# Supernatural February 18 2011 "Mannequin 3: The Reckoning" **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 19, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-february-18-2011-mannequin-3-the-reckoning/571876 "2011-02-19T02:18:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-february-18-2011-mannequin-3-the-reckoning/571876/1 "2011-02-19T02:18:36Z")
Love the title, by the way. So, it looks like Sam’s brief flashes of hell can actually kill him. This appears to be some kind of “super” ghost that can move between locations. The first ghost? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-february-18-2011-mannequin-3-the-reckoning/571876/2 "2011-02-19T02:34:03Z")
Who plays the girl that the prank was pulled on? She looks so familiar. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-february-18-2011-mannequin-3-the-reckoning/571876/3 "2011-02-19T03:03:01Z")
Can I just say that next week’s episode looks great? They enter a world where Supernatural is…a TV show and they are not Sam and Dean. They are Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki. Dean: “So what, are you Polish now?” ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 5:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-february-18-2011-mannequin-3-the-reckoning/571876/4 "2011-02-19T05:34:45Z")
I thought this episode was pretty bad, but in a lulzy sort of way. The scene where the Impala was chasing Dean around the parking lot…what. But the mannequins were creepy and the boys were hot. Eh. I guess it all evens out. (I have my priorities, people.) As for the next episode, I am horrified by its very existence and I am not planning on watching. If there are any important plot points, I will have to find them out from other people. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-february-18-2011-mannequin-3-the-reckoning/571876/5 "2011-02-19T15:23:39Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > As for the next episode, I am horrified by its very existence and I am not planning on watching. If there are any important plot points, I will have to find them out from other people. Why? These are the kinds of episodes that make Supernatural one of the best shows on TV. When they attended the Supernatural convention last season, I nearly died from laughter. ---
**Author:** ![Cuckoorex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Cuckoorex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cuckoorex)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-february-18-2011-mannequin-3-the-reckoning/571876/6 "2011-02-19T16:09:17Z")
Mixed feelings about this episode and the teaser for next week. I felt like the whole Lisa and Ben thing needs to go away completely or it’ll just sit and spin indefinitely. I like the characters and I can understand the whole “I can’t be with you but I want you,” angle, but what is Dean supposed to do? Next episode is written by Ben Edlund, who wrote many of my favorite episodes. I can understand the skepticism (it feels like Supernatural has already tread similar waters with the whole Carver Edlund/Chuck thing) but I’m definitely going to watch. Could this truly be a shark-jumper? Maybe, but I’ll reserve judgment. Maybe more importantly, it should bring some fun back into the series, which seems somewhat lacking this year. I read the plot synopsis on IMDB and while I kind of figured out some aspects of it, I was a bit disappointed by who was and wasn’t involved in the whole “alternate reality” bit. A slight spoiler for the episode after that: There’s an actor listed on IMDB in the role of Samuel Colt, so it looks like we might get to see some old west hunting action. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2011, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-february-18-2011-mannequin-3-the-reckoning/571876/7 "2011-02-19T17:27:50Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > Why? These are the kinds of episodes that make Supernatural one of the best shows on TV. When they attended the Supernatural convention last season, I nearly died from laughter. Yeah, I didn’t like that one either. Let’s just say I resemble the people they’re making fun of a little too much. ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-february-18-2011-mannequin-3-the-reckoning/571876/8 "2011-02-20T00:33:24Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > The scene where the Impala was chasing Dean around the parking lot…what. Wasn’t that an homage to **[Christine](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0085333/)**? ---
**Author:** ![xoferew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/e9a140/32.png) [@xoferew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xoferew)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-february-18-2011-mannequin-3-the-reckoning/571876/9 "2011-02-20T00:52:35Z")
I have just recently started watching this series and I like it, but I don’t know what’s going on at all. Anyone want to provide a summary, or direct me to a good website? Thanks a lot! ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-february-18-2011-mannequin-3-the-reckoning/571876/10 "2011-02-20T01:04:03Z")
> [@xoferew](#): > > I have just recently started watching this series and I like it, but I don’t know what’s going on at all. Anyone want to provide a summary, or direct me to a good website? Thanks a lot! The first 5 seasons dealt with Sam and Dean trying to deal with Azarael, the yellow-eyed demon. They killed him awhile ago, but his ultimate plan was to bring back Lucifer, which he did. Consequently, they had to push Lucifer back into hell, which happened taking Sam along with him. Sam was brought back out of hell and Death shoved his soul back in his body, putting up a mental wall that stops him from remembering what hell was like. ---
**Author:** ![xoferew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/e9a140/32.png) [@xoferew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xoferew)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-february-18-2011-mannequin-3-the-reckoning/571876/11 "2011-02-20T01:10:24Z")
So is Sam damned to hell and will eventually have to go back? And they apparently work as ghostbusters? In the last episode they were freely wandering around a crime scene with actual police type guys, so they have some official recognition for what they do? But then it seemed like they were kind of concealing the lumpy handheld device with lights on top. Do they pretend their investigations are not supernatural? Who do they work for? ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-february-18-2011-mannequin-3-the-reckoning/571876/12 "2011-02-20T01:32:02Z")
