Blackwater Ridge, Colorado
Setsuna: So we start the cold open with our three future victims out camping, though to be fair this was before Supernatural used almost every opening it had to kill someone, so I suppose it could have been a surprise on first viewing to someone that these kids were toast. Maybe… but honestly any teenagers in the woods can just expect to die in anything horror related. The bigger question for me is who goes camping just to play video games? Two of the dudes are just in a tent playing on hand-held devices. Don’t they want to stargaze or something else tailored for the outdoors?
BitsyB: Seems more like it was Tommy who drug his more urban friends out to go camping. Because that was not an easy beginner trail, and he came prepared to check in at all times. Also his family seems to know a lot about how to survive in the woods so he could be just sharing the experience.
Setsuna: Possibly. That might work. Either that or the kids go camping so often it’s kind of old hat by now. It is a woody area where they live. Also, on terms of foreshadowing with special effects, I do love how you can look behind Tommy and see the shadow move as he’s making the video recording on his phone. Nice touch.
BitsyB: One kid heads out and gives a scream, prompting an investigation and the second kid is out just as fast. At least the first one didn’t say I’ll be right back.
Setsuna: Yeah, they avoided a horror cliché only the size of Texas there.
BitsyB: Oh yeah! Cause you go and say I’ll be right back and you then won’t be back until the ninth reel with everything below the waist GONE!
Setsuna: Credit is small, but due.
BitsyB: Also, I know this thing is supposed to be strong, but how was it carrying around three guys and then jumping off into trees to run off? I was trying to follow the clues for the mystery through the episode and it didn’t make sense. Though why try to write a mystery when they just name the episode after the monster anyway? Setsuna: It would be like the pilot getting called, ‘Woman in White, Likes to Kill Cheaters. Also Jess Dies’. Not… not as catchy though.
BitsyB: Anyway, we get to our two main characters then as Sam, of course, is moody and angry but that’s very understandable considering the circumstances. Though we won’t see just how Sam and John get on for a while, it’s worth noting he’s kind of treating Dean like his dad here, arguing and picking fights. Dean just takes it though and won’t rise to the bait, which is mature of him.
Setsuna: I got to admit though, the Carrie reference was a nice touch in Sam’s dream, very subtle sort of shout out Easter egg.
BitsyB: Makes you wonder if it was just an Easter egg or why Sam really would have that dream? Too many movies? Or was the idea of him blaming himself in there already too, and he was imagining her wanting revenge?
Setsuna: Oh god, considering he was already having dreams of her death, he has to be wondering what’s a dream and what could actually happen now.
BitsyB: And he’s no doubt stressed. Weeks after the investigation looking for some clues on her murder, probably did go to the funeral, no doubt got questioned by police as a witness since he was just gone for two days beforehand. That’s got to look weird. Even if the cops did leave him alone, it’s no wonder Sam is just looking for an excuse to blow his top.
Setsuna: The communication between the two characters is very deep too, so only two episodes in and they’re really building just how close these two are, which is very important for establishing their characters. Dean just keeps looking at him, and asks if he’s okay. While the car scenes would be later be used for all the bromance feelings, you got to admit it’s a useful way to work on just who Sam and Dean are supposed to be.
BitsyB: Agreed, and him offering to let Sam drive. Very… just wow. Was it an attempt at distracting him or trying to emotionally help him out somehow?
Setsuna: Sam says he’s perfectly alright, and he’s a liar liar, ceiling on fire. I don’t know why he’s bothering to lie, seeing as how that would be less believable than just giving a half truth of saying he’s in mourning and not mentioning anything else, but I’ve got to imagine saying you’re fine is code for them to mean they just don’t want to talk. He redirects the conversation though about their hunt for John and it’s pretty much just that Dean knows, “We got to find Dad,” while Sam is, “Why we going to the middle of nowhere?” It’s true too, because they’re heading to Blackwater Ridge and it seems to mostly just be woods and the like, which is clearly making the younger Winchester get suspicious.
BitsyB: Dean has faith in his father, while Sam is questioning things from the very start. I can’t believe I didn’t catch it at first. Sam spends the episode arguing with John, even if he wasn’t actually there to argue with. He probably does that a lot.
Setsuna: On a side note, I love how the ranger walks around the car and eyes it appreciatively in the establishing shot of the Blackwater Ridge station. Good little extra, seeing beautiful things as they lay out before you.
BitsyB: The Impala deserves some love. The only character in the whole show who never feels the need to get her ego stroked.
Setsuna: Sam is antsy to get going but Dean feels some investigation is called for, though seems more interested in checking out the attractions of grizzlies. It’s actually kind of cute how genuinely impressed he seems by the size of the wildlife.
