S02.E12: Nightshifter

[DittyDotDot]

Sam and Dean investigate a string of robberies with a disturbing pattern: In each incident, a trusted employee holds up a bank and then commits suicide.

Edited July 19, 2014 by DittyDotDot

[DittyDotDot]

I absolutely adore this episode. Ronald and his mandroid with the laser eyes, Hendrickson, Renegade and so much more. It is probably one of the tightest, best paced and enjoyable episodes they've managed to produce. This post would be enormous if I started to talk about all the good things in this episode, so I'll just leave it at that for now.

[7kstar]

I agree there is a lot to enjoy.  I love the music montage at the end, Ronald finding out he isn't crazy at least he did figure out something bad was happening. 

 

Poor Dean's dilemma when Ronald is killed, he can't let the people go and now they have the FBI breathing down their necks.  It certainly is one of my top 5 or 6.  Sorry just not my top 3.  But there is a lot I enjoy.

[Jediknight]

This is one of the episodes that I've rewatched a lot.  It keeps moving up on my favorite episode list, and it's top 5 right now.

 

The only bad thing about this episode, is that I was hoping Hendrickson was going to be one of the Men in Black.

Edited July 20, 2014 by Jediknight

[mertensia]

I loved this episode. From Ronald and his laser eyes to a refreshingly unangsty shapeshifter to Henrickson. Except there is no pronounced 'L' in Milwaukee : I say M'waukee and the Milwaukeeans I have known say something closer to Maw-kee. I don't expect the Brothers Winchester to know this but the Milwaukeeans should have.

That bank set was great.

[Demented Daisy]

Definitely in my top 3, maybe my favorite.  My favorite musical moment as well.

[Cee23]

"We are so screwed." One of my top favorite episodes

[catrox14]

The first time I saw this episode, I wasn't sure that it was Sam and Dean in the riot gear until they were walking side by side and the height difference gave it away.  I think this is the 2nd best sequence in the entire show surpassed only by Lazarus Rising opening 6 minutes

[ElleryAnne]

Okay, I'm now hopelessly out of order for the rewatch, but I need to comment on this episode.  Because it's Nightshifter.

 

Even after nine full seasons, this one's my favorite.

 

What I love about it:  Everything.  

 

More specifically:

Henriksen - I've probably mentioned it once or twice or fifty times, but I love Henriksen.

Henriksen's abrasiveness with the lieutenant in charge of the case.  His comment "you can go home and bang your wife for all I care."  (Shoot! I should've saved that for a Hangman quote!)

The phone call between Henriksen and Dean is the best thing this show has ever come up with.  I never get tired of that scene.  

The fact that the lieutenant is competent and reasonable and wants to give them time to let the hostages out. 

 

Ronald.  I love the guy and the kind of rapport and respect Dean shares with him, up to and including his reaction to Ronald's death.

Mandroids.

Ronald being smart enough and paranoid enough to want to see their (fake) ID's up close when they first come to his house.

The look on Sam's face when he motions that Ronald is standing right in the light of the window.

 

Dean admitting that Sam is right about not telling Ronald the truth, even though Dean feels for Ronald and the research he's done.  Only to later on have to tell Ronald the truth anyway.

 

Dean liking the security guard because he says, "Okie-dokey."  

 

Dean carrying the knife because he'd feel naked going into a dangerous situation without it.  And then Ronald tossing the knife down the deposit slot on the bank table.  

 

The claustrophobic feeling of the bank hostage situation, especially after the lights go out.

 

Sam stopping Dean from killing the wrong girl.  That moment of the two of them realizing that this is different from what they've seen before, and they need to figure out just what the shapeshifter is really up to.

 

Renegade. 

Best closing sequence ever.

 

Okay, I'll stop there for now.  But I reserve the right to add to that list.

[mertensia]

Oh I forgot. The scene where Sheri has hysterics and faints and Sam and Dean stare at her in bewilderment will never not be funny.

I also like that you can see Sam and Dean in riot gear following Henriksen down the stairs.

[Occasional Hope]

Absolutely my favorite episode ever.

