History Recap / SupernaturalS08E15MansBestFriendWithBenefits

* Hypocrite: Spencer's calls James out for being arrogant and entitled for starting a sexual relationship with his familiar Portia.When its obvious that Spencer feels he deserved to have Portia as his familiar,and would more than likely rather be in James' shoes.

* OneDialogueTwoConversations: Sam thinks Dean will be angry about the dog that wandered into their hotel room, and tries to convince him to let "her" stay. Dean looks into the room and sees a beautiful woman lying on the bed. Sam is understandably confused by Dean's instant agreement.

* YourWorstNightmare: James is tormented with nightmares of him killing people. Turns out that they were [[FakeMemories implanted memories]]

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* AllWitchesHaveCats: SubvertedTrope for James, who has a dog, but we meet another feline familiar.

* ChainedToABed: Sam and Dean tie James to his bed with iron shackles (nullifying his magical abilities), so he can't kill people.

* IdiotBall[=/=]MrExposition: Sam has to explain basic facts about witchcraft, such as what a {{familiar}} is, to Dean. While Sam is often MrExposition, this was done to the point where it created [[OutOfCharacterMoment out-of-character moments]], considering that Dean knows a lot about lore in general and witches in particular, since he hates dealing with them so much.

* WomanInBlack: Portia wears a LittleBlackDress.

* HeyItsThatGuy:
** [[NamesTheSame Christian Campbell]], who plays James, is the brother of [[Franchise/{{Scream}} Neve]] [[Film/TheCraft Campbell]], and had played Greg Ivey in ''Series/BigLove'', and Jimmy Harper in ''Film/ReeferMadnessTheMusical''.
** James Pizzinato, who plays Drexyl, also plays Drew in ''Series/{{Caprica}}'' and Nate in ''Cult''.

* BadPowersGoodPeople: James tries to use witchcraft to solve murders, but Spencer points out that he has taken on too much by trying to be a [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot witch cop]] and that he can not exist in both worlds.

* UnfortunateImplications:
** Portia, who says she [[BeautifulSlaveGirl belongs to James and serves him]], is portrayed by Mishael Morgan, a black actress.
** James is having sex with his familiar, who is [[BestialityIsDepraved also his dog]].

-->I trust you, Sammy. And with this deal, locking those sons of bitches up in the furnace once and for all, it’s too important not to. So if you say you’re good, then that’s it, I’m with you 100 percent.
--->'''- Dean to Sam'''

Sam and Dean drive to St. Louis, Missouri, after getting a text from James Frampton, a police officer who [[CrypticBackgroundReference once saved their lives during a case with a lunatic alchemist]]. While Dean is on a beer run, Sam hears scratching at their motel room door, and opens the door to a doberman pinscher in a red collar. When Dean returns, Sam explains how he only wants to keep the dog overnight until they can find her owner, only to turn around and see that instead of the doberman, a beautiful woman with a red collar around her neck is lying on his bed. This woman is [[Characters/SupernaturalMonstersAndSupernaturalBeings Portia]]. She explains that after working the case with the Winchesters, black arts and witchcraft became the center of James' life. James became [[Characters/SupernaturalWitches a witch]] and used his powers to clear cases as a homicide detective. Portia also reveals that she is James' {{familiar}}, and she was the one who sent the text. James has been suffering from horrible dreams where he murders people, who end up dying, and she believes Sam and Dean are the only ones who can help James.

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* AllWitchesHaveCats: SubvertedTrope for James who has a dog, but we meet another feline familiar.

* AndThenJohnWasAZombie: James [[WeUsedToBeFriends who helped the Winchesters]] fight black magic, has become a witch.
* ArtisticLicenseGeography: East Saint Louis is in Illinois, bot Missouri.

* BigBrotherInstinct: Dean checking on Sam and wanting to take over the 3 trials.
-->'''Dean:''' You did just gank a {{Hellhound}}, which is no [[TrademarkFavoriteFood slice of pie]], and there is a minefield of who knows what crap ahead.
* BloodFromTheMouth: At the end of the episode, Sam coughs and bleeds from the mouth, hinting that completing the first trial of God may have bigger health consequences that they thought.

* CavemenVsAstronautsDebate: [[Film/TheThreeStooges Curly vs Shemp]]

** In [[Recap/SupernaturalS08E01WeNeedToTalkAboutKevin "We Need To Talk About Kevin"]], it was established that Dean does not allow dogs in the Impala and does not seem very fond of dogs. In this episode, Portia realizes that Dean is not a dog person.
** After Sam sees that Portia transformed from a dog to a human, he draws a knife intending to perform the ImpostorExposingTest we saw Dean put Sam through in [[Recap/SupernaturalS08E01WeNeedToTalkAboutKevin "We Need To Talk About Kevin"]] and the brothers put their grandfather through in [[Recap/SupernaturalS08E12AsTimeGoesBy "As Time Goes By"]]. Before Sam can cut her with the silver blade, Portia explains that she is a {{familiar}} and not a {{shapeshifter}}.
* CrypticBackgroundReference: Despite this being James first appearance in ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', he is introduced as having saved Sam's and Dean's lives during a case with a lunatic alchemist.

