Okay, remember how I mentioned horrifying and squirmy? This part is enough to make you lose your Christmas cookies. Mr. God takes the rusty pliers over to Sam and tells them they’re lucky. People used to come around for miles to sit where they are. Back to Dean who is due for another arm slicing. Here we go with one of the best lines of the series! “If you fudging touch me again, I’ll fudging kill ya.” I have to pause to fall on the floor and laugh, for there’s no time during this fast paced scene and it gets pretty gruesome from here. She tells him very good and slices the other arm.
Back to Mr. God, smiling with delight as he forces open Sam’s hand and a really freaked out Sam and tells him “Don’t.” Nope, not stopping him. Mr. God clamps the pliers onto Sam’s finger and proceeds with one perfect jerk to pull off his whole fingernail! Of course the visual effects guys weren’t going to pass up that opportunity and somehow the network didn’t care either, so we get to see every gruesome detail of the fingernail being pulled off, right down to Sam’s chilling yell of agony and the gaping red spot where his nail used to be. Yes, this is a Christmas special. Somehow, I don’t remember this happening on Rudolph. What’s wrong with you Kripke?
Mr. God joyfully proclaims the fingernail is a “winner” while Sam is writhing in extreme agony. They add the fingernail to the bowl of blood and realize something is missing. “Sweet Peter on a popsicle stick, the tooth.” Uh oh. I’m not sure what I’m chilled over more. A tooth yanking or the fact “Sweet Peter on a popsicle stick,” was said. While Mr. God grabs the pilers, Dean works in a chance to tell a still agonizing Sam “Merry Christmas.” He appropriately gets an “uh” back. “Open wide and say ‘ah’.” The rusty pliers go into Dean’s mouth and are clamped onto one of his teeth. Oh, I can’t watch. Teeth pulling is my weakness. Yeah, like fingernail pulling isn’t.
Oh, but we are spared! I guess the network does have standards after all. The doorbell rings. Dean, with pliers still in his mouth manages to make a friendly suggestion. “Is somebody going to get that?” The angle shows Mr. and Mrs. God considering it while Sam looks faint from pain. The doorbell rings again. “You should get that,” Dean suggests again. Mr. God puts down the pliers, Mrs. God gets all huffy over the interruption but they go to the door.
At the door is another evil, I mean perky neighbor with an obnoxious reindeer sweatshirt and a fruitcake. Why don’t they want to eat her? No one will mind. After an extreme exchange of good neighbor holiday wishes, the Gods get out of caroling because of Mr. God’s “bad back.” I guess that’s code for “about to eat humans.” The Gods say their cheery goodbyes, close the front door, roll their eyes, drop the fruitcake and Mr. God steps on it. Even Pagans hate fruitcake! That should tell us something.
They go back with delight and uh oh, Sam and Dean have escaped. They shut the Pagans in the kitchen and try to hold the doors shut. Given that these are really strong Pagans, that won’t last long. Dean pulls out a nearby drawer to wedge the door temporarily, and joins Sam in the living room. They’re still screwed for their weapons are in the basement. Sam looks at the decked out real holiday tree and gets an idea. They move the china closet in front of the door and rip apart the tree, creating their new weapons. All I’m thinking is Sam’s experiencing too much of an adrenaline rush to notice he’s doing this while HIS FREAKING FINGERNAIL IS MISSING.
Each has their impromptu weapon now but Mr. God comes out and attacks Dean from behind. Mrs. God moves on Sam, not at all happy that her tree was destroyed. She knocks him against the wall with one punch. Mr. God wails on Dean some more and Mrs. God charges Sam but gets knocked away. She gets up just in time to get a sharp Christmas tree branch plunged into her gut. Rats! Charlie Brown would say. This distracts Mr. God who then gets a staking of his own from Dean, with full squishy sound effects I might add. Sam plunges the branch in deeper just for the brutality effect and looks pretty psycho doing it. Final shot is both Pagans on the floor dead, Christmas tree branches sticking out of their middles. Sam, realizing yet another one of his Christmases is ruined, tells Dean “Merry Christmas.” Final shot shows a bright blue ornament still perfectly attached to the stake that killed Mr. God along with a bell chime. You sick bastards.