[AwesomO4000]

I agree with all of the above love for this episode, but I'd like to also add the wonderful "little brother moment" in the vault where Sherri goes on and on about how brave Dean is, and I can almost imagine Sam having a "Tall Tale" type moment and hearing her as "How he stared down that gunman and.... blah blah blah blah blah-blah." Because sure Sam loves Dean, but the little brother in him is going to win out in a moment like that.

 

It's also nice to have competent Sam in this episode where he takes out those swat guys.

 

One thing I considered when I rewatched though... Henricksen let himself get too cocky, so I'm glad that was consistently one of his flaws, because otherwise I would question why he didn't ask how "Sam and Dean" (who were really two SWAT guys) got left on the floor without anyone knowing who caught them... unless Sam and Dean reported them caught - which would have been either difficult - since the SWAT guys should've recognized something was wrong about him - or brilliant. It actually would've made more sense if Sam reported it to Henricksen (since Henricksen wouldn't have recognized that a Sam in face mask wasn't one of the SWAT guys), but of course that would've ruined the reveal later.

[trxr4kids]

I love this episode for the music, Hendrickson, Ronald and much more. What always makes me laugh on rewatch though is how those swat uniforms fit Sam and Dean so perfectly. I mean the tied up guards didn't have remotely the same builds and even if they had are we to believe that Sam wandered around looking for swat members to knock out that matched their measurements.

[supposebly]

I just rewatched this one and it is truly one of the few absolutely perfect episodes of Supernatural.

 

Pacing, characterization, Ronald the Doctor Who fan, and Henriksen. And for some reason I am extremely tickled that they run the stop sign at the end. Don't ask me, I am easily amused.

 

 

I also like that you can see Sam and Dean in riot gear following Henriksen down the stairs.

 

Where? I can't see them!

Edited August 16, 2014 by supposebly

[mertensia]

If you look carefully in the background you can see Sam and Dean. It may not be going down the stairs but you can see them. I'm not at home at the moment but when I return I'll double check where.

[mertensia]

Okay I have rewatched and it's the scene right after you see the police car through the frosted glass- Hendriksen is in the foreground and you see a couple of SWAT guys in the background including one very tall guy pointing his assault weapon at the ceiling. I'm sure that's Sam. Why I think there are stairs in the scene I have no idea.

[supposebly]

Thanks!

The close-up? That's the only one I can think off considering the sequence of events we are shown. We see Sam knocking out a couple of SWAT guys, Dean's fight and then Sam, already in SWAT gear finding him.

 

I think Dean walks right past Sam first and then leaves again with Sam walking past Henricksen when Henricksen walks in and then the cop tells Henricksen that they are gone.

 

Man, I need a new TV. It's kinda hard to miss once you know it's there. I just never expected them to sort-of give away the "punchline".

 

God, I wouldn't want to be Henricksen at that moment when he realizes he must have walked right past them.

[mertensia]

Yes, the close-up. When I realized what they'd done I went back to see if I could see them in disguise. A holdover from watching the A-Team.

[ItsABear]

This is the episode that got my husband hooked on Supernatural.  He wondered why I added Renegade to my playlist, when I generally don't like classic rock.  Once I explained that I had seen this episode recently and it was in my head, he wanted to watch it.  That was just over 2 weeks ago.  Now we're almost done with season 1, and he's the one who wants to stay up late to watch "just one more episode".

 

I love Hendrickson!  He has to be one of my favorite recurring characters from the entire show.

[Iguana]

I've said it before (though not on this site) that Nightshifter is one of my favorite episodes of TV ever, not just supernatural. I would argue that it is one of the best, if not the actual best, episodes of supernatural in their nine seasons based on tight plotting, enjoyable one of characters (poor Ronald) and the introduction a major complication for the boys that runs for the next two seasons in the form of Henderson and the FBI. Both Sam and Dean are funny smart and competent in this episode and the monster of the week is a legitimate challenge. The little touches like the Sherry shifter being stabbed by Dean in front of an "it's been --days since the last work accident" poster to sam's face when the teller starts gushing about Dean to Dean's reaction to Hendrickson criticizing his father are all wonderful. Add in the renegade "we're screwed" ending and you have a terrific episode.

