I have been waiting for a Jersey Devil episode of Supernatural since I’ve gotten into the show. When I found out that this episode was it, I was excited. But then I started watching and I found it…lacking on the new ‘supernatural’ stuff the writers said would be in there. Sera Gamble had said in an interview a few months back that they wanted to introduce new things to Supernatural. But when you have a chance to play with an amazingly diverse lore such as the Jersey Devil, and make it fall flat to fit it into their Leviathan story line they way they did…I can’t be nice.
The episode starts with a camper being strung up upside down in the Pine Barrens and eaten. Before I continue, let me tell you a bit of the Jersey Devil Lore (or at least one of the most popular versions). In 1735 a woman named Jane Leeds had given birth to 12 children and wanted no more, but was going to give birth to a 13th. So in order to escape her marriage and gain back her youth, she made a deal with the devil. Her son for what she wanted. The creature, according to many versions, killed the midwife who witnessed the deal being made and flew out of the house in some way (some say up the chimney) and has roamed the Pine Barrens ever since. One of the roads heading to the Pine Barrens is called Jimmie Leeds Road, supposedly named after the child. Now anyone tells me this does not warrant a full episode of Supernatural then I don’t know what does.
So the Winchesters and Bobby Singer start the episode in an abandon house in Hammonton, New Jersey. They are toughing out being under the radar of the Leviathans while trying to hunt and find a way to kill them. Dean is beginning to wonder what’s the point of saving the world over and over again. So grouchiness is a plate served all around. They decide to look into the camper that died while strung up, finding out more people have disappeared over the last three weeks, realizing that it has to be something supernatural. While interviewing a ‘stoned’ local Ranger at a diner, they decide to see for themselves, what is killing people in the Pine Barrens after figuring out is isn’t the normal suspects or the Leviathans.
They find a body strung up in the trees, which ends up being the stoned Ranger, Rick’s, partner. Bobby ends up showing off his hunting skills by shooting the creature from the trees after it takes Rick. They take the creature back to the abandoned house to check the corpse. As Dean is pointing out that a single bullet brought it down, it just back up alive. Each hunter pulls out their gun and releases half-dozen rounds into it, finally killing it. Dean grabs the wallet from the creature’s pants, but seems to be distracted and not himself. Sam takes it and looks at the information, noticing the weight doesn’t match what they are seeing. The older hunter then finds goo in the bullet holes and that’s when he and Sam end up cutting into the creature trying to figure out what it is. While doing this, they figure out that Dean is acting oddly. Sam and Bobby discover all kinds of things in the creature’s stomach, including a cat’s head. A blackened and enlarged adrenal gland accounted for its superhuman strength. Dean interrupts to suggest they get dinner.
They are back at the restaurant, when Bobby and Sam realize that it’s the sandwich special that is making everyone so carefree, including Dean. Sam yanks the sandwich from his brother and they head back to the house. The older Winchester insists that he feels the best he has ever felt in the last few months, but stops when the sandwich starts leaking goo after Sam insulted the contents of the sandwich. In which Dean replies, ‘I think you made my sandwich mad’. This gives them the proof that whatever is going on, is in the meat.
A stake out for the delivery van begins that night. As Dean sleeps off the effect of the goo, Sam tries to talk to Bobby about Dean’s issues. Bobby then points out that because the boys spend all their time worrying about each other they don’t live their own lives. Soon the meat is delivered and Sam and Bobby follow the truck back to its warehouse. While Dean finally comes to, they see Edgar, a Leviathan that Sam and Dean squashed at Bobby’s there. They are taking Brandon, a server from the diner, into the warehouse.
Edgar tells Dr. Gaines, another Leviathan, that they their experiments are still having adverse reactions to the formula. He demands Gaines burn all of the subjects, stating that Dick Roman is coming. That named immediately send Gaines to get rid of the subjects like Edgar wanted.
The next day, Sam is check out the facility while Bobby and Dean are in the van watching the place. Bobby questions Dean about his new attitude. Dean explains that he’s tired of fighting because it doesn’t matter what they do, they keep fighting. The older man scolds the Winchester saying he’s not a person, he’s a hunter. Bobby tells him to focus on being a hunter before it gets them all killed.
When Sam returns, Bobby recognizes the Billionaire CEO, Dick Roman arriving. He realizes that they have advantage of surprise, but need to figure out what the Leviathans are up to. So Bobby gets out a parabolic mike and decides to listen in on the creatures.
As Gaines is showing Dick the results of the formula, Dick congratulates him then asks about the failures. After making it clear that they were suppose to stay out of the papers, Dick uses Gaines as a lesson to the others. With Bobby listening in, he has Gaines eat himself after informing him that they are shutting down the project. As he watches, a worker finds Bobby and knocks him out. Sam and Dean soon realize Bobby is taken and make plans for a rescue, when they see an industrial cleaning van pull up.
Inside, Dick ends up talking with Bobby explaining about how they could have anyone while showing off a pair of revolvers he bought in a recent auction. As he loads one of the guns, the Leviathan compliments Bobby on humanity’s invention of the gun and tells Bobby he’s going to eat him. However, as Sam and Dean run in using the chemicals to spray down Dick’s bodyguards, he leaves to investigate. Bobby is left in the room with the distribution plans and the other revolver. Loading the gun, he takes the plans and starts to leave only to be attack by Dick’s assistant Susan. Shooting her in the face, he runs as she regenerates.
As Dick confronts Sam, who is out of chemicals, Bobby arrives and shoots him in the back. This gives Dean enough time to soak the Leviathan with the rest of his cleaner. They are able to get into the van and speed away as Dick shoots at them, only to realize that Bobby has been shot in the head. It bleeds to black with Dean shouting for Bobby.
Now, I understand them want to stay with the whole Leviathan manipulating the world storyline, but there was so many different ways they could have taken the lore of the Jersey Devil. Inside its down played as a side effect from the goo the Leviathans used in the local diner. I was highly upset with the whole thing. Not only that, but it seemed that are going to be pushing the whole Castiel issue away, like an out of sight out of mind deal. This frustrates me because this is one of the reasons Dean’s attitude is the way it is this season. To not touch on it as much as it should be is a bit weak. Not only that, but Sera Gamble said they were going to go back to the two brothers theme of saving people and hunting things. In this episode it clearly shows that the Leviathan plot will trump that. They had gold here with the Jersey Devil storyline and I feel like they dropped the ball.
3 trucker hats out of 5
