#supernatural 1x3

[my-supernatural-rewatch]

Episode Three: Dead in the Water

Dean Winchester in the Supernatural episode Dead in the Water

This is one of my favorite season one episodes and a really important episode for understanding Dean in general.

Dean and Sam travel to Wisconsin to investigate a series of suspicious drownings.

Let's get to it:

So first off, we're in a diner and Dean is reading a newspaper, looking for a job. This is the first job they actively seek out instead of having been sent by John and Sam expresses his annoyance about Dean wanting to go check it out because the trail to John is 'getting cold.' (News for you, Sam, you have no trail. Y'all are just driving around hoping he'll pop up in front of the car.)

Dean's response is a little eerie to me. "We're gonna kill everything bad between here and there." (There being wherever John is.) Eerie in that now for two episodes we've established that one of the things driving Dean is to literally KILL. Thanks, John.

Also noteworthy: Dean flirts with the waitress here in one of his more innocent ways, mostly with just a look when she talks to him and Sam, again, gets visibly pissed and snaps at the waitress.

I suppose this consistent annoyance with Dean flirting with women, even as innocently as he's been doing so far, is part of what fueled the wincest believers, especially at this point in the show, but JFC no. It's so obvious Sam just wants Dean to be as miserable as he is. I don't think it's a purity thing. I don't think Sam is personally offended that his brother enjoys sex, I think at this point he believes Dean doesn't have a right to be happy and it pisses him off whenever Dean tries to find joy in the smallest thing.

So Dean and Sam go to Wisconsin and meet with the sheriff. Then we get to the good stuff. Andrea and Lucas, the sheriff's widowed daughter and grandson, walk in and Dean is obviously interested in her but goes straight to the kid, trying to engage him. Doesn't work, kid bolts to his mom and Dean sweet talks her into showing them where the closest motel is.

He tries flirting with her through her son. "Cute kid." "Kids are the best." But she immediately clocks him as being full of shit and playfully calls him out on it - impressing him. A running theme so far is that Dean actually LIKES it when women don't fall for the bullshit. For all the criticisms of him and his relationships with random women, he's shown a ton of respect for them over these last two episodes.

Now we're getting deep into what makes Dean tick. When they find out through Sam doing an internet search that Lucas witnessed his father's death, it hits Dean hard and he tells Sam, "Watching one of your parents die isn't something you just get over."

We get a couple of quotes like this in this episode. Dean's talking about Lucas but he's talking about himself too and at first you don't think Sam gets it but in the next scene when they approach Andrea at the park and Dean asks if he can say hi to Lucas, when he goes to the boy, Andrea tells Sam to tell Dean the "Jerry Maguire" act isn't going to work and Sam earnestly responds that he doesn't think that's what Dean is doing.

And now we get to see Dean in a way that the first two episodes really didn't prepare us for. He approaches Lucas gently, talks to him like a person, even talks about how they had the same toys (green toy soldiers! foreshadowing four seasons early! "I used to love these things.") and when he gets no response asks if he can draw with him. He continues talking to him, even though Lucas doesn't respond, and he draws Lucas a stick figure picture of his family while sharing that he knows how Lucas feels because he saw something when he was Lucas' age too...assuring Lucas that if he shares what he saw Dean will believe him.

When Dean was flirting with Andrea and said he loved kids, Sam chided him by demanding he name kids he knew. I feel like Sam purposely ignores the fact that Dean is FOUR years older than him and spent most of his life caring for Sam. Dean knows kids...Dean knows Sam and Dean knows how to talk to and act around kids because of taking care of Sam. THIS IS WHY LUCAS CONNECTS WITH DEAN. Beacause Dean is the one who reached out and because Lucas felt his sincerity. Sam can sit on a tack here.

When Lucas doesn't react immediately, Dean goes back to Sam and Andrea and she expresses concern about her son, prompting Dean to say something else that applies to both he and Lucas, "Kids are strong. You'd be surprised at what they can deal with."

Then Lucas shows up with a picture of a house and shoves it at Dean, who is visibly touched while Andrea is stunned.

Then stuff happens on the show like it always does and Dean talks Andrea into letting him talk to Lucas again. We get another good bonding moment with Dean and Lucas, this time with Sam as a witness.*

Dean tries to get through to Lucas, thanking him for the picture of the house, telling him he helped, and saying he needs his help again. Lucas is seemingly not listening and Dean gives us this gem:

"You're scared. It's okay. I understand. See, when I was your age, I saw something real bad happen to my mom, and I was scared, too. I didn't feel like talking, just like you. But see, my mom—I know she wanted me to be brave. I think about that every day. And I do my best to be brave. And maybe, your dad wants you to be brave too."

And this kind of blows Sam away. It also works on Lucas because Lucas gives Dean another drawing that ends up helping them.

*Sam witnessing Dean opening up to Lucas KIND of works in the episode because Sam doesn't end up actually apologizing to Dean for being such a dick but he does acknowledge that he didn't realize some of Dean's trauma regarding their mother.** BUT it doesn't last because a long-standing issue I have with Sam (who, incidentally, I actually DO like as a character) is that he never allows for Dean to feel his feelings. It's always an inconvenience or something to mock when Dean tries to let his guard down. Is it any wonder Dean is always demanding 'no chick flick moments?'

**Which Dean immediately shuts down with "We're not gonna have to hug are we?"

One of the notes I took is about when the sheriff demands Dean and Sam leave town and Lucas tries to cling to Dean because he doesn't want him to leave. I wrote "Same, kid, same."

