I get it — it’s retro season. Just in case the viewers hadn’t noticed that The Powers That Be were going for season two revisited, they threw in a completely obvious reference to one of season two’s funnier episodes. Don’t get me wrong, Sam’s fear of clowns is hilarious, and Jared Padalecki‘s reaction when he first sees the clown by his car was perfect: just the right amount of gasp mixed with the wide-eyed look of fear and disbelief, just enough to make it funny.
It’s also impossible to leave this episode without a fond appreciation for Dean’s many nicknames for the murderous creatures of children’s nightmares:
- octovamp
- vamptopus
- dractopus
- Seabiscuit the Impaler
- Landshark
I’m sure I’m not the only one who chuckled heartily as Dean tricked Sam into saying “ball washer” multiple times. Sam as “bad cop” when he was getting all federal agent on the employees of Plucky’s was a thing of beauty. Sam’s refrain of Dean’s words of wisdom, “If it bleeds, you can kill it,” was perfectly season two Sam: the slightly insecure younger brother grasping on the knowledge imparted by the worldy big brother.
For crying out loud, Sam spit out sparkle dust after his run-in with the killer clowns. Dean gave Sam a “clown-phobia sobriety chip” that didn’t even make it into the car. This was a hilarious episode.
But somehow this episode left me wanting for more. Just a little bit of story arc, just a little more evil, just a little more … challenge. We’ve been to Plucky’s and back; I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again — if
Supernatural‘s going retro, they need to up the game. Even the brotherly chat at the end of the episode was slightly lacking. Dean apologized for psychologically messing up Sam about the clown thing, but it was really an isolated apology. There was no deeper meaning behind it, even though Sam made the joke about which time.
Usually the light, throw-away episodes like this one, with no story arc at all, are followed by a heavy, dark episode. Bring it on, but mix it up. We can handle the light and dark in the same episode. It’s those many shades of gray that make Supernatural so appealing.
Photo Credit: Jack Rowand/The CW
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I’m still surprised at how far the season has strayed away from the main season-long story arc. In a way I like these “throw-away” episodes, but then I’m always a sucker for the longer story, speculating on what’s going to happen next. Looks like we may get some of that next week!
In the previous season, I enjoyed the story arc episodes more than the standalone episodes. This season, I’m loving the back-to-basic feel of the episodes. Dean and Sam on the road dealing with supernatural events.
I buy it too given the episode with Crowley explaining that he is keeping the demons away from the boys. Plus, I’m not a fan of Dick. He annoys me, but, yes, I know he’s supposed to.