BitsyB: Of course the plot has to come kicking around and they attract the attention of a ranger. Sam tries to lie about why they’re there, pretending to be students working on a paper.
Setsuna: “Recycle, man.” Dean’s still so goofy. I love it.
BitsyB: Well Ranger “We don’t take kindly to bullshit round these parts,” doesn’t buy it and starts spouting about a girl kicking up a fuss about her brother. That immediately catches Dean’s attention and he manages to get info on where to find the girl. This is why I like Dean. There are no dead bodies yet but he can already tell there might be issues, because he has amazing instincts. Sam though has to be held back from just running up there immediately. He’s not in it for the job or the family. He wants revenge for his woman, just like John. Dean though is looking at it like a hunter’s mind, looking for the clues, and reminds Sam that going anywhere blind is both naive and dangerous, which luckily his brother is at least willing to listen to.
Setsuna: Ironic considering they still have to go up there essentially unprepared and caught pretty flat-footed due to circumstance, but points for effort at least.
BitsyB: The boys go to meet the family of the missing brother, Tommy, and I have to appreciate Hailey’s character here. She’s a strong girl, smart, head of the family and gets there’s something going on with her brother immediately and is determined to do something about it. She’s just a person and though Dean clearly has the case of “Wants” with her, she’s not some foolish little girl that is just there to be rescued. I do like that.
Setsuna: Wish that was more common in this show. Notice how Dean turns around and goes, “Mine,” and Sam eyerolls as if, “Called it”. Considering he’d accused Dean of wanting to get a hook up instead of finding John I can see where he’s coming from.
BitsyB: He does act very business like here as he’s asking the questions, very much, “Just the facts ma’am,” in his approach of getting info while Dean treats it much more personal. Hailey and her younger brother Ben talk about how it’s just them and their family means everything to them. It touches the oldest Winchester in the feels and it’s just really emotional in contrast to Sam. Eventually they find out Tommy checked in every day with video footage and they’re able to get a copy of it to study later on.
Setsuna: While investigating what they can until the next morning, they find out every couple decades this happens, a handful of people go missing but nothing it ever thought of it because… you know, people do go missing in the woods. There’s only one surviving person they can find to question. Sam gets all the info Dean seems so interested in getting, clearly in a mood of, “Let’s get up there and do this as fast as we can.” And I have to say, something in this scene makes me shiver no matter how many times I watch it as the old man explains how the creature got inside of their cabin and killed his parents, mentioning how it got through the front door. “It unlocked it.” Just the way he delivers that one line has always been spooky to me. Very much horror theme.
BitsyB: Honestly, he certainly seemed relieved to be able to talk about it. It’s like a weight off his chest that someone will actually believe him, and considering he was a kid at the time and he’s an old man now, that is a long time to go without talking about something so horrible. Also, something I want to point out for the effects here. If you watch the questioning you might notice the brothers are pretty cloaked in shadows here. It’s actually a common thing for them at the start, that they almost always have shadows cast over them as if they can’t get out into the light, very much different than the lightly colors suburban area where the witnesses always are. Funnily enough this was actually a concern for the producers and they wouldn’t stop harping on Kripke about it, always asking why’s it got to be so dark? CAUSE IT’S HORROR, YOU MORON!
Setsuna: No wonder he put so many pot shots in at them during the Hollywood episode. That’ll be fun to get to. Anyway, after that bit of information the guys are narrowing down what the monster can’t be, but they still don’t know what it is. They don’t have much choice about staying to research more because Hailey is planning on going into the woods to look for Tommy herself, and the boys know if she does then she’s gonna get killed. Dean is all for heading up to keep an eye on her and doesn’t believe she’ll be dissuaded. And knowing how much of a sweetie Sam is normally, it is honestly so weird to see him not care about people in this episode. “We got to babysit too?” Just the lack of empathy he has in not wanting her to come along, it’s not even concern for her safety. He just thinks she’ll be in the way and slow down the search for John.
BitsyB: Two episodes in and you can already see so much of John in Sam. It’s a little scary. Still, there’s nothing to be done about it. She’s going and they have little choice but to tag along and try to protect her, though it starts off a little rough when they show up to see the two siblings and a hunter (normal one) to guide them through the woods, and no one seems impressed with anyone.
Setsuna: Love how the boys don’t even bother with provisions. They got their guns and that’s all they need… apparently. Seriously, not even sandwiches? Dean and guide see each other as this, “Oh, he has no idea what he’s walking into,” energy just seems to crackle around them.
BitsyB: Dean is so cocky and it’s honestly a little arrogant. This is not their environment. He didn’t pack supplies, the others can tell the second they show up that he’s not the ranger he claimed he is, and he clearly thinks he can just get in there, kill the thing, and be done. Between that and showing no respect for the person who clearly knows how to live out here, he sure does come off as a cocky little bastard. If there’s one thing that can be said for him it’s that he likes to stroke his own ego.
