Supernatural Recap: “Southern Comfort”

by Kimmie Chameleon:

Supernatural Recap: “Southern Comfort”
Original Air Date: Wednesday November 7, 2012
Season 8, Episode 6

Oh, Brother!

Oh, will the bickering just stop already?! So much pent up animosity between Sam and Dean is reaching a boiling point and they finally deal with their issues head on in this episode of Supernatural.

Garth “Brooks”?

The search for Kevin has proven fruitless thus far, so Dean catches wind of a peculiar case in Kearney, Missouri. A woman by the name of Mary Lew, up and ran over her husband of 30 years for no apparent reason. She only remembers bits and pieces of what happened, but clearly remembers the rage she felt that forced her to kill her husband. When Sam and Dean arrive on the scene of the crime as F.B.I. agents, they are surprised to see Garth there posing as a Texas Ranger. What shocks them even more is the realization that since they have been out of the equation, someone had to pick up the slack and Garth was there to do that. He has taken on the role of the beloved Bobby. Armed with several cell phones and the quick draw of knowledge that Bobby possessed, the Winchester’s cannot help but be impressed by Garth.

While out for a bite to eat, Garth questions where Sam and Dean have been over the past year. Dean shares that he was in actual Purgatory. Garth senses the tension between the two brothers. Garth receives a call from the Coroner about Mr. Lew’s body. The word “Alcott” has been scratched into his chest. They guys end up putting together that Mary Lew was resentful with her husband for going to the prom with a girl named Sara Alcott over 30 years ago. The next day they learn that Mary Lew’s son, Scott, viciously killed a man he knew in a convenience store. Again, they discover that Scott had resentful feelings for the man he murdered. There seems to be a pattern to the crimes and it most definitely is a case for them, since Garth keeps stepping in green ectoplasm near the victims.

Brother Against Brother

Garth researches through Bobby’s notebook to see if he can find out what supernatural beast they are dealing with. He discovers that it is a specter, an avenging ghost that possesses people and causes them to carry out attacks on people who have betrayed them in life. It would be started by a disturbance in a deceased’s resting place and Garth has come across a local grave that was desecrated just a few days prior to these attacks.

The grave is that of a Confederate “Unknown Soldier”. The local theory is that this soldier resented his brother who fought opposite of him in the Civil War. The guys decide to check it out and burn the remains of what is left. Just when they think it is all over, they find out that people are systematically brutally attacking each other that are somehow connected to the case. Then Sam and Garth research the legend of the Confederate soldier and believe that an item must have been taken from the grave. They see that he wore a penny around his neck. When the guys meet up with Dean who had earlier intercepted a vengeful attack while he was researching alone, they notice that Dean is consumed with rage. Their theories are proven correct when they see that Dean has in his possession, the cursed penny. Dean goes into a tirade filled with resentment toward Sam…all the while pointing a gun at him with the intention of shooting. Although Sam and Garth are aware that Dean is under the influence of this penny’s evil, his stinging words rip open years worth of unsaid feelings. Dean brings up the fact that Sam didn’t look for him when he was sent to Purgatory, the time he drank demon blood…all the way to joining forces with their grandfather. Every heartache and betrayal that Dean ever felt for Sam spilled out. Garth wedges himself between the two brothers and begs Dean to listen to reason. He points out that all they have is each other and they need to move on from this. Garth then punches Dean and is able to knock the penny off of Dean. Garth is able to manage the penny because he harbors no resentment.

How Many Elephants Can Fit in a Room?

Dean comes back into himself and realizes that he said some pretty harsh truths. It feels as though this is a good thing because it has forced Sam and Dean to face their emotional demons. Sam urges Dean to get beyond this resentment. Everything has been laid out on the table and the two brothers can’t hide their feelings anymore. Garth not only physically embraces the Winchester boys, but also his role as the new Bobby, even with Dean’s blessing. Garth is the voice of reason as he reminds the brothers that they must embrace each other’s choices.

Quotable Quotes:

Dean to Sam: “Kevin’s in the wind, you’re sulking around like a eunuch in a whorehouse and I can’t help but ask myself when is decapitation not my thing?”
Sam to Garth: “Hold up, are you the new Bobby?”
Dean to Garth: “Shut your mouth.”
Garth to Sam: “Yes.”

Garth to Dean: “Man, that’s balls.”
Dean to Garth: “That’s not how you say balls.”

Garth to Sam and Dean: “I felt terrible when I ganked that S.O.B.”
Sam to Garth: “You killed the Tooth Fairy?”
Garth to Sam: “Yeah man. I mean, not my proudest moment, but it happened.”

Garth to Dean: “You’re such an idjit.”
Dean to Garth: “Idjit’s supposed to be used angrily. Not happy. If you’re gonna butcher it, don’t say it at all.”
Garth to Dean: “Bobby belonged to all of us, Dean, not just you and Sam. Now I’m just taking what he showed me and trying to do something with it, that’s all.”

Dean to Sam: “Mistakes? Well, let’s go through some of Sammy’s greatest hits. Drinking demon blood, check. Being in cahoots with Ruby. Not telling me that you lost your soul. Or how about running around with Samuel for a whole year, letting me think that you were dead while you were doing all kinds of crazy, Those aren’t mistakes, Sam, those are choices!”

Dean to Sam: “I might’ve lied, but I never once betrayed you. I never once left you to die. And for what? A girl? You left me to dead for a girl?”

Garth to Sam and Dean: “Now there’s something I want to say to you: Stop being an idjit! With Bobby dead, you and Sam are all each other has. And that’s not so bad, man.”

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.