Supernatural "As Time Goes By": The Winchester Trio

Family man. You either love them or you hate them, and the Winchesters experienced this when they met their (other) grandfather in As Time Goes By. Other than some slight errors in the plot, As Time Goes By really felt like a movie watching it, as the viewer was taken along for the ride. Supernatural hasn't really explored into the Winchester side of the family yet, and as a fan myself, I have always wondered what John Winchester's family was like. Sure I toyed with the idea that they could be normal, but who am I kidding? So it was nice to see the boys get some family to their dwindling one.

So the episode started off with a man (Henry Winchester) saying goodnight o his son and heading down for some initiation of some sort. It goes side ways and Henry is forced to escape through the means of time travel. Which I might add is quite impressive since as far as we know, only angels and gods can pull that off (Winchester For the Win!). He soon finds himself in an unknown room with two strange men inside. He soon demands to speak to John Winchester. On the other side of the coin, Sam and Dean are shocked to see this man come out of their closet and refuse to give him any answers. Henry soon escapes and almost gets away with the Impala (it seems taste for cars runs in the family). Just as they are about to get answers, Abaddon (one angry demon) shows up and overwhelms them, forcing the Winchesters to flee. Henry soon reveals that he is John's father, and a "man of letters". Working together, they look to see what happened that night and to find a way to protect the box Abaddon is after.

I must say that I found myself sucked into As Time Goes By this week as Supernatural took control. As Time Goes By finally explained to us why John and Mary had to get together and why heaven worked so hard to do it. As Sam basically put it, they needed brains and brawn together in order to survive. I found myself liking Henry Winchester as he dragged Sam and Dean across town and treated them like idiots. Not to mention he was surprised that they were hunters, considering that hunters were "apes". In the end though, he choose them, and helped stop Abaddon by a devil's trap bullet. In a way, Henry makes me miss Bobby, and reminds me of how long it has been since we last saw him. Miss you Bobby! At least Sam and Dean are not at each other, and back to their normal saving each other act. Not that I'm complaining, I'm all for the bromance.

Now As Time Goes By was great and all, it did leave some questions out there. First and foremost, where did they get the angel feathers? I'm pretty sure there was something in the past that will never be explained to us, but how did Dean have some? Was that like the writers throwing a ball to the Destiel fans or something? I have no doubt in my mind it is something they are never gonna explain, so fans, make your theories. Also, what kind of name is "Men of Letters"? Yes it does sound very ominous, but like some nursery rhyme instead of a cult for men full of knowledge.

So between the brotherly love and the family angst, As Time Goes By really felt like what Kripke set out to do all those years ago. Considering Sera Gamble was never truly able to bring Supernatural back to this level, Jeremy Carver you have officially brought Supernatural out of the dark. I think fans can now rest easy now that this season will not be another season 7. Season 8 continues to deliver what Supernatural does best; comedy, horror and brotherly lover. My favorite moment of the night goes to when Henry asked if the boys ever dug a body up before. We were all chuckling at it, while Sam and Dean keep silent with annoyed looks on their faces. They are not just pretty faces.

Did you like Henry Winchester? Do you think Abaddon is truly gone? Who are the Men of Letters?