Sam finally gets to meet an angel for the first time. He’s blown away and so honored, he holds out his hand to a puzzled Castiel. Instead of me watching with fascination over this awkward moment, I’m blown away by the visual of this very strange motel room. The green couch, royal purple bedspreads, gold curtains, brown walls and that red and green checkered floor! The TV looks like something from the Smithsonian too. Are those seascape pictures on the wall? How about green lamp and the white textured lighting fixtures? What the hell is that pattern in the light grey or purplish wallpaper? My internet searches couldn’t come up with a name or décor. Hot mess probably.
That entire scene on the horrors of “smiting†was long, but spent the entire time trying to check out every bit of detail in the motel room décor. There’s quite a bunch. In the end Sam’s disillusionment on the angels was lost on me, as was Dean’s bravado, for I was questioning who thought brown, purple and green went together.
Where do I find a green lamp like that?
#6 – A Very Supernatural Christmas
Kinkade mural. That is all. Seeing Dean lost in the ludicrous landscape had me dying. Forget the inside joke that Jared Padalecki played Thomas Kinkade in a hokey Christmas movie. Forget the yellow floral wallpaper, red retro diner table and chair, and vinyl green couch in which Christmas gifts were exchanged. Even Sam added something to the mix with the Charlie Brown inspired Christmas tree in the tar bucket, decorated with fishing lures and air fresheners.
It was tried again with lesser results in “Jump The Shark,†but outrageous landscapes on tacky motel room walls still win with me.
#5 – Bad Day at Black Rock
Sam’s in a fix, no doubt. The rabbit’s foot is missing, Dean needs to go get it, but he can’t take Sam along. The bad luck is that bad. So, if Sam’s going to have to sit in a motel room for several hours where he can’t even scratch his nose (which he does anyway), the room might as well have some eye candy. Like circles. Tons of them, including a giant red one on the wall behind a very bothered Sam. Circles intertwined with flowers, just to add that faux oriental yet completely off the wall touch. Sure, it’s a comedic episode, but man, I think I laughed harder at the absurdity of that motel room than anything. Maybe because Dean also got to be Batman in there.
#4 – Lazarus Rising
Ah, everything a room needs when you want to make your love nest a whorehouse. Again, they went all out. Sam is holing up with Ruby somewhere, hiding from the world and doesn’t want to be found. Granted, they wanted to imply that Sam and Ruby were having sex at this time, so you’ve got to have the room to match hot demon passion. I’m still wondering though if any tacky whorehouses have tiger striped wallpaper, animal skin bedspread (on the one bed), a velvet tiger picture (the one from Andy’s van in “Simon Saidâ€!), red curtains, red carpet, red bathroom walls, and is that a daschund lamp with the red shade? Where do I get one? I’ve got two daschunds.
Of course, no sex room is complete without plenty of mirrors on the ceiling designed for smashing on top of Dean when Castiel shows up in his true form. This is one of the rare times that the room actually plays in the plot, and it was spectacular.
(The top three and an honorable mention coming tomorrow.)
What is it about spray-jobs and large carnivores? No-one ever wants a wombat painted on anything …
Awesome choices again 😀 Since the first time I watch most episodes is online, I don’t get much detail in because the quality is not that clear. But when I rewatch it later the rooms always give me a giggle.
But I definitely remember being distracted by the awful floor in ITGPSW. I can almost handle checkered floors..but of all colours! Ew. (Maybe they can recycle it for a season 5 Christmas episode? heh)
Love the reviews. I’m always excited to see what the set designers will come up with next.
I envy them. To be able to be as flamboyant, artistic and outrageous as you want. And on top of that being paid for it. Boy did I ever make a wrong turn in my career path.
My impression of that awkward handshake moment between Sam and Castiel was that Castiel was unwilling, rather than unknowing. I’ve watched it again with your comment in mind, Alice, and now I’m not sure which it is. I guess it’s this sort of thing which helps keep me watching, and wondering.
This is the first show that I find myself paying attention to the sets; the motels are part of the landscape each (almost each) episode and I look forward to them. Like you, I’ve got to wonder what was up with that garish room in ITGPSW but I give them credit, I think they meant for it to be disturbing, the idea of smiting towns and angels being ‘dicks’ was disturbing so why not set the scene disturbing as well.
Looking forward to the rest.
Wow looking at the room from Bad Day at Black Rock again makes me want to bow before the set designers and the direct. That one shot where Sam is set against the red circle and viewed through a circle just screams target like the opening scenes of a James Bond flick. I am in awe, I missed that the first time