Supernatural, 4x03, “In the Beginning”

Episode Title: In the Beginning
Writer: Jeremy Carver
Director: Steve Boyum
Origainlly Aired: 10/02/2008
Grade: B+

There were quite a few positives about this episode, to be sure, and much of it has to do with that fact that Jeremy Carver was a good addition to the writing team last season. This episode, in the hands of a different Supernatural writer, probably would have tanked.

The time travel gimmick was a dynamic way to reveal Sam’s demon blood to Dean, and the actress who played young Mary was quite a find. The physical resemblance to the actress who plays the older Mary was amazing, and this girl could actually act. She was believable as what and who she was.

I also loved that neither of the boys really managed to hang on to their secrets here—a nice change of pace from the cheap “Dean’s got a secret that he can’t tell Sam” tension of season 2, and the similar tension about Sam having information about Mary’s past in Season 3.

And finally, Grandpa Winchester’s compliment to Dean after the Liddy Walsh incident echoes the Season 1 scene between Dean and Azazel-possessed John, right down to asking for the Colt right afterward. This is, in fact, exactly what puts Dean’s guard up to make him say that he doesn’t let anybody else hold the Colt.

All of those things were great, but on the other hand, I feel like the episode raised too many questions, namely because it’s not completely clear whether the meddling angel established a real time loop or not, and there are flaws with either scenario. For one thing, Dean talking John into getting the Impala implies a time loop to me, because without Dean, why would he have gotten that car? Not that I can’t fanwank that the van could have died after John took it home, or that he might have changed his mind on his own before the papers were signed, but the fact that the writers even put this scene in at all implies that they wanted to suggest a time loop.

And if there’s a time loop, then why would Azazel make the deal to trade Dean’s life for John’s many years down the road if he’s already been told by Dean that he’s the one who’s going to kill him? Azazel’s apparently not big on self-preservation? I actually wanted to pop Dean in the mouth for even saying that, because he had absolutely no way of knowing how this would affect future events. For all he knew, he could’ve blinked out of existence right then and there by giving Azazel that information.

Also, unless the whole time travel thing just happened in a bubble and had no actual repercussions in the present because Castiel is just that awesome and powerful, I don’t understand how Dean going to get the Colt in the past didn’t change anything as far as the Winchesters getting it later and thus allowing Dean to kill Azazel with it. I know Dean told the hunter it belonged to (whose name I have forgotten) where it could be found if it was needed, but still, nothing changed? I don’t buy it. It just seems way too likely that something would have shifted that would lead to Azazel being alive in the present and Sam (and Dean?) having different memories of the past than what we saw on the show.

I’ve watched this episode three times, and I still just can’t make all of these pieces fit together. It was still an enjoyable episode if I completely turn off my brain, I just feel like the whole thing took place in an alternate reality and had no repercussions outside of giving Dean a little bit of insight, which seems odd for a time travel episode.