1.20 "Dead man's blood"
Foreword: I worry when I see the co-writer of this episode is the same John Shiban who penned the truly awful "The Benders", but two things give me heart: one, he has another writer working with him, and two, the episode features the return of John Winchester, so surely this can't be a bad one? Also, we're getting close to the end of season one and the big shattering finale, so I can't really imagine there would be duff episodes from here on in... fingers crossed!
We open on a bar, where an old man called Daniel is sitting when some strangers enter, and he looks worried. He is flicking through some sort of notebook, which looks like it may be similar to John Winchester's journal. Shortly afterwards they all disappear. We see Daniel on his way back to his home, where he is confronted by a woman, one of the party that entered the bar earlier. He throws a knife at her but unfazed she pulls it out of her chest, while two others of her comrades crash through the window and seize the old man.
Reading about the assault in the paper, Dean recognises the name and realises that their father knew this guy, and it looks like he was a hunter like him, and now them. They go to the home and find a circle of salt around the door, which they recognise as protection against evil, and discover scratches on the floor, which turn out to be a Post Office combination and a location, indicating a mail drop Daniel must have used. They go to the drop and recover a letter with the initials "JW" on it. While they're pondering if this refers to their dad, there's a tap on the window of their car and indeed there is their father!
He says he came when he heard about the news concerning Daniel Elkins, who was his mentor until they fell out. He reads the letter and tells the boys that Daniel was guarding a very special revolver, a Colt 45 that it is imperative they recover. He tells Dean and Sam that Elkins was a vampire hunter, and Dean is a little surprised, as he certainly believes in vampires --- in his line of work it would be stupid not to --- but thought they were extinct. John disabuses him of this notion, though he says most of the lore that has grown up around vampires in media and novels is made up. Nevertheless, vampires are still around and they have obviosuly taken this revolver, which the trio must get back.
Vampires being vampires, and having to feed, the three soon pick up their trail from police reports about a young couple attacked and abducted on the road, and we see the vampires partying and taunting the humans, but when their master, a dark figure called Luther, arrives they are cowed. The girl vampire, the one who had initially taken Elkins' dagger to the chest, hands him the gun, and Luther looks interested. He does however chide the vampires, saying that killing a vampire hunter was not a clever move, as it will bring more of Elkins' kind down upon them, looking for revenge.
And how right he is, because at that moment Sam, Dean and John are bearing down upon them, though Sam is incensed at the lack of information their father is giving them and the fact that, again, Dean is just following orders like a good, unquestioning little soldier. They argue and almost come to blows, but settle down and as they near the barn where the vampires are holed up. Luther decides to turn the woman they captured. When the hunters arrive John says that the idea of vampires not being able to walk in the sun is a myth: they can, it just hurts them. He says the only way to kill them --- forget a stake through the heart, that's just legend --- is to cut off their heads. They arm themselves with machetes and prepare to enter the barn. But before they do, John decides to satisfy their --- or at least, Sam's --- curiosity about the gun they are trying to get back.
Seems in 1835 Samuel Colt himself made the gun for a hunter, and legend has it that it can kill anything, but it only has thirteen special bullets it can fire, half of which the hunter used in his lifetime. John of course intends to use it to kill the demon they've been hunting all season, but their efforts are thwarted when Sam tries to free the girl, not realising she has been turned into one of the vampires, and she alerts the others. They barely escape in time, and have to leave the gun behind, for now. When the boys realise that their father plans to just finish this job with them and then disappear again, hunting down the big demon, they are both disappointed and annoyed. Sam in particular tries to convince John that they are stronger together, but he will not waver.
He sends Dean to a funeral parlour to get some dead man's blood, which vampires are apparently allergic to; it won't kill them but it will slow them down and make them groggy. While he's gone he has a father-son chat with Sam and explains to him that he was so hard on them growing up because he knew what they must face in later life, and wanted to prepare them for it. He apologises, but Sam finally sees that their father was only doing his best to protect them the only way he knew how. A lot of the anger and tension is released from both, and it seems that the bad blood between them is coming to an end.
Using Dean to lure two of the vampires out they shoot them both with crossbow bolts tipped with the dead man's blood, which paralyses them. They kill the male but keep the female for hostage purposes, hoping her scent will draw the other vampires out, and indeed it does. While John leads the vampires, headed by Luther, away from the barn, Sam and Dean head back there to kill the remaining monsters and set free their human captives. Then they return just in time to see that their dad is in trouble. He had proposed exchanging the Colt for the female vampire, but she had kicked out at him and he was in danger of being bitten. Two arrows put paid to them as the boys arrive to save the day, Luther is shot by the magic gun and John finally agrees that perhaps they are stronger as a family, and should now remain, and hunt, as one.
MUSIC
Tito and Tarantula: "Strange face of love"
Stevie Ray Vaughan: "The house is rockin'"
QUESTIONS?
Will John Winchester actually stay with his sons this time, or as he continues to see and lead them into danger, will he again change his mind and decide he would be better on his own?
Can that gun really kill the demon?
The "WTF??!" moment
I'm not so sure there is one in this episode, but maybe when the boys are unexpectedly reunited with their father?
