Recap: “Bad Day At Black Rock”
As I’ve said many times ad nauseum, I discovered “Supernatural” in season three. I started blogging about “Supernatural” in March of that season (during the writer’s strike). When I did my first recap of “Bad Day At Black Rock” after it ran in repeats, I was a green blogger who had no freaking idea how to do a proper recap. It’s been my goal to slowly fix those mistakes. So, here’s one more down. “Bad Day At Black Rock” along with “A Very Supernatural Christmas” and “Mystery Spot” are the season three episodes now crossed off that bad recap list.
In picking which episode to recap next it had to be a comedy. I desperately needed something light. Faster than you can say “I lost my shoe” a choice was made. Time to get my season three hat on. It fits kind of nice, but then again I’ve always had a soft spot for season three.
The Recap
First scene is outside a prison. Barbed wire, prisoners in the yard, ominous music, and some dude getting wanded before being let in. He goes over to his visitor and doesn’t waste time on something courteous like “Hello” or “How’s the prison food? (I’m avoiding shower jokes for the sake of good taste. That and I can’t think of any right now.) He picks up the phone and tells the other guy that it’s true, the Devil’s Gate was opened in Wyoming. Ha! We’ve known that for months now.
We get to see the guy on the other end and its not too much of a shock that it’s Gordon since he was in the previews. He’s looking…no different than he did before. Gordon’s visitor shows him the aerial of the Devil’s Trap and says hundreds got out, but they don’t know how many. Gordon of course instantly knows Sam Winchester was there. Yeah, it’s got a Winchester stink to it, doesn’t it?
Blond hunter dude says he heard from a guy through a guy through someone else that knows Bobby Singer that yes, the Winchesters were there, but they were trying to stop it. Gordon doesn’t believe that, claiming Bobby wasn’t what he used to be. Yeah except Bobby was there and saw the whole thing, but you know, his interpretation must have been off. Other guy claims Sam Winchester checks out and I instantly shout out “Boy does he!”
Unfortunately, Gordo is not a Sam fan. “Kubrick, I’m not even sure he’s human.” So the other guy’s name is Kubrick. He scoffs and Gordon brashly reminds him he told him this was coming six months ago. Braggart. He insists Kubrick track Sam down and see for himself. “Sam Winchester must die.”
Title card. Season three’s is my favorite of the series.
So, how many The Simpsons fans out there saw the parallel with Gordon and Sideshow Bob’s “Die Bart, Die?” No? That translates in German you know to “Sam Winchester must the.” If you’re laughing, you did see that Simpsons episode.
It’s really hard to tell right now this is a brilliant screwball comedy, especially with the next scene. It’s a familiar one in season three, the brothers are fighting in the Impala. In retrospect, compared to season four where they barely spoke, this actually is much healthier.
Sam obviously told Dean about Ruby, which I don’t think they’re calling her that yet. Dean in big brother mode lectures about how Sam should have gone for the holy water and not “chat.” Sam replies in a nice hostile tone they weren’t chatting. Yeah, that’s pretty true. Dean wants to know why he didn’t send her back to Hell. Sam’s reasoning, she might be able to help them out. Dean wants to know how. Sam is naturally reluctant, so Dean demands harder. Sam admits she claims she can help Dean out of the crossroads deal. Of course Dean can’t believe Sam bought that. At the time it seemed farfetched to me too but it makes sense now. Dean is hardly sheepish about his displeasure over this. He’s quite blunt. “She knows what your weakness is. It’s me.” No Dean, as Ruby reveals later, Sam has plenty of weaknesses!
Sam doesn’t appreciate the lecture and gives the old bitch face with extra attitude. He won’t answer Dean when he wants to know what else she said. Nothing. Not good enough, so Sam goes off. “Nothing, okay! Look I’m not an idiot Dean. I’m not talking about trusting her. I’m talking about using her. I mean we’re at war, right? We don’t know jack about the enemy. We don’t know what they are, what they’re doing. I mean Hell, we don’t even know what they want. Now this Ruby girl knows more than anything we’ll ever find out on our own. Now yes its a risk, I know that, but we need to take it.” Oh, so it’s here we learn its Ruby. I couldn’t remember. Wow, again in hindsight, that so doesn’t work out.
Dean now wants to know if Sam is feeling okay, which makes Sam even angrier. “Yes, I’m fine! Why are you always asking me that?!” Geez Sam, because you were part of an evil demon’s end game plan and said demon told Dean you didn’t come back from the dead right. It freaked him out a little. You really didn’t come back right BTW. From your resurrection forward you get pretty mopey and angry, not to mention your sympathetic side is gone. I’m blaming all that on death though. It’s such a mood killer.
We don’t get an answer from Dean though because the phone rings. It’s not Sam’s, it’s not Dean’s either. Then Dean figures it out. It’s Dad’s. He’s been keeping them charged in the glove box in case one of John’s old contacts call. Pretty smart, but Sam didn’t know this? Does he never open the glove box. Yeah, as tall as he is, maybe he couldn’t.
Sam pulls out the ringing phone easily and answers, so that kills my glove box theory. The leg room on those old Impalas is impressive, isn’t it? The alias is this time is Edgar Cayce. One fact check at supernaturalwiki.com later, and I find out that was an American psychic and the ancestor to the New Age movement. Okay, obscure references work too. This is an Edlund script after all.
