Supernatural (TV Series) The Curious Case of Dean Winchester (2009) User Reviews

Fun and surprising

[Criderick · 10/10 · 3 November 2009]

I found this episode was pretty uncommon. Of course we are used to watch some fun episodes from time to time along the season. This one was one of them. I loved the cast, I must say. Old Dean was brilliant and the wizard was outstanding.

We can think of the whole plot of the episode as an excuse to show Bobby's despair and frustration, ironically transferred to Dean somehow; or the fact that in every game luck has an important part to play. No matter how much we know, which our condition is or how well we play, everything is in the air till the game is over.

So I enjoyed watching Dean's condition and how he deals with it, but again what really impressed me was the wizard. That was a very powerful character and I hope he appears again along the season.

A really interesting, thought-provoking episode

[LaFeeChartreuse · 10/10 · 16 April 2010]

I really liked this one, and more so the more I think about it. It had a perfect blend of serious character development and humour, poking fun at Dean's metamorphosis into a Grumpy Old Man, but also delving seriously into Bobby's frustration with his disability, and the dark side of immortality.

I think a lot of my favourite Supernatural episodes have been the ones with the most moral complexity, that don't have clear-cut heroes and villains, and operate more in shades of grey than black and white. And this one is a good example of that. Patrick is a really fascinating character - a villain who's not altogether villainous, and despite being 900 years old, remains very human in some ways. He had no qualms about taking years of people's lives in his magical game, but didn't want to play anyone he knew he couldn't beat without killing them, deliberately folded despite having a better hand when playing the old man who wanted a few more years to see his granddaughter's Bat Mitzvah, and tried to talk Sam out of betting all his years because it was basically suicide.

And it was his humanity that made the ending so heartbreaking - he gave in to Lia's wishes because he knew she didn't want to go on and didn't want to see her suffer, but you could tell it was tearing him apart to do it. Her soft "Thank you" as her years caught up with her, and his head in his hands afterwards, made me tearier than any Supernatural episode since Heart.

I also really liked the handling of Bobby's situation. So often we're subjected to the stereotypes that disability is somehow worse than death, with the implication that disabled people are automatically useless and can't possibly find any meaning or purpose in their lives - and that's very much the view Bobby starts out with. I was initially worried that the episode was going to play into that, with Bobby somehow nobly sacrificing himself to get Dean's years back, on the basis that oh, he's disabled, it's not like he's got anything to live for anyway. But instead we get Dean - having had a taste of being physically less capable than he's used to - telling Bobby that he's not useless and that he doesn't want to hear any more suicide talk.

And he's right - from what we've seen over the span of the whole series, hunting isn't only, or even predominantly, physical. That's certainly a part of it, but there's also a ton of knowledge, research, intuition and investigation that goes into it, and with Bobby's level of knowledge, he's anything but useless. The mental side of hunting is just as important as the physical.

All in all, a really excellent, well-balanced episode, that leaves the viewer with a lot to think about.

A nice villain

[zombiehigh18 · 9/10 · 5 December 2011]

Supernatural has dealt before with living outside the black and white scale of things. We have met good vampires and bad angels but Patrick here is another story. Patrick is not different from most humans, expect for a 900 year old he witch, he is sometimes charming cute sympathetic yet manipulative and ruthless when jeopardized. Patrick didn't play except with people who had a chance, he was not a murderer yet some had to die when they lost to him because it's the natural consequence of ageing. Though he liked to stick to rule, He had no problem giving a guy 13 years to see his granddaughter's something, he refused to let old Dean play because he wouldn't stand a chance and he tried to talk Sam out of playing all his credit simply because it would be suicide. But, he didn't think twice to try to kill Sam because the latter tried to kill him first, a pure act of self preservation, and he tricked Sam to panic over his soon dying brother when Sam had the upper hand in the game. And he broke your heart when he had to let his witch girlfriend lose because she wanted to live no more. Hal Ozsan's charming and heart felt performance made Patrick one of my all time favourite villains on Supernatural only next to Lucifer and Death. (You will know what I mean when you meet Julian Richings)

Cut to Bobby, who sacrificed himself for Dean on the season's premier resulting in loosing his ability to walk, is obviously not dealing with his disability very well. He raced Dean in finding Patrick and played with him in hope of going back in years when he could walk. He is feeling useless and wishes to die. Jim Beaver's heart breaking performance will definitely brings tears to your eyes. It was nice to see Dean talk to him in the end telling him how much he and Sam needed him since he is the only one they have got left and his is family. More over Bobby had always been the boys surrogate father and he was the one who taught Dean that family don't end with blood.

Then there is Dean, the guy we thought had learned his lesson and would stop being used by the bad guys by sacrificing himself to others, goes without a single second thought to play for Bobby and cash him out his lost 25 years resulting in loosing 50 years himself. (However I couldn't blame Dean for such a reckless act since Bobby was in this situation for saving him in the first place). Then Dean wouldn't let Sammy play unless they had a fighting chance asking his brother not to loose. The funniest part in this was the 80 year old Dean, played amazingly by Chad Everett. I would say Chad Everett had been watching Supernatural long before he got this role since he brilliantly nailed all Dean's mannerisms. His performance made it easy to believe he is indeed Dean in an older meat suit and it was cute but pathetic to see Dean all whining and complaining of acid refluxes and sciatica but more funny to see his old self hitting on a girl. And you will certainly enjoy Dean's happy dance at the end.

