Wendigo
Original Air Date: 09/20/2005

Sam and Dean pose as Park Rangers to help a brother and sister search for their lost sibling, who the Winchester brothers believe may have been taken by a Wendigo.

Notes

Writer

Teleplay by Eric Kripke
Story by Ron Milbauer
and Terri Hughes Burton

Director

David Nutter

Guest Stars:

Callum Keith Rennie (Roy)
Gina Holden (Haley)
Alden Ehrenreich (Ben)

Other Guests:

Donnelly Rhodes (Shaw)
Timothy Webber
(Ranger Wilkinson)
Graham Wardle
Cory Monteith (Gary)
Wren Robertz
Tamara Lashley
Rhys Williams
Roy Campsall

Filming Locations:

Completely Useless Trivia:

Synopsis

The teaser scene shows us three young campers up on Blackwater Ridge near Lost Creek, Colorado. One leaves the tent because nature calls. Little does he know that the unnatural also lies in wait. Shaking in the bushes and spooky sounds ramp up the nervous tension, and with his raw scream we know he's a goner. His tentmate isn't far behind, being yanked up and out of the tent by the unseen force. Tommy, the third hapless victim, sits fearfully in the dark watching as a mysterious figure circles his tent, hissing and growling in the dark. Claws tear through the tent wall, and victim #3 is taken.

Cut to Sam, Palo Alto, California. Visiting the grave of his dead girlfriend, Sam tries to find the words to apologize for not protecting her. Murdered on November 2, 2005 at the tender age of 21, Jessica Lee Moore met the same fate as Sam's mother, pinned to the ceiling and burned before his eyes. As he lays flowers before her headstone, her hand shoots up out of the grave and grabs his wrist, shocking him out of the dream to find himself in riding down the highway with Dean. He turns to the map to deflect Dean's attempts to make him feel better, and comments that there isn't anything of importance at the coordinates their father left in the journal. Just empty woods.

They go to the ranger station and Sam tells Dean about the dangers of the ridge. Cut off by canyons, rough terrain, dense woods, abandoned silver and gold mines all over the place, and a dozen or more grizzlies in the area. Ranger Wilkinson asks if they're going hiking, and Sam says they're environmental studies majors at UC Boulder. The ranger calls them on it, asking if they're friends with "that Haley girl", to which Dean answers yes. He explains that he's already told Haley that her brother's permit lists a return date of the 24th so it's too early to worry. Dean asks for a copy of the permit, and the ranger complies.

Taking the address from the permit, Sam and Dean go to see Haley, posing as park rangers. She explains that her brother Tommy checks in every day on his cell phone, sending photos and videos. It's been three days and he hasn't checked in. She and her younger brother Ben know something is wrong because they all keep close tabs on each other now that their parents are gone.

Sam researches the history and finds that in addition to the three missing boys, two other hikers have disappeared this year. Add to the list eight hikers from 1982, chalked up to a Grizzly attack. More disappeared in 1959 and 1936. Every 23 years hikers go missing, with only one survivor. An injured child crawled out of the woods from the 1959 attacks. Sam shows Dean a video that Tommy emailed to Haley. In slow motion a shadow can be seen flashing past the tent at a high rate of speed.

They go to see the survivor, Mr. Shaw. When they question him about the "grizzly" attacks and ask him what he saw, he explains that he didn't see anything. The creature moved too fast to see but he heard it and it roared like nothing he'd ever heard before. He goes on to tell how the creature managed to unlock the door to their cabin to gain entry and dragged his parents away, leaving him for dead. He believes it was some kind of demon.

Sam and Dean discuss the creature, deciding that it's not a demon. It must be corporeal or it wouldn't have had to unlock the door to get in. Dean suggests a skin walker or a black dog, either way they'll be able to kill it. While Dean loads some weapons from the trunk into his canvas kit bag, Sam tries to convince him to make Haley and Ben stay home. Dean explains that she won't listen; it's her brother that's missing. Sam complains that they'll have to babysit, which rewards him with a long, hard, angry look from Dean.

