TVSquad

(S01E15) I was a little bit skeptical coming into the episode this week. The promo at the end of the show last week, and running during other shows this week, was a little bit out there. After 36 pretty solid episodes though, I'm willing to give Kripke and his crew the benefit of the doubt. So I entered into "Tall Tales" with an open mind.

Fortunately for all of us, they were more than up to the task and delivered another standout episode. This one certainly took a turn to the comedic, but it was a welcome diversion.

One that called to mind such classics as The X-Files episode "Bad Blood." As we enter the last third of Supernatural's sophomore season, this was a nice pallet cleanser to get us ready for some of the dark things that must surely be headed for the Winchester boys.

With such a crazy episode, it's hard to even know where to begin. Since I mentioned "Bad Blood," let's start there. What I thought was one of the best parts of the show, and jogged that part of my melon where I store those old X-Files episodes, was the dueling recollections from Sam and Dean. The "one week/one month/three days earlier" device is something that I think may have been brought out a little too often in TV lately, but it worked well in this case. Seeing the way that each of them colored their versions of the story was very fun. Kudos to both Ackles and Padalecki for the way they played it too. Especially Padalecki when Dean recounts their adventure in the bar. Prissy, uptight Sam was a riot.

Seeing Bobby (Jim Beaver) again so soon was a nice surprise. Having him act as mediator, as well as mentor, was a good way to go about the story. He looked positively exasperated a couple times dealing with these two knuckleheads. And I have to say, the light bulb didn't go on over my head until he explained that a trickster was behind the pranks with the laptop and the Impala.

I liked all three of the mini-mysteries leading up to the big trickster showdown. The first one, with "Modern Morality" author Arthur Cox, reminded me of the woman in white from "Pilot." A nice choice. While it seemed odd to be repeating something like that, it was normal enough for Supernatural to give a false sense of what was to come. It made the reveal of the alien abduction all the better.

Speaking of the abduction of Curtis (David Tom, Veronica Mars), I have to agree with Dean. The alien slow dancing to "Lady In Red" was a nice touch. And the way he went on and on about the probing... "Again and again and again and again...and then one more time." Funny stuff.The alligator in the sewer didn't get as much play as the alien, but I thought it was the perfect choice to round out the trio. That is such a classic urban legend.

The final showdown with the janitor (Richard Speight, Jr., The Agency) wrapped it up nicely, at least until we came back from that last commercial break. It was pretty obvious that the fight with Sam was happening for the janitor's benefit, but that didn't take away from the rest of the scene.

The conversation Dean had with the janitor before things went all Texas Chainsaw Massacre was interesting. Their mutual admiration for each other was a nice twist to the normal hunter/spirit exchange. The janitor just seemed so giddy to be there, and so sure of himself. The lingerie babes to tempt Dean were a nice play, but we all know you can't buy off a Winchester that easy. When the excrement finally did hit the rotational air circulation device, it was a nice action scene. It's hard to beat chainsaws when you are looking for mayhem.

As far as that little twist ending where the trickster that the boys killed was actually another of its creations, I liked it. That's a little something for the Supernatural team to put in their back pocket, possibly for when they need a little levity in season three (crosses fingers). Overall, absolutely no progress to be found anywhere on the overall story, and I just didn't care. Everything about this episode was fun, and for that I give it two thumbs up, three silver bullets, or four bottles of holy water. Whatever scale you want to use, an excellent episode.