Recap: “In The Beginning”

Enjoy this one! It raises some major questions, and has tons of fun at the expense of a misplaced Pinto. :))

Noooooo!!!! To Be Continued???? Damn you…oh forget it. I’ve cursed Kripke’s name so many times it’s lost all meaning now.

Dean was pulled out of Hell to stop Sam! Mary was a hunter! Mary sold Sam’s soul in exchange for John’s life! Dean and Sam’s grandpa rocks! There I go with those damn exclamation points again!

Deep breath everybody…in…out…better? Hold on. Ahhhhhhh!!!!!! Okay, better.

I know when I’ve seen a great episode that affects me forever. It’s not the jaw dropping intensity of the drama, the out of this stratosphere acting that makes you wonder why genre shows like this are never recognized by the Emmy panel, the superior writing that makes me rush to my laptop to tweak yet again my own manuscript, or the fact that when the episode is over I’m so stunned I’m holding the remote and staring at the screen in disbelief for over an hour.

No, an episode for me is deemed great after the sleepless night. When the events of what I just witnessed play in my head over and over again and I can’t shut it off. When I wake up the next morning an emotional and exhausted wreck, so profoundly affected by what I saw that I struggle with basic function, then yes, I’ve watched the episode of a lifetime. It happened to me numerous times during the second season of The West Wing. It happened after Mystery Spot. It happened after No Rest For The Wicked and Lazarus Rising. Now here we are again, only two weeks later with In The Beginning. Mr. Kripke, you’re killing me!

Not just Eric Kripke but everyone. To think, one of the two leads wasn’t even in this one (except for a brief glimpse) and they still pulled off a classic with the best guest casting of the series, or of all television. Mitch Pileggi MUST get some sort of award for this one. Misha Collins continues to blow our minds, again giving us a chilling closing line that we can’t shake. The young Mary (Amy Gumenick) and John (Matthew Cohen) are two unknowns that we may be seeing a lot of in the future in other places after this one. They made a huge impression.

I did miss Sam, even though this story was for his benefit. His absence served its point, so I’ll let it pass. The only thing I won’t let pass is why was Dean driving a 1979 Ford Pinto in 1973. My family drove Pintos while I was growing up so I know. There, nitpicks over. Time for the pages of gushing now.

Who Needs Classic Rock?

This is a packed full episode, so no time for musical montages. There’s a great recap of season one for those of us that don’t remember all those unanswered questions that we’re still overly speculating about. They even showed Mary apologizing to Sam in Home. It’s about time that one was cleared up!

The writer this week is the most incredible, awe inspiring, master of storytelling and dialogue known as Jeremy Carver (I’m still openly begging for that interview). The director is Steve Boyum, who I haven’t had the pleasure of praising before. He previously directed Crossroad Blues and Dream A Little Dream of Me and added a gem here to his list.

Let’s Begin

Dean is asleep on the bed, and obviously he got back from something exhausting since he’s on top of the covers and has his clothes on. Sam has that tough guy ready to waste some demons glare, and he does the sneak out on Dean. Take a good look at that gorgeous face for that’s the last you see him until next week. Mitch Pileggi in an interview said that Jared went to Hawaii while this episode was filmed. As a joke, the crew taped postcards from Hawaii on the front of the camera while filming to irk Jensen. That story alone makes Sam’s absence worth it.

It’s the Willow Tree motel! That’s the similiar sign from “Mystery Spot,” the motel Sam went to dig that bullet out of his ribs. Granted the inside is different, but I guess reusing signs is allowed. They did that with A Very Supernatural Christmas too (Cicero Pines), so I wonder if this is a norm for Jeremy Carver episodes. Probably just a coincidence.

Dean dreams of the red and black flashes from Hell again and there’s Castiel. I heard all those squeals of joy! Awesome how he pops in and out like that and when Sam isn’t around. He’s an imaginary friend or something. You have to stop it. Before Dean gets an answer, the magic angel fingers go in between the eyes and he’s being woken from a park bench. No time for a long slow setup.

Dean’s cell phone doesn’t work and the park bench says Sugar Free Tab. He ain’t in Kansas anymore more. Oh wait¦ Dean, didn’t you notice all the classic cars around? You’d think a car guy like him would be in paradise. Also, isn’t this the same town square from Smallville? Yeah, I’m sure I could fill a whole article on shared sets of Vancouver shows.

Rambling Man by the Allman Brothers plays on the juke box as Dean enters the diner, which is another time warp error since that song wasn’t released until August 25th of that year. Yes, I know my classic rock too. Dean asks the person next to him where he can get reception on his cell phone and I yelled out Starship Enterprise! a second before the other guy said it. Who didn’t see that one coming? The kicker though is the devastation of the waiter (I want one of those fuzzy vests) and other man when Dean mentions that Sonny and Cher broke up. He finally figures something is wrong, and the date on the newspaper confirms it. April 30, 1973. Could it be all that nastiness happens on May 2nd, the day Sam was born? Possible, since Jess and Mary both died on November 2nd.

