Don't read this if you don't want any spoilers. The thing that irked me about this episode is that they changed the time-travel mythology. In the first time travel episode, Dean thinks he's been sent back to stop Azazel, but it turns out he's only there to gather information. There's no chance of a paradox because Dean's visit doesn't change anything; his presence is already part of history. The suspense is maintained because Dean and viewer think he is meant to change something.
In this episode, the entire premise is that the past can be changed; Anna goes back in time to kill Sam and Dean's parents so that Sam cannot be Lucifer's vessel. The paradox is only averted because Michael appears and wipes John and Mary Winchester's memories, so it's as if nothing ever happened. But if altering history is still possible, then it could happen at any time (heh). They make it so angels drain much of their power using time travel, so it's supposedly a big deal, but surely an angel as powerful as Lucifer could send some minions back to mess things up?
The plot is not much advanced in this episode. Anna is killed by Michael, but she had been absent for a good time anyway, so nothing really changes. It's mostly a forced emotional episode, with the boys being with their deceased parents. There's a lot of overwrought "I would never raise my children in hunting" from John Winchester, as if we needed to establish again that John was a normal guy before he was caught up in this demon stuff. 6/10.
In this episode, the entire premise is that the past can be changed; Anna goes back in time to kill Sam and Dean's parents so that Sam cannot be Lucifer's vessel. The paradox is only averted because Michael appears and wipes John and Mary Winchester's memories, so it's as if nothing ever happened. But if altering history is still possible, then it could happen at any time (heh). They make it so angels drain much of their power using time travel, so it's supposedly a big deal, but surely an angel as powerful as Lucifer could send some minions back to mess things up?
The plot is not much advanced in this episode. Anna is killed by Michael, but she had been absent for a good time anyway, so nothing really changes. It's mostly a forced emotional episode, with the boys being with their deceased parents. There's a lot of overwrought "I would never raise my children in hunting" from John Winchester, as if we needed to establish again that John was a normal guy before he was caught up in this demon stuff. 6/10.
