Recap of Supernatural
Season 1, Episode 5:
Bloody Mary
Written by Ron Milbauer, Terri Hughes Burton, and Eric Kripke.
Directed by Peter Ellis.
Airdate: October 11, 2005.
The urban legend of Bloody Mary seems to be coming true in Toledo, Ohio.
People start dying in Toledo, Ohio after chanting "Bloody Mary" into a mirror three times. Sam and Dean investigate, learning that once she's been invoked, Mary only kills people who are secretly harboring guilt over the death of another. To lure Mary into a trap, Sam says "Bloody Mary" in front of a mirror three times and Mary appears: it's revealed that before Jessica's death, Sam had been having dreams of her being killed in the exact same way as his mother, and that he feels guilty for ignoring what he now thinks were prophetic visions. Dean is worried about Sam's continued guilt over Jessica's death, but Sam chooses not to tell Dean about the prophetic dreams.
Body count:
For this episode = 2 humans and 1 ghost.For the series so far = At least 107 humans; 4 ghosts; 1 wendigo.
Non-trope items:
Tropes appearing in this episode:
- Ambiguous Situation: There are implications that the father whose death started the case may have killed his wife, but it's never spelled out either way.
- Big Bad: Mary Worthingtin, the mirror ghost killing everybody.
- Dreaming of Things to Come
- Dark Secret: All of Mary's victims have one, and, more importantly, Sam.
- Deadpan Snarker: Sam.Sam: Why'd you let me fall asleep?Dean: Because I'm an awesome brother. So, what'd you dream about?Sam: Lollipops and candy canes.Dean: Yeah, sure.
- Driven to Suicide: Charlie's boyfriend, and her Dark Secret.
- Evil Sounds Deep: Sam's reflection has a noticeably deeper voice then his normal voice.
- Eye Scream: Bloody Mary "essentially liquefied" her victim's eyeballs.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Apparently, Mary, once out of the mirrors, is vulnerable to her own power.
- I See Dead People: Sam sees Jessica as they drive by, and she appears in an Ethereal White Dress.
- I Let Gwen Stacy Die: Sam's guilt towards Jessica. Charlie also feels guilty for her ex-boyfriend's suicide.
- The Man in the Mirror Talks Back
- Marionette Motion: Mary, once she's left her mirror.
- Mirror Monster: Mary.
- Mirror Scare: As Mary generally only appears in mirrors, this is a given.
- Past Experience Nightmare: Sam's nightmares about Jessica's death haven't let up.
- The Reveal: Sam dreamed of Jessica burning for days before her death.
- Screaming Woman: Donna Shoemaker.
- Shout-Out:
- Much of the imagery associated with Bloody Mary is reminiscent of The Ring.
- When Sam is filming him with a camcorder using night vision, Dean asks if he looks like Paris Hilton.
- Speak of the Devil
- Stringy-Haired Ghost Girl: While not Japanese, Bloody Mary has all the characteristics.
- Tap on the Head: How Dean took out the two cops.
- That One Case: The Mary Worthingtin case for the detective in Fort Worth, Indiana.'Detective: I was on the job for 35 years—detective for most of that. Now, everybody packs it in with a few loose ends, but the Mary Worthingtin murder—that one still gets me.
- Unexpectedly Real Magic: the eponymous murderous ghost is summoned by characters chanting her name in front of a mirror without believing the urban legend.
- Urban Legends
- You Did Everything You Could:Dean: You know what, that's it. This is about Jessica, isn't it? You think that's your dirty little secret that you killed her somehow? Sam, this has got to stop, man. I mean, the nightmares, and—and calling her name out in the middle of the night—it's gonna kill you. Now, listen to me—it wasn't your fault. If you wanna blame something, then blame the thing that killed her. Or, hell, why don't you take a swing at me? I mean, I'm the one that dragged you away from her in the first place.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: In an odd case for a show with such tight continuity, Dean's eyes bleed when Mary comes out of the mirror too, indicating there's someone's death he feels responsible for in his past as well that he's been keeping a secret from everyone else. Despite the obvious opening where Sam would later ask him what happened, this line of thinking is never explored in any future episodes.
