Supernatural: My Bloody Valentine

Posted by: Kyle Tetarenko  •  February 12, 2010 @ 1:32pm

Filed under: Recaps & Reviews

With Valentine's Day just around the corner, what better show to have a themed episode than Supernatural?

It all starts with the cute couple Russell and Alice, who at the end of their first date both admit to having a great time and face the awkward first kiss. It seems like he goes eighty and she goes twenty but after it happens things gets quite heated which is followed by another kiss and another still. Suddenly Russell and Alice are in Alice's bedroom and the action is only picking up. The shirts fly off and the only thing Russell can say is "I respect the crap out of you right now" (easy now Russell, it seems like you're about to steal home). Seeing as how this is Supernatural – this is when the weird sets in. Russell is laying on the moves when Alice bites him hard and tears away some flesh. Her face is covered in blood but Russell is still into it and even gets a bit of hers as well until they both literally consume one another in a bloody mess.

We catch up with Sam asking questions of Alice's roommate who tells him Alice never acts like that. Apparently she was a good girl who hadn't been on a date in months and still had her "promise ring". After their talk, Sam meets up with Dean and fills him in on the details and with it being Valentine's Day, he tells Dean to take off and "unleash the Kraken" on the local girls at the bar but for some strange reason Dean isn't having it.

After another couple kill themselves, the brothers go to the coroner's office and see strange markings on the hearts of the victims which Castiel confirms are angel markings. This can mean only one thing...Cupid has gone rogue and is killing the townsfolk (No Way!).

Later on Sam, Dean and Castiel confront a very naked Cupid who swears he didn't kill any of the people and claims all he did was make them fall in love. Castiel shortly thereafter discovers it wasn't Cupid but actually the horseman, Famine, who is behind all of the crazy deaths. Famine turns out to be an old man in a motorized wheel chair and oxygen mask preparing to march across the world. While uncontrollably stuffing burgers into his mouth, Cas explains that everybody is starving for something whether it be food, love or even attention. Sam is beginning to feel the effects of his desire for demon blood but Dean still oddly seems to be fine which Castiel can't even explain.

Dean eventually comes face to face with Famine in a lacklustre conclusion to the episode. Famine discovers that the reason Dean is unaffected by his power is because he is dead and broken inside and no matter how much he tries he can't fill the hole. Sam saves the day by using his renewed demon powers, after drinking demon blood, to exercise demons Famine had consumed while they were still inside his stomach and stopping Famine's curse on the town.

While the episode initially grabs our attention, it ultimately leaves us starving for more. When people imagine the horseman Famine, most assume it would its affects would be to starve people to the point where they are withering away and dying. I understand this interpretation had people attempting to fill whatever they were starving for like love or attention, but being starved for attention is a stretch and comes across as a gimmick.

Also, if everyone is affected by Famine, why aren't his demon body guards or Cupid? Castiel is an angel and is affected before Sam but Cupid is just fine and the demons constantly around Famine seem to not be starving for anything. I would assume that demons want death and destruction as much as they always have in previous seasons but not in this story.

This brings me to my last point of Dean in the episode. Famine mentioned Dean was so broken, defeated and dead inside there was nothing that could fill the void so he wasn't affected. How does that make any sense at all? If he was so dead inside, wouldn't he want more than anyone? Being dead inside would also mean not caring if the world ended let alone continuing to fight every day. At the very least, it seems like Dean wants an end to the life he leads or a way out from the pressure he is always under. The only good part involving Dean (besides his trademark one liners) was at the end when he seemed to be asking heaven for help, hinting his resolve to resist Michael may not be as strong as it seems.

If the episode had actually been about Cupid being a badass angel, it could have been charming, funny and entertaining but instead they strived for too much. The story arc is complex enough without trying to force every idea into every episode. Supernatural returns with new episodes March 25th and hopefully Bobby can bring the show back on track.

Tags: Supernatural, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Castiel, Cupid, My Bloody Valentine, Misha Collins, Famine

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