BROTHERS
Although Dean is unswervingly loyal to his father, in this episode we see his unquestioning obedience waver a little, as he considers what his brother is saying about their father always rushing ahead, sometimes recklessly, and not explaining what he's doing or why he wants them to carry out certain tasks. Of course, John Winchester has been alone for so long now and fighting the forces of evil as he makes his way ever closer to his goal that he probably doesn't even consider other people: he's a lone wolf, but that sort of mentality can get you killed. Three heads are always better than one, and three weapons certainly trump a single one. So when Sam starts pushing him over the way he treats the two brothers Dean is initially supportive of their father, perhaps automatically or instinctively, but the more he thinks about it the more he begins to come down on Sam's side, and by the climax of the episode he's ready to support his brother in trying to convince their father to stay with them, so that they can hunt as a family.
There's an interesting and touching little scene when John talks to Sam on his own, while Dean is gone to get the dead man's blood, and he tells the younger brother that when he was born he put a hundred dollars into a college fund, and the same for Dean. Every month he would add another hundred. He did not want the life of a demon hunter for his sons, but things just turned out that way. He says he wanted to keep them safe, make sure they never had to follow in his footsteps. When Sam asks him what happened to the money, he grins and says he used it to buy ammo!
There is a dark moment though, when in an almost annoyed tone as the boys ask what will happen if John goes off on his own and dies, what would they do and how would they feel, he admits gruffly that he does not expect to come out of the hunt alive. Once he has killed the demon, he seems not to care what happens to him as long as his boys are safe. Commendable in one way, but quite selfish in another. He's trying to ensure the boys stay safe but won't afford them the same courtesy himself. Not that he wants to die, of course, but he doesn't seem to see any way out.
WISEGUY
Though I'm not using quotes from the series, some of the things Dean says are just too good not to note, so here I'll be listing any smart wisecracks or observations the older Winchester brother makes in an episode.
Meeting Kate, the female vampire, Luther's mate on the road as she entices him to come home with her, not knowing who he is, he grins "Nah, I'll pass thanks. I draw the line at necrophilia!"
And later in the same scene, "Sorry. I don't usually stay with a chick that long. Definitely not eternity."
CAN'T WE ALL JUST GET ALONG?
Surprisingly, given the tone of the monsters and beings in Supernatural, who have all pretty much been black-and-white (mostly black) evil, there are occasions where the lines are blurred and you wonder, something like the "nicer" demons in "Angel", whether their very existence is actually excuse enough to kill them? Here, the vampire leader, Luther, asks "You people. Why can't you leave us alone? We have as much right to live as you do." John doesn't think so and kills him, but we do see a spark of humanity in the creature, where he asks John not to hurt Kate, when he genuinely seems to feel some affection for her, and worries she might die. For a moment, you wonder...
And yet, it's not like these vampires are laying low, trying to blend into society and live with them in peaceful coexistence, is it? I mean, they're not Anne Rice's Louis or even Buffy's Angel, forswearing blood and trying to atone for their long lives of debauchery and evil. Kind of hard to plead for species tolerance when you're the one hunting the other species...
The ARC of the matter
Obviously a big piece to the puzzle is the revelation of the existence of the Colt, which is said to be able to kill anything, and which John intends to use to destroy the demon. Up to now we've wondered what he was planning to do once he caught up with the thing that killed his wife and tried to take his son, but now we know, and he demonstrates that it's not just a fairy tale by using the gun to kill Luther. So now they have the gun, surely the faceoff cannot be long away, the big showdown, the grand finale?
1.21 "Salvation"
Speaking of grand finales, we're almost there. One more episode to go in season one. The evil Meg returns, as might be expected, and tries to get a priest in Minneapolis to reveal where the Winchesters are, but he refuses, saying that he knows what she is, and she kills him. Meanwhile John, Dean and Sam are on their way to Salvation, Iowa, as the father tells his boys that when the demon is about to strike there are signs: cattle deaths, electrical storms, fluctuations in temperature. And he's seen those signs now in Salvation. The demon always goes after families, particularly six month old babies. On the way to the town though he gets a call to tell him that his good friend Pastor Jim is dead. Obviously the priest Meg killed. The news, while it shakes John, serves to harden his resolve and he vows "This ends now" as they head to the hospitals in Salvation, expecting the demon will be drawn to any babies there.
While they're checking records in the hospital, Sam has a vision of a woman and her child being attacked by the demon. He manages to find them near a railroad track, as he heard in his vision the sound of a train, and meets the woman, Monica, and her daughter Rosy, who is six months old today. He can't do much though, just warn the mother to keep her child safe. Then he has a second vision, in which he sees Monica die as Jessica did, and presumably also his mother. When he tells Dean and John about it, the latter is shocked, as he was unaware of Sam's power, but he tells his father cuttingly that he shouldn't be surprised that there are things he doesn't know about his sons, as he is away so often and for so long, which John rather guiltily has to concede.
