In the third episode of the third season of Supernatural, how did something so silly get so serious? If you’re intrigued, then it’s time for Mark to watch Supernatural.Â
Oh god, that WAS Lauren Cohan as Bela! I JUST NEED TO STATE THAT BECAUSE I KNOW Y’ALL ARE GOING TO TELL ME ANYWAY. This was her native accent, no? Ugh, I love her as Maggie on The Walking Dead, despite that I got burnt out on the show and never finished season three. Also, while the title of this episode is an actual film, my brain was thinking of Picnic at Hanging Rock, which is INCREDIBLY DISTURBING.
Anyway, THIS EPISODE. Oh my god, the brilliance of this episode for me was the fact that I wasn’t prepared for it to be so funny. The writers take a concept that’s a cultural legend, and they make it real in a brutally hilarious fashion. What would happen if a rabbit’s foot actually worked? The twist, though, comes whenever someone loses the foot. It’s as if the rabbit’s foot sucked up all the good luck that a person could have, and it’s only a short amount of time before they end up dead.
“Bad Day at Black Rock” isn’t the most dramatic episode ever, but it’s got quite a few great things in it:
Winchester Faces and Man Children
SERIOUSLY. Sam and Dean make some of the best facial expressions in the entire show. SAM’S SULKING LIKE CHARLIE BROWN. DEAN’S EXCITEMENT OVER WINNING THE LOTTERY MULTIPLE TIMES. DEAN’S SUPER SERIOUS INTERROGATION FACE. Oh my god, the scene where Sam finds a watch. I CAN’T DEAL WITH IT. Truthfully, this episode takes the idea that the Winchesters are just grown up children, and it RUNS WITH IT. I mean, doesn’t Bobby essentially act as the boys’ father? It’s like he’s taken them to a museum for the first time and he has to constantly remind them not to touch anything.
Bela
Oh my god, she’s just so unapologetically immoral, but I kind of like it? I got the sense that she wasn’t just a great thief, but that she derived some sort of joy out of scamming people. She’s evil in a way that’s so different from what we’ve seen on this show, and I’m not gonna lie: I’m so glad that she’s still alive at the end of this because I want more. Well, I don’t want her shooting Sam anymore. THAT SCENE WASN’T OKAY, HOLY SHIT. I DIDN’T EXPECT THAT.
Kubrick and Creedy
Holy shit, I’m a huge fan of the fact that the writers tied this into another larger story; in this case, Gordon’s certainty that Sam is not human and part of the oncoming war is passed along to two new hunters. One of those, Kubrick, is a Jesus-obsessed RV owner, and he alternates between being strangely amusing and downright terrifying. I’m actually fascinated by the way that his story is basically about his desire to perceive events in a way that’s a good example of his own confirmation bias. He images a holy design to the events that happen to him and Creedy instead of listening to Sam explain how he managed to find Sam so easily. In terms of bad luck, it makes sense to understand how each set of actions brought Sam to that hotel room and in front of that window at precisely the worst moment possible.
But Kubrick refuses to see this in any other terms, and it has the disturbing affect of turning him to Gordon’s side. And Gordon isn’t quick to distance himself from Kubrick’s newfound belief that God has set him on a mission to kill Sam Winchester, though you could tell he was visibly uncomfortable with the idea. Oh god, this isn’t going to end well, is it? It’s totally not. So I’m going to expect to see all three of these characters again, but I don’t see how the show can keep sustaining this belief in Gordon for very long. There are hundreds of new demons out in the world, and there were also two other witnesses at the Devil’s Gate opening who know exactly what happened. Is the hunter community going to be okay with Gordon and his buddy going after the Winchesters?
The X-Files
Because seriously, this episode reminded me of “The Goldberg Variation” in season seven. And I can’t go too long in reviewing Supernatural without referencing The X-Files or else the universe will fold in on itself. (Willie Garson and a young Shia LaBeouf are both in that episode, for the record.)
Winchester Angst
Because what is Supernatural without some angst? This episode puts the boys in a secret storage unit that their father had, one that he conveniently never told them about. Which is actually very much in line with what John Winchester does: he keeps secrets at any cost. It’s a strange moment for Dean and Sam because I’m sure their father’s loss still feels raw and recent, and I know personally how disquieting it can be to do this. To discover stuff that someone you lost owned. It’s like finding out they left more behind than you ever knew, and it hits you right in the heart. That’s especially the case for these two guys because so much of their whole experience with John was shrouded in mystery.
Hey, how about that casual joke Dean makes about enjoying his time on earth before it all goes to hell? Ben Edlund, you are a cruel monster for that. YOU ARE SO CRUEL.
I had a blast watching this episode, and I wouldn’t be disappointed if this show did more silly episodes like this. Y’all, it’s just so fun watching Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki work with material like this! So YES PLEASE. MORE OF THIS.
The video for “Bad Day at Black Rock” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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