Bugs

**Sam**: "*Something... something bad is happening in Oasis Plains. We think it might have something to do with some old bones we found down there - Native American bones.*"
**Joe**: "*I'll tell you what my grandfather told me, what his grandfather told him. Two hundred years ago, a band of my ancestors lived in that valley. One day, the American cavalry came to relocate them. They were resistant, the cavalry impatient. As my grandfather put it, on the night the moon and the sun share the sky as equals, the cavalry first raided our village. They murdered, raped. The next day, the cavalry came again, and the next, and the next. And on the sixth night, the cavalry came one last time. And by the time the sun rose, every man, woman, and child still in the village was dead. They say on the sixth night, as the chief of the village lay dying, he whispered to the heavens that no white man would ever tarnish this land again. Nature would rise up and protect the valley. And it would bring as many days of misery and death to the white man as the cavalry had brought upon his people.*"
— Sam Winchester and Joe Whitetree

**"Bugs"** is the eighth episode of Season One of The CW's *Supernatural*. It was written by Rachel Nave & Bill Coakley and directed by Kim Manners. It is the eighth episode of the series overall, and premiered on November 8, 2005.

## Synopsis

After a construction worker is killed by insects burrowing into his brain, Sam and Dean investigate the town's history and find that the new housing development is being built on sacred Indian land. The Indians put a curse on the land after their reservation had been ravished and destroyed. Sam and Dean must find a way to survive and kill the deadly swarm of bees, locusts, spiders and beetles.

## Recap

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

Sam finds a case in Oasis Plains, Oklahoma where a gas company employee, Dustin Burwash, died from a sudden brain degeneration. The boys speak to the man’s partner Travis who describes how he was in a sinkhole and suddenly started bleeding from his eyes, ears, and nose. They investigate the hole and find some beetles, but nothing more.

Driving around the neighborhood, which is a new housing estate, they stop at an open house where the real estate developers are holding a barbecue. The boys meet Larry Pike, one of the developers and Lynda Bloome, head of sales. While chatting, Sam catches Matt Pike, Larry’s son, trying to scare her with a tarantula.

Dean finds out that a year ago one of the surveyors died from bee stings, and the boys wonder if someone is controlling insects.

That night, while the boys stay in one of the display homes so Dean can try the steam shower, Lynda Bloome is attacked by a swarm of spiders whilst in her shower, and dies as she crashes through the glass door.

When the boys find out about her death, they break into her house and find dozens of dead spiders.

They speak to Matt, and Sam relates to his tale that his father doesn't understand him. Matt takes them to a place in the surrounding forest where insects appear to be congregating. Digging around, Dean unearths a skull.

While on their way to the Department of Anthropology at the local university, Dean challenges Sam’s perception of their father’s opinion of him. He reveals, to Sam’s shock, that John was proud of Sam, and that he used to secretly check up on Sam while he was at Stanford.

The professor they visit says the bones are about 170 years old, and directs them to nearby Sapulpa. Here they speak to Joe Whitetree, a member of the Euchee Tribe. He tells them that there is a story that the tribe that lived in Oasis Plains was slaughtered by the cavalry over six days, and as the chief of the tribe lay dying on the 6th night, he cursed the land.

Sam and Dean postulate that this is the sixth night of the curse, and that Larry and his family are in danger. They arrive at the Pike’s home, as the sky is blackened with swarms of insects. They take the family to the attic, where termites are already eating through the wood. Just as the bugs eat through the roof, the sun rises and the bugs all leave.

Larry promises that the development will not go ahead. As Sam and Dean leave, Sam says he is looking forward to apologizing to his father.
## Cast

* Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester

Guest Starring* Andrew Airlie as Larry Pike
* Carrie Genzel as Lynda Bloome
* Tyler Johnston as Matt Pike
* Anne Marie DeLuise as Joanie Pike
* Ryan Robbins as Travis Weaver
* Jimmy Herman as Joe Whitetree
* Mi-Jung Lee as Anchorwoman
* Michael Daingerfield as Dustin Burwash

Uncredited* Jamie Schwanebeck as Ritchie

## Trivia

### Production Notes

* For this episode, all the actors who worked around bees were given costumes with cuffs sewed on the inside of their pants and sleeves to help prevent the insects from crawling into their clothing. It helped, but everyone still got stung.
* Approximately 60,000 bees were used in the attic scene. Unfortunately, they were unseen on camera so CGI was still used in order to see the bees on screen.
* This is the lowest rated episode of Season One.

### Behind the Scenes

* Those are real bees featured in the episode. Jensen Ackles was the first to get stung which amused Jared Padalecki enormously. Ackles got his revenge shortly after when Padalecki sat down on a bee and was stung on his rear.
* Alongside "Hook Man", this is one of Eric Kripke's least favorite episodes of the first season.

### Goofs

* When speaking to the tribal man Joe White Tree, he misuses the word "Calvary" instead of "cavalry" when talking about the past events of his people.
* After the woman is killed by the spiders, we see a police car drive off with its flashing lights on, but they turn off shortly afterwards; and the headlights remain off, despite the fact that the officers are using their wipers and it is raining.
* After Sam and Dean take shelter in the Pike household, the bugs chew through the phone and power lines, turning the lights in the house off. When Dean enters the kitchen to search for bug spray, the lights in the kitchen are still on.
* When Sam and Dean arrive at the Pike's house to warn them, Sam says that it is 12 a.m.. Right after they get attacked by bees and flee to the house's attic. The bees get in and attack everyone. And then they see the sun rise and the curse is over. In the story only a couple minutes pass between entering the house and the end of the curse. And no indication is made to more time passing. But around the spring equinox the sun rises about 7:30 a.m. in Oklahoma. Also the next day no one has any bee-stings on their faces, necks or hands (the parts that would have been exposed to the bees).
* Near the beginning, when Travis runs over to the hole with the rope to save Dustin, as the camera pans over with him you can see the shadow of the camera and its operator on the ground by the hole.
* After Dean and Sam speak with the tribal man, as they get into their car you can see crew shadows and a boom mic in the boot of their car.
* This episode is set in 2006, but March 20 did not fall on a Friday that year. It was a Monday.

## References

1. ↑ http://www.webcitation.org/5rzRabDSI
2. ↑ http://www.thefutoncritic.com/listings/20051026wb02/