Supernatural 1.22: Devil's Trap review

AIR-DATE: 04/05/06

Written by: Eric Kripke

Director: Kim Manners

Starring: Nicki Aycox, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Jim Beaver, Sebastian Spence

Rating: 4/5

Synopsis
Dean and Sam visit one of dad’s friends, Bobby, for help. Meg comes calling, but they’re expecting her, and trap her under a circle called a “devil’s trap”. Bobby says Meg’s a human possessed by a demon, so the brothers perform an exorcism rite. Since only the demon kept Meg’s body alive after a dive out of a window, she soon dies. Meg’s final words lead the brothers to the apartment block where dad’s being kept. They set off the fire alarm to clear the building, disguise themselves in uniforms stolen from the attending fire engine, and overpower the possessed couple guarding him. Sam splashes holy water on John to check he’s not possessed... with no reaction. Outside, Meg’s fellow demon attacks Sam. Dean shoots him with the Colt, using one of their last three bullets.

Suspicious when John doesn’t berate him for wasting a bullet, Dean turns the Colt on him. He’s alright: John’s possessed by the demon, which says the demons possessing Meg and her partner were its children. The demon grabs the Colt, and starts tearing Dean apart with its powers. John reasserts his personality long enough for Sam to grab the gun and shoot him in the leg. John begs Sam to kill him while he holds the demon inside him, but Sam can’t do it, so the creature escapes.

As the Winchesters drive away, their car is rammed by a juggernaut (the driver’s eyes show that he’s possessed). Are they all dead?

Review
A solid finale that still leaves you feeling frustrated – after 22 weeks of waiting, we expected a few more answers. The demon says it “has plans” for Sam (and kids “like him” – kids with psychic potential, presumably), but that’s about all you get, except that it killed Sam’s mum and girlfriend because “they got in the way”. Eh? What did Jess do to deserve being barbecued?

It’s disappointing to see Meg most interesting character in the series, and many plot elements niggle. Are both of the couple at the apartment possessed by the male demon? Why didn’t the brothers use one of these “devil’s traps” before? It defies belief that they wouldn’t know about them! And while the shock ending is a bracing slug in the guts, once the surprise has faded you start counting the endless variety of ways the demon could have offed the Winchesters before... why didn’t it?

Dialogue
Meg: “Y’know, if you wanted to tie me up all you had to do was ask.”

Ian Berriman