S05.E09: The Real Ghostbusters

[DittyDotDot]

Sam and Dean find real ghosts when Becky invites them to a Supernatural Convention.

 

This is a fun episode that pokes fun at the show and fandom alike. However, the "real" Demian would have never spouted that self help yoga crap at the end, NEVER! Hee! Actually, I'm somewhat disappointed that Fritz isn't Demian--I think Demain would've been honored to have a gory death! And, it's too bad they didn't find a way to incorporate Raoul, but that's really just minor silliness on my part.

 

Fun stuff here and I love it when the show goes heads down crazy street!

Edited October 10, 2014 by DittyDotDot

[AwesomO4000]

I love this episode. So many of the one off characters were made interesting and made the episode work for me. Fritz *sigh* , the Hooter's waitress, the hotel manager guy, the guy who got beat up by the ghost and - believably - wanted to get the hell out of there, and of course Demian and Barnes who could have just been throwaway geeky guys but had some personality and were characters I cared about.

 

The ghosts were creepy even if rather pedestrian, but that was part of the point, so hee and well done.This holds up for me on rewatch, because each time I see this, I see more details that I missed the first few times because of all the details. The kitchy (but sometimes cool) merchandise, how everyone just accepts that yup Sam and Dean are "playing" Sam and Dean ("I'm Dean, too. Duh."), the atmosphere where everyone is just enjoying being with fellow enthusiasts, the hotel people who are accommodating because they know stuff like this is good for business (I'm sure in Atlanta, participating hotel managers await Dragon Con with equal parts dread and anticipation of profit): all of that worked for me.

 

I have a few quibbles concerning timing here, since digging up the graves - especially by Demian and Barnes - should've taken more time and/or Sam and Dean would've gotten killed before the bones were burned, but that's a small complaint since digging up graves generally takes less time than it should... If Sam and Dean ever had to dig up a grave in some of our Georgia clay when there hasn't been a recent rain, they'd have to have a jackhammer or something to get it done in any reasonable time from my experience. Lack of rain = me not even considering digging in my garden unless I get out the sprinkler for an hour or two first.

 

Some memorable lines / moments  from this episode for me: Fritz's. "Jah, how original. Supernatural bringing us more creep children. Sigh." Sam's "No, not really, we have guns, and we'll find you." to chuck's proposing writing more books. Dean's "Just give her the puppy dog thing, okay?" and the whole exchange with Sam and Becky at the end where Sam plays disappointed and tells Becky he'll just have to muddle through - little did he know how that was gonna bite him in the ass later... poor Sam. (Jared did a good job there.) Also Dean's rant about the books to Demian and Barnes and Sam's covering for Dean's outburst. Even the small details like the larper saying "The EMF's going nuts" to later have Sam say the exact same thing. There's a bunch more, but too many for me to list them all. It just all worked for me.

 

One of my favorite episodes of the season, and I liked a lot of this season's episodes.

 

However, the "real" Demian would have never spouted that self help yoga crap at the end, NEVER! Hee!

 

Heh. He also likely would've preferred to have been the "Sam" part of the larping equation since his "Sweet Baboo" wasn't an option with no Castiel in the book series. And true that the real Demian would've been honored to have been Fritz with the gory death.

[GirlyGeek]

If Sam and Dean ever had to dig up a grave in some of our Georgia clay when there hasn't been a recent rain, they'd have to have a jackhammer or something to get it done in any reasonable time from my experience. 

 

This disturbs me to read, AwesomO4000... you go digging up graves a lot?

:backs away slowly:

;)

 

I love this episode, and in general I love all the Meta episodes.  Dean's "just give her the puppy dog thing" is hilarious, as are a TON of other lines.  I love the characters, the TWOP and actual fan shout outs (some I got and I'm sure plenty I didn't).  And hidden among a great MOTW and great characters, is some equally awesome brother moments and insight.  Plus it all ends with furthering the story and introducing Crowley!  YAY

[AwesomO4000]

This disturbs me to read, AwesomO4000... you go digging up graves a lot?

:backs away slowly:

;)

Hee. No. I know from having to use a pickaxe just to get into the ground deep enough to start my garden. I had to pickaxe the whole thing first, because there were too many rocks to use a rototiller without doing the first pass with a pickaxe to break up the big clumps of Georgia clay and remove the large rocks. And that was going only about a foot and a half or so deep. Between that and having to remove the English ivy, it took me about a month or more of afternoons to get two medium-sized gardens done to about 18 inches. I couldn't imagine how hard the ground would be trying to get down to typical grave depth. A newer grave might be fine, but anything a few years old - yikes.

[sarthaz]

Not a grave expert here, but are graves filled in with Georgia clay and large rocks? :)  I feel your pain, though.  When I lived in Georgia, I built a pergola and hand dug the holes for the 4x4 posts with a post hole digger (and a pickaxe) because I was too cheap to rent an auger.  Easily the most labor intensive thing I've ever done in my life.

