Supernatural Comfort Food – Seasons 2 & 3
I’ve discovered that my comfort food episodes all come from seasons 1, 2 and 3. I think that’s because things weren’t quite so big then – not that the big epic arcs are bad, but for comfort food, I prefer my meatloaf and pancakes to chicken cordon bleu. Both are equally yummy, I just find the simpler more comforting, so I go there more often.
In Part 1, I looked at “Wendigo”, “Scarecrow”, “Faith”, and “Something Wicked” – all Season 1 episodes. Here in Part 2 we’ll look at “Everybody Loves a Clown”, “Crossroad Blues”, “Nightshifter”, “Bad Day at Black Rock”, and “Fresh Blood”, the rest of my comfort food episodes.
There’s something about “Everybody Loves a Clown” for me – the music, Dean working on the car, Sam and Dean in t-shirts, the introduction of Ellen, Jo, and Ash, walking down a lonely dusty road and the final moment as Sam confesses that he’s not doing well, but that neither is Dean – that just is very watchable to me. There are light moments as Dean teases Sam about his fear of clowns, and Sam reminds him of his fear of flying: “Planes crash! And apparently clowns kill!” On a rainy day or a snowy/cold day, or a day I’m curled up on the couch feeling ill, “Everybody Loves a Clown” is one I’ll put in and enjoy.
“Crossroad Blues” foreshadows so much of the rest of the season for Dean, and also informs so much of the Winchester family as a whole. Dean realizes John made a deal for his life, which lays the foundation for Dean’s deal in “AHBLII” for Sam’s – and unbeknownst at the time simply follows the path first paved by Mary, something we don’t learn about until Season 4’s “In The Beginning”. Meeting George Darrow, the doomed artist who asked for talent, told us all we needed to know about how Dean was inside: “I’m tired, maybe my life will be worth something”; George accepted that he had made his fate, and he wasn’t going to run from it. It all plays out tragically in Dean’s words and actions, both in Season 2 as well as in “No Rest For the Wicked” as Dean wasn’t about to make any more deals, nor was he going to sit by while Sam did. (“Either we go in smart, or we don’t go in at all. I’m not going to let you go to hell, Dean! Yes you are!”) We meet the crossroads demon for the first time, but certainly not the last. Dean gets confirmation that Dad is in Hell, for him, and Sam realizes that Dean is on a very shaky path – one that only gets worse as time marches on. For comfort food it’s not that comforting, admittedly, but it’s one I go back to time and time again.
Hello, Ronald Reznick! “Nightshifter” brings back shapeshifters, a favorite in the SPN universe over the seasons, introduces Victor Henriksen, puts the FBI in the mix of law enforcement agencies hunting the Winchesters, and gives us an awesome Styx song at the end as the boys roar off at the end, having eluded their newest foe. Set in the tight confines of a bank that is surrounded by local law enforcement and the FBI, it’s beautifully shot in shadows, with light filtering through the windows, and plenty of surprises as the boys try to figure out who the shapeshifter is as it morphs from one person to the next. I love this episode, and “Renegade’s” opening mournful lyrics add layers to the already heavy burdens the boys carry and seems true to their lives.
“Bad Day At Black Rock” debuts Bella Talbot, John’s storage locker, BigGerson’s, shows off Jared’s excellent comedic side, and introduces us to the hapless Kubrick and Creedy. In John’s storage locker we find mementos of his sons’ younger years: Dean’s first sawed of shotgun, Sam’s soccer trophy…aww! It’s also personal to both boys, as Sam longed for normal, and Dean longed to be just what his father wanted. It shows John cherished both his sons and their individuality. From Sam’s “I lost my shoe” to Dean’s “I’m Batman” there are plenty of laugh out loud moments to cherish in this dark comedy, replete with death by impalement on a kitchen utensil, Sam nearly burning down a motel room, and Dean and Bella facing off in a gunfight in her swanky NYC apartment. I love “Bad Day At Black Rock”.
