Welcome back to the Supernatural Roundtable! Thanks for bearing with us the last few weeks, and we hope you’re enjoying the new season of the show! We’re back today discussing episodes “Nightshifter” through “Roadkill” in season 2, and in two weeks we’ll wrap season 2 and move forward.
Tabatha: “Nightshifter” is an eerily good episode for me. I think partially because I remembered what was coming in a future episode, I’ll admit, but also because I really, REALLY love the dynamic with Ron. He’s a guy put in a hell of a situation, and he dies trying to be the good guy. What I like about this is the realization for Sam and Dean that no matter how hard they try, sometimes good people ARE going to die. They’re not perfect.
Kelly: Nightshifter was a mixed bag for me. I liked Ron and didn’t want him to die, but it did fit the story. I find the shapeshifter stories to be so frustrating. I think that’s the intent but I am not sure how much I enjoy the ever-increasing tension. Shapeshifters just bring such havoc on the Winchesters. They bring trouble.
Emmie: Kelly, I think you hit on something really interesting. The shapeshifters in this universe are, in some ways, the most dangerous creatures Sam and Dean face. They sort of epitomize the adage that the best offense is a good defense. They are near-perfect hiders and you’re right, whenever the Winchesters come up against them, it’s going to be touch and go.
I also really love the dynamic with Ron. It’s a fascinating picture of how people’s biases affect their acquisition of new information — he is predisposed to think of the supernatural in a certain light that seems absurd to Sam and Dean, but he’s doing the best he can with the information at hand.
Tabatha: I’m not a huge fan of the “Church” storylines, and “Houses of the Holy” doesn’t really escape this for me. I always feel like there are really good opportunities with these episodes – breaking into lore, using things like exorcisms and last rites, etc. – that just never materialize. Maybe that Catholic upbringing of mine is showing? 
I don’t think it’s a terrible episode; I just think that the whole idea of a dead priest thinking he’s an angel and that somehow turning into him stopping evil people before they do wrong…meh. It’s just a little too ridiculous a stretch that a God-fearing man of the church would think that his ‘job’ as an angel would include killing people.
Kelly: Ha! I’m Catholic too and I also had difficulty believing that a priest would ever think it’s okay to kill a person. Then I remembered that my archdiocese has several creepy perps among our holy rollers. Ultimately, priests are human so they can make tragically wrong choices. What I loved about this episode is that the idea of angels was discussed. I feel like Kripke is sprinkling foreshadowing of the end of S3 and beyond here, even if he was conscious of where the story was headed.
Emmie: Much as I hate to say it (from the perspective of someone who left organized religion behind a long time ago), priests are far from being immune to the corruption of the human heart. That’s one thing I actually DID like about this episode, the depiction of a sort of extreme version of what happens when a basically good person pursues their idea of justice to an extreme and how that can affect and hurt others. Even in my very non-Catholic church, there were a lot of examples of that, so I think I could relate to this episode on a different level. I love the foreshadowing in this episode because it goes deeper than the surface-level of “angels will show up later” thing; it also shows that the side of good can be just as misguided, just as fallible, and just as wrong as the side of evil.
Tabatha: “Born Under A Bad Sign” is a great episode, and the main reason? Bobby. Man oh MAN I love me some Bobby Singer! “Don’t try to con a con man.” Bwahaha! Sing it, sir! I love the little peek at the “Bad Sam” that we get here; did you get a bit of the feeling that Sam wasn’t exactly trying hard to claim his body back? I felt like that was a thing – maybe it’s just me. Maybe I’m hoping? I don’t know. Anyway, one thing I think is neat…Bobby gives them charms/amulets to make sure they don’t get possessed again, right? At some point in the series, they reveal chest tattoos which do the same thing. Can anyone remember when that happens?
Kelly: Again, I feel like Kripke is playing with theme that become so dominant in S4 and S5: the possession of Sam by Lucifer. Poor Sam; his body is just so alluring to the demons. A few drops of Alastair richness and he became an evil magnet. Poor guy, I felt bad for Sam. Bobby was stellar in this episode. I loved the blessed beer handoff. I also felt that Dean, Sam and Bobby really jelled in this episode as a quasi family unit. They are clearly a team and very much invested in each other’s well being. I know that’s obvious in most episodes. I just felt that this episode delivered that message without too much mushy dialogue about brotherhood, etc. I liked that.
