Supernatural (TV Series) How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters (2011) User Reviews

The Rise of Dick

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 11 February 2013]

Dean, Sam and Bobby heads to a town in New Jersey where the remains of locals have been found after the attack of a creature that they believe might be the Jersey Devil. Dean and Sam interview the Ranger Rick Evans, who seems to be stoned, at the Big Gerson's restaurant and then they have lunch with Bobby. Dean eats the Big Gerson's sandwich with three different meats and soon he has a stranger behavior. Sam and Bobby learns that the sandwich is affecting the locals and they decide to investigate the supplier and they discover that the locals are part of an experiment of the leviathans led by Dick Roman. When Bobby is captured by four leviathans, Dean and Sam question how they can rescue Bobby.

"How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters" is an episode where the rise of the powerful Dick Roman is disclosed to the viewers. The episode is basically divided in two parts, the first one very funny, but the reason of the Leviathan's plan is not well explained and why they would need to control people in that way is a kind of silly plan. The reason why Dick Roman should destroy the leader of their experiment is also confused. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters"

A lot of social commentary in this episode.

[mm-39 · 7/10 · 24 November 2011]

How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters has a lot of social commentary in it. We live in a self absorbed consumer society where consumption and self gratification is king. Something evil on the show is trying to pacify mankind into a sleep by putting drugs into the Big gerson restaurants food. Consumers eat the sandwich and become addicted, and useless. The new bad guy who looks like Billionaire (Bale)Bruce Wayne aka The Dark Night, is using all his corporate power for the sinister scheme. Who is infected and who is evil is the question the Winchesters must face. The show leaves the viewer hanging with what happened to Bobby. Another, well acted, and directed episode. The strong storyline has a hook which will keep the viewer watching. A good transitional episode for a new storyline. The episode has a good mix of social commentary and entertainment in it. Seven or eight out of ten stars.

You don't shoot Bambi, jackass. You shoot Bambi's mother.

[zombiehigh18 · 9/10 · 6 January 2012]

Oh Supernatural, What are you going to do to us? Are you really going to kill off an amazing character like Bobby? No way, I didn't really complain like other fans when you took out Cas, I even had patience when you took out the Metallicar But taking out Bobby! This is completely unacceptable. Who else will the brothers have in the world? Who else will they lean onto when they are all screwed up? Who will knock some sense in their scrambled minds? Please don't kill off Bobby especially now that we know more about the awesome dude. There was some hope for the guy to have some happy ending with a woman like Sheriff Jodi Mills and that was so cute. I also loved that he took the boys out hunting when they were little.

Any way I will just have to say the episode was a strong one after a crappy Meta episode. I find the Levaithan's plan a little lame but funny. especially when we had to see a stoned Dean and peak into his head. Jensen Ackles was hilarious as a wasted Dean and it was a very long time since we have seen him smile and act goofy.

It was a nice touch too to remind us that Lucifer is still hanging around in Sam's head but all is hopefully still under control.

Cut to Dick Roman, who is a new version of the big bad. Dick is, well a "dick" who has influence besides power which makes him probably more scary than most creatures we have come across on the show. But I'm afraid the actor can't convey the same level of intimidation as Lucifer or Death have done before. However I liked the totally funny "The rise of Dick" clip with all the poorly photo shopped pictures.

Does what it has to but in a quirky way

[CubsandCulture · 9/10 · 23 April 2020]

This episode continues the though line of the season of the boys losing everything the care about-including Dean getting burnt out- and it further explores what the Leviathans are up too. Both plotlines are developed in predictable ways but how they get there has some of Edlund's signature quirkiness. Seeing Dean stoned by a sandwich is quite fun.

Whats in the meat?

[shwetafabm · 8/10 · 23 June 2020]

This is one of the more ridiculous weird vibed episodes and i'm down for that Stoned Dean is adorable They are rehashing things, the failed monsters from Eve, the initial days where holy water was the main defense, it's just blah I like how it shows Dean losing hope, that's realisitic

Intense chewing sounds throughout. Unwatchable.

[mraajdar · 1/10 · 24 February 2023]

I will preface that I have no problem with gore and I am not complaining about bad manners, I am specifically talking about painful audio triggers. Misophonia. Nails on a chalkboard but *more*. Short circuit your brain, lock up your muscles more.

Yes I realise that Supernatural started out as a horror show. Again, not the issue. Kripke era is without doubt my favourite. I understand the difference between a fun "ew that's gross lol" cringe (which I enjoy for the record) and a physically painful neural response to sound. You can do horror and gore without hitting painful sound frequencies. There was no reason to include them apart from, I assume, some push the boundaries edgelord sound engineer wanting to leave his mark on the industry by going beyond atmosphere and into disgust. It's not disgusting though, not really, at least not first and foremost. It just hurts.

This episode is one of a handful from Supernatural that I can. Not. Watch. At least not without mute and subtitles. Unfortunately it's also a mythology arc episode. The series on the whole had a nasty (and infuriatingly unnecessary) habit of throwing in random painful chomping slurpy mouth sounds with no warning, but at least most were in skippable/monster of the week episodes, or even just over with quickly enough that you could grit your teeth and clench your fists til they were over (not as if that makes it ok). Not this one though. Putting these sounds so prominently in such an important episode is ableist to people with neuro divergences that cause sounds sensitivity, and it's unacceptable and unforgivable tbh. I still like Supernatural for more reasons than I dislike it, but seriously this one is such a big mark for the dislike column. Complaining about it now can't fix what's done, but it still needs to be said. Hopefully one day someone with power will listen and this will stop being a thing that people *need* to complain about.