Setsuna: Of course he distracts her with the flirting when she tries to grill him for details. And he goes all cute with the M&Ms he brought along, claiming it’s provision enough.
BitsyB: And she knows she shouldn’t think he’s cute, but she does. Dean is proof charm can get you out of most tough spots.
Setsuna: As they trek through the woods the men argue over the pecking order. Dean acts cocky on asking their guide the hunting he’s done and if anything ever hunted him back, only to nearly step on a bear trap the guide has to keep him from setting off. It’s actually an interesting dynamic to see how these guys are both so cocky about what they bring to the table that they can’t even admit their own weaknesses, and the fact they could help each other out in this situation, though to be fair the guide doesn’t realize just what’s going on yet.
BitsyB: After a while they come to the camp which is pretty badly torn up and Sam and Dean try to keep the civilians from making any mistakes like wandering off alone or making too much noise. However, it’s too late as they almost immediately get tricked into leaving the camp when they hear a cry for help and run off to try and find the source, leaving their stuff behind. Only as the Winchesters realize they’ve been lured away do they rush back but it’s too late. Their stuff is gone or smashed and they have only what is on their backs, making a deadly situation much worse now. Though I have to wonder why’d this thing know to go for the GPS the guide brought? This thing wasn’t even awake for over twenty years. It shouldn’t even know what is a GPS is.
Setsuna: See, that’s not what caught my attention in that scene. It was the I finally saw the Wendigo and thought about it imitating a human voice, and I can’t help but laugh at the imagine of this gangly asshole screaming for help.
BitsyB: You need to keep that stuff off screen. It’s too funny, and they’d have lost us that fast with the mood they were trying to establish.
Setsuna: Sam gets aggressive with the guide as he figures out what the monster is. When he tells them to leave it doesn’t do any good and Dean has to pull him away to keep any punches from flying, demanding his brother calm the hell down. It’s nice that he wants to leave to protect the peoples but he’s just being too big a dick to be effective.
BitsyB: I did wonder on the purpose of mentioning the fact a wendigo shouldn’t be in the location they’re in and should be farther north. It seems like there might be a lore reason for it being there but there seems to be no in universe reason why cannibalism produces wendigos only in certain areas. It’s like, uh people move around and someone can starve and resort to cannibalism anywhere. I suppose there might be something in the actual legend they might have had to explain away for the show, but not being an expert on those kind of legends I’m not sure. The way they explain it as a human who eats another person turning into this monster just makes it seem like they could pop up anywhere and wouldn’t be tied to any particular land.
Setsuna: It seems just as strange to the people on the rescue mission too. As Dean decides it’s easier just to be honest and sets up symbols of protection in the dirt, people think he’s nuts but Hailey refuses to leave, so they settle in for the night. She’s a strong girl, but not very smart. It’d be better to back, get flame throwers and then come back the next day to find Tommy, but nope.
BitsyB: The odds of them getting out without getting attacked were probably slim considering it was already on their trail. I think Dean was just hunkering down for the less bad of all bad options.
Setsuna: While they wait out the night, he tries to talk some sense into Sam. The younger one wants to just leave, not even kill the wendigo and save Tommy, only thinking about finding their dad. Dean insists they stay and pulls out the journal. “Hey, this thing, this life for us? Hunting things, saving people, the family business? That phrase alone will make us millions in merchandising.” Actually he says they should stay to save people because it’s what John would want but let’s face it, that line still got slapped on every t-shirt, sticker and any other piece they could make money off of.
BitsyB: After the heart-to-heart the monster of the episode shows up, and scares them to try and get a reaction. Their guide Roy shoots it, gets overconfident about it and runs off to find the thing, only to end up getting killed and drug off.
Setsuna: I legit hate that Roy died. He knew the area and was so cool. I think if he’d survived he would have become a badass hunter. I mean, come on, he shoots and hits a thing that too fast to see? That’s something worth bragging about. I know the episode wants to show him as a dumbass who won’t listen to the experts, but I can’t help but think if he’d made it and learned about these things that go bump in the night then he’d have been a hell of an ally to the boys in future episodes.
BitsyB: Later on in the morning Sam just sitting against a stump, all self-reflective and probably feeling guilty. You have to wonder just what he’s thinking here, and how confused he might be. He saw Jess’ death in a dream and did nothing. Then he egged on their guide and predicted the death and it happens exactly as he said it would. While he probably just felt guilty for acting out, he might have been also wondering if he might have inadvertently caused it through whatever is going on in his head, though that’s just a theory of mine.