But that isn’t even close to the end of it. It’s 1991 again and it’s the tale of two Christmases, both evoking the same amount of tears. Young Dean wakes up Young Sam, joyfully announcing their dad was there. He brought presents. Sam wonders why he didn’t wake him. Dean lies and says he tried like fifty times. You mean this bastard actually skipped out on Christmas with his kids? For a hunt? What a crappy Dad. There is a decorated tree there and lots of presents. Sam goes over and grabs a couple of presents in a bit of excitement. Man, it looks like he’s never had presents before. That’s really sad. He rips into one of them and it’s a Sapphire Barbie. I actually know some boys that would enjoy that present. Okay, grown men. Ditto for the sparkly baton he opens next.
The jig is up for Young Dean, for he stole them from a nice looking house up the block. He apologizes, for he didn’t know they were chick presents. The other jig is up, John was never there. “I’m sure he would have been here if he could.” “If he’s alive,” Sam answers. Dean insists he’s alive, and I’m not sure if it’s inspirational or pathetic that Young Dean has such faith in his Dad like that. Young Sam turns his disappointment though into a landmark event for these brothers. He hands the gift he was going to give John and gives it to Young Dean. He doesn’t accept it at first, saying its Dad’s, but Young Sam insists. “Dad lied to me. I want you to have it.”
This is a very symbolic moment, for Sam is passing on the duties of the father figure and guardian from John over to Dean. We can strongly speculate this is the point where Sam and John’s relationship turns bitter. Young Dean unwraps the gift and it’s none other than the amulet that Dean is never seen without (fine, except in season five. Damn you Castiel!) The amulet was a Christmas gift from Sam? Aww, how can I hold up from that? Young Dean says he loves it and puts it around his neck. Nope, I’m not holding up at all.
Hi Alice
Loved the recap. Always enjoyable…Thank-you!
I have added this episode as part of my yearly Christmas shows that I have to watch at least once. I think it lines up well with Bill Murray’s Scrooged.
Of course can’t forget the classics! A Christmas Carol (Alastair Sims version), It’s a Wonderful Life, Holiday Inn, White Christmas, Going My Way, A Muppets Christmas Carol (no, not kidding):oops
Man! I’m a total Sap around this time of year!
Karen, I’m a total Sap at this time of year too. Alice, once again a recap masterpiece. So much in the episode, as you pointed out, and so much a tribute to the Christmas spirit. I guess Kripke’s friends would think he needs a psychoanalyzing because they really don’t get the message he was sending, in his own SPN way. Their loss; our gain!
What Bobby meant by the amulet as being special, is open to interpretation. From the series aspect, no one thought the show was going to be around in season 5, so the original idea behind the amulet being ‘special’ was just for Sam to think the gift he was giving would be exception to Dad, a way to once again try to reach his father. Something so special, his Dad would have to sit up and take notice of Sam. Something Dean did Sam’s entire life. At this point in the series, the amulet was not endowed with any magical abilities. That developed between season 4 and 5, and I hope when it’s returned to Dean, it’s ‘magic’ will give us all the same warm and tingly feelings the amulet did when it was first given to Dean. The final domino in cementing the boy’s relationship before facing Lucifer. That would be fabulous to see!
You are completely right with the concept that Sam gave his special gift to Dean because he finally realized Dean meant much more to him than Dad did. This wasn’t something he didn’t know for a while either, just something he now could accept. I guess I would say, Dad’s not showing up for Christmas was just the last straw for Sammy.
It’s funny to know Jared REALLY spiked Dean drink! I didn’t know that before. Those two seem to have so much fun together…and it really comes across in the show. Hummmmm…wonder if in another life, Jensen and Jared really WERE brothers. 😮
The intense silence between the boys after the toast did contain all the ideas you brought out, but I think it would have meant a LOT to Dean to hear it verbalized, and it would have been so good for Sam’s soul to speak it. Maybe the return of the amulet will remind the boys of that moment, and why, for their lives, all that matters is being together.
Only thing I missed was a screencap of the Merry Christmas on the wall. Like what you have on the count-down clock. Really would like to have it for wallpaper for the holidays. Can you post it please?
Just Pong? Didn’t the Odyssey have a couple of other games, too, like Son of Pong?