* DidntSeeThatComing: Dean is surprised by James and Portia's relationship. Although it seems [[OutOfCharacter odd]], that Dean didn't catch on to what ''intimate'' signaled.
-->'''Portia:''' Tonight, James and I were close, without psychological walls - intimate.
-->'''Dean:''' I don't ...

* DistractedByTheSexy: Dean and Sam find Portia hot, when [[PowerIsSexy she challenges them]].
-->'''Portia to Dean:''' So why don't you lose the ignorant bigotry for maybe 2 seconds and give him a shot?

* DontTryThisAtHome: Spoofed. Dean jokes "Kids, don't try this at home" after he disintegrates the evil witch.

-->'''Portia:''' I get a more accurate read on people in my other persona. Approaching guys in a [[NoTellMotel motel room like this]] - well, it gets complicated.

* FrameUp: Portia and the Winchesters, work to [[ClearTheirName clear James' name]].

** [[NamesTheSame Christian Campbell]], who plays James, is the brother of [[Franchise/{{Scream}} Neve]] [[Film/TheCraft Campbell]] and also had played Greg Ivey in ''Series/BigLove'', and Jimmy Harper in ''Film/ReeferMadnessTheMusical''.

* InterspeciesFriendship / InterspeciesRomance: Portia and James.

-->'''Dean:''' The guy saved our lives once, Sammy. I mean it's not like the guy -

* MeaningfulName: Portia from ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice'' was a master of disguise and despite being bound by her father's engagement challenge, she uses a song to make certain that the suitor she favors wins her hand. Portia in this episode is a familiar who chose who would be her master.
* MindOverMatter: The witches have the ability to move objects with their minds. In the witch bar two witches are shown playing a chess game without using their hands. Spencer makes great use of it when he's revealed to be the villain. Through telekinesis he snaps Philippe's neck, throws Sam and Dean across the room against a wall and levitates James up in the air while apparently crushing him.

* MoralDissonance: Despite the fact that hunters use magic and the Winchesters even use one of Bobby Singer's spells to kill Spencer, they are suspicious of witches because they use similar spells and magic.

-->'''Dean:''' I'm just saying you screw with that stuff, you're going to fry your wiring.
* MorphicResonance: The familiars' animal forms resemble their human ones. Portia is a brown-skinned woman with black hair, and her dog form is a doberman pinscher, which has mixed brown and black fur. Philippe [=LeChat=]'s face vaguely resembles that of a cat.
* MrExposition / IdiotBall: Sam has to explain basic facts about witchcraft, such as what a {{familiar}} is, to Dean. While Sam is often MrExposition, this was done to the point where it created [[OutOfCharacterMoment out of character moments]].
* MurderTheHypotenuse: Spencer is jealous of James because he fell in love with Portia, but she chose to serve James over serving him. His attempt to kill him is unsuccesful, but he does discredit him enough that James is forced to leave town with Portia.
* NeckSnap: Spencer kills his familiar Philippe [=LeChat=] like this when he talks to James, using only his mind. If Spencer is to be believed he literally removed [=LeChat=]'s spine from his body rather than break his neck, but the visual effect is still there.

* PunnyName: Philippe [=LeChat=] is a feline familiar. "Le Chat" is French for "the cat".

** Portia, who says she [[BeautifulSlaveGirl belongs to James and serves him]], is portrayed by Mishael Morgan, a black actress from Trinidad.

** Curtis Caravaggio, who plays Spencer Wallis, also played Mark Telesca in [[Recap/SupernaturalS01E19Provenance "Provenance"]].
** Serge Houde, who plays Ed Stoltz, also played Professor Mason in [[Recap/SupernaturalS02E04ChildrenShouldntPlayWithDeadThings "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things"]].

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** Portia, who says she [[BeautifulSlaveGirl belongs to James and serves him]], is portrayed by Mishael Morgan a black actress from Trinidad.

* TheBechdelTest: Failed.

* DeggansRule: Failed.

-->I trust you, Sammy. And with this deal, locking those sons of bitches up in the furnace once and for all, it’s too important not to. So if you say you’re good, then that’s it, I’m with you 100 percent.

