History Recap / SupernaturalS01E01Pilot

* ICantDoThisOnMyOwn: Sam and Dean have been estranged for several years when Dean shows up to recruit Sam to help him find their dad. Sam is reluctant to join, but Dean insists he needs his brother.

The brothers track down the last creature John was hunting, [[Characters/SupernaturalGhosts a Woman in White]] named Constance Welch, who had killed her children and then herself after learning her husband was cheating on her. Constance's ghost kills unfaithful men who drive across the bridge she jumped off of. Sam and Dean force her to return home to confront the waiting spirits of her children, who destroy her, and she vanishes, screaming. They also find John's journal, full of all his information on various creatures as well as the record of his hunt for the creature that killed Mary, but they can't find John.

The brothers track down the last creature John was hunting, [[Characters/SupernaturalGhosts a Woman in White]] named Constance Welch, who had killed her children and then herself after learning her husband was cheating on her. Constance's ghost kills unfaithful men who drive across the bridge she jumped off of. Sam and Dean force her to return home to confront the waiting spirits of her children, and she vanishes, screaming. They also find John's journal, full of all his information on various creatures as well as the record of his hunt for the creature that killed Mary, but they can't find John.

On November 2, 1983, [[Characters/SupernaturalTheWinchesters Mary Winchester]] was killed in the family home in [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence,_Kansas Lawrence, Kansas]], by an unknown supernatural creature, in front of her husband [[Characters/SupernaturalTheWinchesters John]] and her sons, [[Characters/SupernaturalDeanWinchester Dean]] and [[Characters/SupernaturalSamWinchester Sam]]. In the present day, Sam is a law student at [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_University Standford University]] with a loving girlfriend named [[Characters/SupernaturalOtherHumans Jessica]] and a promising career--until Dean arrives, asking for help in tracking down their father. John has been on one of his frequent "hunting" trips, where he tracks down and kills supernatural creatures: John and the boys have been doing this since their mother's death, but Sam left the hunting life to attend college after a falling-out with his father. John hasn't returned from his latest trip, and Dean is worried. Sam agrees to help Dean look for their father.

* AMinorKidroduction

-->'''Dean:''' My boots.

* Wham Shot: Jessica burning pinned on the ceiling.

-->'''Dean:''' My boobs.

-->'''Sam:''' Hey, Dean, what I said earlier about Mon and Dad, I'm sorry.

On November 2, 1983, [[Characters/SupernaturalTheWinchesters Mary Winchester]] was killed in the family home in [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence,_Kansas Lawrence, Kansas,]] by an unknown supernatural creature, in front of her husband [[Characters/SupernaturalTheWinchesters John]] and her sons, [[Characters/SupernaturalDeanWinchester Dean]] and [[Characters/SupernaturalSamWinchester Sam]]. In the present day, Sam is a law student at [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_University Standford University]] with a loving girlfriend named [[Characters/SupernaturalOtherHumans Jessica]] and a promising career--until Dean arrives, asking for help in tracking down their father. John has been on one of his frequent "hunting" trips, where he tracks down and kills supernatural creatures: John and the boys have been doing this since their mother's death, but Sam left the hunting life to attend college after a falling-out with his father. John hasn't returned from his latest trip, and Dean is worried. Sam agrees to help Dean look for their father.

* AttackHello: The brothers' reunion at Stanford, at least on Dean's part, although with Sam, it's more a case of FriendOrFoe.

--> '''Sam:''' You know, Sammy is a chubby twelve-year-old. It's Sam, okay?

* NostalgiaFilter: Dean listens to music from the 60s-90s on a tape deck.

On November 2, 1983, [[Characters/SupernaturalTheWinchesters Mary Winchester]] was killed in the family home in [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lawrence,_Kansas Lawrence, Kansas,]] by an unknown supernatural creature, in front of her husband [[Characters/SupernaturalTheWinchesters John]] and her sons, [[Characters/SupernaturalDeanWinchester Dean]] and [[Characters/SupernaturalSamWinchester Sam]]. In the present day, Sam is a law student at [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanford_University Standford University]] with a loving girlfriend named [[Characters/SupernaturalOtherHumans Jessica]] and a promising career--until Dean arrives, asking for help in tracking down their father. John has been on one of his frequent "hunting" trips, where he tracks down and kills supernatural creatures: John and the boys have been doing this since their mother's death, but Sam left the hunting life after a falling out with his father. John hasn't returned from his latest trip, and Dean is worried. Sam agrees to help Dean look for their father.

