Supernatural - My Bloody Valentine

Famine and Cupid in the episode; only Supernatural, right? Famine (one of the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse) has “encouraged” a pervasive “hunger of the soul” causing everyone to “embrace” quite passionately and violently whatever they desire for more than anything else. That could be sex or booze or food. Whatever that chief desire hungered for is causes each person to go after it without abandon or restraint. So a couple desiring absolute companionship at the beginning of My Bloody Valentine (the title influencing me to watch the episode) starts literally devouring each other! In a fast food restaurant, a cook grabs fries from hot grease and jams them in his mouth. Sam ever so craves demon blood. One woman stuffs her clothes with dollar bills. A couple makes out in front of anyone totally unaware of the openness of their act. It is Famine turning loose a hunger just devouring those in the city he currently inhabits. He wants Sam and sends emissaries out to find him. Admitting later once Sam is before him that demon emissaries were meant for him to consume blood from, Famine seizes upon the chance to see how powerful Sam is, learning of that also when demons consumed by him are sent back to hell. So Famine is one of the Four but those he consumed aren’t as powerful as he so Sam tricks him. Why Dean isn’t inflicted with some type of inner craving Famine concludes is because he’s dead inside…so this sets off Dean’s emotional turmoil. Sam and the demon blood addiction is further emphasized. Trips to the coroner to study what is left of the couple at the beginning offers a clue to Sam he investigates with Dean. Soon Castiel enters the picture, his human vessel overcome with the hunger for red meat. This comes with the White Castle line from Dean to Castiel. Famine being this frail, measly man is quite a visual oddity considering you’d expect him to be a bit more intimidating physically. Instead of that Famine is painted as cadaverous and deteriorated. Cupid linked to Dean and Sam’s parents brought together, with Dean actually punching Cupid, must have been quite a development in the writer’s room, certainly inspired. Cupid as this cheery, portly type (Lex Medlin) who loves to hug and smile is hilarious when you see him in the same room as the intense Dean who doesn’t do “touchy-feely”. Sam’s addiction certainly is significantly worsened by Famine’s arrival. Ruby’s knife is used by Sam to do some cutting, a chance encounter with an emissary of Famine’s proving just that. “Cupid’s gone rogue”…only on this show can Cupid, at the onset, be painted as potentially dangerous. Dean recognizes he needs help…requesting it from Heaven. Sam also needs help…and a detox is in order. This episode touches on specifically important developments for the main leads with both not doing well. Trips to the coroner’s office to study bodies brought in has Sam realizing that the situation has gotten quite dire…this never more true than when the coroner becomes a victim on the same slab as victims he was investigating!