Scenes I Love . . .
"Dead Man's Blood" (cont.)
Oh wait. I mean, wow, it’s John!
It’s a nice touch that before this happens, while they’re retrieving the letter from the post office box and while they're discussing it in the car, we see the brothers scanning around them for potential threats, specifically not to be caught off guard in this way. So, when John catches them out regardless, we can infer that he is extra special sneaky.
Having heard the news about Daniel, John has hot-footed it to Colorado. He reveals that he was watching the brothers while they searched Elkins’ cabin, and bestows some rare praise on the boys:
It seems Elkins was a mentor to John who taught him hunting skills in the early days after Mary’s death, but they “had kind of a falling out”. Perhaps Sam isn’t the only one who finds John difficult to get along with 😉 Either that, or hunters in general are just ornery so-and-sos. John takes the letter from the brothers and begins to read it. The SPN Companion provides a facsimile of the message. Whether it’s an actual copy of the original prop, or just Knight’s head canon of what it said isn’t clear, but it implies Daniel and John were peas in a pod:
John
If you are reading this, I'm already dead. I don't know who's more stubborn between us, but, well, you know. It's a damn shame to have to say goodbye this way. But if you knew the truth of it, you'd probably have killed me yourself. You see, old friend, I've got the colt. Least I HAD it - can't right say who or what might have it now. Check my safe, the combination's one you can remember - 3-8-2-11. If it ain't there, just follow the trail of my blood. I really do pray you get the gun. And put a silver bullet right between that bastard's yellow eyes.
The combination is certainly one that John is unlikely to forget: Mary’s date of death in reverse.
Having read the letter, John demands to know if the brothers saw an antique colt revolver at the cabin. When Sam questions him about it, he isn’t exactly forthcoming – the start of a pattern that will cause issues later:
Sam points out they don’t know what they’re hunting yet and, despite the evidence we saw to the contrary in the opening scene, John insists they’re what Elkins “killed best” 🤔 and we get the revelation that finally identifies the episode’s monster of the week:
The Supernatural Wiki has an interesting note about the cars the vampires are shown with:
The vampires in this episode drive classic muscle cars. They have a 1966 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray C2 and a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro RS/SS.
https://supernaturalwiki.com/1.20_Dead_Man%27s_Blood#Trivia_&_References
Perhaps the similarity between their chosen transport and Dean’s iconic Chevy draws a conscious parallel between the vampires and the Winchesters. After all, both are hunters of a kind, albeit with a different choice of prey.
When we’re first shown the pack’s intended prey, a young woman is teasing her date about his choice of fashion, a loud shirt that has a distinctly 70s look to it.
I wonder if this might be an in-joke for fans former Buffy fans; in the BtVS pilot she was able to spot a vampire because he was wearing dated, out of fashion clothes:
Might even be the same shirt 🤔
But, in our show, the fashion victim is literally just that . . . while an apparent road accident victim turns out to be the predator:
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The brothers retrieve a letter from the P. O. box, and it’s addressed to J. W.
As they sit in the car, debating whether to open it, there’s a knock on the window and Dean almost leaps out of his skin but, it turns out, it’s only John.
Oh wait. I mean, wow, it’s John!
It’s a nice touch that before this happens, while they’re retrieving the letter from the post office box and while they're discussing it in the car, we see the brothers scanning around them for potential threats, specifically not to be caught off guard in this way. So, when John catches them out regardless, we can infer that he is extra special sneaky.
Having heard the news about Daniel, John has hot-footed it to Colorado. He reveals that he was watching the brothers while they searched Elkins’ cabin, and bestows some rare praise on the boys:
SAM
(softly) Why didn't you come in Dad?
JOHN
You know why. Because I had to make sure you weren't followed.... by anyone or anything. Nice job of covering your tracks by the way.
DEAN
(looking a little proud) Yeah, well, we learned from the best.
https://supernaturalwiki.com/1.20_Dead_Man%27s_Blood_(transcript)
(softly) Why didn't you come in Dad?
