Supernatural season 11, episode 4, “Baby,” aired tonight. Read our recap and discuss the episode with fellow fans.
Besides Sam and Dean, the only character that has been with us since the beginning has been the ’67 Chevy Impala. The Impala, otherwise known as the most important object in the universe, has been wrecked, damaged, beaten, and bled on more times than we can count over the course of 11 seasons, but Baby always manages to shine after some tender love and care from the brothers.
With that in mind, Supernatural season 11, episode 4, “Baby,” was nothing short of a love letter to the Impala. And it was a beautiful one at that.
This episode was shot entirely from the perspective of the Impala, not leaving the insides of the car until the final shot of the episode when the brothers drive off. We often say, “If walls could talk, they would tell stories.” This is doubly true of the Impala, which has been with the Winchesters since before the brothers were born.
In this episode, we see what she sees when the brothers go on the road for a case; and for one of the first times, we see what the brothers do in the in-between times.
From a fantastic scene of the brothers singing along to a Bob Seger song together to a nighttime conversation on the side of the road (complete with a “Bitch”/”Jerk” exchange), the episode focused on the bond the brothers share.
The episode also has a case of the week, as the Winchesters end up hunting some ghoulpires — ghoul and vampire hybrids — that are raising an army of their own to fight The Darkness. Even the monsters are scared of what has been unleashed on the world, Sam notes.
But perhaps the most surprising moment of the episode came while Sam was asleep. He has another vision, this time of his father, the younger version played by Matt Cohen, warning him, “The Darkness is coming,” and the Winchesters are the only ones who can stop it.
When Sam asks for help, John replies, “God helps those who help themselves.” Vision John also notes Sam doesn’t think he’s John and acknowledges that he could never fool Sam, which implies they are acquainted in some way. Lucifer, perhaps?
When Sam wakes up, he tells Dean about the visions as well as being infected by the Darkness disease. Dean thinks Sam is either just having lingering effects from the infection or is just dreaming about their parents. Dean admits to dreaming about their father teaching him to drive; Sam replies that he often dreams about their mother. It’s a beautiful moment and really shows that Supernatural shines when stars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles are given the room to do their thing.
Castiel also plays a small part in the episode, doing research for the brothers back in the bunker while he recovers from the attack dog spell Rowena removed in the previous episode. Sam also encourages him to watch some Netflix, and Castiel’s dry wit makes a return as he is confused by the title of Orange Is the New Black.
Overall, “Baby” is one of Supernatural‘s strongest episodes in a long time — if perhaps ever. It does a fantastic job of mixing the ongoing story with a one-off monster hunt while balancing the quirky concept of remaining in the car the entire time.
Watch a promo for the next episode
