Season 7 Episode 12

Time After Time

Aired Tuesday 9:00 PM Jan 13, 2012 on The CW
out of 10
User Rating
398 votes

By Users

Episode Summary

While trying to rescue Dean, who has been thrown back into 1944 by the God of Time and must deal with Eliot Ness, Sam deals with the unexpected return of an old friend.

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  • chronus.. time god.. intresting

    its a good linking to the past using chronus.. and the thought of meeting the first hunter is awesome. This episode is the best i ve seen.. cause i like it
  • Thank you Sara and supernatural for all the x-files actors that you have had on the show

    THis was great because it was another x-file actor. He was a sinister 2 timing, back stabbing Jerk in x-files. I have so loved seeing Steven Williams..Mr. X, and the grandpa being played by Mitch pileggi/assist Nicholas Lea who still looks hot by the way was the rotten Krychek....I sooo love the X-file shout outs...Thanks!!
  • Unique

    Lol this was a funny a great episode about Dean going back in the past. They try to stop a man that can suck the life out of someone, he get sucked in with him and gets to team up with Eliot Ness which is also a hunter. What are the odd lol, it was funny everytime Dean goes in the past he never gets the right outfit or its not quite the right style even though he does try lol. Dean learns a lot from Eliot Ness and tells Dean a little about find a reason of being a hunter. It had a lot of action, comedy and thrills. Wonderful episode.moreless
  • Sweet Merciful Awesome!

    Are you still reeling from Bobby's death? I know I am. But in the Supernatural universe, the bad guys (whether they're ghosts, demons, angels, leviathans, or even gods) don't wait around for anyone. It was business as usual for Sam and Dean this week. And this episode had enough juice to confirm that our boys have got their rhythm back!

    It has almost become second nature for the brothers to resolve life threatening situations by the seat of their pants. But it's been a while since we've seen them work a case with the same Gung-Ho obstinacy they are so well known for. 'Time After Time After Time' was a one-off episode that re-established their groove and now it's safe to say Sam and Dean can start cracking some Leviathan skulls, or at the very least, pour borax down their throats.

    Let's face it. The majority of the angels and gods that Sam and Dean have encountered so far have been dicks. In tonight's episode, the boys found themselves on the trail of Chronos, the God Of Time (played by Veronica Mars' Jason Dohring) who's been killing people in groups of three to fuel his ability to travel back in time to 1944, to be with the woman he loves. While Chronos was in the process of sucking the life force (which is apparently red in color. Who knew??) out of some unfortunate goop, Dean speared the unsuspecting god, sending them both back to 1944.

    I love what the writers did with this episode! Dean's first meeting with Eliot Ness was awesome. The revelation that Ness himself was a hunter just made it all gel together brilliantly. It didn't take long for Dean to immerse himself into the 1940s. He almost seemed comfortable there! For the short time they worked together, Dean and Ness made quite the team. I know it's a long shot, but wouldn't it be cool for Eliot Ness to make another appearance on the show? I just think he'd make a nice addition to the cast.

    I can dream can't I??

    Another interesting aspect about tonight's episode was the banter between Sheriff Mills and Sam. Within a short span of time, the two seemed to be getting along like clockwork. With Bobby's death still fresh in their minds, the Winchester boys need some serious backup. The presence of a motherly figure like Jody Mills to help the boys is a sound move. I hope she sticks around for a while and this isn't just a short term thing. Her genuine affection for the two is obvious.

    In typical Winchester style, Chronos was dealt with thanks to some perfect timing on both sides. I was a little puzzled that the God Of Time would go down so easily. I don't know, for some reason I thought Chronos would be a bigger, more powerful God than the one portrayed. How do you distinguish which God is powerful than the others? Chronos seemed to be less of a threat than many of the demons the boys have encountered.

    Anyway, before his death, he did have a spine-chilling message for the boys, or so he thought. I mean honestly guys, Bobby's dead. I don't think Sam or Dean give a rat's ass what the future is supposed to be. The Winchesters have both literally been to hell and back. The future doesn't stand a chance.

    Bring on the Leviathans!


    - Dean's awesome streak continued with this episode. How hilarious was it to see all his "The Untouchables" references shot down??

    - I thought Eliot's short speech for Dean was just the push he needed to snap out of his current state of mind and be focused on kicking some Leviathan ass! I know he appeared to be focused before, but there's a niggle somewhere that Dean needs to fix.

    - I know Crowley promised to steer clear of the Winchesters, but seriously, what do demons do if they're not causing horror and devastation? It must get boring being cooped up in hell, with no one to terrorize.

    - It's about time the boys figured out a concrete way to downright kill a Leviathan. Borax in itself seems to cripple them at best. Borax bullets maybe?? A borax bomb??

    To quote Eliot Ness, it's time to punch the red tape with a silver bullet.

    Things are about to get ugly. I can't wait!moreless
  • Perfection!

    Sometimes an episode comes along where absolutely everything just came together beautifully. That's the case with Time After Time. The writing, directing, ac ting, sets, costumes, music, lighting, props, hair, make-up, it was all perfect, and fit perfectly together. There was not a single quibble I had to handwave away. It was a joy to watch.

    It was all so well done it didn't even bother me that Sam and Dean were apart for much of it. (Obviously they're trying to lighten the schedule load on Jared and Jensen a bit.) And I thoroughly enjoyed both their parts in it, and their interactions with the other characters.

    It's always fun to watch Dean get a kick out of things, and he was just stoked he got to play Untouchables with none other than Eliot Ness. Landing Nicholas Lea for the role was a real casting coup. In fact, all the guest stars were top notch this episode.

