Review – Supernatural 7.18 “Party On, Garth”

Warning – contains HUGE episode spoilers

“I’m right here you idjit! Balls!”

If I wasn’t in love with Jim Beaver before, I sure as hell am now! Abominable Snowman movie my ass! Here I was, looking at all the pictures he was tweeting thinking…crikey, that looks cold! Here I was watching him at Burcon thinking...why haven’t the “Supernatural” Powers-That-Be rung Jim yet, booo on them. Yeah, like he’d tell us anyway. Then last night’s episode, “Party On, Garth” happens. An innocuous little amuser I will get to later…and I’m sitting on the couch, watching Sam and Dean leave the hotel room after a chat that left me feeling a tad sad…camera pulls back…pans left….OH. MY. GOD! The noise heard across Australia was Amy screaming! I screamed “Oh my God!” Then I screamed “Bobbbbbbby!” Then I cried. Then Dean remembered his flask. Then I gasped. Then I held my breath. Then Dean didn’t see Bobby. Oh no. Idjits. Balls. Then it kind of went something like this… Bobby, sob, sob, oh my God, oh my God, sob, sob, sob, Bobby, sob, huh, giggle, Bobby, gasping in air, ha ha ha, sniffle, oh I can’t…..tweet, tweet, tweet, laugh, sniffle, laugh, grin like an idiot. Grin for about 3 hours. Wake up grinning. Weeeeeeeee another “Supernatural” rollercoaster ride! Everyone please check your safety bar! Bobby. Yay! Mr Beaver, your pants were so on fire I’m surprised a national disaster was not declared! Abominable Snow man movie my ASS! I’m still laughing. Bad Jim, bad! He looks so trustworthy too! Bloody brilliant hoax. Really great acting by everyone at Burcon, like I’d expect less. My love for this show has grown even more, if that’s at all possible, because the cast and crew are such sneaky S.O.B.s! Because they worked so hard to keep us from being spoiled. Thank you. AbSno. Oh the laughter.

“Party, On Garth” was one of those onion episodes. There were layers. Sure the guts of it was an amusing MOTW story that required booze to be drunk for a purpose other than dulling pain, but under it all was another glimpse at how Sam and Dean are dealing with grief. The most surprising part of this is that they’re talking about it. Like, talking. Actually, talking. In a Sam and Dean way of course.

I was happy to see that we opened the episode with Dean on the phone to Meg, checking on Cas’ status. I was worried the Angel in question wouldn’t get a mention. It’s happened before. The big event of the previous episode sometimes fails to get a look-in, which usually irritates the hell out of me. But they’re checking in with Meg to see if there’s any change in Cas, which unfortunately, there isn’t….if Meg is to be believed of course. Let’s not forget, Lucifer is her boss after all. In this scene we also saw how guilty Sam is feeling about passing the crazy onto Cas. Like the tape in “The Ring.” This isn’t any surprise. Sam’s going to be feeling damn guilty. Also, I expect he’s still getting his custard sorted. Poor guy. Dean goes to talk to him about it, Sam says he doesn’t want to, Dean’s phone rings! Why does that always happen when we’re about to get a bit of bro chat? Saved by the damn bell. The fans get Garthed…again!

I like Garth. I didn’t really care for the wedding episode where he made his first appearance. Not because of Becky so much, though she was grating and not because as a fan I found her offensive, but because it just wasn’t funny and it just wasn’t that good. But Garth I liked. Dean’s right. He grows on you. How he’s alive I do not know, but he seems to get through it all somehow. He was savvy enough to put two and two together with the Japanese Booze Monster (with some help from Dean) and then to twig to the love child of the brewery owner, so I guess he’s got a hunter’s mind…just not a hunter’s body! Which is part of what makes him awesome. And of course, he figured the whole Bobby thing out pretty easily. I liked how he gently tried to raise the subject with Dean. He seems to get knocked out an awful lot though. Actually, they all do! I hope he doesn’t get killed off because I’ve always liked the idea of other hunters being out there that the brothers work with or run into from time to time. It fills out their claustrophobic Universe a little. Also, to kill Garth would seem extra cruel for some reason. He seems kinda defenceless somehow! You kinda want to protect him! Drunk on one beer? Like I said…how’d he ever survive? D.J. Qualls does a great job with this character and he’s one I hope we continue to see, every once in a while.

Speaking of drunk, drunk Dean is priceless. I wish we’d seen more of Sam and Dean drunk. That scene in the office was just getting good when Randy burst in. I literally laughed out loud when Dean spat his drink back into his glass. I replayed that little bit about 5 times. Just precious! And what was he drinking? Did you notice how Jensen stood when he was downing a glass of whatever that was supposed to be? Bend at the knees please! And Sam and his “So, he – he let that thing out of the box, and it must have just followed him to the place with all the thingies.” Ha! All the thingies! Then seeing drunk Sam commandeering that cab! “Brewery. Step on it!” The tiny little old cab driver who likes to “…drive safe you know.” I must admit I giggled an awful lot through “Party On, Garth”. I find Adam Glass, who wrote this one, fairly hit and miss, but he penned some pretty funny lines and scenes in this episode. I thought Sam’s side-swipe at Dean’s drinking was a bit mean though…he’s been doing so well lately! Maybe Sam didn’t notice like we did…bein that he was all crazy at the time. 