Edited October 7, 2014 by Iguana

[GirlyGeek]

I don't have much to add here.. I love this episode for all the reasons above. It's practically a perfect episode and I realized in the re watch that, if I needed to hook someone on supernatural, this would be a great episode for that.

I have no complaints with this ep, and I still love the ending just as much as the first time i saw it. Sam's reactions to Ronald are hilarious, I especially love Jareds delivery of "understatement!", as well as all the man droid and laser eye talk, and deans reiteration of "we're so screwed". Yes, yes they are.

Hendrickson is made of awesome, too.

Oh I forgot. The scene where Sheri has hysterics and faints and Sam and Dean stare at her in bewilderment will never not be funny.

I also like that you can see Sam and Dean in riot gear following Henriksen down the stairs.

LOVE that scene and it cracks me up every time. "Is this community theatre or are you just that good?" Lol

I'll have to look for the, now in the riot gear! I didn't notice.

[Demented Daisy]

Just finished on TNT and... this might be the perfect episode of Supernatural for me.  Or at least as close to perfect as it can get.  Years later, it's just as good as it was on first viewing.

[catrox14]

Just finished on TNT and... this might be the perfect episode of Supernatural for me.  Or at least as close to perfect as it can get.  Years later, it's just as good as it was on first viewing.

 

It holds up so very well. I always thought Nightshifter and The End are the two episodes that could have been films.

[Morrigan2575]

Just caught Night Shifter on TNT, still a great episode.  The final scene with Renegade playing at the end was one of those perfect sequences of visual/audio working together to make a kick ass scene.

[bethy]

I could watch this episode on repeat for hours. There is just so much to love as others have pointed out.

One of the things I respond to every time I watch is the different ways the boys react to the situation as it begins to go south. Sam is in full panic mode the minute Ronald starts the hostage situation while Dean seems to still feel like they can control what's happening until he sees the cops when he helps the security guard out of the building. That first "We are so screwed" is perfect.

I also love that even as things go horrifically wrong, both Sam and Dean are professional and determined to protect the hostages and kill the shifter. They could easily have slipped out, but they do the job.

Also, Jensen is particularly beautiful to me in this episode. Even in that awful brown plaid shirt.

[Diane]

I just watched this again last night, one of my favorites.  Everything just goes so wrong, yet they work the problem.  The innocents first, then they will figure themselves out. 

 

Also, Jensen is particularly beautiful to me in this episode. Even in that awful brown plaid shirt.

 Your right, not that he isn't always beautiful, but particularly in this ep.

[catrox14]

I always recommend this episode as my 'gateway' episode to the show. I think it holds up so well that you can watch as a standalone and be intrigued enough to go back and watch from the beginning.

[Jediknight]

On TNT right now, just a perfect episode.  I wish Ronald would have survived and been a friend for the Winchesters that could do research for them.

 

I also love how much the writers know how popular this episode is.  They brought a vision of Ronald back to confront Dean, they've shown it in previouslies years after the episode, and Dean even thought Ronald would have been one of the witnesses that Osiris would call at his trial.

[Dobian]

This episode is a great example of why I'm loving this show and especially season 2.  It's the perfect mix of genres, a cross between X-Files and The Fugitive.

[sarthaz]

One thing I considered when I rewatched though... Henricksen let himself get too cocky, so I'm glad that was consistently one of his flaws, because otherwise I would question why he didn't ask how "Sam and Dean" (who were really two SWAT guys) got left on the floor without anyone knowing who caught them... unless Sam and Dean reported them caught - which would have been either difficult - since the SWAT guys should've recognized something was wrong about him - or brilliant. It actually would've made more sense if Sam reported it to Henricksen (since Henricksen wouldn't have recognized that a Sam in face mask wasn't one of the SWAT guys), but of course that would've ruined the reveal later.

 

Years late on this reply, but I never got the sense they thought it was Sam and Dean.  Both the SWAT leader and Hendrickson know they've been beat when they find two SWAT guys on the floor without their uniforms.  SWAT leader even says something like "They're gone."  Any vagueness in that scene is meant for the audience.

