Something Wicked

Something Wicked: Guess the Witch Time!

After last week’s ‘Hell House’ I was very much hoping for a change of pace. It’s not that I didn’t find the comedy in that episode funny, because I did, but I’ve come to expect more than that from ‘Supernatural’ and so I was left a little disappointed with the writing.

‘Something Wicked’ was just what the doctor, or rather in this case the webmaster, ordered. There was still the regular vein of humor running through the plot, but without the overkill of last week. It was smarter, slicker, and above all creepier than ‘Hell House’ ever knew how to be.

What’s more, ‘Something Wicked’ had the intriguing and perhaps slightly sugary subplot about the Winchester boy’s plight as children. Was John Winchester justified in leaving two young kids locked up in a motel while he went off to hunt? Was he wrong to blame Dean when he didn’t exactly follow orders to the letter? All this, of course leaves our hero Dean wanting to kill the wicked witch of the East (Albania I believe) even more- after all, as he says there is unfinished business to settle.

The Shtriga, our bad guy of the week was a reasonably interesting twist on the witch premise that I quite enjoyed to see. To be honest, it didn’t take me long to actually fathom out who was the evil one, but then it didn’t lessen the fun any once we knew now did it? After all, the fun comes when Sam and Dean come into the room, guns blazing and send our baddie right back to hell- well, eventually. First, Dean has to get tossed against a wall and Sam has to almost get strangled. Its par for the course these days, and you know we all love it.

So, I’ve made it quite plain I thought the writing this week was pretty good, but what about the acting and production?

Jensen and Jared seemed to turn the tables for this one. Dean had to be the one in an emotional turmoil, while Sam appeared to poke fun at his brother more than usual. The scene were the pair return in the morning to their motel room and Sam is teasing Dean about the woman who ‘sleeps with her peepers open’ is a classic example.

For me, the transition worked well, and Jensen’s haunted look as he told the tale from his childhood was priceless. Jensen was perfect with his emotions, while Jared got to lighten his character up a little. In short, for me both performances were great.

That just leaves production. Did the behind the scenes guys get it right? For me, they did. ‘Supernatural’ never scares me, but this week I can honestly say I felt just a little creeped out by a couple of scenes. The old woman in the hospital made me jump even though I knew the ‘scare’ was coming, and both sequences where the witch’s scrawny hand is at the window made me want to shiver. The special effects were up to the usual standard too.

In short, ‘Something Wicked’ was the kind of episode I like to see more of. A 'dash' of humor, action, brotherly love, and the usual creepy spook to keep our heroes on their toes!

Next Week: A picture 'comes alive' and wreaks havoc among the living?Boy, I wish my 'Supernatural' poster would come to life like that. ;)