S02.E07: The Usual Suspects

[DittyDotDot]

Sam and Dean investigate the murders of a lawyer and his wife who, right before they died, claimed to have seen a ghost.

[DittyDotDot]

I find this to be a seriously underrated episode. I love so much about it. I think this is the best example of how the show used to take an interesting storytelling technique--telling the story backwards and as rewritten memories--and knock it out of the park. I love how as they tell the "fake" story to the cops, we see the "real" story unfold.

 

Their constant issues with the law in the first couple seasons never fails to entertain me. So, I also love that Dean basically gives himself up so Sam can escape and Sam continues to work the case then he'll figure a way to get Dean out--and that it was Dean's plan makes it even more entertaining to me. I always liked how they didn't seem to worry so much about how they would get free from the law, they just knew they always would--they were such outlaws in a way.

 

I also love it when they give us a PiP as a good outsider perspective. The conversations that female cop has with Sam are really amusing--even the conversations she has with Dean about how they find each other when they're separated are really insightful!

     SAM: Guess we gotta check it out ourselves. See if we can find her body.

     BALLARD: What?

     SAM: Well, we gotta salt and burn her bones. It's the only way to put her spirit to rest.

     BALLARD: Of course it is.

And...

     SAM: You know, this is bothering me...

     BALLARD: Well, you are digging up a corpse.
     SAM: No, not that. It's pretty par for the course, actually.

 

And best of all, this episode shows us how they can work together without physically being together. I love how they are both working out the anagram in their own way...Dean works it out in his head and Sam works it out on paper. This is so much more how I see these guys, their both geniuses in their own ways and this was a good example of how they both can be smart and proactive at the same time be different people with different points of view.

 

Plus, Dean humming and making noises with his mouth while Sam is trying to work is pure gold, IMO.

 

So much here to like.

[AwesomO4000]

I completely agree with you about this episode. I rewatched it this morning while I trudged on my treadmill and was surprised again by how good this episode is with the little details.

 

In addition to everything you mentioned - especially the brilliant real story vs the lying liar who lies-errific story Sam was telling - I'd like to add the poor lawyer being called "Matlock" by both brothers - "you really are brothers" heh and that hotel room that the 70's barfed all over that Sam was staying in - hee what evil entity would ever think that wall paper would look good on anything... and then to top it off, it was sleazily weathered/stained just right to make me think "ewww, poor Sam" and "don't touch anything" heh.

 

And I do like how Sam works this case here and the emphasis on saving the civilian first and then worry about themselves later. Since things got so grand-scale, I'm reminded here of how much I miss these smaller scale case of the week episodes.

Edited July 12, 2014 by AwesomO4000

[mertensia]

This is one of my favorite episodes and I'd love to see Diana Ballard again- as long as they don't kill her off.

I like the way the writers have Dean suddenly laser focus on Diana's rope burn marks. The way Dean and Sam work together without being together.

[ElleryAnne]

I'm madly far behind on my rewatch (and being away on vacation didn't help!), but I'm going to jump into this one out of order because I ADORE this episode.  I think that more than any other episode, it shows Dean and Sam as smart, clever, quick-thinking, good hunters who make a great team.

 

I love the fact that they have their way of finding each other if they're separated by using the phone book to find the hotel and then the name (Rockford).

 

I love the fact that when they're in different rooms, Dean sends the note with The Great Escape names on it to Sam with the public defender.

 

I love the fact that even though we don't see them actively coordinating what to do, they're able to trust that the other is doing his part - i.e. when Dean is "confessing" and Sam escapes.

 

I love the scenes in the house at night.  The ghost at the window and later the machine going on by itself honestly creeped me out the first time I saw this one. 

 

I love the look Sam gives Dean when Dean is asking questions to the wife about whether anything was weird or strange.

 

I love that Ballard is smart, too; it's just that she's dealing with something so far outside the scope of what she's familiar with.

 

I love that Dean is being his usual flippant self during the confession but it's because he's smart and just using the confession as a distraction for Sam.

 

I love the fact that when Dean realizes Ballard is in danger, he sends her to Sam knowing that it could lead to Sam getting arrested but that it's more important to save a civilian's life, and you know Dean knows they'll figure out a way to fix things even if Sam does get arrested anyway.

 

I love that Sam, when he knows Dean sent Ballard, goes right into his serious mode because protecting the civilians is as natural to him as it is to Dean, after all.

 

I love Sam's conversation/banter with Ballard about whether any of this stuff they do is par for the course.  He's so matter-of-fact and almost easy-going about it.

 

And on a purely shallow note, I love Sam breaking through that wall with his arm in a cast.  That is damn hot.

 

Oh, and I love that this episode is well-paced, fun, and generally angst-free.

 

There's probably more, but I'll stop at that for now.  I love pretty much every second of this episode, obviously.

