Road Kill
Original Air Date 03/15/2007

A fatal automobile accident from 1992 leaves an angry apparition haunting a remote stretch of highway, and Sam and Dean try to lay it to rest.

Notes

Writer

Raelle Tucker

Director

Charles Beeson

Guest Stars:

Tricia Helfer (Molly)
Dan Gauthier
Winston Rekert

Other Guests:

None

Filming Locations:

Completely Useless Trivia:

The note under the Greeley's photo in the album reads:
Marian:
I love you more as I write this than I did last night when we spoke with deep and tender love.
Jonah.

Review

While this episode was excellent and much appreciated after a month of reruns, I have to confess I was a tiny bit disappointed. There was so much potential for some really confusing twists, but instead they went with what I thought was the straightforward explanation. Granted, I'm notoriously hard to please, I almost always know how the story will end long before everyone else does, but after Faith I guess I expected just a little bit more from Raelle Tucker. On the other hand, her sensitivity to the feelings of each character is unparalleled, and for that I can thoroughly appreciate her writing style.

On to the story, we begin with the introduction of Molly and David as they drive down the barren asphalt of highway 41. Lost and irritable, they bicker as couples inevitably do, resulting in Molly's lapse of attention to the road ahead. David shouts a warning as they round a curve to see a man in the path of their car. Molly swerves to avoid him and sends the car down the steep embankment and into a tree. Groggy but in one piece, Molly wakens to realize that David is missing, his door hanging open beside her. Calling his name she crawls out of the vehicle and follows a footpath to a nearby cabin, the night air heavy with a thick mist. A single candle burns in the window of the cabin, lending her hope that her husband may be inside. She knocks, and receiving no answer she pushes open the door to find a rustic and seemingly abandoned hunting cabin. In the far corner stands the man from the road, his back to the doorway. She approaches cautiously, asking if he's okay and apologizing for the accident. He turns to reveal his stomach slit open and seeping blood, and on seeing her, his face disintegrates before her very eyes. Screaming in horror, she races from the room and back to the road where she sees the headlights of an oncoming car, a beautiful 1967 Chevy Impala.

Standing in the road and screaming for them to stop, she shocks Dean into a full four-wheel lockup. Tires screaming for relief, he barely manages to stop the car before hitting her. Excellent acting from Tricia here, her terror at the realization that the car may not stop in time is absolutely riveting. That flash of fear is almost immediately replaced with the original worry concerning her husband and she begs for help, telling Sam and Dean that her husband is missing and a strange man is chasing her. The boys offer to take her back to town but she refuses to leave without David. They drive her back to where her car left the road only to find it's no longer there. They decide the best course of action is to take her to the police station. As they drive, Molly tells how they were heading to Lake Tahoe for their 5-year anniversary when she ran off the road. She is clearly worried that her husband is hurt or perhaps dead. The pain in her eyes is evident, and Sam consoles her with promises that they'll figure things out. As they drive, the radio dial slides over to AM1250 and plays the same song that Molly heard right before the crash. The dial moves again, and a man's voice repeats "she's mine" again and again just as they see a man standing in the road. Dean, knowing what he is, puts the hammer down and runs him over with the car. The spirit disappears in a swirl of black mist much to Molly's shock. Sam assures her that everything will be all right just as the car engine sputters and dies. The spirit isn't going to let her leave.

They all climb out of the car and Dean opens the trunk to get out the salt gun. On seeing the plethora of weapons Molly makes for a quick getaway, certain that the boys are there to do her harm. Sam stops her, telling her that it wasn't a coincidence that they were out there that night. Dean tries to reassure her in his own way, saying that they weren't just cruising for chicks, they were already on the hunt. Hunting for what? she asks, to which he replies simply "ghosts". (Side note to Jared here: Honey, you do not stutter particularly well. It's a painful experience for us all, please try to refrain from it in the future. Stick with your strengths and just flash your puppy-dog eyes.) Molly doesn't believe him, but Sam tells the tale of Jonah Greeley, a farmer who was hit by a car and died on this road. One night a year Johah comes back and haunts the road, finding someone to punish for his death. He convinces her that they only want to stop him from hurting anyone else, and that the farmer won't let her leave.

