1.02 Wendigo. "Oh, sweetheart - I don't do shorts."

[llywela]

Jo's retrospective recap-and-review drive continues with episode two, Wendigo, which opens on a bunch of young campers at Blackwater Ridge, Colorado, being attacked in gruesome fashion by a scarily unseen creature.

Cut to – Sam having a nightmare about Jessica and waking up in the Impala to Dean's brusque and awkward concern. Not his first nightmare since Jessica's death, clearly, and the worried little glances Dean shoots at him and his offer to let Sam drive are adorable. Dean isn't good at the touchy-feely mushy stuff, but he has his own way of letting Sam know that he cares and is concerned, and the message is received loud and clear in similar brusque male fashion. Followed by a touch of exposition – they've dug around Stanford for a week, there was no trace of the demon, so they're now following the coordinates John left for them in the journal last episode in the hopes of finding him there.

Dean: "Dad will have answers. He'll know what to do."

Oh, Dean. So much faith, in spite of the abandonment. But they both believe it, very firmly – Sam wants that demon dead, but first they have to find Dad, because Dad has all the answers.

So, they hit Blackwater Ridge, and I love how easily Dean is distracted by the picture of the grizzly. This boy can find a moment's enjoyment in such tiny, simple things. Has to, I suppose, given that this endless hunt is his entire life. Sam, on the other hand, is all business, as befits his freshly grieving status. And they both work the Ranger beautifully – Sam with the smooth lying, and Dean with the smooth going along with the Ranger's suspicions and very neatly acquiring the details of 'that Hayley girl' currently kicking up a fuss about her brother's disappearance. Because Dean is working this as a case, whereas Sam is all about finding John and getting out of there, pronto.

I like Hayley, and her family situation clearly resonates strongly with the boys, especially Dean. Of course, her appreciation of his car probably helps there. She and her brothers are all alone with no one but each other, and take care of one another fiercely. With oldest brother Tommy missing out at Blackwater Ridge, Hayley and her very quiet younger brother Ben are resolved to go out there and find him themselves, and Dean empathises strongly, while Sam's interest is piqued enough to snap him into investigation mode.

The laptop puts in its first appearance here, complete with wireless Internet connection, acquired somehow even out here in the middle of nowhere.

The scene with the boys questioning the old man who'd survived a previous attack is really well done – they both handle him so well. Then, with as much background assembled as they're going to get, the boys prepare to head out.

Sam: "We cannot let that Hayley girl go out there."
Dean: "Oh yeah? What are we gonna tell her? That she can’t go into the woods because of a big scary monster?"
Sam: "Yeah."

This amuses me more than it probably should – Sam's so earnest about telling the truth, and, yeah, honesty is generally a good thing, but not so much in a situation like this. As so often when they disagree, both boys have valid points. And their separate issues come shining through so clearly: Dean is all about working the case and dealing with the people involved, helping the people involved, now that they're here and in the middle of it - I don't think he could walk away without seeing Hayley and her brother reunited if he tried - while Sam is completely focused on the goal of finding John, and sees the case and the people involved as little more than a meaningless distraction.

Dean: "Her brother’s missing, Sam. She’s not just gonna sit this out. Now we go with her, we protect her, and we keep our eyes peeled for our fuzzy predator-friend."
Sam: "Finding dad’s not enough? Now we gotta babysit too?"
{Dean stares at Sam}
Sam: "What?"
Dean: {Shrugs} "Nothin'." {Throws duffel bag at Sam}

So close to a showdown, only for Dean to back off rather than press the point – so typical of him.

Hayley: "And you’re hiking out in biker boots and jeans?"
Dean: "Oh, sweetheart, I don’t do shorts."

Because that quote just had to be included. *G* And because I like that Hayley is so suspicious of the dodgy cover story, proving that this girl has brains as well as snark.

Then we see Tommy and one of his friends all captured and hanging by the wrist like slabs of meat in some dingy underground chamber. Tommy can only dangle helplessly as his friend is eaten alive by the as yet unseen creature that captured them, and how convenient is it that Hayley's brother should be the last survivor of his doomed camping trip?

And then Hayley calls Dean on the lame cover story and he and Sam look at each other and there's a conversation going on there without a word spoken, an agreement reached without a word spoken, and then Sam pulls young Ben away leaving Dean to talk privately with Hayley.

Dean: "Sam and I are brothers, and we’re looking for our father. He might be here, we don’t know. I just figured that you and me, we’re in the same boat."
Hayley: "Why didn’t you just tell me that from the start?"
Dean: "I’m telling you now. Besides it’s probably the most honest I’ve ever been with a woman. Ever."

Well, we know from later episodes (namely, episode 13) that that isn't true. But claiming it is all part of the mask Dean likes to wear. Can't allow any chinks in the defences to show.

