When I first watched 11.12 “Don’t You Forget About Me” I was too engrossed with how epic the episode was, that I didn’t immediately catch on to the obvious resemblance between Sheriff Jody Mills’ adopted daughters, Claire Novak and Alex Jones, and the Winchester brothers themselves. However, now I will highlight just how similar the sets of siblings are and how this would make a Wayward Daughters spin-off so amazing.
Alex = Sam
We were first introduced to Alex in Season 9’s episode “Alex Annie Alexis Ann” whereby Alex was a blood slave for a nest of vampires. The vamps fed on her blood when they were hungry and used her sexuality and innocence to lure other prey and victims to the nest. The more I look into her situation the more it’s clear how similar Alex is to Sam. Sam has also been manipulated in the past by demons and other characters due to his naivety, loyalty and trusting attitude, the most memorable of these being the demon Ruby. He’s also done terrible things like becoming addicted to demon blood and being possessed by Lucifer. In addition, Sam has always been a character to feel intense guilt from these past evil things he has done. Similarly, Alex showed that she also holds the weight of her past decisions in this week’s episode as she talks about how she had done things she’s not proud of by helping to kill innocent people. There’s obvious regret and guilt there.
Furthermore, at the end of the episode Alex explains how she might be forced to move on from living with Claire and Jody because they are hunters and she doesn’t want to be around monsters or hunting. This is reminiscent of Season 1 when Sam expresses that he is adamant that he wants to quit the family business and the hunting lifestyle in search of a normal life. At this point, Sam was studying to be a lawyer in college, showing his passion for education. This is similar to Alex’s attitude towards school as she is shown attending every class, being friendly with the maths teacher, wanting to get to school early for a test, and she participates in the school’s sport’s teams. In previous flashbacks, we know that Sam also loved attending school, was intelligent and friends with teachers, despite having to move schools so often due to his dad hunting.
Both Sam and Alex have seen how hunting can ruin lives, as Sam lost his mum and girlfriend to demons and Alex was kidnapped by vampires and brainwashed into loving them like a family only to watch them get killed as well; they both cleverly chose to stay away from monsters and stick to studying. This week’s episode also revealed that Alex’s boyfriend, Henry, was actually a vampire and was only dating her to help get revenge for the vampire who was turned after Alex lured him to her vamp family when she was younger. Alex’s own past came back to haunt her in the form of a relationship ending in death. I found this was very similar to when Sam saw his girlfriend, Jess, get killed by a demon. We also discover in Season 5 that Sam and Jess’s relationship was actually planned and set up by demons from the beginning, just like how Alex’s relationship with Henry was faked by vampires. Therefore Sam and Alex’s involvement and interaction with the supernatural led to Jess and Henry’s death, as Henry was killed by Claire. Sam and Alex wouldn’t even have had partners to loose if it wasn’t for their dark history with monsters and hunting.
Then there’s the idea that both Sam and Alex feel like they don’t fit in and are freaks. Sam has always been different and in one episode we learn that Sam felt embarrassed at school by how strong he was (a result of the hunter training his dad put him through). Alex, having been brought up by vampires, also has the same feelings of being an outcast as she is not used to normal people. This was much more evident in Season 9 when Alex appeared to have no social skills or empathy when talking with Jody. In this episode, however, she is shown to be a lot more sociable and popular in school. Although, Henry does reveal that, before he started dating Alex, she was a weird girl who had no friends, therefore it can be assumed that Alex only obtained knowledge of these societal norms and gained popularity because she was dating the most popular guy in school.
Finally, Sam’s the younger brother and I have assumed that Alex is also younger than Claire. We know that Claire is 18 years old. When we are first introduced to Alex in Season 9, Jody explains how she was reported missing in 2006, and the missing person poster showed quite a young child which I would suggest would have been aged between 4-6 years. It has been mentioned a couple of times on the show that Alex was with the vampire nest for 8 years. Therefore, I felt that in the Season 9 episode, Alex was about 15 years old, making her 16 or 17 now. So, there’s not much of an age difference between Claire and Alex but it is there. In all honesty, I did feel that Alex was much older than Claire but this seems less obvious in the episode seeing as Alex is still in High School and Claire is in College. I think my initial assumption that Alex was the older of the two is understandable and also relatable to Sam and Dean as Sam (as well as being taller) does sometimes come across as the older brother. Both Sam and Alex appear mature, responsible, serious and more intelligent; the brains and wisdom behind it all.
Claire = Dean
On to Claire now and it’s a well-known fact that Dean has a stronger relationship with her than Sam has. Could this be because he sees the same careless, vengeful attitude that he has in her? This episode shows that Dean still isn’t finished with giving Claire advice on how to act sensitive and sensible. It’s such a great scene when Dean tells it like it is, telling Claire to appreciate and respect Jody for all she has done for her. Unlike Sam and Alex who are more introverted and quiet and who definitely think before doing, Claire and Dean both go in guns blazing and actually seek out hunting.
Like Alex, Claire also knows how the supernatural can ruin lives, as her father was possessed by an angel when she was younger. After her mother also abandoned her, Claire is left to fend for herself and realises that the only way to fight fire is with fire. As a child, Dean also had to learn to take care of himself whilst his dad was hunting and learn to look after baby Sammy as well. Instead of dealing with his mum’s death like Sam who would rather stay away from hunting, Dean instead goes head first into killing monsters and demons in revenge for everything he’s lost. In this episode, Claire replicates Dean’s attitude as she desperately searches for any signs of evil to hunt down and kill.
Then we have school and it’s obvious that Claire doesn’t agree with it. We know that Dean also never really paid that much attention in school and skipped class to make out with girls. In this episode, Claire is also missing out on the College that Jody got her enrolled at because she doesn’t like it and spends her time looking for monsters instead. It sounds just like something Dean would have done at that age, as he has always put the family business before his education in fear of disappointing his father.
Both Dean and Claire were also a lot older than Sam or Alex when they lost their parents meaning that, at one time, they did have a taste of a normal life and a happy family before it was taken from them. For Sam and Alex, it may not have been like that; Alex probably can’t even remember her real parents and Sam was only a baby when his mum died. Therefore, it’s clear that this is the reason both Sam and Alex strive for a normal life because they have never really had the chance to have one before. Both Dean and Claire are also confident, secure, extroverted, and not afraid to say what they think.
Discussing the actual relationship between Claire and Alex, it’s safe to say that for the majority of the episode the girls seem to hate each other. It’s inevitable that this would happen as the girls are so different and want different things, apparent when we see Sam and Dean fight so often. However, by the end of the episode, after Claire helps Alex get revenge by chopping Henry’s head off, they seem to be on good, peaceful terms. Similar to how Dean will continue to save Sam no matter what, I do feel like Claire has the strength and courage to do the same for Alex. There’s also a moment in the episode where Alex is willing to give herself up as a blood slave to the vampires to save Claire. Being a blood slave for a nest of vampires was probably the worst thing that happened to Alex and literally ruined her childhood, and yet she was willing to do it all again for Claire. Going back to past seasons, Sam also practised this act of sacrifice by giving himself up to Lucifer and being trapped in Hell so that Dean and the rest of the world would live.
Another highlight of the episode was seeing how both brothers have missed a normal day in the life of a normal family. When Jody cooks them a meal, they dig right in, relishing in the luxury that a hunter lifestyle would never allow them. It’s obvious that the Winchester’s see themselves reflected in Alex and Claire, and I really hope this is the spin-off we’ve all been waiting for. In theory, it would be perfect as the formula of two siblings fighting monsters together has kept Supernatural going for 11 years! Imagine how great a female version would be.
Supernatural Fan No. 12949162 