The next morning they meet up with Haley, Ben and Roy, the hired guide. The bright sunny day is contrasted starkly with a quick scene of Tommy and his friend hanging from their wrists in a dark cave. The creature approaches and noisily devours his friend. Back to the hikers, Dean chats up Roy about his hunting preferences. When Roy says he hunts bucks and sometimes bears, Dean asks "Bambi or Yogi ever hunt you back?" Roy grabs him roughly by the collar but rather than the anticipated confrontation, Roy picks up a stick and springs a leg-hold trap directly in front of Dean, saying "watch where you're stepping, ranger." Dean, embarrassed, hangs back and lets Roy take the lead. Haley catches up to Dean and confronts him. He didn't bring provisions, he's only carrying a duffel bag, he can't be a ranger. Dean allows Ben and Sam to pass so he can speak privately, then tells Haley that he and Sam are brothers looking for their father. They think he might be on the ridge and the group could search for both missing parties together. Haley is angry at the deception, but Dean smoothes it over with his usual charm. The conversation ends with him saying "what do you mean, I didn't pack provisions?" He pulls out an enormous bag of M&M's and starts snacking.

They reach the target co-ordinates of 35, -111, and Sam notes that the forest is silent. Not even any crickets. Roy goes off to investigate, and they stumble onto the campsite. Tents are torn to shreds and belongings are strewn about. Blood spatters can be seen on the tents and on the ground. The bodies were dragged, but the tracks disappear. Dean notes that the creature isn't a skin walker or a black dog just as a man's call for help is heard. All five hikers run towards the sound, but nothing can be seen. They go back to the campsite to find that their packs and gear have all been taken. Sam puts 2&2 together and realizes it's a wendigo, which can mimic a human voice. Dean laments that his gun is useless against it and Sam decides the only safe course of action is to get everyone off the ridge and back home. He marches into camp and tells everyone it's time to leave, but Roy says he can handle whatever is out there. Sam tries to explain that this is the perfect hunter, fast and smart, but Roy in his arrogance won't listen. Haley refuses to leave without her brother so they decide to hunker down for the night, and Dean surrounds the camp with a protective circle of Anisazi symbols.

Sam sits off by himself, pensive, pondering. Dean comes to check on him and find out what's wrong, why he's been acting so explosively angry. Sam has realized that their father isn't there, and probably never was. He wants to leave and continue the search for him, but Dean explains that they have to finish the job first. He explains that when their father left them his journal, he was implying that he wanted them to pick up where he left off; hunting evil. Sam argues, saying that finding dad and finding Jessica's killer is the only thing he can think about. Dean promises that they'll find both, but that it will take time, and Sam has to find a way to curb his anger so it doesn't destroy him. In the meantime, they can continue to hunt other things. Their conversation is interrupted by a man's voice calling for help in the woods. Roy tracks what sounds like a bear with his rifle, and fires three rounds into the trees. The final shot hits its mark, and a squeal of pain can be heard. Heady with his success, Roy runs off into the woods to track the creature. Dean and Sam race after him to bring him back, but it's too late. The wendigo reaches down from its perch in a tree and snaps Roy's neck, pulling him up into the branches.

Morning finds Sam pondering his options. Dean explains the history of the wendigo to Haley and Ben, and Sam, decision made, is gung-ho to kill it. They explain that a wendigo (Cree indian word meaning "evil that devours") was once a man who, faced with a long hard winter without supplies, turned to cannibalism. Over the years he has lost his humanity and gained skills such as speed, strength and immortality. Guns and knives can't kill him, but fire will. Dean has a beer bottle, cloth and gasoline to make a Molotov cocktail, and they set out to find its lair and rescue Tommy.

They follow the trail of claw marks until they find themselves in a circle with a claw mark in blood on every tree. Sam realizes they've walked into a trap just as the wendigo begins circling the foursome. Haley notices blood spattering on her jacket, and looks up to see Roy's body falling from the treetops. She screams and backs up, and everyone bolts as the wendigo attacks. Ben trips and Sam helps him up, allowing Dean and Haley to get ahead. The creature circles around in front of Dean, who stops in his tracks as Haley's scream echoes through the woods. Sam and Ben arrive seconds later to find only the broken bottle on the ground.

