Supernatural New Episode Review: 'The Hunter Games' Plunges Dean Deeper Into Darkness

Supernatural returned with a new episode for Season 10 on Tuesday night entitled "The Hunter Games." After Dean succumbed to the effects of the Mark of Cain in the midseason finale and slaughtered a group of humans, he, Sam, and Castiel tried to devise a way to remove the mark once and for all.

It's common practice on Supernatural for a problem from the previous season to flow into and permeate the next season. And more often than not, this process often involves Sam and/or Dean making some kind of deal with an enemy in order to solve the previous hairy situation, which gets them into another troublesome spot.

In this case, the Mark of Cain from Season 9 has influenced much of Season 10. Dean needed the mark to get rid of Abaddon, Crowley, Metatron, and whoever else, but now it's making him homicidal. So of course, to solve this problem, Castiel brought in Metatron, the one person old enough to have any idea how to save Dean.

But as is so often the case on Supernatural, the kidnapped bad guy held all the cards. He gave Dean the first step in removing the mark (retrieve The First Blade) just to bait the hook, but each subsequent step would cost Dean heavily. The elder Winchester rejected this offer by beating the tar out of Metatron and going to work on him with an angel blade, and only Sam and Castiel's intervention stopped Dean from killing the smug villain and feeding the Mark of Cain a buffet's worth of rage.

Dean's descent into darkness has been terrifying to watch, but it's also been incredibly satisfying. The elder Winchester brother has always been emotionally repressed, and the mark has been bringing his most violent urges to the surface. Metatron's warning that Dean's situation would get worse was eerie, because it's hard to imagine how much worse things could get from here. Would he just lose total control of his actions and kill indiscriminately? Would he turn on his family and friends?

Elsewhere, Rowena continued to manipulate Crowley, which could wreak havoc down the road. Crowley is enough of a mess as it is, and now his mother's return is playing even more games with his mind. The First Blade's return is nothing but bad news for Crowley, and if Rowena can somehow figure out how to use it or turn it against Crowley, then the King of Hell is in deep trouble.

Claire Novak continues to be a presence on the show, as Castiel feels an extraordinary amount of guilt for what has become of her life. The two seemed to have reached a tentative peace by the end of the episode, so we'll have to wait and see where this story goes.

"The Hunter Games" was a solid return for Supernatural that set the table for the second half of the season. There are many plots in the mix, so let's see how the writers tie it all together.

Notes from Dad's Journal:

- Claire said Castiel looked better with his tie. Does that mean the accessory will make a return to the outfit?

- How many steps to removing the mark are there? What could they be? And will Metatron return to cause more havoc?

- News has already broken that Cain will be back later this season, so could he be the key to removing the mark?

- Charlie returns next week! And she's...fighting Dean?

What did you think of "The Hunter Games"? Let us know in the comments section.