When they find the trashed campsite, Dean is so supercool demon-hunter, instantly finding the tracks, and Sam isn't far behind in the 'I've done this for years, I know what I'm doing and what I'm talking about' stakes. And I'm impressed since this is only the second episode, yet both are so convincing.

But they fall for being lured away from camp and then return to find their supplies stolen – the creature wants them cut off. It's smart. And it was smart enough to unlock a cabin door when it attacked the family of the old man they interviewed earlier. So what was with the seemingly mindless ripping apart of tents in the teaser? Doesn't completely fit into the profile we're building up now.

It's Sam that figures out they're dealing with a Wendigo, but Dean doesn't take much convincing. And they're both just so matter-of-fact about it all – they don't like it, but accept it as part of what passes for everyday life for them. For Dean, anyway. For Sam not so much in the past few years, but he's sliding back into this way of life as if he was never away.

Trying to convince Hayley, Ben and their guide Roy that they are in danger and need to get back out of there and back to safety, Sam is so intense and so earnest, and fierce, and apparently completely blind to how crazy it all sounds to them even before he starts to say the word 'Wendigo'. Dean intervenes, points out that it's too late to head back even if Hayley was willing to entertain the idea, and is still shooting those worried little looks at Sam. Because Sam is not behaving very Sam-like right now, and Dean is worried about him but, being Dean, can't just come out and say so, even if Sam was prepared to listen. For these guys, that kind of thing has to be built up to and the right words found, and the right time found – which all too often is never.

Dean draws Anasazi symbols around the campsite for protection. I love it. I don't think we ever see either him or Sam employ this little trick again, but they really should because it's a whole other side to what they do.

Dean: "Anasazi symbols. It’s for protection. The Wendigo can’t cross over them."
{Roy laughs}
Dean (calm): "Nobody likes a sceptic, Roy."

I also love that Dean just takes Roy's scepticism so much in his stride, and really doesn't care what the other man thinks or believes – he knows what he knows, he's doing his job, and that's all that matters. And now he finds the right time and right words to approach Sam – or possibly just decides that it has to be done, whether they like it or not.

Dean: "You wanna tell me what’s goin on in that freaky head of yours?"
Sam: "Dean…"
Dean: "No, you’re not fine. You’re like a powder keg, man, it’s not like you. I’m supposed to be the belligerent one, remember?"

Yeah – they have been pretty much reversing the roles established for them in the pilot in this episode. What's bothering Sam is the fact that they are wasting time – finding John is all he cares about. His only concern about this case is that they should get these people back to safety – which Dean can see really isn't going to happen, he understands Hayley too well for that, even after such a brief acquaintance. Because he knows damn well that if it were Sam who was missing he wouldn't give up till he'd found him. And despite his very real concern for both Sam and John, he won't be happy until he's solved this case, found Tommy and destroyed the Wendigo. Such different priorities.

Sam: "I mean: why are we still even here?"
Dean: "This is why. {Holds up their dad’s journal} This book. This is Dad’s single most valuable possession. Everything he knows about every evil thing is in here. And he’s passed it on to us. I think he wants us to pick up where he left off. You know: saving people, hunting things. The family business."
Sam: "That makes no sense. Why doesn’t he just call us? Why doesn’t he tell us what he wants; tell us where he is?"
Dean: "I dunno. But the way I see it, dad’s giving us a job to do and I intend to do it."
Sam: "Dean, no. I gotta find Dad. I gotta find Jessica’s killer. It’s the only thing I can think about."
Dean: "Ok, all right. Sam, we’ll find them I promise. Listen to me, you’ve gotta prepare yourself. I mean this search could take a while, and all that anger, you can’t keep it burning over the long haul, it’s gonna kill you. You gotta have patience, man."
Sam: "How do you do it? How does Dad do it?"
Dean: "Well, for one… them. {Looks over at Hayley and her younger brother} I mean I figure our family’s so screwed to hell; maybe we can help some others. Makes things a little more bearable. I’ll tell you what else helps. Killing as many sons of bitches as I possibly can."

Oh, Dean. :heart: Being who he is, just how much did that caring, sharing little speech-from-the-heart cost him? It's a fabulous brother moment, Sam in pain and close to breaking down and Dean at his big brotherly best, rudely interrupted by the Wendigo again trying to lure them away from the camp, away from the 'magic circle' Dean set up to protect them.

Roy, who has so clearly been a belligerent, sceptical red-coat from the start, ignores all warnings, shoots at it, chases after it and gets his neck snapped for his trouble.

