Now wait a minute — hear me out, you naysayers. Even though I only recently earned my Supernatural whore status, I’m aware of what the fan community generally thinks of “Bloody Mary,” and for the most part, it ain’t good.
I have a different experience with this episode, though. Look beyond the camp of the urban legend, and for crying out loud, don’t say “Bloody Mary” three times to see if the episode gets any better. That’s not what this episode was about, people.
It was about Supernatural laying the groundwork for the series it was to become. “Bloody Mary,” my friends, was when Supernatural Blew the Hatch for me.
I’ve written about “Bloody Mary” being my point of no return; the point at which I knew I loved Supernatural and there was no going back for me. I was hooked. But I got hooked for some very specific reasons.
This is the episode when we found out that Sam had premonitory dreams, and they brought dead Jessica back as a vision Sam sees at the end. They did it right here — they established the story arc that was still very, very active even in season four: psychic Sam using his powers to seek revenge. And how awesome is Kripke that he planned that arc way back in episode five?
Yes, Sam and Dean pretty much became Sam and Dean in this episode too — the brothers really had each other’s backs, and they worked together to defeat the ghost in a very Winchester way.
You can make the argument that Supernatural has blown the hatch several times over, and I’d agree with you. It really does keep raising the game and getting better and better. But for me, “Bloody Mary” was the beginning of the organic growth, the consistency, and the character studies that Supernatural is so, so good at.
Do you agree, or did Supernatural blow the hatch with a different episode for you?
Clacked by Debbie McDuffee
on Aug 17, 2009 @ 12:00 EST5EDT
On some level, yes bloody mary is when supernatural blew the hatch. This was the episode when it became more than two guys in a car. My belief is that it was the season 1 finale/ season 2 premiere, because it brought in the family drama and made the characters, especially Dean, more complex.
Hi,
It was The Devil’s Trap that got me hooked too and made me watch season 1&2 in less than a week.
It’s a pleasure reading your recaps.
I was a bit of a latecomer to SN, but this show had me hooked from the first time I tuned in. The first time I watched Supernatural, I caught only the last five (or so) minutes of Salvation (1.21), but that last scene there was enough to leave me wanting more. The fight between Sam and Dean was so intense, and Dean’s teary-eyed plea about his family being all he and his brother (and father) had left just broke my heart. It was amazing, I had just met this character, yet I felt like I knew what he was all about, and yet I still wanted to know more.
Salvation got my attention and the S1 finale (Devil’s Trap) kept it. This episode started out tense and continued to build right up to that last “scream at your TV” end scene. I made sure to catch the S2 premier, and haven’t looked back since.
Looking back I think that if I’d watched the series from the pilot onward, I think that the episoe that would have hooked me would have been Dead in the Water (1.03). This was where the writers started to peel back the layers on Dean’s character, and Amy Acker was just spectacular in it!
Love reading your recaps and can’t wait to hear what you think about S5!
You’re certainly right that Bloody Mary had a lot of interesting plot points but to be honest until the season finale and the start of season 2 the storyline didn’t manage to interest me.
The thing I love about season 4 is how well connected the motw-storyline is with the story of the Winchesters but in season that’s simply not the case. You either like the monster or not.
Each episode in season 1 is important in its own right cause the spn crew started to establish their mythology (phantom traveller – first demon, wendigo – the winchester family business – bloody mary – Sam’s visions …) but because the monsters played such an important part in the first episodes, the mythology is more in the background and doesn’t manage to change my overall opinion of the episodes. So if I had to pick an episode in season 1 that would have hooked me it would be Devil’s Trap.
PS: But it’s always interesting to read why people like the episode that you don’t like. :D
Love your recaps, they’re a joy to read,they’re never too negative or too positive! BTW do you like the SPN commentaries? the episodes are ten times more fun if Eric Kripke talks about the episode. :D
To me its “wendigo”. Saving people, hunting things, family business. I miss Dean’s Voice over in all through three seasons.
For me it’s “Faith,” because that’s really the first time we see the intense bond that Dean and Sam share. Up until that episode, they seem more like typical brothers–yeah, they love each other, but they fight and struggle for power and resent one another as well. But in the hospital scene, we see for the first time that Dean is the most important person in Sam’s world and that Sam can’t conceive of life without him. That’s what made me fall in love with the show and what made it more than just a “monster-of-the-week” show, and that’s still what makes the show special four seasons later. If I had watched “Bloody Mary” first, I don’t know that I would have stuck with the show.
I agree. I have always thought Bloody Mary and Route 66 are both very strong episodes horror wise. Its the horror aspect of Supernatural that always attracted me to the show.
Sadly, they dropped that idea after Season III which is why I am no longer following the show.
For me the “Blow the Hatch” episode was “Skin”. I still think the “DeanShifter” is one of their creepiest bad guys. It was the episode that made me say “Okay I am not imagining things, it’s not just wishful thinking on my part, this guy really CAN act” when watching Jensen Ackles. I thought the use of the music was brilliant too.
I loved the insight we got into how the boys felt about certain things, Dean accepting certain things were just part of the job’s MO, Sam still fighting against it, Dean’s abandonment issues were brought to the fore.
For me “Skin” was the episode that made me admit, this is not just a guilty pleasure, this show kicks ass. :)
bloody mary was one of my favorite episodes. i absolutely loved it. i think they lost their horror after season 3 but i still love the show. they should make the monsters a little darker like this one.