    And I enjoyed even more watching Sam with Jodie Mills. In part because I think the Sheriff is awesome, but also because in recent years we don't often see Sam connecting with people other than Dean and Bobby. In the beginning, it was Sam who was more social, keeping in touch with his friends from Stanford and having more of a way with the people they met along the way, whereas Dean was more of a lone wolf without as much social finesse. They switched sides on this just as they have on so many things. It used to be Dean who was more ruthless, more committed to hunting, and more in agreement with their father's decisions, but gradually Sam took over these positions as Dean moved away from them. The same is true on this count, as Sam hardened through his struggles with the dark side he became less social, while Dean developed closer ties to people and better people skills. So it was really good to see Sam interact with Jodie. I hope we see a lot more of her. Alive.

    After a great time-travel story, I really liked the way they brought it straight back to the mytharc with a spine-chilling warning from Chronos. The Leviathans are everywhere and their future is covered in black ooze. That really left me looking forward to the next episode, which sadly is three weeks away.

    BTW Canadian peeps, Space moved Supernatural up from Wednesdays to Sundays. So now only two days to wait to see it without any annoying bottom-of-the-screen CW promos.moreless
Nicholas Lea

Nicholas Lea

Eliot Ness

Guest Star

Jason Dohring

Jason Dohring

Cronos/Ethan Snider

Guest Star

Melissa Roxburgh

Melissa Roxburgh

Lila Taylor

Guest Star

Kim Rhodes

Kim Rhodes

Sheriff Jody Mills

Recurring Role

Featured Episode Clip

Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions


  • TRIVIA (1)

    • Sam and Dean's dialog in the opening scene doesn't exactly match what is said when they redo the scene in the car and alley fifteen minutes later into the episode.

  • QUOTES (10)

    • Sam: I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I hope you're watching cartoon smut. Because reading Dick Roman crap over and over again is just... self-punishment.
      Dean: It's called anime, and it's an art form.

    • Sam: Well, there's a semi-functional bathroom and one un-rancid bedroom.
      Dean: Describe "semi-functional," and do not use the words "hole in the floor."

    • Sam: You going to look at more anime, or are you strictly into Dick now?

    • Ness: Ezra Moore, Dean Winchester.
      Dean: Hey.
      Ezra: Who's he, some farmer clown?
      Ness: He's, uh, from the future.
      Dean: Yeah. Gas costs four bucks, you get cheese out of a spray can. The President is a black man. I could go on.
      Ezra: Paint me impressed.

    • Dean: Awesome.
      Ezra: "Awesome"? Is he some religious kook?
      Ness: No, he just likes saying that.

    • Ness: You said you fellas found his house. Well, let's go see if it's been built yet. And then let's kill that bastard. Because that...
      Dean: Is the Chicago Way.
      Ezra: "Chicago Way"?
      Ness: Who--who talks like that?
      Dean: Sean Connery.
      Ezra: Come on.
      Dean: Never watch that movie again.

    • Ness: Look. You seem like a swell guy, Lester. I want to help you out, I do, but my partner just got back from the War. He spent the last two years kicking in Nazi skulls. If he doesn't kick in a skull every couple of days, he's really touch.
      Dean: Is that a German name?!?

    • Ness: Yeah, hunting sets me free. Isn't that why you hunt?
      Dean: I used to do it because that's what my family did. But they just seemed to keep dying. Tell you the truth, I don't know why I'm doing much of anything anymore.
      Ness: Boo hoo, cry me a river, you nancy. Tell me, are all hunters as soft as you in the future? Everybody loses everybody and then one day, boom, your number is up. But at least you're making a difference. So enjoy it while it lasts kid, because hunting is the only clarity you're going to find in this life. That makes you luckier than most.

    • Dean: That's it?
      Ezra: That is a thousand-year-old olive carved by vestal virgins and dipped in the blood of... you don't want to know. Pulling this together wasn't easy. You and Ness both owe me, smoothie.
      Dean: You can have whatever you want. Soon as we gank this thing.
      Ezra: Yeah, yeah, take your twig, wise guy.
      Dean: Well how's it work?
      Ezra: You stick this end in his heart. Miss, he has you for supper.

    • Cronus: You want to know your future? I know your future. It's covered in thick, black ooze. It's everywhere. They're everywhere. Enjoy oblivion.

  • NOTES (1)

    • International Airdates:
      Canada: January 15, 2012 on SPACE
      Norway: March 23, 2012 on FEM
      UK: September 26, 2012 on Sky LIVING
      Finland: April 27, 2014 on Sub


    • Dean: I'm 12 Monkeys no matter what I say, so here goes.
      Referencing the 1995 movie directed by Terry Gilliam and starring Bruce Willis, based on the short film La jetée. Willis' character Cole volunteers to go on a mission into his past (1996) to prevent a plague from being released by a terrorist organization, The Army of the Twelve Monkeys. When he arrives he is assumed to be insane and institutionalized.

    • Dean: He's using the Biff strategy.
      Referencing Back to the Future II (1989), when Marty McFly's nemesis Biff Tannen's travels back in time to give himself a sports almanac that lets him bet on sporting events, knowing the outcome, and winning big.

    • Dean: Back to the Future III.
      Referencing the Back to the Future movies, when Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) goes back to the 1950s using a DeLorean modified by his friend, scientist Doc Brown. Although Dean mentions the third movie, all of them have variations on leaving messages for someone in the future.

    • Dean: Yes, sir, I am, uh, Special Agent Costner.
      One of several references to the 1987 movie adaptation of the TV series The Untouchables. Kevin Costner plays Ness, while Sean Connery (also referenced) plays local cop Jim Malone. The "Chicago Way" is when someone does something to you, you do something even worse back to them.