The first episode of Supernatural ended with a killer moment, quite literally. With Sam’s girlfriend Jessica (Adrianne Palicki) reliving the same fate of the boy’s mother, he’s along for the ride. Looking back again on that “Pilot” episode, Supernatural showed just how much it had to offer and what kind of show it was going to be. It certainly had that Buffy style to get over, but more so, is its clear inheritance of X-Files personnel and to a lesser extent, its legacy. Never was that more clear when Duane Berry himself, Steve Railsback, appeared in the pilot episode as Joseph Welch, husband to the “Woman in White.” The show would also go on to have Kim Manners direct numerous episodes before his death 2009. Kim, of course, had previously worked on shows such as X-Files and 21 Jump Street.

For the episode aptly titled “Wendigo,” David Nutter, infamous Pilot director, was tapped to direct this episode as well. In the companion book to the series, Nutter commented that this episode was like a second pilot because of the show’s move from L.A. to Vancouver. Nutter is quoted as saying that he had to “start with a whole new group of people and get them excited about the series. So in a sense its doing another pilot for half the time and half the money.”

It’s something to be said, begining a series with a character badly damaged, that it runs through the tone of the show for the first six seasons. Sam’s path, as a character, is far more unique than your average character arc; in five short seasons, he will go from being damaged and pitied, to on par as one of the shows most intense villains. The coordinates that Sam and Dean decipher from the journal takes them to Black Water Ridge, Lost Creek, Colorado. A remote wilderness.

The opening sequence reveals a creature, master hunter, taking campers, including Finn Hudson himself, Cory Monteith. The sequence is almost a tribute to Algernon Blackwood’s short story “The Wendigo.” While the Canadian wilderness is traded for Colorado’s, the mysterious abduction of these three campers, which include the brother of our guest star heroine, Haley Collins (Gina Holden), carries that same ambiance that Blackwood so gruesomely painted. When the boys roll into town, they first head to the Ranger station for some research and, as they do over many episodes, stumble into the case. It’s here that Supernatural introduces us to its long line of strong women; after visiting with Haley, unable to discern much other than a video and a family that keeps in close contact, the boys set to research. They find that the area has a history of people going missing, every 23 years on the dot since the 30’s, one blamed on a grizzly attack. The boys go an visit the only survivor of that attack, Stevenson Shaw (Donnelly Rhodes) who painted a creature that “moved too fast to see” and could unlock doors to get inside. Rhodes’ performance here is the episodes most underrated. In selling that attack with a great performance, I was able to visualize it in my head, and in a situation and scene like this, given the right amount of detail, those implanted visuals can be as effective as special effects and movie monster magic.

The boys meet up with Haley, brother Ben (Alden Ehrenreich) and guide Roy (Callum Keith Rennie). The group journeys farther into the woods, finding a campsite ripped apart, initial speculation pinning it on a bear attack. The group are thrown off by a screaming voice, chasing it into the woods, only to return and find their packs and equipment gone. From here, the boys determine that the creature is a Wendigo, though not generally found this far west in the United States, according to the mythos. As Sam says, “we need to get these people to safety,” it’s almost as if he doesn’t believe it, that they’re in too deep. And in truth, they all believe it. The mythology fails a bit here as Dean draws “Anasazi” symbols to ward off the creature, where the mythos was actually found in Algonquin lore. Perhaps that Anasazi reference was more of a parallel to draw from the X-Files, fans of the show will know what I mean, but as a mythology junkie, I nit pick about stupid shit.

A game of cat and mouse leads to Haley and Dean being captured by the Wendigo; Sam and Ben track the creature to an abandoned mine. After ignoring signs that say stuff about Toxic material, Sam and Ben pursue further. The home of the Wendigo provide our first real images of the creature, through distorted shadows and darker sequences. Sam and Ben find Dean and Haley and Tommy as well, the last survivor of the three campers abducted in the beginning. This leads to Dean icing the creature with heat (haha), specifically, a flair gun. The episode ends with the boys no closer to finding their father, but with hopeful optimism and no direction to go in.

The success of this lies in the choice of the monster. The fact that The Wendigo hasn’t been overused within popular culture, speaks to its effectiveness here. Even deeper, with its choice of creature, Supernatural showed its audience that it was unpredictable, unable to track its movements, and willing to tap mythos uncommonly known to the average urban myth junkie. The scares that this episode produced were effective in a “less is more” kind of mentality  The actual monster produced by the creative team didn’t work. Even in the final scene, the creature comes into full view, as its burned to death, and looks terrible. The ambiance and visual impact of the aftermath of all the creature ever did, though, is scary as hell, particularly the creature’s howl. By the end of this episode its established that the road is long and winding. What they do from here is amazing. Buckle in, the road goes on.

Five Best Quotes

Dean: “Well for one, I mean, our family’s so screwed to hell, maybe we can help some others. Makes things a littler more bearable. And I tell you what else helps. Killing as many evil sons-of-bitches as I possibly can.”

A lot of these quotes establish the overall make up of what the show will entail. This is one of my all time favorite quotes, as this is called into question more than any of them.

Sam: “Why are we still even here?” Dean: This is why. This book. This is Dad’s single most valuable possession. Everything he knows about every evil thing is in here. And he passes it on to us. I think he wants us to pick up where he left off. You know, saving people, hunting things. The family business.

This quote is referenced more than any other on the show.

Dean: “Tell me, Bambi or Yogi ever hunt you back?”

Right before Dean almost walks in a bear trap. Love it!

Dean: “Man, I hate camping.” Sam: “Me too.”

After all that, I can understand.

Dean: “Hey, you want some white meat, bitch? I’m right here!”

Aaah, subtle racism.