“Fresh Blood” bids adieu to Gordon Walker, shows a sadder side to being a vampire as Dixon speaks of his pain of watching his family killed before his eyes, and has two of the finest brotherly moments of the series (which has a lot of fine brotherly moments) with Sam calling Dean out on his reckless behavior saying he knows it’s a front to hide Dean’s fear, then Dean’s response at the end of the episode. I love the line as Sam tells Dean to knock the crap off and just be his brother again, just ‘cause. He can’t say what he knows is coming; it’s just too painful. In the end, Dean doesn’t use words to convey his change to Sam, choosing to show through his actions that he’s heard him – so typical of men – and we get car maintenance 101 which is all about the brothers being brothers. I’ll pull out “Fresh Blood” just to watch those two brotherly moments at times, I adore them that much.
There you have it, my comfort food episodes for Supernatural. It’s not to say there aren’t other episodes in all the other seasons that I don’t sit back and watch just ‘cause, but these are the ones that I enjoy the most. Not the biggest and brightest; they just have moments or characters that speak to me in a fairly nostalgic way.
I hope you will chime in with your special episodes, whatever they may be.
As always, thanks for reading, Elle2
Screencaps courtesy of www.homeofthenutty.com
Elle – Awesome representation of episodes for comfort food! There are soooo many to choose from!!! Could the music choices be more perfect for Nightshifter and Fresh Blood? I don’t know how! It always amazes me how Show manages to find that perfect song. And the episodes themselves? As you pointed out – each one of them had such yummy goodness! The scene between Sam and Dean at the end of Fresh Blood, all of the brothers interactions in Nightshifter – not to mention Ronald! Deans heartache during the Crossroads Demons conversation… Sam reaching out at the end of Everybody Loves a Clown and Deans crowbar to the Impala… You hit them all and yet there is still so much more!!! Awwww… that did it!!! *runs off to load up the DVD player…*
Hi, AlyCat22,
There are so many to choose from. I love my annual rewatch of the first three seasons — and I never miss an episode, yes, even Bugs and Route 666; I love all the brotherly moments in those two. Hmmm, maybe I’ll write on article related to that for the next (no, don’t say it!) hiatus.
I love the the things you pointed out from those episodes. They’re old ‘friends’ and fun to hang out with.
elle2 this is hard because s2 is my favorite season. but since we are going with comfort and the eps I gather we watch the most?
houses of the holy- sam in full on white from head to toe is so sexy…and I just love that this boy has faith.
heart-breaks mine every time.
playthings- sam drunk…breaks my heart again…and the teasing…love the teasing.
roadkill..don’t know why…just really like this ep
crotoan/hunted, ahbl1&2, Hollywood Babylon….the whole season is comfort food. 😀 there is only one ep I didn’t like….no exit….all the rest were gold…;)
season 3 a really great season…
bad day at black rock
mystery spot
fresh blood
a very supernatural Christmas
honorary members : bedtime stories and ghostfacers
Hi, Sugarhi15
There are so many good ones in season 2, and I love all the ones you mentioned as well. Season 3 is perhaps my favorite Season, I don’t always know why, and Bedtime Stories is a great ep. It probably should have made it into this list. I enjoy that episode a lot.
Thanks for adding your faves. It’s fun to remember.
S2 Heart
S3 Yellow Fever
Two more that are can’t miss episodes. Heart because that was the episode. We all have that one. For some it was the pilot, for others it was a later episode. But we all have that one that hooked us forever.
Yellow Fever because it was so much fun.
I am so enjoying these articles. Thank you so much.
Hi, Cherly142,
You named some great ones. You’re right, there are some episodes that just hook you and never let you go. Heart is really great, Sam’s pain, Dean’s pain at Sam’s pain, that ending…man, that ending! Yellow Fever was a lot of fun, and hey: Eye of the Tiger! That never gets old. I remember when they promo’d the ‘special’ event at the end of the episode…and there it was in all its glory on broadcast television. Very cool!
As always I really enjoyed reading your article Elle2,so TNX!
