In the fifth episode of the fourth season of Supernatural, Sam and Dean go on a monster mash. Intrigued? Then it’s time for Mark to watch Supernatural.
Well, this was a treat. I still don’t know if Dean’s comment at the beginning of the episode – about the team going on more “black and white” cases – was meant to reference some sort of critical reaction to Supernatural‘s decision to move more towards non-traditional cases. I suppose it doesn’t matter because this episode is pretty meta as it is. It’s a parody of old monster flicks while also one giant love letter to the genre. Oh, and it’s not ENDLESSLY DEVASTATING, which is a surprise for Supernatural, given its recent slate of episodes. ALLOW ME TO ENJOY THIS FOR WHAT LITTLE TIME I HAVE.
Like some of the funnier episodes of the show, the writers hide the actual monster for us and instead immerse us in a lot of surprises: the opening credits, the black and white cinematography, and the trope-filled, stereotypical monsters that torment the people of Canonsberg, Pennsylvania. I mean, the episode starts out with a literal dark and stormy night, and things only get stranger from there. It was the literal interpretation of the tropes that freaked me out because… IT DOESN’T HAPPEN THAT WAY IN THIS UNIVERSE. Vampires don’t wear capes, they don’t hide their faces, they don’t have Bela Lugosi’s accent, and… how? How is any of this possible? Why is no one that upset that people are getting murdered? For real, Anna-Marie seemed to be way more bothered that her Big Gulp was running low than the fact that her boyfriend was RIPPED TO PIECES IN FRONT OF HER.
But that’s part of the episode’s surreal nature. When the evidence points to the fact that a werewolf actually seems to be involved in the most recent crime, it was now evident that this shit was just weird. Why faithfully reproduce movie monsters? WHY ON EARTH IS THERE A MUMMY? Why are any of these people dying??? Oh, but that wasn’t enough. Then Sam and Dean discover that the entire mummy killing – which actually involved a real murder – was otherwise staged. With movie props. AND I WAS SO DONE WITH THIS EPISODE BECAUSE I COULDN’T UNDERSTAND HOW ANY OF THIS WAS POSSIBLE.
So, while I was busy trying to wrap my around the very concept of “Monster Movie,” I did appreciate that the writers touched on some deeper themes with the story. It’s not lost on me that this episode follows “Metamorphosis,” and even if this is just a coincidence, it works out regardless. The shapeshifter (who is unnamed throughout) is motivated by loneliness due to his condition. He didn’t choose to be a shapeshifter, and after his father nearly killed him for what he was, he sought comfort in old monster flicks. “Metamorphosis” was Sam’s chance to cope with the thought that he might be turning into a monster, too, so I felt like there was a neat parallel between the two.
But we also get a rather pensive moment from Dean after Jamie confronts him about the absurdity of his own life. While it’s not as emotionally damaging as most of Dean’s conversations this season, I appreciate that he could speak to Jamie so honestly. She was detached from his past, so he was able to admit his newfound purpose to her happily. And really, that’s what I got out of this. As confusing and traumatizing it was for him to die and go to Hell, he’s come back to the world with a sense that he’s wanted. And lord, that’s a huge deal for someone like Dean Winchester, who constantly doubts his self-worth. I haven’t been able to gauge Castiel’s endgame here with Dean, but if he inadvertently gets Dean to think better of himself, that’s certainly a victory.
Anyway, there are a ton of visual gags and jokes in “Monster Movie” that keep it from ever being too serious. By far, the pizza delivery sequence was the best, as was the shapeshifter’s reveal that he’s planned a romantic dinner of DELIVERY PIZZA. Oh my god, you’re terrible at this. But as sad as the shapeshifter’s life was, the show couldn’t really let him get away with murdering three people. Who knows how many more people he killed? We only saw three in this episode, but he’s SERIOUSLY been cultivating an obsession with monster flicks. LOOK AT HIS HOUSE. He built a fucking dungeon. A SCIENTIST’S LAIR, TOO. Oh my god, I’m actually fascinated by this? Like, if you take away all the murdering, the shapeshifter is kind of adorable? He watched a ton of movies, identified with the monsters, and then projected his fantasies and desire for acceptance into FAITHFULLY RE-CREATING ALL THE SETS. Couldn’t he have just stayed doing that instead of ruthlessly murdering people? BUT THEN THERE’D BE NO CASE. And none of the Winchesters in sharp suits. And no ONSCREEN THE X-FILES REFERENCES! And Dean in lederhosen, which I’m so glad that Sam got to see and laugh at because IT WAS TOO MUCH.
This was a fun episode, honestly, and a nice palate cleanser after the experience that was watching the first four episodes of season four. Because shit, this has been a rough journey. I like that the show can have these moments of humor, too, to break things up, and I look forward to the next time this happens.
The video for “Monster Movie” can be downloaded here for $0.99.
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