And then there was the Bobby talk. I loved that Garth was perceptive about the whole Ghost!Bobby situation. The EMF monitor going off around the flask, the idea that Bobby might be riding Dean’s wave (I love that idea so much). It’s something Dean doesn’t want to discuss, either because he doesn’t want to believe it or he really does and he doesn’t want that bubble burst. It’s the later right? He was pretty surprised that Sam had tried to contact Bobby without him. I love how these boys are sort of the opposite of what you think they’d be. Sam is so emotional. He’s the one who likes to talk, get it out, empathise. But then he’s the one who wants clear-cut answers. He’s the one to hit the books to try and find the truth. Dean is also emotional, but in a very different way. He’s explosive. He’s got walls in front of walls. He doesn’t like to feel his feelings. But when it comes to everything else, he goes by his gut. His gut has a pretty good accuracy rate I might add. He hadn’t tried to reach Bobby through traditional methods, he was just going with what he felt and he felt that Bobby was around. I think this was both his hunter instincts and wishful thinking. I think part of the reason he didn’t go for the truth and get out a talking board himself was because the disappointment might have been too much for him to bear. Which is also why I think Sam didn’t tell him. I love how different the brothers are in this sense and yet how they compliment each other. They are two halves of the one thought. Dean seemed to buy Sam’s version of what was going on, that it was just the way they saw things through their grief and their job. I also think Sam’s too scared to think it’s Bobby for the same reason Dean’s too scared find out it’s not. Disappointment. Like he said in “The Slice Girl’s” because they want it to be. Why would their luck change now? But it has! Yay! This whole talking to each other thing is just too awesome for words. Dean said it when he was drunk “I miss these talks.” Me too Dean, me too.

Some other bits I enjoyed in “Party On, Garth” were....the exasperated looks between Sam and Dean when they were with Garth. The grin Sam gave Dean when he teamed Dean up with Garth. Such a brother thing to do. Dean’s “We’ll talk about this later” to Sam when they were discussing Ghost!Bobby. I think he was channelling John there! Even I felt chastised! Mr Fizzles. At first I was with Dean, shut-up Mr Fizzles. But my whole attitude changed when Dean said he’d stick that sock puppet where the sun don’t shine and Mr Fizzles looked around shocked! That was pretty funny. I was onboard with the sock puppet after that. Did you notice…it got a credit! Dean creating a ‘spring’ over the sword as it was being blessed. Clever Dean makes me happy (every Dean makes me happy). The MOTW was creepy and nice and gory. Very Japanese horror movie in appearance, which I thought was nice synergy for the story concept and also the early reference to “The Ring.” “Come with me if you want to live.” This show quotes all my favourite movies! Garth’s insistence on hugging. Bless him! Bobby. Bobby. BOBBY!

So why can’t the boys see Bobby if he’s trying to be seen? He can affect an object, that’s obvious. He didn’t or couldn’t speak to Sam when Sam tried to contact him. He doesn’t seem to be able to show his presence when asked, like when Dean asked him to do something in the brewery…which was so damn heartbreaking. I want Dean to see Bobby so bad. So what’s the deal? Is he still learning the ghostly tricks as per “Death Takes A Holiday”? Or is there some other reason? Is something preventing him? I’m assuming that he knows a lot more about the Big Mouths than he was able to convey before he died, so I’m guessing he’ll be an integral part of their downfall, once he’s able to contact the boys that is. I want him corporeal again though. I don’t want Ghost!Bobby I want real, honest to goodness, grumpy old fully fleshed out Bobby. I’m so happy he’s back. So very, very happy.

To be perfectly honest, if Bobby hadn’t have popped up at the end there, “Party On, Garth” would have been enjoyable, but nothing out of the box. Certainly plenty of fun and laughs, but not an instant classic like some of the other comedic episodes we’ve had. But by adding in the Sam and Dean deep and meaningfuls and then the pulling the wool over our eyes with the whole Bobby suddenly appearing twist, it was elevated to something a bit special. I can’t remember the last time I was that surprised. This was another one of those episodes that seemed to be about something else, when on closer inspection, it was really about the season long emotional arc. That’s happened a lot in season seven and as drunk Dean would say…me likey.

So we have Cas and Bobby back…but not quite whole…now where’s the bloody Impala? For goodness sake give us back that damn car. Seriously, Sam and Dean don’t need the car to look conspicuous…I mean LOOK AT THEM. Please. They do tend to stand out somewhat on their own, errr, charms…. Bring back baby!

Now we have to wait 2 weeks to find out what happens next! Cruel, cruel and capricious CW. 

So were you happy to see Bobby back? What did you think of the episode? Thanks for reading! See you next time. Enjoy the promo for the new ep!

- Amy