Episode Title: “Bad Boys”
Writer: Adam Glass
Director: Kevin Parks
Previously on “Supernatural”
Episode 9.07 “Heaven Can’t Wait”
“Supernatural’s” string of largely stand alone episodes continues tonight with “Bad Boys,” an episode oddly reminiscent of season one’s “Route 666” and season four’s “After School Special.” The first dealt with a racist truck that killed people, but more so, the ghost of girlfriend’s past came calling for Dean (Jensen Ackles). The second episode dealt with the topic of bullying in school. Tonight’s episode is similar, except for the racist truck.
It seems like every season or so, some old friend pops up on the radar and pulls Sam and Dean into a stand alone episode. The more I think about it, the more and more episodes pop into my head. This endless plot device has always been a “Supernatural” staple. Good to see old habits die hard? Maybe?
Sam and Dean head to a boys home in upstate New York run by a man named Sonny (Blake Gibbons). With a past history, Dean or D-Dog as he’s known to Sonny, spent two months there after being arrested for stealing peanut butter and bread while his father was on a hunt. The young Dean, portrayed in flashbacks by Dylan Everett, sells the role a little too hard, like a Dean turned up to eleven. And might I say, holy eyebrows!
The flashback sequences try to portray Sonny as being this quasi father figure, kind of like Bobby (Jim Beaver). They’re laced throughout the episode, but offer little context to the real time story. “Supernatural” tends to be hit or miss when it comes to the use of flashbacks. Shows like “Breaking Bad,” with flashbacks and flash forwards have almost spoiled audiences. With purpose, they always tied into the story intricately, but here, they just serve as fodder and filler. They feel very forced on the audience for emotional posterity. The last flashback tries to drive home Sonny’s love for Dean to tears, but his minimal role in the episode make it fall flat.
Aside from the Sonny flashbacks, there are ones of Robin (Sarah Desjardins), a girl that Dean made out with… a lot. These add even less to the episode. In fact, Robin’s (Erin Karpluk) entire character offers nothing tangible to the episode at all.
This week’s episode is a ghost story of sorts. Been a while since we’ve had one of those around these parts. The spirit in question is responsible for two murders and one hand mutilation of a child. Given how uninteresting this episode comes off, it pushes boundaries that the show never has before. Timmy, one of Sonny’s Boys, is bullied by a couple of kids. After Dean intervenes, a few scenes later, we see the same boys doing lawn work. A lawn mower jams, and while one of them is trying to clean it, the spirit starts it up and takes his hand. I can’t remember “Supernatural” ever pushing that kind of boundary before. If it happened on a better episode, it might have had greater impact.
Timmy turns out to be the key to it all. The spirit is his mother’s and she will do anything to protect him, killing to do it. In a new twist, the spirit is anchored here by Timmy, himself. Granted, this isn’t the first time we’ve ever seen a spirit lingering because of the living (See season four, episode fifteen, “Death Takes a Holiday.”). The story goes: Timmy survived a car accident, where his mother didn’t. Her spirit changed, became twisted caricature of what she was in real life, now with vengeance.
Timmy’s character is the only convincing one of the entire hour. Your heart can’t help but go out to him, especially with the bullying aspects of this episode. Everyone has a Timmy in their lives or knows someone like him. Unfortunately, “Supernatural” puts its supernatural twist on in and the deeper meaning of the hour loses all meaning entirely. “Supernatural’s” ability to introduce a heavy topic and then leave it on the table without addressing it again is a frustrating element to the show. Most of that charm was lost when Eric Kripke left the show. I can remember watching the episode entitled “Faith” from season one, an episode that dealt with the heavy question, why do some people live, while others die? I remember being blown away by the deep and complete concepts it introduced, and executed wonderfully. I miss that charm, especially this season in particular, and most of the post Kripke seasons.
If “Supernatural” could be described in one word this season it would be “apathetic.” There should be a lot at stake, but so far, the writers have gone out of their way to push all of the tie-in elements of this show to the side. Instead, amateur hour commences, and fans are treated to a series of stand alones and sub plots that are very half-hearted. The fall of the angels is having about the same effect that Y2K and 12.21.12 had in real life. As a fan of this show, I have to ask: Jeremy Carver, what the hell are you doing to “Supernatural?”
I’ve always felt like stand-alone stories were best saved for the novelizations that Titan books releases of “Supernatural.” This episode in particular would have been perfect for that, as would the three previous episodes. These type of episodes are like empty calories, designed to tide fans over and provide breaks from the season long arcs. They don’t inflict harm, or at least, they aren’t supposed to. Unfortunately, they’ve damaged “Supernatural” to the point of humor. A show that I once respected has now made me bitter; Among Twitter followers, we take pot-shots at a show we once loved. When can we have the old “Supernatural” back? You know, the one that mattered?
