By: Ben Edlund
**Spoilers**
If you have not yet watched this episode, please go and do so before proceeding.
Poor Sammy is ALWAYS being tied up with duct tape! Seriously...is that Kryptonite for moose or what?! We know we're in for a good ride with this episode because it is written by the wonderful Ben Edlund, who is more-or-less a legend in SPN for his always excellent comedy episodes. This episode serves two purposes: furthers the story of Sam vs. Gordon and introduces the character of Bela who will be a thorn in Sam and Dean's sides for the entire season. And it ACES them all!
Pretty much what happens is that Sam and Dean discover that John has a storage unit filled with hunting relics and mementos from their childhood that couldn't be taken on the road with them. Sam's school records, their birth certificates, Dean's first sawed-off, Dean's childhood drawings, Sam's soccer trophy...they all have been carefully stored and preserved in John's storage unit. Of course the problem-of-the-week has also been stored there. Until Bela's goons broke in (triggering John-the-paranoid-bastard's home-rigged security system in the process) and stole the curse box it was contained in, that is. What was it? A rabbit's foot. Yeah. You heard me. Literally a rabbit's foot.
It's always fun whenever this show goes back to its roots and decides to explore a section of urban legend and/or mythology and here we deal with classic folklore in the shape of a cursed rabbit's foot. Whoever touches it is blessed with perfect luck. But whenever they lose it, their luck immediately takes a turn for the worst and within the week they are dead. So, of course, Sam accidentally touches it. What then ensues is COMEDY GOLD!
Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:
- I can't be the only one who would dearly like to punch Gordon in the face, can I? The guy's in jail and he's still trying to mess up Sam's life.
- The new guy, Gordon's buddy, is named Kubrick. Reference to Stanley Kubrick, director of A Clockwork Orange and The Shining, perhaps?
- It's always interesting to hear the story from an Outsider POV (someone who doesn't know what's going on with the Winchesters, aside from what they can observe from outside) because they so often get it all terribly wrong. Fine example of introducing subplots without having to invent new, convoluted characters/scenarios right there. Use the things you already have and put a new spin on them.
- " Look I'm not an idiot Dean, I'm not talking about trusting her, I'm talking about using her. I mean we're at war, right? And we don't know jack about the enemy; we don't know where they are, we don't know what they're doing. I mean, hell, we don't know what they want. Now this Ruby girl knows more than we will ever find out on our own. Now yes, it's a risk, I know that, but we need to take it." Ouch. Just...just ouch. I both love and hate the foreshadowing on this show.
- Pause the episode for a moment next time and take the minutes to read all of the bumper stickers on Kubrick's RV. 'Honk If U Heart Jesus'? Priceless!
- Guess not all hunters live out of hotels and a Metallicar after all...
- I love the moment where Sam and Dean find John's booby traps and home-made security systems and Dean just snorts and says "Dear old Dad." Like this was not at all unusual for John (it probably wasn't...if Sam and Dean are paranoid about stuff on a good day, just imagine what John was probably like!)
- The shenanigans of the two goons who first stole the rabbit's foot never fail to make me laugh. Though...did they have to do the death with the fork through the mouth? I could see it coming, but it still made me want to puke. Nasty...just nasty!
- "Should've blacked out their plates before they parked in front of the security camera..." You can't cluck, Dean. You're on the run from the FBI and you refused to get rid of your (VERY DISTINCTIVE) classic car.
- The entire fight with the goons just leaves me rolling on the floor in convulsions of laughter. The SPN crew isn't just good with witty quips...their timing and sense of visual humor is also impeccable!
- Thug #2 gets knocked out by books. This is why you should never underestimate nerds, geeks, OR bookworms!
- So the foot was created by some hoodoo/voodoo witch to kill people? Darn it, Sam, why'd you have to touch it?!
- Dean is a regular old Sherlock in this episode: "Hey, that was my gun he was aiming at your head, and my gun don't jam. So that was a lucky break. Not to mention them taking themselves out, also a lucky break."
- So much for laying low...why do they even try?!
- And, of course, this is how Kubrick and his buddies find them. Tsk tsk, boys. You're just lucky Henriksen didn't show up for the reunion party too...
.gif)
- And then Sam loses the rabbit's foot and immediately his life goes right down the toilet (so to speak...) Needless to say, some of the funniest stuff you've ever heard immediately ensues.
