Holiday themed episodes aren't always easy to pull off. It's difficult to find the balance between the regular feel of the show whilst injecting a healthy dose of the festive season. A Very Supernatural Christmas managed to do just that, it's an episode so good that it easily ranks inside my top 10 Supernatural episodes of all time.
The 8th episode from Season 3 sees Sam and Dean investigating a spree of killings that may be the work of Santa's evil brother. If any other show tried this they'd fail miserably, but in the case of Supernatural - an evil Santa? Ok, why not? It's an idea so dark and grisly, and really appeals to my demented side. Apparently the idea of an evil Santa actually has a place in real mythology, and though the episode ultimately doesn't go down that route the Pagan Gods it does introduce are equally creepy. Their penchant for ripping out teeth and fingernails are quite cringe-inducing.
The episode also gives us some flashbacks to the Winchester brothers childhood. These are done quite often throughout the series, especially in the early years of the show, but the Christmas element makes this one a bit more special. We find out how Dean got his necklace and why Sam doesn't like to celebrate Christmas. Ridge Canipe is a fantastic little Dean, and I especially like the scene where he tells Sam that monsters are real and Santa Claus doesn't exist. It feels like that was the moment which changed the course of Sam's life, and it's rather poignant that their father, John Winchester, wasn't there to see it.
The last few minutes of A Very Supernatural Christmas are the finest part of the episode, they contain some of the most emotional moments Supernatural has ever given us, and boy has it given us emotion over the years! In the final flashback to 1991, Dean tells Sam that their dad stopped by and dropped some presents off, but he soon admits that actually it was he who stole the presents from a neighbour in an attempt to give his little brother a normal Christmas. We see Sam giving Dean the necklace that he still wears 16 years later, and then flashforward to the present day as the brothers are swapping gifts again. In classic Supernatural style Dean gives Sam some adult magazines and shaving cream, whilst Sam gives Dean some oil for the Impala and a chocolate bar. Then the feels, as Sam fails to tell Dean that he loves him. It's one of my favorite moments in the entire series, from 200 plus episodes its the best brotherly bonding scene, and there have been many.
There's also plenty of trademark Supernatural humour throughout. I love that Dean doesn't have any knowledge of Dick Van Dyke's performance in Mary Poppins. It's not only a very funny throwaway line, but it also underscores the fact that Dean didn't have a normal childhood. I love it when the brothers break into evil Santa's trailer and find him with a bong and some alcohol, and it's hysterical when they then start singing Silent Night before he calls the police. Then there's Dean's use of the word "fudge", and the brothers posing as a wreath-loving couple to get more information about the creepy Pagan decorations, all these scenes crack me up. So although A Very Supernatural Christmas is quite a dark sombre episode, these moments of lightness help ease the tension.
Overall A Very Supernatural Christmas is the show at its very best. Exciting, revealing, heart-warming, poignant and tear inducing. The perfect Christmas episode.
