Previously: The boys went to Colorado to set fire to a Wendigo and still found no trace of their father.
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Dead in the Water
Kirsti: We open at a cabin in Lake Manitoc, Wisconsin. Inside, a skinny blonde girl in a warm up suit greets her father and brother, the latter of whom informs her that she shouldn’t work out so much because guys don’t like buff girls. How about GO FUCK YOURSELF, I WORK OUT FOR ME. She informs him that girls don’t like guys who still live at home before she heads out the door. (S: BURN.) Her dad tells her to be careful.
Cut to her standing in a bathing suit next to the lake. We get a weirdly far away shot taken through some bushes as she dives in. We follow her underwater for a second, then she surfaces. She looks to the shoreline as if she’s heard something, then swims for a few moments and does a tumble turn. Which I really don’t see the point of because there’s no wall to push off. BUT WHATEVER. She looks to the shoreline again, but there’s still nothing there. We hear whispery noises getting louder and louder, then we go underwater as the camera zooms up towards her feet. Back on the surface, we see her get dragged under, leaving nothing but bubbles.
Cut to a crappy hotel somewhere with the Bromobile parked out front. In the restaurant, Dean is circling obituaries in the newspaper. The big boobed blonde waitress asks if he needs anything else and he grins at her before Sam comes up and ruins all his fun by asking for the bill.
Dean sulks before showing Sam the newspaper and info dumping – the victim was 18 year old Sophie Carlton. The police dragged the lake but didn’t find her. They didn’t find the other two drowning victims from earlier that year either. And her family had a funeral two days ago, which they both think is weird. Sam bitches about how their dad’s trail is getting colder by the minute, and they bicker back and forth about how Sam left for college so Dean gets to call the shots about hunting. Okay, show. Whatever. Sam asks how far it is to Lake Manitoc and that throws us into a Bromobile driving montage while 80s rock plays in the background. Obvs.
Sara: I’m a big fan of driving montages because every time I’m in the car, I imagine myself in the middle of a montage with peppy music in the background.
K: Legit life choice.
Cut to the boys pulling up at the Carlton cabin. They knock on the door and introduce themselves to Douchey Brother as Agents Ford and Hamill from the US Wildlife Service. I’m going to go right ahead and put “Super obvious fake names” on the Supernatural drinking game board, and then call SHOTS! Apparently Douchey Brother doesn’t care for Star Wars though, because he doesn’t bat an eyelid. Cut to him showing them the lake. He says there’s no way Sophie just drowned because she was a varsity swimmer and basically grew up in the lake. They ask if he saw a shape in the water or any tracks by the shore, but he says he didn’t. They ask to speak to his dad – who’s sitting sadly on the dock – but Douchey Brother says Sad Dad’s not really up to it.
Police station. The boys introduce themselves to the sheriff, who ushers them into his office. He tells them that there’s nothing in the lake that could have pulled Sophie under unless it was the Loch Ness Monster. He says that they didn’t just sweep the lake, they did a sonar search too, and there was nothing there. Dean mentions that Sophie was the third drowning victim this year, and the sheriff looks upset before saying that it won’t be a problem soon because the dam is falling apart and there’s no money to fix it, so the government opened the spillway and soon there won’t be a lake or a town.
Sara: I mean, that’s not a total loss what with the crazy lake drowning monster out there, right? Sorry little town, but it’s for the best.
K: True.
There’s a knock on the door and AMY ACKER WALKS IN. (S: SQUEE!) I’m gonna add Whedonverse Actors to the drinking game too, because I can see the future. Anyway, she’s the sheriff’s daughter and introduces herself as Andrea. Dean flirts, because obvs. A little boy with a pageboy haircut appears behind her. Dean acts all buddy buddy, but the kid walks out without saying anything. Andrea follows him. The sheriff says that his grandson’s name is Lucas and that he’s been through a lot. The boys look sympathetic, then head out into the main office. Dean asks Andrea for a motel recommendation. When she says there’s one two blocks away, he asks if she can walk them there. She eyerolls a little, but agrees to do so, telling her father that she’ll pick Lucas up later.
Out in the street, Dean tries to flirt some more by talking about how great kids are. It’s hilariously awful. Andrea stops and points at the motel, which was literally two blocks, then says “Must be hard with your sense of direction, never being able to find your way to a decent pick up line.” She walks away and Sam looks like he’s fighting the urge to channel Michael Kelso:
Sam’s all “WTF?”, and Dean says that he loves kids. Sam asks him to name three kids that he knows, and Dean comes up with a list of zero.
K: You have no idea.
