Supernatural S06E01 - Exile on Main St. (2010)

Review

After Sam fell into the "cage" to thwart Lucifer's devilish ways Dean decided to give up the family business and move in with Lisa and her son. A year later the apparently last surviving Winchester is working in construction, doing the normal family thing, but keeping his weapons and wards close to hand. Naturally, this being the Supernatural universe, his mundane yet peaceful life is intruded upon by monsters in the form of Djinn

Naturally Dean is soon back in hunter mode, though in a sort of subdued suburban fashion - as I keep saying don't frack with Suburbanites y'all, but help is closer to hand than he might have expected. Brother Sam has somehow escaped the cage and Grandfather Samuel is back from the grave with a posse of Campbells ready to deal with anything that goes bump in the night.

Guess we get the explanation for the final scene in the final episode of last season, but not entirely sure we have the full rundown just yet of what is happening with Sam. He seemed slightly off during the episode, as if he was playing a part, are we sure this is the real deal here? Wouldn't surprise me if something other than Sam came back from the cage and this is an elaborate ruse by the forces of darkness. Still I guess why poke the bear, Dean is on the bench, and for the forces of Hell this is the best place to have him sit out whatever goes down next.

Another season, and this time it looks like a conspiracy filled one

I was appreciating director Philip Sgriccia's approach to the setup for the season, all about those flashbacks at the start of the episode. For those who haven't caught up yet, and you really need to be on board here, we get Dean doing his new regular apple pie stuff and some flashbacks to him doing similar things in the family business. Nice approach in my opinion and in a nice nod to fans hunter Dean is doing hunter Dean things featured in previous episodes. Hey if I was a decent reviewer I could probably count down the actual episodes the flash backs were taken from, but that would involve doing some research and stuff, and I suffer from a medical condition called "I can't be arsed". Anyways liked the approach and for sure it got me into Supernatural mode for another season of Winchester mayhem.

And yes I didn't miss the opening which reprised the "cliff hanger" from last season, I did appreciate the use of black and white which I guess added a touch of artistry to proceedings though the final tumble into the cage by Sam and his younger brother looked even more false than it did last season. Still director Philip Sgriccia has been keeping his powder dry during the break between filming episodes.

So, and back to the plot at hand, Dean is living his apple pie life getting the suburban thing done while being blissfully unaware of Sam being back in play. As we gradually learn Dean may be the only one who didn't get the memo, as pretty much everyone outside his immediate family seems well aware of Sam joining the Campbell franchise. Which leads to the big conflict of the episode, Dean has what he has been craving off and on for a few years, but Sam and his old life are like a siren call to him. No spoilers here; watch the episode to determine which way Dean is going to go.

Which of course is the underlying theme we have happening, as repeated by both Dean and in a surprising twist the Yellow Eyed Demon, the decision Dean is facing. The whole situation with the Jinn is due to a previous encounter Dean and Sam had with the monster, hey who knew they could hold grudges, and in a particularly cool fashion regular Supernatural scribe Sera Gamble ensures continuity with the previous Jinn outing. So everyone might think Dean got out of the business, but his past will of course keep catching up with him and will of course put anyone around him in jeopardy. This is in the face of various individuals wanting him to stay out of the business, he got out and has never been happier, but there's that theme injecting itself.

A couple of intriguing developments in the episode that will no doubt play out during the season as things naturally become more complicated for the Winchester Bros. Samuel Campbell of is clearly hiding something, and while Sam doesn't appear to be Sam he is still naïve enough not to join any dots that might be apparent. While the Winchesters are sorting out family matters the Campbells are capturing the remaining Jinn and whisking it away before the Bros are aware of what is happening. What exactly the Campbell clan are doing with the monster of the week remains as perhaps the biggest mystery heading into the early part of the new season. Hands up who is already busting to find out what Sam and Dean might be getting themselves into. Hey not bad for the first episode right!

According to the Campbells there has been something of a movement at the station in terms of the monster antics. Apparently there have been a growing number of supernatural incidents, a deluge of new creatures no one has seen before, and the general belief is something big is brewing. Clearly the season is not going to be without some action on the monster of the week front, but what it ultimately means is something we'll have to wait to discover. I'm rubbing my hands with glee, this episode promises some dark delights to be had.

To the episode itself, seems I'm well off the beaten track with this review, we're talking some tension and atmosphere to delight the viewer. There's a whole sequence where Dean is checking out an abandoned building that is simply chock full of jump scenes, rising tensions, and ultimately … well you are going to have to watch the episode to find out due to spoilers. This sequence is worth taking time out of your busy schedule of sitting on your bum to check out.

If you ever wanted to know if Jensen Ackles can act then Exile on Main St. just answered that question. Ackles delivers a performance full of angst, emotion, and fortitude which is exactly what his role required. Maybe the [i]Supernatural[/i] show runners are trying for more depth to their major characters in season six? Let me be the first to say, no chick moments!

A couple of tracks to keep you happy, and yes are talking mullet rock so get your hearing on. Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band deliver a live performance of Beautiful Loser, track below. And we also get Neighbors by Swank as Dean and his main street mate Sid have a few beers in a local tavern.

Exile on Main St., name comes from a classic Rolling Stones' album, was a good way to get the new season under way without doing too much damage to our expectations of what should go down in [i]Supernatural[/i]. Particularly liked Dean Ackles performance and there's enough in the plot arcs to drive my interest going forward. Recommended kids, get on board the Impala, season six promises to be one hell of a ride.