Supernatural: The Usual Suspects
2x07: The Usual Suspects
Thoughts I had while watching the episode:
-Wait, did Sam really just fall for the fingerprints on cup trick?
-I think the wife summoned something to kill her husband and the spirit kills her while the boys are trying to defeat it. Probably not. But that would make for an interesting plot if the villain were a human and the boys had to figure out what to do with the human (like ‘Faith,” only the reaper conveniently killed her so the boys had no ethical dilemma).
-I don’t like this cop.
-Really, Dean, you can’t guess that your tongue clicking is going to be distracting to Sam as he’s trying to crack the password? This seems like a jerk-Dean episode.
-I don’t think this qualifies as “good cop” behavior.
-Why is the male cop touching her chin like that? Patronizing jerk. Oh wait, they’re kissing. Ew.
-I keep thinking about the Buffybot when they say “Guyles.”
-I don’t trust the male cop.
-These motels have the weirdest décor.
-I think Pete is the missing link.
-If Pete was able to just walk out with Dean, the police department’s internal controls suck.
Moments that made me giggle inside:
-“We gotta salt and burn her bones. That’s the only way to put her spirit to rest.” “Of course it is.”
-Sam and Dean’s differing reactions to Diana telling them to skedaddle.
Moments that made me actually LOL:
-Dean’s introduction to his “confession” on camera.
Overall Thoughts:
I thought this episode was going to be a humdrum break from the supernatural to deal with the real world and clearing Dean’s name, so I was pleasantly surprised by the film noir mystery of it and the scary-but-not-evil ghost storyline. The plot was suspenseful and sad, Diana turned out to be a pretty good supporting character, and there were some really nice bits between the boys.
I couldn’t stand Diana at first because she was being so horrible to Dean, but by the end of the episode I was viewing things more logically: even though we the audience love Dean, she had every reason to think he was a cold-hearted murderer, so her vitriol makes sense and I can actually respect/like her for doing her job and trying to put away bad guys. Those rational thoughts came in retrospect, though, and the point in the episode where I actually started softening to her was when the ghost started haunting her and she wasn’t too proud to admit it to Sam. Although her dry surprise to each new detail about the supernatural became a little repetitive, her reactions provided some nice comic relief (frex, “Of course it is,” when Sam explained that burning and salting bones was the only way to put spirits to rest). It was also nice to have a female supporting character who was not a potential love interest/booty call for one of the boys, and I really liked how at the end, a woman saved the day. I also like that the vengeful ghost wasn’t vengeful after all. This episode could so easily have gone down its oft-traveled road of “the scorned woman turned insane and evil,” but instead the woman actually tried to help other victims and ended up avenging herself.
Diana wasn’t a particularly stand-out supporting character, but she was gutsy and brave and resilient, so I hope we see her again. I’m glad that she was open-minded and courageous enough at the end to let the boys escape and deal with the fallout on her own, and I quite enjoyed the boys’ different reactions.
And then of course, you have the inside joke about Diana, that she’s the girl from The Exorcist. I didn’t realize there was anything special about her until Dean’s random pea soup comment at the end (and I think there was another that clued me in, but I can’t remember it- something about the Blair witch?). When I saw the name “Linda Blair” I thought maybe she was connected to The Blair Witch Project. I Googled and found out who she was, and on a meta level, the episode was suddenly much more entertaining.
Two random things: (a) I quite liked the short scene with lawyer, since he seemed to actually care about helping his clients, even if that just meant passing Dean’s message to Sam, and I would like to see him again, too. (b) I’m a little confused by why the ghost started haunting Diana, because IIRC, Pete wasn’t planning to kill her, too, and the ghost usually haunted his victims. Maybe it just haunted Diana because of the romantic connection or because she now had the greatest chance of solving the mystery?
The boys didn’t get to interact a lot face-to-face in this episode, but we actually saw a lot of nice little facets of their relationship as a result. This episode emphasized how much they trust each other and understand each other without normal communication. The moment that did it for me was when Dean “turns” Sam into Diana by telling her where to find him if she wants help about the ghost. Dean not only knows how to find Sam, but he knows that Sam won’t mind being “ratted out” for that purpose.
Sam’s refusal to say anything to the police about Dean was also heartwarming. I like how both boys started working independently on the anagram, and of course, Dean’s confession on camera was hilarious.
From a continuity viewpoint, I’m glad we had an episode like this dealt with the ramifications from episodes like “Skin.” It strains credulity that Dean and Sam could break so many laws and pretend to be so many officials to other officials that no one would suspect anything, run a check, or recognize their faces. I’m guessing we can’t ever fully exonerate Dean, unless someone really high up learns about the supernatural and wipes records, but I hope this episode isn’t the only closure we ever get.