[mstaken]

Your posts have inspired me to rewatch this episode ASAP. Quite the hardship... :) 

[GirlyGeek]

Ok, I'm finally getting through the rewatch... Better late than never, lol

For some reason, I skip this ep whenever I'm re watching. But since I'm on a strict self-imposed no skipping ANY episodes rewatch I watched

I don't recall why I skipped it! I really liked this one, and I forgot all the great brother moments and smart dialogue.

Smart Sam and smart Dean will always win in my book and I wish we saw more of it. Of course they'd have contingency plans for getting separated (much like the funky town code word in Hunted)

The main thing that grates for me is the ending. I like some meta, and actually really enjoy meta episodes of SPN in general, but the comment at the end of this ep about Ballard being familiar and wanting pea soup... Annoys the hell out of me. Dumb imo and Not even funny. (Though not sure it qualifies as meta per say... You all know what I mean)

[DittyDotDot]

The main thing that grates for me is the ending. I like some meta, and actually really enjoy meta episodes of SPN in general, but the comment at the end of this ep about Ballard being familiar and wanting pea soup... Annoys the hell out of me. Dumb imo and Not even funny. (Though not sure it qualifies as meta per say... You all know what I mean)

 

I believe this was an ad lib by Jensen when doing the ADR for this episode. I'm sure I read that somewhere, but now I can't find a source to cite and wondering why I even brought it up...maybe I'm just spreading rumor and innuendo. Anyway, I agree the show sometimes doesn't know when to quit when they're ahead, especially when it comes to the meta.

 

 

 

For some reason, I skip this ep whenever I'm re watching. But since I'm on a strict self-imposed no skipping ANY episodes rewatch I watched

I don't recall why I skipped it! I really liked this one, and I forgot all the great brother moments and smart dialogue.

 

Isn't this just the weirdest episode? It's funny how much I adore it, but seem to always forget about it too. How is that possible?

[rue721]

I think this one is really well written. Looking at her IMDb, Cathyrn Humphris has some really good ones under her belt, actually! Born Under a Bad Sign, Dream a Little Dream of Me...Too bad she's apparently busy with Under the Dome now (what a dud of a show).

 

Anyway, more of the good:

I really liked Sam and Dean in this episode -- that sequence of them figuring out what Dana Shultz meant was genius. And I'm curious what the direction was for the scene when Sam is on the computer researching stuff and Dean is making a bunch of weird sounds because he's bored. LOL.

 

The bad:

Linda Blair was sort of a charisma-suck for me, though. Probably because she looks so much like a girl I went to elementary school with (and didn't particularly like), it creeps me out.

 

The ugly:

Sam's hair has taken a turn for the worse. When he was knocking through that wall and it got all in his face, it was looking pretty good. But the sorta-grown-out bangs were giving him a five-head.

 

Man, after seeing those vids that Jared made for his suicide prevention campaign and realizing that he's actually gorgeous, I'm more annoyed than ever with Sam's atrocious styling! Though it hasn't gotten that bad at this point in the series. (I actually think he pulls off the cowlicks pretty well). (OMG can someone please do a rewrite of the movie She's All That, but with Sam in the role of "mousy dork who becomes crazy hot when she ditches the glasses, wears tighter clothes, and does her hair"? I need a makeover movie fic, STAT).

 

And I'm enjoying that Dean still sounds like a regular person with a regular voice. *Even though* John has already died, so ostensibly, he should have tried to deepen it already. I actually even like his voice when he's not pretending to be Batman. When JA is on set, does he stay in Batman Voice the whole time, do you think? Or does he switch to Normal Voice between scenes? I hope it's the latter, because trying to have an actual conversation with someone speaking in Batman Voice must be impossible!

Edited March 20, 2015 by rue721

[AwesomO4000]

Man, after seeing those vids that Jared made for his suicide prevention campaign and realizing that he's actually gorgeous, I'm more annoyed than ever with Sam's atrocious styling!

 

Maybe they are purposely having him have dorky styling, so he'll just be the "tall one" rather than the "cute" one or the "handsome one?" They seem to try hard to make sure they aren't the same - i.e. Sam with really long hair, Dean with really short.

[sarthaz]

This is one of those episodes that reminds me just how good the show was in those first few seasons.  It has everything going for it: good mystery, clever storytelling device, big guest stars, hilarious banter.  I never liked that he put both Hilts and McQueen on the note (too on the nose -- just use Hilts -- there's no other famous Hilts, Sam will get it), and the pea soup joke is too 4th Wall for me, but otherwise, this is a really fun and clever episode.  Love that "Diana Ballard" is a pseudo-anagram for "Linda Blair", although I'd argue Jason Gedrick is the bigger get here.  Guy starred in a bunch of films in the 80s and went on to be a mainstay in primetime legal/cop shows for a decade.

One thing that always throws me in this episode is how old and haggard Linda Blair looks.  It's really awkward when she has scenes with Gedrick because they don't look remotely compatible, even though she's only a few years older than he is.  And I met Linda in 2008, two years after this episode, and she was stunning with a gorgeous smile and glowing skin.  Did they intentionally make her look bad, like some grizzled veteran, or did they just catch her during a rough patch?

