Supernatural: Repo Man

Posted by: Kyle Tetarenko  •  February 19, 2012 @ 12:33am

Filed under: Recaps & Reviews

Four years ago, Sam and Dean saved Jeffrey from a demon that had possessed him. After putting him through hell and leaving him on the door step of a hospital they thought it was just another job well done but the Winchesters should have known; sometimes there are worse things than a demon that get left behind.

When three women are murdered in the same way as the victims four years ago, Sam and Den have to take a trip back to Coeur d'Alene to stop the demon. After visiting the local witch, Nora Havelock, who lead them to the demon before they don't have much to go on but she suggests that they check on Jeffrey since demons sometimes like to inhabit their former hosts. While this is all happening, Sam's old friend Lucifer has returned, chipping away at Sam's resolve to keep him at bay. When the Winchesters surprise Jeffrey with a visit, they face the hard reality that Jeffrey has not adjusted well since the possession but still wants to help. With Jeffrey's help Sam is sent to the library to watch over the next potential victim while Dean goes with Jeffrey to where the demon used to nest. It's there that Dean is knocked out only to have a rude awakening; tied up and bled out by Jeffrey who was behind the latest string of murders in an attempt to bring the demon back from hell. With his brother's life on the line and the only help coming from Lucifer in his head, the devil may truly be in the details.

I can describe Repo Man with a single word: fantastic. Several times I have wondered why Sam and Dean would never encounter ordinary people that were simply evil but their spin on Jeffrey was perfectly executed. I even suspected that the character Nora Havelock would be possessed and committing the latest killings but that would have been a predictable twist in the plot and it was a bolder choice to have Jeffrey as the psychopathic killer that he truly is. It also gave demons more depth by having this one shape Jeffrey into the killer he was meant to be rather than always leaving a trail of death and destruction in their wake each time. This demon had the purpose of taint humanity by planting the sowing the seeds to its own destruction, a darkness that we do not often see in Supernatural.

If it weren't for its guest stars, Repo Man would have been a have been a very different episode. First of all, Russell Sams was incredible as Jeffrey. Although he has easily had more material than guest stars as of late, he brought empathy to the role when he was with his support group and terror when he was overtaken by the demon; add that to the chemistry that he had with Sam and Dean and you can't lose. Speaking of chemistry, Mark Pellegrino has finally returned to Supernatural as Lucifer and he has not missed a step. His delivery and wit are impeccable and his chemistry with his presence obviously elevated Jared Padalecki's performance as well. The two play off one another incredibly well and watching Sam unravel will be a pleasure if it keeps up like this.

For an episode that I had no expectations for, it was incredibly well done. It proved that Sam and Dean don't need to go up against world destroying creatures like the leviathans to have a good story as demons (and people) can be at the heart of great stories. Hopefully Supernatural can keep the momentum going when it returns March 9th with Out With the Old.

Tags: Supernatural, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Jensen Ackles , Jared Padalecki, Mark Pellegrino, Russell Sams

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