#1x8 bugs

[seanwinchester]

underrated sam outfit

[bucklebunnydean]

"I'm not exactly brochure material" says the normalest fucking boy you've ever seen. and then Sam does the "Dad was meaner to me than he was to you" routine. hello distorted perception of family relationships/normalcy

[supernaturalkickparty]

"okay honey?"

*slaps sam's ass*

[arcanespillo]

officer he is just a girl

[lildoodlenoodle]

Supernatural Cover Art for 01x08 Bugs

[my-supernatural-rewatch]

Episode 8: Bugs

Dean Winchester in the Supernatural episode Bugs

There are not enough words to describe how much I hate watching this episode.

It's actually a lot better an ep than I remembered, but I hate all the...you guessed it...bugs. (Even knowing they're fake. I lost count of how many times I closed my eyes while watching this episode.)

Dean and Sam investigate a new housing development where people are seemingly being killed by...ugh...bugs.

So this episode starts with something I wish we got to actually see more of on the show...Dean walks out of a barroom after making money hustling pool. I would love to have seen more of that. I know we got a few glimpses but I think it's such a good example of Dean honing a craft, becoming expert at it, and using it to survive.

And since Dean did this, of course Sam has to take issue with how he made his money. He complains about Dean making money hustling pool and with credit cars scams and suggests they get 'day jobs.'

Dean weighs the honest ways of money versus the easy and fun ways to make money and his happy with his life choices. "It's no contest."

"Besides, we're good at it. It's what we were raised to do."

Because God forbid John took a day job once in a while.

Sam admittedly has a great reponse, "Yeah, well how we were raised was jacked."

For once, Sammy, you aren't wrong. Dean, of course, disagrees.

"Says you."

Now as time goes on we'll find out Dean pretty much agrees with Sam but right now John looms heavy over Dean and he wouldn't dare say that to his younger brother.

As an aside, the beginning of this episode has Def Leppard's Rock of Ages playing (presumably in the bar?) and it is as of now the second time we hear this song just this season. We know it comes up again in season five and I'm wondering if we hear it again between now and then (I'm not spoiling it for myself by Googling it).

Oh and another aside that's been nagging at me since I am keeping track of when Dean wears John's jacket...where do they keep all their clothes? Granted, there probably aren't a lot of them but we know they aren't in the trunk because of all the weapons and shit they keep there...and we never see anything in the back seat...so where are the clothes? Where does Dean keep all his different jackets?

On the fly, Dean comes up with the idea to stop at an open house and talk to the people in the development to see what they can find out. (This is after they flipped a coin to see who went in the dirt hole the first dead guy was found in and Sam goes in even though Dean said he would. There are bugs. It is gross.)

As they approach the house, we get another glimpse into how the show wants us to think Dean feels about family-type communities such as the one they're currently in.

"Growing up in a place like this would freak me out." "The manicured lawns. 'How was your day, honey?' I'd blow my brains out."

Of course we find out Dean truly wanted some version of this both when he gets captured by the Djinn and when he's with Lisa....

But. I. Digress.

Sam protests by saying there's nothing wrong with normal and Dean responds with "I'd take our family over normal any day."

And I believe him to a certain extent. Dean has to believe that the way they were raised was the right way because if he doesn't what does that say about him...about his father? Dean isn't yet in a place to be thinking about this stuff too deeply.

We then get our first, but not last, instance of someone mistaking Sam and Dean for a couple instead of brothers when the real estate agent and guy who created the development assumes they are together and looking for a home.

Dean is the one who explains that they're brothers while Sam stands around with a goofy smile on his face.

Once they're in the backyard, where people are there mingling for this fancy schmancy open house, another realtor mistakes them fro a gay couple and Dean plays into it but calling Sam "honey" and slapping his ass.

This episode introduced me to steam showers and to this day I so fucking want one. Just like Dean.

Sam ends up bonding with the real estate agent's teenage son and doesn't even use his fake sympathy voice. Good for you, Sam!

Sam witnesses the kid's father being an overbearing jerk to his son and comments to Dean that he reminds him of John...to which Dean takes offense.

"Dad never treated us like that."

