by Kimmie Chameleon:
Supernatural Recap: “Man’s Best Friend with Benefits”
Original Air Date (CW): Wednesday February 20, 2013
Season 8, Episode 15
Sometimes it takes a diesel truck to hit us at full impact for us to realize what we have. We are so super focused on the task at hand that we fail to see all of those around us who help us, and those who came before us that paved the way. In this episode of Supernatural, Dean finally realizes that the long sordid history of his entire family’s existence is shared by Sam, and that as long as they stick together, anything is possible.
You Look ‘Familiar’
Dean is still a bit leery of Sam taking on the Demon Tablet challenges. Sam does his best to convince Dean that he is up to the task. While waiting to hear word from Kevin about the next challenge, they receive a text message from James, a cop who had previously worked on a case with them. They arrive to meet up with him in Saint Louis, Missouri, but while Dean runs out to grab a few groceries (beer) Sam hears some scratching on the motel door. When he opens it, a gorgeous Doberman pinscher is on the other side. The dog lets itself in and quickly charms Sam. When Dean finally rolls up, Sam meets him at the door to prepare them for their guest. When the two enter the room, the dog has now transformed into a gorgeous woman. She explains that she is not a Shapeshifter, but rather, a Familiar. Portia tells them that a Familiar is a witch’s companion, that can morph into either their human form, or domesticated dog form…like a dog or cat. Their bonds with their masters are strong. She then tells them that James is her master because after the case he worked on with the Winchesters, he became curious about the occult and decided to become a witch to help him solve cases successfully as a cop. He is a good man, but has recently blocked her from his dreams and has become distant. He is having nightmares and terrible headaches, and she is desperate to help him because she believes something is going on. It is her opinion that she can’t trust anyone to help James, other than them, but James does not know that she contacted them.
Sam and Dean head over to see James. He is rather upset with Portia for seeking their help, but eventually talks to them. He tells them everything. He has had a total of 4 bad dreams recently that involved him murdering random people. He checked at the precinct and verified that the people that were murdered fit the descriptions of murders that have actually happened. He even gets out a bloody shirt to offer up evidence that he may have actually done the crime if the blood matches one of the victims. This is enough for the Winchesters to order James chained to a bed, for safety’s sake, while they figure this whole thing out. Portia can’t imagine that James would ever do such a thing and suggests that James may be under the influence of another witch’s spell.
Sam heads over to the police precinct posing as an F.B.I. agent sent to investigate the recent murders, while Dean joins Portia on their own investigation. She takes Dean to a secret underground club, where supernatural types hang out. Portia introduces Dean to Phillippe de Chat as a witch from Detroit. Dean tries to ask Phillippe if he knows of any spells that can force another witch to do things unaware, but Phillippe denies that such a spell exists. Phillippe is called away by his master, Spencer. Dean finally understands why he just had a sneezing fit…he is allergic to cats…and Phillippe morphs into a cat before his very eyes. Spencer is a friend of James, but Portia senses something is amiss with him.
Beastiality?
Sam and Dean meet back up, while Portia returns home to check on James. Portia and James become intimate, and so James lets his guard down, enabling Portia to see into James’s mind. She sees the dreams that he has been having, and realizes that James was completely unaware of what he was doing. Just then, Dean and Sam crash into the bedroom ready to kill James. The shirt that James had given to the guys that had blood on it matches that of one of the victims. He must have killed those people. Portia pleads with the guys and tells them that she saw into James’s mind, and that he MUST have been under another witch’s control. Sam and Dean must be getting soft because they agree to research this further.
Sam returns to the police station and notices that one of the detectives has pulled a file on James. James is a very successful detective. This is all due to his supernatural abilities, but the other officers do not know this. Meanwhile, Dean and Portia meet with another witch named Drexyl, because he is a known snitch in the community. Although he denies knowing anything about who may be responsible for taking over James’s mind, he does tell them that word is getting around, and James either kill himself or leave. A witch involved with the police department could expose their whole underworld.
Come Fly with Me
Sam, Dean, and Portia return to James’s place. Sam shares with them his suspicions about that one detective who pulled a personal file on James. Sam was not able to open the room in the police department to see what was going on, but James tells them that he can get inside by using astral projection. The guys agree to let him do this, but he has to let them come along.
James and the boys calmly sit at the edge of the bed and close their eyes. The astral projection is successful because they travel along inside of James’s mind as they travel through walls and into the room that was locked at the precinct. What they see inside is an entire case being built up against James for the murders of those four people. They see that one of the witnesses is Phillippe de Chat. This angers James and he quickly snaps out of the projection. In a rage, James knocks out the Winchesters and runs out of the house. He heads straight over to the underground secret club and confronts Phillippe. When Phillippe tells James that his master, Spencer, forced him to do it, Spencer shows up and kills Phillippe via control over James. Spencer explains to James that although he was extremely upset that Portia chose James over him, he was more enraged that they broke the rules by becoming intimate. A Familiar and their master are not supposed to cross that line. The two witches begin to brawl, just as the Winchesters show up. Spencer is quick to the draw and paralyzes the boys by getting inside of their minds and forcing them to re-live some of their most awful memories. Portia acts quickly and pounces on Spencer. This snaps the Winchesters out of their mental prison, allowing them to burn Spencer.
Now that James is fully aware of the case that a very jealous detective is building against him, he decides that it is best that he and Portia leave town and disappear. Against everything they believe in, Sam and Dean agree to let James go.
Dean has a heart to heart with Sam about his experience being trapped in those awful memories. He has finally realized that they have been through so much…as a family. The one thing that has gotten them through all of this, is hangin together. He now fully supports Sam’s quest to close the Gates of Hell 100%. This pleases Sam to no end, but as the episode closes, Sam begins to cough…and he keeps the blood that has trickled out of his mouth hidden from Dean.
Quotable Quotes:
Dean to Sam: “Wow…of all the lame-ass things you’ve ever said, that’s got to be the lame-assiest.”
Sam to Dean: “I’m sorry, but I happen to think Shemp was a funnier Stooge than Curly.”
Dean to Sam: “Curly was a genius!”
Sam to Dean: “I always found Curly’s work to be a bit obvious.”
Sam to Dean: “It’s not that you don’t trust me, it’s that you can only trust you.”
Sam to Dean: “I gotta hand it to you; it’s been 15 hours since Portia mentioned her night with James and not one beastiality joke out of you.”
DarkMedia contributing writer Kimmie Chameleon was born and raised with a healthy appreciation for horror and science fiction. She currently covers Supernatural, Ghost Adventures, BBC’s Being Human, Syfy’s Being Human, and Sherlock. When she’s not out ghost hunting with her kids, you can find her stealing a moment to add to her own pieces of fiction. Follow her on Twitter @dvsduo and “friend” her on Facebook.
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