413: 'After School Special'
Wr: Daniel Loflin & Andrew Dabb
Dr: Adam Kane
Synopsis: Sam and Dean investigate a haunting at one of the high schools they attended as teenagers.
Review: Regrettably, my enjoyment of 'After School Special' was coloured somewhat by the discovery of the passing of Kim Manners, one of Supernatural's executive producers and a highly prolific director, who manned many of the show's greatest episodes, including this season's superlative opener, 'Lazarus Rising'. Manners was fighting lung cancer but continued to work on the show, demonstrating that his heart was always concerned with doing the best that he could for others. His skill as a director knew no bounds as his work always managed to be the most innovative, prolific and, above all, downright scary. He knew exactly which buttons to press and which avenues to take when creating that tough little critter called fear. Manners worked on The X Files for the duration of its nine years and was continually called upon by creator Chris Carter to helm those episodes that needed a more deft touch, that desired to get you right behind the sofa. It's because of this that Eric Kripke called the guy up immediately upon the birth of his televisual baby and demanded that he work on the show. Naturally, Kim obliged. At 59, it's a damn shame that the guy's career was cut short when it should have had so many more years and many more Supernatural home runs in it but at least he leaves us with a legacy that is completely untarnished and contains only proof that the bloke was one of the best in the business. Your television screens will most definitely miss him.
Oh yeah and there's that pesky episode to talk about. It's a much quieter instalment than we've come to expect from this most chilling of shows, particularly in light of this season's concentration on TEH EPIC, but it's arguably a welcome change of pace. Sure, we get a delightfully gruesome sequence of supernatural set pieces to cream over: the bashing of the cheerleader's brains and toilet-drowning by the, ahem, fat kid is rather brutal and what about that gloriously macabre hand blending scene, eh? However, these are brief and perhaps the only major signposts in the mystery element of the plot. It doesn't take long, in the aftermath of these moments, to establish the culprit and for Sam and Dean to, ahem, dust him. The real meat of the story is the essay on bullying and, more significantly, emotional trauma. The script pleasingly refuses to take sides on the issue, demonstrating both the horrors of high school taunting and the reasons behind it. The episode is substantially enriched with the inclusion of the scene with the bully's father, which positively aches with regret, loss and sorrow. It's a delicate balance but it is struck perfectly and gives the viewer the opportunity to experience the ambivalence that clearly must be running rampant in Sam's head. Of course, the hour is also very much about our central protagonists and their internalised fears and darkest emotions: it is good to see Dean, albeit a young Dean, faced with the reality of his behaviour and also Sam presented with someone who offers him the alternative road that he needs in order to escape what he sees as an oppressive force in his life.
Above all, 'After School Special' teaches us the value of understanding, emphasising that no matter how horrible the actions, how apparently irreconcilable the behaviour, there is always a worm lurking in the soul of the perpetrator; there are always issues of their own that they are trying to deal with. And similarly, it stresses the horror of high school for so many, how we are often blind to the plights of others both within its doors and without. That it manages to do so without once seeming mawkish or cliched is a solid testament to the quality of the production. Definitely something a little special. 9.0
414: 'Sex and Violence'
Wr: Cathryn Humphris
Dr: Charles Beeson
Synopsis: A siren casts a spell on men in a small Iowa town, driving them to kill their wives.
Review: I had a dream about Supernatural last night. I've gotta say, this is a first. Don't think I've ever spent my slumbering hours imagining I was in a television programme before, although given that we only remember something like 2% of our total brain activity during REM sleep, I could be sorely mistaken. In this delightful escapade, I was Sam and Dean's 'partner in crime', if you will, the third part of the demon-fighting 'trio' who hunt down all the evil things that go bump in the night. We had entered a large circular building, with wooden walls and floors and instantly, I felt suspicious. Something was up. Things just weren't quite right. I explained this to Sam, that I had a gut feeling, and he concurred. We ventured up a winding wooden staircase and entered a child's bedroom, abandoned and left to rot for years. Cobwebs adorned the walls and disused toys were strewn across the floor. There was no light, despite a window being open. A dull greyness filled the room, giving it a further air of dereliction. I began scurrying about, looking for 'clues', while Sam whipped out the E-meter. Sure enough, paranormal activity. On a gargantuan scale. But there was nothing there... no person, no ghost and certainly, no demon. Suddenly, one of the toys shot across the room. A blackened action figure. Then another. A small train set. Within seconds, all of the toys were flying around of their own accord, slamming into one another and seeming aiming for Sam and I. Just to state the obvious, I called out, "It's the toys!" as Sam desperately tried the door. No use. We were trapped. More and more of these apparently cursed objects were bashing off the walls, threatening to beat us to death. It was no good. We couldn't get out. And then I woke up.
Exciting, huh? It has absolutely no relevance to 'Sex and Violence' and, really, there was no point in regailing you with it. But it does emphasise the significant impression that a show like this can leave on the imagination and when you consider that the CW has yet to renew it for a fifth (and probably, according to Eric Kripke, final) season, it hammers home the injustice inherent in the American televisual system. Who wouldn't want more of this programme: the most consistently brilliant production that the entire landscape has seen ALL YEAR? This season sees Supernatural at the top of its game and it would be a damn shame to put pay to that before it truly deserved to be at rest.
Still, enough with the platitudes, eh? 'Sex and Violence', as you might be able to deduce from the episode title, rocks. Cathryn Humphris, as usual, delivers the goods in truly stylish fashion, composing a delightful story about lust, loathing and jealousy and wrapping it up in one seedy, gritty and oft-times downright shocking package. Once again, the show marries paranormal plot of the week with sumptuous character development, using the former succinctly as a vehicle for the latter. Thus, Sam and Dean come to blows because the Siren gets to them but ultimately, that's far from the point. The issues that come to a head in the truly rip-roaring fight sequence between the two are ones that have been bubbling under for the duration of the season. The pair get to air their dirty laundry and things get decidedly ugly. Pleasingly, despite Bobby saving the day and a resolution moment seemingly being incorporated into the narrative, the conflict doesn't really seem to have reached a satisfactory conclusion... as it shouldn't. These issues are far, far too deep rooted to be resolved with a simple bout of fisticuffa and a pat on the back. No, this is foreshadowing, building to something bigger and, hopefully, better. What's the betting we'll see Sam vs. Dean by season's end?
'Sex and Violence' is a dark, dark episode and a bastard of a one to leave us with FOR YET ANOTHER MONTH (yes, The CW, in their infinite wisdom, have decided to hold back on the remainder of the season for a little while). It's ugly, it's difficult to watch at times and it feels uncomfortably close to home on occasion. And that, boys and girls, is why it's damn fantastic. 9.1
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