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Supernatural: Roadkill

Molly: "You hunt these things, but you don't know what happens to them?"

The accident at the beginning and the echoes of the classic phantom hitchhiker signaled at the outset that Molly was a ghost. It was easy to pick up a vibe from the boys, too; they were telegraphing with their body language that something was different about Molly, and they said outright that they knew something she didn't. The second time through the episode, I could tell that they were slowly trying to acquaint Molly with her true circumstances.

So the ending wasn't a shocker. Hey, we've all seen The Sixth Sense. But I don't think they were going for a shocker. I think they were trying something different. Molly's story was touching and actually rather sweet (for Supernatural, anyway). The performances were excellent and full of emotion, and the message was that not all lingering spirits are evil. There was even a white light for Molly, hinting at the possibility of heaven.

The dramatic core of the episode was, as it should be, Dean and Sam, and how they felt about Molly. Sam treated Molly very gently and saw her as a victim who had done nothing wrong. Dean was impatient and a lot less empathetic, and he kept leaving her with Sam because he had no desire to be around her. I think Dean may be prejudiced against Undead Americans. Although I think even he was moved at the end when Molly went into the light.

What a lovely part for Tricia Helfer, who does such a great job as the sexy, creepy Number Six on Battlestar Galactica. She even made me cry.

It has been previously established that destroying the remains will get rid of a nasty spirit. But Molly had no remains. She was hanging around because she desperately needed to see her husband one more time. So now we know that salting and burning bones won't always get rid of spirits. Uh oh.


Bits and pieces:

— They never told us what part of the country they were in. I'm only mentioning it because I always make a note of it. No note.

Quotes:

Molly: "It's the only time we ever really argue, when we're stuck in the car."
Sam: "Yeah, I know how that goes."

Dean: "Sammy's always getting a little J. Love Hewitt when it comes to things like this. Me, I don't like 'em and I sure as hell ain't making apologies for them."

Dean: "You know, just once I'd like to round the corner and see a nice house."

Dean: "It smells like old lady in here. (Sees the dead old lady) And that would explain why."

Molly: "You hunt these things, but you don't know what happens to them?"
Dean: "Well, they never come back. That's all that matters."

Sam: "It's an old country custom, Dean. Planting a tree as a grave marker."
Dean: "You're like a walking encyclopedia of weirdness."

Molly: "Oh, thank god."
Dean: "Yeah. Call me Dean."

This was a departure for them. I wouldn't want an episode like this every week – it was a bit Ghost Whisperer-like (which Dean pointed out for us). But I still liked it. Three out of four stars,

Billie
---
Billie Doux adores Supernatural which is a good thing since apparently, it's eternal.

10 comments:

  1. I like this one a lot. Very emotional and a different episode too for Supernatural.

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  2. I just watched this episode for the first time although I have read your review for it several times. I don't know if I would have guessed that Molly was a ghost at the beginning if I hadn't read your review, although her hair and the style of the car were signs that she was anachronistic. Still, I might not have noticed them if I hadn't cheated by reading your review first. As you said, I think the strength of this episode came from it showing us more about Sam and Dean. Ohterwise it would have been a throwaway episode. Since I came to the series late, in season 4, watching the earlier seasons increases my admiration of the show. It is so refreshing to have characters that change and grow. I think that if Dean were to encounter Molly today he would have more compassion for her. SL

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  3. Call me oblivious, but I did not realise she was a ghost until the end. Upon watching it again, I caught all the clues I had missed the first time around. Very well played!

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    Replies
    1. So glad I'm not the only one! I was completely surprised to find out she was a ghost and thought it was a very nice surprise. Good episode!

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  4. Grrr - ok I'll retype.

    Great review - thanks for doing that.

    The location was mentioned once and hinted at again.

    The couple were on the way to Lake Tahoe so somewhat near that. When they went to David's house (less than two hours from the scene because the sun had not yet come up) it was signposted for Nevada.

    So the location is near Lake Tahoe in No Cal or Nevada.

    Thanks for your review - it's nice to read - I'm just now watching the series on netflix from the start.

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  5. Thanks, Anonymous. Sometimes there are hints that I miss.

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  6. Finally starting to get some momentum watching this show for the first time - thanks to this site for helping me not give up in season one! I too did not realize Molly was a ghost for most of the episode, but I was trying to figure out what had become of David. I could sense a time lapse, though my Doctor Who brain came up with other options instead of ghost. And speaking of Doctor Who, this episode reminds me a lot of "The Girl in the Fireplace" - an emotion-driven standalone story in the second season that gives a glimpse of greatness to come (at least I hope, in Supernatural's case). Good review.

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  7. Over in my comments regarding the episode "Playthings" I said that what Supernatural lacked was a POV character for the audience to connect with. With Sam and Dean already knowing everything, we didn't get the viewer stand-in of Scully meeting Mulder, Olivia meeting Walter, or Andy meeting Dr. Johnny Fever :)

    But in this episode we got Molly! She was the most perfect POV character I've seen on this show and she really made the episode sing. A good sign was my wife, who only watches Supernatural with me in passing, was actually invested in the story because finally there was a character that didn't just accept the world of Sam and Dean in the same way we wouldn't accept it if we met them in real life.

    Maybe not the best episode but a very relatable episode, which is what keeps me wanting to come back to a show for more.

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  8. You know when somebody says they wish they could watch an episode again for the first time? Well, even though I never said that about this one, that's what happened here to me. Completely memory-holed, and I once again never sussed out that she was dead the whole time. Anyway I really liked this episode, and the unusual way it DIDN'T jump from the teaser victims to Dean and Sam elsewhere. That alone made it captivating, along with the fact that like Dr Johnny Fever above mentioned Molly's basically the best possible POV character to feature the entire episode around. Smart writing call... Damn how could I forget this one?? What else have I missed... this is definitely one to revisit. It has the same almost-cozy ambience as that confused priest "angel" episode a little earlier.

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