Supernatural 1.15: "The Benders"

Written by John Shiban
Directed by Peter Ellis

In which Sam is kidnapped by a rural family with a penchant for hunting human beings, forcing Dean to work with the local law enforcement to find his brother before it’s too late…


I just have to say: I love this show. Even when they don’t quite hit the high mark they’re aiming for, I have to give them credit. This episode was drenched in atmosphere, and while the story was a little thin, it once again boiled down to the psychology of the two brothers. Specifically, in this instance, Dean’s emotions regarding Sam.

For all that Sam annoys Dean to no end, Dean also feels an incredible amount of responsibility for his welfare and survival. From my perspective, this ties back into “Scarecrow”. Dean has a lot of issues with Sam and his notions of duty and responsibility to family, but he’s not about to leave Sam to the dogs. It’s nothing particularly new, but I consider the depth of relationship between Dean and Sam to be similar to the nuanced and complex relationship between Mulder and Scully on “X-Files”.

Speaking of “X-Files”, a lot of buzz surrounded this episode, claiming that it was some kind of thematic follow-up on the “X-Files” episode “Home”. It may be an obvious correlation, but I’m not entirely convinced that it’s correct. Both episodes involve apparent in-bred families with a strong desire to protect family traditions, but beyond that, there are some rather stark differences. More to the point, this episode isn’t simply about shock value, which “Home” was essentially designed to achieve.

There’s an interesting theme to this episode (and really, it keeps coming up throughout the entire series), and it’s all about family. Dean and Sam debate the interests of family duty all the time. In this case, they run up against a family with hunting traditions of their own, but with a distinctly less pleasant impact on the rest of the local population. There’s also the connection between Dean and Kathleen, which is all about protecting a younger brother. Family is at the heart of everything, though attempting to draw parallels between the Winchesters and the Benders is a relatively shallow comparison.

Where the episode didn’t succeed, with the exception of Pa Bender, was in the portrayal of the supposedly in-bred children. Frankly, they looked like relatively pretty people slathered in dirt and grime to look more rugged and uncivilized. Also, considering the fact that the whole point of the exercise was to grab people, hand them a weapon, and then hunt them down, the hunts were rather simple in scope. It was a mild version of “The Most Dangerous Game”, since they did little more than toy with victims that practically killed themselves!

Despite the weaknesses, it was a fun episode with some nice character exploration for Dean. Dean’s genuine emotions don’t come to the surface very often, and as usual, when they do, it betrays just how much that tough and sarcastic exterior is designed to hide. I find it compelling to watch Dean struggle with those emotions, and so this episode delivered on that level.

Writing: 2/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 2/2
Style: 2/4

Final Rating: 8/10