Recap / Supernatural S 07 E 18 Party On Garth

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Recap of Supernatural
Season 7, Episode 18

Party On, Garth

Written by Adam Glass.

Directed by Philip Sgriccia.

Air Date: March 30, 2012.

Garth calls on Sam and Dean for help when he comes up against a Shojo, a Japanese creature that can only be seen when drunk.

Body Count:

For this episode = 3 humans and 1 shojo.

For the series so far = At least 796 humans (of which 6 were witches), 97 demons, 55 angels, 37 ghosts, 36 Jefferson Starships, 26 vampires, 19 zombies, 15 gods, 9 hellhounds, 7 skinwalkers, 6 changelings, 5 shapeshifters, 4 ghouls, 3 djinn, 3 dogs, 2 Amazons, 2 arachnes, 2 kitsunes, 2 Leviathan, 2 vetalas, 2 werewolves, 1 crocotta, 1 dragon, 1 fairy, 1 Khan worm, 1 lamia, the Mother of All, 1 okami, 1 phoenix, 1 Purgatory creature, 1 rakshasa, 1 rawhead, 1 reaper, 1 rugaru, 1 shojo, 1 shtriga, 1 siren, 1 wendigo, 1 whore of Babylon, and 1 wraith.

Tropes

• Agent Scully: Sam argues for the mundane explanation when Dean thinks Bobby is haunting them.
• The Alcoholic: We see how bad Dean's gotten with this in this episode. It takes a lot to get him even "kinda drunk".
  Sam: I mean, can you even get drunk anymore? It's kind of like, uh, drinking a vitamin for you, right?
  • Later Sam has to tell Dean where to swing his sword as he's not drunk enough to see the shojo.
• Bilingual Bonus: In-Universe — the sake box spells out exactly what's in it!
• Book Ends: Garth plays "Poison" on his car radio at the beginning and end of the episode.
• Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Despite being Plucky Comic Relief and making some initial mistakes, Garth turns out to be a competent investigator.
• Can't Hold His Liquor: Garth gets drunk after one beer.
• Chekhov's Gun: Bobby's flask, which Dean keeps as a Tragic Keepsake, ends up being the thing that allows Bobby to come back as a ghost, despite having had a Viking Funeral.
• Character as Himself: Mr. Fizzles.
• Closest Thing We Got: The shojo must be killed a samurai sword subjected to a shinto blessing while in a running spring. Dean buys a katana from the pawn shop, then gets a sushi chef to bless it while he pours bottled spring water on the blade.
• Come with Me If You Want to Live: Garth to the final victim. It doesn't work until an invisible force starts throwing Garth about the place.
• Consulting Mister Puppet: Garth tries this to get a young girl to talk to him. It seems to creep her out more than anything.
• Conveniently Timed Attack from Behind: Sam and Dean are busted dead drunk in the brewer's office. He's calling the police when Garth tasers him from behind.
• Electromagnetic Ghosts:
  • The ghost turns up on security camera footage, but you still have to be drunk first.
  • The EMF reader is apparently malfunctioning due to Garth's ineptness, but it turns out to be reacting to Bobby's ghost.
• Expy: The Shojo is most definitely based on Kayako Saeki from Ju-on and The Grudge.
• Flashed-Badge Hijack: Sam has to grab a cab this way as he's too drunk to drive.
• Give Me a Sign: Dean asks this of ghost Bobby, but doesn't get one. We discover in the next episode that Bobby is trying to communicate, but doesn't have the skill in telekinesis yet.
• Give Me a Sword: Dean refuses to believe that Bobby's ghost is around...until the sword slides over to him at a crucial moment in the battle.
• Glasses Pull: Garth with his sunglasses (also counts as a Mythology Gag from "Changing Channels", where this trope was mocked).
• Good-Looking Privates: Garth wears a military uniform because he thinks it looks good on him. It doesn't.
• Hand Puppet: Mr. Fizzles, which Garth uses to get a little girl to open up about the death of her mother.
• Hope Spot: Sam and Dean decide the idea of Bobby's ghost is wishful thinking and leave. Turns out Bobby was in the room the whole time. Then Dean says Hey, Wait! and rushes back inside. Bobby looks hopeful...only it's because Dean had forgotten his flask.
  Bobby: I'm here, you idgit!
• Invisible Monster: Unless you're drunk.
  Garth: Right. So... Whoa. A monster you have to be drunk to see. Cool! Also... very hard to fight.
• Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Garth downs an entire bottle of beer, which he doesn't normally do "because it messes with my depth perception." Cue camera having a problem focusing on both Sam and Dean.
• Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Sam and Dean discuss whether they're imagining the Bobby's ghost thing.
• Not Too Dead to Save the Day: Bobby, who's been helping the Winchesters with research and who pushed the sword back across the room to help Dean.
• Out-of-Character Alert: Garth works out that the last victim is the illegitimate son of the brewer, because he refused to fire him.
• Paper-Thin Disguise: Garth as a cop. Or a soldier. Or a fed. No-one notices.
• Person as Verb
  • Garth boasts that he's 'Garthed' the ghost.
  • "Then what Jedi-ed that sword into my hand?"
• Punched Across the Room: Garth gets hit hard with this, being sent through several windows.
• The Reveal: In this episode, we learn that Bobby chose to stay as a ghost.
• Revenge Before Reason: The brother of the first victim goes hunting for the shojo. Bad idea.
• Right Behind Me: Sam and Dean have a long conversation over whether Bobby's ghost is in the room. He is.
• Sadly Mythtaken: Ironically the website Sam consults describes the creature correctly as a red-faced redhaired monkey-like creature with a fondness for booze, not a Stringy-Haired Ghost Girl with a white face and black hair.
• Sealed Evil in a Can: Or in this case, a sake bottle.
• Shoo Out the Clowns: Once again Garth gets knocked out for the final battle, so the action can concentrate on Sam and Dean.
• Shout-Out: Ghost
  • Plus several to DJ Qualls's movies. Garth pulls an Unflinching Walk like in The New Guy, and is told he's "strictly on wine coolers" (which he requests in Road Trip).
• Stringy-Haired Ghost Girl: The Shojo looks like one.
• Title Drop: When Garth downs an entire bottle of beer in one go, Dean says the title.
• Unflinching Walk: Played for Laughs when Garth walks away from torching a supposed ghost's remains.
• Vertical Kidnapping: The second victim.
• You Can See Me?: Done as a Hope Spot; but it turns out Dean really can't see Bobby.
• You Have to Believe Me!: It's difficult to convince someone that an invisible monster is after them when you're drunk.