Supernatural: Heart

Ain’t No Cure for Love or Werewolves Either
by Sylvia Bond
Supernatural Episode Review – Season 2, Episode 17
“Heart”

I have these friends who once tied me to a chair, and in a dark room with no exit, dosed me with beer and pizza and made me watch many, many episodes of Show. Even with such kindnesses as that, and even with the satisfying discussion about Sam’s hair and whether or not it looked better in Season 1 than Season 2, I was not taken in. I know, I know, it’s hard to believe now, but I resisted the fangirl pressure like a horse led to water. I didn’t argue with them about it, but I just wasn’t going there. I had serious writery things to do and didn’t want to be mucking about with this somewhat darkish show about two unemployed brothers driving an old (scary) car across the country, living off the grid while they saved people and hunted things. No, no, and NO. (The only thing I remember from my capture/torture session was Dean taking his shirt off, which is, really, not a bad image to have burned into one’s brain. But it wasn’t enough.)

Later, in a less pressured state of mind, I realized that it is in my nature to initially resist those things that affect me deeply, so I decided to give Show one more try. To that end, I resigned myself to watch whatever was coming up on network TV, which turned out to be this particular ep, also known as the werewolf ep. I would sit through the entire thing, on my own, clean and sober, and THEN decide. (I am nothing if not fair.) It may surprise many that halfway through the ep I almost turned it OFF. Yes, it’s true! This occurred long about the point that the chick and the tall, dark haired guy are watching TV together, because yet again, I could sense the plot taking a schmoopy, romantic turn, and yet again there was going to be Kissing. Spare me. 

Do not throw stones, please. You’ve been where I have been, you’ve had friends, relatives even, who go on and On and ON about something they think is wonderful and that you will love, and you get this stubborn, internal wall of resistance, and it’s not purposefully to spite your kith and kin, but you simply don’t want to know. That was me. That WAS me until the last five minutes of this ep when I suddenly leaned forward in my chair, the hair on the back of my neck going up, and I knew I had stumbled upon something quite wonderful and powerful. To this day, this ep is on the TOP of my All Time Top Ten Favorites List , bar none, and that will never ever change because this ep Changed Me Forever. It changed the way I look at things, the way I relate to people, what I write about, how I travel, everything. Okay, well maybe not everything, but you see what I mean. I got into Show because of this ep, and am having so much fun, it makes me wonder what I did in the Before Time.

But enough about me, let’s talk about the ep, shall we? There are scenes in this ep that move the plot forward in the usual manner of Show, and then there are the many wonderful scenes that vibrate right through the TV and into your living room, scenes that fangirls are still talking about, even though they took place waaaaay back in Season 2. It’s the latter type of scenes that make this ep a fangirl favorite, and, if you believe my story (which you should because I’m terribly honest about these things), this ep could make fans out of non-fans with very little effort.

The basic plot is that Sam and Dean go to San Francisco to investigate mauled bodies that are showing up around Hunter’s Point. One early scene shows Dean vibrating with joy about the prospect of this particular hunt because right away, even thought they’ve not seen one since they were kids, the boys know it’s a werewolf and they know how to deal with it. Sam, on the other hand, mocks Dean’s excitement, calling him “Sparky,” and sarcastically promising Disneyland afterwards. Hotel room dithers don’t get much better than this, as Sam drinks a beer and Dean cleans guns (always sexy), using both beds upon which to spread his supplies. And is it an accident that the room is rather nice (well, nicer than they usually get), done in calming tones of green and cream and white? I think not, because the feel of the room gives off the idea that the boys are in a lush, green garden, where there are no snakes and nothing to fear. (Yes, I’d like a room please!)

As the boys investigate, they run into Madison, whose boss was among the mauled and who has a nasty, stalker type, ex-boyfriend. (His name is Kurt Mueller, which by his name alone, points to him as prime werewolf material. Plus, Dean and Sam introduce themselves as “Landis” and “Dante,” which are the names of two directors of very well known werewolf films. Oh, what a clever Show!)  Madison is a very visible secondary character, which tells me right away that she will be interacting with the boys a great deal. 

She is also what I call a Bee-U-Ti-Ful Creeture, one of the prettiest heroines that Show has ever had. She’s not thin and blonde or busty and blonde or Unreasonably-Naked-In-Cold-Weather attractive. In fact, she’s not typical TV material at all; instead she’s a lush mix of Mediterranean dark hair and cold-weather pale skin, large eyes, and a natural smile. She’s not intimidated by Sam or Dean (or her boss), instead treating them with a self-assured attitude that seems to imply that she’s using all of her brain capacity and isn’t afraid to show it. In addition, she lives in a nice, tastefully decorated place (more green and cream), from which I get the feeling that once she decorated it, she’s done, and isn’t going to fuss and constantly change things because she’s got better things to do. 