Purely Subjective Rating:
4/5
Favorite Boy:
Sam
Thoughts I had while watching the episode:
-Wait, did Sam really just fall for the fingerprints on cup trick?
-I think the wife summoned something to kill her husband and the spirit kills her while the boys are trying to defeat it. Probably not. But that would make for an interesting plot if the villain were a human and the boys had to figure out what to do with the human (like ‘Faith,” only the reaper conveniently killed her so the boys had no ethical dilemma).
-I don’t like this cop.
-Really, Dean, you can’t guess that your tongue clicking is going to be distracting to Sam as he’s trying to crack the password? This seems like a jerk-Dean episode.
-I don’t think this qualifies as “good cop” behavior.
-Why is the male cop touching her chin like that? Patronizing jerk. Oh wait, they’re kissing. Ew.
-I keep thinking about the Buffybot when they say “Guyles.”
-I don’t trust the male cop.
-These motels have the weirdest décor.
-I think Pete is the missing link.
-If Pete was able to just walk out with Dean, the police department’s internal controls suck.
Moments that made me giggle inside:
-“We gotta salt and burn her bones. That’s the only way to put her spirit to rest.” “Of course it is.”
-Sam and Dean’s differing reactions to Diana telling them to skedaddle.
Moments that made me actually LOL:
-Dean’s introduction to his “confession” on camera.
Overall Thoughts:
I thought this episode was going to be a humdrum break from the supernatural to deal with the real world and clearing Dean’s name, so I was pleasantly surprised by the film noir mystery of it and the scary-but-not-evil ghost storyline. The plot was suspenseful and sad, Diana turned out to be a pretty good supporting character, and there were some really nice bits between the boys.
I couldn’t stand Diana at first because she was being so horrible to Dean, but by the end of the episode I was viewing things more logically: even though we the audience love Dean, she had every reason to think he was a cold-hearted murderer, so her vitriol makes sense and I can actually respect/like her for doing her job and trying to put away bad guys. Those rational thoughts came in retrospect, though, and the point in the episode where I actually started softening to her was when the ghost started haunting her and she wasn’t too proud to admit it to Sam. Although her dry surprise to each new detail about the supernatural became a little repetitive, her reactions provided some nice comic relief (frex, “Of course it is,” when Sam explained that burning and salting bones was the only way to put spirits to rest). It was also nice to have a female supporting character who was not a potential love interest/booty call for one of the boys, and I really liked how at the end, a woman saved the day. I also like that the vengeful ghost wasn’t vengeful after all. This episode could so easily have gone down its oft-traveled road of “the scorned woman turned insane and evil,” but instead the woman actually tried to help other victims and ended up avenging herself.
Diana wasn’t a particularly stand-out supporting character, but she was gutsy and brave and resilient, so I hope we see her again. I’m glad that she was open-minded and courageous enough at the end to let the boys escape and deal with the fallout on her own, and I quite enjoyed the boys’ different reactions.
And then of course, you have the inside joke about Diana, that she’s the girl from The Exorcist. I didn’t realize there was anything special about her until Dean’s random pea soup comment at the end (and I think there was another that clued me in, but I can’t remember it- something about the Blair witch?). When I saw the name “Linda Blair” I thought maybe she was connected to The Blair Witch Project. I Googled and found out who she was, and on a meta level, the episode was suddenly much more entertaining.
Two random things: (a) I quite liked the short scene with lawyer, since he seemed to actually care about helping his clients, even if that just meant passing Dean’s message to Sam, and I would like to see him again, too. (b) I’m a little confused by why the ghost started haunting Diana, because IIRC, Pete wasn’t planning to kill her, too, and the ghost usually haunted his victims. Maybe it just haunted Diana because of the romantic connection or because she now had the greatest chance of solving the mystery?
The boys didn’t get to interact a lot face-to-face in this episode, but we actually saw a lot of nice little facets of their relationship as a result. This episode emphasized how much they trust each other and understand each other without normal communication. The moment that did it for me was when Dean “turns” Sam into Diana by telling her where to find him if she wants help about the ghost. Dean not only knows how to find Sam, but he knows that Sam won’t mind being “ratted out” for that purpose.
Sam’s refusal to say anything to the police about Dean was also heartwarming. I like how both boys started working independently on the anagram, and of course, Dean’s confession on camera was hilarious.
From a continuity viewpoint, I’m glad we had an episode like this dealt with the ramifications from episodes like “Skin.” It strains credulity that Dean and Sam could break so many laws and pretend to be so many officials to other officials that no one would suspect anything, run a check, or recognize their faces. I’m guessing we can’t ever fully exonerate Dean, unless someone really high up learns about the supernatural and wipes records, but I hope this episode isn’t the only closure we ever get.
Purely Subjective Rating:
4/5
Favorite Boy:
Sam