Supernatural (TV Series) Folsom Prison Blues (2007) User Reviews

Not bad

[sociallyconfused · 9/10 · 29 May 2007]

Another day, another beastie.

This time our boys land in prison, supposedly for a routine breaking and entering. When I first saw this ep, I was a little surprised. Like Agent Whatshisface McBadass said, Dean and Sammy did a whole lot of crazy things (murder--accidental no less, grave desecration, and who knows what). So it's pretty shocking when they get busted because of a trippy motion detector.

Like I suspected the prison stint is a trap in order to hunt a particularly nasty ghost that is bumping off certain inmates and guards. Although it's not one of my absolute favorites, it's definitely worth checking out. Once again, Jensen Ackles shows off his acting chops. His one-liners while in jail are hysterical and at times I wondered how the hell he didn't get his butt kicked on the regular.

Jared is pretty much Sam normal. He looks so sweet and innocent in prison. That cute face would be like currency in the real world. In one of the funnier moments in the show, Sam points out that Dean seems to be a bit too comfortable in the midst of prison life.

Oh, and the boys' attorney. Mara. She's top notch.

Cryptic

[SicilianApache · 9/10 · 13 May 2007]

This episode of Supernatural is choked full of cryptic reference to visual penal folklore. The one liners abound as our boys Dean and Sam Winchester manage to have themselves incarcerated in a prison haunted by a spirit that is handing out death sentences without benefit of trial or verdict. The prison is run by an old friend of the Winchester brothers' father and he asks for their help in destroying the unearthly avenger. Among the guest cast is veteran character Jeff Kober and his role as the enigmatic old con Randall is such a treat to view. Kober,known as "the episodist" because he has guest starred on nearly every major series on television today, really adds flavor to an already dark and bloody episode that should rank as one of the best that Supernatural has served up since beginning in 2005.

It's all part of the plan.

[zombiehigh18 · 9/10 · 6 November 2011]

Instead of running away, The Winchester boys purposely get themselves arrested so that they can go to jail to hunt down a ghost that is killing inmates.

Sam thinks this is a stupid plan but Dean is all confident about it. In Jail, We see Sam as his true self; cute, sweet and so out of place. Though being a big guy himself, he seems a little bit scared of all the bigger guys in Jail hiding behind his big brother (Sam and Dean look way to small compared to those scary inmates) and worried about being held prisoner. (Sam has always been uncomfortable with the idea of being held in a place against his will, we always see him nervous and worried when he is tied up or imprisoned somewhere while Dean is always acting cool in similar situations), Dean on the other hand, is confident, he manages to adapt quickly to his new surroundings in prison. (As we have seen before, Dean effortlessly blends in in different places, see "Hook man", "Hollywood Babylon" and season 4's "After school special"). It's interesting that he always manages to have fun in any situation no matter how gloomy and so messed up it is.

In this episode FBI Agent Victor Henriksen also makes another surprising appearance threatening to Jeopardize Dean's plan. But the brothers manage to get themselves out of the situation in a nick of time as always.

I loved the fact that, Even though Dean is still angry with John for making the daemon deal, He is still keen to make his daddy proud, he pays his debts and helps his father's friends. It was also nice to see Dean's words about paying their debts to reach out to Sam, Who later acknowledged to Deacon that they owed him.

It was a nice change to see how the boys would survive without their usual assets, without their weapons and their research materials, depending on their brains and Dean's charisma with the ladies. And I have to refer that they looked exceptionally handsome in those orange suits.

"Calm down. It's all part of the plan."

[bensonmum2 · 8/10 · 15 July 2009]

I'm really starting to sound like a broken record when discussing these episodes of Supernatural, but "Folsom Prison Blues" is yet another rock solid entry in the series. In this one, a murderous entity is accidentally released when an old section of a prison is reopened. The spirit has its own ideas about justice and sets out to see that those who have done wrong get what they deserve. Sam and Dean are soon on the hunt, but how are they going to stop a ghost operating inside a jail?