The boys check out Kurt’s place (which seems rather tidy for a bachelor), and are soon confronted by a token dead cop who gets mangled to show the situation’s serious, as if we didn’t know that already. Dean, at one point, pulls back the dumpster and foolishly leaves fingerprints all over the place! I sincerely hope that he wiped them off; he is a wanted man after all, but this is small in comparison to the coolness of what follows, one of the beloved scenes of this ep, and that is when Sam and Dean think that Madison might be the next target, and go and visit her. (I truly love the coffee-pouring bit; the boys are so tall, Madison has to practically hold the coffee pot OVER her head to pour into the cups the boys are holding at chest level.) 

The boys do “rock, paper, scissors” to decide who will skulk in the alleyway and who will loll on Madison’s couch. Sam wins because Dean always picks scissors. This scene wins major points in my fangirl heart; check out the seriousness of their faces as they pound their fists one-two-three in their hands. It’s rather sweet to see these two, seasoned hunters with bloodstains on their clothes using playground rituals to determine the winner. As for Dean’s constant and never-changing choice of scissors, I put it down to him picking the sharpest, most aggressive tool available to him, the way people will pick the Top Hat in the Monopoly game because they think it will help them win. (Though, I’m here to tell you that the person who picks the Dog always wins, at least in my family.) Plus Dean being the sort who lives off the grid and, being without much predictability, likes to be predictable from time to time, showing a tiny bit of vulnerability here, if you watch closely and don’t blink.

The next cute scene is cute in a way that leaves me speculating how very much Sam misses normal. Madison wanders about her apartment, doing what girls do, while Sam wriggles at the table, uncertain as to what to do with his hands. He’s ill at ease being alone with a girl, looking and acting terribly young and sweet. When Madison dumps her smalls on the table, watch as Sam jerks his arm back like they were poison, although he can hardly keep his eyes off them as she folds and sorts. After Dean calls to tease, Sam and Madison watch TV, and I love them together on the couch, chatting and laughing, and I don’t know when was the last time I saw Sammy smile like that. He deserves his bit fun, don’t you agree?

Then the conversation turns serious, and Show gives me TONS of close-ups of Sam as he watches Madison, and plies her with sincere but awkward compliments. He thinks she’s the bomb and the shiznit all rolled into one. She admits that she was mugged and that she grew from adversity, yadda, yadda, yadda, but my favorite moment is when Sam is listening real close and you can see the tug of a smile in the corner of his mouth, and I think that’s the moment when he fell in love with her. Meanwhile, Dean’s ostensibly following Kurt, and has ended up at a strip club, watching the dancers with eager eyes. I don’t think this contrast was presented by accident; it shows that Dean gets his shimmy shimmy on where he can, whereas Sam needs emotional connection before he slides between the sheets. 

The boys separate to do watchful things; Sam watches over Madison all night, making me wonder when he sleeps. Dean is still watching Kurt, which we see in a very atmospheric scene with a full moon, sweeping clouds, gothic overtones, and Dean, with one leg propped up, standing in an alley. For all it’s so short, it really is a beautiful little clip, and always makes me think that Dean’s unafraid because he knows he’s almost the most dangerous thing in the city. Plus there’s that whole waiting element; as boys, they probably learned patience early on, and I wonder what Dean’s thinking of here as he watches, on sentry duty through the darkness. 

Alas trouble follows, and Dean discovers that Madison is the werewolf. Dean is able to mark her with a silver knife before she knocks him out, and then he calls Sam to tell him the Awful Truth. What I like here is Sam’s change from wide-eyed, just-falling-in-love-boy to Winchester On The Job when he gets the news. His eyes, his stance, his voice, everything gets stern and purposeful; kudos to Padalecki for making the transition smooth and natural. Sam’s got Madison tied in a chair, as she weeps and tries to convince Sam he’s crazy, and oh, how Sam would love for that to be true. You can see it in his face. 

When Dean arrives, there’s a lovely hallway dither about who is the monster here and what they should do about it. Dean wants to waste her directly before she does more damage. I don’t think Dean is being cold-hearted necessarily, but by the look on his face, he’s got a job to do and he’s going to do it. They kill what’s supernatural, end of story. Sam, on the other hand, wants to check out all the possibilities. There’s good contrast here, and the actors play it up; Ackles keeps his face and body still, being the stern, focused hunter, while Padalecki moves around, his eyes wide, shoulders curled, looking young and untested. 

