In the fifteenth episode of the second season of Supernatural, ghosts, alien abductions, alligator attacks, and Dean and Sam arguing until the end of time. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Supernatural.
Oh my god.
It’s hard not to think about John Shiban referencing both “Jose Chung’s ‘From Outer Space'” and “Bad Blood” when he wrote this absolute treat of an episode. But “Tall Tales” is borrowing as much from the humor of The X-Files as it is calling back to Rashomon as well, I think you could also make the case that it’s a bit like The Princess Bride, too. Basically, there’s a long tradition of meta-commentary in genre storytelling, and it’s obvious to me that Shiban and the whole cast had as much fun as possible in creating and executing this episode. I mean, just in terms of placement in the season, it’s a welcome addition to the Supernatural canon. The last few episodes have been heavy as fuck, and it was nice to laugh so much at these characters instead of wanting to scream or sob. Which I’m sure they’ll get back to soon.
“Tall Tales” is rooted in a couple interesting concepts regardless of the meta elements of it. It’s sort of a companion episode to “Hell House” in season one, in that it examines the very idea of tall tales. (Well, that’s also when the last prank war took place.) How can urban legends that have no proof of existing suddenly exist? It’s not that the cases that Sam and Dean came across were particularly unheard of. But in the example of the first murder, it was impossible for a ghost to haunt room 669 because there were only four floors in the building. And it definitely seemed jarring for the show to suddenly introduce aliens into its narrative when they don’t fit into the larger mythology of the show. (Ahem, American Horror Story. AHEM INDEED.) Well, okay, SLOW-DANCING ALIENS. That was a sign, too. I SHOULD HAVE KNOWN. Like “Houses of the Holy,” this story also features Dean and Sam inherently saying that no matter how terrible a person might be, murdering them outright is probably a bad idea?!?!? Which is neat! And we’ve seen that aside from these two episodes. Dean could have killed Gordon, but chose not to. A great deal of the challenge that Dean and Sam face is in making sure they can save lives while solving a case, too!
But seriously, BOBBY. BOBBY. I’m so glad that the writers used him as an external force in the narrative. He plays the straight man to Dean and Sam’s absolute shenaniganry, and it’s a pleasure to watch. I know that this show is heavily based on Dean and Sam being the focus of these adventures, but the more I experience Bobby, the more I wish he was in every episode. He’s so fascinating to me! I got the sense that he’s seen some shit over the years, but he’s never let his guard down. He’s a professional, he gets the job done, and I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW MORE ABOUT BOBBY. So, yes, can he be integrated into the main cast, along with Jo and Ellen? Oh, and some more of Ash. That would be fantastic. I suppose I’m so used to huge, ensemble casts that it’s strange to watch a show for Mark Watches that’s largely just two dudes. Which isn’t to say that the Winchesters aren’t compelling I AM NOT COMPLAINING. I guess I just want more people attending the party. IS THIS SUCH A BAD THING? I guess I’ll just have to wait for Cas to show up, which I still know nothing about? I just sort of remembered that he was on this show.
If I have any complaint here, it’s that I felt like the use of women in this episode was a bit too male gaze-y. Oh, that “busty Asian” line was kind of gross and has a high potential for being fetishizing, and then the way the camera lingered on the Trickster’s manifested women wasn’t necessary at all. I got it. They’re sex symbols for Dean. And on a show with only two “regular” women on it at all, it’s egregious to see this, you know?
I think I’ll let my video commission speak for the experience of watching “Tall Tales.” As I mentioned before, the delightful thing about this episode is that it purposely did not take itself seriously. The jarring nature of watching this unfold was deliberate, too, so… I yelled a lot while watching “Tall Tales.” IT DIDN’T MAKE SENSE, Y’ALL. IT WAS TOO MUCH. And since the Trickster survived, does that mean WE WILL SEE HIM AGAIN? Because that would be awesome. YES PLEASE.
The video commission for “Tall Tales” can be downloaded right here for just $0.99.
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