Motel room. Sam’s online doing research while Dean sniffs his way through his clothes. Sam informs us that there’ve been six other drownings over the past 35 years and none of those bodies were ever found either. Dean’s theory is lake monster, but Sam’s not buying it because there are always reported sightings in lake monster cases. Here? Nothing. He scrolls down the page, and Dean realises that one of the other victims from that year has a familiar name. Sam clicks through to the main article, and there’s a picture of Lucas wrapped in a blanket in it. Turns out that the victim was Andrea’s husband, and that Lucas was on the wooden platform when his father got dragged under and it was two hours before someone saved him. “No wonder that kid’s so freaked out. Watching one of your parents die isn’t something you just get over,” Dean says. BRB, HAVING MINI!DEAN WATCHED HIS MOTHER DIE FEELS.
Cut to the park. Andrea’s sitting on a bench watching Lucas. But instead of playing, he’s sitting on the ground using another bench as a table while he colours. The boys walk up to her, and she eyerolls a little because seriously, insta-stalkers. Dean heads over to talk to Lucas while Sam talks to Andrea. Dean tries to bond with Lucas by playing with his toy soldiers, but Lucas ignores him. Dean flips through the pile of drawings Lucas has done, which include a big black swirly thing, and a red bike.
Dean picks up some paper and a crayon, and tells Lucas that he knows how he feels because when he was little, he saw something bad too. He says that if Lucas is afraid no one will listen or believe him, he can talk to Dean. Or if he doesn’t want to say anything, he can draw Dean a picture. He hands Lucas the picture he drew, which is a stick figure Winchester family, including Mary.
K: Damn that Traumaland Hayfever Epidemic.
Lucas continues to ignore him, so Dean stands up and walks back to Sam and Andrea. After he goes, Lucas picks up the drawing and stares at it.
As Dean walks up to them, Andrea tells Sam that Lucas hasn’t said anything since his father drowned, and that the doctors say it’s PTSD. They’ve moved back in with her dad so there’s someone else to help out. She has a moment of sad feels for the kid that Lucas used to be, and just then he walks up and silently hands Dean a drawing of a house before walking away.
We segue magic over there to see Sad Dad sitting in his recliner and looking heartbroken. Douchey Brother walks in and says that he’ll go make dinner. In the kitchen, he rinses a fish, and leaves the water running as he starts to cut it up. The water turns brown. He notices with a double take and shuts it off. Black water bubbles up out of the drain, filling the sink to just below the top. DB pulls up his sleeve and reaches into the water. (S: NO. NOPE NOPE NOPE.) He fumbles around for a minute, then comes up with the plug. Absolutely nothing happens because DUH THE SINK JUST BACKED UP. OBVIOUSLY THE PLUG WASN’T IN. He reaches back in to check the drain and something grabs his arm, pulling his head underwater. He fights, but can’t get his head out. He drowns, then the water slowly drains away. Fade to black.
Sara: I think we need a “that’s what happens” tag. Because DUH THAT’S WHAT HAPPENS. Guest stars on this show make very poor choices. I really hope this continues to be a thing.
K: Agreed and created.
After the Not Commercial Break, Sam informs Dean that he just drove past the Sad Dad cabin, and they can rule out a lake monster. Dean suggests maybe it’s a water wraith. They realise that the reason the mystery beast is getting extra murdery is because of the soon to be ex-lake, and that it’s clearly connected to Sad Dad, especially since it turns out Andrea’s husband was his godson. They decide to pay him a visit.
Cut to Sad Dad sitting on the dock tearily. The boys turn up and ask if he ever saw anything in the lake like his son did, and tell him that they think it might be connected to him. He, quite appropriately, tells them to GTFO because his son literally just died. Out by the Bromobile, they try to work out if Sad Dad knows anything. Dean suddenly realises that the drawing Lucas gave him is of the Carlton cabin, and that maybe Lucas knows something too.
Sheriff’s house. The boys try to persuade Andrea to let them talk to Lucas. She refuses, saying that he’s been through enough and that everyone just drowned, no mystery about it. Dean O RLY’s her and says that if she has any doubt that they were natural deaths, she should let him talk to Lucas. She shows them upstairs. Lucas is drawing, surrounded by toy soldiers again. Dean crouches down next to him and flips through his pile of drawings, which feature more red bikes. He’s currently drawing a person in the water. Dean thanks him for the drawing and asks him how he knew something bad was going to happen. Lucas doesn’t react. Dean tells him that it’s okay to be scared because he was scared when he saw something happen to his mother. But he knows she’d want him to be brave, and he reckons Lucas’ dad would want the same. Lucas looks him in the eye and hands him another drawing. It’s of a white church, a yellow house and a boy in a blue hat with a red bike.