"Folsom Prison Blues" has everything that I enjoy about Supernatural. Highlights include some incredibly spooky moments (with one that had my wife jumping out of her seat), atmosphere, interesting characters, nice fight scenes, a twist near the end, and lots of excellent humor. In fact, the humor in Supernatural seems to get better and better as the series goes along. Dean's whole take and attitude toward being in jail is very funny. This episode also sees the return of over-the-top FBI Agent Henricksen. It also sees the introduction of a new ally in the form of Public Defender Mara Daniels. I'd like to hope she makes a return appearance later in the series to give the boys a hand. With an episode this fun and with all its got going for it, I'll even let the whole ridiculous notion and ramifications of a plan where Sam and Dean are intentionally thrown into jail slide.

I love this one

[mm-39 · 10/10 · 20 July 2007]

Dean Winchester is funny. Sam and Dean go to prison. Dean fits in too well and Sam say do you see a problem with fitting in so well? Dean say no in very well adjusted manner. If one watches the show they see the humor of Sam and Dean's banter. The film quality, acting, and supporting actors make this show above average. The director's vision of cons and sets is great for the adage and ambiance of Folson prison blues. The old mind your own business con is great with his helpful but not too helpful attitude. Folson prison blues ends excellently, and the special effect are movie quality. 10 out of 10. Catch the re-run this Summer!

A Stupid Plan

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 24 July 2008]

When an old block is reopened in the Green River County Detention Center after thirty years, a fiend is released, killing the interns. Three months later, Dean and Sam are arrested during a heist to be sent to the haunted prison to help Deacon, a former friend of their father. While FBI Agent Victor Henricksen presses Dean, the public defender Mara Daniels believes the brothers are not guilty of most of the inconsistent charges against them, and helps the Winchester brothers in the end.

I initially agree with Sam that Dean's plan is absolutely stupid, breaking in a place to be arrested and sent to the haunted prison, especially when the arrogant agent Henricksen unexpectedly arrives in Green River. However, when Deacon's identity is disclosed, the plan seems to be reasonable. In the end, the twist with Mountainside and Green Valley cemeteries is hilarious. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "No Xadrez" ("In Jail")

Fantastic, yet justly unsettling

[dpasq-848-450917 · 9/10 · 7 January 2019]

The whole episode was great until their P.D. violates attorney-client privilege. Even if the feds caught the boys, no court in the land would ever convict. They would not only get off scott free, the DA would have to evacuate their past crimes, plus little miss public defender would be disbarred and gosh knows what else.

Dean is adorable

[shwetafabm · 10/10 · 28 May 2020]

The humour and mystery of this ep is pretty good. I am loving these ghost stories.

Solid episode but we get it: there is a ton of prison movies

[CubsandCulture · 8/10 · 17 September 2019]

This is a solid, if not an outstanding, episode. The script forwards the FBI wanted subplot organically by coming up with a nice case. Dean utterly fitting in at prison is pleasing as yup that is the social misfit we all love. Sam having different moral sensibilities as Dean is pleasing as well. There are just two downsides.

The first is the lawyer character is a plot device and her final act it utterly unbelievable because there is no set-up. (Just have her clam up instead?). Second, there are a ton of references to prison (or cop) shows/movies in this thing. They feel really stuck on for no reason. The French Connection reference is especially odd. The show had a bad tendency to do this at times-wearing its influences on its sleeve-but it is really pitched here.

one of the best episodes

[ahmhan-14247 · 9/10 · 18 June 2020]

Crazy plan , prison escape , dean and sam what you need after this ?

Great idea, poor execution

[janedoe5300 · 5/10 · 22 November 2021]

So there are a lot of problems here, as in plot elements that are not quite holes, but also don't make a lick of sense:

1: Why did they need to go inside the prison in the first place? They have a man inside, who's got access to everything. They can do their research from the outside as usual, call him, and he can do whatever he needs inside.

2: Okay, we buy it, they need to get locked up, fine. But now they've done the research, they found out it wasn't Moody, they know it's a nurse and she's probably buried somewhere outside the prison, the odds of her ALSO having left a ton of blood inside are slim to none. And even if she had, once again they got Deacon, he can burn a bed if they tell him too. Taking all this into account, Dean still argues to stay, even though they could just leave according to plan, and find out on their own what he asked the lawyer to find out.

3. The fake fight, that's fine and all, but it makes absolutely no sense to pick a fake fight over something real, it's just a cheap way to make a little plot twist, and it comes off dumb.

The elements that work are Dean seemingly being built for prison, and Sam worrying about it, and the Deacon twist is believable, even if you did see it coming. But the bad overshadows the good here, a little more thought put into the script and the premise could have turned out great.