.gif)
- Bela (the thief who has been after the foot all along) is a very interesting character. She knows all about the hunting world, but chooses to sell artifacts rather than hunt. She is also very, very good at what she does. So much so that you wonder why she bothered with the goons in the first place.
- Dean finally decides that hauling disaster-prone Sam around with him is too dangerous and parks Sam in a nicer-than-usual hotel. In a chair. With orders not to do ANYTHING but sit there until Dean gets back. Sam can't even scratch his nose (so of course he does as soon as Dean goes out the door...ah little brothers!)
- But while Sam is sitting there, minding his own business, the air conditioner catches on fire. Sam's reaction is priceless.
- I still don't know how it caught on fire. Icing up, I can see, but fire?!
- And how did he catch his sleeve on fire and then knock himself out just in time for Kubrick to find him? Geeze, Sam, I told you not to touch that foot!
- I love the way Bela uses the pseudonym of 'Lugosi' for her jobs.
- Dean is scarily similar to Bela in the breaking and entering/theft department. I honestly thought that she was going to be the new love interest for Dean, since now Sam kinda has Ruby.
- Poor Sam ends up tied to a chair. Again. It's a rather stark reminder for us all that, should Dean go to Hell, Sam will be left to fend for himself in a world of hunters and monsters who all hate him.
- At least Dean got a witty quip in...not that Sam was impressed.
- Bobby finds the ritual to destroy the foot. Of course he does. And Dean called Sam a 'walking encyclopedia of weird'?!
- But, of course, Bela shows up and suckers them. She shoots Sam in the shoulder and steals Dean's lotto cards. He is NOT happy!
- At least he managed to trick her into destroying the foot.
- I have to admit that I rather like Bela. She has style and flair and can kick both boys right to the curb whenever she wants to. I'll admit that she isn't particularly well developed or fleshed-out, but she's fun to watch so that makes up for some of it.
- So the episode ends with the foot destroyed, Dean heartsick over his lost money, Bela smugly getting away, and Sam bleeding from the shoulder. Typical SPN story...
This episode is a classic. It has the dark, impeccable comedy that Supernatural is so good at, as well as being packed full of witty one-liners and visual humor. Bela is a lot of fun, Dean is hilarious, and Sam...Sam is in a league all of his own. Bad Day At Black Rock is a 5/5.
What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you say differently?
Poor Sammy is ALWAYS being tied up with duct tape! Seriously...is that Kryptonite for moose or what?! We know we're in for a good ride with this episode because it is written by the wonderful Ben Edlund, who is more-or-less a legend in SPN for his always excellent comedy episodes. This episode serves two purposes: furthers the story of Sam vs. Gordon and introduces the character of Bela who will be a thorn in Sam and Dean's sides for the entire season. And it ACES them all!
It's always fun whenever this show goes back to its roots and decides to explore a section of urban legend and/or mythology and here we deal with classic folklore in the shape of a cursed rabbit's foot. Whoever touches it is blessed with perfect luck. But whenever they lose it, their luck immediately takes a turn for the worst and within the week they are dead. So, of course, Sam accidentally touches it. What then ensues is COMEDY GOLD!
Favorite Moments & Random Thoughts:
- I can't be the only one who would dearly like to punch Gordon in the face, can I? The guy's in jail and he's still trying to mess up Sam's life.
- The new guy, Gordon's buddy, is named Kubrick. Reference to Stanley Kubrick, director of A Clockwork Orange and The Shining, perhaps?- It's always interesting to hear the story from an Outsider POV (someone who doesn't know what's going on with the Winchesters, aside from what they can observe from outside) because they so often get it all terribly wrong. Fine example of introducing subplots without having to invent new, convoluted characters/scenarios right there. Use the things you already have and put a new spin on them.
- " Look I'm not an idiot Dean, I'm not talking about trusting her, I'm talking about using her. I mean we're at war, right? And we don't know jack about the enemy; we don't know where they are, we don't know what they're doing. I mean, hell, we don't know what they want. Now this Ruby girl knows more than we will ever find out on our own. Now yes, it's a risk, I know that, but we need to take it." Ouch. Just...just ouch. I both love and hate the foreshadowing on this show.
- Pause the episode for a moment next time and take the minutes to read all of the bumper stickers on Kubrick's RV. 'Honk If U Heart Jesus'? Priceless!
- Guess not all hunters live out of hotels and a Metallicar after all...
