Recap of Supernatural
Season 3, Episode 8:
A Very Supernatural Christmas
Dean: You fudgin' touch me again, I'll fudgin' kill ya!
Written by Jeremy Carver.
Directed by J. Miller Tobin.
Airdate: December 13, 2007.
In this Christmas-themed episode, Sam and Dean encounter a twisted couple of pagan gods in Ypsilanti, Michigan
that share a craving for human meat. Flashbacks follow the Winchesters during Christmas sixteen years ago in Broken Bow, Nebraska when Sam first learned that the supernatural existed and that his father hunted it.
Body count
For this episode = 2 humans and 2 gods.For the series so far = At least 230 humans, 17 ghosts, 8 demons, 10 vampires, 6 changelings, 3 gods, 2 shapeshifters, 2 werewolves, 1 djinn, 1 rakshasa, 1 rawhead, 1 shtriga, 1 wendigo, and 1 zombie.
Tropes:
- Affably Evil: Despite the whole eating-people thing, the two pagan gods genuinely get along with their neighbors, playing bridge and "assimilating", as they call it, into modern society.
- An Asskicking Christmas: Dean and Sam spend Christmas fighting pagan gods.
- Bad Santa: Sam originally thinks that the killings are caused by some kind of "anti-Claus".
- Berserk Button: Mentioning Mary Winchester is one for young Dean.
- Blatant Lies: "I was just testing you."
- Broken Masquerade: Young Sam reads John's diary and learns that monsters are real.
- Christmas Episode: This episode takes place on Christmas. Plus it says so in the episode's title.
- Christmas Song: "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas" is used as the BGM.
- Convenience Store Gift Shopping: Justified as their Christmas was thrown together at the last minute and a convenience store/gas station was pretty much the only place open on Christmas Eve!
- Creepy Basement: Filled with chopped-up dead humans, bloody knives and power saws.
- Death of the Old Gods: The pagan gods reflect on how they used to have numerous followers and sacrifices until Christianity came along.
- Evil Old Folks: The two pagan gods appear as a semi-elderly Happily Married couple, with the man wearing a Mr. Rogers sweater, talking like they're straight out of a fifties tv show.
- Faux Affably Evil: Some of the gods' affability is a mask, as shown when they step on the fruitcake a neighbor offered.
- Fingore:
Shown onscreen even! Sam gets a fingernail ripped off by the pagans. - Flashbacks: To 1991, the year Sam learned monsters are real and gave Dean his amulet.
- Evil Smoking: The old man smokes a pipe. Normally a "good smoking", and perfect for his "fifties sitcom father" feel.
- Gosh Darn It to Heck!: In-Universe, the pagan gods frown upon swearing, and suggest to an irate Dean that he use "fudge" when he wants to swear.
- Got Me Doing It: The aforementioned "fudge" actually works.Dean: You fudging touch me again and I'll fudging kill you.
- Harmful to Minors: All the murders in the episode happen right in front of very small children. Made all the more awful by the fact that in every case the child was excited for Christmas or thinking they were getting a visit from Santa seconds before.
- Helpless Kicking: When a grandfather dressed like Santa is murdered in front of his grandson, he's dragged up the chimney and the last we see of him are his legs flailing as he disappears. Followed by one of his bloodstained boots falling abandoned into the empty fireplace.
- Hijacked by Jesus: In-Universe. Discussed as Sam and the pagan gods mention how Christianity appropriated pagan customs like winter solstice celebrations and transformed them into Christian holidays (Christmas).
- Humanoid Abomination/Physical God: This is what the two pagan gods look like; they look very human and innocent, but have at one point wanted sacrifices..
- Impaled with Extreme Prejudice: The two pagan gods are sent to Hell when Sam and Dean impale them on Christmas tree branches.
- The Krampus: Mentioned by Sam when researching evil Santa.
- Leaving Food for Santa: The evil Santa is seen eating cookies that have been left out.
- Mall Santa: The Winchesters investigate a drunken, pot-smoking, porn-watching Mall Santa.
- Memento MacGuffin: Dean's necklace (originally meant for John) was given to him by Sam sixteen years ago.
- Mistaken for Pedophile: Sam and Dean get some funny looks—two adult men walking into a fake Santa's workshop. Sam makes it worse by saying "We only came here to watch".
- Parental Abandonment: John is out on a hunt in 1991 and doesn't show up for Christmas. Dean tries to make it look like their dad came back for Sam, but Sam's not fooled.
- Snow Means Love: A platonic example, but at the episode's end, it starts snowing when Sam and Dean are opening the Christmas presents they got each-other. Throughout the episode, the Monster of the Week were causing mild weather, and Sam and Dean were up to this point arguing about whether or not to celebrate Christmas.
- Standard '50s Father: The pagan gods dress, talk, and act like a couple straight out of a 50's sitcom.
- The Tooth Hurts: Subverted: as Dean is about to get his tooth pulled out, the doorbell rings.
- Torture Porn: The segment where the pagan gods are performing the ritual by tormenting Sam and Dean.
- Unholy Matrimony: The two pagan gods are an old married couple that have been around a long time.
- Weather Manipulation: The Monster of the Week grant mild weather in exchange for Human Sacrifices.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: While exploring the pagan god's basement, Sam and Dean find a bag hanging on the wall with a person trapped inside terrified and in pain, but very much alive. However once the pagan gods show up the episode completely forgets about this. Who was in the bag? Was it Jimmy Caldwell's dad (who we saw taken away in a bag in an earlier scene that took place the night before)? Were they rescued and reunited with their family? The episode doesn't even include a throwaway line to explain.
- Wooden Stake: The pagan gods can be killed with evergreen stakes.
