Recap / Supernatural S 07 E 09 How To Win Friends And Influence Monsters

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Recap of Supernatural
Season 7, Episode 9

How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters

Written by Ben Edlund.

Directed by Guy Bee.

Air Date: November 18, 2011.

Sam, Dean, and Bobby become actual hunters (in the truest sense of the word) when they set up camp in New Jersey state park to track a creature that has been attacking people in the woods. The townsfolk claim it to be the real Jersey Devil. Meanwhile, Dean is beyond thrilled to find a Biggerson's restaurant in town, but is devastated when he discovers the restaurants special sandwich seems to be having a strange effect on the locals.

Body Count:

For this episode = 6 humans and 1 Leviathan.

For the series so far = At least 768 humans (of which 6 were witches), 89 demons, 55 angels, 36 ghosts, 36 Jefferson Starships, 26 vampires, 19 zombies, 14 gods, 9 hellhounds, 7 skinwalkers, 6 changelings, 5 shapeshifters, 4 ghouls, 3 djinn, 2 Arachnes, 2 dogs, 2 kitsunes, 2 werewolves, 1 crocotta, 1 dragon, 1 fairy, 1 Khan worm, 1 lamia, 1 Leviathan, the Mother of All, 1 okami, 1 phoenix, 1 Purgatory creature, 1 rakshasa, 1 rawhead, 1 reaper, 1 rugaru, 1 shtriga, 1 siren, 1 wendigo, 1 whore of Babylon, and 1 wraith.

Tropes:

