The Kids are Alright
Original Air Date 10/11/2007

Dean visits Lisa, an old girlfriend he dated nine years ago, and is shocked to learn not only that she has an 8-year-old son named Ben, but that the boy looks just like him. Later, Sam and Dean help when Ben goes missing; and Ruby contacts Sam with information about his mom.

Notes

Writer

Sera Gamble

Director

Phil Sgriccia

Guest Stars:

Katie Cassidy
Kathleen Munroe
Cindy Sampson
Margot Berner
Nicholas Elias

Other Guests:

Todd Thomson
Susie Wickstead
Desiree Zurowski
Stacy Fair
Alberto Chisi (Ghisi?)
Megan Bowes
Mitchell Duffield
Daniel Brodsky
Michelle Grigor

Filming Locations:

Completely Useless Trivia:

The phone number for Morning Hill realty
is (317) 555-0101

Review

Kripke must have had a field day with the opener of this episode! With its B-movie feel and monster-in-hiding camera angles, it truly is the stereotypical horror movie scene. With a victim who bends over to closely examine a turning table saw blade, and an obvious yet unexplored solution to the problem (unplug it, dumbass!) it's clear from the start that this poor guy is a goner. So much so that they don't even bother to give him a name. I have to say, I wholeheartedly approve of this return to the simple world of blood-and-guts horror.

Dean Winchester has never made me laugh so hard as this. I kid you not. When he says "Gumby Girl" and then drifts off to his happy place, I thought it was cute. When he says "Does that make me Pokey?" I laughed so hard I actually made the neighbor's dog bark in protest. That has got to be the best and most apt line ever written on this show! Fortunately, it's enough of an argument to get Sam to agree to let him go to Indiana to hook up with an old flame. Lisa seems thrilled to see him. Her 1000-watt smile lights up the room until she realizes she'll have to introduce him to her son. Her eight year old son. Her eight year old son who was born within nine months of the steamy weekend she shared with Dean, give or take a week or two. Her son who looks, acts, and dresses just like Dean. Charming as ever, Dean flirts his way to an invitation to the birthday party going on in the back yard, much to the delight of Lisa's friends and neighbors who clue us in to the "best night of my life" conversation that Lisa has clearly shared freely. In a gleefully disturbing "desperate housewives" moment the neighbors, caught gossiping, give him their best, most seductive hello. Ever attuned to the delicate vibrations of sexual tension, Dean quickly imagines himself with these two visions of parenthood (together of course) and shocked at the image, turns and runs like a little girl. In fact, he's so thrown by the thought that he displays an uncharacteristic lack of poise as he makes his hasty exit. Fortunately, his exit route takes him over to Ben, his own personal "mini-me". Showing their uncanny similarities, Dean and Ben treat us to a beautifully synchronized "checking out the hot girl's ass" move as a mother-daughter pair stroll innocently past. Ben gives a quick monologue about how hot the chicks are and how epic a moon bounce is for getting them excited, which sends an already freaked out Dean into full-on panic mode. Racing back to question Lisa about Ben's paternity, he interrupts the conversation where we learn that Katie's mother isn't so sure that Katie is the same child she gave birth to. A quick shot of the party shows us a bored-looking Katie standing alone, even though she's surrounded by the bustle and noise of a boisterous party. A sure sign that she must be evil.

Back at the hotel diner, Sam spends his free time researching a pact-breaking ritual that he thinks might help Dean out of his deal. Engrossed in his research, he doesn't notice Ruby creep up to join him at the table. Savoring the simple pleasures, she digs into his fries with gusto, comparing them to deep fried crack. When Sam questions her about the knife she used on the demons, she offers my second-favourite line of the episode. "It sure comes in handy when I have to swoop in and save the damsel in distress". You have to give her credit for recognizing Sammy's inherent femininity! Leaving Sam with her phone number plus some cryptic information about the tragedy of his mother's friends, she stops long enough to remind him there's a job to do in this town. As her words hang in the air, Dean calls and echoes the sentiment. Apparently the freak table-saw accident wasn't the first, there have been four more freak accidents in the Morning Hill Gated Community.