Sam, not missing a beat, instructs whoever not to call the police. He’ll handle it himself and tells them to lock it back up. He plays dumb by asking them to give them the address since he forgot it. Now the reveal, John had a storage locker outside of Buffalo. Dean is shocked to hear this. Someone broke into it, so they’re off to Buffalo. Hopefully they were already in Ohio and not traveling the other direction from Indiana. That would suck if they were in New Mexico or something and had to turn around. I know, the mind is overanalyzing again.
There’s a parked RV off the side of the road and this is where the slow build of plot starts before it gradually rises into a furious train wreck (a good one). That’s also an Edlund trademark. Kubrick is there with another hunter who still has his doubts about Sam. There’s no evidence, they’re working off Gordon’s instincts. Since when did hunters need hard evidence? Kubrick trusts Gordon and credits him for saving his ass more times than he can count. Other guy knows how well Winchesters cover their tracks. Kubrick knows he was in Nebraska three weeks back. I guess that’s “The Magnificent Seven.” That’s not exactly a fresh lead. “He’s not invisible Creedy.” Okay, we can call other guy Creedy. While Kubrick is talking Creedy for some reason goes digging through an overhead cabinet and finds a Jesus statue. No matter how he moves it, the eyes stay on him. Kubrick gets annoyed, comes over, takes the statue and a classic line is born. “Don’t play with my Jesus.” Bwah!!! So perfect!!! Some nice foreshadowing, for Edlund will be playing with Jesus. Nothing is sacred on this show!
As usual, great recap Alice! I now must re-watch this episode for the millionth time. The photos were priceless – the shoe scene had me in hysterics again too. My favourite is the last picture because you can clearly see Jared fighting the laughter – great moment to capture!
Hindsight aside, I could have tolerated Bela and didn’t mind her in the episode up until she shot Sam and then managed to snake the lottery tickets (even if it did give that great “son-of-a-bitch!” moment). I wouldn’t have minded her in a few episodes trying to outsmart them, with a few witty exchanges back and forth. The thing that killed me about Bela was that she ALWAYS beat them (except that last time) and while Sam and Dean are many things, easy marks they aren’t! (rant over)
Thanks Alice, this was a fun read!
I totally understand your soft spot for season 3, Alice – it gave us many great episodes like the one you took on here. Thanks for this fun read – I’m going to watch it now. I haven’t done so in a while.
This episode has some of the best faces on our heroes, bitch face here, surprise face here, I-lost-my-shoe face here, I’m-Batman face there…. I love, love, love it. And the dialogue is some of the best ever. And those little hints (like the stickers on Kubrick’s bus – ‘DOn’t make me come down there – GOd’ ‘How Would Jesus Drive?’, brilliant exposing of the religious fanatic)…
I know you can’t abide Bella, but I learned to appreciate her role in the show and the kind of woman she became. But you know that ;-)…
Thanks again, Alice, for this fabulous recap! :D, Jas
I loved this recap Alice. This episode was so full of great comedic moments. And the two Js were both excellent at the slapstick comedy.
I too came to the show in season 3, so never could understand why so many disliked it. I became a fan after watching Supernatural Christmas, bought the dvds and completely fell for Dean and Sam and haven’t recovered since.
I never hated the actress who played Bela. I thought she did a great job being completely annoying. Hated Bela always one-upping our boys though and shooting Sam was inexcusable. So sorry poor Dean lost his windfall. That would have saved a lot of his time hustling for motel and food money. 🙁
i love this episode it’s one of my favourites … love the recap! especially the photo’s.
for the record i actually liked Bella in this episode and if she had stayed a one episode character i would have continued to like her, in the end she just ended up irratating me which i think was probabyl more the fault of the writers than the actress. on a really pedantic note her accent really annoyed me, no one english actually sounds like that … seriously!
anyway minor rant over with! again loved the recap! x
Lovely recap Alice. This is one of my favorite episodes! Season three title card is my favorite too and I never did like Bela. So nice to reminisce with a wonderful episode like this. Can only hope s6 will provide a few like this too.
Sometimes I think I’m the only one that likes Bela. She had a certain appeal and I like a bit of banter and bickering between a man and a woman. I just wish they had given her back story earlier. If only it had been a full season.
But good recap. Love this episode.
Great recap of a great episode. Season three shouldn’t be shortchanged merely because it’s, er, shorter, look at the evidence: this episode, arguably the finest comedy piece they’ve ever done (Mystery Spot isn’t 100% sidesplitting, that last half is an emotional mofo), Casey, Dean as pop, Casey, the bloody death of a supreme villain, Casey, Xmas Is Dead, Casey, Mystery Spot, Casey, a supreme homage to John Carpenter, Casey, a ridiculously fantastic finale.
Alas, poor Kubrick, Jesus knew him well.
Hi Alice
Once again loved the recap.
This is one my favourite episodes, definitely in the top 10.
I have to admit I didn’t even mind Bela. (runs for cover):o
I wanted to punch her out when she shot Sam of course, but I still enjoyed the banter between her and Dean.
Randal…I’m sensing you may have had a thing for Casey??? 😎
Loved the recap Alice, great depiction of the scenes and I love your comments. Can’t help but smile, laugh and cringe right along with you. And Randal, obsessed with Casey much? Too funny! She is one of the few demons on the show I kinda liked, although for different reasons I think than yours. 😆
Very fun recap, Alice. I’m glad that you’re going back and updating some of your recaps because I really like to read them. And they usually make me want to re-watch the episode! This one did for sure. It helps when the episode is this great, though.