Supernatural Season 3, Episode 8 recap: It’s time to get supernaturally festive

Supernatural Season 3, Episode 8 delivered the first official festively themed episode. Who thought Christmas could be so scary?

While the first season did have some elements of festivities with their various monsters (“Scarecrow” comes to mind), Supernatural Season 3, Episode 8 was the first official festively themed episode. As a countdown to Dean going to Hell, we got to see Christmas for the Winchesters. Who would have thought Santa Claus could be so scary?

Of course, this was another episode that reminded us there wasn’t just one religion. Like “Scarecrow,” it brought up pagan deities, more that liked to eat people! It also reminded us that we should be careful of who we talk to!

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This episode had a good mixture of present day and flashback material. I’ll do this in two parts, focusing on the present day storyline first and then Sam and Dean’s Christmas of the past.

The night Santa was killed

It all starts in Seattle in 2006, a year before we get to the Winchesters. A young boy watches his granddad, dressed as Santa, investigate a noise on the roof–through the chimney of course. The boy just watches as something grabs the granddad and pulls him up the chimney. All we’re left with is a bloody set of boots in the fireplace.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Is there an evil Santa?

In the present day, Sam and Dean are investigating the disappearance of Mrs. Walsh’s husband in Ypsilanti, Michigan. Dressed as FBI agents, all they find is a bloody tooth within the fireplace. However, this is the second man to go missing, so Sam believes they’re dealing with an anti-Claus, an evil Santa.

Is that possible? Well, there is lore about bad Santas, like Krampus. They need to head off to the local “Santa’s Village” to figure out if there’s anyone there that could be this anti-Claus. This village was where both men had been before they disappeared.

At the same time, Dean decides he wants to celebrate Christmas this year. It’s definitely not Sam’s holiday!

While at the village, the Winchesters see a man who is playing Santa. He smells of candy and walks with a limp, matching the lore of evil Santa. So, the brothers head off to the man’s trailer and quickly break in when they hear a scream. The guy is just a normal dude watching porn, drunk out of his mind. Because of this, the Winchesters are able to cover their mistake by pretending to be awful carol singers.

Sam figures out the monster

When a third man goes missing, the brothers investigate. Sam realizes that the family has an unusual wreath above the fireplace, a wreath that Mrs. Walsh also had. He also knows the wreath is meadowsweet, which was a herb used in pagan summon rituals for human sacrifices. They’re not looking for an anti-Clause but the Winter Solstice pagan god, a god who brings clement weather.

Dean still wants to celebrate Christmas, admitting that it’s his last year and he wants to make something of it. Sam doesn’t want to celebrate it because it’s Dean’s last year. Who will win?

Finding the gods

There’s no time to talk about that, as they need to visit Edward and Madge Carrigan, a seemingly normal couple who had moved from Seattle to the town last year. It doesn’t take long to guess they’re the pagan gods, and Bobby advises them to get spears of evergreen wood to kill the two.

The boys are right, proving it when they find human remains in the basement. Of course, the gods know they’re dealing with two hunters and knew the Winchesters would be spying. They knock them out and tie them to chairs. It looks like it’s going to end badly when a neighbor interrupts them. By the time the Carrigans return to the kitchen, Sam and Dean have escaped. After a short fight, the two pagan deities are killed with Christmas tree branches.

In the end, Sam decides to celebrate Christmas anyway, with a tree decorated with air fresheners and eggnog. Of course, all the gifts were bought from the local gas station, but it really is the thought that counts. And it all ends with the two sitting back and watching the football game.

The memories of the past

Of course, while all this happens, there are plenty of reminders of the past, back to 1991. It’s all about Sam, who is wrapping his dad’s present, something that he’d got from Bobby. This is the point that Sam has started to get curious and wants to know where his dad is. Of course, Dean brushes off all the questions, getting angry when Sam starts asking about Mary.

Not getting answers from Dean, Sam shares that he’s read John’s Journal. Are the monsters in there real? Rather than lie, Dean tells Sam the truth. It makes the young boy afraid and upset, scared that the monsters will come after them.

The next flashback is to Christmas Day, 1991. Sam wakes Dean to say John has been. There’s a tree and presents. Upon opening them, Sam gets girl presents and realizes that Dean has been up to something. Dean admits that he stole them from one of the houses down the street. Realizing that his brother did all this, Sam decides the present for John should go to Dean. When Dean opens it, we see it’s the amulet that he’s worn throughout the series. This is why it meant so much to him in “Skin.”

Next: Supernatural Season 3, Episode 7 recap: Fresh Blood

What did you think of Supernatural Season 3, Episode 8? Did you love the Christmas-themed episode? Share in the comments below.

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