Edited January 3, 2017 by sarthaz

[catrox14]

Sam and Dean left their fingerprints EVERYWHERE in that crime scene. How could they be that stupid? I never understood that part of the writing.

[Diane]

Just finished this is the re-watch.  I love this episode.  Enjoy how it shows that the boys are working together even when they are separated.  Loved how they find each other. All the other references, to Steve McQueen and the Great Escape, love it! Really wish they could get Linda Blair again, she was perfect. This is a favorite.

[Katy M]

31 minutes ago, Diane said:

Just finished this is the re-watch.  I love this episode.  Enjoy how it shows that the boys are working together even when they are separated.  Loved how they find each other. All the other references, to Steve McQueen and the Great Escape, love it! Really wish they could get Linda Blair again, she was perfect. This is a favorite.

I also love how they figure out it's an anagram at the same time even though in different rooms.  And they both call the lawyer Mattlock.  This was just overall a fun episode.

[bettername2come]

I love any time the Winchesters have to deal with law enforcement. Them both acting like little shits and Dean's confession that tells the truth no one would believe. I need to make a list of all the secret codes Sam and Dean have for each other. Linda Blair played off both boys really well. I would've liked to see her again. Seriously, all the great lady cops of Supernatural should start a club where they drink wine and talk about the Winchesters when they're not busy solving crime and fighting evil.

I like the good ghosts. I wish they'd run in to more.

Can we just talk about the fact that Sam gives up on breaking down the wall with tools and starts elbowing the bricks down?

I didn't realize Keegan Connor Tracy had played two different characters. I only remembered her from season 4's "The Monster at the End of this Book."

Random thought: at the final scene as they're walking away with the ADR loop playing, Sam playfully bumps into Dean, but it doesn't seem to match with the line. Makes me wonder if there was originally a smartass comment from Dean that would've warranted more that reaction than Dean's "she look familiar?"

[sarthaz]

This episode's on, and it makes me so happy.  I'm reminded of a time when someone posted something about possessed anagrams on Facebook, and I responded DANA SHULPS DANA SHULPS and didn't get a single like.  I resolved in that moment to make new friends who didn't suck.

[Iju]

Quote

DEAN takes the pad back, tears off a sheet of paper and starts writing again.
KRAUS
Let's start with where you were the night Anthony Giles died. 
DEAN
Can you get in to see my brother?
KRAUS
Mr. Winchester, you could be facing the death penalty here. 
DEAN
Hey, thanks for the law review, Matlock. But. If you want to help me...
(holding up the folded note he's just finished)
I need you to see my brother. 
SAM is looking at the note DEAN sent him, which reads:
HILTS —
IT'S A STREET
ASHLAND.
-MCQUEEN
KRAUS
I hope that's meaningful. But I'd like to discuss your case now. 
SAM
(gesturing to the chair)
Sure thing, Matlock. 
KRAUS
You two really are brothers, aren't you?

 

loved this part^^

Edited March 2, 2018 by Iju

[Zipper]

Echoing what others have said above about how much I enjoyed the law enforcement run-ins early on. I think without these, the entire series would have suffered a degree of unbelievability. I'm totally willing to suspend my disbelief about ghosts, demons, shapeshifters, mind-control, etc., but these boys commit serious crimes on the regular-- okay, mostly breaking and entering, but still. There are BODIES everywhere around them.  So this helped ground the series for me as a newbie, without ever getting to the point that it was tiresome or detracted from hunting.  Also, I liked these particular cops in their roles. The woman, willing not to shake off what she saw with her own eyes, and the totally sketchy guy.  I disliked him the moment he stroked her chin in the workplace.  DUDE, that lady has cop sh*t to do, don't make her look like that at work.  But he did convincing work as a criminal cop.

ElleryAnne captured most of what I loved about the awesome details. The "find each other" mechanism, complete with Rockford reference, made me giggle/nod again this time.  And I liked the idea of of death omen ghost, not necessarily something evil, just a spirit trying to help people. 

[The Companion]

I loved this one. The brothers aren't exactly careful about prints and such, so the run ins seem inevitable. That poor ghost. All handcuffed and walled in. She was terrifying enough that I had to nope her till morning. 😂

I liked the detective a lot and I am a little sad they don't continue their relationship. Seems like she would be a good source, if nothing else. 

I loved the unreliable narrator contrasted with the truth. Also that apparently their stories matched up even though they couldn't compare notes. 

[hypnotoad]

I caught this episode (again) on TNT and I was struck by how far this show has fallen. I do love this episode and the things that stick with me is how smart both brothers are here. They work things out separately in their own way and work together without having to be in the same room. The hotel plan and names used to check in if the are separated - Matlock - everything was great.

Look at the show now. Half the time one or both of the brothers has to be stupid to service the alleged plot.

Quote

I love how as they tell the "fake" story to the cops, we see the "real" story unfold.

Yes!!  So much this. I miss this show.

I would have preferred going back to smaller stories like this for the last season rather than whatever they are doing instead.