Sam returns to Stanford, but when he returns to his dorm, he finds Jessica suspended on the ceiling, bleeding and consumed by fire: the exact same way his mother died. Now that it's personal, Sam agrees to partner up with Dean and return to hunting, hoping that along the way they can find their father and finally destroy the creature that killed their mother and Jessica.

* AdultFear: Mary's terror when she realizes her husband is downstairs and was not standing over her son's crib.

* AttackHello: The brothers' reunion at Stanford, at least on Dean's part, although with Sam it's more a case of FriendOrFoe.

* BookEnds: The beginning of the episode has John's wife gutted and roasted above Sam's crib while she's wearing [[WomanInWhite a white nightgown]]. The ending has Sam's girlfriend/would-be fiancee gutted and roasted above hers and Sam's bed while she's wearing [[WomanInWhite a white nightgown]].

* DoomMagnet: The Winchester brothers, Sam especially in this episode.

* HorrorDoesntSettleForSimpleTuesday: A double-whammy: it's Halloween (October 31st) and later on the anniversary of their mother's death (November 2nd, which is also All Souls' Day or the Day of the Dead).

* ItsPersonal: For John and Dean after Mary's death, but Sam was only an infant then. It's not personal for him until Jessica's death.

* LovableRogue: Dean, who [[TheBroCode hits on his brother's girlfriend]], runs credit card schemes, [[ImpersonatingAnOfficer impersonates officers of the law]], and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking plays his music loud]].

* NostalgiaFilter: Dean listens to music from the 70s-90s on a tape deck.

--->'''Sam:''' We’re not exactly the [[Series/TheBradyBunch Bradys]].
--->'''Friend:''' And I’m not exactly the [[Series/TheCosbyShow Huxtables]].

* YourCheatingHeart: The MonsterOfTheWeek's MO is to target men who are cheating on their significant other. Subverted when she targets [[NiceGuy Sam]] anyway with the funky ghost logic that [[RapeAsDrama she'll make him unfaithful]].

----
!Tropes appearing in this episode:

* AttackHello: The brothers meeting at Stanford, at least on Dean's part although with Sam it is more a case of FriendOrFoe.

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In retrospective, Dean looks more immature in his first appearance than he was portrayed later. For instance, he breaks into Sam's apartment, assaults him in the dark to test his practice, flirts briefly with Jessica, and only then reveals that he came because their father went missing. Later Dean takes those things seriously and would directly tell Sam what is going on.

* DeadpanSnarker: Dean:
-->'''Officer:''' So, fake U.S. Marshall, fake credit cards. You got anything that's real?

* DopeSlap: When Dean starts snarking at the police investigating the latest missing person, Sam steps on his foot. So as they're walking away, Dean slaps him across the back of his head.

--> '''Sam:''' What would I do without you?
--> '''Jessica:''' [[FunnyAneurysmMoment Mm, crash and burn.]]
--> ''[They kiss]''

** Flickering light in the hallway that Mary taps.

** Sam joining Dean as a hunter.

-->'''Sam:''' Music/BlackSabbath? Music/{{Motorhead}}? Music/{{Metallica}}? It's the greatest hits of [[HairMetal mullet rock]].

** EaglesOfDeathMetal - "Speaking In Tongues".
** Loveless - "Gift to the World".
** Music/TheAllmanBrothersBand - "Ramblin' Man".
** Music/{{ACDC}} - "Back in Black" and "Highway to Hell".
** The Living Daylights - "Gasoline".
** Kid Gloves Music - "My Cheatin' Ways".
* [[HomicideMachines Homicide Machine]]: The ghost sends the Impala after the Winchesters, and they have to jump off Sylvania Bridge to avoid getting crushed. Dean ends up covered in mud, but it wasn't Baby's fault. She was possessed.
* HorrorDoesntSettleForSimpleTuesday: A double-whammy: it's Halloween (October 31st) and later on the anniversary of their mother's death (November 2nd, which is also All Souls Day or the Day of the Dead).
* IconicItem: From the very start we have--

-->'''Dean:''' ''[to Sam]'' So what are you gonna do? Just live some normal, apple pie life? Is that it?

* InsistentTerminology: It's Sam, not Sammy.

* ItsPersonal: True for John and Dean after Mary's death, but Sam was only an infant at that time and doesn't to reach this realization until Jessica's death.

* KnightErrant[=/=]HeWhoFightsMonsters: The life of a hunter.

* TheLostLenore: Sam is haunted by Jessica's death for a noticeably long time.
* LovableRogue: Dean who [[TheBroCode hits on his brother's girlfriend]], runs credit card schemes, [[ImpersonatingAnOfficer impersonates officers of the law]], and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking plays his music loud]].

