Review – “Tall Tales”
“Tall Tales”
–Robin’s Rambles by Robin Vogel
I love this episode! It had me laughing continuously the first time I saw it, and I still delight in watching it over again, anticipating the parts I enjoy most. The Trickster is such a fun villain, and I still wonder why he felt obligated to tease the Winchesters, given that they don’t certainly need to be taken down a peg.
Like Dean, I thought the way the Trickster went after his victims was a total hoot:
A ghost gal changing from pretty to hideous and scaring the lecherous “morals” teacher head-first out his office window;
Picking up the cruel pledge-master in a space ship to be probed many times over, then forced to slow dance with one of the aliens (the same one who probed him perhaps)?;
The animal testing guy who tries to fish the expensive-looking watch from the sewer only to get eaten by an alligator.
Most fun for me was how the Trickster got Sam and Dean getting furious with each other. Letting the air out of the Impala’s tires! Hiding Sam’s beloved computer – after freezing it on Busty Asian Beauties! Dean eats greasy food on Sam’s bed and turns the music up when Sam asks him to turn it down!
Bobby shows up and wants to hear their respective stories. Sam describes the girl Dean (who downs three purple nurples in quick succession) met in a bar”””feisty little wildcat” Starla, an easy number who wears a very short skirt, has trouble keeping her liquor down, hangs onto Dean like a barnacle, and has a sister for Sam (who Dean refers to as Major Tom). No, objects Dean, his date was a grad student of anthropology and folklore, very classy, who called him attractive, said looking at him was like looking at the sun, and even though he insisted lives were at stake and they had to concentrate on the case, kissed him hard and deeply. Sam enters, and although Dean requests five minutes to continue kissing the lovely lady, Sam prissily asks if Dean is going to continue with blah blah blah blah blah blah. (The way Jared says this is so hilarious, it always sends me into gales of giggles.)
Bobby accuses them of bickering like an old married couple. At least THEY can get divorced, says Dean, which leads to him mentioned Siamese twins and Sam correcting him””CONJOINED twins! Bobby suggests checking the scene of the crime, so they go to the building where the professor committed suicide. Posing as workers checking on wires in the walls, they meet the janitor (aka Trickster), who jokes the prof who died was a naughty boy who got more ass than a toilet seat. Dean fills his mouth with candy from a dish, stretching his mouth to hilarious proportions. (Jensen says that was all him, too!)
The brothers investigate the alien spaceship, which appears to be real. The alien made Curtis slow dance to “Lady in Red,” glitter ball and everything! Although Bobby says he’s never seen an alien and calls this “pranks and cranks,” the Winchesters are doubtful. According to Dean, Sam hugs Curtis’ roomie after the interview, calling him a “brave little soldier” and “too precious for this world.” (Another very funny scene.) When Sam objects, Dean insists, “You’re always sayin’ pansy stuff like that. At this point, the brothers conclude that all this weird stuff is happening to dicks.
There’s another big blow-out when Sam’s computer goes missing and he’s sure his big brother has hidden it. He yells at Dean for leaving his dirty socks lying around, for Dean’s food in the fridge that now qualifies as Darwinism””don’t mess with my stuff! insists Sam.
The brothers hunt the sewer after checking over the few leftover remains of the man eaten by the alligator. Dean exits a manhole to find the air has been let out of all four of the Impala’s tires””and Sam’s money clip lying nearby. The brothers fight over the clip, which Dean wants to keep for pain and suffering. They fall onto the bed, grappling for the prize, leading to many fantasies I’ll not go into here.
Bobby tells them that neither of them is responsible for what happened to the computer or the Impala, it’s the work of the Trickster, a god who brings chaos, mischief and death to the high and mighty. He knows they’re onto him, which is why he’s playing them like fiddles. (Yet they admitted to Bobby they had no idea””unless the Trickster realized that by inviting Bobby, he would help them figure it out). The Trickster is like a Loki, adds Bobby, immortal, can make things out of thin air, and easily do all the deadly pranks that have ensued.
