Supernatural 'Bloodlines' Review: The spinoff (sort of) premieres

Supernatural aired the 20^th episode of Season 9 on Tuesday night, "Bloodlines," which served as the backdoor pilot for the spinoff of the same name. The episode introduced the new characters and the premise of Bloodlines, but the effectiveness of those introductions is for the viewer to determine.

This episode did everything it was supposed to do in order to set up Bloodlines. It introduced the main players in Ennis, David and Violet (and others). It gave a compelling reason for Ennis to get sucked into the world of hunting. It introduced viewers to the five monster families in Chicago (yes, The Godfather undertones were obvious).

It also left a few dangling carrots to give fans a reason to tune into the spinoff once it airs. Was that really Ennis' presumed-dead father on the phone? Will David learn the truth about his brother? Will David's sister try to take him out now that he has returned to the family?

The episode set the table, but it's up to the viewer if he or she wants to sit down and eat. Did it do enough for you to get you invested in Ennis, David and Violet's fates? For me, the answer is yes, at least for now. I'm partially interested in how a show set in the Supernatural world would work when a) it's not following Sam and Dean and b) it stays in one location (Chicago). I'm also curious as to how, if at all, it would tie into the main series, whether by crossovers or just references to the goings on in the Winchesters' world.

The one drawback to this episode was that Sam and Dean were almost completely irrelevant to the story. They only served to tell Ennis, "Hey man, you DO NOT want to become a hunter." Then he became a hunter anyway, so mission not accomplished. The episode had to focus on the new players, so it's understandable that the Winchesters were used sparingly. But every time they'd appear on screen, I'd think, "Oh right, they're in this, too."

It also remains to be seen if they will give Ennis any guidance going forward, as the episode ended somewhat abruptly when Castiel called Dean with a lead on Metatron and the boys skipped town. Sam wanted to stay because the city is crawling with monsters, but Dean knew they had to make a move now. So the interaction between the brothers and Ennis boiled down to, "Sorry your girlfriend got killed, but don't become a hunter though, cool? Later, bro!" I'm sure Garth, Sheriff Mills or even some new hunter will come in to train the kid, but the transition felt a bit jarring.

Despite the few stumbles, this was a successful introduction to Bloodlines. The final three episode of Season 9 will be heavy on the mythology and season arc, and this was a solid final standalone installment for this year. All that's left to see now is how the spinoff stands on its own two feet.

Notes from Dad's Journal:

-       "Chicago is ruled by five monster families." - David

"Is that a joke?" - Ennis

"Do you hear a laugh track?" - David

-       On that note, the entire premise does seem like it draws a bit too much from The Godfather, but this is the series that brought us some of the wackiest and most meta moments in recent television history, so I'm letting it slide.

-       The culprit of this episode was a cross between Freddy Krueger and a comic book villain, but he was also pretty vicious. And Ennis straight up killed him! His first kill as a hunter was a human being, and I'm not sure if that's a good or bad thing.

-      "Sometimes you have to work with the bad guys to get to the worse guys." - Dean speaks about the Winchesters' favorite subject.

What did you think of tonight's episode? Will you be tuning into Bloodlines? Let us know in the comments below.