Not funny? Oh well. 😎
Anyone ever screw up a fingernail? It hurts like a MOFO and I cannot even fathom having one completely torn out. That’s right up there with the melonballer.
Totally awesome recap of a, like, gnarly episode. (is Valley Girl speech too new for the youth of us old people?) I know Xmas is over, but I think I’ll watch this again when I get out of work.
That was wonderful Alice! Got me all teary again.
That episode is an A+ for me too. An up and down roller coaster of hoots of laughter and sobbing tears, one after another. The final shot of them through the window with the lights reflected on baby and knowing that it is Dean’s last Christmas just gets my waterworks gushing. Those poor boys! I love them so.
This is my one and only traditional Christmas show. I guess I’m sorta a grinch as well as Sam.
Sweet Peter on a popsicle stick! Those gods were absolutely fabulous characters. So very funny and macabre and creepy altogether. The actors were just perfect in their parts.
And we need that amulet back. Come on Cas, get a move on with your quest. Dean wants it back. (By the way, where is his ring and bracelet? Did Cas steal them too? I miss them also.)
What a great recap. This is my very favorite episode. There is not a single wrong note and every time I watch I catch something new and wonderful. I “strongly encouraged” several friends to record this episode this year and think it is a wonderful introduction to our wonderful show.
I recently watched this wonderful episode again when it was on television on Christmas Eve, and like grayj1133, I also usually catch something new every time I watch it. Therefore, I will have to disagree with her statement that there is not a single wrong note since I caught one with the last viewing. As the screen shots show in this recap, Dean’s jacket collar was initially down when Sam handed him the eggnog, but then the jacket collar was up when he was drinking the eggnog. This inconsistency in collar positions happens another couple of times before Dean finally takes off the jacket. Within what is about a minute of screen time, Dean’s collar starts off down when entering the motel room; then it is up; then it is down again; then up again; then down again; and when he finally takes off the jacket, the collar is up again. Such an unimportant inconsistency will never prevent me from loving this episode; however, I know I will never be able to watch the final motel scene in this episode again without having a mental image of Dean flipping the collar of his leather jacket up and down – not a bad mental image at all actually – in fact, it might even add to my love of this episode.
Alice, thanks so much for this recap, another of my favourite episodes re-invented…. You’re a master! I adore how your account of this episode matches the dark humour of it. You can’t watch a tooth pulled out? Wuss… 😉
Well, here comes my wuss-moment: I have a problem with the fingernail – I had a small accident in a pool once, slipped and ripped one nail (on my foot) out, there’s a lot of blood, actually (come on, you can’t expect me to be gentle after such an episode). It grew back, of course, but I remember the pain as if it had been yesterday (I was about fifteen at the time)… So, every time I watch that scene, I’m tempted to scream along with Sam… (yep Randal, I’ve had it…)
And I think you’re right, the Easter Bunny tradition (I believe) is of German but also French (Alsace, if I’m not mistaken) origin, going back to a German fertility Goddess. I don’t really care for the bunnies, though, Christmas is hardly gone and you already find the chocolate bunnies in some shops… Come on, it’s still freezing out there!
Always great fun, Alice!! Love, Jas
You are right, Alice, AVSC is one of the best episodes of the series. My favorite little detail is at the very end of the episode, when the camera is pulling away from the hotel room where Sam and Dean are celebrating Christmas, and one of the lights decorating the hotel, which looked liked it had burned out, suddenly lights up.
I will have to watch next time for the change in Dean’s collar position in the final scenes, that one of the posters above mentioned, or the victimized wife’s black eye that you referred to, neither of which I have ever noticed.
One thing I have noticed, however, is how unsynchronized the editing of the opposite camera angles is when Sam and Dean are tied to the chairs in the pagans gods’ kitchen. Like when the camera is facing Sam after the fingernail is taken out he is slumped down, but the very next shot from behind him he is not slumping. Then he is slumping again when we see him from the front. Also Dean turning his head from our back view of him does not match the head turning in our front view of him. It’s like the scene is on two slightly different timelines, depending on which angle the camera is shooting from. In a way it kind of adds to the wackiness of the scene for me.
These pagan gods were among the best MOTW in the series, so much better than the pagan god in “Fallen Idols.” And the porn-loving Santa was also one of the most memorable secondary characters. Just a great episode.