Nightshifter - A Review
Nightshifter
Supernatural Season 2, episode #12.
Airdate Jan 25, 2007.
Written by Ben Edlund.
Directed by Philip Sgriccia.
- Synopsis: Click here to see the episode summary
Sam and Dean investigate two violent robberies that were seemingly inside jobs done by employees who later committed suicide. They learn it’s a shapeshifter after visiting Ronald, a paranoid bank security guard who showed them a copy of security tape in which the robber had the telltale eye flare. Sam and Dean go a bank that is a potential target only to get caught up in a hostage situation triggered by Ronald, who had his own misguided plan to capture what he thinks is a “mandroid”. The brothers and Ronald search for the shapeshifter inside the bank while outside, police, SWAT, and later, the FBI, gather. Ronald meets a tragic end, but the brothers get the bad thing, then cleverly escape wearing a hot new disguise: SWAT gear.
- Praises: This was a great episode, the best since “Crossroads Blues”. It was fast paced and funny and there were a few nail biting moments, though not scary. I absolutely loved that the show combined a lot of the season one elements that us fangirls adore. The brother’s wore their hottest disguises: feds in suits and alarm company employees in uniform. If they could have thrown in the priest’s disguise as well, I would have been in heaven. Plus, we got to see some brotherly moments; Dean was his old slut-boy self; Sammy got to show off his awesome fist fighting skills; Dean said “son of a bitch”; Sammy made his exasperated “bitch-face”; and the music rocked. Ah, if I were playing the Supernatural drinking game, I would have been completely sloshed. And I loved the twist of these hunters becoming the hunted at the end. I can’t wait to see how this plays out in future episodes, especially since the impala is so very recognizable.
- Nags: There were a couple small, nitpicky details in this episode that bothered me:
1) In their phone conversation, the FBI agent referred to Dean’s dad in the past tense, even before Dean did. How did he know that John was dead? John died under a fake name, after all.
Answer: Oops, I realized later that this isn’t a nag, but a clue. A hint about something that will probably come up in a future episode. Since I don’t want to involuntarily spoil any readers, I have hidden my theory about this clue. Click here to read it.The answer is simply, Gordon. I believe that Gordon used the Winchesters as his “get out of jail free” card. Gordon has made a deal with the feds for information that leads to the capture of the Winchesters in trade for his freedom. This explains why the agent knew so much about Sam and Dean, knew that John was dead, and even referred to Sam as “Bonnie” to Dean’s Clyde. Gordon would so think of Sammy as the girl.2) How did that shapeshifter end up in women’s underwear? It had been a man, twice, before duplicating Sherry whose clothes it did not have access to because she was inside the vault.
Answer: Actually, it came to me right after the show that the shifter had to be a female. It makes sense that, like any woman, a female shifter would prefer to wear her own underwear even when assuming the outward form of a man. Hmm, I wonder what the staff must have thought when they saw the bank manager’s panty lines beneath his dockers. - My Rating: Excellent episode! 4.5 out of 5 stars.
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