Emmie: This episode is great for all the things you both mention. I also feel like it’s one that solidifies the familial relationship between the Winchesters and Bobby. If I remember right, their chest tattoos show up in Jus in Bello (Season 3, Episode 12). There’s a cool bit of an interview referenced on the Supernatural Wiki talking to Sera Gamble about how these came to be. 
Tabatha: (Talking “Tall Tales”) Seriously: How can you NOT love the Trickster? He’s one of my favourite repeat characters – he’s fantastic. He’s sassy, he’s a trouble-maker, and he’s only interested in one thing: his own amusement. I love this episode for two reasons – 1) the Trickster, and 2) Urban Legends once again come to life! You guys know what a sucker I am for the Urban Legend stories, and this one is no different! Alligator in the sewer….frat boy getting abducted by aliens…toss the Trickster into the mix, and I’m in love! <3
Kelly: I agree that Tall Tales s a favorite. I’ve seen it 3 or 4 times now and always enjoy it. And not only do we have our Trickster but we have Bobby too! Give me all the recurring characters! I especially love the Trickster reading the Weekly World News for inspiration. Didn’t Fox Mulder read that rag for leads? I also too adored the tackling of Urban Legends. Everything about this episode is perfect. Of course, Richard Speight gives a stellar performance. I especially love watching this episode knowing that he is Loki, not Gabriel. Sigh….
Emmie: I love the Trickster episodes because they will both make you laugh until you snort AND they almost always end up punching me in the gut as well. “Mystery Spot” in Season 3 is a great example of that. The Trickster is such a fabulous character, and I might fangirl all over Richard Speight Jr. next month at my convention. The slow reveal of his true nature over the course of these episodes is truly masterful.
I think his reading the tabloids for ideas might very well be a nod to the X-Files, especially knowing that Kim Manners worked on both shows. It was also used in Men in Black. This episode is one of the ones that really hooked my husband. If you can make him laugh until he cries, he’ll probably be your fan forever. And this was the one that had Spouse rolling with laughter. The scenes with Sam and Dean recapping each other’s behavior are some of my favorite moments in the show.
Tabatha: “Roadkill” is another favourite of mine from Season 2. I love the relationship that the boys create with Molly, right from the very start. They’re kind and don’t give away her situation – they ease her into the truth of it all. I actually find the parts with the chasing through the woods/Jonah scenes very reminiscent of a slasher B-movie, and I must admit, there were parts where I was a little jumpy! I love that Molly is able to go peacefully at last – I think we were at a point in the season where the boys needed to be able to do a “good deed” for someone. There was a lot of bad stuff piled on them, and I think that helping Molly find her ending gently was a great way to relieve that trend.
Kelly: “Roadkill” was better then I remembered. I felt truly jumpy during my rewatch. The road scenes were so well shot and enhanced. When Molly and Greely appeared, I was really scared. I love when Supernatural makes me jump.
Molly did make me sad. I knew pretty quickly, even during my first viewing, that she was dead. Sixth Sense and The Others seemed to have ruined the “they don’t know they’re dead” trope for me. I thought Dean and Sam showed such kindness to Molly. In fact, I was surprised that they allowed a ghost to go visit her former family members. Wasn’t that risky? I suppose there was a greater concern that Molly would never be free if she didn’t see that her husband was alive had also moved on. The end scene was such a positive conclusion for a Supernatural episode.
Emmie: I love this episode. For me, it has so much going for it, and it really manages to pull heartstrings on many levels for me. The idea of dying with something as stupid as a car argument left unresolved — well. I’ve lost a few friends to car accidents, and there’s this sense of incompletion, of being ripped out of something. I think they managed to play on that with Molly very, very well. She couldn’t process what had happened to her, so she kept reliving it over and over. Even though we didn’t really meet her husband, they do touch on the fact that he’s moved on, finally, and what it would do to him to have his ghost wife show up. I really do love the arc of this episode and the B-movie slasher tone (I love those movies). There’s so much going on, and it’s orchestrated so well.