Setsuna: Oh Sam, you walking guilt complex. They go over the legend and weakness of the wendigo to Hailey and Ben, and go off to kill the thing since it’s their best bet of getting out alive. An explanation that it keeps victims alive for eating later on gives some hope that Tommy might still be okay. They find bloody marks on the trees cause these guys are clearly being led, split up and Haily lets out the most stock scream ever as she finds Roy’s corpse. Oh girl, you are strong, but you don’t do scared well.
BitsyB: Sadly the wendigo is smart and knows what it’s doing, snagging up her and Dean only for the Winchester to mark the way with his candy. So those did have a point. It’s a nice touch too that Ben was the one found the trail. Really shows how the boy wasn’t there just to be saved. His family knows the woods, is very much at home there, and him finding the trail among the foliage instead of Sam is a nice way to have him believably contribute.
Setsuna: Yes, it was very well handled considering how most child characters are completely useless and the audience ends up hating them for it. Instead he’s able to lead Sam to an old mine and they slip in hoping to find their families alive so they can get home without any more deaths, leading to a cat and mouse situation for the last five or ten minutes. It’s genuinely creepy here, and the sheer amount of joy at finding everyone still alive was great.
BitsyB: It’s especially touching Sam completely ignores the girl to get to his brother. Maybe not how a hunter should act but still… bro feels.
Setsuna: Even if it’s small, I love the finding flare guns in a bag moment between the two. If this was a later season there would have been an awesome music montage or something, but it’s still horror so they’re still clearly in danger. Even so it’s pretty sweet to see their cocky little grins as they finally have a weapon that’ll work against the thing.
BitsyB: So Dean runs off, demanding to be the bait so Sam could get out safe. The whole swagger and, “I taste good!” is so Dean too. Of course though he is the bait, even hurt, because no way would he allow Sam to do it. Looking after brother is his job, even in only episode two. There’s no way he would ever let his little brother risk it.
Setsuna: He kind of has to though when it seems like the wendigo is chasing the bigger group, leaving him to have to try to fight it off. Sam going against the monster is amazing. The effects and looks of this thing is so good. I love it more than I can say, but I will stick by it. The shadows really help here in hiding most of the detail so it allows our imagination to do the work. Which is why it confuses me so much to know that Kripke hated it all so much to put it on his list of top ten worst episodes. Apparently he felt the plot and special effects were horrible, which… they’re really not.
BitsyB: True, but the death when Dean shoots it and it explodes is certainly a step down from Constance. It looks decent, but not as good at the ghost. In any case, after that they’re all back to civilization and giving a report about grizzlies so as not to look crazy but to explain the injuries and missing guide. Dean gets his flirt on with Hailey, but when the girl kisses him and he honestly looks surprised.
Setsuna: Probably because he lost control. I don’t think at this point he was honestly expecting to get anywhere with her so it caught him off guard, and he’s not the type who deals well with affection when he’s on the receiving end.
BitsyB: So we call back to the start of the episode as Sam says he’s going to drive. Dean doesn’t even say anything, just throws him the keys. It’s a sweet moment.
Setsuna: I think this episode deserves a lot more love. I find it weird Kripke was so not into it. I guess because he favors complicated details and this plot was so simple. In all actuality simplicity can help at times because it can help things pace properly. We’re still in a show where it’s going to take two years to kill off the big bad, and it helps amp up just how dangerous everything is, compared to later seasons where the bad guy is just something to swat down at the end of the season with some last minute deus ex machina. This slow paced writing to explore characters is much more my speed, and I love it.
BitsyB: I agree. This is one of my favorites. It had a more subtle plotline before getting very direct in the final act. I think it was required though. We still needed to get to know the characters and a more complicated story would have detracted from that. The contradicting details also helped set the stage of the world to avoid any rut from setting in. The first episode was all urban and in towns, but then we get the woods here. We also have a physical monster as opposed to the ghost Constance. It really widens the scope and was a good call in my opinion.
Score 1-10:
BitsyB: 9.5. Minor gripes at best, and I loved it. It’s so subtle and good, amazing camera work, and has interesting background characters who are real people. Anything I could say against it are all small things, like the girl in the shorts during November purely for fan service, or the long first day of the episode is minor at best. Anything I could say against it is that it’s not perfect but what is?
Setsuna: I have to say a 9 myself. It’s close to perfect, and I find it odd I’m giving it a better score than Pilot since I think the death scene is better for her, and I loved the intro of the Winchester boys. But yeah, this seemed more streamlined, more polished and I just really got into it. It feels scary, the monster is awesome, and we get time to delve into the boy’s personalities. Pilot clearly needed the plot, and it was good, but this was just an amazingly scary episode.
Comments