Sam points out that John never treated DEAN like that (which we find out to not be true but in fairness to Sam we also found out that for the most part Sam didn't know how badly Dean was treated by John).

"You were perfect. He was all over my case," Sam tells Dean.

"Maybe sometimes he had to raise his voice, but sometimes you were out of line." I don't believe for a minute that Dean really believs this but I do think that Dean has made himself believe this.

Sam gives the teen a bit of advice about his dad by telling him things will get better when he leaves home for college and is out of the house and away from his father and Dean is not impressed.

"What kind of advice is that? Kid should stick with his family."

This breaks my heart. It really does. Because Dean at this point truly thinks that sacrificing your own needs and your own dreams because of loyalty to your family is the right and only path.

The things Dean could have done had John not kept him under his thumb.

Random weirdness in the episode. About halfway through it, with no explanation, no discussion about it at all, Sam is driving the Impala.

Why, Dean, why?

The brothers get a lot of time in this episode to talk.

Here's the entire dialogue between them because it's too good to summarize:

Dean: Yeah, so with that kid back there...why'd you tell him to just ditch his family like that?

Sam: I know what the kid's going through.

Dean: How about telling him to respect his old man, how's that for advice?

Sam: Dean, come on. This isn't about his old man. You think I didn't respect Dad. That's what this is about.

Dean: Just forget it, all right? Sorry I brought it up.

Sam: I respected him. But no matter what I did, it was never good enough.

Dean: So what are you saying'? That Dad was disappointed in you?

Sam: Was? Is. Always has been.

Dean: Why would you think that?

Sam: Because I didn't want to bow hunt or hustle pool - because I wanted to go to school and live my life, which, to our whacked-out family, made me the freak.

Dean: Yeah, you were kind of like the blonde chick in The Munsters.

Sam: Dean, you know what most dads are when their kids score a full ride? Proud. Most dads don't toss their kids out of the house.

Dean: I remember that fight. In fact, I seem to recall a few choice phrases comin' out of your mouth.

Sam: You know, truth is, when we finally do find Dad...I don't know if he's even gonna wanna see me.

Dean: Sam, Dad was never disappointed in you. Never. He was scared.

Sam: What are you talkin' about?

Dean: He was afraid of what could've happened to you if he wasn't around. But even when you two weren't talking...he used to swing by Stanford whenever he could. Keep an eye on you. Make sure you were safe.

Sam: What?

Dean: Yeah.

Sam: Why didn't you tell me any of that?

Dean: Well, it's a two-way street, dude. You could've picked up the phone.

Not to defend John Winchester because fuck him, but I do think there's a lot to what Dean says here. It makes perfect sense that John would be scared about Sam going off on his own when John had basically spent the first 18 years of Sam's life killing and pissing off monsters. Plus with the demon that killed Mary still kicking about, John had no way of knowing how safe Sam would be on his own.

And, John being John, instead of admitting any of that, he turned it into "if you leave don't come back" because...well, because John is a dick.

I also think Sam, who can be a dick in his own right, probably said some things to John that cut too deeply. John is much more to blame for this, always will be, but I have a feeling Dean is not exaggerating when he says Sam had a decent hand in that rift.

Both brothers look more sad than anything else during this exchange and, yes, that's John Winchester's fucking legacy.

Dean and Sam talk to a Native American man about the bugs and find out about the development being built where the American cavalry raped and then massacred an entire village Native Americans (hello Poltergiest) but he won't talk to Dean because he clocks Dean as a liar and Sam as NOT a liar.

Which, sorry dude, but your radar is a little off there. (I mean not completely but still...)

So weird shit continues to happen and the kid calls Sam for help. Sam tells him to basically convince his father about what is happening and Dean takes the phone from him and tells the kid to LIE because "He'll just think you're nuts." if he tells his dad the truth.

Spoiler: Dean is right; Sam is wrong; the kid stupidly listens to Sam.

Dean's admonishment to Sam made me laugh, "Make him listen. What are you thinking?"

Sam really IS out of practice.

Also, I feel like Dean is projecting a little bit. John wouldn't have listened to either of his sons when they were teenagers. (Hell, he doesn't listen to them as adults.)

