Reviewing episodes after seeing the rest of the season creates an interesting challenge. I try to judge the episode on its merits alone, as if I was watching for the first time, but I can’t avoid recalling post-episode subplots that cleanly tie into the one up for review.

“The Kids Are Alright” is one of those episodes. It sets the framework for Dean’s season three character development, yet also carries over the sentiments first revealed in “What Is and What Should Never Be”. So, forgive me, but this episode is going to be judged on how it bridges the gap between that stellar season two episode and the latter part of season three. It’s a key piece to Dean’s intense personal struggle, the one he tries to hide from the surface, but one that also defines him.

Before I start plowing through this better than average episode (a huge improvement over the season premiere), I would like to take time to honor this episode’s writer, Sera Gamble. I like profiling writers as many of you have noticed from my previous reviews and somehow I’ve overlooked the show’s head writer. As a writer myself I’ve learned throughout the years how to appreciate the precision and careful crafting that goes into creating a work of art such as a script. There’s way more to it than meets the eye, and with a television script in particular, every word counts. There are only 40 minutes to tell the story, thus so much needs to be said with so little.

Sera Gamble is a master of her craft, and has consistently provided one gem after another that upon deconstruction gives us so much to ponder. Her strengths lie in the character development and bringing out the raw emotional elements of the relationship between the brothers. She wrote the tear-jerkers like “Faith” and “Heart”, stories that exposed deep inner layers like this episode, “Houses of The Holy” and “Dream A Little Dream of Me”, and explored deep character dilemmas in “Salvation”, “Bloodlust” and “Time Is On My Side”. Remember though, this is also the evil woman who killed Sam Winchester and made him kill his lover after his first hot night of passion in a while, so torture and despair isn’t lost on her, either. Come to think of it, she came up with the melon baller to the eye socket, too. Seems like she relishes in putting Sam through the wringer. It’s all done in love though, I’m sure.