Watching Supernatural

Dean: What do you want me to do, Sam, huh? Sit around all day writing sad poems about how I’m going to die? You know what, I’ve got one. Let’s see, what rhymes with “Shut up, Sam”?

To read other recaps/reviews of this episode, check out CW Source, Starpulse, TV Fodder, SyFyPortal, Firefox News, and TV Squad

This episode, for all its gore and dark storylines, is definitely one of the top five episodes of the series so far. It is also the best episode of the third season thus far, hands-down. I’ve been watching other professional reviews for this episode as well as fan opinions, and it’s really shocking just how many people enjoyed it.

The reasons for the such universal enjoyment are two-fold: not only did Dean and Sam finally break down the emotional barriers between them, but the episode featured many of the elements long-time fans have come to love and expect of the show in general.

This was the darkest episode of the third season thus far in the literal sense: the lighting was minimal in many scenes, and a good fifteen minutes near the end was filmed in complete darkness or red light. As this is the second episode that Kim Manners has directed this season, it’s no wonder that his distinctive touch seems so familiar to the audience.

Other directorial nods to previous episodes included the scene with the newly-made vampire Lucy (Mercedes McNab). She was tied to a chair, much like Lenore (Amber Beeson) from episode 2×03 “Bloodlust” was. In fact, the positioning of Sam and Dean far away from Lucy while they discussed whether to kill her or not recalls the long table Lenore was sitting at when both Sam and Dean burst into the farm house where Gordon Walker was keeping her hostage.

Speaking of which: the nemesis in “Fresh Blood” was the hunter we love to hate, Gordon Walker. Walker’s role in this episode served as a connection to the previous seasons as well as a foil to the changes the Crossroads deal has wrought in both Sam and Dean. In Episode 2×04 “Bloodlust,” when Gordon was first introduced, he was the one Dean turned to when venting about his grief over the death of his father and how he wasn’t “handling it very well.” In “Fresh Blood,” Gordon’s appearance prompts a heart-to-heart between the brothers. It’s possible that banding together in the face of such a strong enemy would prompt honesty normally, but it was also a clever device used by the writers.

The writer of this episode was Sera Gamble, which explains the similarity in lines between “Fresh Blood” and episode 1×12, “Faith” (which she also wrote). In “Faith,” the following exchange takes place between Sam and Dean:

Dean Winchester: You better take care of that car. Or, I swear, I’ll haunt your ass.
Sam Winchester: I don’t think that’s funny.
Dean Winchester: Oh come on, it’s a little funny

In “Fresh Blood,” both of Dean’s statements are addressed. Dean shows Sam how to take care of their Impala at the end of the episode, and he reiterates:

Dean: Whoa, whoa. Kamikaze? I’m more like a ninja.
Sam: That’s not funny.
Dean: It’s a little funny.

Perhaps there’s a greater reason involved in using the same lines in two episodes. Maybe the writers were hinting early on that Dean would deal with his death the exact way that he has this entire episode – through jokes and attempts at lightheartedness.

If that’s so, then there is hope that Sam may find a way to save Dean’s life. In “Faith” Sam resorts to using what seems to be a crack healer, who is actually empowered by a reaper. From how this season is playing out, it seems that Sam will have to resort to desperate measures to save Dean’s life, and it’s possible that those measures might end up hurting others at the same times. In fact, a reaper might be the key to releasing Dean from his deal, though I really can’t see how that would be the possible.

Whatever the case might be, this episode was considered by so many to be so good because it did what the other episodes from this season didn’t: it made us think. Unfortunately, the inclusion of Bela at the beginning detracted from the episode. She has truly become a deus ex machine, someone that the writers have devised to simply provide information, occasionally outwit the brothers, and then disappear. I’ve had my reservations about her for a while, but this episode has caused me to actually express my dissatisfaction with her, because without her the episode would have been perfect.

It disturbs me that she can so easily outwit the brothers, particularly Sam. Aren’t Stanford graduates supposed to have at least a bit of common sense? I know that many say that intellectuals are often ‘book smart’ and not ‘street smart,’ but Sam has proven himself over and over as capable of devising some really great plans. The writers don’t seem to be giving him enough credit for it so far, and that really makes me wonder why. I can only hope that her past holds a really shocking secret; run-of-the-mill ‘daddy issues’ will just make her a farce.

On the whole, though, “Fresh Blood” far exceeded my expectations and will always be one of my favorites. The next episode will air on December 15th, after which the show will go on hiatus until January 3rd for the holiday season.

TAGS: supernatural, episode 3×07, fresh blood, episode review