[AwesomO4000]

Interesting - I haven't watched that part of the episode closely for a while (I had it on in the background recently on TNT), so next time I'll have to watch more closely.

[sarthaz]

Renegade just came on the radio.  Love this show.

[Diane]

Way behind on my rewatch, abut back from my D.C. trip. I love this episode, so much goodness. 

[catrox14]

I think this is my "way-in" episode that I think they could make into a stand-alone film. It's that good. We get brother togetherness, brother angst, an ally, a good villain with the shapeshifter, a possible frienemy with Victor (I ship Deanrickson) a fantastic fight scene and maybe my favorite music cue from the entire series. 

Such a fantastic episode.

Edited July 1, 2016 by catrox14

[sarthaz]

I've never been a Sam vs. Dean kind of person, and I've forgiven Sam for his future mistakes that would be spoilerific in this thread ... but I hold him directly responsible for Ronald's death, and I don't know if I'll ever get over that.

[Diane]

19 minutes ago, sarthaz said:

I've never been a Sam vs. Dean kind of person, and I've forgiven Sam for his future mistakes that would be spoilerific in this thread ... but I hold him directly responsible for Ronald's death, and I don't know if I'll ever get over that.

I loved Ronald, but I don't hold Sam responsible for it.  I love this episode, watched it today.

[Myrelle]

56 minutes ago, Diane said:

I love this episode, watched it today.

I made a point to stop what I was doing and watch today. I remember watching this one the first time through and knowing right away that it was going to be a classic episode of this show for me. One of the most fast-paced, edge of your seat eps. that this show has ever given us, IMO. I loved Ronald. And loved Dean's reaction to his death even more. He was so "young" and still so vulnerable to deaths of this type back then. He has lost that but tbh, I think it was a natural progression considering all that he would go through as the series moved along.

This is one of those few episodes that still holds up as being one of the best of the best of this show to me and I love it too. So much. I still re-watch it all the time.

This is the one that made me sit up and notice Phil Sgriccia's directing. So much Beauty amongst the action and carnage. That phone call between Dean and Hendrickson is one of my most favorite scenes of the entire series.

Edited March 29, 2017 by Myrelle

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, sarthaz said:

I've never been a Sam vs. Dean kind of person, and I've forgiven Sam for his future mistakes that would be spoilerific in this thread ... but I hold him directly responsible for Ronald's death, and I don't know if I'll ever get over that.

How is sam responsible for Ronald's death?  Do you mean because he didn't tell him what was going on?  Who would have thought he would have ended up at the exact right bank at the exact right time?  Or even that he was going to take things into his own hands.  Or, was it because he wasn't able to stop him from chasing after the shifter?  I don't really see how he would have.  Ronald's death was pretty much all on him.  He didn't know what he was doing and he went in with guns blazing.  Literally.  What was he planning to do if he found the mandroid?  Did he really think that the mandroid would let him shoot it and be done with it? 

[catrox14]

14 minutes ago, Katy M said:

How is sam responsible for Ronald's death?  Do you mean because he didn't tell him what was going on?  Who would have thought he would have ended up at the exact right bank at the exact right time?  Or even that he was going to take things into his own hands.  Or, was it because he wasn't able to stop him from chasing after the shifter?  I don't really see how he would have.  Ronald's death was pretty much all on him.  He didn't know what he was doing and he went in with guns blazing.  Literally.  What was he planning to do if he found the mandroid?  Did he really think that the mandroid would let him shoot it and be done with it? 

I think if Sam had told Ronald the truth, Ronald would have backed off.  IMO, Ronald was seeking validation that he was mostly correct and not a crazy person.  I think he would have been relieved and could then say "Okay, I believe you guys. How can I help".  Instead of getting that validation, Ronald doubled down to prove he was correct and he wouldn't have necessarily gone to the bank loaded for bear.  I wish Dean had over ridden Sam's lead on that one, and that's the one thing about the episode that I don't quite understand is why Dean didn't push back on Sam at the time or go back and tell Ronald the truth. 

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, catrox14 said:

I think he would have been relieved and could then say "Okay, I believe you guys. How can I help". 

