Review: Supernatural Episode 1514, “Last Holiday”

“Last Holiday” gives Supernatural fans one last breather before the endgame, although it still involves an evil Mary Poppins trying to kill the boys.

An “evil Mary Poppins” — Dean’s words, not mine — brings positive, familial energy to the Winchesters’ lives, but she’s prepared to go to deadly lengths to protect them, her Men of Letters family, from threats. And her beady gaze is fixed on Jack. We also learn about the chilling progress Chuck’s made in terms of his vendetta to destroy all worlds.

Supernatural returned to our screens with proverbially outstretched arms in “Last Holiday”, following an almost seventh-month coronavirus-related hiatus. The final seven episodes have the tremendous task of not only wrapping up the storyline but solidifying Supernatural’s remarkable legacy. No pressure. While contributing next to nada towards story progression, this episode had an entertaining mix of humor, warmth and death-dodging splendor.

The episode’s title, “Last Holiday” signifies a break for the Winchesters and the viewing audience — a moment for everyone to collectively relax and enjoy ourselves before plunging into darker, emotionally taxing thematic territory. Events unfold over a period of months almost solely at the bunker, but the lightheartedness kept any tedium at bay.

Supernatural — “Last Holiday” — Image Number: SN1514A_0163r.jpg — Pictured (L-R): Meagen Fay as Mrs. Butters and Jared Padalecki as Sam — Photo: Colin Bentley/The CW — © 2020 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Inconvenienced by faulty pipes and electrical problems, Sam and Dean discover that after decades of no maintenance, their state-of-the-art bunker is sliding towards malfunction. Wandering down to the “bunker grid control center thing,” Dean hastily presses the control’s restart button before Sam has time to warn him against it or furrow his brow.

While the bunker seems to restart without issue, Sam’s misgivings are usually spot on, and I anticipated glorious chaos. Dean unknowingly releases a prim and proper motherly wood nymph named Mrs. Butters (Meagen Fay) whom he finds in his room folding his undergarments. I guess Mrs. Butters isn’t big on boundaries.

The Winchesters are understandably confused by her sudden presence and wonder why she isn’t “in the woods somewhere, nymphing”. Mrs. Butters, unaware what year it is, explains she has a bigger purpose to fulfill, and that she lives in the bunker and takes care of all the household chores that the Men of Letters overlook, because they’re her family. Sure, while a doting housewife type who does all the cleaning, laundry and cooking is not very progressive by our modern-day standards, it’s worthwhile to note that Mrs. Butters comes from a very different era.

When she learns it’s 2020, not 1958, and that the Men of Letters were killed by Abaddon, she understands why they didn’t return. It also explains why she’s still in the bunker: she had placed herself and the bunker in standby mode. In other words, the bunker hasn’t been operating at full power since the ’50s. Mrs. Butters’ power gives it extra functionality, including the ability to see through the inter-dimensional geo scope (the expensive-looking, unused telescope that was gathering dust) and a “monster radar” that detects the location of all the creatures they hunt. I was equal parts delighted and upset. This technology was right under their noses and would’ve made their lives so much easier for eight seasons!

Sam isn’t sure they can trust her so Dean suggests that if they find the vampires the radar picked up, then she’s telling the truth, which she is. In their quickest hunt in history, they drive to the location, kick open the door, cut off the vampires’ heads with one fell swoop and return home to find the bunker beautifully adorned with a Christmas tree bigger than my future aspirations, festive lights and Mrs. Butters waiting for them with mirth and Christmas cookies. “We are so keeping her,” says Dean, echoing my hopes exactly.

Mrs. Butters seems intent on bringing celebration and joy to the boys’ lives. Her exuberant enthusiasm is infectious, and as the viewer, you feel grateful that someone is investing in their wellbeing.

Supernatural — “Last Holiday” — Image Number: SN1514A_0390r.jpg — Pictured (L-R): Meagen Fay as Mrs. Butters, Jared Padalecki as Sam and Jensen Ackles as Dean — Photo: Colin Bentley/The CW — © 2020 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

However, when Jack finally emerges from his room and Mrs. Butters lays eyes on him, there’s a disquieting shift. “What are you?” she asks with thinly veiled dislike. “He’s a Millennial, don’t let that throw ya, he’s a good kid,” says Dean, entering the kitchen in lilac pajamas and diffusing the tension. For the moment. Mrs. Butters seemingly accepts Jack, since the boys vouch for him, and proceeds to give him a smoothie.

Sam and Dean eagerly rush off on a hunt and Mrs. Butters takes the opportunity to find out more about Jack’s relationship with his old man, Lucifer. She also hears how he accidentally killed Mary Winchester. As it so happens, the understanding and empathy she shows him is nothing but a façade. Unbeknownst to anyone, the smoothies that always appear to be on hand are actually weakening Jack’s powers. She gives a speech to Jack about life giving second chances, but it’s clear it applies to her being given another opportunity to protect her family.

Supernatural — “Last Holiday” — Photo: Colin Bentley/The CW

Over the next few months, everyone settles into a cheerful routine of monster hunting — shown as a sequence of grabbing bagged lunches from Mrs. Butters on the way out, a dramatic door obliteration and Sam and Dean wielding outrageous weapons — meals and laughter around the table, Thanksgiving and Halloween festivities and even a celebration of Sam’s birthday. I never thought I’d see the day when Sam blows out birthday candles, but my life is better for it. Dean asks if he can put in an order for the Rice Krispie treats for his birthday. Her response: “Dear, at your age, I wouldn’t think you’d wanna celebrate your birthday.” That made me guiltily laugh at his expense. The Winchesters’ boyish delight was something I relished, all the more because I knew it wouldn’t last.