 

Really love this episode.  I think where it shines most is that it pokes fun at the fans (and itself) without belittling fandom.  Sure, Demian and Barnes are a little dorky, but they're also completely aware that they're just having fun away from their mundane day jobs.  Even without their hero turn, they're likable guys.  If I had any complaint about the episode, it would be the "partner" reveal at the end.  Not that I care about the characters' sexuality, just that they tack it on at the end as a surprise without setting it up during the rest of the episode, so it's more of a gag -- poking fun at the "homoerotic subtext" -- than an honest character trait, and since Demian and Barnes were so great otherwise, it kind of cheapens the whole thing for me.  Oh well -- still great fun.

[Ubiquitous]

Great ep! I was dreading it when I saw the description this morning but it surpassed expectations.

I liked the twist with the place really being haunted and the woman ghost's role.

[Hanahope]

On 10/10/2014 at 4:10 PM, AwesomO4000 said:

On 10/10/2014 at 9:57 AM, DittyDotDot said:

This is a fun episode that pokes fun at the show and fandom alike. However, the "real" Demian would have never spouted that self help yoga crap at the end, NEVER! Hee! Actually, I'm somewhat disappointed that Fritz isn't Demian--I think Demain would've been honored to have a gory death! And, it's too bad they didn't find a way to incorporate Raoul, but that's really just minor silliness on my part.

Multi-Quoting is always a pita on this site.  So sorry the formating is messed up, but I can't fix it without losing my whole post.

So, my question is who are the "real" Demian and Raoul?  and what is their connection to Supernatural?

 

 

 

I have a few quibbles concerning timing here, since digging up the graves - especially by Demian and Barnes - should've taken more time and/or Sam and Dean would've gotten killed before the bones were burned, but that's a small complaint since digging up graves generally takes less time than it should

Yes, digging up graves takes a long time and his hard work, as recently demonstrated in The Americans.

This was a very fun episode.  I loved the convention bit, which reminds me of some I've been too (not Supernatural, but others).  Sam and Dean's reaction was so funny, so incredulous and annoyed.  That the hotel was really haunted was just asking for trouble, as it turns out.

Every since they had the demon Allistair, I've been waiting for his "bro" Crowley.  

[DittyDotDot]

20 minutes ago, Hanahope said:

So, my question is who are the "real" Demian and Raoul?  and what is their connection to Supernatural?

Demian was Supernatural's recapper over at TWoP for S2-S6. And, his helper was an imaginary gay dragon on the internet named Raoul. Barnes was the old mod for the Supernatural boards starting, I think, in S3 or S4 until S6 or S7.

Demian's recapps were hilarious. It was clear the show was paying attention to the boards and recapps over at TWoP, they even mentioned some regular posters back in The Monster at the End of This Book. Becky is also supposed to be a shout out to a real life fan.

[Hanahope]

15 minutes ago, DittyDotDot said:

Demian's recapps were hilarious. It was clear the show was paying attention to the boards and recapps over at TWoP, they even mentioned some regular posters back in The Monster at the End of This Book. Becky is also supposed to be a shout out to a real life fan.

Ah, I see.  I know some of TWOPs stuff is still accessible on the net, I have a link to the forums.  So maybe I'll try and track down the recaps to read for fun.

[DittyDotDot]

9 hours ago, Hanahope said:

Ah, I see.  I know some of TWOPs stuff is still accessible on the net, I have a link to the forums.  So maybe I'll try and track down the recaps to read for fun.

Ask, and thy shall receive: https://web.archive.org/web/20140404230327/http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/supernatural/recaps/ ;)

[Hanahope]

Weeee!! Thanks!

[bettername2come]

Becky, the super-psycho fan. I hate agreeing with her, but I too love it when they talk at the same time. Sam really seems to consider the gun/knife bungee. "Agents Lennon and McCartney." The LARPer expecting the actress to actually vanish. I liked her shooting Dean down because she'd been hit on by fake Deans all night, until she looks at him. "We generally don't like to publicize this to normal people." "My mommy loves me this much." Forced but creepy and also a little funny. "Fans of yours?" "I'd say no." I like that the mom ghost was good. Kid could've been way clearer on that. "Supernatural bringing you more creepy children." I wish one of the cosplayers had looked like the Fabio version of Sam from the book covers. "How do you feel about angels? 'Cause they're not nearly as lame as you think." "Just give her the puppy dog thing." Okay, the ringtone getting her caught is funny. Chuck saving the guy when the ghost comes in is badass. I see why Becky fell for him. Ah, Dean considers the bungee. And yet we never see it. My guess? It bounced back and they got accidentally stabbed so they never did it again. "But like a monkey on the sun it was too hot to live." First mention of Crowley! I love the outtakes of Chuck at the end. "It's really not jumping the shark if you never come back down."