And finally there is Sam. Jared Padalecki got the chance to have fun with his hilarious facial expressions and amazing one liners. However the biggest wonder was the game it self. Was Sam the best player of the trio or was it just pure luck? Could he really play the 900 year old "he witch" and beat him in his own game? I think this will remain one of Sam's mysteries.

The one thing I hate in this episode was the make-up. Seeing young people going rapidly into old age with this horrible less believable make up was a pity. But I enjoyed the show any way.

Funny Parody to Benjamin Button

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 29 January 2012]

Sam and Dean investigate the mysterious case of a young man that dies of old age and sooner they find an opposite case of a missing old man that has become younger. They find that a 900 year-old witch named Patrick is the responsible, gambling life years in poker games. However, Bobby arrives first and bets twenty-five years of his life expecting to get rid off his wheelchair. He loses and gets older and older, forcing Dean to bet fifty years of his life to save his friend. Dean saves Bobby but ages becoming a very old man. Now Sam is the only hope to save his brother.

"The Curious Case of Dean Winchester" is a funny parody of Benjamin Button with a different villain. However the conclusion is unsatisfactory since the witch keeps his power in the end. Therefore, there was no reason for Dean, Sam and Bobby face the powerful witch and leave him playing poker games with the greedy gamblers. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "The Curious Case of Dean Winchester"

Strong episode with amazing game scenes

[hijabagha · 10/10 · 24 September 2013]

This is one very strong Supernatural episode. The villain, Patrick (Hal Ozsan), acted so well and added a lot of flavor to the episode.

It was planned out very well, everything in the perfect order. The story-line was very different from other Supernatural episodes; the age- change thing is not seen in other episodes, never in the present time anyway.

Dean Winchester(Jensen Ackles) as we all know is a guy who has 'a give it a hell' attitude, towards every issue which is not Sam Winchester(Jared Padalecki) related. But in this episode the way he realizes that Bobby (Jim Beaver) must have a hard time dealing with the old age, is very emotional and nice.

Generally, the twist and turns, everybody caring for everybody intensely- scenes, acting, story, jokes, The Game and everything else makes it amazing and unique! And definitely a must-watch!

One of my all time favourite episodes.

[mm-39 · 10/10 · 13 August 2010]

One of my all time favourite Supernatural episodes. Well written, directed and acted. The script is about a 900 year old witch who plays poker for years instead of cash. Bobby loses the poker game and Dean becomes old in an effort to save Bobby. The actor who portrays the old Dean is great. He must have really watched episodes to get the feel for Dean's character and mannerisms. There is a lot of humour in this episode. The even better character is the 900 year old witch. A true poker player who can read people perfectly. The story intertwines a subplot where Bobby, and Dean treat Sam as the younger brother. The dramatic ending shows how smart Sam is. I give this show a 10 out of 10. A royal flush!

Has a lot going for it to be in the best of the best

[CubsandCulture · 10/10 · 16 March 2020]

Witch episodes often annoying me as I usually find them very plotty and filler. This is the rare exception. Not only is Patrick a good lovable rogue but Ptrick's story ends up having a bittersweet resolution. And the episode is really centered on Dean-Bobby. Bobby gets a plotline in season 5 around losing his legs and this episode does a good job of speaking to that dynamic. Some of it is too harsh but Jim Beaver gives a voice to the frustration that Bobby was feeling and it is a worthwhile story beat to include. Oh and OldDean! is hysterical.

One of my Favorites!

[nancy-gail · 10/10 · 8 April 2021]

As someone who saw Chad Everett in his heyday this was beyond the treat. Excellently written, funny and thought-provoking. And Chad Everett is still dead sexy.

I really like this episode

[totosbestmom · 9/10 · 22 June 2021]

I like this show. I never watched it in it's original network run, but a friend recommended it and not only is it a fun bingeable but this episode is just FUN. GREAT. CREATIVE.

I give the whole series about an 8 on average but this episode is just plain FUN. WATCH.

Aging

[shwetafabm · 9/10 · 14 June 2020]

The guy playing old Dean does a great job. More Bobby is always great. The poker game thing isn't my jam but that's on me not understanding any of it. I like witches a lot and they gave us an interesting one.

I never thought it would happen...

[MrCatification · 6/10 · 30 October 2009]

...but for the first time in 89 episodes Supernatural has let me down. I've just finished watching 'The Curious Case' and I found both the story line and the directing faulty. It had nothing of either the quirk or the drama that, by now, I am used to expect from Supernatural. It was like, given the fact that the idea behind the episode was so good, they were trying too hard to make it funny and did not succeed, being left, at times, with scenes out of place(the jumping in front of the cars, the spell cast on Sam, the digging of the body-why were they digging a body, anyhow?!). Also, even for the scenes that might have made sense, it was like jumping from one to the next without any real connectors. All in all, I was left with the impression that Jensen Ackles might have told the script writers that he needs to take a personal day and they had to woop up, at a moment's notice, a teleplay for an episode without him, and they just didn't have time to polish it. One thing I am sure of: if I can watch the previous episodes time and again, this is the one exception that will remain at one viewing only.