Supernatural’s “Alex Annie Alexis Ann,” written by Robert Berens and directed by Stefan Pleszczynski, brings back one of my all-time favorite recurring characters, Sheriff Jody Mills (Kim Rhodes). After discovering – and beheading – a vampire she catches attacking Alex, a teen in custody (Katherine Ramdeen), Jody calls the Winchesters. As Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Sam (Jared Padalecki) search for the nest, Jody “babysits” Alex. After Celia, “Mama,” (Ashley Crow) and Alex’s brothers kidnap the girl, the Winchesters and Jody return to the nest to clean out the vampires.
This late in the season, many viewers might resist a Monster-of-the-Week installment in favor of the myth arc’s beginning crescendo to the finale. But “Alex Annie Alexis Ann” isn’t just another MOTW episode. At its heart, it contemplates many of season nine’s broader, character-driven themes, from “Who am I?” to “Do the ends justify the means?” to “What – and who – is family?”
One of the things I love about “Alex Annie Alexis Ann” is its structure: The episode begins and ends with Jody and Alex, a framing that breaks the “brothers bookend” often seen with MOTW episodes. In this story, while the Winchesters are, of course, an important element, Jody, Alex, and even Celia are equally so. It’s a juxtaposition that reveals quite a bit about all of our characters.
Berens writes Jody well, and Rhodes, once again, breathes life into her. Since her introduction in “Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid” (5×15), Jody has been a vibrant character, one who can hold her own with the Winchesters (and Bobby Singer, too). She accidentally demonstrates that Borax wounds leviathan in “Slash Fiction” (7×6). Since then, she’s been an unofficial hunter-in-training, helping Sam in “Time after Time” (7×12) and killing Vesta in “Rock and a Hard Place” (9×8). In case we didn’t already know, the opening scene of “Alex Annie Alexis Ann” establishes that Jody is a BAMF in her own right. While Dean and Sam tease about “how they grow up so fast” after seeing evidence of her prowess, she doesn’t claim the status of “hunter.” Instead, she defers to the Winchesters’ judgment, calling them the “experts” and taking their advice. Even at episode’s end, after she’s added yet another vampire kill to her tally, Jody doesn’t call herself a hunter.
Alex is an interesting new character. The vampires kidnapped her almost nine years ago, but while Alex calls them family and protects the nest’s location from the Winchesters, the opening scene makes it clear that the “family” dynamics aren’t exactly copasetic. Cody (Jarrett Knowles) clearly frightens his sister, and their conversation has disturbing, threatening undertones, particularly when he taunts, “You can run and you can hide, but we will always find you.” Ironically, Cody is right: The vampires can find Alex because they know her so well and can track her. But Cody doesn’t count on Jody, who delivers a surprise decapitation from behind.
Celia also catches viewers’ attention, from her introduction to her demise. The fact that Alex always calls her “Mama,” even after her death, tells us something about their relationship’s dynamics. That Celia has turned the boys, creating the family is also important – this is a found family, but was it found by choice? The friction between Alex and her brothers suggests there are degrees of envy and annoyance there, that they resent the “special treatment” she’s received that none of them have. Celia is a matriarch who holds her family together through a type of love and loyalty that reminds its members of what she’s done for them. When she and Jody speak of motherhood, it’s Celia who mentions the care-taking aspects in the same sentence as love. There’s a lot that can be explored in that exchange.
The ideas about family illustrated in the Jody/Celia/Alex dynamics speak to the other family relationship that’s been under scrutiny this season: the Winchester brothers. Dean and Sam’s very first scene in the episode nods to the continued tension between them: Jody asks how they’re doing, and they answer almost simultaneously. Dean says, “Peachy,” while Sam says, “Touch and go.” Jody doesn’t seem to pickup on the dissonance of their responses as anything alarming or unexpected. The context of the rest of the season reminds us, though, that this is indicative of larger issues. Jody, who I imagine doesn’t expect them to answer as one, replies (seemingly to Sam, considering his answer), “I know the feeling.” Despite their division, the Winchesters work well together in this episode, and Jody never seems to notice anything amiss in that regard.