Meanwhile, at Katie's house things are not as normal as one might hope. Katie is increasingly demanding of her mother, who is convinced something is wrong with the girl. She wakes up to find Katie watching her silently, and when she realizes her neck is sore, she checks in the bathroom mirror and finds a hickie that is uncomfortably close to the size of her daughter's mouth. Ben, on the other hand, is experiencing the very epitome of normalcy. At the playground, he sits sadly as the local bully plays with his brand new Gameboy. Fortunately for Ben, Dean has a soft spot for AC-DC loving potential sons, and comes over to see what's wrong. Ben won't let him help too much though, because only a bitch sends a grown up over. .and he's no bitch. Dean approves of this philosophy and offers him some alternative advice. Filled with confidence, Ben forcibly relieves the bully of the game. Dean looks on with pride, but his enthusiastic smile fades to a semi-innocent look of submission when the boy's mother pins him with an angry stare. Realizing Dean is responsible for her son's aggression, she reads him the riot act and sends him packing. Unperturbed by his mother's ire, Ben is just happy to have his game back, and he rewards Dean with an enthusiastic hug. Any paternal yearning he might feel at the contact is quickly replaced with discomfort as he realizes he's being watched by a trio of creepy kids. Holding a ball but not actually playing anything, the children watch Ben and Lisa walk away from the park, then turn in unison to stare at Dean.

Equally creeped out is Katie's mother, who is convinced her daughter is not actually her daughter. Strapping the child into the car with the promise of ice cream, she prepares to drive away. As she checks the mirrors, she catches Katie's reflection in the rearview. Instead of the face of the daughter she loves, she sees the gaping maw of a leech-like face staring back, with deep black pits for eyes and a ring of sharp teeth that match the pinprick pattern in her bruised neck. Gasping in horror, she flips the mirror to the side and drives off. Instead of the ice cream shop, she takes her daughter to the boat ramp at the lake and sinks the car with Katie still inside. The child sits quietly, simply staring at her mother as the car drops below the water's surface. However, by the time the mother arrives back home, Katie is already there. Dripping lake water yet acting as though nothing happened, she asks once again for the promised ice cream, her semblance of normalcy freaking her mother out even more than the otherworldly face in the mirror.

Sam, having checked out the homes of all the accident victims, is convinced they're dealing with changelings. Able to perfectly mimic a child, a changeling is said to climb in the window and snatch a child, then take it's place and slowly feed on the mother. Sam found evidence of this at all the houses he investigated. Realizing Ben is in danger of the same fate, Dean insists they stop to warn Lisa before they search for the missing children. When he arrives at the house, he tries to get them out by offering Lisa his Sigfreid Houdini credit card to use on a trip to Six Flags as a belated birthday gift for Ben. Unfortunately, he finds that Ben is already acting differently even though it's only been a few short hours since they spoke at the playground, and Lisa's still angry with him so she sends him away without listening. When Dean examines the window he finds the same red substance as Sam saw, although instead of blood he believes it to be red soil from the nearby construction site. Inside the partially built house, Sam searches upstairs while Dean looks around on the main floor. Following the sound of banging, he goes to the basement where he finds Ben and the other children locked in metal cages, alive but looking quite ill. He breaks the lock on Ben's cage, and as he moves to release the other children he can't help but notice how naturally Ben handles the situation. Helping the other kids out, Ben reassures them that everything will be all right. When Dean breaks the glass on the basement window to let them out, Ben offers up his heavy canvas jacket to protect them from the shards of glass. Then, when it's time to climb out, Ben directs the sickest child to get out first. Upstairs, Sam is confronted by the realtor from the birthday party, who's reflection shows her to be an adult changeling. Sam makes his excuses and fumbles for his bag of weapons, but the woman disappears before he can attack her. Sam races down to warn Dean, but the realtor is right behind him and attacks before they can get the children to safety. Stronger than any woman should be, she sends Dean flying across the room and through the unfinished wall of studs. Sam follows shortly after, careening into a stack of tin flashing. Knowing he can count on Ben, Dean calls for him to get the children out. Using a brick to add force to his punches, he keeps the woman busy long enough for Sam to recover his makeshift flame thrower, the only weapon that will kill a changeling. As the realtor disappears in a flash of fire, so do the changeling children throughout the neighborhood, much to the relief of Lisa. She has spent the majority of the night coming to the realization that her son is not her son, and Katie's mother has been hiding in the bathroom while her daughter pounds on the door demanding entry.