Bromobile. Sam suggests that, as Lucas never drew like that before his dad died, maybe the trauma has given him premonitions. Dean mopes about how many yellow two storey houses exist in the area, and Sam’s all “…white church, dude.” Dean teases him about being a college boy, and there’s an awkward silence. Then Sam looks at his brother and says that Dean never told him that he thinks about their mother every day. “Oh God, we’re not going to have to hug or anything, are we?” Dean snarks.
White church. There’s a yellow house with a paling fence the same as the one Lucas drew over the road. They head over and ask the little old lady who lives there if a boy with a red bike lives there. She tearfully says no, not for a long time. Inside, she tells them that her son, Peter, disappeared 35 years ago and that they never found out what happened. Sam nudges Dean and points out a display of toy soldiers like the ones Lucas was playing with. The boys check out Peter’s bedroom and find a photo of him with Sad Dad. That segue magics us over to Sad Dad sitting on the dock. He tells the lake it’s taken everything from him, that he didn’t believe, but now he thinks he knows what it wants.
Bromobile. Sam hypothesises that Sad Dad killed Peter when they were kids, and now Peter’s spirit is out for revenge, killing everyone that Sad Dad loves. They pull up to the Sad Dad cabin just in time to see him heading out into the lake in a boat. They yell at him to turn around, but the boat gets flipped upside down. He and the boat vanish into the water as the boys look on in horror. Fade to black.
After the Not Commercial Break, Lucas is rocking back and forth in a chair at the police station. The sheriff walks in with the boys and tells Andrea that he doesn’t have time for dinner so she should take Lucas home. At that, he freaks out, clutching desperately at the arm of Dean’s jacket. Dean and Andrea calm Lucas down, but he won’t take his eyes off Dean as the boys head into the sheriff’s office. The sheriff tells them that he knows they’re not wildlife agents and that they have two options: 1. Get arrested or 2. Leave town. They decide on door number 2.
Sara: That’s a damn good deal. They even waited until the creature feature was taken care of to ask them to leave!
K: Sheriff’s house. Lucas is drawing big black swirlies in the dark. Andrea finds him and puts him back to bed. The Bromobile pulls up to an intersection outside of town. Though the light is green, Dean sits and thinks for a minute before turning back towards town. Sheriff’s house. Andrea runs herself a bath. Bromobile. Sam says that the case is over and wants to know why they’re heading back to town. Dean reluctantly admits that it’s because of how scared Lucas was. He doesn’t want to leave until he makes sure Lucas is okay. Sam’s surprised.
Sheriff’s house. Andrea undresses and climbs into the mostly full bath. She leans back and closes her eyes, and the water coming out of the tap turns brown. She hears a whispery voice and opens her eyes to see the whole bath is full of brown water. She screams, and scrambles over the side of the bath, but gets dragged back in. She continues to scream, fighting as hard as she can. Lucas hammers on the door in terror. The creepy voice creepy voices some more as it drags Andrea under.
Sara: Like I need another reminder of how terrified I am of dying naked. During this scene, I might have screamed NO, FRED! Also, the show totally got me because I really did think the lake creature mystery was over.
K: But there was still 15 minutes left of the episode!
Cut downstairs to Sam and Dean standing outside the door. Sam’s uncertain about knocking, because LATE. Dean reaches for the doorbell, but Lucas opens the door before he can push it. Lucas is terrified. He takes off back upstairs and the boys follow. There’s brown water pouring out from under the bathroom door and down the stairs. Dean kicks the door in, then hugs Lucas to him as Sam runs in and shoves his arms into the bath. He tries to pull Andrea out, but she gets dragged back down. Sam keeps pulling and eventually drags her out. She lies on the floor, gasping for air. Fade to black.
After the Not Commercial Break, the sun is rising. Sam sits with a tearful Andrea while Dean rummages through bookshelves. Andrea thinks she’s going crazy, and tells Sam that she heard a voice saying “Come play with me.” Yeah, because creepy ghost children aren’t creepy enough already… Dean finds a photo album from when the sheriff was a kid, and asks Andrea if she knows the boys in a scout troop photo. She identifies her father. Peter stands next to him and Sad Dad behind them. Sam and Dean realise that the connection was to Sad Dad AND the sheriff. Andrea’s confused. Just then, Lucas appears. He stares out the window, then opens the door and wanders off into the adjoining forest. Everyone follows. He stops at a random patch of ground and stares up at Dean. He tells Andrea to take Lucas back to the house.