• Affably Evil: Dick. After Bobby is captured, he and Dick have a nice, civil conversation about how Dick intends to eat him.
• Answer Cut: Dean's "Who the hell is Dick frigging Roman?" cuts to a news report on the man.
• Autocannibalism: "Bibbing" is this as a punishment for Leviathans, as happens to Dr. Gaines.
• A Weighty Aesop: Consumption of high fructose corn syrup and burgers are shown to have supernaturally bad consequences: we'll all become cattle to extradimensional primordial monsters!
• Autopsy Snack Time: Bobby and Sam are pulling all kinds of horrid stuff out of the monster they're autopsying, all while Dean is demanding something to eat.
• Bad Boss: "Dick Roman is coming" = Oh, Crap! reaction. As the Autocannibalism entry explains, this is a perfectly justified reaction.
• Boom, Headshot!: Once at close range to Dick's assistant, and again to Bobby.
• Cliffhanger: Bobby has been shot in the head before he could tell the boys what he figured out about the Leviathans' plans.
  Sam: Oh God, Bobby? Bobby? BOBBY!
• Concealment Equals Cover: Averted; Bobby Singer dives into a van, which is fired on by Dick Roman with a Colt .45 revolver. The Winchesters breathe a sigh of relief over another narrow escape...only to realise Bobby hasn't responded.
• Corrupt Corporate Executive: Honestly, there doesn't seem to be much difference between a Leviathan'd exec and a regular one.
• Dissonant Serenity: What happens to anyone who eats the burgers.
• Distinction Without a Difference:
  Dick: I don't believe in hostile takeovers. I believe in merging... and coming out on top.
• Distressed Dude: Bobby. The Leviathans try to use him as The Bait.
• Double Entendre: "The Rise of Dick".
• "Eureka!" Moment: Sam connecting the dots betweens Dean's change in behavior and how he is eating the turducken slammer along with everyone else.
• Extreme Omnivore: The stuff in he burgers overchargers your appetite so much you'll eat anything. Sam and Bobby pull out of Gerald Browder's stomach: Remains of Ranger Rick, a pack of gum (in wrapper), a pine cone, bits of Ranger Phil, bits of glamper, and a cat's head.
• Fade to Black
• Formerly Fat: Played for Drama; the Monster of the Week turns out to be a mutated technician whose metabolism burned off all excess fat of his body as it causes cannibalistic hunger.
• Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: Bobby realises Dean has crossed the Despair Event Horizon, and gets angry as he's more likely to get killed without motivation.
• Get It Over With: Bobby's reaction to meeting Dick, who prefers to use him as The Bait.
• Gone Horribly Wrong: The Leviathans are chemically conditioning humans to be fat and docile but 0.03% percent of those exposed becomes hyper-aggressive, hyper-metabolic and cannibalistic.
• Hat Damage: Averted; Sam seeing the hole in Bobby's cap is the first sign something is wrong.
• I Am a Humanitarian: An unfortunate side-effect of eating the Biggerson's Pepperjack Turducken Slammer.
• Inadvertent Entrance Cue: Sam is saying they don't have the firepower to rescue Bobby when a cleaning supplies van pulls up. What was the Weaksauce Weakness of Leviathans again?
• Improbable Aiming Skills: Bobby hits the monster in the dark with his eyes closed, firing on sound alone. Good thing the Deputy the monster was chewing on was already dead!
• Improvised Weapon: Pressure sprayers filled with Borax.
• I'm Standing Right Here: When Sam says the sandwich turned Dean into an idiot.
• Lame Comeback: Dean's response to being rebuffed by a waiter's, "A hostess will see to you, do I look like a hostess?" is a "Do you wanna look like a hostess?".
• Mad Scientist: Dr Gaines. At least he gets his just deserts.
• Minor Crime Reveals Major Plot: A Monster of the Week case turns out to be related to the Leviathans, who have taken over one of the richest and most powerful men in America.
• Mood Dissonance: "These are the sounds of nature." Victim of the Week being Eaten Alive.
• Oh, Crap!: Dr. Sexy!Leviathan's reaction to hearing that Dick is on his way.
• Parental Substitute: Bobby Singer, who'd look after the Winchesters while dad was Hunting.
• Rock Bottom: Dean gripes about having to hide out in abandoned motels with no hot food or water.
• Secret Ingredient: Dean is horrified that his Turducken Slammer is a part of the Leviathan's plan, as a partially eaten patty oozes grey slime from their additive.
• Seen It All: Bobby states that he's finally seen it all on watching someone eat themselves.
• Shout-Out:
  • To Dale Carnegie's self-help book, How to Win Friends and Influence People.
  • Acme Cleaning Supplies.
  • Ranger Rick.
  • Office Space: Bobby comments on the waiter's "flare".
  • Bambi.
• Spies In a Van: They even have remote surveillance equipment.
• Take That!:
  • At "glampers". After Sam explain the term, Bobby complains that it makes no sense whatsoever. Sam's expression indicates he doesn't disagree.
  • Dick Roman is a company-gobbling, NRA-supporting, Corrupt Corporate Executive.
• Tampering with Food and Drink: The Evil Plan! The Turducken at Biggerson's has been doctored with an unspecified additive that makes people hungry and complacent, so they won't fight back as they quickly fatten themselves up for the Leviathans.
• Tempting Fate:
  • The Winchesters are talking of how the Monster of the Week was felled by a single bullet, when it leaps up and attacks them, requiring a lot more bullets.
  • Worried that Dean is a Death Seeker, Bobby growls at Dean not to die before he does. Bobby gets shot at the end of the episode.
• The Unmasqued World: Discussed. The Leviathans' golden rule is to not allow the general public to realize supernatural monsters actually exist.
• Unwilling Suspension: The glamper gets hung up and eaten while still in his sleeping bag.
• Villain Ball: Even given the usual arrogance of Leviathans, Dick Roman grabs it big time, leaving Bobby untied in his office with a gun and his Evil Plan in files on his desk. Unfortunately Bobby drops the files during the subsequent fight, but he does get the opportunity to look at them.
• The World Is Always Doomed: Dean vents over this trope, saying they should just let the world kill itself if that's the intention. Bobby is not impressed.
• You Have Failed Me: "See, I asked for complacency. Not complacency and a point-oh-three margin of hyper-adrenalized cannibalism." Apparently, that 0.03% justifies having your top scientist eat himself as an example to others.

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