stacked day 42: 3.05, 14.04
happy halloween pt 2
When someone says Supernatural should have ended after Season 5, I think of 14.04 “Mint Condition” and think: well, thank god it didn’t! I’ve talked about the way Supernatural plays with homage, with varying levels of intent and success; a lot of Davy Perez’s episodes hit these beats, whether it’s reminding the audience how much Dean loves movies or directly structuring itself like a specific film. “Mint Condition” is a beautiful successor to 4.05 “Monster Movie,” an episode that is incredibly indulgent and fun! Today is for gushing, recounting the episode to you because it is so very fun and very little else. Halloween episode that aired November 1st—let’s go!
After a cold open that follows a comic shop employee who is attacked by an action figure (great), we are in the bunker. The camera slowly pans across Dean’s body; he’s in bed, eating pizza, watching movies. I love his “send noods” socks. It’s cute! I love him! There’s a horror marathon on; throughout the episode, we’ll see snippets of the All Saints Day franchise, a mishmash of a dozen iconic slashers. Sam comes into his room and mentions Dean hasn’t really left in a week; so, to see this very comfortable Dean is, of course, a fake-out. Dean mentions the apocalypse-world hunters as one of the reasons he doesn’t want to leave his room. Sam baits him with a case—of course his brother would be intrigued by a haunted action figure.
They pose as insurance agents, instead of FBI, which I like a lot too; their little outfits are cute! Dean is delighted by the comic shop. Dean teases Sam and says one of the owners (a woman literally named Sam) is just like him; Sam teases him back, says the other guy Dirk is like him. Another strength of this episode is the way it takes the best beats from early seasons, in which there’s a closeness with the normal people on the case—here, no one has died, so everything stays pretty light.
They learn the previous owner of the shop, Jordan, recently passed. Samantha and Dirk inherited the shop, while their buddy Stuart who was attacked by the figurine, is someone Jordan fired twice for stealing. But, Samantha hired him back, because he is her friend.
Sam and Dean visit Stuart at his mom’s house, where she makes them hot apple cider (which made me want hot apple cider); Dean takes the Flash mug from Sam. Again, adorable! Stuart comes up from the basement where he was angrily playing Fortnite; a video game, Sam clarifies for Dean. I like the curiosity that Dean shows in this episode; I think about the ways Sam calls him anti-social in Season 1, the way Dean doesn’t push back against that, how he’s spent a week alone. He’s really not, though—he likes people! And, he really likes these people in particular, big nerds :)
Stuart ends up in the hospital after getting shredded by a floating chainsaw; Dean stays with him while Sam heads back to the comic shop to investigate. Eventually, they work out Jordan’s spirit is possessing objects from the comic shop to go after Stuart who is stealing again. Samantha says she’s just been taking it out of his paycheck, but a ghost wouldn’t know that. It’s pretty funny! Jordan’s ghost locks Sam and Samantha in the shop after possessing a life-size figure of Hatchet man, the slasher from the movie Dean and everyone else has been watching throughout the episode. After trying to break the shop glass and picking the lock doesn’t work, Sam literally makes a bomb from cleaning supplies to get him and Samantha out; she asks how he knows how to do this, and he says he had a messed up childhood :) Funny!
Back at the hospital, Dean and Dirk are talking about their All Saint’s Day rankings; they talk about Stuart. Dirk says he has a bad relationship with his dad, and when it’s really rough Stuart lets him stay over. Dean tells Dirk he was drawn to horror movies because he likes knowing the bad guy will lose. It’s sweet!
They get to live out their slasher fantasy! Jordan’s-ghost-as-Hatchet-man chases Dean and Dirk throughout the hospital, automated catchphrases and everything. The chase is intercut with scenes from the movie; indulgence, indulgence! Eventually, they realize Jordan’s spirit is tied to his keyring; Sam and Samantha set it on fire as Dean is getting choked by the ghost. Everyone is fine!
3.05 starts with Sam and Dean quite literally yelling at each other in the Impala; top volume, middle of the argument. Now that they have the Colt again, Sam wants to summon the crossroads demon who holds Dean’s deal and kill her. Dean is firmly against it; he doesn’t tell Sam why (breaking the deal means Sam dies) and is firmly against any conversation further. Sam tells him, you’re not dad, but Dean plays the older sibling card. End of discussion. It’s funny to start my evening with this episode, considering how “Mint Condition” ends. In the Impala, Sam tells Dean very gently that he can’t stay in his room anymore. And that what happened with Michael wasn’t his fault. Dean tells Sam he won’t be able to get over it, but he knows he’s right. It’s very sweet to see them dealing with something in such a normal and mature way; they are old, now, for real. The energy shifts, Dean wanting to get away from the sentimental; it’s time to settle something once and for all. We know Sam hates Halloween, we know Dean likes it and all of the ancillary things surrounding it. Dean needles Sam to get him to say why he really hates it—he won’t accept “every day is Halloween for us,” and doesn’t mention the proximity to Jess and Mary’s deaths; Sam finally fesses up and shares an embarrassing story from when he was a tween, about throwing up on a girl he had a crush on at a Halloween party. Can you imagine? He’s in his late 30s and been tortured by the Devil!!!! This is what he carries??? It’s awesome. The episode closes with Dean telling him he has to get over it, and next year they can do matching Halloween costumes, instead. The only thing better than a holiday tie-in episode is a holiday tie-in episode about how being obsessed with stuff makes it easier to deal with life when it sucks.
Stray Observations
I love that 3.05 starts with Sam and Dean literally yelling at each other after the quiet of the cold open…top volume…
3.05 is directed by Mike Rohl, AKA director of The Princess Switch films…thank you Mr. Princess Switch!
I don’t have intense feelings about this episode, but he does direct two of my favorites later…
Dean making an O.C. reference made sirens go off in my head lol
Awesome whiplash of the pretty fucking heavy and grim 3.05, in which the case concludes when a doctor accepts that his late wife attempted to murder his daughter, rendering her comatose for 10 years, whose spirit then acts out fairytales in order to try to communicate the truth to her dad ? And then Sam makes a very reckless plea to a crossroads demon for Dean’s life and kills her despite her not really posing an immediate threat? on to…comic shop ghost :)
In 14.04, there’s a Red Hood statue in the comic shop….guess who…voiced…Red Hood…
I was checking a detail about “Mint Condition” and the SPN Wiki says the comic shop employees are meant to mirror Sam, Dean, and Cas and it’s like. Um. Well I guess I see the Samantha (come on) and Dirk comparisons but idk about Stuart/Cas lol
When Stuart says “who needs goth girl drama”
When Dean is suggesting Halloween costumes for him and Sam to do, he says “Bert and Ernie” and then says “no, that’s weird” because to Dean, Bert & Ernie are in a relationship and that’s not a costume you do with your brother; he then suggests “Thelma and Louise,” who he does not see as gay, instead focuses on the part where they kill themselves—what are siblings for, if not killing yourselves together. Again, best episode ever!!!!!