I like when they have Supernatural fans make good choices and help people. 

"We have guns and we'll find you." One of those Supernatural lines I don't get to use in real life enough. 

[gonzosgirrl]

10 hours ago, bettername2come said:

Becky, the super-psycho fan. I hate agreeing with her, but I too love it when they talk at the same time. Sam really seems to consider the gun/knife bungee. "Agents Lennon and McCartney." The LARPer expecting the actress to actually vanish. I liked her shooting Dean down because she'd been hit on by fake Deans all night, until she looks at him. "We generally don't like to publicize this to normal people." "My mommy loves me this much." Forced but creepy and also a little funny. "Fans of yours?" "I'd say no." I like that the mom ghost was good. Kid could've been way clearer on that. "Supernatural bringing you more creepy children." I wish one of the cosplayers had looked like the Fabio version of Sam from the book covers. "How do you feel about angels? 'Cause they're not nearly as lame as you think." "Just give her the puppy dog thing." Okay, the ringtone getting her caught is funny. Chuck saving the guy when the ghost comes in is badass. I see why Becky fell for him. Ah, Dean considers the bungee. And yet we never see it. My guess? It bounced back and they got accidentally stabbed so they never did it again. "But like a monkey on the sun it was too hot to live." First mention of Crowley! I love the outtakes of Chuck at the end. "It's really not jumping the shark if you never come back down."

I like when they have Supernatural fans make good choices and help people. 

"We have guns and we'll find you." One of those Supernatural lines I don't get to use in real life enough. 

This is a good point, and one that never occurred to me. The books are the only way these people know about Dean & Sam, so why wouldn't there be at least a few of them trying to look like that, rather than the 'real' Sam? Good catch!

Now I'm trying to remember if anyone referred to them as 'Winchester', since Chuck did say he never used their last name in the books (back in 4x18).

[RulerofallIsurvey]

On 7/4/2017 at 0:15 AM, bettername2come said:

I wish one of the cosplayers had looked like the Fabio version of Sam from the book covers.

I know, right?  Well, there was one girl with long blond hair as Sam - does she count?  :)

On 7/4/2017 at 0:15 AM, bettername2come said:

Ah, Dean considers the bungee. And yet we never see it. My guess? It bounced back and they got accidentally stabbed so they never did it again.

Why did we never see this?  I need to see this!

I didn't realize the first time I watched this (that I recall, anyway) how super-creepy Becky was: especially when she was watching Chuck get rid of the ghost and close the doors.  But really cool moves on Chuck's part.  

I also didn't catch until this rewatch that Sam and Dean were 'Rufus' and 'Bobby' on the way out to the graveyard.  lol!

Sam is pretty good actor - keeping a fairly straight face during Becky's whole speech at the end.  I was impressed.  

On 7/4/2017 at 0:15 AM, bettername2come said:

"We have guns and we'll find you." One of those Supernatural lines I don't get to use in real life enough. 

Seriously.

[Iju]

only have a couple things to say. "Oh yeah and screw you very much" made my mother roll in laughter, mostly because of the delivery by jensen, she claims. and come on who doesn't love "give her the puppy dog thing"?

lastly:

there's only one person that can make dean get all smiley and gooey like this. so if he ever makes faces like this again we know just who he's thinking about ;)

P.S again with Route 666 being cameoed again! this is driving me crazy FPS!

Edited April 5, 2018 by Iju

[The Companion]

On 3/2/2015 at 6:40 PM, AwesomO4000 said:

Hee. No. I know from having to use a pickaxe just to get into the ground deep enough to start my garden. I had to pickaxe the whole thing first, because there were too many rocks to use a rototiller without doing the first pass with a pickaxe to break up the big clumps of Georgia clay and remove the large rocks. And that was going only about a foot and a half or so deep. Between that and having to remove the English ivy, it took me about a month or more of afternoons to get two medium-sized gardens done to about 18 inches. I couldn't imagine how hard the ground would be trying to get down to typical grave depth. A newer grave might be fine, but anything a few years old - yikes.

Nice save. I think they bought it. 

On 5/3/2017 at 10:28 PM, DittyDotDot said:

Ask, and thy shall receive: https://web.archive.org/web/20140404230327/http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/supernatural/recaps/😉

Ah crap, as if 15 seasons to catch up on wasn't enough. 😆 RIP Tubey. 

I really enjoyed this one too. I felt like there should have been more women. I get a little bored with the stereotype that sci fi and horror belong to men. Other than that, I enjoyed this one. Definitely figured out the twist, but the kids were adequately creepy and I think that fit with everything else.

The episode was actually entertaining enough that my husband kept getting sucked in. I had to kick him out because he may go back and watch too. Spoilers!

This season is doing a better job than 4 at folding in ongoing plot points to standalone episodes. It makes the flow a lot more natural.