Supernatural, “Ask Jeeves,” was written by the team of Eric Chamelo and Nicole Snyder, and was directed by John MacCarthy. MacCarthy has directed two other episodes, but “Johnny Mac” is perhaps better known as the first assistant director on all the even numbered episode of the show. Unfortunately, while directing this episode MacCarthy’s father passed away, so the dedication at the end of the episode was to his father. I suspect this episode was challenging to shoot on many levels. The episode is an homage to the game Clue as the brothers try to work out who did it. Did you catch all the references to the famous game pieces associated with the game? In fact, there were lots of inside references to mysteries.
I’m quite sure I would have liked this episode better had it been placed elsewhere in the season. Coming right after a meta-episode like “Fan Fiction,” having a mainly comedic episode continued to take me out of the drama of Supernatural. I needed to be immersed in the universe of the show, not further distanced from it. The “WASPS” in this episode were such a heavy caricature that the acting came across as stilted at best and just bad at worst. And that final scene. Was anybody else pulling their hair out and yelling at their television to see one brother lying to the other yet again? Really? We’re back to this old chestnut?
I’ve seen a lot of positive reactions to the show, and I’m not saying the episode was without its charms. For instance, the music by Jay Gruska in the episode was excellent. There was a reprise of the old horror movie music like we had in season four’s “Monster Movie” and each time we see Dean searching for clues, it’s overlaid by music that sounds a lot like the Sherlock soundtrack. It’s a nice balance to Olivia (Izabella Miko) calling Dean (Jensen Ackles) the cute dumb one. I really liked how MacCarthy bookended the opening and closing scenes with the brothers by focusing on the Impala’s headlight – on Dean’s side of the car.
There are almost too many in jokes to mention. I’ve criticized the show for having too many pop culture references in recent episodes, so I did appreciate Dean asking “Who talks like that?” when the guest stars started dropping all the references. In this instance, because it is more of a comedy episode, it’s less jarring – and it wasn’t quite as overdone. The title of the episode itself is a reference to the PG Wodehouse character – the clever butler who looks after the dim-witted upper-class employer, and also a reference to the Ask Jeeves web search engine. AskJeeves no longer exists and its replacement Ask –dot- com is renowned for containing hidden malware – rather like Olivia being hidden. I liked the way they used the “THEN” montage to introduce the Supernatural Clue players – instead of Colonel Mustard or Ms Scarlet we have vengeful spirits, Tulpas, Pishtacos, and shapeshifters. It was also a nice way to throw us off the scent of exactly what they were hunting as the “THEN” usually gives us reveals what they boys will be hunting if they’ve already hunted it before. And of course, waiting for all the famous board pieces was fun.
Just some of the references – because I’m sure I missed some – included, Rizzoli and Isles – from the show of the same name, Baby Jane – the creepy movie with Bette Davis and Joan Crawford who play two aging sisters, Leopold and Loeb – infamous murderers, and Dean refers to Philip (Kevin McNulty) as the ghosts’ Renfield – Dracula’s sidekick. No doubt sending Colette (Pippa Mackie) to clown college (and who didn’t love the alliteration of that!) had to be an homage to Sam’s fear of clowns but also It and possibly even American Horror Story: Freak Show.
Dean also calls Dash (Marcus Rosner) Izod, clearly a poke at the preppy clothing company, but what’s really hilarious here is that Dash is wearing exactly the same outfit as Ackles wore to the premiere of his own horror movie, My Bloody Valentine 3D. Some hidden information on the guest stars? Debra McCabe who played Beverly was in Saw III. Matthew Harrison (Stanton) was in Thir13en Ghosts. McNulty played Roy LeGrange in the season one episode “Faith” and Doug Abrahams who played Detective Howard played Eddie in season four’s “After School Special.” And in case you missed it, you can see a Clue game in the background of the attic.
Of course there were lots of murder mystery clichés throughout the episode. We think the butler may have done it, but if not, then of course, it’s the maid! We have the creepy mansion and the family gathered. There is the door hidden behind a bookshelf that is opened by tipping the one book forward. There’s poor Colette’s body rolled up in the rug.