After acquiring shovels, Sam and Dean start digging. Sam’s shovel hits something metallic, and they uncover it with their hands.
It’s Peter’s red bike. “Who are you?” says a voice from behind them. It’s the sheriff and he’s pointing his gun at them. He demands to know how they knew the bike was there, but they demand to know what happened to Peter. From an upstairs window, Andrea sees what’s happening. She tells Lucas to stay put and runs outside. She reaches them as Sam tells the sheriff that Peter’s ghost is going to kill everyone he loves and then kill him because that’s what it did to Sad Dad. The sheriff “BITCH, YOU CRAZY”s him. Dean tells him that in order to stop the ghost, they need to salt and burn the bones.
Cut to Lucas, watching them from behind the external stairs. The whispery voices tells him to come and play, and he follows. Andrea begs her father for the truth, and he relents. He and Sad Dad always bullied Peter because he was smaller than them. They thought it would be funny to hold him under the water. But they went too far and he drowned. They freaked and let the body go in the lake. It sank. Sam and Dean share a “Well, SHIT” expression. The sheriff tries to make excuses for the whole childhood murder thing, and then tells Andrea that it’s crazy to think a ghost is responsible. Her expression says otherwise.
Sara: What. The. Fuck. That is super psychotic. I’m on Team Ghost!Peter now.
K: Right there with you. Dean says that they need to get all of them as far away from the lake as possible. Andrea turns to see Lucas on the dock. He’s reaching for a toy soldier floating in the water. They all sprint towards the dock. A hand reaches out of the water and grabs Lucas, pulling him under. The sheriff stops in shock because Ghost!Peter’s creepy head pokes out of the water and glares at him.
Sara: LEGIT TRAUMA.
K: YUP. Sam and Dean dive into the water. Andrea pulls off her jacket, but Sam tells her to stay out of the water. She screams for her son. Sam and Dean search furiously but can’t find anything.
A few metres further along the shore, the sheriff wades into the water. He apologises to Peter, and says that it’s not Lucas’ fault, that Peter should take him instead. Andrea screams for her father. Underwater, we see Ghost!Peter rising. He grabs the sheriff’s ankle and drags him down. Andrea screams again. Sam and Dean dive once more, and Sam comes up empty handed. A few seconds later, Dean surfaces with Lucas. Fade to black.
After the Not Commercial Break, the boys are moodily packing the car. Sam tells Dean that they can’t save everyone. Andrea calls out to them – she and Lucas have made them lunch for the road. “Can I give it to them now?” Lucas says quietly, and Dean smiles. He pulls Lucas aside to put the plate of sandwiches in the car. Sam asks Andrea how she’s doing, and she says it’ll take a while to process everything, but she’s going to focus on the fact that her father loved her and Lucas, and that he sacrificed himself for her son.
Over at the Bromobile, Dean has taught Lucas to say “Zeppelin rules!!” They high five, and Lucas grins.
Sara: Guys, look how good my boyfriend is with kids.
K: Dean tells him to look after his mother. Andrea thanks Dean with a kiss, and the boys roll out of town to Bad Company’s Movin’ On.
This isn’t a great episode. There’s an awful lot of set up and explanation, plus some dubious contrivance. But it DOES give us Protector-of-Innocent-Children!Dean, which is my favourite Dean. Plus, Amy Acker, even if she mostly just had to scream.
Sara: There does still seem to be a lot of exposition happening, but I can already feel the guilty pleasure tide rolling over me with this show. So far there’s been something legitimately creepy in every episode, and I love creepy lite so I’m digging it. And the boys! I love the boys. (I’ve been rewatching Gilmore Girls and baby!Sam as Dean is still adorable.) This show is good, silly fun and it’s only episode three!
K: And now for your final added moment of “Reasons why Kirsti loves this show” – the fact that THREE EPISODES IN, Jensen and Jared were already doing shit like this:
[Editor’s Note: I liked this one better than the last, and not only for Amy Acker. Also, I’m pretty sure Sam pulled her out of the tub. Where’s the love? -Lorraine]
Next time: A whole different kind of Mile High Club. Find out more in Supernatural S01 E04 – Phantom Traveler.
I'm a 30-something librarian and I still live with my parents because I'm super broke. Leader of Team Heartless Cow. I have an inexplicable love for 90s television, eat too much chocolate, and read more than is good for me.
I'm a 30-something with three kids who spends an embarrassing amount of time watching teen television dramas. There's a whole lot of Internet out there, and I plan on reading all of it before I die.