They convince Molly to take them to the cabin where she saw him. Sam checks outside for a grave where Jonah might be buried, but finds nothing. When Molly asks why they're looking for the grave, Dean replies that they need to salt and burn the bones. This is the second time he answers in a manner that is uncharacteristically blunt. He seems uncaring of her plight and her fears of the fate of her husband. He tells her that they only have this one night to stop Jonah so they have to get down to business. They search the woods, but since the Greeley's owned 1000 acres of land, the search won't be easy. As they walk, Molly hears what she the whisper of David's voice and follows the sound. As expected, it's the farmer. He grabs her, ignoring her screams, but Dean is there to help, firing salt point blank at Jonah's face. The spirit again disappears in a flash of black mist, and Dean realizes they're standing on a footpath between the cabin and the main house. They follow the path to a run down and abandoned home. Again there are no marked graves outside so Dean sends Sam and Molly upstairs to see if there are any papers telling where Jonah was buried. They find a room with hundreds of papers and receipts blown all over the floor. Sam reads a few, but they're mostly useless. Molly finds a photo album depicting the Greeley's in happier times. Included in the album is a flowery love letter from Jonah to his wife, prompting Molly to wonder how such a loving man could become an angry spirit. Choosing his words carefully, Sam explains that ghosts are like wounded animals. Their pain causes them to lash out in anger. He goes on to explain that something holds them here, whether it's their own remains or perhaps unfinished business. They hold to the memory of life so tightly that they are unable to see the truth in a situation, they only see what they want to see. (This is the point at which I realized the truth about Molly and David's situation. I hate when I'm always right. lol) Dean interrupts the quiet moment with a Jennifer Love Hewitt crack, breaking the mood. While Sam seems to understand the pain a spirit feels, Dean feels only the need to stop them. The quintessential hunter, Dean simply does his job and moves on to the next, uncaring of whatever consequences his actions might have on the emotions and feelings of the ghost involved. Sam, on the other hand, tends to look at the situation from all points of view, often empathizing with the ghost because he can understand the events and emotions that created it.

Dean saunters over to the cabinet that originally held all the papers. He notices something odd and realizes there's a door behind it, locked from the inside. He gives it a good firm horse kick and seems genuinely surprised that the door doesn't give. (Yes Dean, I'd be surprised too. The door should have sensed you were in the room and flown open at the very sound of your voice.) A second try with a little more power sends the tiny door flying open, and the threesome duck through the opening. Dean says my favourite line here: "It smells like old lady in here", just as he turns to see Mrs. Greeley hanging from the rafter. "That would explain why." A quick observation; how did Mrs. Greeley manage to pull the smooth-backed cabinet up against the door once she was inside the room? Now they know why she disappeared without a trace, she didn't want to live without her husband so she hanged herself after burying him. Sam asks for Dean's help to cut her down, saying that she deserves to be put to rest. Dean clearly gets the bum deal in this little job, grumbling his displeasure as he grabs the rotted corpse in a bear hug around her waist while Sam cuts the rope. They wrap her in the bed linens and bury her in front of the house. Let me just say that I had high hopes for the potential of the dead wife as a villain in this story. I thought it would be cool if she turned out to be the one haunting the road looking for revenge for the loss of her dearest love. Here the boys miss a perfect opportunity to burn her bones before filling in the grave, but they don't seem too concerned with the possibility that a grieving woman who died a violent death by her own hand might come back as an angry spirit, too. I also find it odd that they choose to waste valuable time by digging a 6' deep hole to bury this woman when they could easily wait until after they've vanquished the spirit. However, the action does serve it's purpose for the story, and despite the minor issues it actually is a very well written scene. Molly, noting Sam's use of the words "put her to rest", asks what happens to ghosts after they're put to rest. Sam replies that he really doesn't know, and that the fear of the unknown is a powerful motivation for a spirit to hold on even tighter to the world they've left behind. She goes on to ask what happens to a spirit whose bones have been salted and burned. Sam admits that they think salting and burning kills a ghost; that it ceases to exist instead of moving on to a better place. This conversation is nicely punctuated by the shoveling of dirt into the grave, each thought is followed by a shot of the corpse being gradually hidden by dirt. It gives the clear impression of the permanence of death, and although a spirit may hold on to the life it once knew, there really isn't any escape from the grave. As I said earlier, the scene is beautifully written and succeeds at weaving a current of depth into the story that encourages the viewer to contemplate the deeper meaning of life. The problem I have with it is it serves to confirm my suspicions about Molly. She asks questions that a woman searching for her husband shouldn't care about unless she believes he's already dead. While that theory might hold a little water, I don't buy it because I don't think any wife would ever think her husband dead unless faced with undeniable proof of it. This is my problem, I'm a self-confessed cynic and although I try to reason away my suspicions by finding alternate possibilities, I always end up confirming the original thought. Then again, the fact that this scene has resulted in such an unreasonably long paragraph being devoted to it shows that it's a stroke of brilliance on the part of the writer. Thanks, Raelle!

