Supernatural 5.07 Episode Review: “The Curious Case of Dean Winchester”

Summary: Sam and Dean investigate the uncanny death of a healthy-looking, 25-year-old man—who died of old age. The brothers are made aware of a traveling poker game run by a “he-witch,” in which the stakes are not money, but are instead years of an individual’s lifespan. If a person plays and wins the game, the individual accumulates more “years” onto his lifecycle and becomes younger. If he or she loses, however, the years that were betted are taken from them, and they immediately age, sometimes to the point of death. Throughout the episode, Bobby, paralyzed from the waist down, is shown to be endlessly frustrated and depressed due to his inability to live the hunting lifestyle that he had previously enjoyed. While the Winchesters search for the witch, Bobby takes his chances against the poker master, Patrick, and loses 25 years of his life. Dean, in an attempt to save the honorary third member of his family, also plays and loses to the witch, thus aging rapidly to the near end of his life. Ultimately, Sam, the “unskilled” card player, successfully bluffs Patrick and returns Bobby and Dean to their previous states.

Review: The episode as a whole is a strange and almost unsettling mix of dark and light-hearted themes. It is certainly worth any fan’s time simply to watch the hilarity that ensues with characters such as Patrick, and a Dean who has aged nearly 50 years. The episode also situates itself well within the overarching narrative of the series. However, while “old Dean” and the endearing character of the Irish “man-witch” provide a much-needed comic relief, intrigue, and even likeability to this episode, it is juxtaposed with darker themes of depression, life purpose, and half-formed backstories of minor characters.

The notion of the “value” of one particular life or lifestyle over another is an apparent theme that is transmitted especially through Bobby’s role in the episode. Bobby feels a deep sense of worthlessness because he is permanently unable to walk and hunt. He states, “I ain’t a hunter anymore! I’m useless!” Dean talks him down from his (understandably) precarious emotional state. He reasserts the importance that Bobby has in the boys’ lives, stating, “You’re family…. Don’t even think about checking out.” The importance of Bobby as a primary character is made evident in this episode. Additionally, it demonstrates the impact that hunting makes on both a professional and personal level, insofar as it greatly affects their perceptions of self-worth.

The motifs of family and time become even more prevalent in these 44 minutes. An interesting but seemingly random backstory for a minor character, the witch’s significant other, is used as a plot point, but is also allocated a long scene at the end of the episode. She, like Bobby, contemplates the value of time and a particular lifestyle. As she points to a locket with the picture of an elderly woman, she tells Patrick, “I buried my daughter when she looked like this…. It’s not natural!” This heart to heart, as she sits across from Patrick at the poker table and decides to die, is well-acted, beautiful, and heart-wrenching for both the characters and the viewer. But why create a half-fleshed-out backstory and subsequent empathy for an unimportant character, when the same hasn’t been given to the “monster,” the primary antagonist, of the episode? While this attention to detail and character development is always appreciated within the context of a story, it providing more conflicting feelings about the episode as a whole due to its unresolved nature.

Ultimately, the plot of this episode fits well within the 5-season frame of Sam’s evolution as a character—the development of his “hero’s journey.” While Sam plays cards against Patrick, the latter character describes the perceptions that Dean and other characters had of Sam in previous episodes and seasons. He states, “Here you are, cleaning up their mess, and they still want to sit you at the kiddies’ table.” While the viewer is lead to believe that this ideology still holds true in regards to the relationship Sam has with the hunters around him, the episode provides a twist. Sam’s show of frustration and defiance at this statement proves itself fake as it is revealed that he has planned this with his fellow hunters, as part of a plan to acquire Patrick’s DNA to cast a reversal spell. While this seems to be an acceptance of Sam and his emergence from the “younger brother” perception, it constitutes only a small step in that progressive direction. Bobby and Dean attempted to take away Sam’s choice to bet against the witch, even after they both had made the decisions to take matter upon themselves and failed. They allowed him to play poker only because it was a part of their plan, and actually had little, if any, hope of Sam winning. However, once the spell fails, it is up to no-one but the younger brother to beat Patrick, which he accomplishes, consequently saving all three’s lives. Will the result of the episode emerge as the catalyst for the completion of Sam’s “hero’s journey,” or will it serve as the stimulus for darker familial plot points via a potential, unresolved frustration on behalf of Sam towards Dean and Bobby?