And then when they said "you can't" he might have gone off on his own anyway.  I just think it's a bit of a stretch to put his death on Sam.  And, if it is Sam's fault, then it's equally Dean's for not overriding him. Sam didn't gag him.  But, I feel it's neither of their faults.  It's mostly the shifter's fault.

[catrox14]

1 hour ago, Katy M said:

And then when they said "you can't" he might have gone off on his own anyway.  I just think it's a bit of a stretch to put his death on Sam.  And, if it is Sam's fault, then it's equally Dean's for not overriding him. Sam didn't gag him.  But, I feel it's neither of their faults.  It's mostly the shifter's fault.

I don't know why they would have told him "You can't". IMO, they could have sent him on some kind of research thing or given him any kind of task to keep him out of the direct fight. Dean was willing to throw him a bone at least. 

And I don't even blame the shifter for Ronald's death. It didn't kill Ronald. The cops did. I'm not putting it on Dean either because Dean did tell him the truth when it mattered. Unfortunately, Ronald was already so worked up and angry with Sam for lying  to and being condescending with him more than the lie itself. He just didn't like Sam and wasn't going to listen to him in the bank at that point.   

[AwesomO4000]

But Ronald could have listened to Dean. Dean told Ronald to stay away from the windows. Had Ronald done that, he wouldn't have gotten killed, but Ronald was letting himself get all distracted by the situation and the mistake got him killed. Not necessarily fair, since the mistake resulted in a heavy price, but sometimes that's just what happens. Some dogs run out in traffic and get lucky. Others, once is enough to get them killed.

For me it's sort of like

Spoiler

Charlie

in season 10. Sam told her to stay put, but

Spoiler

she had to go off on her own, because she couldn't handle a little annoyance, and it got her killed.

[DittyDotDot]

For all we know, telling Ronald the truth would've changed nothing. He was already investigating and all gung ho to find the mandroid, telling him the truth could've just as easily ended with him still fake robbing a bank and getting shot because he still didn't know what he was doing. 

Poor Ronald, though! He really did try to do something good, even if he went about it all wrong. 

[catrox14]

2 minutes ago, DittyDotDot said:

or all we know, telling Ronald the truth would've changed nothing. He was already investigating and all gung ho to find the mandroid, telling him the truth could've just as easily ended with him still fake robbing a bank and getting shot because he still didn't know what he was doing. 

But why would he have gone to the bank at all if he had been told the truth?  If they had told him that Yes he was right, and given him a job to do IMO he would have not been as motivated to PROVE he was right. IMO that's why he went.

[catrox14]

33 minutes ago, AwesomO4000 said:

But Ronald could have listened to Dean. Dean told Ronald to stay away from the windows. Had Ronald done that, he wouldn't have gotten killed, but Ronald was letting himself get all distracted by the situation and the mistake got him killed. Not necessarily fair, since the mistake resulted in a heavy price, but sometimes that's just what happens. Some dogs run out in traffic and get lucky. Others, once is enough to get them killed.

For me it's sort of like

  Reveal hidden contents

Charlie

in season 10. Sam told her to stay put, but

  Reveal hidden contents

she had to go off on her own, because she couldn't handle a little annoyance, and it got her killed.

Spoiler

Big difference though. Charlie KNEW the Stynes were after her. She KNEW she was in danger. She was Ms Badass for months and avoiding them. She was not naive.

 

Quote

RONALD
None of the cops ever called me back. Not after I told them what was really going on. Uh, they all thought I was crazy. First off, Juan Morales never robbed the Milwaukee National Trust, okay? That, I guarantee. See, we and Juan were friends. He used to come back to the bank on my night shifts, and we'd play cards.

[snip]

SAM
Okay. I want you to listen very carefully. Because I'm about to tell you the God's honest truth about all of this. (Dean smiles, waiting to see what Sam says.) There's no such thing as Mandroids. There's nothing evil or inhuman going on out there. Just people. Nothing else, you understand?

DEAN is mostly keeping a straight face, but is clearly startled. He starts to say something.

RONALD
(desperate)
The laser eyes.

