TVSquad

(S03E13) Good grief, has it really been two months? Finally, after eight weeks with no new episodes, the Winchesters return to reclaim their Thursday home. Just to get everyone back up to speed: Here's how it is. Earth got used up. We moved out... wait. That's a completely different show. When last we left Sam and Dean, they had just spent the night fighting off a gaggle of demons, and we got our first look at the new big bad in town, Lilith. You might have been expecting to pick things up there with the new episode. No such luck. Lilith was nowhere to be found, but that isn't a bad thing. Despite the main story being placed on the back burner, the episode was a home run.

Gallery: Supernatural

It's probably best to begin by going backwards. In a nice bit of continuity, "Ghostfacers" marks the return of two season one characters. We first met Ed Zeddmore (A.J. Buckley) and Harry Spangler (Travis Wester) in the season one episode "Hell House." And these two episodes share more than just a cast list. They also both rely on a careful balance between the scary, and the funny. It's something I've mentioned before, but I'll say it again, when the Supernatural team sets it's mind to doing comedy, they do it very well.

There were a lot of good laughs, with Ed and Harry carrying the lion's share of the load. They really are two great characters. I don't think it would really work as a weekly series, but I certainly wouldn't be against the idea of seeing them show up again in season five. (Hey, season four is official, so we can start thinking about season five, right?) The writers got them just right, and really sold it with all the little details. Things like their car, a Gremlin. Or how they bragged that they pretty much call the shots at the Kinko's where they work. Their cheer, "Spin the tires and light the fires, Ghostfacers on three." Ed's Clinton thumb move. And especially their intro and outro for the episode. I loved how Harry had to do his air quotes with only his right hand because his left was occupied with his brandy snifter.

Of course, Ed and Harry weren't alone this time. Their team has grown and I liked the new additions. Spruce (Austin Basis), who is 15/16ths Jew, and 1/16th Cherokee, the adopted Maggie (Brittany Ishibashi), and would be hero Corbett (Dustin Milligan), were all well cast. You have to respect Spruce's devotion to his craft. I was thinking the same thing as Sam turned to ask him, "Seriously? You're still rolling?"

As I said earlier, the episode relied on balance. The Ghostfacers were funny, but that wasn't going to carry the episode. It needed some good old fashioned Supernatural suspense. For that, we turn to the last resident of Morton House, Dagget (John DeSantis). Few people bring the scary like John DeSantis. The Canadian has been a regular on my television over the last couple years with good turns in Blade, Painkiller Jane, Flash Gordon, and The Dresden Files. He delivered again here. Creepy.

From the time Sam and Dean entered the house, things took a decidedly darker turn. There was great tension as they tried to get all of the kids out of the house. So much chaos with people running everywhere. It was like they were herding cats. And when Sam disappeared, it took it up a notch. The death echoes were a nice effect, and a great way to lead up to the reveal of just what the story of the Morton house was.

The gruesome killing of Corbett was a classic, cringe inducing, Supernatural moment. And it did lead to what was a surprisingly touching scene between Ed and Corbett. It was all set up very well with Sam's explanation about being able to break the spirits out of their loops, and Corbett's obvious infatuation with Ed. The only thing approaching a complaint I have about the episode would be the final showdown with Corbett and Dagget. I would have liked to see a little more of that. I suspect we can chalk that up to budgetary restrictions though. Still, that's a small mark against what was an overall outstanding outing.

The Morton House story probably could have stood on its own and been a fully serious episode. We've seen demented spirits acting out repeating patterns before. Swap out the Ghostfacers bits with Sam and Dean in the town doing some legwork and you'd have a pretty solid entry. But just as the Ghostfacers side of the episode was improved by the suspense, the monster of the week side was improved by the comedy. It took what would have been a good, yet routine, episode and gave it a little something special. Just the kind of thing for making a return to the schedule.

As far as our big picture story goes, there were only a couple of minor nuggets here. Sam let on early in the episode that Dean only has two months left. So, we're getting down to brass tacks. Something has to be done about the deal, and soon. We also got a little nod to "Jus In Belo" as the boys destroyed all of the evidence from the night. Remember, they are now presumed dead. They can't afford to be showing up on FEARnet's new reality show. With only three episodes to go in our shortened third season, we should get moving on all of that straight away.

One other small scene that really stood out to me was the arrival of Sam and Dean at Morton house. As soon as you heard the engine, you knew exactly what it was. And then "We're An American Band" fades in and the boys roll by in the Impala. Perfect. Finally, if you take nothing else from this episode, just remember, gay love can pierce through the veil of death, and save the day. RIP Corbett.