Now we get the obligatory Back To The Future, reenactment, and luckily this turns out to be the only one. I was afraid we’d have a whole episode of this. Someone shouts Hey Winchester and both Dean and other guy look. The man talks to the other guy and calls him John. Dean stares in shock, using the exact same look Michael J. Fox did when he saw George McFly. Dad? John gets nervous and leaves behind one very bothered Dean. I’d say that was the right time for the birds of the apocalypse.
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Dean rounds the corner and there’s lovely Castiel again. For a guy that never smiles and always has a rumpled appearance, he’s great on the eyes. Dean gives my favorite line of the episode. So what is it, angels got their hands on some DeLoreans? I’m still laughing over that, and plan to somehow work that into regular conversation. Castiel says again, You have to stop it. How heartbreaking when we find out what it is. Of course he disappears again before Dean gets the answer. Are you allergic to straight answers you son of a bitch? I don’t think that’s getting you answers Dean. How about please? Angels are temperamental if you haven’t figured that out.

John’s car shopping and what a sight for sore eyes. The Metallicar looks exactly the same. It’s even dirty. Dean talks John into buying the Impala instead of the VW bus. So who talked him into it before? Oh yes, the destiny thing. $2204 for the Impala? That still seems to be a lot for a used car. Starting price was $2800 new in 1967, and this is not an Impala packed with features. It’s confirmed, the Impala is a 327 4 barrel, 275 horses. Ha! Someone’s been reading my speculation on the specs for the Impala. Thanks for clarifying that.

Trust me, this thing is still going to be badass when it’s 40. Sure, considering she had to be rebuilt, of course she’s in great shape. Dean starts the awkward conversation with his dad by asking about cold spots, sulfur, and cattle mutilations. Sure, that’s exactly what I want to say to my dad when I travel back in time. Seen any dead cows lately? Dean goes away, John wisely buys the car.

John pulls up in his new Impala, and Dean pulls up in that time warped 79 Pinto. Angels must be pretty talented, for they can transport vehicles too.  Dean is in shock over seeing the younger version of his mom.  Later, while watching the young, star crossed lovers through the window at the diner, a still in awe Dean admits Mary is a babe. “I’m going to Hell. Again.” That’s so priceless.  After John and Mary have a sweet conversation discussing the future, Mary excuses herself.  Dean spies on John looking at the engagement ring that he obviously plans to give Mary, and then Mary comes up behind Dean and starts kicking his ass! Dean eventually overtakes her and his shock is the same as ours once he sees her bracelet.  She’s a hunter!  Um, er, yeah, I guess that explains a lot.

John pulls up in his new Impala, and Dean pulls up in that time warped 79 Pinto. Angels must be pretty talented, for they can transport vehicles too.  Dean is in shock over seeing the younger version of his mom.  Later, while watching the young, star crossed lovers through the window at the diner, a still in awe Dean admits Mary is a babe. I’m going to Hell. Again. That’s so priceless.  After John and Mary have a sweet conversation discussing the future, Mary excuses herself.  Dean spies on John looking at the engagement ring that he obviously plans to give Mary, and then Mary comes up behind Dean and starts kicking his ass! Dean eventually overtakes her and his shock is the same as ours once he sees her bracelet.  She’s a hunter!  Um, er, yeah, I guess that explains a lot.

John brings Mary home in the new Impala (new to him anyway) and I guess they got to finish their date.  Dean appears and insists on meeting her family of hunters, pulling the I’m a hunter too card.  He gets introduced to Mary’s dad, who basically hates other hunters and doesn’t want Dean in his house.  Mary’s mom does an introduction though, Deanna and Samuel Campbell. So Dean was named after his grandmother and Sam grandpa? How funny. Why didn’t Dean know this? Didn’t he never look at a family tree?

Dean’s at the dinner table, throwing around the mistrust with the Campbell family. They aren’t the Bradys, that’s for sure.  Mary wants to know why Dean was following her and John.  He thought something was up with her “boyfriend,” but apparently he was wrong.  Good cover!  Samuel talks about John Winchester with a “sour lemon look.”  John is a nice “civilian” guy.  Oh, just wait and see what happens to him.  Mary asks if he’d rather see her with a guy like Dean, and suddenly Dean feels a bit awkward, breaking in with the “no, no” answer.  After both Dean and Samuel refuse to talk about what jobs they’re on, Mary spills the beans about something suspicious at a nearby farm, a death involving a combine when the crops are all dead.  Dean gets it, demonic omens.  Dean asks, “Did you find anything on the web?” then covers his tracks, throwing in “of information.”  Deana says it could be electrical storms, and the weather graphs will be there on Friday.  Dean says “That long?” and Samuel quips, No, we hired a jetliner to fly it here to us overnight. Ha! How did people survive before the Internet and Federal Express?  Dean insists they work together, but Samuel is an old school hunter.  “What part of ‘we work alone’ did you not understand son?”