Sam flusters a denial until Dean asks him to just not do it where they eat. When Dean sees Sam slam his laptop shut to conceal his research he goes where only Dean can go, and asks Sam if he’s looking at porn.

In the HuntCave, Sam is single minded-he is determined to find the answer to Dean’s Mark of Cain dilemma even if Dean wants him to give up trying. ( Recapper’s note: bonus points from me if you know what song that title came from.) But it’s nice to see that after ten years this show is still able to freak me out a little. Don’t get me wrong: I love a good bonding session, sitting on Baby, drinking beer from the green cooler. This season seems to have had more Monster of the Week episodes than the series has in a long time, and I think it’s been an excellent reminder of what this show is capable of as a thriller. Sometimes, in the midst of broments and mythological arcs, we forget how scary monsters are, and how frightening it should be to hunt and fight them. I’d argue that this opener was as tense and frightening as anything Hollywood is putting out these days. Jared Padalecki once said that making 200 episodes of Supernatural in essence meant they had made 100 feature length films. This opening, with its quick cuts to black and lack of dialogue, set the horrific tone for the entire episode. An upside down, blurry silhouette of a man. Even if they, sadly, also make me miss Rufus and Bobby and their spinoff buddy cop show that exists only in my mind. Also? These recap clips happily remind us of how good the boys looked as doctors in the Season Five episode “Changing Channels”. It adds a touch of realism to the fantastical, and allows us to discover what they face right along with them.

I kind of like it when Sam and Dean don’t know what they’re fighting. Some monsters are modern enough to avoid entry into the Men of Letters registry, and some are so ancient their stories are long lost.

These particular ones about mystery monsters and brothers befuddled remind us that despite their legacy (in both their experience as hunters and in their bunker full of books) there are occasions, rare though they may be, where Sam and Dean simply don’t know what they are up against. I know I’ve said this before, but I mean it: I absolutely love when the show opens with old episode clips. Let’s dish about this episode, where an old (new) friend and a (new) old foe come back to (not quite literally) haunt our boys, and we are reminded of what they have in common with the U.S. So much so that the CW knows: the Winchesters lead and we will absolutely follow. Our little show that could? Is stronger than ever. Another six week Hellatus down, folks, and this time? They added insult to injury in the form of an extra day of waiting! In the case of a lesser show, bouncing time slots usually means the program is struggling to find an audience or is on its way out.

Supernatural season 10 episode 15