Line #12 Recap/SupernaturalS01E12Faith


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4
5	'''[[Recap/{{Supernatural}} Recap]] of ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'''''\
6	'''Season 1, Episode 12:'''
7
8	!Faith
9	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/600full-supernatural-screenshot_5600.jpg]]
10	[[caption-width-right:350:[[ClapYourHandsIfYouBelieve Pray with me]], friends.]]
11
12	->'''Dean:''' Why? Why me? Out of all the sick people, why save me?\
13	'''Roy:''' Well, like I said before, [[BecauseDestinySaysSo the Lord guides me]]. I looked into your heart, and you just stood out from all the rest.\
14	'''Dean:''' What did you see in my heart?\
15	'''Roy:''' A [[TheChosenOne young man with an important purpose]]. A job to do. And it isn't finished.
16
17	Written by Raelle Tucker and Sera Gamble.
18
19	Directed by Allan Kroeker.
20
21	Airdate: January 17, 2006.
22
23	After Dean develops heart failure, Sam finds a faith healer in [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebraska Nebraska]] to cure Dean.
24	------------
25
26	While rescuing two children from a [[Characters/SupernaturalMonstersAndSupernaturalBeings rawhead]], Dean gets electrocuted and develops a heart condition that will kill him within a few weeks. Sam finds a faith healer who is actually able to cure the skeptical Dean, but the brothers soon discover that, thanks to a captive [[Characters/SupernaturalReapers Reaper]], every life saved by the healer comes at the expense of someone else in the town--someone whom the person controlling the Reaper doesn't "approve" of.
27
28	!!Body count:
29	For this episode = 3 humans and 1 rawhead.
30
31	For the series so far = At least 123 humans; 8 ghosts; 1 god; 1 rawhead; 1 shapeshifter; 1 wendigo.
32
33	----
34	!Tropes appearing in this episode:
35
36	* ActorAllusion: Jensen Ackles played Eric Brady on ''Series/DaysOfOurLives'', making it amusing when he says the following:
37	-->'''Dean:''' Have you ever actually watched daytime TV? It's terrible.
38	* AgentMulder[=/=]AgentScully: Sam has faith, and argues [[IfJesusThenAliens God and miracles should exist if demons and monsters exist]], while Dean is a NayTheist.
39	* ArtisticLicenseMedicine:
40	** Heart damage from a heart attack (ischemic cardiomyopathy) is a very serious condition and can result in death, but it also is treatable. This might include medications or devices to help with abnormal heart rhythms or symptoms of heart failure. If symptoms continue to progress a heart transplant can be performed and would certainly be a therapeutic consideration in a young man without significant comorbidities, like Dean.
41	** Layla is said to have an inoperable brain tumor, and it is implied that she is only expected to live another six months. Individuals with the most malignant brain tumor, a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glioblastoma_multiforme#Prognosis glioblastoma multiforme]], often live 1-2 years with treatment. Layla's young age and lack of disability would suggest she has a better prognosis. With improved imaging and [[ThisAintRocketSurgery surgical techniques]] fewer tumors are truly inoperable, but if surgical resection was impossible, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and now [[LaserCutter laser ablation]] may be treatment options.
42	*** In Layla's case, it wasn't specified how ''long'' she had the brain tumor; she could have had it for a while and is only now running out of time. Given that Layla and her mother seem to have been going to the sermons for a while and her general acceptance in discussing it, she's probably known for some time.
43	* AsTheGoodBookSays: Signs in the tent read:
44	** "For I will restore you to health, and I will heal you of your wounds." Jeremiah 30:17. This passage is actually about the restoration of UsefulNotes/{{Israel}} and not of a literal body.
45	** "Jesus Christ maketh thee whole... Acts 9:34". This is a portion of Acts 9:34 KJV, which reads, "And Peter said unto him, Aeneas, Jesus Christ maketh thee whole: arise, and make thy bed. And he arose immediately." This verse helps to tell the story of how Peter healed a man who had suffered from palsy for 8 years.
46	** "He forgiveth all thine iniquities, healeth all thy diseases. Psalm 103:3."
47	* BalancingDeathsBooks: How Roy's "healing" works, courtesy of Sue Ann.
48	* BigBad: Sue Ann Le Grange, the wife of Roy Le Grange, who controls a reaper to kill a person and heal another to make it look like her husband has healing powers.
49	* BittersweetEnding: Sam and Dean stop Sue Ann and free the reaper she's controlling, but Layla is doomed to die. However, she makes peace with this fact and is touched by Dean's words.
50	-->'''Dean:''' You know, I'm not much of a praying type... but, I'm gonna pray for you.\
51	'''Layla:''' [''smiles''] Well... There's a miracle right there.