JOHN
You know why. Because I had to make sure you weren't followed.... by anyone or anything. Nice job of covering your tracks by the way.
DEAN
(looking a little proud) Yeah, well, we learned from the best.
https://supernaturalwiki.com/1.20_Dead_Man%27s_Blood_(transcript)
It seems Elkins was a mentor to John who taught him hunting skills in the early days after Mary’s death, but they “had kind of a falling out”. Perhaps Sam isn’t the only one who finds John difficult to get along with 😉 Either that, or hunters in general are just ornery so-and-sos. John takes the letter from the brothers and begins to read it. The SPN Companion provides a facsimile of the message. Whether it’s an actual copy of the original prop, or just Knight’s head canon of what it said isn’t clear, but it implies Daniel and John were peas in a pod:
John
If you are reading this, I'm already dead. I don't know who's more stubborn between us, but, well, you know. It's a damn shame to have to say goodbye this way. But if you knew the truth of it, you'd probably have killed me yourself. You see, old friend, I've got the colt. Least I HAD it - can't right say who or what might have it now. Check my safe, the combination's one you can remember - 3-8-2-11. If it ain't there, just follow the trail of my blood. I really do pray you get the gun. And put a silver bullet right between that bastard's yellow eyes.
Nicholas Knight, Season 1 Official Companion (p.107)
The combination is certainly one that John is unlikely to forget: Mary’s date of death in reverse.
Having read the letter, John demands to know if the brothers saw an antique colt revolver at the cabin. When Sam questions him about it, he isn’t exactly forthcoming – the start of a pattern that will cause issues later:
JOHN
If Elkins was telling the truth, we gotta find this gun.
SAM
The gun -- why?
JOHN
Because it's important, that's why.
https://supernaturalwiki.com/1.20_Dead_Man%27s_Blood_(transcript)
If Elkins was telling the truth, we gotta find this gun.
SAM
The gun -- why?
JOHN
Because it's important, that's why.
https://supernaturalwiki.com/1.20_Dead_Man%27s_Blood_(transcript)
Sam points out they don’t know what they’re hunting yet and, despite the evidence we saw to the contrary in the opening scene, John insists they’re what Elkins “killed best” 🤔 and we get the revelation that finally identifies the episode’s monster of the week:
JOHN
They were what Daniel Elkins killed best: Vampires.
DEAN
Vampires? I thought there was no such thing.
SAM
You never even mentioned them, Dad.
JOHN
I thought they were extinct. I thought Elkins and -- and others had wiped them out. I was wrong.
(Ibid.)
Should have got that admission in writing; it may never happen again. 😉
They were what Daniel Elkins killed best: Vampires.
DEAN
Vampires? I thought there was no such thing.
SAM
You never even mentioned them, Dad.
JOHN
I thought they were extinct. I thought Elkins and -- and others had wiped them out. I was wrong.
(Ibid.)
Should have got that admission in writing; it may never happen again. 😉
Then we get John’s iconic speech that starts rewriting what viewers know about vampires, and begins to establish the Supernatural version in its place:
“Most vampire lore is crap. A cross won't repel them, sunlight won't kill them, and neither will a stake to the heart. But the bloodlust, that part's true. They need fresh human blood to survive. They were once people, so you won't know it's a vampire until it's too late.”
Significantly, he emphasizes that the blood must be fresh. This notably differentiated Supernatural vampires from the version popularized by Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel where reformed vampires could live off pigs’ blood from butchers and donated blood from hospitals. John’s speech makes it clear that this is not an option for these vampires. Even in SPN season 2 where Lenora’s nest have learned to live off cattle blood, it is still implied that it needs to be fresh from the animal. If it were not fresh, it would presumably be equivalent to “dead man’s blood” or, at the very least, couldn’t be guaranteed not to have come from a source that has since died. This point seems to be missed or forgotten in the show’s later seasons.
