Tall Tales

If previous episodes haven’t made the connections between “X-Files” and “Supernatural” abundantly clear, this installment should seal the deal. This episode is basically the “Supernatural” version of “Bad Blood”, one of the best comedic episodes of “X-Files” and one of the most beloved in the entire nine season run. Or perhaps it would be more appropriate to point back to “Jose Chung’s ‘From Outer Space’”, at least thematically. Despite the similarities, this is a solid episode that takes the spirit of its ancestors well in hand.

After all, those episodes were less about the absurdity and more about revelation and perception. The same applies to this episode, both in how the brothers see each other through the twisted lens of the Trickster and how the Trickster messes with the brothers directly. As with all things “Supernatural”, even an amusing episode with plenty of hilarious jokes is more about character than anything else.

Very early in the season, Sam and Dean were adrift in the aftermath of the confrontation with the demon. Sam had lost his computer, and Dean had lost the Impala. The restoration of both over the course of the first few episodes was a metaphor for the restoration of their confidence in themselves. The Trickster uses each item as a means of gaining power, almost as if Sam and Dean had sacred totems stolen away in the night. It’s a concept that works very well and on many levels.

This opens the door to each brother’s perception of the other, which is where much of the comedy is found. Sam’s impression of Dean may be exaggerated, but it’s not far from the truth. Dean sees himself as a clever ladies’ man, irresistible to the opposite sex. Sam sees Dean as desperate for any female attention. Sam also sees Dean as an uncultured slob, which leads to one of the best visual gags in recent memory. The mental image of Dean stuffed with nuts will be hard to forget!

Sam hardly escapes the same treatment. If Sam sees Dean as a bit of a typical manly brute, Dean sees Sam as an effeminate nerd with absolutely no sense of women. In total keeping with Dean’s macho exterior, his less-than-charitable view of Sam includes an undertone of homosexuality. Of course, Dean has always believed that Sam ran off to escape the hands-on world of hunting to become a mild-mannered, touchy-feely intellectual. If Sam sees Dean as someone without a sense of personal dignity, Dean sees Sam as someone with no sense of fun.

As with most good examples of self-parody, there’s a grain of truth in every exaggeration. After all, both brothers see the other as their personal totems would suggest: Dean as the typical blue-collar tough, Sam as the typical intellectual nerd. Bring those two extremes closer to a common center, and you have the Brothers Winchester. The more time they spend together, the more they rub off on each other. And of course, they see that as strange and a little disconcerting, which the Trickster happily uses to his advantage.

The use of the Trickster is a nice touch. It’s especially interesting that he’s using his abilities for what one might call “just desserts”. He’s not randomly killing people; he’s choosing his victims based on their own decision to commit immoral acts (from his point of view, at least). Someone with his kind of power could certainly do worse. While some might be displeased with the open-ended nature of the episode, it makes sense for the Trickster to survive. After all, if the Winchesters could take down a demigod, why would the demon be a problem?

The Trickster’s survival also provides the potential for a future re-appearance. If the writers manage to come up with a concept as entertaining and insightful as seen in this episode, then such a prospect is more than welcome. This was the perfect episode for the end of February sweeps for the Brothers Winchester.