Roll call, guys. Love Interest: check! Jockish-Older-Brother-Figure: Check! Awkward Third Wheel: front and centre. Sorry, buddy.
That’s right, folks, we’ve got ourselves another Ghostfacers episode on our hands!
Can I just say how much I like it when the show breaks the usual flow of its storytelling to focus on the Monsters of the Week? Because I do, I like it a lot. Of course, take this with a grain of salt, but I think that even after eight seasons, the Supernatural universe still needs fleshing out, and this week’s episode helps in that regard. It reminds us long-time fans that our boys aren’t just living in a vacuum of manpain, communication problems, and death; there are other people, there are victims that have their own lives and their own stories off-screen. It’s good we have that reminder, as the Winchester family drama is overwhelming at the best of times.
Of course, this comes with a downside as well: as most fans would tell you, there isn’t much of the Winchesters in this episode, or the others like it. They’re side characters in their own series. I’ve heard it said that this week’s episode feels more like something that would happen in earlier seasons, which, yes, I agree with, but then again, the last two episodes have reminded me of previous seasons, so that’s not exactly news.
Things also not shown in “Bitten” (other than the Winchesters, mostly) are, in no particular order: Dean’s PTSD, Sam’s concern for Amelia/leaving his apple-pie life behind (seriously, she watched him walk out on her, why was there not a phone call?), Purgatory, Benny, Cas, or Kevin and his Badass Mama. Also, there were no Thor references or Crowley, which, while understandable, is majorly disappointing. The rest of it is understandable, but slightly more irritating, because… writers, keep telling that story. Don’t just let it drop until the last three episodes in the series; it’s a distressing trend I really would have liked to see broken ages ago.
A final note, before I wrap up: Looking at the themes of this week’s episode – what is human versus what is not, and what makes a monster – from a writing standpoint, they really seemed to fumble it with one of the final lines: “She [Kate] hasn’t hurt anybody. Well, anybody human, at least.” A line outright stating that Brian, whom we just spent the last hour getting to know and sympathizing with, did not count as a human being. Even if he did crave “superhero” werewolf-powers, even if he was the one to help out the most, and had the most realistic reaction to his BFF apparently murdering the campus bully – that is, doubt and fear, rather than unflinchingly defending him (seriously, Kate, the hell?) — he was considered just another monster. And that more than annoys me, because it directly contradicts everything we’ve been watching for the last hour.
Weekly Tally:
Evil Woman of the Week—3 (What? She did murder someone, and try to cover for her boyfriend.)
Nods to the Wincest-shippers: 2 (3, if you count the Michael-Brian parallels)
Purgatory flashbacks: STILL ZERO WHAT EVEN GUYS. WHAT. EVEN.
Why does everything remind me of earlier seasons: 253683485
