In Thursday’s episode of Supernatural, the audience was reminded why they fell in love with the show in the first place — the writing and characters. They grow on you. The feel-good episode put the audience at ease. If you couldn’t watch the episode live, here’s what you missed:
Not your ordinary salt n’ burn
The episode picked up on Halloween night. Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Sam (Jared Padalecki) got word of a possession case where Stewart, a comic store employee, was attacked by a ThunderCats figurine. After the brothers investigated, the cause of the possession boiled down to Jordan, the man who owned the store before he died. Jordan fired Stewart for theft on multiple accounts. When Jordan died, he left the store to Samantha and Dirk, fellow employees. But because Samantha and Stewart were friends, Samantha rehired him. Jordan came back as an evil spirit to protect the store and kill Stewart.
What makes this case different is the possession. Jordan, at one point, possessed Hatchet Man, the star of the All Saint’s Day films, a fictional franchise. (Think of Michael Myers from John Carpenter’s Halloween). Dean was a nerd about the films and to dispose of Hatchet Man in real life was his dream. Of course, it’s not really Hatchet Man, but the appeal is there.
In the end, Jordan was cremated, but his keychain with the store keys were burned and Jordan was sent off to a better place.
The show managed to create a cult-like appreciation of the slasher genre. Every character in the episode was familiar with Hatchet Man and almost friendly, not unlike the cultural appreciation we have to Micheal or Freddie. The movies weren’t scary, but classic.
Dean feels responsible for Michael
Although Dean is back, there’s something off — depression has set in. In the beginning of the episode, Dean was watching slasher movies and eating pizza and Sam wanted to check in. Dean has been hoarding himself in his room, and Dean blames himself for what Michael did. Sam made sure to remind him that no one in the bunker blames him for the chain of events.
After the win, Dean thanked Sam for getting him out of his funk.
It would be interesting to see if the advice sticks. The audience knows by now the brothers are prone to depression.
The show goes meta
Multiple times, the episode hid Easter eggs. For example, Hell Hazers III: It Lives Again made an audio appearance. In season two’s “Hollywood Babylon,” Hell Hazers II’s set was haunted.
Also, there’s a scene where Sam and Samantha are trapped in the store and need to get out. Sam mixes household chemicals in a Scooby Doo metal lunch box. He hangs the bomb on the door and they escaped. The lunch box is a nod to the animated episode last season.
In the comic store, there was a lifesize Red Hood figure. Jensen Ackles posted an Instagram photo of his Halloween costume — Red Hood, which he voiced.
Supernatural airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. on The CW.
