Supernatural season 10, episode 12, “About a Boy,” aired tonight. Read our recap and discuss the episode with fellow fans.
Back on the hunt
We open with a drunk being kicked out of a bar, but when he tries to get into his car, he’s confronted by a large man with a scarred face. A flash of light later and there’s nothing left but a pile of clothes. Weird.
Sam gets wind of this case and tries to get Dean back on the job; his brother hasn’t left the bunker in a week. Rather, he’s locked himself in his room reading and re-reading lore. Sam eventually convinces Dean to check the case out, but their eye witness is sure that they’re dealing with aliens.
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This is not X-Files, so the brothers split up — Sam to check out the missing man’s life while Dean heads to the bar to get some answers. He finds out the guy wasn’t the most stand up of guys, and ends up drinking with a woman named Tina. She leaves, though, when Dean gets a call from Sam.
But when a large, scarred man follow Tina out of the bar, Dean follows. He sees a flash of light and finds a pile of clothes, smelling like flowers — a scent their eye witness mentioned. But Dean is confronted by the large man, and before he can do anything there’s a flash of light…
Teen Dean
Dean finds himself in a dark room with a window. And when he clears away dust from a window, he sees that his reflection is of 14-year-old him. And in the room next door is teenage Tina and the last victim, also a teen. They are eventually brought a plate of… cake?
Dean starts eating it, but Tina’s concern about poison stops him. He eventually manages to pry one of the bars off the window, though, and gets out. But he’s not able to rescue Tina because the large man returned. Tina had to distract him so Dean could escape.
Cue a knock at the Winchesters’ motel door. Sam opens the door — to find teen Dean on the other side.
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Sam’s stuck in WTF mode while Dean arms up so they can go back for Tina.
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Dean fills Sam in on what happened while they drive back to the house. In the process, Dean has a funny monologue about going through puberty a second time (and also admits to liking a Taylor Swift song).
But he reveals that because he was thrown back into his 14-year-old body, he no longer has the Mark; he wonders if staying as is might be a better choice then being turned back into his older self with the Mark. Sam, though, wants his brother back.
Grimm tale
Once they get to the house, they sneak into the basement. But while Tina’s not there, the large man is. He gets the drop on Dean, but Sam rescues Dean and puts a gun on the man; he says his name is Hansel. He’s been forced to work for the witch for centuries, and when he and his sister, Gretel, tried to escape, the witch tortured him and made him eat his sister’s heart. Hansel offers to give Dean the hex bag that will turn him back to his original age if he gets to help take the witch down.
But when the trio heads upstairs, where the witch is preparing to cook Tina, she reveals that Hansel has never been forced to do anything. He turns on the Winchesters and forces them onto their knees at gunpoint. Oops.
The witch says that she turns adults into kids to eat because kids going missing draws too much attention. She’s also only in America for Grand Coven business. That’s right, she’s here for Rowena. Her surprise at Dean recognizing Rowena gives the brothers an opening to attack, but Hansel knocks Dean aside while the witch throws Sam into a wall.
However, when the witch orders Hansel to turn Sam into his younger form, Dean reveals he stole the hex bag, uses it to turn into his older self, and attacks. He ends up throwing the witch and the hex bag into the oven, like in the fairy tale, and she burns to death.
Shake it off
Unfortunately, they’re not able to turn Tina back without the hex bag, but she’s excited to have a second chance because she wasn’t the most responsible adult on her first try. The brothers help her get on a bus before having a heart-to-heart. Sam emotes, Dean deflects, and the bothers get back in the car.
In a heretical moment, Dean turns the Impala on, only for Taylor Swift’s “Shake It Off” to start playing. Dean, though, just shrugs and drives off. That’s right, Taylor Swift closed out an episode of Supernatural.
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Side note: It’s not easy having to imitate another actor, especially one who has been playing a character for ten years. However, Dylan Everett had Jensen Ackles’ mannerisms and cadences down pat in this episode. Major props.
Watch a promo for next week’s episode
