Recap: “Bad Day At Black Rock”

I’ll make my point here that I never liked Bela and it’s her that prevents this from being a “perfect” episode for me. I’ll stop there though because Sam’s bad luck makes for joyous madcap insanity! Bela leaves the restaurant with the rabbit’s foot in her towel (meaning she hasn’t touched it), a smug smile and throws away the black wig. For some reason though, the change in hair color as we find out later in the season doesn’t stop Sam’s lusting. Sam and Dean run after her and Sam takes a hilarious pratfall onto the asphalt behind Dean. “Wow, you suck,” says Dean. A little sympathy here? The boy’s hurt. Ouch! Two perfectly skinned and bloody knees with holes ripped in the jeans. “So what now your luck turns bad?” Dean asks helping Sam up. Yeah, that sounds right. “Wonder how bad?” Okay, you asked…

 

Back to Kubrick and Creedy checking the Biggersons menu on the website. See, they do have a deep fried onion! Guess who’s picture they see? Kubrick only grins upward, taking this to be his sign from God. Considering we have a good idea who God is, he’s pretty right! God is writing these pages right now.

 

Back to Grossman who’s toasting Wayne’s memory to a terrible photoshopped yet cheesy in a funny way photo of them in sombreros drinking either in Mexico or a Mexican restaurant.  I think latter.  He pours tequila on the floor while playing “Via Con Dios” in the background. This must be how they mourn buddies in Connecticut. Sam and Dean walk in unannounced and Grossman isn’t too happy to see them. Dean tells him he knows what happened and how its bad luck. Grossman tells him to “piss off.” Does anyone say that anymore? I’ve said it before many times, they should just bleep the cuss words. 

 

Dean doesn’t flinch, saying he knows a woman hired him to steal the foot. He knows that because she stole it from them. At this moment Sam is standing glum in the background and we know something good is coming. Grossman laughs, Sam steps forward to talk, trips on a radio cord and falls down hard taking the radio and nearby floor lamp with him. Dean asks Sam if he’s okay without breaking form. “Yeah, I’m good,” Sam replies from the floor with pain in his voice. Who knew Jared was so good at this kind of comedy?

 

Dean goes back to the interrogation, asking for “her” name. Sam gets up and he ain’t looking so good. The hair is a mess anyway. Grossman won’t give so Dean lets him know it wasn’t a freak accident before breaking out the “I can read people” ploy. The sour luck killed his friend, is going to kill Sam and who knows who else.   He knows Grossman isn’t a killer. Yeah, except he did actually try to choke Sam to death earlier. It must be the grief though for Dean gets through.

 

Kubrick is standing outside the RV and we get full view of the bible thumping bumper stickers. “How would Jesus drive?” “Don’t make me come down there. – God” “Bethlehem or bust.” Hmm, there’s Ben Edlund playing with his Jesus again! Creedy has something chicken shaped wrapped in foil in his arms and I really don’t want to know. I’m sure that’s funny in some parts of the country. He tells Kubrick no one knows where Sam and Dean went and they didn’t pay for the meal so there’s no credit card receipt. Kubrick isn’t worried, they’ll turn up. “Because there’s a higher power at work here, I know it now.” That is also true! Okay its hoodoo and not Jesus, but he’s half right.

 

Here we go, one of the most referenced, iconic scenes in the series! Sam and Dean walk out of the apartment building and Dean gets a call. It’s Bobby. Dean avoids the huge wad of chewed gum on the asphalt but guess who isn’t so lucky? Sam hears the squish and gets the droopy shoulders and pout of disgust. 

In the meantime Bobby tells Dean he found a cleansing ritual that will do the trick. Dean is pleased to hear this but tells Bobby Sam lost the foot. That’s obvious since Sam is struggling in the background trying to get the gum off his shoe. Dean with his back turned carries on the conversation with Bobby just so we get the full effect of Sam struggling in the background. He tells Bobby a hot chick stole it from him but can’t remember the name. Sam, who has found a broken sewer grate by now to scrape off the gum, tells him Legosi. Bobby knows that name, Bela. 

 

As we all saw coming, Sam makes one more hard push on the sewer grate and his shoe falls off. Judging by the “plop” sound, it fell far down.   While Sam hopelessly looks for the shoe Dean learns the culprit is Bela Talbot, not a hunter but she knows her way around. She’s been out of the country but Bobby might know how to find her. Dean thanks him but is given one final warning. “Just look out for your brother you idgit.” 

 

Now back to Sam, who has given up his search and is standing there with shoulders slumped looking very forlorn. “What?” Dean asks. Wait for it…”I lost my shoe,” Sam says with a huge pout. We see the shoeless foot and one hilarious frown on his face. Dean just rolls his eyes. Bwah!!!! No wonder Jared is constantly asked to say that line at cons. It’s priceless! The poor puppy has been kicked.

 

The Impala pulls up in front of a motel and might I add the screwball organ score kicks in here. It’s so perfect for the absurdity to come. Dean gets off the phone with Bobby, thanking him again. He has a plan. Bela is in Queens which is two hours away. “You my brother are staying here because I don’t want your bad luck getting us killed.” Dean pulls around in the motel parking lot and guess who’s RV is parked nearby? Oh this is too good!

 

Dean takes Sam into the motel room and whoa, this place is outrageous! I think season three was the best for motel rooms. Sam is whining now, wondering what it is he’s supposed to do. Nothing of course. “I don’t want you doing anything. Just sit right here and don’t move, okay? Don’t turn on the light, don’t turn off the light. Don’t even scratch your nose.” 

Dean leaves the pouting Sam quickly behind, who’s making weird facial expressions because now his nose itches.   So Sam scratches his nose! This most outrageous room is shown in a wide shot, which just adds to the absurdity ten fold. The loud floral wallpaper, the room divider made of circles and the giant red circle behind Sam? Oh that’s rich.

 

Okay, now we’re in Queens and I’m going to skip ahead a bit because I don’t like Bela. She is on the phone bitching about some deal and sees Dean on the security camera. She handles the rabbit’s foot with tongs and goes for her gun. By the front door that alarm going off and a sticky note that says “Turn Around.” She does and there’s Dean pointing a gun at her. “You left without your tip.” Bela draws her gun, so I guess this is a draw.