After seeing all the children safely home, Dean finally brings Ben back to Lisa. She is so relieved to see him that she forgives Dean on the spot and invites him in. Sam gives them their space and goes back to the hotel. Against his better judgement, Dean tells her the truth about the situation and about his life as a hunter. She takes it pretty well, considering. Dean still isn't convinced that Ben isn't his, so he asks again. Lisa confesses that she had Ben tested as a baby and the father is a biker she met in a bar. When Dean realizes he's not a father, regret gradually permeates his expression. Lisa notices and when she comments on it, Dean explains that his situation has changed recently and caused him to reflect on what he'll leave behind when he dies. She offers him a consolation prize; although they're not biologically related, Ben wouldn't be alive if not for Dean. As he turns to leave, he lets her know that he would have been proud to be Ben's dad, which she thinks is a sweet thing to say and rewards him with a kiss and an offer of a roll in the hay. Dean's viewpoint has changed though, and he's no longer willing to accept such a short-term offer from her. He realizes he doesn't fit in the life she lives, and he would prefer to walk away rather than taint this seemingly perfect world.

Back in his hotel room, Sam spends the time tracking down the friends Ruby alluded to in their earlier conversation. As it turns out, every friend and relative Mary Winchester ever had has been hunted down and killed, most likely by the yellow-eyed demon. When Sam confronts Ruby with this information and asks who she is and how she knew, she allows him to see her black demonic eyes. Sam freaks out and threatens her with holy water, but before he can do anything she throws down an offer too tempting for him to refuse. She wants to help figure out why the YED did what he did, and if Sam lets her help him unimpeded, then she'll try to help him save Dean.

These two closing scenes are some of the best acting I've ever seen on this show. Although Jensen has far more than his share of unforgettable moments, this episode has a tangible feeling of loss and regret laced through it that shows a true understanding of human psychology. The foundation was unquestionably laid by the writer, and Sera Gamble certainly excels at this type of writing, but Jensen truly brings it to life with such subtlety and grace that draws the viewer in without even registering how or why. Every inflection, every expression weaves a spell that defies all efforts to see through the illusion. It's truly a pleasure to watch and I hope it's something that will continue to grace the TV screen for years to come.

Although I tend to be much harder on Jared, he has given me no ammunition to use this week. His performance was magnificent and to my great pleasure he showed us the full range of emotion without shedding a single tear! I was thrilled to watch his concern for Dean's predicament shine off the screen at the start of the episode. His anger with Ruby thundered out from his eyes as well as his tone of voice. Even though this episode focused much more on Dean than it did Sam, I found that Jared dominated the screen in all his scenes and I'm pleased to see his natural confidence show through the scripted lines.

As for the plot of the episode, my only regret is that the changeling children all flamed out when their mother died. I realize that chasing down every child in the community would take far too much screen time, however since the episode started with the stereotypical horror scene I would have liked to see the stereotypical ending as well. In my world that would have included showing that one changeling that got away, slinking off into the woods to start a family of it's own and begin the cycle all over again. As it stands now, all any hunter will have to do from now on is find the parent to wipe out the whole family. When that news breaks in the Hunters Anonymous newsletter, the changeling population will drop to an all time low within a matter of weeks. But Sam and Dean won't get credit for it though, they'll still just be the idiots who opened the Devil's Gate.

As always, I have to comment on the CGI. Once again I'm impressed with what a talented artist can do with a few pixels and a mouse. I feel confident in saying that the changeling reflections were exclusively computer generated, and that no makeup effects were used at all. The high point was the moment where Katie bent down to feed on her sleeping mother, and her face morphed from cherubic child to blood-sucking monster before our very eyes. Perhaps not the most difficult effect to produce, but effective nonetheless.

Last but not least, there's young Ben. I never imagined we'd see a mini-me of Dean Winchester, and that it would be handled so beautifully! With the exception of the monologue at the birthday party which felt a bit forced, the performance was top notch. All in all this was an excellent episode from start to finish.

The Kids are Alright Original Air Date 10/11/2007