52	* BlackMagic:
53	-->'''Sam:''' You gotta build a black altar with seriously dark stuff. Bones, [[BloodMagic human blood]]. [[DespairEventHorizon To cross a line like that]]; a preacher's wife. Black magic. Murder. Evil.
54	* BlindSeer: Roy Le Grange lost his vision to the cancer that nearly killed him. He claims that his healing powers appeared soon after his miraculous recovery.
55	* BookSafe
56	* BuryYourGays: The first victim, Marshall Hall, was an openly-gay teacher.
57	* CapturedSuperEntity: Sue Ann uses BlackMagic to force a Reaper to do her bidding. It's not happy about the arrangement and deals her a KarmicDeath as soon as Sam and Dean free it.
58	* ColorFailure: The victims have their eyes and skin turn gray as the reaper drains their LifeEnergy.
59	* ContinuityNod:
60	** Dean asking the boy hidden in the cupboard to take his sister's hand and get her out of there, and then his following order to Sam to get the children out, recalls John Winchester's instructions to Dean in the [[Recap/SupernaturalS01E01Pilot pilot]] and Sam's command to the children in [[Recap/SupernaturalS01E09Home "Home" (S01, E09)]].
61	** Sam does his research on the [[http://www.dell.com/us/p/inspiron-laptops Dell Inspiron]] laptop sporting the logo for [[http://covebike.com/ Cove Bikes]]. The laptop was previously seen in [[Recap/SupernaturalS01E07HookMan "Hook Man" (S01, E07)]] and [[Recap/SupernaturalS01E10Asylum "Asylum" (S01, E10)]].
62	** We again hear John Winchester's voicemail, which was first heard in [[Recap/SupernaturalS01E04PhantomTraveller "Phantom Traveler" (S01, E04)]] and then again in [[Recap/SupernaturalS01E09Home "Home" (S01, E09)]].
63	--->'''Sam:''' Hey, Dad. It's Sam. Uh...you probably won't even get this, but, uh...it's Dean. He's sick, and, uh...the doctors say there’s nothing they can do. Um...but, uh, they don't know the things we know, right? So, don't worry, cause, uh...I'm gonna do whatever it takes to get him better. Alright...just wanted you to know.
64	* CreepyBasement: Both the wet basement in the opening scene and Sue Ann's RoomFullOfCrazy cellar.
65	* CreepyCrosses: The cross Sam identifies in the tent is a Gnostic cross or a type of Coptic cross. Various types of crosses may be used as symbols on tarot cards, but they are not unique to tarot cards and this cross is not a traditional tarot symbol. These crosses are often thought to represent God's love, the earth, or the sun. [[FauxSymbolism It is unclear]] why Sam would have associated the cross with tarot or a binding spell to control death.
66	* CrucialCross: The episode at first seems to include a straight example in the cross a blind preacher uses to heal the dying. It seems his very disability has allowed him the faith to bring joy from people's illnesses, but it turns out the cross is a talisman of death drawing on human sacrifices. The protagonists destroy the cross, a symbolic refutation of the idea that faith in {{God}} can maintain meaning in a world of purposeless suffering, siding with Dean's cynicism over Sam's optimism.
67	* DontFearTheReaper: The Music/BlueOysterCult song plays while the Reaper takes the life of the jogger and the man on oxygen in the wheelchair is saved. Given that the jogger [[EverybodyHatesHades is terrified and running for her life]], the lyrics are a form of verbal {{irony}}, and the slow-paced music during the action scene produces SoundtrackDissonance. It does bare out the trope though, in that the Reaper didn't intentionally hurt anyone in the episode except Sue Ann and that was retribution for her imprisoning him and forcing him to kill who she wants. As soon as her binding breaks he leaves Dean alone.
68	* DontYouDarePityMe: Dean shoves Sam away when he tries to help him out of the car.
69	* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: In later seasons, Reapers are more human-looking.
70	* EgocentricallyReligious: While Sue Ann first wanted to save her husband, she then used her power to punish those she does not agree with.
71	-->'''Sue Ann:''' ''[after Sam smashes the cross]'' My God, what have you done!
72	-->'''Sam:''' He's not your God.
73	* ElectrifiedBathtub: Taser in a wet basement.
74	* ElementalRockPaperScissors: The rawhead, which is usually associated with water, is sensitive to electricity in the form of the tasers.
75	* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Sue Ann first turned to dark magic in order to save her husband.
76	* EquivalentExchange: How Roy's healing works.
77	* ExhaustedEyeBags: Dean.
78	* ExtremelyDustyHome: Sam finds the spell book by noticing where there is no dust on the shelf.
79	* {{Fainting}}: Dean does this twice this episode, first after being electrocuted (likely cardiogenic syncope), and then when being healed by Roy (perhaps meant to [[ImColdSoCold indicate how close he is to death]]).
80	* FaceDeathWithDignity:
81	** Dean accepts his fate after saving the children from the rawhead.
