Supernatural: Slumber Party, Review

First off, let’s get this out of the way. I thought a Wizard of Oz episode would be one of Supernatural‘s trademark funny episodes, like “Yellow Fever” or “Swap Meat.” Tonally, “Slumber Party” was a bit mixed. It was humorous, but not hilarious, and it wasn’t exactly a serious episode either. We have a different take on the classic Oz tale, as is very popular right now (see any updated fairy tale fodder, such as Once Upon a Time or Snow White and the Huntsman). This Dorothy is a hunter, and became one after experiencing a hellish time in the very dangerous land of Oz. No singing munchkins here. The Wicked Witch, our baddie of the episode, was also played to be a tough foe since she could possess people with a touch or kill with a green blast from her gnarly fingertips, but the theatrical overacting made her seem amusing instead of dangerous.

The return of Charlie is a highlight. She’s a bright eyed, geeky optimist, who now takes part in some hunting of her own but wishes it was all a bit more magical. She’s a great foil to the Dorothy character, who is a bit more gruff in nature. They naturally become a team at one point. Since revealing Charlie to be a lesbian in an earlier Charlie-centric episode, I’m surprised she doesn’t hit on Dorothy. I’m glad the writers avoid that, as it would have made Charlie seem way too desperate to have a girlfriend.

The big surprise of the episode was when the Witch blasts Charlie. Charlie doesn’t get up. Dean keeps repeating her name over and over again, and I thought, “No. They can’t possibly kill off Charlie in this kind of episode!” It wouldn’t be fair to do so, as nothing could be taken too seriously. It was all played too light, too on the cusp of a joke. When Ezekiel intervenes and brings Charlie back, he tells Dean he’ll have to stay in Sam longer now. Oh really? I thought you’d magically poof away halfway through the darn season (that was sarcasm, folks).

There’s also a theme here, or perhaps a cautionary tale, of the downfall of wishing for greater adventures. The 1940s hunter in the beginning of the episode wishes for adventure, and he’s killed indirectly by the Wicked Witch. Charlie wishes things were more magical and exciting…and she’s killed by the Wicked witch. We also see this theme heavily throughout the whole series of Supernatural. Dean and Sam, when discovering the prophet Chuck’s Supernatural books about their lives, even comment on the fans strange fascination with what they do.

A couple of fun references (Game of Thrones, the Supernatural novels being sold on Amazon, etc), a few light laughs, but overall not a stellar episode. I like that Charlie got to walk away into the Oz sunset with Dorothy at the end, on the way to her big adventure, but the episode mostly felt like filler.

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