"Scarecrow" is "Jeepers Creepers" meets Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery." The movie had a killer scarecrow chasing a pair of siblings. The short story revolved around a small town sacrificing its citizens once a year for the good of the greater community. "Scarecrow" is also the episode that solidifies Sam & Dean's team once and for all. After this episode, it's the two of them against the world: With Sam's restless desire to find John and kill the demon quieted slightly and some of Dean's blind loyalty to his father shifting irreversibly towards his little brother. It's an episode that reinforces how much they need each other. All in all, "Scarecrow" is a strong episode.
"Scarecrow" basically picks up where "Asylum" left off. John calls the boys and tells them that he's on the trail of the demon who killed Mary and Jessica. Sam takes the call and grows increasingly frustrated as John tells him that they have to stop looking for him. Instead, he wants the boys to look into some disappearances in Indiana. Sam insists that they should ignore John's orders and go to Califonia, instead. (They traced the area code he called from to Sacremento.) Dean is genuinely shocked by the idea of ignoring John's instructions. Sam's assertions that they don't HAVE to listen to John strike him as being disloyal. Sam accuses Dean of being blindly devoted to John. The argument escalates and soon Sam is slamming out of the Impala, saying that he's going to California without Dean and Dean is driving off in a rage.
By the next morning both brothers are traveling alone and resisting the urge to call and check on the other. Dean finds himself in a small town, where he finds the missing man, dried out and being used as a "fugly" scarecrow in an apple orchard. Everyone in town seems shady, except the niece of the gas station owners. She explains to Dean that the town is blessed for some reason. Dean is suspicious that there's some kind of harvest god at work. After he saves another couple from being scarecrow food, he heads off to the community college to investigate local legends.
Meanwhile, Sam is hitchhiking when he meets a sultry blonde named Meg. When Sam and Dean finally talk, Dean launches into a apologetic speech where he admits that he admires Sam's independence and ability to stand up to John. He wishes Sam well. Dean's words seem to upset Sam, rather than reassure him. If he begins reconsidering his plan to head off alone, he's really regretting leaving Dean a few hours later when he can't reach Dean, at all. Meg tries to talk him out of going back to find Dean. Sam insists that he doesn't have a choice. Dean is his family.
Another family is not feeling so selfless. The gas station owner has tied up his niece and Dean ready to scarified them to the scarecrow god. The town kills one couple a year as a sacrifice to the god in order to keep the whole community safe. Dean is not thrilled to be doing his civic duty. Luckily, Sam shows up and saves him. In short order, the scarecrow had killed the gas station owner, the niece has killed the scarecrow and Sam and Dean are heading off, together again. The episode ends with the reveal that Meg is really a demon and she's been tracking Sam & Dean.
There are some fun parts to this episode. I really like the brothers' fight. It's very realistic and, really, you can see both sides. I wonder how much different the fight would have ended had it occurred later in the season. The longer Sam & Dean work together, the closer they get. At a certain point in the series, I think that Dean would have just gone with Sam to California, trusting his brother's instincts, rather than leave him behind. I also like the creepy small town in this episode. Dean's assertion that the gruff café owner's smile could "light up a room" just cracks me up. And he's so BAD at getting people to trust him. He ends up scaring the potential victims more than the actual people trying to kill them. Also, I always enjoy Dean visiting colleges and freaking out professors with his questions about monsters. (See also season two's "What is and What Should Never Be.") Plus, the line "I hope your apple pie is friggin' worth it!" makes me laugh every time.
This episode has a not too subtle theme of family. The gas station owner and his wife will sacrifice their niece, because to them love is sacrifice. But they are unwilling to sacrifice themselves in her place. They fight as the scarecrow drags them away. John might love his sons, but he's emotionally distant from them. He doesn't know how to include them in his life and he doesn't believe that they make him stronger. For him, love is weakness and he doesn't trust it. So, he's alone. For Sam and Dean, though, their love is what gives them their strength. As soon as they separate, Dean is captured by a scarecrow god and Sam is picked-up by a demon. It's only their bond that saves them. Sam leaves Meg to go find Dean, probably saving both his own life and his brother's in the process. They are the only "family" that functioning, trusting each other, and strong at the end.
On the down side, I really wanted those creepy towns-folk to get some comeuppance.
