Supernatural “Nihilism” Easter Egg Hunt: Rocky’s Bar!
Supernatural 14.11 “Damaged Goods” left much of the Supernatural family devastated, frantically worried about Dean. Since we can’t do anything but wait and worry until we learn how Sam and Castiel will save Dean, let’s lighten the mood a bit and have some Supernatural fun!
In Supernatural‘s 14.10 “Nihilism”, the archangel Michael locked Dean into a dream world within his own mind. Thinking contentment would keep Dean pacified, Dean became the owner and bar keep at a quaint home town establishment called Rocky’s Bar. This was both Dean’s perfect retirement scenario and fans’ dreams come true! The decor in the bar was a virtual treasure trove of call backs to earlier episodes, and Easter eggs of references that only dedicated Supernatural fans would recognize. Let’s go on a virtual tour of the bar and see what we can uncover along the way!
I’ve done some of the research for you, identifying obvious references and hidden gems. I also enlisted the help of Deb, @Drzyley on Twitter, to get the ball rolling on finding some Easter Eggs of earlier Supernatural episodes. The rest is up to you! I’ll provide the screen shots; YOU make the connections with earlier episodes or fan insider information! Who’s up for a trivia treasure hunt?
Inside Jokes and Behind the Scenes Shout Outs
Who knew that Crowley’s nickname for Dean – Rocky, the flying squirrel, and Sam – Bullwinkle, the moose, would be adopted as the boys’ alter egos! Dean named his bar Rocky’s, perhaps as a subconscious homage to his frenemy?
The children’s show characters of Rocky and Bullwinkle are always together, so they both proudly welcomed us to the bar!
The neon sign in the bar’s front window advertises Tom’s Tequilla. Superwiki suspects that Tom refers to director Thomas J. Wright, an accomplished director who has worked on the show every year since season 7.
Note the jukebox under the moose head. Your first challenge: has that appeared in prior Supernatural episodes? It’s one of several in the bar. Can you find and identify the others as well?
Dean’s Office
So the arcade game in the back office of #RockysBar was the same one at the #Roadhouse s02e02 #Supernatural #Eastereggs 14×10 @WinFamBusiness https://t.co/AyOEdnMPaN pic.twitter.com/yJ9qEdjEQl
— deb ryzley (@DRyzley) January 19, 2019
@WinFamBusiness #Supernatural Behind #Dean‘s head is that an Japanese Anime calendar? pic.twitter.com/S1tUUqRltF
deb ryzley (@DRyzley) January 19, 2019
Family Business Beer Company
@WinFamBusiness #Supernatural When #Dean is doing paperwork one of the receipts is for #FamilyBusiness Could it be a real one? #EasterEggs #nihilism #14×10 pic.twitter.com/gc3S966M18
— deb ryzley (@DRyzley) January 18, 2019
Here’s the real brewery’s logo as a comparison:
The Lone Star Brewery, built in 1884, was the first large mechanized brewery in Texas. Adolphus Busch, of Anheuser-Busch, founded it along with a group of San Antonio businessmen. The castle-like building now houses the San Antonio Museum of Art. Lone Star beer was the company’s main brand. It was marketed as “The National Beer of Texas.” The Lone Star name is now owned by Pabst Brewing Company. Production of Lone Star is currently contracted out to Miller Brewing Company in Fort Worth.
@WinFamBusiness #super #ElSol sign. An oldy but a goody pic.twitter.com/PpFHMKGxRM
— deb ryzley (@DRyzley) January 19, 2019
Cowboy/Western Motif
Supernatural History
Dean would want a pool table for his own enjoyment for sure, but maybe it’s used by other hunters who need to hustle unsuspecting patrons?
Treasures from old episodes can be found in every corner of the bar!
This little guy was found by Anna Little, …then authenticated by Deb.
— deb ryzley (@DRyzley) January 19, 2019
Front and rear views of the strange little monkey who likes to sit on bar counters?
Here’s a closeup of the guy.
@WinFamBusiness #Supernatural pic.twitter.com/U32mDqCEcZ
— deb ryzley (@DRyzley) January 18, 2019
Any ideas if or where the matador‘s appeared before? He has to have a story!
@WinFamBusiness #Supernatural The original license plate #KAZ2Y5 for #Baby the 2 photos are of the #67chevyImpala pic.twitter.com/ZyROGmHrGw
— deb ryzley (@DRyzley) January 19, 2019
If we zoom in, you can clearly see Baby in the left picture, but is that a front view of the Impala on the right? What do you make of that?
The bar itself has an iconic call back to another passion of Dean’s, revealed in 13.14 “Scoobynatural”. Ever the romantic, I’m surprised Dean’s dream didn’t substitute his name for Fred’s in their carved heart!
Hidden behind the bar, is Dean’s weapon of choice against vampires! Are there any classic moments when Dean used this gun?
@WinFamBusiness #Supernatural The sawed off shotgun from the earlier seasons pic.twitter.com/LBjNm6EBJv
— deb ryzley (@DRyzley) January 19, 2019
Next to the bar, we see another old arcade game. The running stag implies it’s a “hunting” game. Have we seen it before on Supernatural?
I’m also intrigued by the umbrella stand next to the front door. Can you make out the image on the can? Doesn’t it seem odd that Dean would worry about water dripping on his floor? That is either a call back from the deep corners of Dean’s memories, or a visual cue to the water Thread of the episode. Any ideas?
Over the door are two prize winning fish, perhaps a memory of Dean’s time fishing with his dad?
Before Jack took Dean fishing in 14.8 “Byzantium”, do you remember any references to Dean enjoying fishing as a pastime?
A pastime that Dean has frequently mentioned is his love of Las Vegas gambling! His bar wouldn’t be complete without a slot machine!
Have we ever seen Dean play this machine before?
As we finish our tour and get ready to leave Rocky’s, we look back to say goodbye to Dean and Pamela. This last glimpse reveals business cards around an old fashioned public phone that’s rarely seen any more. Dean’s nostalgia peeking through? There’s also a large pin up poster in his office. That’s a curiosity worth examining from Dean’s psyche!
If you enjoy finding the hidden set treasures of Supernatural, check out our other Visual Reviews! Ranging from specials on motels and wallpaper, to episode color themes and motifs, to our Memorable Moments series, you’ll be amazed at the set design details that go into every episode!
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