Sam just wants to fucking fly because he thinks with all the baddies dead the spirit is at rest, but Dean is driving distracted because he can't get Lucas out of his mind.

"I just don't want to leave this town until I know the kid's okay."

And Sam responds by saying something that is supposed to relay to the audience who Dean really is, except we have already seen who Dean really is, so it just sounds stupid:

"Who are you and what have you done with my brother?"

Dean just responds with a "Shut up" but I responded with a "Fuck you."

When they get back to Andrea's house it didn't go unnoticed by me that while Sam is doing all the hard work to get her out of the tub that is trying to drown her, Dean is in the hallway protecting Lucas.

BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT HE FUCKING DOES, SAM.

Another interesting quote from Dean when they are talking about the past, "Nothing stays buried." Oh, Dean, at this point you have no idea how right you are.

We get this melodramatic moment while Dean and Sam are both diving into the water trying to save Lucas where Sam comes up from under the water and sadly shakes his head at Lucas' mom just so we can get the heroic shot of Dean darting up from under the water with Lucas in his arms.

Dean saved the kid.

But at the end of the episode, Dean is still not happy because he couldn't save the sheriff (who we find out was one of the bad guys) and Sam comes up with this doozy:

"We're not gonna save everybody."

I swear soulless Sam wasn't too far a stretch from regular Sam.

But I digress.

Sam apologizes to Andrea (not Dean...Andrea) and Andrea gets a line that just screams THIS IS HOW DEAN FEELS ABOUT JOHN:

"Dad loved me. He loved Lucas. No matter what he did, I have to hold on to that."

We get two cute Dean/Lucas moments: Lucas insisted on making sandwiches for Dean to take with him on the road and Dean taught Lucas (who is suddenly speaking again) to say "Zeppelin Rules!" (Folowed by a high-five. Maybe the only high-five Dean gets in the series.)

Oh Dean. We don't know it yet, but they did you so dirty.

Some notes for posterity:

In this episode, the 'monster' is a child who was killed by two of his bullies (one being the sheriff, Lucas' grandfather). So the bad guy is actually the good guy and some of the victims are the bad guys.

We get our first scene where Dean and Sam are digging with shovels. In this case, they aren't digging up a grave, but they dig up the dead boy's bicycle after Lucas shows them where it is buried.

The significant music from this episode comes from Ratt - Round and Round, Bad Company - Movin' On, and if you listen REALLY hard in the car you can hear Billy Squier - Too Daze Gone.

The brothers pose as agents from the U.S. Wildlife Service and give their names as Agent Ford (Dean) and Agent Hamill (Sam) but use their real first names when they introduce themselves to Andrea.

This hunt takes place at Lake Manitoc, Wisconsin.

Dean wears John’s jacket in this episode.

Second episode in which a woman the Winchesters have helped gives Dean the thank you kiss. This time on the lips.

Recognizable Guest Star in this episode: Daniel Hugh Kelly

[winchestergifs]

Happy Birthday Dean Winchester ♛ January 24, 1979

[arcanespillo]

Dead in the Water, SPN S1E03

[53rdand3rd]

headcannon: the unknown monster who was Cole Trenton’s father, killed by Dean Winchester, was the same type of being as Eugene Tooms from The X Files. he as described as something Dean had never seen before or since, and that he FEASTED ON LIVERS!!

[17yearslatewithlattes]

Okay look. I know they were planning to make Sam the main character when the series started. And I love Sam. Shoutout to all the Sam girls, you’re doing great work. But you just simply can’t make THAT your third episode and not expect a significant portion of your audience not to grab onto Dean immediately intensely and forever

[gremlinbean]

Crowley?!?! My boy!

[dionyisis]

I love the early seasons of supernatural because Sam and Dean will show up in some small town because of rumors about a ghost or whatever and then uncover some stranger’s deep seated trauma that somehow created or attracted the Spooky Creature. This town just wants people to stop dying under mysterious circumstances, and they have to go therapy someone’s dad about it

[hozier-self-titled]

"No wonder that kid was so freaked out. Watching one of your parents die isnt just something you get over"

[intrn37]

Me watching Supernatural 1x3:

That one scene where Will Carlton reaches into the sink: *happens*

Me: He’s so gonna die

Him: *doesn’t die after reaching into the clearly suspicious sink*

Me: oh okaaAAYYYYYYYYYAYYYYY!!! HOLY MOTHER MARY OF JESUS CHRIST WHAT THE FUCKING HELL WAS THAT

[xofemeraldstars]

SUPERNATURAL -> 5x16 ❝ dark side of the moon ❞ THE WINCHESTERS -> 1x3 ❝ you're lost little girl ❞

[winged-cries]

supernatural, 1x3, dead in the water | buffy the vampire slayer, 2x18, killed by death

[winchestergifs]

For @machine-slays-dragons ❤️ Happy Birthday Anz! 🎈🎁🎊🍰

[arcanespillo]

Conduit, The X-files 1.04/

Dead in the water, spn 1.03

[transwillgrahams]

Kacey Rohl corned a very specific market in the 2010s huh

Also the wound placement???

Supernatural 7x17 “The Born-Again Identity” (March 2012) | Hannibal 1x3 “Potage” (April 2013)

[17yearslatewithlattes]

Also. Peak you never really know your parents episode

[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