A nice directorial touch that, once again, highlights the show’s economy and efficiency in its storytelling is that John’s speech is given as a voiceover that plays across a scene where the vampires are partying by the side of a road as they wait to ambush unsuspecting travellers. In this way, a scene that might have been just static exposition in a conversation between John and his sons is conveyed while using visuals that are dynamic and interesting.
“Most vampire lore is crap. A cross won't repel them, sunlight won't kill them, and neither will a stake to the heart. But the bloodlust, that part's true. They need fresh human blood to survive. They were once people, so you won't know it's a vampire until it's too late.”
Significantly, he emphasizes that the blood must be fresh. This notably differentiated Supernatural vampires from the version popularized by Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel where reformed vampires could live off pigs’ blood from butchers and donated blood from hospitals. John’s speech makes it clear that this is not an option for these vampires. Even in SPN season 2 where Lenora’s nest have learned to live off cattle blood, it is still implied that it needs to be fresh from the animal. If it were not fresh, it would presumably be equivalent to “dead man’s blood” or, at the very least, couldn’t be guaranteed not to have come from a source that has since died. This point seems to be missed or forgotten in the show’s later seasons.
A nice directorial touch that, once again, highlights the show’s economy and efficiency in its storytelling is that John’s speech is given as a voiceover that plays across a scene where the vampires are partying by the side of a road as they wait to ambush unsuspecting travellers. In this way, a scene that might have been just static exposition in a conversation between John and his sons is conveyed while using visuals that are dynamic and interesting.
The Supernatural Wiki has an interesting note about the cars the vampires are shown with:
The vampires in this episode drive classic muscle cars. They have a 1966 Chevrolet Corvette Sting Ray C2 and a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro RS/SS.
https://supernaturalwiki.com/1.20_Dead_Man%27s_Blood#Trivia_&_References
Perhaps the similarity between their chosen transport and Dean’s iconic Chevy draws a conscious parallel between the vampires and the Winchesters. After all, both are hunters of a kind, albeit with a different choice of prey.
When we’re first shown the pack’s intended prey, a young woman is teasing her date about his choice of fashion, a loud shirt that has a distinctly 70s look to it.
I wonder if this might be an in-joke for fans former Buffy fans; in the BtVS pilot she was able to spot a vampire because he was wearing dated, out of fashion clothes:
Might even be the same shirt 🤔
BtVS s1e01
But, in our show, the fashion victim is literally just that . . . while an apparent road accident victim turns out to be the predator:
The scene showcases another SPN twist: rather than the more familiar Dracula fangs, a second set of particularly vicious looking teeth descends. John Shiban has explained that the inspiration behind this particular innovation was rooted in actual folklore:
“Certain vampires lived among people, and we figured they could only have done that if they had retractable fangs. We based the fangs on the idea of shark teeth in rows.”
Nicholas Knight, Season 1 Official Companion (p.109)
And, in the Supernatural: Then and Now podcast, assistant director and X Files alum Kevin Parks describes how the creepy visual was achieved with a mixture of practical and CGI effects: a shot was taken of the actor leering with his own teeth, then another with the prosthetics in place, and a post-production transition effect created the illusion of the second set descending. It’s a particularly visceral image that readily suggests the difference between the neat little puncture holes that we formerly associated with vampiric feeding, and a far more horrific impression of victims’ throats being torn out.
TBC
“Certain vampires lived among people, and we figured they could only have done that if they had retractable fangs. We based the fangs on the idea of shark teeth in rows.”
Nicholas Knight, Season 1 Official Companion (p.109)
And, in the Supernatural: Then and Now podcast, assistant director and X Files alum Kevin Parks describes how the creepy visual was achieved with a mixture of practical and CGI effects: a shot was taken of the actor leering with his own teeth, then another with the prosthetics in place, and a post-production transition effect created the illusion of the second set descending. It’s a particularly visceral image that readily suggests the difference between the neat little puncture holes that we formerly associated with vampiric feeding, and a far more horrific impression of victims’ throats being torn out.
TBC
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