Okay, moving on. The last scene ended with Molly saying the only thing she's afraid of is not seeing her husband again, to which Sam and Dean share a knowing look. Back inside the house, Molly looks through the photo album while the boys discuss her situation in the next room. Sam says he wants to tell her the truth about her husband, that it's cruel to let her suffer, but Dean doesn't think they should until she's safely away from the haunted road. She overhears part of the conversation and demands to know what they're holding back. Before they can answer, the electric radio sizzles to life and begins to play. Dean investigates, and finds that the cord has been chewed through and couldn't possibly be providing any power. As he watches, a nearby window ices over revealing the words "she's mine" written on the glass. The mounting tension is broken with the crashing of glass as Jonah pulls Molly forcibly through the picture window. Knowing there's nothing they can do to help her directly, they feel the pressure to find and burn his bones as fast as possible. Sunrise is in only two hours.

Sam notices the photo album on the table, still open to the page where Molly left it. The prominent picture shows Jonah and his wife Marian standing in front of the hunting cabin. Sam remembers seeing a tree where the couple are standing. Kicking himself for not thinking of it sooner, Sam tells his brother that it's an old country tradition to plant a tree as a grave marker, to which Dean responds with "you're a walking encyclopaedia of weirdness." They rush back to the cabin to dig up the corpse, and find that the farmer has Molly captive inside. Suspended by her wrists and barely able to touch the floor, she hangs helplessly as the farmer threatens her. She tries to appeal to his fond memories by saying she knows about his wife and hurting her won't bring his wife back, but it only serves to cement his resolve. His wife is gone, all he has left is hurting Molly. Slicing her skin open with a simple fingernail, he makes slow, painful cuts, enjoying the sound of her screams. As she watches, he allows his face to once again disintegrate in a truly disgusting display, but this time the horror is interrupted by the sound of a salt rifle. Jonah disappears in a flash of smoke, revealing Dean's determined face behind the rifle. (Yet another cute line here, on seeing Dean, Molly says "oh, thank God", to which Dean replies "call me Dean.") The salt isn't as effective as one might hope, and Molly's gasp of fear tips Dean off to the presence of the ghost behind him. He turns to face him, but Jonah has a few tricks up his sleeve. With a malicious grin and the point of a finger, he slices a gash across Dean's cheek. Then with a flick of his wrist he sends him flying across the room and into the wall. Poor Dean, no matter what type of creature they fight, it always seems to have the power to throw him against a wall. He must sleep on a bed of nails every night to have such fortitude in his back! Still, the impact is enough to make him reel, and calling to his brother to hurry, he takes a moment to regain his bearings. Jonah reaches out to the wall of hunting knives and a large bowie knife flies into his hand. He advances on Dean who grabs the wrist holding the knife. Using all his strength to hold off the attack, Dean barely manages to hold him at bay. Fortunately, Sam has managed to dig the skeleton out from amongst the tree roots in record time and has lit the fire. Jonah backs away in pain, fire licking at his legs. As it engulfs his body he disappears in flames, dropping the knife as an ominous little grave marker of his own. All three breathe a sigh of relief and head back to the car.

Sam opens the car door and encourages Molly to get in, saying "let's get you out of here". Molly refuses, saying she won't leave until she knows what happened to David. Looking at Sam's face, she realizes that David must be dead, and speaks the thought aloud. Sam says no, that David is alive, but something in his eyes tells her that's not good news. Sam promises to take her to him, and the relief is evident on her face. They drive her to a suburban house in an average neighborhood, and tell her he's inside. They go to the window and she sees a middle-aged man in a bathrobe getting his morning coffee. As they watch, a happy woman bounds into the room and gives David a kiss on the cheek. Molly is confused, asking who the strange woman is. Sam tells her that's David's wife. Fifteen years ago Molly hit Jonah with her car. David was the only survivor. Since then, every year on the anniversary of the accident Molly has appeared on the highway shocking drivers into accidents of their own. Many have told stories of a how a young woman appeared, being chased by an old man and begging for help. Dean confirms that the original accident happened in 1992, on her 5th anniversary, and goes on to tell her that it's now 2007. For the first time Dean shows a hint of sympathy for the woman. As I said at the beginning, Dean treated her with an uncharacteristic bluntness and lack of feeling and we finally understand why. He knew all along she was a ghost, and as such she didn't deserve his consideration. To him, she was just another unnatural thing that needed to be dealt with. Now that he's spent some time with her he realizes that she's just another confused person, unsure of herself and completely lost. The fact that she happens to be dead is less offensive to him now.

