Supernatural: Long-Distance Call
(S03E14) Last week the Supernatural team went off the reservation and delivered an episode that seemed to split the fan base. As evidenced in the comments here, and at other Supernatural haunts around the web, there were a number of fans that just weren’t sold on the Ghostfacers. I suspect that this week was a welcome turnaround for those folks. With “Long-Distance Call” we had a classic episode.
There was the monster of the week, the boys having a heart to heart in a cheap hotel, impersonating detectives, and even a reference to our favorite Asian porn site (platinum membership, worth every penny). They’re playing the hits. And if all that wasn’t enough, they even managed to tie it all in to the season long arc.
Let’s start with our monster of the week, Clark Adams (Tom O’Brien), a crocotta. I liked this story from the creature aspect as well as the mystery in discovering him. Clark was a well disguised suspect when we first met him. Stewie Meyers (Anjul Nigam) seemed like an obvious red herring even before Sam headed back to the phone company, but I still hadn’t fingered Clark. I was looking for something lurking in the shadows. It’s worth noting here, Stewie had a great moment with, “Yeah, Clark! That’s what happens when you mess with the phone company, dillweed.”
As to the crocotta’s end game, it was clever as well. The modernization they put on the legend by allowing him to interface with the technology worked very well. There is just something about a ringing phone that lends itself to the creepy. What really sold it though was Clark’s little speech to Sam. It kind of had a taste of Bond villain to it, with him explaining the machinations instead of just killing the good guy, but that’s ok. The real hook was the line, “You’re all so connected, but you’ve never been so alone.” It really worked for the crocotta’s story, and it kind of rings true in my little corner of the world as I sit here alone writing this review, all the while responding to IMs, tweets, and emails from friends scattered across the landscape. That Sera Gamble is a clever one.
Of the victims, I liked the Lanie (Cherilyn Wilson) story the best. She did a nice job, but the real kicker was that scene with her dead mother coming up behind her, all captured on the webcam. Creepy, man. The filling of the screen with “Come to me” was a nice touch as well, and I’m sure anyone that ever programmed in BASIC wrote that little gem in their head as the text scrolled. She also had a nice back and forth with Sam as they felt each other out. Lanie not wanting someone to think she was nuts, and Sam preferring to not have the cops called.
Of course, the big phone call, the one teased by the promos, was the one from John. Sure, at the end of the day, it wasn’t really John. It was all just a ruse to lead Dean down a path. But you can certainly see how he could be taken in by it. I was taken in by it. The idea that John could have learned an exorcism that will kill a demon doesn’t seem so far fetched. And with the clock ticking down, desperate times call for desperate measures. The only thing I found a little disappointing in all of it was that we didn’t see John. When Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s name appeared in the credits, I was expecting a little more. Understandable though, given the story.
The call from John also laid the groundwork for a great Sam and Dean scene back at the motel. Dean was clearly reaching, and Sam was stuck in the unfortunate place of being the voice of reason. Sam crushing Dean’s hope, as well as the revelation of what Ruby had told Dean, made for some crazy Winchester tension. That, by the way, is something I’m still not completely sold on. There may still be more for us to learn where Ruby and the deal are concerned.
And we can’t forget the big showdowns. It kind of felt a little weird having the two of them separated and both in their own fights. Usually, you’re expecting the other one to kick in a door and save the day, but that obviously wasn’t going to happen. I was pretty happy to see Sam get to handle the crocotta all on his own. It also called back to Ruby and Dean’s conversation about getting Sam ready. It’s working.
Finally, in another classic scene we have the wrap up conversation. It dovetailed well with the earlier argument in the hotel room. It also had that familiar transition from very serious as Dean explained, “I’m staring down the barrel at this thing… I’m scared Sam.” and took a lighter turn as he chided Sam for not having a touching response. It left us knowing that things are as good as ever between the two boys.
So, there we are. The clock is ticking. For Dean, and the season. Something big has to happen quickly. With any luck we’ll start to get those answers next Thursday, when the ghost of John Bly shows up to raise a ruckus.
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