Morning comes, and Sam sits leaning against a tree playing with a bead bracelet or necklace that could only have been Jessica's, his expression pensive and melancholy. And it's a very quick shot, panning swiftly away, but as the saying goes, a picture tells a thousand words. That quick shots tells us so much about Sam's state of mind – grieving badly, and caught up in a waking nightmare he can't escape from. And then a second later he's back in the game, helping Dean explain Wendigos to Hayley, Ben and the audience – once human, they turned to cannibalism to survive some extreme situation, and became these inhuman, immortal, grotesque creatures.

Sam: "Hey. So we’ve got half a chance in the daylight. And I, for one, want to kill this evil SOAB."
Dean: "Well hell, you know I’m in."

Seems Sammy has taken Dean's words on board.

Dean: "More than anything, a Wendigo knows how to last long winters without food. It hibernates for years at a time, but when it’s awake it keeps it’s victims alive. It uh, stores them, so it can feed whenever it wants. If your brother’s alive it’s keeping him somewhere dark, hidden and safe. We gotta track it back there."

If that's the case – and we've been told previously that this particular Wendigo tends to hibernate for 23 years at a time – then why has it already eaten all but one of the young campers it abducted the other night? Maybe because it has it's eye on this lot as well? And how long can it really keep victims alive anyway, given the conditions it keeps them in?

Anyway, it is established that the only way to kill a Wendigo is to set fire to it.

The group sets off, trying to track the Wendigo, which very neatly lures them into a trap and forces them to run for it. Ben trips, Sam pauses to help him, and they are thus separated from Dean and Hayley. Who run smack into the Wendigo and are gone in an instant, leaving behind two very anxious younger brothers.

And with Hayley out of the way, young Ben suddenly finds his voice and starts talking – and proves that he, too, is a bright young thing. It is Ben that finds the trail of M&Ms Dean has left for them – very resourceful.

They follow the trail to a disused mine plastered with warning notices about being dangerous and containing toxic materials, and whatnot. So, of course, they ignore the signs and head inside, manage to hide as the Wendigo passes by (how did it miss them, given what we've learned of it so far?) and then very handily crash through the floor into the chamber where the prisoners are being held.

Dean and Hayley are both pretty banged about, which I like because it's what you'd expect, and that kind of realism adds to the believability of the situation, and appeals to me. Dean staggers a bit when he's cut down and it takes him a moment to shake off his wooziness, despite brushing away Sam's very kid-brotherly concern. Tommy, when they spot him, is even worse off – as you'd expect – but while the others fuss over him, Dean is busily getting back into the game and finds their stolen bag of weapons – containing flare guns. Perfect for impromptu torching of Wendigos.

Then they have to find their way back out of the tunnels without the returning Wendigo spotting them.

Dean: "You thinking what I’m thinking?"
Sam: "Yeah, I think so."

Plan established without a word of it being actually spoken aloud. This is the first time we see what is clearly a well established procedure when these two work together – Sam focuses on getting the innocents to safety, while Dean covers their retreat and tries to distract the creature away from them. This is the reason Dean is significantly injured so much more frequently than Sam during the series – he's always going to put himself in harm's way rather than Sam if there's any choice in the matter, always.

Anyway, the Wendigo, being smart, focuses on the retreating group of many, rather than the one, and – since Sam misses his shot with his flare gun, gets them backed into a corner and defenceless.

Sam stands in front of them like a shield, which I love. It might have taken him a while to start caring what happened to them, but he's completely focused on the job at hand here, which is that of protector. And then Dean comes up behind the Wendigo and takes it out with his one shot. Fantastic.

Then, when it's all over, I just love the quick little shot, as we pan past, of young Ben lying fluently to the cops about a grizzly attack. Brilliant. And Dean's little exchange with Hayley is even better.

Hayley: "So, I don’t know how to thank you. {Dean stares at her; she laughs} Must you cheapen the moment?"
Dean (grinning): "Yeah."

Cheapening any and every moment is an adorable character trait, and also another facet of that mask Dean wears.

Then, when the ambulance whisks Hayley and her little family away, the brothers are left to reflect.

Dean: "Man, I hate camping."
Sam: "Me too."
Dean: "Sam, you know we’re gonna find Dad, right?"
Sam: "Yeah, I know…but in the meantime…I’m driving."
{Dean tosses him the keys; they get in the car, and drive away.}

And I just love that last little exchange because there's a lot going on there – Dean still trying to reassure Sam, and Sam now accepting that reassurance whereas he wouldn't at the beginning of the episode – wanting to drive and Dean giving him the keys is kind of symbolic of that.

And off they go.

I really enjoy this one - well, in truth, I enjoy just about all of them. But where the pilot set up the situation the two boys are in for the season ahead, the interaction between them here and their responses to the case establishes and cements that setup. Sam is all adorable and angsty, and - as ever - what you see is pretty much what you get. Dean is all cocky attitude, but already we are starting to see beneath that mask he wears to the hidden depths beneath.