As Molly comes to understand the truth of her existence, we are treated to a flashback of missed moments. The two boys in the car, driving down highway 41. As they discuss the specifics of the case and how a woman appears as if out of nowhere, when suddenly Molly appears out of nowhere causing Dean to slam on his brakes in surprise. Earlier still, they research the original accident in the library and find a newspaper article telling of the tragic deaths of Molly and Jonah. Flash to the boys interviewing a much older David, who tells them she was cremated. Something besides her physical remains is keeping her here. Back to the highway, as Molly runs into the road and begs the boys for help, Sam tells Dean that she doesn't know she's dead. (Note to self: lecture Kripke on the evils of calling one of his characters a name that's only one letter away from the word "dead". Grrr.) As the thoughts tumble through her mind Molly slowly comes to accept the truth. Sam tells her that every year Jonah causes an accident on highway 41 and tortures the driver of the car. Every year that driver has been Molly. All she has to hold on to is the search for her husband and the love she feels for him, and all Jonah has is the hatred he has for Molly and the perverse pleasure of torturing her. How his wife Marian managed to find peace in all this drama is a mystery to me.

As the sun rises over the quiet neighborhood, the boys convince Molly to move on. She wants to go in the house and say her goodbyes to David. Sam says if she wants to go in, he won't stop her, but Dean chips in with ".but you are going freak him right out. For life." With his usual sensitivity and empathy, Sam convinces her that it's okay for her to let go. It's time for her to move on, she doesn't belong here anymore. She accepts this and walks off into the sunrise, her spirit absorbed by the ever-brightening and beautiful light. Sam and Dean are left behind to wonder what becomes of a spirit after they leave this world. Sam is content with the thought that hope is all that matters. Whether or not there actually is some sort of heaven is less important than living with the hope that there might be something better out there for us. Dean accepts this thought with his usual sensitivity, saying "all right, Haley Joel, let's hit the road."

All in all, this was an excellent episode. Despite my complaints about being able to tell within the first 15 minutes that Molly was dead, I actually liked it quite well. Although I would have loved to see the ghost of the hanged wife make an appearance, I concede the fact that they only have 45 minutes or so of screen time to tell the story. That simply isn't enough time to throw in all the cool extras I'd like to see. As always, I thought Jensen did an admirable acting job, showing his dislike for Molly because she's a ghost without actually displaying any anger or disrespect directly towards her. Well, not much anyway. Jared also displayed some of his best (and worst!) work tonight. He breezed through his many monologues with a soulfulness we've come to recognize as exclusively his. He clearly showed the angst Sam feels being caught between a life of hunting evil and a hope of something pure and good. The only snag is the attempted stutter at the beginning, (the "d.. d. don't sugar coat it for her) which simply sounded too forced. It was too much reading lines on a page and not enough natural flow. Both actors did an excellent job of making it clear there was more to the story that they weren't telling us. A seemingly innocent line or word would result in a pregnant pause and a quick glance at each other. At times it was obvious that Sam wanted to tell Molly more than he was, but wouldn't allow himself to reveal anything. Dean's comments and facial expressions progressed throughout the episode to show that although on principle he didn't like what Molly was or what she represented, yet by the end he was willing to put his life on the line to protect her. A hero in the true sense of the word. Too bad he keeps getting thrown against walls, though. I see in the next episode he gets chucked by a chick. How is he ever going to live that down? Looks like she throws him hard enough to knock him senseless, too.

Finally, I need to share two extra lines that I didn't include above, but that I really liked and wanted to mention. Both Dean's of course. "Just once I'd like to round the corner and see a nice house" and "Lady, that answer is way beyond our pay grade"

That's it, that's all. Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. As always, comments are very much appreciated regardless of whether you agree with my observations or think I'm a crack case. Let me know what you think! Unfortunately I will not be posting a review on time next week. I know, I know, it's going to kill me to wait because we all know what happens next week, don't we??? Well, it's a mixed blessing for me, because the reason I won't be able to submit my review on time is because the fabulous and incomparable Gutter Girls are coming to Vancouver and I will be spending the week with them. I'm sure Thursday evening will contain a great deal of discussion over the usual topics, you know, like technique, style, stamina. Dare I say size? Not that size matters or anything, (backpedals frantically) Honestly, it's all about. um. okay, who am I kidding. Of course it's about size. Anyway, my apologies for making you wait. I'll try and make it worthwhile.

Road Kill Original Air Date 03/15/2007