Supernatural Episode 806
“Southern Comfort”
Written By: Adam Glass
Directed By: Tim Andrew
Original Airdate: 7 November 2012
In This Episode...
Dean is drawn to Missouri for a case that doesn’t initially sound like a case. A man named Chester was working under his car one night. His wife of 35+ years, Mary, comes home and, in a rage, hops in the car and drives over his head. She has no recollection of this, but a word is carved into Chester’s chest: Alcott. So the Winchesters roll into town and discover they are not the only hunter interested in this case: Garth is there, posing as a Texas Ranger (because, as he says, wearing a suit makes him “look like a funeral director.”)
After the hunters arrive, things get really hinkey. Chester and Mary’s son, Scott, sees a former business partner (who ran their company into the ground) named Jeff at the grocery store and beats him to death with a shovel. Scott is taken to jail where, soon after, one of the deputies, Doug, shoots the sheriff in the head because he is tired of being taken advantage of. Another deputy, Carl, takes the shotgun from Doug and heads to the hospital, where he confronts an old “friend” who called him out in a baseball game once.
Each crime scene has green ectoplasm left behind. Going through Bobby’s old notes, Garth discovers that the green goo is the footprint of a specter - basically, a vengeance ghost. The trouble started when some kids broke into the tomb of the unknown Confederate soldier. It is believed that the soldier may have been a man who fought on opposite sides as his brother, and swore vengeance against him for it. The guys sneak into the tomb late at night and set the bones on fire. But this doesn’t seem to stop it, as the jailhouse shooting happens after. The new theory is that the specter attached itself to an object, kind of like Bobby had, so it could travel around. That object was a penny that the soldier had on him for luck. As it passes from one person to another, so does the rage.
Dean walks in on Carl threatening the former umpire at the hospital. The two fight, and Carl presses the penny into Dean’s hand, so he can see how it feels. Naturally, the anger it raises in Dean has been bubbling very near the surface: his anger that Sam didn’t look for Dean because of a girl. When Sam and Garth get back to the motel, Dean is waiting - and he pulls a gun on Sam. They air some grievances, and Garth steps between them, because Dean’s beef isn’t with him. Garth distracts Dean, punches him, and Dean drops the penny, breaking the spell. Garth can pick up the penny harmlessly because he has let go of all his hatred and anger. See kids, there is a moral to the story!
Dig It or Bury It?
It felt a little slow. Halfway through, I looked at the clock and was like, “Really? Only halfway through?” That said, I enjoyed the episode. It just felt like one of those middle-of-the-season one-offs. A lot of them have been like that. At least this one served the purpose of being able to bring the strife between the brothers out in the open in an organic - if obvious - way.
Flashback to the Future
Continuing with Sam’s flashbacks, he ends up in bed with Amelia after a somewhat hesitant friendship led to drinks. During post-coital pillow talk, Amelia reveals that her husband, Don, died in Afghanistan eight months prior and she had to get out of town, away from the pity everyone poured over her. The next morning Amelia rushes out of the house, feeling embarrassed for over sharing, and not wanting to make a big thing of it. Sam comes back later, reveals that he lost his brother a few months ago, and feels similarly lost. And that’s it; they are bonded.
Prophecies?
Cas is back! Not in flashbacks - he is back, on earth, and seems a little stalker-y.