Supernatural Review: Season 1 Episode 14 "Nightmare"

By: Sera Gamble & Raelle Tucker

**Spoilers**

If you have not yet seen this episode, please go and do so before proceeding.

         I feel like there were some definite Carrie parallels drawn with this one with its abused, telekinetic adolescent murderer. I'm not going to call Max the villain of the episode, because he was every bit as much a victim as anybody. It's just a dark, tragic story that focuses more on the tragedy of fallen mankind rather than the spooks.

        I like this episode. It's kind of an uncomfortable one to watch because of some of the themes, but I think that is good because it gets us thinking. Who was in the right here? Who was in the wrong? Who was really to blame? Did anybody really win in the end? Complex and deep and it really makes you think all while continuing the story line of Sam's psychic powers and giving us Sam and Dean dressed up as priests. This episode is awesome!



Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:

- So Sam's visions have moved from just being dreams to being visions that, quite frankly, look agonising to experience while awake.

Brothers...

- "I guess you never know what's going on behind closed doors." No. Nobody did. Poor Max...

- Dean just has a little bit TOO much fun playing priest. It's funny how he always teases Sam about being a dork but then he's the one who gets really into the cosplaying they do for reconnaissance.

- Why didn't we ever see them dress up as priests or use that cool little device (infra-red scanner) Dean had again?!

- "No grave yards, battle fields, tribal lands or any other kind of atrocity on or near the property."

- The scene where Max's uncle gets decapitated by the window frame STILL makes me kind of sick. But, seriously, if you stick your head out whenever the window keeps unlatching and opening itself...you're kind of asking for it. That's the sort of thing idiots in horror movies do.

- I absolutely love the scene where Sam is freaking out about his visions and Dean keeps trying to calm him down by being rational. They face the supernatural and weird every day...this is no different...they will get through this. Even though you can see Dean is scared and worried too, he's still trying to cheer Sam up. Good for him.

- Y'know...I really miss watching Sam and Dean climb up fire-escapes and slip through windows rather than trying to break down the same door forever. Going back and re-watching the first season is the best decision I ever made with this show.

- Dean was also smart and had them wipe down their fingerprints so that the cops wouldn't find them at the crime scene.

- "Our family isn't cursed!" Dean...Dean...you should have knocked on wood.

- Max's face and the slight sneer in his voice whenever he parroted the lines that they were normal and happy are downright chilling on a second watch.

- Every time we go into one of Sam's visions, it's almost like we're experiencing a bit of vertigo. I like the way we sort of get his POV in that way. We get to see through his eyes.

- Sam's vision of Max killing his stepmother is hard to watch if you have any kind of eye scream sensibilities at all. Just...ewwww. It's also very intense because of the subject matter. Max is angry and hurting because his step-mother never stopped his uncle and father from beating him. It's hard because, on the one hand, it's horrible that Max is going about murdering these people. He's gone from victim to perpetrator. But you can't help but feel sorry for him and to see it from his point of view.

- "I'm sorry!" "No you're not. You just don't want to die."

- I find Sam's whole talk with Max just fascinating. It really seemed for a moment there that Sam might be getting through. That he might be able to convince Max not to kill again. He may have gotten through if he hadn't admitted to Max that John never hurt him and Dean in the same way. Max just shut down after that, like he felt Sam could never understand him and therefore he didn't have to listen to anything Sam said or did.

- Sam. Moved. A. Cabinet. With. His. Mind.

- Another fascinating element in this all is the question of what good Sam's visions are. Can he actually change what he sees? Or are some things set in stone? Somebody did die, shot through the head. It was just Max instead of Dean.

- By the way, this episode has one of the best climaxes ever. Sam locked in the closet while Dean faces off against Max? TENSION OVERLOAD!

- "Well I'll tell you one thing. We're lucky we had Dad. It coulda gone a whole other way after Mom. I little more tequila and a little less demon hunting and we woulda had Max's childhood. All things considered, we turned out okay. Thanks to him." 

             This episode is one of the Supernatural greats. There is no clear villain or monster and it's really more about the atrocities of human nature with lots of complex twists and turns along the way. The special effects are pretty good and certainly the sheer mental tension of it stands out all on its own without any need for super flashy visuals. It's gritty and tragic and is just a reminder that sometimes the monsters are all too human. Nightmare is a 5/5.




What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you say differently?