Sam and Dean drive to St. Louis, Missouri, after getting a text from James Frampton, a police officer who [[CrypticBackgroundReference once saved their lives during a case with a lunatic alchemist]]. While Dean is on a beer run, Sam hears scratching at their motel room door, and opens the door to a doberman pinscher in a red collar. When Dean returns, Sam explains how he only wants to keep the dog overnight until they can find her owner, only to turn around and see that instead of the doberman, a beautiful woman with a red collar around her neck is lying on his bed. This woman is [[Characters/SupernaturalMonstersAndSupernaturalBeings Portia]]. She explains that after working the case with the Winchesters, black arts and witchcraft became the center of James' life. James became [[Characters/SupernaturalWitches a witch]] and used his powers to clear cases as a homicide detective. Portia also reveals that she is James' {{familiar}}, and she was the one who sent the text. James has been suffering from horrible dreams where he murders people, who end up dying, and she believes Sam and Dean are the only ones who can help James.

* AlchemyIsMagic: James helped the Winchesters in a case with a lunatic alchemist.

* AndThenJohnWasAZombie: James [[WeUsedToBeFriends who helped the Winchesters]] fight black magic, has become a witch.
* ArtisticLicenseGeography: East Saint Louis is in Illinois, bot Missouri.

-->'''James:''' Astral projection.
* BadGuyBar: The witch bar.
* BadPowersGoodPeople: James tries to use witchcraft to solve murders, but Spencer points out that he has taken on too much by trying to be a [[NinjaPirateZombieRobot witch cop]] and that he can not exist in both worlds.
-->'''Spencer:''' Life in this realm is life on the fringe. We don't fit. How do you reconcile what you are with what you do?
* TheBechdelTest: Failed.

* [[spoiler:BigBadFriend: Spencer acts like he's genuinely concerned about James's problems, but it turns out that he orchestrated all of it.]]

* BondCreatures: Portia says the familiar chooses her master and they become inseparable.
-->'''Portia:''' The master and the familiar, there's an unbreakable bond. Like a melding of souls.
* ButNotTooBlack: Portia in her human form.

* ChainedToABed: Sam and Dean tie James to his bed with iron shackles (nullifying his magical abilities), so he can't kill people.
* ContinuityNod:
** In [[Recap/SupernaturalS08E01WeNeedToTalkAboutKevin "We Need To Talk About Kevin"]], it was established that Dean does not allow dogs in the Impala and does not seem very fond of dogs. In this episode, Portia realizes that Dean is not a dog person.

* CrypticBackgroundReference: Despite this being James first appearance in ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', he is introduced as having saved Sam's and Dean's lives during a case with a lunatic alchemist.

* DeggansRule: Failed.
* DidntSeeThatComing: Dean is surprised by James and Portia's relationship. Although it seems [[OutOfCharacter odd]], that Dean didn't catch on to what ''intimate'' signaled.

* DisposableSexWorker: At the start of the episode, James has a nightmare in which he arrests a prostitute, but then kills her. [[spoiler:Spencer actually did it.]]
* DisposableVagrant: Ed Stoltz wraps the case up as "vics who meant nothing to nobody". The dreams revealed the death of a white female prostitute and a blind black man.

-->'''Dean:''' That was incredibly hot.
-->'''Sam:''' It was pretty hot.

* DriverFacesPassenger: Dean gives Sam repeated prolonged meaningful stares while driving the Impala in the last scene.
* EiffelTowerEffect: Pictures of the Gateway Arch are hanging in Sam and Dean's motel room, signaling they are in St. Louis.

-->'''Spencer:''' Can you imagine the insult when she chose you? I wanted her as my soul mate the moment I saw her. She was meant to be my familiar.
* EvilDetectingDog: Portia approached Sam in her dog form to gauge whether they would be likely to help James.

* FantasticRacism: When Dean expresses his reluctance to help James because he is a witch, Portia tells him "to lose the ignorant bigotry".
* FightingDownMemoryLane: Of the MindRape variety.
* FrameUp: Portia and the Winchesters, work to [[ClearTheirName clear James' name]].
* FriendsWithBenefits: Averted. Despite the episode title, James and Portia seem to have a deeper relationship.
* HeroesLoveDogs: Sam, but not Dean.

* HollywoodDressCode: The prostitute in the teaser is wearing [[StockingFiller fishnets]] and red pumps.

* IOweYouMyLife: Sam and Dean come to the assistance of James because he once saved their lives, although Dean doesn't think it is [[DeathIsCheap as big a deal]] as Sam.
-->'''Sam:''' Yeah, well. We do owe him.