So there is a lot more gross bug stuff and somehow they get through and now we get our final brother moment after Sam sees the real estate agent and his son in a better place after their shared trauma.

He tells Dean he wants to find John and apologize "For all the things I said to him."

When Dean asks what he's going to apologize for, Sam admits, "He was just doing the best he could."

Which is an excuse I hear from a lot of fans who defend John Winchester as a father. And, I'm sorry, but just doing the best you could is sometimes NOT ENOUGH.

Dean assures Sam they'll find him and Sam can apologize. Then he hits him with a truth bomb:

"And then within five minutes, you guys will be at each other's throats."

Some notes for posterity:

The significant music from this episode comes from Def Leppard: Rock of Ages (second appearance on the show) and Scorpion: No One Like You

The brothers pose as anthropology students when they talk to John Whitetree but he knows immediately Dean is lying. They tell the coworker of the first guy who dies that they are the nephews of the dead guy, and they tell the real estate agent that they're brothers looking for a place for their dad. (And Dean pretends they're a couple in front of the second real estate agent.)

Movie References: Sam and Dean both mention the film Willard, Dean makes two TV references with The Munsters and Timmy from Lassie...there is also the obvious nod to Poltergeist with the entire premise of the episode.

This hunt takes place in Oasis Plains, Oklahoma.

Dean wears John’s jacket in this episode.

Sam drives the Impala briefly and without explanation.

This is the only episode we see Sam and Dean with umbrellas.

Because Eric Kripke is a bit of a weirdo:

"I called [Manners], said 'the boys aren't scared of demons, but they're scared of rain?' From that point forward, a hard rule: no umbrellas. Not easy for Vancouver."

[17yearslatewithlattes]

I drafted an absurdly long post about the brother dynamics in Bugs, but the long and short of it is: so far as I can tell at this stage, Sam is absolutely right about how fucked up John and their childhood is, he is right to rebel, to want better. But he is also an idealist who thinks he broke away from John purely by being a big strong boy, oblivious to everything Dean shielded him from, who thinks they could just stop scamming people and get by somehow without seismic shifts in their lifestyle, who turns his nose up at free food and sneaking into small luxuries like really nice shower because he still believes if you’re good and brave and walk on the white side of black and white morality you’ll come by those things honestly.

Dean is in survival mode. He won’t pass up free food because maybe he won’t get it any other way. I don’t know if he has moral qualms over the scams, but whether he does or not it’s the reality of how they survive. He defends John, defends their life, because that’s how you keep the peace. That’s how you keep the abuse from turning on you, or on your baby brother—at least, maybe it will turn less often that way. He defends them because he doesn’t have anything else, and can’t see his way to it ever being different. Because maybe if he just stands by his father and his brother hard enough, long enough, if he can somehow reconcile them, maybe they’ll finally stand by him. Maybe someone will finally stand by him.

[intrn37]

I think Supernatural just made my Entomophobia even worse

[martitheevans]

As somebody who hates bugs, not enjoying this episode so much

[bloodfreak-boyking]

when sam tells matt he only has two more years to wait until he can go to college and leave his family and dean just-

yep. completely well adjusted. definitely wouldn't chain sam to a radiator if he ever tried going back to stanford at this point

[nicotine-boi]

currently rewatching SPN cus i started watching it when i was 10 and barely conscious of life and anyway, can fully confirm the only two episodes that ever scared me was season 1x8 with the stupid fucking bugs and the clown episodes. irrational fears ^^

[bucklebunnydean]

ah we're in the racism part of the episode. featuring everyone's favorite trope, Wise and Silent Indian Guy Delivers Exposition. also what the fuck do y'all mean "relocate" use your big boy words

[fussy-sammy]

starting one of the most infamous episodes in spn history

[arcanespillo]

he is so gentle with bugs :( i love spiders and i lov him

[loosethreadsofyoursoul]

please remember to pay respects to those who came before 😔🙏

aisha hinds on the filming of 9-1-1 season 8

imdb trivia on the filming of supernatural 1x8 bugs

[gift-to-literature]

