Wendigo (Episode)

## "Wendigo"

*Teleplay by:*

* Eric Kripke

**"Wendigo"** is the second episode of Season One of The CW's *Supernatural*. It was written by Ron Milbauer & Terri Hughes Burton and the teleplay by Eric Kripke and directed by David Nutter. It is the second episode of the series overall, and premiered on September 20, 2005.

## Synopsis

Sam and Dean follow the coordinates left in their father's journal and land in the middle of the woods where they investigate the disappearance of several campers. The two brothers soon learn they are dealing with a Wendigo, a creature made famous in Native America legends. A Wendigo is a former human whose cannibalism has transformed him into a creature with superhuman strength and speed that feasts on human flesh.

## Recap

*This section is a detailed recap of this episode. **There are major spoilers.** Click to expand.*

After spending a week in Palo Alto looking for the thing that killed Jessica, Sam and Dean head to Blackwater Ridge and the coordinates their father left in his journal. At the Lost Creek Trail Ranger Station, Ranger Wilkinson mistakes the brothers for friends of Haley Collins, the sister of a boy, Tommy Collins, who went missing while on a camping trip. On a hunch, Sam and Dean visit Haley, and she shows them the last video Tommy sent her via cellphone before he disappeared. She also informs them that she and her younger brother, Ben Collins, have hired a guide and are heading into the hills to find Tommy the next morning.

Sam does some research and finds that people go missing in Blackwater at regular intervals -- every 23 years. He also plays Tommy's last video in slow motion, and he and Dean spot an extremely fast moving shadow on a tent wall. They go to visit Shaw, a survivor of an alleged bear attack in 1959, and the old man tells them that it was not a grizzly that attacked his family, but a creature that was smart enough to unlock the cabin door, roared like no man or animal, and moved like lightning. They go back to Blackwater the next morning and arrive just as Haley, Ben, and their guide, Roy, are setting out for Tommy’s campsite. When the group reaches the campsite, they find ripped tents and damaged equipment. Screams for help sound in the distance so they all run to check, but no one is there and when they return to the campsite their packs have been taken.

With the help of their father's journal, Sam and Dean realize that they’re facing a wendigo. They inform the disbelieving group, and Dean draws Anasazi symbols for protection as they make camp for the night. Sam tells Dean he wants to abandon this hunt and search for their father. Dean replies that they have to help others; it is “the family business.” Once again, cries for help can be heard, and Roy ignores Dean’s warnings and runs into the dark with his gun. He doesn't return.

The next day Sam and Dean explain that wendigo means ‘evil that devours.’ They were once human but became something else when forced to eat human flesh to survive. Tommy may still be alive, as wendigo hibernate and like to store live food, so they follow the wendigo's bloody trail. Eventually, Roy’s dead body falls from a tree and the wendigo appears, causing everyone to scatter. Haley and Dean are taken by the wendigo, but Sam and Ben follow a trail of peanut M&M’s that Dean leaves behind. They eventually find Dean, Haley, and Tommy hanging from the ceiling of an abandoned mine, and they cut them loose.

Dean finds two flare guns along with the rest of their stolen supplies, and while Sam leaves with the Collins siblings, Dean tries to draw the wendigo away. The wendigo follows Sam instead, cornering their group; however, Dean appears from behind it and shoots his flare gun into its chest. The wendigo bursts into flame and dies, and they're able to escape and get help. The group fabricates a story to tell the police - they were attacked by a bear. Haley thanks Dean and then leaves with Tommy and Ben in the ambulance. Dean states that he hates camping and informs Sam that they will find their dad. Sam agrees but in the meantime -- he’s driving.
## Cast

* Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester

Guest Starring* Callum Keith Rennie as Roy
* Gina Holden as Haley Collins
* Alden Ehrenreich as Ben Collins
* Timothy Webber as Ranger Wilkinson
* Graham Wardle as Tommy Collins
* Cory Monteith as Gary
* Wren Robertz as Brad
* Tamara Lashley as Paramedic
* Rhys Williams as Local
* Roy Campsall as Wendigo

## Featured Supernatural Beings

* Wendigos
* Werewolves (mentioned)
* Black Dogs (mentioned)
* Skinwalkers (mentioned)

## Trivia

### Production Notes

* Jessica's tombstone shows her birthday to be January 24th (1984). January 24th (1979) is also Dean's birthday.
* Sam's deceased girlfriend's full name is Jessica Lee Moore as seen on her tombstone in this episode.
* One of the candles on Jessica's grave has "Virgen de Guadalupe" on it. This is based on an apparition of a brown-skinned Virgin Mary who appeared to future saint Juan Diego in 1531 and spoke in Nahuatl, the local language. She is also sometimes believed to be The Woman of the Apocalypse. That might be appropriate considering Sam's family background. The presence of this candle implies that Jessica could be Roman Catholic.

### Behind the Scenes

* Plotwise, this episode is very similar to The X-Files (1993) Season 5 episode "Detour" in which Mulder and Scully encounter some nasty creatures on a camping trip. Supernatural has often been compared to The X-Files (1993) with 2 lead characters investigating the paranormal. It is also filmed in Canada so many of the actors and directors from the earlier series show up in this one.

### Cultural References

* In the beginning, two guys are playing a first person shooter video game against each other and one claiming the other is cheating. A reference to the pilot of Threat Matrix (2003). Executive producer John Shiban was a writer for that show.

### Goofs

* Upon arriving in Colorado, while the Winchester brothers are at the ranger station gathering information, Sam states that they are natural resource majors at UC-Boulder. The school is actually known as CU-Boulder.
* When Sam and Dean first introduce themselves to Hailey, Dean says his name is Dean but the name on his ID says Samuel Cole.
* In the beginning, when Tommy is filming his message to Hailey, his dialogue says: "Hey, Hailey. Day 6. We're still out near Blackwater Ridge. We're fine, keeping safe, so don't worry. Talk to you tomorrow." But when Hailey plays the recording for Dean and Sam, the message becomes: "Hey, Hailey. Day 6. We're still out near Blackwater Ridge. We're fine, keeping safe, so don't worry, okay? Talk to you tomorrow."
* There is no "Black Water Ridge" in the Lost Creek wilderness of Colorado. The coordinates left by their father (35, 111) actually meet in Arizona.
* They say this episode takes place in the area around Grand Junction, but the problem is that the geography of that area is all desert, not full of trees like they implied in the episode.
* It is stated several times that Grizzly Bears are the cause of several deaths in the area (in Colorado), and a picture of a large dead bear is shown in the Ranger's office. Grizzly Bears are not indigenous to Colorado, only American Black Bears are; a smaller, less vicious species of bear.
* The brothers use Anasazi symbols to fight the Wendigo in Colorado when the tribes were actually located in the Southwest. Dean says that Wendigo are typically found in the Northeast of the country (Minnesota) and he's never heard of one as far west as Colorado.

## References

1. ↑ http://www.webcitation.org/5rzRPGrZp
2. ↑ http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20050912wb02/