My favorite part of the episode: Sam's speech to Dean at the end. He explains that their mom and Jessica are gone. John has left them. All they have is each other now. Dean's sarcastic, "Hold me, Sam. That was beautiful," doesn't do a thing to hide the fact that he's relieved and touched that Sammy's sticking with him.
"Scarecrow" basically picks up where "Asylum" left off. John calls the boys and tells them that he's on the trail of the demon who killed Mary and Jessica. Sam takes the call and grows increasingly frustrated as John tells him that they have to stop looking for him. Instead, he wants the boys to look into some disappearances in Indiana. Sam insists that they should ignore John's orders and go to Califonia, instead. (They traced the area code he called from to Sacremento.) Dean is genuinely shocked by the idea of ignoring John's instructions. Sam's assertions that they don't HAVE to listen to John strike him as being disloyal. Sam accuses Dean of being blindly devoted to John. The argument escalates and soon Sam is slamming out of the Impala, saying that he's going to California without Dean and Dean is driving off in a rage.
By the next morning both brothers are traveling alone and resisting the urge to call and check on the other. Dean finds himself in a small town, where he finds the missing man, dried out and being used as a "fugly" scarecrow in an apple orchard. Everyone in town seems shady, except the niece of the gas station owners. She explains to Dean that the town is blessed for some reason. Dean is suspicious that there's some kind of harvest god at work. After he saves another couple from being scarecrow food, he heads off to the community college to investigate local legends.
Meanwhile, Sam is hitchhiking when he meets a sultry blonde named Meg. When Sam and Dean finally talk, Dean launches into a apologetic speech where he admits that he admires Sam's independence and ability to stand up to John. He wishes Sam well. Dean's words seem to upset Sam, rather than reassure him. If he begins reconsidering his plan to head off alone, he's really regretting leaving Dean a few hours later when he can't reach Dean, at all. Meg tries to talk him out of going back to find Dean. Sam insists that he doesn't have a choice. Dean is his family.
Another family is not feeling so selfless. The gas station owner has tied up his niece and Dean ready to scarified them to the scarecrow god. The town kills one couple a year as a sacrifice to the god in order to keep the whole community safe. Dean is not thrilled to be doing his civic duty. Luckily, Sam shows up and saves him. In short order, the scarecrow had killed the gas station owner, the niece has killed the scarecrow and Sam and Dean are heading off, together again. The episode ends with the reveal that Meg is really a demon and she's been tracking Sam & Dean.
There are some fun parts to this episode. I really like the brothers' fight. It's very realistic and, really, you can see both sides. I wonder how much different the fight would have ended had it occurred later in the season. The longer Sam & Dean work together, the closer they get. At a certain point in the series, I think that Dean would have just gone with Sam to California, trusting his brother's instincts, rather than leave him behind. I also like the creepy small town in this episode. Dean's assertion that the gruff café owner's smile could "light up a room" just cracks me up. And he's so BAD at getting people to trust him. He ends up scaring the potential victims more than the actual people trying to kill them. Also, I always enjoy Dean visiting colleges and freaking out professors with his questions about monsters. (See also season two's "What is and What Should Never Be.") Plus, the line "I hope your apple pie is friggin' worth it!" makes me laugh every time.
This episode has a not too subtle theme of family. The gas station owner and his wife will sacrifice their niece, because to them love is sacrifice. But they are unwilling to sacrifice themselves in her place. They fight as the scarecrow drags them away. John might love his sons, but he's emotionally distant from them. He doesn't know how to include them in his life and he doesn't believe that they make him stronger. For him, love is weakness and he doesn't trust it. So, he's alone. For Sam and Dean, though, their love is what gives them their strength. As soon as they separate, Dean is captured by a scarecrow god and Sam is picked-up by a demon. It's only their bond that saves them. Sam leaves Meg to go find Dean, probably saving both his own life and his brother's in the process. They are the only "family" that functioning, trusting each other, and strong at the end.
On the down side, I really wanted those creepy towns-folk to get some comeuppance.
My favorite part of the episode: Sam's speech to Dean at the end. He explains that their mom and Jessica are gone. John has left them. All they have is each other now. Dean's sarcastic, "Hold me, Sam. That was beautiful," doesn't do a thing to hide the fact that he's relieved and touched that Sammy's sticking with him.