I really liked all the episodes you mentioned and you described them nicely! I also LOVE s2 and s3 so I watch almost all of their episodes with joy,but as a comfort food I love the episodes you named and these episodes below:
S2:Tall Tales,Folsom Prison Blues,What Is and What Should Never Be
S3:it’s really hard to choose as I almost loved all of them but as sth I would watch anytime I would choose The Kids Are Alright, A Very Supernatural Christmas, Jus in Bello,Dream a Little Dream of Me,Mystery Spot (in addition to the ones you named,so I practically named almost all of this season’s episodes 😀 )
TNX again:)
Hi, Taraneh,
Don’t think I’ve ‘chatted’ with you before — so, hello! Thanks for teh comment. I’m glad you enjoy reading what I write — that’s why I do it (well, after my own enjoyment of writing that is. 😉 )
I think because I found this show in Season 3, which was in the midst of a writers’ strike as well as the ‘death’ of one of my past favorite shows all at the same time, and I spent about 2 months cramming in everything from Pilot to Jus In Bello that I could find, well, I think that’s why those earlier seasons have such a hold on me: I binged them all together in a very short period of time and they just got their hooks into me, and have never let go.
I love all the ones you put in your list — it’s so hard to choose!
I have an article slowly simmering on my computer (meaning that I have the episodes chosen and a few notes on a couple of them typed up) on my Top Ten Supernatural Episodes…that probably won’t come out until the next hiatus though. I’ve gotten a lot of writing in this time, but with some of my other shows returning that I write reviews for, it’s time to buckle down and get reviewing. Some of the ones you mentioned in your comment, are definitely in my Top Ten list. 🙂
Thanks for writing, and thanks for adding to the list!
How can you pick a top ten episodes elle2? I’d right off the bat have to pick the first 60 episodes shown! Maybe even 61!
It would be so much easier for me to pick the ten I “enjoy” the least out of the more than 200 now.
Agree wholeheartedly with your seasons 2 and 3 comfort episodes. Would like to add Tall Tales, What is and What Should Never Be, In My Time of Dying, (the Trickster, Dean and his mom and Sammy desperately trying to contact his comatose brother and Dad’s sacrifice for his eldest).
Cannot leave out Mystery Spot (Sam’s frantic and desperate hug when Wednesday rolled around again), Supernatural Christmas (my favourite Christmas show), Bedtime Stories (Dean’s walk away from Sam down the hospital corridor previewing his journey to hell gets me every time, “Is that what you want me to do Dean? Just…let you go?”), Malleus Maleficarum (Dean’s desperate stabbing of Tammy and being saved by Ruby) and etc. etc.
Loved Playthings for the gay teasing and drunken Sam “you’re bossy, and short! Ha!” And on and on. I could pick each one for something emotional , funny or heart-rending.
Yes, from the Pilot on to Lazarus Rising are ALL my comfort foods!
Hi, Bevie,
I love that scene from Bedtime Stories that you wrote on…just love it! I already have another article in mind along the lines of “those episodes that get a bad rep, and why I love them anyway” (definitely a working title there 😉 but you get the idea. Bedtime Stories goes into that category. I’m trying to ‘chunk’ my articles into manageable bites, so I keep the episodes to somewhere around ten, give or take, because that’s manageable to write, find pics and/or vids for and keep the memories rolling.
How can I pick a top ten? Well, that’s why I get paid the big bucks! 😀 No seriously, it is not easy. Hopefully, when I get that article compiled — likely in time for March break (I’m guessing but it sounds about the right timetable) you’ll see my rationale. When I write these articles, though, I get so much enjoyment, aside from the writing, from reading everyone else’s lists. It causes me to say, hey, I gotta find (make) time and pull out my DVDs for some viewing…and where’s the popcorn!)
Great comments. I love how you put in your favorite scenes or characters or lines…brings it all alive again. Thank you!
Hey,
These articles were great. A lot of things have happened after the new year and I have been making this video for a while. It has just this conversation at the start that you wrote:
[quote]and has two of the finest brotherly moments of the series (which has a lot of fine brotherly moments) with Sam calling Dean out on his reckless behavior saying he knows it’s a front to hide Dean’s fear, then Dean’s response at the end of the episode. I love the line as Sam tells Dean to knock the crap off and just be his brother again, just ‘cause.[/quote]
So rather than writing I guess I can offer you this treat (hopefully) As a song it has “A Single Man Tear” with the exorcism that I loved big time. Few others that I know liked it too so this is for them also.
I used mostly season 1-3 so that fits to your posts too. The vid is called: [b]The Brothers[/b] well, just ’cause.:)
[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWiwbLmlh3A[/video]
– Lilah