Supernatural 7.19 ‘Of Grave Importance’ recap & review: Smells Like Bobby Singer…and a Whole Lotta Dead People

Anyone else think we were going to come back from hiatus, to a happy reunion type episode? No? Well then I guess I’m the only one who is new here.

This episode is really what the show does so well.  In the spirit of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, it makes the plight of Sam, Dean and Bobby real, painful and something that will stick with you.  It’s episodes like this that make SPN more than just a genre show and a part of great television history.

Now that I got the mushy stuff out of the way – let’s get on with the recap.

Dean’s counting on fast food as the one thing he can always count on no matter how bleak things are.  Apparently Dean’s not been to a Taco Bell in the last year, but good for him, enjoying something that’s not alcohol.  Yay Dean.  He gets a call from a previously unknown character (whom they seem to have a past with despite the fact we’ve been told their circle was pretty small), Annie.  Annie reminds me a lot of Ellen and I am immediately over her.  If you want Ellen, have the original Ellen.  If not, let’s mix it up a little.  No need to have the gruff, no nonsense female huntress part 2.

Not-Ellen’s sorry to hear about Bobby and has found some of his books.  She offers them to the boys and Dean takes her up on it, agreeing to meet tomorrow for lunch.  In the meantime, she’s on a job at the most haunted house in the land.

We flash on two teenagers who should have been smarter than to choose the haunted mansion for their hook-up.  Whatever happened to a back seat of a Chevy?  Not-Ellen shows up and is wandering around as a ghost charges to two teens.  She finds their dead bodies, a door closes and we’re left with wondering if Not-Ellen will be joining Real Ellen for a drink at the Harvelle’s in the sky.

At lunch, Dean’s continuing his obsession with Dick Roman.  Dick’s funding another dig, which will come into play soon enough but not this episode.  After some snarking about the lack of knowledge they’ve got on Dick’s motives, Dean and Sam start worrying about Not-Ellen’s lateness, which they claim is unlike her.  Sadly, we find out — Bobby, Dean and Sam have all spent sometime with her in a fox hole.  Dean makes a comment about how that’s a lot of holes — seriously? That’s some blatant sexism because once upon a time, Dean was in a lot of holes himself.  Pot meet kettle.  However, I’m just so thrilled that both of them are kinda grossed out by the idea of sharing a woman I’m going to overlook it.  Sam, for his part, points out he was soulless at the time.

Dean’s back to drinking, using Bobby’s flask to Irish up his coffee, and let’s us know that as much as he wants to see Bobby, he knows it’s better this way.  His flask seems to disagree, moving slightly but neither of the guys notice.  They’re too busy wondering if they’ve been stood up.  Has that happened to either of them? Ever?  Even in a past life?  Didn’t think so.  They realize that something’s not right and set out to save Not-Ellen.

Dean’s flask is empty and Sam asks him to maybe pack it away.  Too many memories.  Poor Bobby is stuck in the car, unable to be seen or heard and thankfully Dean’s not ready to leave the flask behind.

Back at the motel, the boys come up to speed.  Annie’s found a spot the kids hang-out at before going missing; the old Van Ness House.  Bobby’s trying to get there attention by making the curtain shimmy and its heart breaking as he pleads with them to look at the right place at the right time.  Neither of them do and Jim Beaver sells Bobby’s frustration so well I imagine we’re all shrieking “the curtain! Look at the damn curtain!”  to no avail.

“Balls this is exhausting.”  You ain’t kidding Bobby.

They take off and leave the flask, trapping Bobby in the room because Bobby’s connected to them by his flask.  Dean’s alcoholism is good for something.  It keeps Bobby close.

The boys find Not-Ellen’s phone and continue the search as Bobby sees a well dressed man take another ghost (the one who told the teens they didn’t belong) to task.  I guess he broke some sort of ghost living under his roof rule.  Bobby’s trying to figure it out, when Not-Ellen calls out his name.

Off topic – does the LA Complex look like an even worse new Melrose Place than the last new Melrose Place they did?  Why do they keep trying this idea? If you want Melrose Place, rerun the show form the 90’s.

Not-Ellen can’t tell Bobby exactly how she died and is disappointed to learn Bobby slipped his reaper.  Judgy.   Bobby remembers a time when she liked his crazy and just no, I did NOT need that visual.

Not-Ellen thinks that it’s messed up Sam and Dean don’t even know Bobby’s here and maybe she’s more useful than I thought.

The haunted mansion really is ghost orientation for Bobby and Not-Ellen.  They meet a ghost who can move furniture and such and he gives them a bit of a lecture and a lesson.  He won’t talk about why there’s so many ghosts around and is snotty to Bobby about his ghostly abilities but he does give us a tip.  If you’re a ghost and you want to move something, you have option 1) being calm or option 2) losing your mind and doing the rage thing.  We also get shown again that all ghosts end up the same way, at best they deteriorate.  At worst they go crazy.  Not-Ellen doesn’t like it.  Me either, though I have no concern for Not-Ellen.

Poor Bobby.  There’s no winning for any of us here.  I don’t want Bobby to be gone forever, but I also don’t want him to go crazy.

A girly ghost checks out Not-Ellen and introduces herself as Victoria, a “fancy lady” which in today’s world is a hooker.  She’s the one who called Not-Ellen here. Victoria’s scared and wants to be freed from whatever’s holding her there.  The boys leave the house and Bobby poofs with them, leaving Not-Ellen to deal with Victoria and Bobby to grumble at the boys that they’re leaving the action.