SAM
Just a camera flare, Mr. Resnick. See, I know you don't want to believe this. But your friend Juan robbed the bank and that's it.

RONALD
Get out of my house! Now!

SAM
(calmly)
Sure. First things first.

 

I think it was Sam lying about  his friend robbing the bank angered Ronald as much, maybe more than Sam doubting him. IMO he was trying to prove Juan didn't do it as much proving there was something hinky going on.

[DittyDotDot]

11 minutes ago, catrox14 said:

But why would he have gone to the bank at all if he had been told the truth?  If they had told him that Yes he was right, and given him a job to do IMO he would have not been as motivated to PROVE he was right. IMO that's why he went.

IMO, There's no way knowing how Ronald would've reacted to the truth or what could've happened if circumstances were different. Telling him the truth could've motivated him to show everyone else the truth too? We just don't know if it would've played out differently. IMO, Sam would only be responsible if Sam had forced Ronald to fake-rob the bank or even given him the suggestion. As it was, Ronald chose a course of action, of his own free will, and got himself dead as a result.

Personally, I think Sam made the right call given the circumstances and what he knew at the time. I loved Ronald, but he was a nut and, I agree with Sam, the best way to protect Ronald was to keep him out of it. Unfortunately it didn't work, but I'm not sure giving the loose cannon more information was any smarter.

[AwesomO4000]

1 hour ago, catrox14 said:

Spoiler

Big difference though. Charlie KNEW the Stynes were after her. She KNEW she was in danger. She was Ms Badass for months and avoiding them. She was not naive.

 

True, but Ronald knew the police were surrounding them outside. He'd even talked to them on the phone and he knew the police thought he was a bank robber. And Dean had yelled at him to stay out of the light and away from the windows - and he should've known that was so the police wouldn't see him and shoot him. So when Ronald went running after Dean and the shifter - which he also shouldn't have done - and then stops right in the light, he should've known better.

He was maybe more naive than

Spoiler

Charlie,

but he wasn't entirely naive, in my opinion.

[sarthaz]

My apologies for opening up this can of worms.  I was 95% joking and mostly just expressing my total adoration of Ronald.  Ronald was a nut, but if Sam had just validated him -- like they do for most everyone else they encounter who has seen the truth -- he would have had zero motivation to rob the bank.  Maybe something else happens to him while working with the boys, but lying to him like everyone else did (and stealing his evidence) when he clearly was a dog with a bone, was such a terribly bad call by Sam.  No way a tin-foil man who's done his own research and made copies of evidence tapes is going to just "let it go" because some dick fed told him to.  Sam's frequently on the right side of how to handle people, but he was way off here, and while I don't really blame him for Ronald's death in any meaningful way that makes me dislike Sam, Ronald could've lived long enough to

Spoiler

get killed because of his association with Dean in a latter season (because all of Dean's friends are gruesomely murdered)

if Sam had treated him with the same respect he shows a distressed damsel.  R.I.P., Ronald.  You were unique.

[catrox14]

I don't think you opened a can of worms . I've wondered about that a lot myself. 

I think Dean not being 100% with Sam on this and not being able to go against him right away with Ronald, was highlighting that Dean and Sam don't always see things the same and to build on the worrying  Save Sam or Kill Sam directive still facing Dean an Sam , since  that cat is out of the bag.

[bethy]

One of the things that I've always found interesting about this episode is what it taught me about Sam. I remember being somewhat taken aback by Sam's kind of cold dismissal of Ronald's findings/emotions. He's completely business-like not only with Ronald, but also when Dean expresses his dismay with the way Sam handled the situation. Yes, Sam says that he's trying to protect Ronald (and I'm sure he is), but his attitude is pretty impatient.

I also wondered if some of Sam's brusqueness with Ronald had to do with the guy's weirdness. Sam's been looking for normal, and I wondered if Ronald's "something's out there" enthusiasm pushed some of Sam's buttons about not wanting to be associated with the weirdos. 

I don't know. I've just always been so intrigued by how differently Sam and Dean reacted to Ronald and what it might mean about who they are as characters. 

Edited March 30, 2017 by bethy
spelling is important