Supernatural S9 Ep15

The Ghostfacers are back! We haven’t seen them since before the apocalypse (now there’s a phrase I never thought I’d ever say). Usually a Ghostfacer episode is pretty funny, and though there were some good lines, the themes of the episode fell more on the “punched in the feels” end of the spectrum.

The tone of the episode was all over the place, actually. There was humor, there was pain, and there was one of the first genuinely scary opening scenes in a long time for this show. The monster of the week was Thinman, an obvious homage to Slender Man, but the monster wasn’t the heart of the episode (it wasn’t even a real monster—they pulled a Scooby Doo). Things have changed for Ed and Harry just as they have changed for Sam and Dean, and the parallel of these relationships was one of the biggest anvils this show has ever dropped. At the end, they even had Ed and Dean wearing blue jackets while Harry and Sam wore green. Subtle, guys, real subtle.

Ed and Harry have always been two peas in a pod, introduced as a duo from the start. It’s hard to imagine one without the other. But when Harry was close to leaving the Ghostfacers for his fiancé, Ed selfishly made up Thinman to keep Harry at his side. Ed lied and betrayed his best friend, the one person always there for him, because he couldn’t stand to lose him. Sound familiar? You could tell from the start that things were off because Ed, always so gung-ho about everything, was reluctant to pursue the case. He was quiet and awkward—uh, more so—and just clearly not himself, much like Dean had been when hiding the truth from Sam about Ezekiel/Gadreel. When Ed finally confessed the truth, Harry left, catching a ride with Sam and Dean. Sam, his own feelings clearly influencing him, had told him earlier that some things can’t be forgiven, and Harry followed that to its logical conclusion. The Ghostfacers are broken up.

Sam, Harry, Ed, and Dean sitting at table

It’s like looking in a mirror. A really messed up mirror.

But if these two crazy kids can’t work things out, then what does that mean for Sam and Dean? The awkwardness between them was turned up a notch throughout this episode, in case we had forgotten about it, but there were also moments when things almost felt like old times. Dean reminisced about their childhood, telling a story about Sam breaking his arm because he jumped off a shed while dressed as Batman. Later, Sam looked noticeably worried about Dean being threatened with a knife. They’re trying to keep their work and personal lives separate, but can they really pull that off? Will they eventually turn out like Ed and Harry, going their separate ways once they’ve completed their last job together?

This is the most serious break between them yet. Can it ever be fixed? Is this episode an ominous precursor of things to come, or will Sam and Dean learn from Ed and Harry’s mistake and make amends? It’s Sam and Dean, so the odds are high that they’ll stick together in the end, but the more they draw this out, the more I wonder if the writers have a different ending in mind. But these are the same guys who saved the world through the power of brotherly love. They have a toxic co-dependent relationship, but haven’t they done more good together than apart? Something big is going to have to knock some sense into these boys, and I have a feeling that’s going to be an essential part of the finale.

And that’s all I have to say about that.

Next week, Crowley’s gonna have to face it, he’s addicted to blood…