Sam and Ben wander the area looking for a sign when Ben notices a brightly coloured M&M on the ground. Knowing Dean has left them a trail, they follow it to an abandoned mine. They go in and hear the wendigo in the passageway. They hide in a side tunnel and watch as it leaves the mine. They take the tunnel it had just vacated and manage to find the express route to its lair by crashing through the rotted boards in the floor. Ben, poor kid, lands in front of a pile of creepy human skulls, looking very old and ominous. They look around and see Dean and Haley across the room hanging by their wrists. They cut them down, relieved that they're all right. Haley notices her brother Tommy hanging motionless in the corner. Fearing the worst, she checks his pulse and he awakes with a start. Thankful he's alive, they cut him down and attempt to leave. The sound of a wendigo growl echoes down through the tunnels, and they realize they're in trouble. They'll never outrun it with the injured Tommy to care for, so Dean chooses to draw its attention away so the others can escape. Having found two flare guns in a stash of stolen belongings, he takes one and races down a side tunnel, shouting "chow time, you freaky bastard!" Sam takes the other and leads the group towards the exit. Just as they see the light at the end of the tunnel, they hear a growling in the darkness. Sam presses himself against the shadowed wall and sends the others towards the exit. Hoping to catch the creature unawares, Sam watches the group walk away but is surprised when the wendigo appears behind him instead. He fires his flare but misses and it lands harmlessly in the rock wall. Running now, the foursome can't make the exit and they duck down a side tunnel in hopes of escape. It's a dead end and the creature blocks the only exit. Consummate protector, Sam puts himself between the others and the wendigo. Confident in his victory, the wendigo fails to notice Dean sneak up behind it. He calls out and the creature turns in time to take Dean's flare directly in it's stomach. The burning spreads throughout it's whole body and in seconds it is just a smoldering pile of flesh. Relief floods the group and they are free to hike back down to safety.

They feed the authorities a fake yet believable story about a grizzly bear, and the ambulance takes Tommy to the hospital with Haley and Ben. The episode closes with a touching moment of Winchester brotherly love.

Review

This show is great for taking the viewer on a roller-coaster ride. We see three young men enjoying a fun camping trip in the woods, playing games and teasing each other. One minute they're relaxed and happy, the next they're screaming in terror. One huddles unseen inside his tent and there's a chance he'll be overlooked, but a second later, claws are ripping the fabric out from behind him. Sam visits his girlfriend's grave on a bright, sunny day, and in the blink of an eye (and the jolt of the heart!) he finds himself riding a dark car down a moonlit highway. One can never be sure where the story is going, there's always a twist, always a scare.

Dean seems to be in uncharted territory in this episode. He's used to being the Big Dog whose wishes are carried out when he barks an order. When fighting evil things he's strong and confident, no second-guessing himself, no fear. When he sees Sam having a nightmare, he tries to help, to distract him, make him feel better. He looks unsure of himself, as though he's never had to comfort Sam before. It crops up a few times throughout the episode, until Dean gives the journal speech. "Dad gave us a job to do. Fight evil. Help people. I for one am gonna do it." Talking about what he knows best seems to help get him past the issue of discussing Sam's problem.

Sam is really messed up. He went from the happy life of a student, boyfriend and brainiac law student, to being a freak and a nomadic fighter of evil. Everything good in his life has been stripped away, and he doesn't know how to deal with it. The nightmares are not a surprise, his girlfriend was killed in a horrible and shocking manner. The question is, will he learn to deal with this mammoth change in his lifestyle, or will he burn out and get himself killed? Only time will tell.

I felt the wendigo was particularly well done. The beginning of the episode shows us only rustling bushes and scary sounds, by the halfway mark we've been shown his hands with the clawed and elongated fingers, and we only see his full figure at the end when it's time for him to die. His main scare factor was his speed and obvious intelligence; realizing that the hikers, who considered themselves the hunters, were being hunted themselves.

Best Dean moment: "this is probably the most honest I've been with a woman… ever!" What a charmer. I also liked his wink in the mine before he ran off to bait the wendigo. I love when people use actions instead of words.

Best Sam moment: Trying to apologize to his late girlfriend's headstone. Very emotional and truthful.

Wendigo Original Air Date: 09/20/2005