-->'''Dean:''' No [[ChickFlick chick-flick]] moments.

* RainOfBlood: The blood noted by John dripping into Sam's crib and the blood that drips on Sam when he lies down in his bed.

-->'''Sam:''' We’re not exactly the [[Series/TheBradyBunch Bradys]].
-->'''Friend:''' And I’m not exactly the [[Series/TheCosbyShow Huxtables]].

-->'''Sam:''' So he’s working over-time on a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miller_Brewing_Company Miller Time]] shift; he’ll stumble back in sooner or later.
-->'''Sam:''' Yeah, he’s just deer hunting up at the cabin and he’s probably got [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Beam Jim]], [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Daniel%27s Jack]], and [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jose_Cuervo Jose]] along with him. We’re just gonna go bring him back.

** When the police spot Dean, He calls Sam and says, "Dude, [[Series/HawaiiFiveO Five-O]]. Take off".
** Dean asks the police if he is in "misdemeanor kind of trouble, or uh, [[Film/{{Deliverance}} squeal like a pig]] trouble?"

-->'''Sam/Dean:''' What do they talk about?

* ThemedAliases: Dean claims to be Music/TedNugent, when questioned by the police, starting his list of guitarist aliases.

-->'''Sam:''' I was 9 years old! He was supposed to say "Don't be afraid of the dark".
-->'''Dean:''' Don't be afraid of the dark? What, are you kidding me, of course you should be afraid of the dark! You know what's out there!

* WatchingTroyBurn: John Winchester hugging his sons in the light of the fire trucks realizes [[YouCantGoHomeAgain all that he has lost]].

* WomanInWhite: Constance Welch's story is in the tradition of La Llorona and many of the other women in white who haunt rivers and lakes. The ladies in this episode start the fine ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' tradition of white dresses meaning that the character wearing said dress is either evil, dead, or both.

* YourCheatingHeart: The MonsterOfTheWeek's M.O. is to target men who are cheating on their significant other. Subverted when she targets [[NiceGuy Sam]] anyway with the funky ghost logic that [[RapeAsDrama she'll make him unfaithful]].
----

* Music/HeavyMetal: The soundtrack of ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' is established:

!Non-trope items:
* [[Fridge/SupernaturalS01E01Pilot Fridge Items.]]
* [[Trivia/SupernaturalS01E01Pilot Trivia Items.]]
* [[YMMV/SupernaturalS01E01Pilot YMMV Items.]]
------------

Dean asks his brother to join him, when their father disappears investigating a supernatural creature in [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jericho,_California Jericho, California.]]

* LovableRogue: Dean who [[TheBroCode hits on his brother's girlfriend]], [[SympatheticCriminal runs credit card schemes]], [[ImpersonatingAnOfficer impersonates officers of the law]], and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking plays his music loud]].

* DeggansRule: Failed. Sam had a black friend Luis, who makes a [[Series/TheCosbyShow Huxtables]] reference, and there was a black Deputy, but these are minor characters.

* TheBechdelTest: Failed. We have Mary, Jessica, and Constance, but none of them ever meet.

'''Season 1, Episode 1''':

->'''Dean''': Dad hasn't been home in a few days.
->'''Sam''': So he's working overtime on a Miller Time shift. He'll stumble back in sooner or later.
->'''Dean''': Dad's on a ''hunting'' trip. And he hasn't been home in a few days.

-->'''Sam:''' (to Dean) "You smell like a toilet."

* DeadpanSnarker: Dean.

* DeggansRule: Failed. Sam had a black friend Luis, who makes a [[TheCosbyShow Huxtable]] reference, and there was a black Deputy, but these are minor characters.

--> ''[They kiss.]''

* Music/HeavyMetal: The soundtrack of ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' is established.

-->'''Dean:''' (to Sam) "So what are you gonna do? Just live some normal, apple pie life? Is that it?"

-->'''Sam:''' I was 9 years old! He was supposed to say, "Don't be afraid of the dark".

* WomanInWhite: Constance Welch's story is in the tradition of La Llorona and many of the other women in white who haunt rivers and lakes. The ladies in this episode start the fine ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' tradition of white dresses showing that the character wearing said dress is either evil, dead, or both.

'''[[Recap/{{Supernatural}} Recap]] of Series/{{Supernatural}}'''\\

** To both ''Series/TheBradyBunch'' and the ''Series/TheCosbyShow''

-->'''Sam:''' You think Mom would have wanted this for us? The weapon training and the melting the silver into bullets. Man, Dean we were raised like warriors.