Sam and Dean realize there’s been only one person who’s been at Ground Zero””the janitor!
We see the Trickster in his apartment, where he has a nice dog. Gazing at the WEEKLY WORLD NEWS, he looks past stories about an alligator in the sewer, an alien that makes a human dance with him, and a ghost girl haunting a house, and finds a story about a man with a chainsaw that interests him. He asks the dog if he’s hungry, and a huge repast appears on the table. Deciding he wants company to help him eat it all, he creates two sexy gals, too, and they’re all feeding each other as we fade out.
The next morning, Sam and Dean get together with the janitor, who proudly tells them he had a lot of sex the previous night. Sam and Dean have an argument””Dean wants to just stake the janitor, but Sam insists they get more proof he’s their man. They also discuss that the Trickster has a sweet tooth and loves candy. Sam leaves Dean to wait outside in front of the building. It grows dark and Dean becomes impatient. “Screw this,” he mutters, and enters the building, flashlight and stake in his hands. Hearing “Can’t Get Enough of Your Love” issuing from one of the rooms, Dean enters. There’s a round bed with two gorgeous, scantily clad women on it, and they’re crawling his way. They want to massage him, and do other things as well. Dean admits to being a sucker for a happy ending, but this isn’t real. It would feel real, one gal assures him.
Dean passes. The Trickster tells him this is a peace offering from him. He knows they’re hunters and likes Sam and Dean. They can treat themselves while he, the Trickster, goes on his merry way. Dean really can’t allow him to go on hurting people, so, no””but he does love the Trickster’s style (who doesn’t?), with the slow-dancing alien a particular favorite. Trickster puts his head back and laughs heartily””that’s a big favorite of his, too. It’s too bad Dean came alone, though. (There is true menace to this character, who has no problem killing even those he likes.)
Sam and Bobby, armed and ready, enter the auditorium. Trickster is impressed by the fake fight Sam and Dean had that made him think Dean had come alone. Still. . .eating chocolate candy bars, he sits and watches with glee as the girls who were going to make love to Dean now start throwing him around and punching him, hurting him pretty badly. He sends a chainsaw guy after Bobby and Sam, cutting Bobby’s stake right in half. Ultimately, Sam hands off a stake to Dean which Dean drives into the Trickster’s heart. The battling ladies and chainsaw man disappear, leaving the dead Trickster sprawled in his seat.
He had style, proclaims Dean. Bobby is anxious to get the hell out before someone finds the body. Over the Impala, Sam and Dean almost apologize to each other in a clumsy way, without actually saying the words. “Aw, you’re breakin’ my heart,” says Bobby.
Inside the auditorium, the Trickster materializes, makes the “dead” one disappear, and stands there, enjoying his candy bar.
1. I love this character and was delighted to know he wasn’t dead and probably coming back. Didn’t you think he was cool, giving comeuppance to those who deserved it? Or was death going too far?
2. What place does this ep have in your placement of eps? For me, it’s amongst the best and funniest. The differences in the brothers’ stories alone is hysterical. Blah blah blah!
3. Who wanted that kissing scene with Dean? Wasn’t it hot? Fans self. YES!
4. I would guess the brothers really DO get on each others’ nerves a lot, but this was a huge exaggeration, right? Or maybe not?
5. Which was your favorite WEEKLY WORLD NEWS come to life?
6. How many of you have tried a purple nurple since seeing this show, or made one?
7. How many times have you watched this ep””or could you take it or leave it?
Alright people listen up: this is simply one of the finest hours of television in the history of the medium. I always liked John Shiban’s stuff, and the only ‘major’ work after he left Supernatural (according to imdb.com) is being a producer for Legend of the Seeker. Funny aside: he’s got something in development called Alice’s Apartment. Heh.
There are about a billion great lines in this thing, Richard Speight owns your soul and dude, the first time I saw Dean stuffing his face, it took all of my willpower to not spit my beverage everywhere.
1. Personally, I would have reserved death for, oh, politicians (c’mon, writers, you DO remember who was pretzeldent and veep back then, right?) but comical nonetheless.