* KillItWithFire: [[spoiler:Sam and Dean try to kill James by setting him on fire when they're convinced that he committed the murders. Portia stops them just in time.]]
* MeaningfulName: Portia from ''Theatre/TheMerchantOfVenice'' was a master of disguise and despite being bound by her father's engagement challenge, she uses a song to make certain that the suitor she favors wins her hand. Portia in this episode is a familiar who chose who would be her master.
* MindOverMatter: The witches have the ability to move objects with their minds. In the witch bar two witches are shown playing a chess game without using their hands. [[spoiler:Spencer makes great use of it when he's revealed to be the villain. Through telekinesis he snaps Philippe's neck, throws Sam and Dean across the room against a wall and levitates James up in the air while apparently crushing him.]]

* MoralDissonance: Despite the fact that hunters use magic and the Winchesters even use one of Bobby Singer's spells to [[spoiler: kill Spencer]], they are suspicious of witches because they use similar spells and magic.

-->'''Dean:''' I'm just saying you screw with that stuff, you're going to fry your wiring.

* MurderTheHypotenuse: [[spoiler:Spencer is jealous of James because he fell in love with Portia, but she chose to serve James over serving him. His attempt to kill him is unsuccesful, but he does discredit him enough that James is forced to leave town with Portia.]]
* NeckSnap: [[spoiler:Spencer kills his familiar Philippe [=LeChat=] like this when he talks to James, using only his mind. If Spencer is to be believed he literally removed [=LeChat=]'s spine from his body rather than break his neck, but the visual effect is still there.]]

* PsychicLink: A witch and his familiar have a mental link.

* SlaveCollar: When Portia transforms into a human form, she still wears her dog collar.
* UnfortunateImplications:
** Portia, who says she [[BeautifulSlaveGirl belongs to James and serves him]], is portrayed by Mishael Morgan a black actress from Trinidad.

* WizardDuel: James and [[spoiler:Spencer]] hold a very brief one. [[spoiler:Spencer]] quickly proves that he is much stronger than James, forcing Sam and Dean to save him.

* YouLookFamiliar:
** Curtis Caravaggio, who plays Spencer Wallis, also played Mark Telesca in [[Recap/SupernaturalS01E19Provenance "Provenance"]].

* YourWorstNightmare: James is tormented with nightmares of him killing people. [[spoiler: Turns out that they were [[FakeMemories implanted memories]]]]

* MindOverMatter: The witches have the ability to move objects with their minds. In the witch bar two witches are shown playing a chess game without using their hands. [[spoiler:Spencer makes great use of it when he's revealed to be the villain. Through telekinesis he snaps Philippe's neck, throws Sam and Dean across the room against a wall, and levitates James up in the air.]]

* YourWorstNightmare: The evil witch subjects Sam and Dean to this. Sam sees visions of his time in the Cage, and Dean has to see the death of his mother and his time in Hell again.

* HollywoodDriving: Dean gives Sam repeated prolonged meaningful stares while driving the Impala in the last scene.

* ButNotTooBlack: Portia.

** Portia, who says she [[BeautifulSlaveGirl belongs to James and serves him]], is portrayed by Mishael Morgan a black actor from Trinidad.

-->I trust you, Sammy. And with this deal, locking those sons of bitches up in the furnace once and for all, it’s too important not to. So if you say you’re good, then that’s it, I’m with you 100 percent.

** [[NamesTheSame Christian Campbell]], who plays James, is the brother of [[Franchise/{{Scream}} Neve]] [[Film/TheCraft Campbell]] and also had played Greg Ivey in ''BigLove'', and Jimmy Harper in ''Film/ReeferMadnessTheMusical''.

* MrExposition / IdiotBall: Sam has to explain basic facts about witchcraft, such as what a {{familiar}} is to Dean. While Sam is often MrExposition, this was done to the point where it created [[OutOfCharacterMoment pot of character moments]].

Sam and Dean drive to St. Louis, Missouri, after getting a text from James Frampton, a police officer who [[CrypticBackgroundReference once saved their lives during a case with a lunatic alchemist]]. While Dean is on a beer run, Sam hears scratching at their motel room door, and opens the door to a doberman pinscher in a red collar. When Dean returns, Sam explains how he only wants to keep the dog overnight until they can find her owner, only to turn around and see that instead of the doberman, a beautiful woman with a red collar around her neck is lying on his bed. This woman is Portia. She explains that after working the case with the Winchesters, black arts and witchcraft became the center of James' life. James became a witch and used his powers to clear cases as a homicide detective. Portia also reveals that she is James' {{familiar}}, and she was the one who sent the text. James has been suffering from horrible dreams where he murders people, who end up dying, and she believes Sam and Dean are the only ones who can help James.

* NeckSnap: [[spoiler:Spencer kills his familiar Philippe [=LeChat=] like this when he talks to James, using only his mind.]]