Yes, all good things must come to an end. If you’re a Winchester, it’s practically your birthright. After Jack witnesses Mrs. Butters examining a folder in a drawer and investigates, he finds an old video reel. From it, we come to understand more about this vulgar-language and cholesterol-monitoring, dust-busting wood nymph.

Cuthbert Sinclair, the Men of Letters’ former “Master of Spells” and all-around horrible guy, features on the video and tells of how they retrieved Mrs. Butters from the Thule’s laboratories after she had massacred a few hundred men. It turns out wood nymphs are usually docile but become incredibly violent when anyone threatens their home or family. Through a series of “experiments” (torture) designed to show Mrs. Butters how crucial the Men of Letters’ mission is, he recruited her and she agreed to provide her services and security. We’re then treated to a grizzly demonstration of her ripping a Thule member’s head off. My positive feelings towards her somewhat plummet.

Supernatural — “Last Holiday” — Photo: Colin Bentley/The CW

Jack tries to alert Sam, but Mrs. Butters intercedes and ushers Sam off on his date with Eileen, who’s in town — we don’t actually see her or the date — and distracts Dean by telling him she’s fixed a TV in the Dean Cave, leaving Jack on his own to follow her into the dungeon.

She confronts him with her fears that he’s too powerful and that he’ll hurt the boys as he has in the past when he killed their mother. She feels they should be scared of Jack. Essentially, it’s a “doing it for their own good” speech. She handcuffs and subdues him, which she’s able to do now that his powers are sufficiently weakened.

She greets Dean with a toasted sandwich and an archangel blade, urging him to eat up because he’ll need his strength to kill Jack. You can quite literally see the realization on Dean’s face that the party’s over. After suggesting they release Jack and forget it ever happened, Mrs. Butters unceremoniously throws him in the dungeon with Jack.

Sam returns to the bunker past his “curfew” — I snickered — to find Mrs. Butters waiting for him. In a pragmatic manner, she explains how Jack has infected Dean’s mind and that they’re locked in the dungeon, waiting to be killed. Sam, who can’t quite hide his shock, plays along nonetheless. When he tries to shoot her, however, she traps him in a chair.

She declares that he’s disappointed her but she won’t give up on him yet because he’s her favorite and she understands the importance of protecting them. To help Sam see this is the right way to keep them safe, she starts pulling off his fingernails. I adore irony. However, she reveals it’s how Cuthbert Sinclair helped her.

In my view, Mrs. Butters is something of a tragic figure who was tortured, manipulated and used by a devious man. I don’t see her as evil, just terribly misguided. She sees the world in terms of black and white: Jack is the son of Satan, and therefore he must be evil. Her only desire is to keep the bunker safe and rid the world of monsters. She has good intentions, but poor execution.

Meanwhile, Dean and Jack have managed to escape from the dungeon in a very inventive way: by sending Jack flying through the door from the force of the archangel blade striking the handcuffs. Dean smashes the reset button and the Mrs. Butters dilemma seems to be taken care of. Except it’s not. The control grid malfunctions, the pipes burst and she’s re-released.

Angered by their bad behavior, she vows to kill Jack to keep them safe but the Winchesters are finally able to reason with her. Once she understands that Cuthbert abused and used her and that Jack is the only one who can save the world, her rage gives way to sadness. Poor misled, homicidal Mrs. Butters breaks down and expresses how much she misses the Men of Letters. After healing Sam’s mutilated fingers and apologizing to them — no harm, no foul — she speaks longingly of her forest home.

Before she leaves, she discloses that without her power, the bunker will return to standby mode, and this is when the most ominous revelation occurs. Dean tries to keep the tone upbeat by saying they’ve had things too easy with the monster radar and that the geo scope doesn’t even work. “I looked at it earlier, I didn’t see anything,” he says. “Oh, oh that’s not good,” replies Mrs. Butters.

Such a short, simple exchange, such calamitous implications. In no uncertain terms, it means that Chuck has destroyed all the other worlds. And there’s only one left.

The episode concludes with Jack voicing his doubts about his ability to kill God because he wasn’t even strong enough to overcome a wood nymph, and Sam’s reply is not entirely reassuring: “You’re the only one who can.” Dean, who has taken Mrs. Butters’ lesson of making time to celebrate the important things to heart, presents an unaesthetic but good-intentioned cake that he’s baked for Jack’s birthday. However, you can feel the celebration is over and the battle to save the world is about to start.

Super highlights

While trapped in the dungeon, Dean and Jack have an important heart to heart about Dean’s feelings towards him. I appreciated the fact that Dean is still a little angry at Jack and hasn’t been able to forget what he did. It’s realistic, and that’s how trauma works even if, as Sam points out, Dean ignores his.
Dean’s unhealthy eating habits and Sam needing a haircut have become running jokes over the years. This episode, like many others, also took a jab at them, with Mrs. Butters thrusting tomato juice at Dean because of his cholesterol and offering to trim Sam’s hair before his date. Additionally, her parting words to them were for Dean to eat his vegetables and for Sam to cut his hair. Leave Sammy’s hair alone though!
On one of their hunts, Sam’s using Mjölnir, Thor’s hammer, which we first saw in season 8. It’s been in good hands all this time.
When Mrs. Butters is folding Dean’s underwear, we see a Scooby-Doo pair. This was a hilarious nod to season 13’s brilliant “Scoobynatural.”

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