Supernatural - Bloody Mary

 This could have been just a fun Spirit of the Week episode of Supernatural, but I appreciated including Sam's torment arc in regards to his lost love, Jessica, and how he is not only continuously haunted by nightmares of her death but so guilt-stricken he just can't forgive himself, taking responsibility. Dean has tried to snap Sam out of it, but, nonetheless, Sam continues to carry around such shame he can't forgive himself. 

Much like "The X-Files", Supernatural could pull from all the folklore and folk legends for stories. In the case of Bloody Mary, Sam's shame could be used almost in his undoing when he calls her name in front of a mirror, awaiting her presence in order to smash the glass, hopefully stopping her murder spree. Dean and Sam investigate the death of a father after his kid daughter called for Bloody Mary (saying her name three times in front of a mirror, in the dark with just a lit candle), wondering what exactly was responsible.

 Through the use of a blue light Dean and Sam find names on mirrors indicating to them why each victim was killed by Bloody Mary. For instance, the father's wife died of a drug overdose from pills...it would seem he might have actually killed her, covering it up with the overdose. Dean and Sam, when getting information from the dead father's daughters (one a teenager with quite an attitude who isn't so hospitable while the younger daughter willingly admits she feels to blame for her daddy's demise since she called on Bloody Mary during a friend sleepover), investigate the bedroom, eventually encountering a teenager named Charlie (Marnette Patterson), wondering why they are snooping around. 

When Charlie eventually sees Mary (luckily not maintaining a lengthy look at her reflection) thanks to the dead father's teenage daughter (who mocks Charlie for even considering Bloody Mary plausible), Sam and Dean learn from her that she was dating someone who committed suicide...Charlie blamed herself for his doing so, telling them she walked away from him after he claimed he'd end his life if she left the house. So Sam can relate with Charlie about that guilt, the blame for something that she probably couldn't have stopped even if she wanted to. Also killed by Mary was Charlie's friend, a teenager named Jill (Chelan Simmons), the name of a boy killed in a hit and run found by the blue light when Sam and Dean looked on Jill's mirror for evidence of a possible motive. 

While Supernatural hadn't yet really built on its foundational lore, still more or less The Sam and Dean Adventures, I don't mind the threats they are up against so far. Bloody Mary is a bit too much like Samara from The Ring (2002), even crawling out of a mirror with twisting limbs and pale skin (and long black hair), for my taste, but I figure when one thinks of that specter, this is the description that comes to mind.

I really liked Patterson as the inquisitive Charlie, a teenager who inserted herself into the investigation, at her eventual near peril. I enjoyed a scene in a classroom where Charlie sees Mary in glass everywhere as students and her teacher are startled by her freak out. I had anticipated the dead father's daughters might be more involved, but the investigation instead pointed out why Mary was targeting specific people. I did appreciate the finale where Sam is bleeding from the eyes, dropped to his knees, as the reflection by Mary condemns him for being responsible for not alerting Jessica to his experiences and what personally happened to him. There is also a nice moment, I thought, where Dean tries to console and help his brother come to grips with the tragedy and not burden his soul with it day in and day out until it kills him, doing so in their car as a major rainfall takes place outside. 3/5