‘The Winchesters’ 1×01: “Pilot” review
It's a family business and we are all in.
The Winchesters 1×01, Season 1, Episode 1, “Pilot” aired October 11, 2022 on The CW
It’s finally here! The Winchesters has premiered on The CW and, as promised, it’s giving us a deeper dive into the monster and demon filled love story of John Winchester and Mary Campbell. And having the voice of Dean Winchester as a narrator really gives us the Supernatural vibes we were hoping to get from this prequel. Let’s break it all down!
Daddy Issues
The show opens with Samuel Campbell, Mary’s dad, unlocking some sort of door or latch and unleashing some evil thingy. We don’t know what the heck is happening at this point, but all of the symbols and the monster pull us right back in to the Supernatural universe.
In true Winchester fashion, we start out on a search for not one, but two dads – Mary’s and John’s. Samuel Campbell’s absence feels a little more recent, but John’s father, Henry, has been gone for a lot longer. The search for their dads leads both Mary and John to the same address where they hit each other as much as they hit the demon.
The key that John’s dad sent him opens the doors and it’s the Men of Letters bunker! It all moves very quickly, but they find Henry’s locker and a file that contains symbols that we saw in the show opener with Samuel. That and a lead that John uncovers set the duo on a road trip to Texas!
Soulmates
From their first meeting, it was clear that Mary and John had an instant connection and it doesn’t take long for them to open up to each other. They may not know each other, but Mary’s kindness about John’s war PTSD and John’s compassion about the death of Maggie, Mary’s cousin, give us an early look at the emotional bond these two are already forming.
Mary and John quickly bond over their recent losses and daddy issues, and they seem to have an immediate ease with each other, despite the insane and dangerous situation they jump into with zero hesitation. They share a few adorable looks and a ton of chemistry. We know they end up together, but we are still excited to watch it all unfold. The show even hints at a possible love triangle with Lata which seems like an interesting choice.
Let’s go hunting
Mary gives John some hunter facts, but it’s Carlos that give John a hands on crash course on the hunter life and it’s pretty hilarious. John may be new to the hunter life, but he’s all in on the crazy. Like, digging a silver cross out of your arm to fight a rugaru – crazy! He is just the right amount of brave and insane to be a hunter!
His dad kept him out of the Men of Letters life, but John really wants to dive in as soon as he learns about it, despite his mom’s warning against it. Mary, on the other hand, is bitter that she was thrust into the hunter life. It will make for an interesting dynamic as the two work together to find Samuel.
New faces
With this being a prequel, we know some of the players, but this show is giving us way more detail and that means new characters! Lata and Carlos show up to help John and Mary unravel the mystery of Samuel’s disappearance, but they have a history with Mary. They have both have suffered a trauma that pushed them into the hunter life. Lata has a knack for research and puzzles, and Carlos has a knack for quips and fashion and we already love them.
We also meet Ada, the bookstore owner that knows both Samuel and Henry. She joins that crew after a brief demon possession and shares some info about the show’s big bad, Acreda. They also find and use a monster trapping box that might be tied to Samuel’s disappearance. The group and the van is giving us major Scooby Gang vibes and we are here for it.
It was a pilot, so it was packed with stuff and had a lot of info all at once, but Dean’s narration, the group’s dynamic and the chemistry between Meg Donnelly (Mary) and Drake Rodger (John) is enough to keep us coming back for more!
What did you think of The Winchesters 1×01? Let us know your thoughts!
Watch The Winchesters on Tuesdays at 8/7c on The CW.