2. Easily top five, and sure, everyone’s list is fluid, but this will always be up there. “I acknowledge your pain.”
3. Not me. 😎
4. I see it akin to what happened in 4.2. Natural tendencies and relationships turned up to eleven. Seriously, driving in a car 8 hours a day with the same person? My wife and I would kill each other after about a week. These two are far more balanced.
5. I’m a sucker for horror flicks, so loved the leatherface knockoff, but any animal testing jackass getting his comeuppance is always cool. Which doesn’t really answer your question! And slow-dancing aliens! Great choice of a truly horrible song as well.
6. Neither. I should!
7. Dozens upon dozens, at least.
When I first saw this episode I liked it, but felt ho-hum about it. Now after viewing it many more times it has really grown on me and I now thoroughly enjoy it and appreciate this episode for all that it is. I find it interesting the different perspectives in how Dean and Sam tell the story. From the difference of Dean’s “girls” to Sam’s blah.blah.blahs…. Also the way they show Dean and Sam communicate without speaking in how they had a nod of the head and Sam knew to toss Dean the stake so he could kill the Trickster. They had such great non-verbal communication in the early years. It is not so evident now and I wish they could somehow get back to that.
I especially love the end when the brothers attempt their apologies over the Impala and Bobby pipes up “You’re breaking my heart”. I just love that and everything else about this episode.
Question though….when Dean kills the Trickster and the two girls and the chainsaw man disappear, why didn’t the bed and other accoutrements disappear as well? With the Trickster dead, all his tricks should have gone with him, right?!?, but those things didn’t. Just a nagging question that bothers me each time I watch this episode.
Hi Robin
Thanks for the review. I really enjoy reviews. I don’t always comment, because I find I’m usually saying the same thing. I just love this show and I rarely have anything more to add.
1. Absolutely love this character. Death may have been to the extreme, but I do feel just desserts was in order.
2. This is undoubtedly my favourites in the comedy section…in fact just put all the Trickster ones as my top 3.
3. Did nothing for me.
4. Oh I’m sure they do get on each others nerves, but I do feel the Trickster had them so turned around that their emotions were exaggerated.
5. Aliens …and again and again and again…
6. Never tried it. Not even sure what’s in it.
7. Lost count.
Robin, I agree with ALL of your comments. Love this episode to distraction! So funny. Love the trickster as well and was happy also when he didn’t die.
1. Yes, I loved that he gave deserving just desserts.
2. For me, the best and funniest for sure.
3. I wanted the kissing scene with Dean and wished to be the kissee myself.
😳
4. Loved how they annoyed each other and only wished for a much longer wrestling match between them. WAY too short! 😈
5. Really dug the alligator eating the animal tester.
6. Haven’t been able to try purple nurples yet, but I will when available for sure.
7. Must have watched at least 50 times and will watch many more times.
That was a great review Robin! 😎
1. The Trickster is just a perfect villain, and R. Spreight played him brilliantly.
2. One of my favourite epis. I just love the brothers bickering.
3. Hmmm, yes it was hot. Fans demanded it? Really?
4. I don’t think so. For hours in the car with the same person, every day, hunting demons, I mean, every now and then I have to get away from my family for a couple of hours, and we don’t have a hunter’s life.
5. The aliens probing again and again and again … and one more time.
6. Here’s the recipe:
1/4 oz Blue Curacao liqueur
1/4 oz vodka
1/4 oz apple schnapps
1/4 oz sweet and sour mix
1/4 oz grenadine syrup
Pour all ingredients over ice in a cocktail shaker. Shake, strain into a shot glass, and serve.
I’m in the gastronomy business, just had to try it out 🙂 I think I liked it, can’t really remember, it’s been a while.
7. I think 3 times so far. That’s about the times I’ve re-watched the whole series. But I could watch it any time.
This was fun, Robin, thanks for posting!
This is one of my favorites. I LOVE the brothers when the are brothers. Love the tussel! Reminds me of Dean cuffing Sam in the Pilot. I wish they would do more of these type of episodes. Maybe in season 6? 😆