My oh my. If any of you were left with worries that the restructuring back at Supernatural HQ meant that the show just wasn’t going to have the stuff this season, I think we can put those silly ideas to rest. “Weekend At Bobby’s” was an outstanding episode that could stand tall against episodes from any season. It did that with that perfect Supernatural mix of monsters, comedy, and just a hint of a touchy-feely chick flick moment. Perhaps most surprising of all, it also managed all of that with very little Sam and Dean.
There was a little method to the madness where the Bobby (Jim Beaver) focused episode was concerned. In case you don’t read the credits obsessively, the episode was directed by Jensen Ackles. A little less actorJensen screen time makes the job a lot easier for directorJensen, I’m sure. He deserves high marks for his work here, but I think he had a bit of a head start in getting a fantastic script to work with.
The story just didn’t miss a beat. We picked right back up with Crowley (Mark Sheppard), and the question that we knew would have to be answered eventually. How that was answered was just perfect. Along the way we got a look at two other pairings that I would certainly welcome more of. Bobby and Rufus (Steven Williams) are great together. Kind of an Odd Couple made up of two Oscars. I also liked how their bewilderment over the appearance of the monsters in bizarre locales hints at some of the problems to come for the team this season. Perhaps those monsters escaped while being transported from their original haunts? Also… Luther Vandross, Ruben Studdard. That gag has legs.
Possibly even better than Bobby and Rufus though, we have Bobby and Sheriff Mills (Kim Rhodes). Clearly, we need to see more of these two together. We can certainly infer a lot about their relationship from the brief glimpses we’ve been given, but I’d be up to see some more of that on the screen. Not as a regular thing, but a few more recurring appearances sprinkled throughout the season.
If that wasn’t enough, we also met Marcy (Jennifer Aspen). It was such a hoot. From the awkward meeting at the door while the demon (Sharon Taylor) was trapped in the basement, to the awkward exchange in the bedroom before the Okami attacked, to the awkward result after the Okami was juiced. There was a lot of awkward. Once again proving that a hunter doesn’t get to live the normal life. And doing it in the funniest of ways.
In the bigger picture, there wasn’t a lot to chew on here. Perhaps the geographic monster shenanigans point to the trapping story. And Dean did bring up the changes in Sam again, briefly, before being shut down. Really though, this was all about giving Bobby a chance to shine. And given the way it was all handled, that’s just fine by me. After all we’ve been through with him over the years, it was a well deserved moment in the spotlight. We’ll get back to Gramps and the cousins next week.
Clacked by Brett Love 
on Oct 16, 2010 @ 08:20 EST5EDT
I loved everything about this episode. This ep made me feel like SPN was back in full form. I had really been missing Bobby (almost felt like he’d been getting overshadowed by Cas — there’s more than enough room for both of them!).
Vandross and Studdard were funny, but did you catch the Gavin McCloud reference? Fergis’s son was Gavin, captain of a ship that went down. Gavin McCloud is the name of the ship’s Captain from The Love Boat. Funny stuff.
*POST AUTHOR*
I totally missed the Gavin MacLeod reference. Balls! :D
Apparently the Castle in the background was used on Highlander so Crowley may also be Fergus McLeod of the Clan McLeod.
Loved this episode. I always loved Bobby. It does rate up there with the best of them. LOL… I guess I never even thought about it but I guess I always just assumed that Bobby just sat around and waited for Sam and Dean to need something but apparently he helps a few more hunters than we thought by the amount of calls he was getting if this is an everyday thing, how does he run his business. I laughed when he just couldn’t get the time to eat the peach cobbler. One of the best parts of the episode was when he was giving Dean and Sam a tongue lashing. Idjits… lol. I would love to see a background of when he killed his wife though, if that was what turned him into a hunter, who helped him???
All in all, JA did a great job directing… kudos to him.
Didn’t they already show the background to how he killed his wife? Back when a lot of people that were dead in the town started to show up?
We know that he killed her twice. Once when she was possessed and once when she rose from the dead but I would love to see the first time just like we have seen the Winchester road to being hunters from their mom being killed and John seeing it to what they have become.
Bobby yelling at the boys was great & I think was really needed.
Also, based on Sam telling Dean to let Crowley go & just the interaction between the two, I bet they had a few run ins while Sam was in Hell & Crowley was running it.
Yeah, that scene when they let Crowley go … I wanted to interpret it as something sinister, with Sam wanting to let him go. But then I thought about it, and the old Sam, the honest, do-gooder Sam, would definitely have honored the deal no matter what, so I wanted to think that was what was going on. Really can’t quite figure out what is going on with Sam, but I miss the puppy dog!
That wood chipper scene made me laugh out loud! The actress playing Marcy was just perfect. I do like the sheriff too, and the fact that she knows a bit about what’s going on. Great episode with some really great characters that I hope we get to see more of. And I’m glad they didn’t torch Crowley. Mark Sheppard is just brilliant!
I loved this episode, Bobby deserved an episode like this about him and they didn’t disappoint. I’m glad he has his soul back from Crowley but now they will need another way to kill or bargain with him in the future because there is no way anyone will be finding those bones again.
This episode brought it all. I especially loved the scene going back and forth between Bobby and Sam and Dean fighting the Lamia. Hilarious. I’m glad Sam let Crowley go, and I think it has more to do with the awesomeness that Mark Sheppard brings to the character than with the actual story. Because I really want to see more of him this season. His and Bobby’s relationship is one of my unexpected favorites of the show. Thanks for the great review, Brett.
Excellent episode, i just saw it, and i’m happy to say that SP is finally back in form.