It just gets better. There’s more dither, both over Madison’s head, and in the hallway, as the boys discover that Madison was bitten by a werewolf. Sam convinces Dean to go out and look for the other werewolf, because if they can sever the bloodline, then maybe Madison will be cured. You can see in Dean’s face that the ONLY reason he’s doing this is because Sam is asking him to; he knows it’s a lost cause, but for Sam, anything. Sam even promises to shoot her if things go south, which just breaks my heart because I know he means it. 

When Dean leaves, Sam gives Madison a tearful promise that if this works out she’ll never see him again; it gets uber weepy along about here, but it makes sense. It KILLS Sam to have to do any of this, because he’s Mr. Empathic Man, he is relating to her in a big way. Show also does a marvelous job of showing us just how scary the boys really are to outsiders. If some guy (however hunky he might be) had YOU tied up and might just have to off you because he thinks you’re a werewolf, well, if you didn’t know him, you wouldn’t want to. 

While Dean tangles with the other werewolf (which turns out to be a neighbor) in slow motion, Sam tangles with Madison, who has, unfortunately, Turned. This takes Sam unawares, but even as she slashes at him, he’s well-trained enough to reach for his gun (which I hope has silver bullets) and to trick her into flinging herself into a huge and somehow empty closet. (He really is beautiful with blood on his face, don’t ask me why.) Sam shows some superhuman strength as he pushes the entertainment center (complete with a huge TV) in front of the door. It’s so typically Sam that he wants to save her instead of shoot her; come the morning that he’s so sure that severing the bloodline has worked that he tells her goodbye and then leaves. (I love his exit; he’s almost invisible.)

Next, the boys wait it out in the car, where Madison comes out and invites them inside to watch over her so they can “be sure.” (I love the fact that Madison says out loud that their car is rather conspicuous, because it is! I’m always surprised that they don’t get pulled over more often.) Once inside, Dean, typically, is all smiles and jokes, asking if anyone wants to play poker. Sam, is, on the other hand, shaking with emo, and I love it when he says to her, “You didn’t know.” Madison, for her part, seems rather calm about the whole thing, but then she is a sensible sort, which is probably why Sam is attracted to her. 

They wait all day and all night. At one point, Dean picks up his gun to check it; he’s on duty even as he allows Sam the pleasure of sitting on the couch with Madison. (Just what is the attraction of men with guns? Or is it just Dean?) Then, as the sun rises, Dean realizes he’s a third-wheel, and as he is always observant of Sam’s need to get laid, he leaves, punching his fist in the air for having achieved victory at last! (Why it matters to him so much that Sam should get laid, I do not know, unless it is because Dean himself needs to get laid a lot and he’s projecting on little bro. Freud anyone? Or is it Jung?)

It is at this point that I am proven right of my earlier complaint, because there is Kissing. Sam and Madison fling themselves at each other and tumble into bed for the kind of TV sex that you don’t often see. Which is probably a good thing, because watching it made me want to look away, or tell them to “get a room,” but they already have a room, their clothes are off, and it was so hotty, hot, hot (like burning), my mouth sort of fell open and I was transfixed. Not least of which by the push of Sam’s muscles beneath his skin (And who built the fire in the fireplace that flickers so adoringly across all that bared skin, I ask you? On second thought, who cares!), and his hair as it falls across his damp forhead, those big hands, and the fact that Sam bites. Yeah, there was Nipping among the Kissing, and HEY, if Show didn’t want me to notice these things, it wouldn’t have filmed them! So I’m just doing what I’m supposed to do, as the viewer, getting all worked up, and being mighty pleased that Padalecki had the GUTS to go all out on this scene, to make it real, and passionate, and totally provocative and sexy. Whew! Where’s that cold shower! 

In the morning, however, there is trouble, right here in good ole San Fran because when Sam wakes up, Madison has Turned, and what’s more, as she leaps out the window, she’s wearing his SHIRT. Which means that, yes, Sam is nekked. I shouldn’t notice these things, not when the ep takes such a serious turn, but you know, where the camera pans, my eyes must follow, and follow they do, as far as they can go. I do question how if Madison didn’t turn the night before, why is she turning now during the day? Plus it occurs to me with all these turnings and killings and stuff, that moon must have been full for a solid week, at the very least. I figure it’s a Magic San Francisco moon, a moon for killers as well as lovers and leave it at that. 

Sam races to Dean’s hotel room, pounding on the door and hollering, and I wonder why Sam didn’t just use the thing we like to call a cell phone to get hold of Dean and tell him the awful bad news. But, Sam’s racing and frantic pounding is effective, and as the brothers hurtle down the stairs and into the street, I adore Dean’s reassurance that they’ll find her, Sammy. (I love it when Dean calls him that, as if reverting to a name that has long since been banned by Sam will bring them both back to a time when things were a little bit safer, or at least not so screwed up.)