1. Pilot : 1x1

2. Wendigo : 1x2

3. Dead in the Water : 1x3

4. Phantom Traveler : 1x4

5. Bloody Mary : 1x5

6. Skin : 1x6

7. Hook Man : 1x7

8. Bugs : 1x8

9. Home : 1x9

10. Asylum : 1x10

11. Scarecrow : 1x11

12. Faith : 1x12

13. Route 666 : 1x13

14. Nightmare : 1x14

15. The Benders : 1x15

16. Shadow : 1x16

17. Hell House : 1x17

18. Something Wicked : 1x18

19. Provenance : 1x19

20. Dead Man's Blood : 1x20

21. Salvation : 1x21

22. Devil's Trap : 1x22

23. In My Time of Dying : 2x1

24. Everybody Loves a Clown : 2x2

25. Bloodlust : 2x3

26. Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things : 2x4

27. Simon Said : 2x5

28. No Exit : 2x6

29. The Usual Suspects : 2x7

30. Crossroad Blues : 2x8

31. Croatoan : 2x9

32. Hunted : 2x10

33. Playthings : 2x11

34. Nightshifter : 2x12

35. Houses of the Holy : 2x13

36. Born Under a Bad Sign : 2x14

37. Tall Tales : 2x15

38. Roadkill : 2x16

39. Heart : 2x17

40. Hollywood Babylon : 2x18

41. Folsom Prison Blues : 2x19

42. What Is and What Should Never Be : 2x20

43. All Hell Breaks Loose: Part 1 : 2x21

44. All Hell Breaks Loose: Part 2 : 2x22

45. The Magnificent Seven : 3x1

46. The Kids Are Alright : 3x2

47. Bad Day at Black Rock : 3x3

48. Sin City : 3x4

49. Bedtime Stories : 3x5

50. Red Sky at Morning : 3x6

51. Fresh Blood : 3x7

52. A Very Supernatural Christmas : 3x8

53. Malleus Maleficarum : 3x9

54. Dream a Little Dream of Me : 3x10

55. Mystery Spot : 3x11

56. Jus in Bello : 3x12

57. Ghostfacers! : 3x13

58. Long Distance Call : 3x14

59. Time Is on My Side : 3x15

60. No Rest for the Wicked : 3x16

61. Lazarus Rising : 4x1

62. Are You There, God? It's Me Dean Winchester : 4x2

63. In the Beginning : 4x3

64. Metamorphosis : 4x4

65. Monster Movie : 4x5

66. Yellow Fever : 4x6

67. It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester : 4x7

68. Whisful Thinking : 4x8

69. I Know What You Did Last Summer : 4x9

70. Heaven and Hell : 4x10

71. Family Remains : 4x11

72. Criss Angel Is a Douch Bag : 4x12

73. After School Special : 4x13

74. Sex and Violence : 4x14

75. Death Takes a Holiday : 4x15

76. On the Head of a Pin : 4x16

77. It's a Terrible Life : 4x17

78. The Monster at the End of This Book : 4x18

79. Jump the Shark : 4x19

80. The Rapture : 4x20

81. When the Levee Breaks : 4x21

82. Lucifer Rising : 4x22

83. Sympathy for the Devil : 5x1

84. Good God, Y'All : 5x2

85. Free to Be You and Me : 5x3

86. The End : 5x4

87. Fallen Idols : 5x5

88. I Believe the Children Are Our Future : 5x6

89. The Curious Case of Dean Winchester : 5x7

90. Changing Channels : 5x8

91. The Real Ghostbusters : 5x9

92. Abandon All Hope : 5x10

93. Sam, Interrupted : 5x11

94. Swap Meat : 5x12

95. The Song Remains the Same : 5x13

96. My Bloody Valentine : 5x14

97. Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid : 5x15

98. Dark Side of the Moon : 5x16

99. 99 Problems : 5x17

100. Point of No Return : 5x18

101. Hammer of the Gods : 5x19

102. The Devil You Know : 5x20

103. Two Minutes to Midnight : 5x21

104. Swan Song : 5x22

105. Exile on Main St. : 6x1

106. Two and a Half Man : 6x2

107. The Third Man : 6x3

108. Weekend at Bobby's : 6x4

109. Live Free or Twi-hard : 6x5

110. You Can't Handle the Truth : 6x6

111. Family Matters : 6x7

112. All Dogs Go to Heaven : 6x8