82	--->'''Dean:''' Look, Sammy, what can I say, man, it's a dangerous gig. I drew the short straw. That's it, end of story.
83	** Layla at the end of the episode.
84	--->'''Layla:''' I'm okay. Really. I guess if you're gonna have faith...you can't just have it when the miracles happen. You have to have it when they don't.
85	* FakeFaithHealer: Dean expects Roy to be a fraud, throwing him when Roy appears to invoke real miracles of healing. It turns out that the faith and the healing are both genuine, just unconnected, thanks to Sue Ann secretly binding a Reaper to [[BalancingDeathsBooks balance Death's books]] on his behalf.
86	* FictionalDocument: The books on the shelf in the Le Grange house appear to have made-up titles and authors and include:
87	** ''The Life of Christ''--T. Osman & I. Steele
88	** ''Our Mighty Father: The Way of God's Word''--G. Grey
89	** ''Encyclopedia of Christian History: Old & New Testament For Students & Clergy''--A. Hrytzak
90	** ''The Origin Of Christianity''--P. Frake
91	** ''The Will of God: A Life of Faith''--Ames White
92	*** Ames White is actually a character in ''Series/DarkAngel''--also starring Jensen Ackles.
93	* FlatEarthAtheist:
94	** The protester: people are being miraculously healed and he still screams about it being a scam.
95	** Dean, who does not believe in miracles, despite accepting all the supernatural evil they encounter.
96	* {{Foreshadowing}}: Dean is told that he is a young man with [[Recap/SupernaturalS05E01SympathyForTheDevil an important purpose]], [[Recap/SupernaturalS05E22SwanSong and that it isn't finished.]]
97	* GallowsHumor:
98	** Sam [[DudeNotFunny does not find]] Dean's joke funny:
99	--->'''Dean:''' Hey, you better [[TakeUpMySword take care of that car]]. Or, I swear, I'll haunt your ass.\
100	'''Sam:''' I don't think that's funny.\
101	'''Dean:''' Oh, come on, it's a little funny.
102	** He is not any more amused by this joke:
103	--->'''Sam:''' Don't talk like that, alright? We still have options.\
104	'''Dean:''' What options? Yeah, burial or cremation.
105	** Or this one:
106	--->'''Dean:''' Well, I'm not gonna die in a hospital where the [[HospitalHottie nurses aren't even hot]].\
107	'''Sam:''' You know, this whole I-laugh-in-the-face-of-death thing? It's crap. I can see right through it.
108	* GirlOfTheWeek: Layla for Dean.
109	* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: Sue Ann believes such; her second victim was a feminist who fought for abortion rights.
110	* TheGrimReaper: He wears a [[BadassInANiceSuit black suit and tie]] instead of the BlackCloak and SinisterScythe, but is pale with sunken eyes and [[EvilOldFolks very wrinkled skin]].
111	-->'''Sam:''' But you said you saw a dude in a suit.\
112	'''Dean:''' What, you think he shoulda been working the whole black-robe thing?
113	* HarmlessVoltage: SubvertedTrope, with Dean suffering heart damage from the Taser (which has been modified to deliver a stronger current than a normal Taser) after the targeted rawhead fell into water.
114	* HealingHands: Roy le Grange appears to be able to heal life-threatening maladies with a touch and [[ReligionIsMagic a prayer]]. Unknown to him, there's a Reaper delivering the real magic.
115	* HeteronormativeCrusader: Sue Ann; one of her victims was an openly gay school teacher.
116	* HolierThanThou: The faith healer's devout Christian wife is the one working the black magic to control the Reaper. Averted with Roy himself.
117	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: Dean electrocutes himself with his Taser and Sue Ann is killed by the Reaper she summoned.
118	* InMysteriousWays: Layla introduces herself by quoting the trope to reply to Dean's lack of faith, and repeats it at the end.
119	-->'''Dean:''' ''[looking after Layla]'' Well, I bet you [[DoubleEntendre she can work in some mysterious ways]].
120	* InfractionDistraction: Dean distracts the cops while Sam searches Sue Ann's house.
121	* InvisibleToNormals: Reapers can only be seen by the dying.
122	* JoggersFindDeath: The woman in the woods wearing [[HeadphonesEqualIsolation headphones]] who is taken by the Reaper.
123	* KarmicDeath: Sue Ann is killed by the same Reaper she dispatched to attack others.
124	* KickTheDog: Sue Ann dangles the hope of healing Layla's brain tumor in front of her and her mother constantly, yet never asks Roy to heal her until months later - and when poor Layla is ''finally'' called up, the Winchesters are on the scene...
125	* KnightTemplar: Sue Ann.
126	* LatinIsMagic: Sue Ann's binding spell is a Latin chant.