The boys get a history lesson on the house, locals swear it’s haunted.  The historian explains Whitman Van Ness was the last heir and he lost the family fortune and the house became a bordello.  He died at 40 after taking in convicts, one being Dexter (the guy who we last saw with the now dead teens) who allegedly killed Van Ness’ fiancé on the eve of their wedding (and a bunch of hookers).  Nice guy.   While the boys are studying up (and being warned off the house), Bobby’s trying to work his ghost mojo on a lantern and can’t find his peaceful, calm center.  Shoulda done more yoga, Bobby.

“I can kill werewolves, fix a pinto and make corn bread, I will be damned if I can’t get Zen.”   Bobby gets it together and leaves a message on the mirror for Dean and Sam about Annie just as two more dumb teenagers enter the house to find out what happened to their friends.

Finally getting the message, Dean asks who’s there and Bobby says hello via the mirror.  Dean looks torn between terror and tears.  Sam puts it together that it’s the flask and as Bobby chides them to get their asses back to the house, Dean makes the same realization.   Not fast enough.  Dexter (convict ghost) is actually trying to warn the kids away, but Van Ness stops them.  Unsurprisingly, they die.  Surprisingly, Van Ness can kill ghosts.  That’s freaky.  Not-Ellen sees it all go down from her hiding place.

Victoria shows up and Not-Ellen orders her into helping.  Victoria lets Not-Ellen know that Van Ness can drain all the other ghosts, like he did with Dexter, and then light blub… no wait not yet… one more minute – ok light blub! Van Ness killed everyone in the house, not Dexter. Victoriadoesn’t know where the bodies are, but is following Not-Ellen’s order. Why… perhaps if you go out a hooker even in the afterlife you are looking for someone to act as your pimp.

The guys are back and searching for Not-Ellen.  Bobby pickpockets Dean, so he’s got the flask and can move about freely.  Not-Ellen gets the guys the camera the two teens had been making and they get a glimpse of Not-Ellen.  Not-Ellen insists to Victoria the boys can help if she tells the boys the story. Victoriagives them the 411 despite being insulted about being called a hooker again (oh Dean) and ends up getting devoured for her trouble.

The boys decide to go burn Van Ness’ bones before he can do anymore damage, but sadly for them, he’s dropped something into Sam’s pocket and goes on the ride with them.  Of course, Bobby’s stuck in the house with Annie because he took the flask outta Dean’s pocket.

We get another refresher on the history of the house (whore house, boarding house, school, speak easy) and Bobby continues to channel Swayze to open a secret passage that leads them to all the corpses Van Ness has collected.  Bet that room smells great.

Not-Ellen and Bobby have a heart to heart about being dead and whether there is a heaven or hell.  Despite knowing there’s a heaven, Bobby’s undecided and feels most likely one is just gone.  Aw Bobby.  The boys would be in your heaven!  Not-Ellen thinks just gone would be better than being a ghost; she just wants some peace after her lonely life.  Apparently I’m supposed to forget this lonely life also includes fox hole time with Bobby, Dean, Sam and probably a few others.  It wasn’t so bad Not-Ellen.

Van Ness takes over a car and nearly kills Dean and Sam – which would be too ironic of a death for these boys. There’s a bit of a scuffle as they figure out that he put something on them in order to leave the house, but they find it. Dean then shoots just before Van Ness finishes off Sam.  Unfortunately, this sends him back to the haunted mansion and he almost burns up Bobby.  The boy’s salt and burn him just in time and Bobby’s saved, though he passed out a bit for awhile … perhaps working on finding his chi.

When they get back to the haunted mansion, we finally get the reunion we’ve been waiting for.  They come face to face with Bobby and we’re all surprised they can see him (and thrilled).  Bobby gives the boys back his flask and the boys want to know how he got stuck.  He admits he wanted to stay which causes Sam and Dean some concern.  They don’t want this for him (well we don’t want him gone either so rock vs. hard place boys.  Suck it up).  Bobby tells the boys it’s time to put the other ghosts to rest and they go upstairs to do a large salt and burn.  Bobby reminds Dean to keep the flask away from the fire and I worry for a second that Dean’s not going to listen but thankfully Bobby’s still around after Not-Ellen and company are sent to the great beyond.

Bobby’s feeling sad about Not-Ellen’s departure and talks about knowing her differently then they did (apparently he wasn’t there for the share session at the motel). They squirm before getting into the heavy stuff.

Dean says “I love you” the only way he really knows how, he lectures.  They gave Bobby a hunter’s funeral; they wanted him to have heaven.   Bobby says “I love you boys too much to leave you” by insisting the work was too important to leave.  It’s sad and horrible and why can’t anyone just say “I love you” on this show!

Dean locks the flask in the trunk for safe keeping. In the car Sam, reverting back to little brother, wonders what they should do.  Dean’s at a loss, all he knows is the odds are against this ending well.  And he’s right.  It’s not the natural order, everything is supposed to end.  But hearing it from Dean, who brought his brother back to life by literally dying and going to hell before being brought back himself, is frustrating.  The odds are against it, but man, the universe owes us all one.

While they ponder what to do about Bobby, we cut to our favorite flannelled ghost in the back.  With just one look we know his heart his breaking as much as ours.  And Sam’s And Dean’s.  Yeah, the odds probably aren’t with us on this.  Heartbreaking this show.

So did you love it? Hate it? Are you worried the boys will have to burn Bobby’s flask and he’ll be gone forever.  Tell me in comments!