113. Clap Your Hands If You Believe : 6x9

114. Caged Heat : 6x10

115. Appointment in Samarra : 6x11

116. Like a Virgin : 6x12

117. Unforgiven : 6x13

118. Mannequin 3: The Reckoning : 6x14

119. The French Mistake : 6x15

120. ... And Then There Were None : 6x16

121. My Heart Will Go On : 6x17

122. Frontierland : 6x18

123. Mommy Dearest : 6x19

124. The Man Who Whould Be King : 6x20

125. Let It Bleed : 6x21

126. The Man Who Knew Too Much : 6x22

127. Meet the New Boss : 6x23

128. Hello, Cruel World : 7x1

129. The Girl Next Door : 7x2

130. Defending Your Life : 7x3

131. Shut Up, Dr. Phil : 7x4

132. Slash Fiction : 7x5

133. The Mentalists : 7x6

134. Season Seven, Time for a Wedding! : 7x7

135. Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel : 7x8

136. How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters : 7x9

137. Death's Door : 7x10

138. Adventures in Babysitting : 7x11

139. Time After Time : 7x12

140. The Slice Girls : 7x13

141. Plucky Pennywhistle's Magical Menagerie : 7x14

142. Repo Man : 7x15

143. Out with the Old : 7x16

144. The Born-Again Identity : 7x17

145. Party On, Garth : 7x18

146. Of Grave Importance : 7x19

147. The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo : 7x20

148. Reading Is Fundamental : 7x21

149. There Will Be Blood : 7x22

150. Survival of the Fittest : 7x23

151. We Need to Talk About Kevin : 8x1

152. What's Up, Tiger Mommy? : 8x2

153. Heartache : 8x3

154. Bitten : 8x4

155. Blood Brother : 8x5

156. Southern Comfort : 8x6

157. A Little Slice of Kevin : 8x7

158. Hunteri Heroici : 8x8

159. Citizen Fang : 8x9

160. Torn and Frayed : 8x10

161. LARP and the Real Girl : 8x11

162. As Time Goes By : 8x12

163. Everybody Hates Hitler : 8x13

164. Trial and Error : 8x14

165. Man's Best Friend with Benefits : 8x15

166. Remember the Titans : 8x16

167. Goodbye Stranger : 8x17

168. Freaks and Geeks : 8x18

169. Taxi Driver : 8x19

170. Pac-Man Fever : 8x20

171. The Great Escapist : 8x21

172. Clip Show : 8x22

173. Sacrifice : 8x23

174. I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here : 9x1

175. Devil May Care : 9x2

176. I'm No Angel : 9x3

177. Slumber Party : 9x4

178. Dog Dean Afternoon : 9x5

179. Heaven Can't Wait : 9x6

180. Bad Boys : 9x7

181. Rock and a Hard Place : 9x8

182. Holy Terror : 9x9

183. Road Trip : 9x10

184. First Born : 9x11

185. Sharp Teeth : 9x12

186. The Purge : 9x13

187. Captives : 9x14

188. #thinman : 9x15

189. Blade Runners : 9x16

190. Mother's Little Helper : 9x17

191. Meta Fiction : 9x18

192. Alex Annie Alexis Ann : 9x19

193. Bloodlines : 9x20

194. King of the Damned : 9x21

195. Stairway to Heaven : 9x22

196. Do You Believe in Miracles : 9x23

197. Black : 10x1

198. Reichenbach : 10x2

199. Soul Survivor : 10x3

200. Fan Fiction : 10x4

201. Paper Moon : 10x5

202. Ask Jeeves : 10x6

203. Girls, Girls, Girls : 10x7

204. Hibbing 911 : 10x8

205. The Things We Left Behind : 10x9

206. The Hunter Games : 10x10

207. There's No Place Like Home : 10x11

208. About a Boy : 10x12

209. Halt & Catch Fire : 10x13

210. The Executioner's Song : 10x14

211. The Thing They Carried : 10x15

212. Paint It Black : 10x16

213. Inside Man : 10x17

214. Book of the Damned : 10x18

215. The Werther Project : 10x19

216. Angel Heart : 10x20

217. Dark Dynasty : 10x21