127	* LightningGun: RealLife [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JUs0bRmkoz8 images of individuals being Tasered]] are [[ComedicSociopathy frequently enough portrayed]] for viewers to realize that a Taser does not produce [[YellowLightningBlueLightning blue lightning bolt effects]] and, even if two people are standing in water, most of the current is going to travel between the two probes and [[ChainLightning not to the person who fired the Taser]].
128	* LiteralChangeOfHeart: SubvertedTrope. Dean does not embrace {{God}} or faith, as had been expected by Roy. After Dean's heart is healed, he is even more convinced that the healing is not a miracle and is more likely a [[BlackMagic a result of evil forces]] based on his instincts as a hunter and the fact that he felt [[EvilIsDeathlyCold cold and wrong]] while being healed. Though he does say he'll pray for Layla at the end of the episode.
129	* LocalAngle: Sam finds news clippings from the ''Ford City Tribune'' which include the headlines "Openly Gay Teacher Wins Lawsuit", "Local Abortion Rights Advocate Calls For End Of Violence Against Women", and "Wright: Local Church A Cult".
130	* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: Two police restrain Dean when he stops Sue Ann from killing Wright.
131	-->'''Cop:''' We catch you round here again son, we'll put the fear of God in you, understand?\
132	'''Dean:''' [[DeadpanSnarker Yes, sir, fear of God. Got it]].
133	* PoliticallyIncorrectVillain: Sue Ann uses the Reaper to kill people she thinks are immoral, like gay teachers and pro-choice activists.
134	* PreacherMan: Reverend Roy Le Grange leads well-attended revival meetings from a large tent.
135	* TheProblemWithFightingDeath
136	* RedHerring: The preacher. He is innocent of the deaths caused by the healing, and the real perpetrator is his wife Sue Ann.
137	* RidiculouslyCuteCritter: Dean seems to subscribe to the CuteIsEvil manner of thinking.
138	-->'''Dean:''' That fabric softener teddy bear. Ooh, I wanna hunt that little bitch down.
139	* RightForTheWrongReasons:
140	** The protestor outside the revival is quite correct that Roy is a fraud but not because nothing supernatural is going on.
141	** Dean himself, as it turns out. In later seasons Reapers are recategorized as a subtype of angel, so strictly speaking Roy's "powers" ''are'' a holy miracle... that happens to be acquired by means of [[BlackMagic magically enslaving]] [[CapturedSuperEntity a divine being]] [[DontFearTheReaper who would much rather just being doing his job]], and [[OlympusMons forcing it to hand out miracles on demand]].
142	* ShoutOut:
143	** Dean is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYr0GA22vGE&feature=related not the only one]] one who finds the Snuggle Fabric Softener [[BearsAreBadNews Bear]] creepy.
144	* SlasherSmile: The ''[[GrimReaper Reaper]]'', of all things, when the time comes for his revenge.
145	* SnakeOilSalesman:
146	** Instead of seeing a cardiologist to get an informed opinion on treatment for cardiomyopathy, Sam Winchester researches alternative treatments like Chinese herbs, acupuncture, and a surgery called Pulmonary Abductal Bypass Marsupilization developed by a surgeon in Sri Lanka who promises a 98% full recovery rate.
147	** Subverted with Roy. He honestly believes that he has divine healing powers, and has no idea that the healing is actually the work of his wife’s BlackMagic.
148	* StaticStunGun: The superpowered [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taser Tasers]] used in the opening scene deliver 100,000 volts, while most Tasers deliver at most 50,000 volts.
149	* StoppedClock: The clock froze at 4:17 when Marshall died and Dean was healed.
150	* SoundtrackDissonance: When the jogger is killed by the Reaper.
151	* TarotMotifs: [[ContrivedCoincidence Good thing]] Sam has a deck of tarot cards on hand. The tarot card Sam pulls out of his deck is [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hierophant The Hierophant(V)]], sometimes called UsefulNotes/ThePope, which is the fifth trump or Major Arcana card in most traditional Tarot decks. While there [[http://s906.beta.photobucket.com/user/spntarot/media/Hall%20of%20Fame/Hierophant.jpg.html are many versions]], the skull head and cross are not traditional elements. This card is often associated with education and knowledge, and may be associated with rigid/orthodox views or deception. It seems an odd choice for binding death.
152	* ThingsThatGoBumpInTheNight: Dean and Sam are hunting a [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bloody_Bones rawhead]], a boogieman-like creature, when Dean gets injured.
153	* WallOfWeapons: The armory in the trunk of the Impala.
154	* WhatMeasureIsANonHuman: Sam is unwilling to kill Roy, and tells Dean IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim, even though Sam has no qualms about killing the supernatural beings they encounter.
155	* WouldHurtAChild: Rawheads are [[ScareEmStraight said to]] eat children who [[FelonyMisdemeanor tell lies or use bad words]].

Context Recap / SupernaturalS01E12Faith