I don’t know what it is about Supernatural lately, but the show has become an absolute master of misdirection. Every time you think you’ve got an episode figured out, it veers off in a completely unexpected direction. This first happened this season with the stellar “How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters” and continued with the so-so episode “Out with the Old”. This week, “Party on Garth” started out as a light-hearted episode that promised the return of the very amusing DJ Qualls. But it ended up being a serious look at the brothers’ grief over Bobby’s death and Dean’s eagerness for his surrogate father to actually be haunting them. Was he? Oh, we’ll get to that in a moment…
That Girl is Poison
We opened this week’s Supernatural in the woods, where a group of kids were telling ghost stories around a campfire. One boy was regalling the others with the tale of Jenny Greentree, who supposedly haunted the woods. The others brushed off the tale, at least until one of the camper’s brother showed up in the woods, drunk. Through a terrible twist of the fate, the boy was chased through the woods and gutted.
Later, Garth went to investigate, pulling up in an old clunker with Bell Biv Devoe blaring from the speakers (what an entrance!). After hearing the tale of Jenny Greentree, he found her grave and salted and burned her bones. Unfortunately, that didn’t actually solve the case, because shortly thereafter the brother of the first victim headed out to the woods, drunk off his arse, and also got slaughtered.
So Garth called in reinforcements: the Winchesters. They arrived in town in time to meet Garth at the coroner’s office and realized that both brothers were killed in the same way, but it didn’t sound like a ghost, or an invisible ghost werewolf as Dean had suggested.
Let’s summarize the case quickly: there were three men who owned a brewery, as the boys soon discovered. One of them was upset that the company was going to be sold, so he bought a box that contained a Japanese creature called a Shojo. This creature can be summoned to enact revenge for you. The one partner, angry that the other two wanted to get rid of his baby (ie. the company), sought his revenge by having the Shojo take away the other partners’ babies…in this case, their literal children.
Thanks to some help from a completely random Japaneses restaurant worker, the Winchesters soon realized what kind of a monster they were dealing with, and they also realized they could only see it when they were drunk. This led to some hilarity on the part of all the boys as they spent most of the episode alternating between severe drunkenness and mild sobriety
Eventually, Garth realized that one of the partners had an illegitimate son that would be targeted next, and the action moved back to the brewery, with Sam and Dean soon joining in. Fortunately, Dean had managed to get his hands on a sword (blessed by the aforementioned Japanese restaurant worker) and, with Sam’s help (and a little “outside” assistance), he managed to kill the Shojo.
A Welcome Return
Earlier in the episode, Garth realized that the EMF meter seemed to go crazy around Dean’s flask…or Bobby’s flask, to be exact. He suggested that perhaps Bobby was haunting the flask, but Dean shot that down. More to the point, he didn’t want to discuss Bobby with Garth, since it’s clear that the wounds of his death are still too raw. But Sam jumped into this conversation, admitting to Dean that he had attempted to communicate with Bobby using a Ouija board after the first disappearing beer incident. Unfortunately, Sam couldn’t connect with him.
Later, Dean let it all out, telling Sam that maybe Bobby was haunting them, because there have been a lot of strange coincidences, including the fact that something helped move the sword into Dean’s hand after he had lost a hold of it during the fight. Sam told Dean that normal people have a tendency to see loved one’s everywhere when they die, and maybe these strange occurrences are just a by-product of that.
Only Sam is completely, 100% wrong (yes, it happens). Because Supernatural delivered an ending this week that I honestly did not see coming. Bobby returned! Bobby is absolutely haunting the Winchesters and we saw his ghost in the hotel room. Only he seems to be unable to communicate with the Winchesters in any meaningful way, which would account for the Ouija board incident.
“Balls!” Bobby cursed as Dean walked right up to his ghostly form and didn’t see him. Balls, indeed.
Concluded on next page…
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The promo looks so legit for the next episode. "You can see me?"
BOBBY!!!!! YAY!!!!! I'm more excited about him then even Cas. BOBBY!!!! I don't think it cheapens it at all. Maybe earlier in the year it might have. But we've seen how hard it is to get along without BOBBY!!!!!
This episode was absolutely awesome. The Shojo was definitely a call back to the good old creepiness that is Supernatural at the core. The writing was very well done, and I have to say, DJ Qualls made me enjoy the episode even more! But the ending was fantastic. They had us all thinking it was just a filler…LOLNO.
BOBBY!!
That was the most welcome surprise…ever!! This show has a tendency to kill a lot of interesting characters (John, Jo, Ellen, Ash, Rufus, Chuck, Ruby, Balthazar, Gabriel, Henricksen, Pamela, and many more), yet the most beloved of them all is Bobby. His return is the greatest gift the writers could have given me.
bobby=boring me to tears
I put this episode right down there with Time for a Wedding. Garth is a village idiot and I don't find his humor at all funny. I hate the character. Bobby as a ghost is the most predictably uninteresting thing the show could do (and I like Bobby – I was just hoping for some very lacking creativity this season). After watching the last two episodes, I am left wondering why I've even bothered watching this season. It's gone nowhere — except in a circle from taking everything away from the brothers to putting it all back in place. Well, there is still Jensen, so I'll finish up the season, but I'm not expecting anything better than what was given in S6.
@Clarissa- You weren't the only one who screamed! Followed by tears of joy. It's sometimes really painful to watch the previously on Supernatural when they recap everything and there's Bobby in most of the scenes. It's like why don't you just twist the knife a little more and then rub salt in the wounds to constantly remind me that Bobby isn't on here anymore! It's down right depressing. This was one of my favorite episodes this season because Garth made it enjoyable and I agree with Mary that it felt like a classic Supernatural story. And then they saved the best for last. I hope they find some way for Bobby to stick around.
7.18 "Party On, Garth" is the most terrific episode in season 7 until now. Garth and DJ Qualls show his all talents, and he got a place in Supernatural world. It's a good sign. The world is a place that everybody lives together, not lonely isolated island. Sam and Dean can meet new era with loving and communications with MANY others – long and constant relationships. This episode shows how the killing characters offs was terrible choice.
The story got a power to rise up. Once Adam Glass made a unbelievable episode at season 7, "Defending Your Life", we could read his headaches that talking about Sam and Dean's past without Cas and Bobby. He usually shows good writings with Sam and Dean plus more characters: Shifters and The Campbells, Crowley, Meg and Cas, Team Free Will and Eve… He is good at the dynamic in various angles and views. Good works, Adam Glass and DJ Qualls, thanks(oh, I shouldn't forget Debb & Lofflin). Your Garth is so unique and hilarious. I just wish some SPN producers won't make conspiracy to kill off you for shock. I mean it. I really expected Garth's appearance since 6.04 "Weekend at Bobby's".
And Sam and Dean talk about their loss about departed ones, the family. It's again Sam who understand father's death first but who wants consolation more than anyone. That's what he wanted, he can make friends easier than Dean, but he might have a more bigger hole in his heart than Dean. Sam's denial means he was hurt than anyone. We can see Dean talked about his loss to others(Frank, Elliot and Cas) but not Sam. Even from someday, the departed talked to Dean, not Sam. Not only Bobby, even Ellen, Now Sam has one more burden for Cas' sacrifice. That's what he should pass through: Sam should tell to his brother or anyone what he feels.
There is possibilities to rise up. Sam and Dean can connect to the world. They can love each other when they love and communicate with others in the world. And, most of all, there is a possibility for Team free Will to be united. Now it's back on the track. I just wish the SPN writers won't blow up the chance.