* TemporaryLoveInterest: Jess for Sam

-->'''Sam:''' Yeah? When I told dad when I was scared of the thing in my closet he gave me a .45.
-->'''Dean:''' Well what was he supposed to do?
-->'''Sam:''' I was 9 years old! He was supposed to say "Don't be afraid of the dark."
-->'''Dean:''' Don't be afraid of the dark? What are you kidding me, of course you should be afraid of the dark! You know what's out there!

* TheBechdelTest: Failed, we have Mary, Jessica, and Constance, but none of them ever meet.

* CharacterizationMarchesOn: In retrospective, Dean looks more immature in his first appearance than portrated later. For instance he breaks into Sam's apartment, assault him in the dark to test his practice, flirts briefly with Jessica, then only reveals he came because their father went missing. Later Dean takes those things seriously and would directly tell Sam what is going on.

-->'''Sam to Dean:''' You smell like a toilet.

-->'''Officer:''' So fake U.S. Marshall, fake credit cards. You got anything that's real?

* DeggansRule: Failed, Sam had a black friend Luis, who makes a [[TheCosbyShow Huxtable]] reference, and there was a black Deputy, but these are minor characters.

* DisposableWoman / StuffedInTheFridge
* DopeSlap: When Dean starts snarking the police investigating the latest missing person, Sam steps on his foot, so Dean later slaps him across the head.
* DoomMagnet: The Winchester brothers, especially Sam in this episode.

-->'''Sam:''' See, when they were alive, their husbands were unfaithful to them. And these women, basically suffering from temporary insanity, murdered their children

** Jessica's death
** Sam joining Dean as a hunter

* Music/HeavyMetal: The soundtrack of Series/{{Supernatural}} is established.

** EaglesOfDeathMetal - "Speaking In Tongues"
** Loveless - "Gift to the World"
** Music/TheAllmanBrothersBand - "Ramblin' Man"
** Music/{{ACDC}} - "Back in Black" and "Highway to Hell"
** The Living Daylights - "Gasoline"
** Kid Gloves Music - "My Cheatin' Ways"
* [[HomicideMachines Homicide Machine]]: The ghost sends the Impala after the Winchesters, and they have to jump off Sylvania bridge to avoid getting crushed. Dean ends up covered in mud, but it is not baby's fault. She was possessed.

* IconicItem: From the very start we have --
** Dean's Amulet of a horned head held around his neck on a black string.

-->'''Dean to Sam:''' So what are you gonna do? Just live some normal, apple pie life? Is that it?

* ItsPersonal: True for John and Dean after Mary's death, but Sam was only an infant at that time and does not seem to reach this realization until Jessica's death.

* KnightErrant / HeWhoFightsMonsters: The life of a hunter.

* PleasePutSomeClothesOn: Averted; Dean likes Sam's underdressed girlfriend just how she is.

** To both ''TheBradyBunch'' and the ''TheCosbyShow''
-->'''Sam:''' We’re not exactly the [[TheBradyBunch Bradys]].
-->'''Friend:''' And I’m not exactly the [[TheCosbyShow Huxtables]].
** When Dean sees Jessica's tight shirt, he says, "I love ''TheSmurfs''".

** Dean calls two FBI agents [[TheXFiles Agent Mulder and Agent Scully]].

** Dean asks the police if he is in "misdemeanor kind of trouble, or uh, [[{{Deliverance}} squeal like a pig]] trouble?"
** Sam asks Dean what he was thinking when he shot [[CasperTheFriendlyGhost Casper]] in the face.

* StockEpisodeTitles: {{Pilot}} is the most common episode title among different series, with at least 1715 uses.

* OffingTheOffspring: Constance drowned her own children before jumping off a bridge and committing suicide. [[spoiler: [[SelfMadeOrphan They get their revenge at the end of the episode when their spirits drag hers to Hell]].]]

For this episode = [[spoiler: 3 humans and 3 ghosts, starting ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'' off with the death of a LoveInterest and a Parent.]]

* [[spoiler: AnyoneCanDie: The episode starts with the death of the heroes' mother and ends with the death of one of the hero's LoveInterest.]]

* TheFaceless: The shadowed silhouette only seen from behind standing over Sam's crib. [[spoiler:[[Recap/SupernaturalS02E21AllHellBreaksLoosePartOne For now.]]]]

** [[spoiler: Jessica's death]]
** [[spoiler: Sam joining Dean as a hunter]]