218. The Prisoner : 10x22

219. Brother's Keeper : 10x23

220. Out of the Darkness, Into the Fire : 11x1

221. Form and Void : 11x2

222. The Bad Seed : 11x3

223. Baby : 11x4

224. Thin Lizzie : 11x5

225. Our Little World : 11x6

226. Plush : 11x7

227. Just My Imagination : 11x8

228. O Brother, Where Art Thou? : 11x9

229. The Devil in the Details : 11x10

230. Into the Mystic : 11x11

231. Don't You Forget About Me : 11x12

232. Love Hurts : 11x13

233. The Vessel : 11x14

234. Beyond the Mat : 11x15

235. Safe House : 11x16

236. Red Meat : 11x17

237. Hell's Angel : 11x18

238. The Chitters : 11x19

239. Don't Call Me Shurley : 11x20

240. All in the Family : 11x21

241. We Happy Few : 11x22

242. Alpha and Omega : 11x23

243. Keep Calm and Carry On : 12x1

244. Mamma Mia : 12x2

245. The Foundry : 12x3

246. American Nightmare : 12x4

247. The One You've Been Waiting For : 12x5

248. Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox : 12x6

249. Rock Never Dies : 12x7

250. LOTUS : 12x8

251. First Blood : 12x9

252. Lily Sunder Has Some Regrets : 12x10

253. Regarding Dean : 12x11

254. Stuck in the Middle (With You) : 12x12

255. Family Feud : 12x13

256. The Raid : 12x14

257. Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell : 12x15

258. Ladies Drink Free : 12x16

259. The British Invasion : 12x17

260. The Memory Remains : 12x18

261. The Future : 12x19

262. Twigs & Twine & Tasha Banes : 12x20

263. There's Something About Mary : 12x21

264. Who We Are : 12x22

265. All Along the Watchtower : 12x23

266. Lost and Found : 13x1

267. The Rising Son : 13x2

268. Patience : 13x3

269. The Big Empty : 13x4

270. Advanced Thanatology : 13x5

271. Tombstone : 13x6

272. War of the Worlds : 13x7

273. The Scorpion and the Frog : 13x8

274. The Bad Place : 13x9

275. Wayward Sisters : 13x10

276. Breakdown : 13x11

277. Various & Sundry Villains : 13x12

278. Devil's Bargain : 13x13

279. Good Intentions : 13x14

280. A Most Holy Man : 13x15

281. ScoobyNatural : 13x16

282. The Thing : 13x17

283. Bring 'em Back Alive : 13x18

284. Funeralia : 13x19

285. Unfinished Business : 13x20

286. Beat the Devil : 13x21

287. Exodus : 13x22

288. Let the Good Times Roll : 13x23

289. Stranger in a Strange Land : 14x1

290. Gods and Monsters : 14x2

291. The Scar : 14x3

292. Nightmare Logic : 14x4

293. Optimism : 14x5

294. Unhuman Nature : 14x6

295. Byzantium : 14x7

296. The Spear : 14x8

297. Nihilism : 14x9

298. Damaged Goods : 14x10

299. Prophet and Loss : 14x11

300. Lebanon : 14x12

301. Mint Condition : 14x13

302. Ouroboros : 14x14

303. Peace of Mind : 14x15

304. Don't Go in the Woods : 14x16

305. Game Night : 14x17

306. Absence : 14x18

307. Jack in the Box : 14x19

308. Moriah : 14x20

309. Back and to the Future : 15x1

310. Raising Hell : 15x2

311. The Rupture : 15x3

312. Atomic Monsters : 15x4

313. Proverbs 17:3 : 15x5

314. Golden Time : 15x6

315. Last Call : 15x7

316. Our Father, Who Aren't in Heaven : 15x8

317. The Trap : 15x9

318. The Heroes' Journey : 15x10

319. The Gamblers : 15x11

320. Galaxy Brain : 15x12

321. Destiny's Child : 15x13

322. Last Holiday : 15x14

323. Gimme Shelter : 15x15

324. Drag Me Away (From You) : 15x16

325. Unity : 15x17

326. Despair : 15x18

327. Inherit the Earth : 15x19

328. Carry On : 15x20