Supernatural New Episode Review: 'Girls, Girls, Girls' Introduces Season 10's Big Bad Rowena

Much of the early portion of Season 10 of Supernatural focused on Dean Winchester and his time as a demon. Sam and Castiel cured him, and then we got a handful of standalone episodes, including the excellent 200^th episode. The installments have been solid, for sure, but there was a lack of focus in recent episodes, as Season 10 did not have a major villain for Sam and Dean to face. The new episode, "Girls, Girls, Girls," changed all that with the introduction of Rowena (Ruth Connell).

We got a brief glimpse at Rowena a few episodes ago when she nailed a few poor saps to the ceiling, but the show dropped her for a bit until her proper introduction in this episode. Sam and Dean have dealt with demons, angels, Leviathans and more on this show, but now it seems that the Big Bad for Season 10 is going to be an old and powerful witch.

The main villain for Season 10 had been teased in some interviews, and all we knew was that the plot would be "personal." The end of "Girls, Girls, Girls" showed just how personal, as we learned that Rowena is actually Crowley's mother. To be fair, the Scottish accent should have been a dead giveaway, as Crowley's original incarnation was a Scottish man from hundreds of years ago. But it was still a bit of a twist to see the shock on Crowley's face and hear the terror in his voice when he realized he had his mother chained up.

Supernatural appears to be attempting a bold new approach with Season 10. Rather than introduce one Big Bad and let him or her guide the entire season, Sam and Dean are caught up in a much larger web with numerous players on the board. Rowena is wreaking havoc with her witchcraft. Crowley is still out there as King of Hell and now has his mother in captivity. Castiel is dealing with his own fading grace and his relationship with Hannah, and now it seems his vessel, Jimmy Novak, and his daughter are coming back into the picture. Cole keeps coming after Dean but now seems to have made peace with the man who killed his father.

All these threads are weaving together in a way that feels different from previous seasons. The show usually draws clear lines between its plots. Castiel does his angel thing, Sam and Dean do theirs, and Crowley does his. But everything feels connected this year for the most part, which should make for some interesting developments as the season progresses.

"Girls, Girls, Girls" got the season on track and rolling out of the station after the solid run of episodes to kick off Season 10. With all the players assembled, we just need to see where it goes.

Notes from Dad's Journal:

- Did anyone else get a major Pulp Fiction vibe when Cole had the gun pointed at Dean and Sam showed up to point his own gun? I expected Dean to yell "Yolanda!" and start talking about how he's trying real hard to be the shepherd.

- So, Dean's totally not okay, right? This Mark of Cain is messing with his already fragile psyche if he thinks he can't be saved.

- How many episodes until Cole returns?

- Every time Crowley is on screen nowadays, he just looks sad. Not angry, not manipulative, just plain depressed. This Rowena storyline should give Crowley (and Mark Sheppard) plenty of new material to work with this season.

What did you think of "Girls, Girls, Girls"? Let us know in the comments section.