Supernatural: How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters

Posted by: Kyle Tetarenko  •  November 21, 2011 @ 9:20pm

Filed under: Recaps & Reviews

After some New Jersey residents are turned into adrenaline crazed cannibals while the others are turning into sedentary zombies, Bobby and the Winchesters can only think of one possibility: it must have been something they ate.

Since the Leviathans turned up the heat, Bobby and the Winchesters are going through a bit of an adjustment period staying off the grid but the latest case might help take their minds off things. Even though the local papers are saying the sudden killings are probably from bears, our heroes have a chat with ranger Rick at the Biggerson's restaurant and he isn't buying the story but then again, he's probably stoned. They stick around for lunch and Dean gets the tarducken (turkey, chicken and duck) burger and is strangely overjoyed before they head out to hunt the monster; the hunt goes well but ranger Rick won't be making any guest appearances in the future. Investigating further they discover the leviathans are behind everything, trying to find a way to make humans fat and complacent but there were a few accidents along the way. When Bobby is taken hostage during a stakeout, things turn ugly real fast and someone won't be walking away from this job.

After being pushed into the background for a few episodes the leviathans didn't make the splash return we hoped for. Though the story of a drugged burger to make humans fat and lazy is funny, the execution missed the mark. Also, even after seeing Sam, Dean and Bobby stopping in at an abandoned home at the beginning of the show we haven't gotten to see that begin to take a toll on them. After seeing Sam and Dean in suits questioning police and eating at diners week after week, I don't see the difference.

Unquestionably, the best part of How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters was the Bobby. Season after season, Jim Beaver proves that Bobby can run away with any episode all by himself. The scene between Bobby, Sam and Dean in the forest on a hunt is almost reminiscent of some of the older seasons when Supernatural used to spend less time in and around motels. His "motivational" speech to Dean was also classic Bobby Singer. He is the anchor of the show and I hope the cliff hanger comes with an eventual happy ending.

What the show runners have mentioned this season is that they wanted to bring the show back to being just about Sam and Dean but that isn't working as well as they hoped. Bringing the show back to Sam and Dean requires having a central villain that is both a physical and cerebral threat; this is not Richard Roman. Richard Roman has come across as an eighties cliché and the photo shopped pictures of him are amongst the worst I have ever seen in a television show. James Patrick Stuart has given a largely one note performance as Roman and we have seen similar characters such as Brady (played by Eric Johnson) in The Devil You Know except he was good.

How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters wasn't a complete disaster but still does little to sell me on the leviathans. They may be more powerful than angels or demons but so far they just have a terrible case of the munchies. We'll see what happens to Bobby when Supernatural returns with Death's Door.

Tags: Supernatural, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Bobby Singer, Richard Roman, Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Jim Beaver, James Patrick Stuart

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