In the third episode of the second season of Supernatural, Sam and Dean come across another hunter who isn’t quite what he seems. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Supernatural.
YES, THIS IS EXCELLENT. This is what I want more of from this show: intriguing explorations of morality, emotional continuity, and AMBER BENSON EVERYWHERE AND ALL OF THE TIME. It’s fun to realize how many times the writers toy with our expectations for this episode, too. I mean, it starts off as some sort of slasher story, and we’re left to assume that the woman killed in the cold open was being chased by some sort of murderer… thing? Except then we find out the girl was a vampire, so that re-contextualizes the chase. She was running from a hunter! Except it’s not just any hunter – it’s Gordon Walker, a notorious vampire hunter. Except by the end of this episode, we find out who Gordon really is, which means the cold open IS KIND OF WHAT WE THOUGHT IT WAS IN THE FIRST PLACE: an “innocent” girl running from a sadistic killer.
My brain hurts and I love it.
There are multiple instances throughout “Bloodlust” like this, and it’s just terrifically satisfying to watch. I’m happy that the show is casually worldbuilding as they do here, by showing us that there is a huge network of hunters who are aware of each other. Plus, it reinforces the idea that John Winchester truly kept his sons in the dark about what was going on in the world. I got the sense that Sam and Dean never really knew about the existence of all these other hunters. Of course, this story is about these two brothers living in the shadow of their father. What does that entail? How has the way John raised them affected their moral compass? How did John Winchester possibly fail his sons?
Initially, though, Dean’s unwilling to view his own father or his job through this lens. In Gordon Walker, Dean meets a kindred spirit, a man committed to the hunt who views the world as a dichotomy. There are no exceptions for Gordon, and like Dean, he has grown up to accept that there are supernatural creatures that must be killed in order to protect humankind. It was obvious from their first interaction that Dean was ecstatic to meet someone who was as dedicated as him to hunting monsters and evil things, and because of this, Dean projects all over Gordon. He’s also VERY VERY HURT when Gordon rejects Dean’s offer to help him on his hunt. HIS FEELINGS WERE CRUSHED, Y’ALL. So it’s a big reason why Dean most likely convinced Sam to secretly follow Gordon on his hunt. HE JUST WANTED A FRIEND, OKAY.
Well, it’s more complicated than that, and the conversation that Gordon and Dean have over drinks is extremely illuminating for both characters. And I adore that this episode is clearly another response to the emotional trauma that Dean is going through after the death of his father. In Gordon, Dean has found someone he can put on a pedestal like he did his father. Gordon’s lack of reluctance, his eagerness, and his tragic past all resonate with Dean a little too perfectly. (WHICH I SHOULD HAVE BEEN SUSPICIOUS OF, BUT ALAS.) But it’s not like I blame Dean for finding some comfort in Gordon. Both Gordon and Sam are spot-on about Dean: His father’s death left a hole within his heart that he was desperate to fill. Hearing Gordon’s heartbreaking story about his sister’s “death” hit way too close to home. (Did anyone else think about Gunn from Angel when Gordon was talking about what happened to him?) I imagine that a lot of hunters find comfort in one another, and I imagine that a lot of them have extremely fucked-up pasts.
Which makes this whole thing a complicated mess once we find out what’s happening in Red Lodge, Montana: They’re home to vampires who don’t drink human blood. And the show manages to pull this off without making it seem hokey and silly? Of course, Amber Benson helps tremendously in this department, especially since the clan of vampires here not only represents the “gray area” that Gordon claims doesn’t exist, but because they live as an exception. It’s a form of self-preservation, as difficult as it is for them to live as they do. On top of that, Ellen tells Sam that they need to get the fuck away from Gordon as soon as possible. If he’s such a good hunter, then what the hell is he hiding?
THE FACT THAT HE IS TERRIFYINGLY SADISTIC IN HIS DICHOTOMOUS VIEW OF THE WORLD. As difficult as it is for Dean to accept that their job as hunters might be way more complicated than he thought it was, he ultimately can’t deny that Sam is right. Their job is to rid the world of evil, not rid it of it supernatural beings. (Which I think is a very subtle way to address the fact that Sam is technically a supernatural thing himself, since we still don’t know what’s up with his psychic powers.) This all comes to a disturbing head when Dean witnesses Gordon’s sadism in torturing Lenore just for the hell of it. He gains nothing by poisoning her! Of course, then Gordon has to make it personal with a double-whammy: cutting Sam and using Sam’s blood to tease Lenore, and revealing that he TOTALLY KILLED HIS OWN SISTER WITHOUT A SECOND THOUGHT. Oh, y’all, this is Dean Winchester we’re talking about. The easiest way to turn him against you? Admit to him that you put something other than family first. Oh, boy, Gordon, you are so dead. Threatening Sam and confessing to killing your sister? IT’S SO OVER.
I’m actually kind of glad that this episode ends as ambiguously as it does. Lenore and Gordon are both left alive, and I love the idea that both of them could return at some point. Plus, this was never about solving a mystery, was it? This was a way for Dean to examine his own grief and to question the moral imperatives that his father had taught him. It is disturbing to think about whether or not they might have killed a creature that didn’t deserve to die, but it’s necessary. And the writers just created a clever way to further introduce “good” supernatural beings, and I hope it’s something we see more of in the future. This was a damn fine episode, and so far, season two is leagues better than the first one. IN JUST THREE EPISODES. I hope the consistency keeps up! Also: MORE OF ELLEN AND JO, PLEASE.
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