- I love the moment where Sam and Dean find John's booby traps and home-made security systems and Dean just snorts and says "Dear old Dad." Like this was not at all unusual for John (it probably wasn't...if Sam and Dean are paranoid about stuff on a good day, just imagine what John was probably like!)
- The shenanigans of the two goons who first stole the rabbit's foot never fail to make me laugh. Though...did they have to do the death with the fork through the mouth? I could see it coming, but it still made me want to puke. Nasty...just nasty!
- "Should've blacked out their plates before they parked in front of the security camera..." You can't cluck, Dean. You're on the run from the FBI and you refused to get rid of your (VERY DISTINCTIVE) classic car.
- The entire fight with the goons just leaves me rolling on the floor in convulsions of laughter. The SPN crew isn't just good with witty quips...their timing and sense of visual humor is also impeccable!
- Thug #2 gets knocked out by books. This is why you should never underestimate nerds, geeks, OR bookworms!
- So the foot was created by some hoodoo/voodoo witch to kill people? Darn it, Sam, why'd you have to touch it?!
- Dean is a regular old Sherlock in this episode: "Hey, that was my gun he was aiming at your head, and my gun don't jam. So that was a lucky break. Not to mention them taking themselves out, also a lucky break."
- So much for laying low...why do they even try?!
- And, of course, this is how Kubrick and his buddies find them. Tsk tsk, boys. You're just lucky Henriksen didn't show up for the reunion party too...
.gif)
- And then Sam loses the rabbit's foot and immediately his life goes right down the toilet (so to speak...) Needless to say, some of the funniest stuff you've ever heard immediately ensues.
- For once one of the brothers getting beat up is hilarious. Jared really had a lot of work to do this episode. Usually Sam's humor is more reactionary...playing off of the jokes that Dean sets up. Here that entire dynamic was pretty much flipped, making Sam the primary setter of the jokes and Dean the one who as to play off of them.
- Sammy lost his shoe.
.gif)
- Bela (the thief who has been after the foot all along) is a very interesting character. She knows all about the hunting world, but chooses to sell artifacts rather than hunt. She is also very, very good at what she does. So much so that you wonder why she bothered with the goons in the first place.
- Dean finally decides that hauling disaster-prone Sam around with him is too dangerous and parks Sam in a nicer-than-usual hotel. In a chair. With orders not to do ANYTHING but sit there until Dean gets back. Sam can't even scratch his nose (so of course he does as soon as Dean goes out the door...ah little brothers!)
- But while Sam is sitting there, minding his own business, the air conditioner catches on fire. Sam's reaction is priceless.- I still don't know how it caught on fire. Icing up, I can see, but fire?!
- And how did he catch his sleeve on fire and then knock himself out just in time for Kubrick to find him? Geeze, Sam, I told you not to touch that foot!
- I love the way Bela uses the pseudonym of 'Lugosi' for her jobs.
- Dean is scarily similar to Bela in the breaking and entering/theft department. I honestly thought that she was going to be the new love interest for Dean, since now Sam kinda has Ruby.
- Poor Sam ends up tied to a chair. Again. It's a rather stark reminder for us all that, should Dean go to Hell, Sam will be left to fend for himself in a world of hunters and monsters who all hate him.
- At least Dean got a witty quip in...not that Sam was impressed.
- Bobby finds the ritual to destroy the foot. Of course he does. And Dean called Sam a 'walking encyclopedia of weird'?!
- But, of course, Bela shows up and suckers them. She shoots Sam in the shoulder and steals Dean's lotto cards. He is NOT happy!
- At least he managed to trick her into destroying the foot.
- I have to admit that I rather like Bela. She has style and flair and can kick both boys right to the curb whenever she wants to. I'll admit that she isn't particularly well developed or fleshed-out, but she's fun to watch so that makes up for some of it.
- So the episode ends with the foot destroyed, Dean heartsick over his lost money, Bela smugly getting away, and Sam bleeding from the shoulder. Typical SPN story...
This episode is a classic. It has the dark, impeccable comedy that Supernatural is so good at, as well as being packed full of witty one-liners and visual humor. Bela is a lot of fun, Dean is hilarious, and Sam...Sam is in a league all of his own. Bad Day At Black Rock is a 5/5.
What did you think? Do you agree with my rating? If not - what would you say differently?
No comments:
Post a Comment