because the Campbells play a big role in that novel. That made it a fun coincidence. I’m glad I watched the show as an addition to Supernatural, but it’s not something I’m going to give a second viewing any time soon.