Watching Supernatural

Young Dean: Where’d you get that? That’s Dad’s! He’s gonna kick your ass for reading that!
Young Sam: Are monsters real?

To read other recaps/reviews of this episode, check out TV Guide, Zap2It, TV Squad, TWOP, and BuddyTV

After the brilliancy of episode 3×08, “Fresh Blood,” I certainly wasn’t expecting something on par to it this week. We certainly didn’t get the same intensity, but this episode was both fun and gory, filler and storyline-tying. Rather than reciting all of 1970s-television references that were apparently rampant throughout, I’d prefer to discuss the greater meanings of this episode for the main storyarc, which is Dean’s impending death.

One of the first things I noticed about this episode was that it was co-written with Jeremy Carver, whose only other writing credit in Supernatural was in episode 3×04, “Sin City.”

At the time of viewing “Sin City,” I was certain that the episode was more ‘filler’ and less actual material. Sure, Dean finally found out that Hell isn’t the nicest place to be stuck in for all eternity. And yes, we finally knew for sure what we’d always suspected: Sam was destined to be the ruler of the demon army let out of Hell. In all, the themes and convoluted dialogue about faith brought up in the episode seemed a trivial attempt to reach the comparative greatness that was Season 2.

Yet, even through all of that disappointment, I was sure that I was missing something. Experience has shown me that Kripke would never allow that so-called ‘convoluted dialogue’ without wanting it to mean something in the future. Well, that future has finally arrived in “A Very Supernatural Christmas.”

In “Sin City,” although we the audience were too blind to see it then, we saw the first chink in Dean’s mask. Casey’s revelation that the demons were looking forward to having him in Hell was the first time Dean allowed himself to realize the enormous consequence that his deal made on his eternal soul. It’s all there in Jensen Ackles’ acting as well: a dimming of his eyes, an internal struggle to keep a passive face, and the utter lack of movement.

In the same way, “A Very Supernatural Christmas” was the revelation episode for Sam. For the first time so far this season, Sam actually admitted that Dean would be dead in less than a year. He actually said,

“I mean, I can’t. Just sit around, drinking eggnog, pretending everything’s okay when I know next Christmas you’ll be dead.”

Again, the realization is all in the acting: the way Jared Padalecki turns his face away while speaking it until he says the actual word ‘dead,’ and how he falters on the word so that it sounds like “deh.” This is a big change for Sam, and can either indicate that he will give up fighting the deal, or that he will continue to fight it but actually stop once in a while to enjoy what little time he might have left with his brother.

Actually, this correlation also brings to light another comparison. Season 2 of Supernatural focused on the changes that John Winchester’s death and Azazel’s plan for Sam wrought in Dean. Each episode was more focused on Dean’s reactions and his emotions, in a way that Season 1 had never shown them. Some critics complained that this was just a nod to the show’s female fans and really was unnecessary to the overarching story. What those critics didn’t see (and couldn’t foretell) was that Season 2 was designed to center around Dean.

Season 3 is very clearly Sam’s season. Sam was never known to be a classic rock enthusiast; thus, not all of the episodes have classic rock as a primary focus, the way they were in Season 2. We no longer see that familiar opening scene of the Impala with AC/DC in the background because that just isn’t Sam. Instead, we’re right in the middle of the action like we were at the beginning of episode 3×02, “The Kids Are Alright.” He’s also been traditionally known to look at the ‘brighter’ side of life. Clearly, the roles have reversed since the second season, but it certainly helps me stomach the brighter lighting to think that it’s a nod to the Sam of old. Even if these changes weren’t intended to be so obvious, perhaps thinking in this vein could help you stomach them too?

In all, though, this episode deserves to be a classic because of the richness of its flashbacks. In my opinion, the most evocative and important scene from the flashbacks occurred just after the big revelation from young Dean about what John Winchester actually did for a living. If you recall, Dean sits on the bed and watches Sam, who is lying down on his side away from Dean, crying silently in the shock that monsters actually exist. Dean looks down at Sam and says,

“It’ll all be better when you wake up. You’ll see. Promise.”

Now, neither Sam or Dean can wake up from the nightmare that their life has become.

Side Note: Both Colin Ford and Ridge Canipe were particularly brilliant as young Sam and young Dean, respectively. I was so happy to see that my predictions were true.

Supernatural will return with new episodes on January 3rd, 2008. Stay tuned until then for news and reviews for older episodes.

TAGS: supernatural, episode 3×08, very supernatural christmas, episode review