But it’s not going to be okay. Sam’s cell phone (the unused one) rings and it’s Madison, wearing Sam’s SHIRT in a phone booth somewhere in the City. Probably not too far, for soon Sam and Dean and Madison are ensconced in her apartment and she is weeping, having believed the truth at last. Here is where the ep, for all its funny little jokes, and brotherly exchanges (both verbal and physical), and in spite of the super-charged sex scene, becomes SAD. As it turns out, in spite of all the boys’ best efforts, there is no cure, and Madison must be put down, shot, as it were, in the heart, with a silver bullet. 

There’s an angsty little dither as they discuss their options. Sam wants to keep trying, but Madison knows there’s nothing to be done. She wants Sam to do it, and Sam can’t, he just can’t. The moment where he gets up, curling his shoulders into his jacket is so laced with emo that it makes me choke up just thinking about it. But that’s not enough for Show, as Dean gets up and takes the gun from off the table, the background strains of “Silent Lucidity” start up, and a song I had previously thought as somewhat eerie and cool becomes instantly (and forever) mournful and sad. And then, before my eyes, Sam grows OLD because he realizes what must be done, and he will never be young again. We also see Dean’s true face, like we’ve never seen it before, with everything he has ever felt right there on the surface, and there’s so much pain there, it’s almost too much. I’m completely broken at this point, but Show pushes it even MORE, and thanks ever so, Show, because now I need tissue just thinking about it. 

Dean offers to do it; he says, “Sammy, I got this one, I’ll do it,” which rather implies not just that there are other killings that have been done and have yet to be done, but that there are other HARD killings to be done and that the brothers trade off. Which seems matter of factual and everything, but I got a real taste here how hard it must be being a Winchester, as if I didn’t already know, and how glad I am that I’m not. 

This is the point where it gets GOOD, in a very bad, horrible kind of way, because Sam insists that he will do it. This is the point where my neck hair stood up and I leaned forward in my seat because I simply couldn’t believe that a mere TV show was going to take this hard, awful, dark route. But it did. Sam takes the gun from Dean, and weeping, WEEPING real tears (fannish lore says that Padalecki used the idea of having to put his own beloved dogs down in order to raise these tears, all I can say is he must LOVE his dogs!), turns to Dean and says, “Just wait here.”  Which, it turns out, that while I expected the camera to follow Sam to witness the Awful Event, is exactly what happens. The camera stays focused on Dean, who is lit from above so that his eyes are cast in shadow, but at the same time, you can see that they are half-shuttered as though he were truly grieving. A mantear of pain shoots down Dean’s face (looking like it hurts like acid), and a second later you hear the gunshot as Dean’s body jerks in reaction. And then it goes black.

I realize that I had seen something amazing, not least of which is the restraint of the director to stay on Dean rather than follow Sam, because our view of Sam becomes much clearer when seen through Dean’s eyes. Dean is not mourning Madison or the awfulness of having to off a supernatural creature who is, at the same time, a very sweet girl, no. He is mourning Sam, mourning the fact that he wasn’t able to protect Sam from this and, more, that the last of Sam’s innocence has been ripped away, that this act, above all others, separates Sam once and for all from his search for normal, and takes away his passport to the land of safe. 

If you’re a Supernatural fan, you’ve seen this ep and know what I’m talking about. If you’re not a Supernatural fan, you NEED to see this ep. I’ll shout it loud and long from the rooftops as long as I need to, am willing to coax and cajole. Hell, I’m willing to tie you to a chair in a darkened room and dose you with pizza and beer if I have to. Whatever works, whatever will convince you that these brothers and their quest will move you like nothing else you’ve ever seen. And, at the more fangirly end of the spectrum, they’re both so DARN good-looking it’s almost sinful. What more could you want?

Sylvia Bond is a ten-year technical writing veteran with too many degrees under her belt to count. She lives in Colorado, but does not ski, preferring instead to spend her money and time at the annual Great American Beer Festival, taking road trips across the United States, and reading historical fiction from the comfort of her fluffy green arm chair. She has been involved in fandom since 1993 and been writing fanfic since approximately 1993. What she finds most amazing about fandom (besides the open heartedness of fans and the sheer amount of creativity) is how visible fandom has become. “In my day,” she says, “we had to hide behind P.O. boxes to get fanfic. But nowadays, people wear t-shirts that shout their affiliation and share their shiny toys on the internet.” It’s a wonderful world.

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