Once again, the episode opens with Dean desperate to find a case. In fact, they set off to Connecticut after finding a message on Bobby’s phone that he’s come into an inheritance from one Bunny Lacroix. The opening scene between the brothers is another nice one, with Sam (Jared Padalecki) bringing his brother coffee as Dean once again works on refurbishing his baby – a nice metaphor for getting his own life dust busted. Bringing up Bobby, and fondly remembering his quirks helps to introduce one of the themes in the episode – family. Dash and Sam discuss the differences between their families.
Dash tells Sam that in his family, “we don’t really like each other. Then again, what family does?” Padalecki is wonderful in this scene as he says a thousand words about his family with his facial expression in less than 5 seconds. He responds that his family does like each other – and the subtext is when they aren’t annoying the hell out of each other.
We see that Olivia was more devoted to Bunny than the rest of the family. In fact, it’s interesting that when Sam and Dean come back to the mansion, no one is still wearing their black funeral clothing. Olivia kills Stanton presumably for calling Bunny a hooker in Chanel – though we’re never really told why or how she was able to whisper his name like a ghost… We learn through her convenient monologuing that Bunny had an affair with a shifter who later returned to kill Lance and was subsequently killed by Bobby. Presumably, Bobby – much like Dean and Sam in season six’s “Two and a Half Men” – couldn’t kill a baby even if it was a shifter. He allows Bunny to keep Olivia as long as she kept her locked in the attic. Anybody else notice that that attic was covered in cobwebs and clearly had never been lived in? Anyway, after Bunny’s death Philip takes pity on her and lets her out. He clearly accepts Colette’s death as the accident it was, but locks Olivia back up when she murders Lance.
Once again the question of what makes us a monster plays a central role in the episode. Sam tells Olivia that “being a monster is a choice.” Olivia replies that that choice had been made for her years ago. Can we, in fact, avoid our nature? Is it nurture? Is it a combination of both? And of course this also plays into the ends justifying the means. Was Sam himself justified in what he did to get Dean back? Is Dean destined to slide back into being a monster because of the Mark of Cain? Is it the Mark that causes him to empty the clip into Olivia? Great shot in that scene as Dean’s downcast eyes look positively black before the scene itself fades to black – just a trick of the lighting?
The final scene in the car was frustrating. We see Sam reluctantly bring up the extra shots. Dean performs classic Dean deflection – “oh my God!” – lots of bluster and a lame answer. “It was my first kill back. I wanted to make sure.” And then Dean turns up the music and sets his jaw. Please show, make this about Dean lying to himself because he’s scared, do NOT make it about him lying to his brother again! Great choice of final song of Bob Seger’s “Travelin’ Man.” I especially liked the lyric “the memories that make me a wealthy man.” It underscores why the Winchesters will always be richer than others like the Lacroixs. It’s those memories that should also help to keep both of them human.
The episode also contained some funny moments and lines. I loved the tiny cups of coffee – reminded me of the tiny tea cups in “Clap Your Hands if You Believe” and contrasted with the enormous glasses that they were drinking out of at the mansion. Dean’s eyeroll at Dash’s declaration that he shot pheasants was hilarious.
While I loved Padalecki’s reactions – “I’m lactose intolerant” and “the grey-garden is cleared” combined with a little shudder – haven’t we gotten past Sam’s awkward with women phase? While I’m enjoying a return to the Sam of old, he really isn’t that awkward young man anymore. We’ve seen him with enough women to know that Sam is not the bashful type, so while funny, it didn’t feel consistent for the character. I did like the way Padalecki’s southern drawl crept in when Sam tells Heddy (Gillian Vigman) to “come on in darlin’.”
The crime scene outline of the body with the head separate was a nice visual joke. And it’s always fun to see the disgusting pile of goo left behind by a shifter. However, the final shot of Sam in the car is perhaps the worst VFX I’ve ever seen on the show. As the camera pans out, Sam’s head stays the same size! Perhaps the creepiest moment of the entire episode!
Overall, I found this episode contained a somewhat unsuccessful mix of humor and drama, although I did enjoy it more on re-watching it. Part of it might also be the casting – Vigman is primarily a comedic actress, so can be forgiven for playing her scenes for laughs. And let’s not forget that Clue the movie was a comedy, not a horror movie. What did you think of the episode? Were you charmed by the in-jokes? Do you think the brothers are beginning to grow apart yet again? Do you think the Mark of Cain is behind Dean’s need to hunt and his excessive force? Should Sam be pushing harder? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
