Supernatural: Scarecrow

Spoilers for the episode

Story:

Once a year a town sacrifices people passing through to their scarecrow to keep the town profitable. Meanwhile Sam abandons Dean to go chasing after their Dad.

Thoughts:

One year ago a couple are lost but the nice townspeople give them pie and directions and fix their car. The car breaks down next to an orchard and they get out to find somewhere to call for help.

The woman doesn’t want to go into the orchard because she’s smart but the boyfriend goes in anyway. They come across a scarecrow and it moves it’s head while she’s looking at it. They hear noises in the dark and start running. The man disappears first. She trips over his mutilated corpse and it ends on the empty scarecrow cross.

Then we’re back to where we left off last episode with Sam on the phone to his Dad who refuses to tell his son where he is but tells him that it was a demon who killed their mother and he’s sorry about Jess.

He also says they’ve got to stop following him because it’s not safe. As opposed to what they’re doing now (hunting) which is totally safe.

Sam keeps asking questions instead of listening but Dean gets hold of the phone and follows orders.

The orders are to go to a town where people disappear every year so they get in the car.

While Dean’s gushing about their Dad’s skills Sam stops the car and says he wants to go to California to find their Dad. He found that out because of the area code when he redialed the phone.

Dan wants to follow orders because it’s not safe. Then they start arguing. Sam says Dean doesn’t know how he feels because their mother died when he was little and they don’t need to do everything Dad says. Dean says it’s called being a good son and Sam gets out of the car and gets his stuff out of the trunk. Dean calls him selfish and warns him he’ll drive away which he then does.

Dean gets to the town and asks after the couple from last year. The man says they don’t get a lot of strangers and is unhelpful.

Sam’s trying to hitch hike when he finds a woman doing the same. She doesn’t trust him but she does trust the guy who offers her a lift.

Back at the town and Dean’s still asking questions. He gets the same directions the couple got and drives off. The emf starts going off on the back seat which he tries to grab while still driving. They’re should be more car accidents in TV shows. I find it hard to watch when drivers stop paying attention to the road. I can’t focus on what’s happening in the scene I’m just thinking look at the road over and over again.

He stops the car and explores the orchard. He calls the scarecrow fugly and gets a ladder to get a closer look. It has the same tattoo as the man who’s missing.

He goes back to the town and talks to a woman who remembered the couple. She’s living with her aunt and uncle. She says their town is blessed because other towns are losing farms and jobs but they aren’t. Then he sees a couple with car trouble.

Sam’s stuck at the bus station until the next day and runs into the other hitchhiker. She’s called Meg and she’s going to California as well.

Dean finds a couple in the cafe who are on a road trip and their car will be fixed by night fall. Dean offers to fix it quicker but they decline. He tries to warn them but they get suspicious of him. The sheriff walks in and escorts Dean out of town.

Back to the bus station. Meg is getting away from her family who wanted to control her life and Sam immediately connects with her.

At the night and the couple end up in the orchard and the scarecrow comes to life but Dean shows up with a shot gun that repels it and they get to the car safely.

Dean and Sam talk on the phone about the scarecrow. The couple were given a last meal given to sacrifices, it’s a pagan thing.

Dean’s got to go to a college to talk to a professor about Pagan gods because he doesn’t have Sam no more. Sam asks if that’s a hint he needs to help. Dean tells him he’s got to live his own life, he always stands up to dad, he’s proud of him and to stay safe.

Sam tells Meg Dean said goodbye.

Dean finds the scarecrow in the professor’s books. It’s a vanir that is energy sprung from a sacred tree. He asks if the tree burned would that stop it. As he’s leaving the sheriff knocks him out.

Back at the town and Emily’s uncle is having doubts because they want to sacrifice his niece with Dean to the vanir. Everybody’s worried because the trees are already beginning to wilt.

They put Emily in the basement where they’re holding Dean. The aunt says they’re doing it for the common good.

Sam hasn’t been able to get hold of Dean for 3 hours so he’s going back. Meg tries to convince him not to but it doesn’t work.

Dean fails to escape the basement and he explains to Emily what’s happening. He asks her about a very special tree. She says there’s a first tree but she doesn’t know where it is.

Dean and Emily get tied to trees in the orchard. The aunt starts explaining about the greater good and the needs of the many and every other cliche sacrifice statement you’ve ever heard.

They leave and Emily asks what the plan is and Dean says he’s working on it. Cut to night and she says he doesn’t have a plan.

Sam turns up and unties them. Dan asks if the scarecrow’s moving. Sam says what scarecrow. They run but the townspeople are waiting. The uncle and the aunt get killed by the vanir as the brothers get Emily out of the orchard. They come back in the morning and burn the sacred tree. Emily’s the one to do it even though the brothers warn her she’s ruining the town.

Emily leaves on a bus and what will happen to the town will have to be enough of a punishment.

Sam still wants to find their Dad but I guess he’s staying because there’s not a show without him.

Meg kills a guy she got a ride off of and uses his blood to make a call. We only hear her side of the conversation but she’s getting orders and she wanted to kill the brothers. I don’t think we needed this scene to know there was something off about Meg. It’s not much of a surprise. I didn’t realise how much they set up for future seasons because I don’t think the Meg thing pays off this season.

This was an alright episode. I like the scarecrow it’s very creepy but all I can think of is Jeepers Creepers and my initial thought was that it was using body parts because it had the man’s tattoo. But they don’t mention why it kept the tattoo so I guess it just wanted to feel pretty.

The town really reminded me of Hot Fuzz. I guess small towns are like English villages. Every time the aunt started talking all I could hear was ‘the greater good’.

The parts with Sam were boring. It’s strange because I’m all for abandoning your family if that’s what’s good for you but everything out of Sam’s mouth is annoying and whiny.

It’s probably that you know he’s going to go back for Dean. He can’t leave because the brothers together is what the series is.

I’m not sure how many more Supernatural episodes I’m going to recap because it’s not really holding my attention. I’ll probably do until the end of season 1 but it’s not as good as I remember it being.

Previous Supernatural: Asylum                                                                               Next Supernatural: Faith

Liked it? Take a second to support Kathryn on Patreon!