Just then there's a call for John, and it's Meg, who says she has his friend Caleb, and that if John does not hand over the magic Colt 45 she will kill him. John says he doesn't know anything about the gun, and Meg makes good on her promise, warning that she will go after more of his friends if he doesn't admit he has the gun and deliver it to her. John agrees, but intends to give her a fake, while he leaves the original with his sons, charging them to save Rosy and Monica.
When he reaches the meeting point, an old warehouse (Meg seems to have a thing for abandoned warehouses!) John climbs the water tower, opens the top and blesses the water, using some rosary beads. When he meets Meg she has backup, and he hands her the fake gun on demand. The man who is with her takes it, shoots Meg to see if it's real, determines it's not and looks up to see John running off. They pursue him but he opens the valves on the pipes as they pass and the now-holy water blocks the path of the creatures who cannot pass. He makes it to his truck but notes in anguish that the tyres have been slashed, and takes off down an alleyway.
Meanwhile Sam and Dean see the signs that presage the coming of the demon, as the lights on the house go on and off and a cold wind whips up. They enter the house and, after tussling with Monica's husband, who believes they are intruders, get to the bedroom just in time for Sam to shoot at the demon, who has Monica pinned to the wall. The demon roars and vanishes, and the two brothers get mother daugher and father out of the house just before it erupts in flames.
They have not long to celebrate their victory though, as when they call their dad it's Meg's cold voice that answers, and she tells them they will never see their father again...
MUSIC
Kansas: "Carry on my wayward son"
QUESTIONS?
Was this the same demon? And are they closer to killing it now? Why did the Colt not kill it?
What are the guys going to do about their father?
Why is the demon going after babies that are exactly six months old?
The "WTF??!" moment
Hard to say really, as this episode has a lot of them. Perhaps when Sam shoots the demon and it disappears but does not die. Or maybe when Meg kills Caleb so callously and casually. Or, again, when the other creature with her casually shoots her, not knowing whether the gun is real or not. Like I say, there are a lot of them, and it's leading to a powerful, hammerpunch finale.
BROTHERS
For once the strain is showing on Dean, and he confronts his father in a way he perhaps had never expected to. As John Winchester chides them for not telling him about Sam's new abilities, Dean snaps "Call you? Are you kidding me? Dad I called you from Lawrence all right? Sam called you when I was dying. I mean, getting you on the phone? I got a better chance of winning the lottery!" This is probably the first time we see Dean being anything that could be called disrespectful to his father, whom he idolises, but finally the months, years of following orders with nothing really coming from the opposite end has caused him to snap, and it's clear that the fact that his father wouldn't, or couldn't contact them when they were in need really hurts Dean, and has affected him more than he realises. John sees this, but chooses to ignore it, instead berating Dean for "this new attitude" while it is up to Sam to calm things down and get everyone back on message.
Sam is further convinced that everything is his fault when he learns of the reason the demon targeted him (not that he could control his ageing, as if anyone could!) but Dean is also on edge and must see Sam's behaviour as almost selfish, thinking of himself and blaming everything on him, instead of seeing the bigger picture. Sam's self-pity is beginning to wear thin with Dean, who no doubt thinks him weaker than he is himself, and he knows that they are going to need all their strength and resolve to face what's coming: there will be no room for pity or self-doubt, either of which could get them, or the demon's next victim, killed.
As they wait outside Monica's house for the demon, Sam decides it's best to say what's on his mind, in case they don't have any more opportunities, so he thanks Dean for always looking out for him, always having his back. Dean makes light of it, but he too must feel there's a good possibility they're not coming out of this alive. Later, when they've faced the demon, it's disappeared and Sam sees it silhouetted against the burning house, he wants to go back in, despite the danger --- and the suicide factor --- and deal with it, but Dean holds him back. Dean swore to protect his little brother from everything, and that includes himself.
As they argue while they try to call John in the aftermath of the escape, there's another rare moment where we get to peek behind the facade of Dean's toughness, and he admits that although he wants to kill the demon, it's not worth losing Sam, or their dad, or both over. He reveals that the three of them are the only thing that keeps him going, and without them...
The ARC of the matter
A few more elements are starting to come together now. The fact that it is other children who are being targeted by the demon (or demons?) has already been hinted at in "Nightmares" but here we learn that it's a pattern: children become targets on the occasion of their six-month birthday, and prior to the demon's arrival there are certain signs, which have led John Winchester this time to Salvation, Iowa, where he hopes to confront his nemesis.
We also hear for the first time about a weapon that is said to possess magical properties, a gun that can theorethically kill anything, even a demon, perhaps even their demon. John places so much trust in its power and sees it as his only weapon against his implacable enemy that he is even prepared to sacrifice his own best friend rather than give it up, and when it becomes clear he must deliver the gun to Meg or risk losing everyone he has ever loved, even then he concocts a plan to use a dummy gun, in the hope his ruse will not be discovered before the boys have a chance to take out the demon. Perhaps he hopes that if they kill the thing Meg will be hauled back to hell, lose her powers or just die, or maybe he knows that in taking this action he's sacrificing his life for his sons, and for the chance of revenge and justice for those the demon has killed, and for the chance of stopping it killing any more.