Supernatural New Episode Review: 'About a Boy' Turns Dean Into Teenager

The CW's Supernatural returned with a new episode tonight entitled "About a Boy." The latest Season 10 installment inched one of the main arcs of the season forward and also provided a bit of levity along the way.

"About a Boy" called to mind two previous Supernatural episodes: "Time is on My Side" in Season 3 and "The Curious Case of Dean Winchester" in Season 5. The former occurred during the period when Sam and Dean were trying to figure out how to stop Dean from going to Hell, while the latter turned Dean into an old man after he lost years of his life at a poker game.

This week's episode had elements of both of those previous installments, as it tied the plot of the episode into the Mark of Cain, the overall arc that has driven Season 10. Dean at 14 years old did not have the Mark, so the sword of Damacles that has hung over Dean for so long was gone when Hansel and Gretel (more on them later) turned him into a teenager.

Here is where the episode called to mind "Time is on My Side." In that episode, Dean and Sam hunted a Frankenstein-like monster who used science and other people's organs to keep himself alive forever. Dean had a choice to use the same methods to stay alive, but he ultimately decided that it was no way to live.

In "About a Boy," Dean toyed with the idea of staying as a teenager and not reverting to his normal age just to get rid of the Mark. But in the end, he did what he always did and chose to save his brother by breaking the spell and killing the two witches.

As the episode unfolded, it continually brought back images of "The Curious Case of Dean Winchester." But instead of humorous moments with Old Man Dean, we got quips and one-liners from Teenage Dean. The young actor who played Dean mimicked Jensen Ackles well, and he incorporated his mannerisms and speech patterns into his performance. The jokes about not being able to control his man parts and his inability to drive were funny without going over the top.

And speaking of over the top, let's talk about Hansel and Gretel. Supernatural has always walked the line between clever and ridiculous when it comes to incorporating real-life fairy tales and stories into its lore, and this episode leaned more toward the ridiculous side. It was an interesting idea, but the execution was too much and it came off campy.

But Hansel and Gretel's appearance did serve to bring Rowena back into the picture a bit more, as Sam and Dean are now aware of the Grand Coven. Supernatural is running parallel main storylines this season, with Rowena/Crowley, Castiel/Metatron, and the Mark of Cain, and now Rowena has a more direct connection to the Winchester Brothers. The Mark of Cain is still the priority, but Rowena is certainly problem to be solved.

"About a Boy" wasn't the most important Supernatural episode this season, but it did progress the plot in a meaningful way, and it was pretty entertaining. Ten seasons into a show, that's still an accomplishment.

Notes from Dad's Journal:

- Dean as a Taylor Swift fan is my new favorite thing on Supernatural. And it weirdly makes sense.

- Also, if you had told me back in the early seasons that a Taylor Swift song would end an episode of Supernatural, I would have smashed a guitar over your head.

- Did the witches go down a bit too easily? Shouldn't Gretel at least have whooshed Dean away when he came at her? Shouldn't Hansel have made a move when Dean came at him with the knife?

What did you think of "About a Boy"? Let us know in the comments section.