Reply To: Let’s all talk about Route 666 (S1 E13)
I don’t know why this episode gets so much hate from the fans. It’s actually a pretty important one for season 1, and there are lots of episodes that are far worse but don’t get rebuked as severely.
What’s wrong with a racist whose spirit infected his pickup truck? That’s a pretty interesting story, if you ask me. The episode also deals tastefully with 1960s era racism, current-day racism, and society’s feelings about interracial couples. I’m African American, and I wasn’t offended by any of that. Did I miss something?
Cassie was a class act, except for the part when she couldn’t accept Dean for who he was. I get that at the time she thought he was crazy or lying, but I’m not sure I’d cut Dean Winchester loose just for that. Have you seen this guy? LOL! Other than that, I liked Cassie. And I liked her and Dean as a couple. That sex scene was smokin’, and so was that kiss at the end (slobber string aside). I wouldn’t have minded some reference to Cassie later in the series at some point. She was Dean’s first love (aside from Mary, John, and Sam, of course). It would’ve been nice to at least know if she was still alive.
This episode also gave us an interesting revelation about Dean and Sam. Dean only knew Cassie for a few weeks, but he fell in love with her and told her the truth about who he was. The guy who rarely disobeyed John’s orders broke a family rule and told the truth. In contrast, Sam dated Jessica for at least two years, but he never told her who he truly was. So, the guy who picked fights with John as easily as making a turkey sandwich decided FOR ONCE to obey one of John’s rules? Sounds too convenient for me. Later, when we learned how Mary kept her true identity hidden from John, I saw an instant parallel between Mary’s secrecy/deception and John’s. It’s one reason I grew to dislike Mary, and struggled for so long to find something likable about Sam.
Interesting twist on the lore in this one. In this episode, a ghost/vengeful spirit can’t enter hallowed ground. But that falls by the wayside pretty quickly as the series progresses. Ghosts and demons seem to have no problem whatsoever with holy ground. Eventually, we meet Father Gregory’s ghost (“Houses of the Holy”), who materializes in a church, and Dean and Sam discuss at one point how there’s no point checking for EMF at a cemetery, because there are spirits everywhere (I’m extrapolating from “Highlander” lore, but aren’t cemeteries considered holy ground?). And by season 11 “Paint it Black” a nun’s vengeful spirit is actually haunting a church and killing people. Nothing like rewriting the lore :). I guess it would’ve quickly become inconvenient to maintain that, so they let it go.
Anyway, I don’t think this was a bad episode overall 🙂
kate
