Supernatural “Slumber Party” 

Black and white MOL flashbacks. Hunter Dorothy. A wicked not so misunderstood witch. A yellow brick road. All elements of what can only be a Charlie-centric episode of Supernatural.

 

Yes, Felicia Day is back and so is one of my favorite recurring characters on this show. I just love Charlie’s relationship with the boys, especially Dean. Felicia and Jensen have this great connection. I don’t know how to explain it.

 

However, the way Charlie cares about both Sam and Dean is so joyous to watch. I always feel like they need more of that in their lives. Couple that with the fact the entire episode takes place in the awesomely cool Men of Letters bunker and you can consider me a happy camper. It’s about time we saw more of that place. Isn’t that garage amazing?

 

Sam thinks there’s a way they can help Cas avoid the fallen angels. After all, their friend is out there facing danger when he should be with them living it up MOL-style. His plan involves developing some sort of way to track the fallen angels.

 

The Winchesters are in desperate need of some IT support because at their disposal is a super duper old computer. Enter Charlie. And Dorothy, too, since in trying to figure things out himself, Dean inadvertently knocks over a jar that has some sort of magical gunk that ends up freeing Dorothy and the Wicked Witch. She’s intent on bringing her Oz armies into this dimension to wreak havoc. Seventy-five years earlier, Dorothy binded herself to the witch in order to get rid of her. There was no other way because she couldn’t figure out how to kill the evil bitch. I mean witch. No, I mean bitch.

 

What ensues is a fun adventure that satiates Charlie’s need for a quest but also happens to kill her in the process. She takes a “bullet” meant for Dean and dies. So Dean has to resort to drastic and desperate measures to save Charlie. And that’s when he gets sloppy. He calls out for Zeke when Sam’s still present. In a flash, Zeke surfaces and tells Dean that while he’s he’s barely at half-strength, taking care of the witch or resurrecting Charlie is going to slow down the process. Either way it’s going to take a toll but it has to be one or the other. Which means Zeke’s presence will last longer than they both had hoped. Dean makes the decision to save Charlie.

 

Right now Dean’s able to get around Sam’s question about why he called out for someone named Zeke. But for how much longer? I have to say hearing Dean have to lie all the time is getting old. And so is Sam getting knocked out. I just want some movement in this story already. Charlie knows she died. Dorothy informs her that her dream of Christmas and her parents still being alive was really heaven. That she’s not a hunter if she doesn’t die and get resurrected at least once. So Charlie confronts Dean about it. She wants to know the truth but she remains blissfully unaware…for now.

 

I say blissfully because Charlie ends up going off to Oz with Dorothy on a whole new adventure. Charlie’s life really is turning out to be like the books she’s read, the video games she’s played and the Live Action Role Playing  games she’s often been a part of. Right now she’s a friend to Dorothy. Will she and Dorothy ever become more? I think the potential is there. Charlie does have a way with women. And I know she just took off for Oz but we better see Charlie at least one more time this season. Just saying.

 

More Thoughts on “Slumber Party”

 

-Confession time: Wizard of Oz has never been my favorite story/movie. I don’t know why. But when everyone would gather in front of the TV to watch it every year when I was a kid, I would make up some reason not to join in. However, I did adore Wicked the Broadway musical. And wouldn’t you know it, I adore the Dorothy we met in “Slumber Party,” too.

 

-Hunter Dorothy is strong, capable, smart and a bit guarded. She seems like she stepped out of a classic movie. And I actually love the spin that writer Robbie Thompson put on her story. That she’s L. Frank Baum’s daughter (who was also a Man of Letters) and like almost everyone else on this show, she has daddy issues.

 

-Also, Dorothy did have the Wizard of Oz adventure but in her story, she met up with three freedom fighters the witch turned into the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion. And in “real life” Dorothy actually died in Oz but came back. She became a hunter when the witch came to her world. It was all very clever. Dorothy is badass in this episode. And I know I use that term a lot when describing characters in the Supernatural realm, but it’s true.

–Tiio Horn does an excellent job of bringing this version of Dorothy alive. Horn is no stranger to genre shows having starred on Defiance and Netflix’s Hemlock Grove. She was also on an episode of Alphas.

 

-Did HBO’s Game of Thrones pay for the references? I love that they actually watched season one of the show in Sam’s sparse room. Speaking of which…

 

-Sam’s pretty adamant that the MOL residence is not really a residence. That’s it’s just a place of work. When is he going to realize that home is wherever he and Dean are? I hope he finally comes to that conclusion this season. He’s so caught up on the traditional meaning of home and how he never knew that as a child. He tried it with Jessica — and to a certain extent Amelia — and it never ended well. But home is what you make of it. Sam needs to learn that. Although, do you think Sam’s last line of the episode: “There’s no place like home” means he’s actually starting to believe it? Or was it just a cheesy good way to get one more Oz reference in?

 

-So we still have no idea whether or not Dean told Cas the truth about Sam. Boo. We do know that Dean’s lie to explain Cas’ absence is that Cas didn’t want to bring trouble down on them so he left. Double boo. How many mores lies is Dean going to have to tell?

 

-Also getting old is Crowley shackled in the dark room. However, Mark Sheppard continues to be awesome. The way he delivers lines (and whistles “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”) is genius.

 

-Dean’s facial expressions in this episode are classic.

 

-Nice job of incorporating the flashbacks.

 

-Yay to Charlie making poppy bullets. And being able to kill the Wicked Witch with the magical red ruby slippers.

 

-Dean’s concern for Charlie is awesome — she’s really a part of their family.

 

-The witch possessing or whatever she did to Sam and Dean — was all pretty silly. Even under the influence, they mostly took it easy on the girls. And lol at their Batman voices.

 

-How great is the use of the AC/DC song “For Those About to Rock” serenading Dorothy and Charlie as they head off to Oz on the yellow brick road? Supernatural and classic rock: a winning combination. More, please.

 

Supernatural airs Tuesdays on the CW at 9/8c.