Supernatural took a step back from the newest Nephilim in town, as this week's episode 'Patience' spent a little time setting up a new spinoff featuring the incredible Jody Mills (Kim Rhodes). While Sam (Jared Padalecki) hung around the bunker attempting to help Jack (Alexander Calvert) find his humanity and his place in this frightening new world, Dean (Jensen Ackles) left to take a case.
After all, that's what the Winchester boys are supposed to be doing, right? Not playing Dad to the son of the Devil, but hunting things that go bump in the night. With Sam unwilling to get back on the road and start taking cases, Dean calls on their old friend Jody to help him out with this latest monster: a Wraith that has started killing psychics.
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The episode continues to show the divide between Sam and Dean's opinions on Jack, and how those beliefs affect Jack himself. Beyond that, though, 'Patience' is the first hint of things to come for Jody Mills and the girls that she takes in. The actual backdoor pilot is still to come on Supernatural, but this was a solid starting point for what could be the first successful Supernatural spinoff series.
Wayward Sisters is The Next Supernatural Spinoff Attempt
Wayward Sisters' backdoor pilot is set for the tenth episode of this season, and is reportedly going to revolve around the return of Jody's foster daughter Claire Novak (Kathryn Love Newton). Initially introduced to Supernatural as the daughter of Castiel's (Misha Collins) vessel, Claire became a rebel and a runaway after her family fell apart. She was taken in by Jody, and started to train as a hunter in secret, after being inspired by Sam and Dean. Last season, Claire was still hunting, and working a werewolf case on her own when she was accidentally bitten. Sam and Dean were able to cure her, and she decided to continue hunting despite the experience. She still considers Jody her mother, and has grown from a sullen teen into a capable young woman. Alex (Katherine Ramdeen) is Jody's other current foster child, although she shows far less interest in hunting. Alex was taken in by the sheriff when she was rescued by the Winchesters after being used as a lure and blood slave by a family of vampires.
Dean Gets A New Partner in Supernatural
Neither Claire nor Alex appear in 'Patience', but Jody does, as Dean's partner on a new case (because Sam isn't willing to come along and help). Dean gets a call from an old friend, Missouri (Loretta Devine), a psychic who first appeared in Supernatural way back in season 1 (and hadn't been seen since). Missouri was calling because a friend of hers had been murdered by a wraith. When Dean and Jody learned that the wraith was targeting psychics, Missouri told them to go after her son and granddaughter, and protect them.
As well as showing off some good old fashioned monster hunting, this episode shows off how very capable Jody Mills is as a hunter... in case anyone could forget. She is an excellent partner for Dean, and he treats her entirely as an equal. Despite having significantly more experience, Dean sees Jody as an equal, which is one of the things that makes her a perfect lead for a new series. Jody is an excellent fighter, but 'Patience' also spends some time showing her softer side. And although Dean is very connected to the victims of this case, his reactions to Jack at the start make Jody and her no-nonsense caring a perfect foil for his harsh attitude toward his new charge. Jody isn't just a sidekick or a mini-me to Dean, she is a hunter, and one who has her own strengths, and 'Patience' shows this off perfectly.
Wayward Sisters Adds A New Character
The episode also introduces a new face who will be a major part of Wayward Sisters: Patience (Clark Backo). The granddaughter of Missouri, Patience is a high school student who discovers that she has her own psychic abilities. She grew up believing that her grandmother was a fraud, though, so it takes her a little while to come to grips with the fact that she has inherited that gift. However, when she uses her psychic visions to save herself, Dean, and Jody, she realizes that this is just a thing she'll have to deal with.
Other than her sudden onset of psychic abilities, we only learn a little bit more about Patience in this episode (although Supernatural fans will certainly be seeing more of this young girl). She is revealed to be a bookworm, taking five AP (advanced placement) classes, but she's got an athletic side. Before she turned her focus to schoolwork, Patience was an incredible volleyball player, and when she deals with the Wraith she shows off some serious reflexes and physical strength. Beyond that, she's something of a mystery, but Supernatural (or Wayward Sisters) isn't done with Patience yet.
Jody's Offer - And The Start Of Something New
By the end of the episode, the Wraith is dealt with, and Patience's father wants her to try and just forget about her newfound powers and continue with her life. Dean seems very encouraging of this, especially because he is still reeling from the losses inflicted in the season 12 finale, but Jody knows that trying to ignore the supernatural doesn't always end well. She tells Patience that she will always be around if Patience wants a little help learning about this side of her life, and hands her a card so that Patience knows where to find her.
This is something of a habit of Jody's, and is the key premise of the Wayward Sisters show; that Jody takes in young women who have had brushes with the supernatural. Much of the talk around the spinoff so far has called these young women orphans, though, so this may mean that Patience reaches out to Jody after her father is killed. Patience may also not be the only girl who pops up in both season 13 of Supernatural and in Wayward Sisters, although it seems that she is the key player for the pilot, which has been described as a showdown when Claire comes home and feels replaced by Patience. With several episodes between 'Patience' and the backdoor pilot episode, though, Jody and her wayward young girls may make another guest appearance before too long.
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Supernatural continues Thursday, November 2nd on the CW with ‘The Big Empty’.