> [@xoferew](#): > > So is Sam damned to hell and will eventually have to go back? And they apparently work as ghostbusters? In the last episode they were freely wandering around a crime scene with actual police type guys, so they have some official recognition for what they do? But then it seemed like they were kind of concealing the lumpy handheld device with lights on top. Do they pretend their investigations are not supernatural? Who do they work for? Sam is not necessarily damned to hell. He’s back alive and is just himself again. They have shitloads of fake IDs and usually pretend to be FBI agents in order to get into crime scenes. The device is an EMF reader, btw. They usually pretend the investigation is not supernatural, but a pretty large percentage of the time they fail at concealing this and whoever they’re rescuing/real law enforcement officers realize that it’s actually a ghost or monster or whatever. They don’t work for anyone. The (simplified) backstory is that their mom was killed by a demon when they were little and their dad realized that monsters were real, so he became a hunter. There’s a whole hunter subculture in the world of the show, most of whom seem to be in it to get revenge for the death of a loved one. So Sam and Dean were raised as hunters and it’s pretty much the only thing they know how to do. Sam went to college and tried to be a normal person for awhile, but it didn’t work out. Before you ask the obvious question: they live on credit card fraud and hustling pool. TNT is running reruns of the earlier seasons, if you want to catch up without renting the DVDs. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 20, 2011, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-february-18-2011-mannequin-3-the-reckoning/571876/13 "2011-02-20T01:32:08Z")
> [@xoferew](#): > > So is Sam damned to hell and will eventually have to go back? And they apparently work as ghostbusters? In the last episode they were freely wandering around a crime scene with actual police type guys, so they have some official recognition for what they do? But then it seemed like they were kind of concealing the lumpy handheld device with lights on top. Do they pretend their investigations are not supernatural? Who do they work for? 1. They do credit card fraud to get money. They have no paid job. 2. They pretend to be agents and have extensive fake backgrounds and ID. They usually use rock star names as their aliases. They have no official recognition. 3. I guess they are ghostbusters, but they work with all supernatural things. They fight demons, werewolves, vampires, evil ghosts, and everything else. 4. Yeah, I guess they hide their device for detecting ghosts. It would reveal them as loonies. ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2011, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-february-18-2011-mannequin-3-the-reckoning/571876/14 "2011-02-21T03:36:04Z")
For those who are off work on Monday, TNT is showing a marathon of Supernatural episodes beginning at 9:00am until about 5:00pm, I think. I know I’ll be watching. ---
**Author:** ![xoferew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/e9a140/32.png) [@xoferew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xoferew)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-february-18-2011-mannequin-3-the-reckoning/571876/15 "2011-02-22T18:42:21Z")
Thanks, I watched some of the marathon. I’m guessing they showed episodes out of order and Sam suddenly looking five years younger isn’t some demonic power… Are Dean and Sam supposed to be half brothers? When episodes start with “Then” and “Now,” is the “Then” taken from a previous episode, or is it made up for the new episode? In general does this series have a reputation of being consistently good, or is it more uneven? The first episode I saw was about leprechauns and it seemed so wacky I almost didn’t give it another try. ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-february-18-2011-mannequin-3-the-reckoning/571876/16 "2011-02-22T18:46:42Z")
The marathon shows were way, waaaaaaaaaaaay randomized in terms of order. Dean and Sam are full brothers. “Then” is indeed “previously on Supernatural”. I’d say it’s consistently good after the first season, which doesn’t mean each season doesn’t have the occasional clunker. The Onion AV Club review of this episode asked “Great title? Or greatest title in the history of words?” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-february-18-2011-mannequin-3-the-reckoning/571876/17 "2011-02-22T20:42:00Z")
> [@xoferew](#): > > In general does this series have a reputation of being consistently good, or is it more uneven? The first episode I saw was about leprechauns and it seemed so wacky I almost didn’t give it another try. Consistently good and quite frequently, amazing. I’ll admit some of season 1 is weaker than what follows, but that’s pretty common. ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2011, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-february-18-2011-mannequin-3-the-reckoning/571876/18 "2011-02-22T20:48:55Z")
> [@xoferew](#): > > TThe first episode I saw was about leprechauns and it seemed so wacky I almost didn’t give it another try. If you look at the TV Tropes page for this show, one of the first things it notes is the high degree of mood whiplash. There are a number of ridiculous, cracky episodes, mixed in amongst the MASSIVE ANGST that would otherwise overwhelm the show. It lightens the mood somewhat, but it is somewhat startling. Sometimes they make the switch mid-episode (cf, _Mystery Spot_). The leprechaun episode was a fairly goofy episode. Godspeed, soulless!Sam, we hardly knew ye. :(🆒 ---
**Author:** ![DianaG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7ab992/32.png) [@DianaG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DianaG)\ **Post date:** [February 24, 2011, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-february-18-2011-mannequin-3-the-reckoning/571876/19 "2011-02-24T17:18:08Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > ISometimes they make the switch mid-episode (cf, _Mystery Spot_). These tacos taste funny to you? ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2011, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-february-18-2011-mannequin-3-the-reckoning/571876/20 "2011-02-25T17:18:46Z")
“How long did it seem to you?” “About a week.” I laughed out loud. 😃 I liked the episdoe okay, but that speech by Sam at the end was a little heavy-handed - were they trying to prove that Sammy’s all souled-up again by spouting a speech that Dean would never let pass without a smart-ass comment? Maybe I should just assume that the cameras stopped rolling just before Dean looked at him and said, “Okay, you girl.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/supernatural-february-18-2011-mannequin-3-the-reckoning/571876.md?page=2)