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Template:EpisodeWendigo is the 2nd episode of Season 1. It aired on September 20, 2005. <place lat="39.550051" lon="-105.782067" width="300" height="200" zoom="8"/>

Summary

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 American 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.

Plot

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 mistook the brothers for friends of Haley Collins, the sister of a boy, Tommy Collins, who went missing while on a camping trip with two friends. On a hunch, Sam and Dean visit Haley, and she showed them the last video Tommy sent her via cellphone before he disappeared. She also informed them that she and her younger brother, Ben Collins, have hired a guide and were headed into the hills to find Tommy the next morning.

Sam does some research and found that people went missing in Blackwater at regular intervals - every 23 years. He also played Tommy's last video in slow motion, and he and Dean spotted an extremely fast moving shadow on a tent wall. They then went to visit Shaw, a survivor of an alleged bear attack in 1959. The old man told 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 reached the campsite, they found ripped tents and damaged equipment. Screams for help sound in the distance so they all ran to check, but there was no one there and when they returned to the campsite their packs had been taken.

With the help of their father's journal, Sam and Dean realized that they were facing a Wendigo. They informed the disbelieving group, and Dean drew Anasazi symbols for protection as they made camp for the night. Sam argued with Dean that he wants to abandon this hunt and search for their father. Dean replied that they had to help others; it was “the family business.” Once again, cries for help were heard, and Roy ignored Dean’s warnings and ran into the dark with his gun. He gets caught by arms out of the tree and doesn't come back.

The next day Sam and Dean explained that Wendigo means ‘evil that devours.’ They were once human but had became something else when forced to eat human flesh to survive. Tommy may still be alive, as Wendigos hibernate and liked to store live food, so they followed the Wendigo's bloody trail. Eventually, Roy’s dead body fell from a tree and the Wendigo appeared, which caused everyone to scatter. Haley and Dean were captured by the Wendigo, but Sam and Ben followed a trail of peanut M&M’s that Dean left behind. They eventually found Dean, Haley, and Tommy hanging from the ceiling of an abandoned mine, and they cut them loose.

Dean got hold of two flare guns along with the rest of their stolen supplies, and while Sam left with the Collins siblings, Dean tried to draw the Wendigo away. The Wendigo followed Sam instead, cornering their group; however, Dean appeared from behind and shot his flare gun into its chest. The Wendigo burst into flame and dropped dead, they made their escape and summoned help. The group then fabricated a story to tell the police - they were attacked by a bear. Haley thanked Dean and then left with Tommy and Ben in the ambulance. Dean joked that he hated camping and informed Sam that they would find their dad. Sam agrees but in the meantime - he's driving.

Characters

Main Cast

Recurring Cast

Guest Cast

Featured Music

  • Foreigner - Hot Blooded
  • Lynyrd Skynyrd - Down South Jukin'
  • Rush - Fly by Night
  • Dave Matthews Band - Out of My Hands

Featured Supernatural Beings

Cultural References

Dean: Her brother's missing, Sam. She's not just gonna sit this out. No, we go with her, we protect her, and we keep our eyes peeled for our fuzzy Predator friend. 

This is a reference to Predator , a flim staring Arnold Schwarzenegger that features extraterrestrial species characterized by its trophy hunting of other species, namely humans, for sport. 

Dean: Tell me, uh, Bambi or Yogi ever hunt you back.

Bambi the Dear and Yogi Bear are both famous forest-dwelling cartoon characters. 

Ben: Like the Donner Party.

The Donner Party were a group of 19th century settlers who were traveling west when they were caught in a blizzard in the Sierra Nevada, and some resorted to cannibalism. 

Sam: It's better than bread crumbs.

A reference to the Grimm's fairy tale Hansel and Gretel , in which the children leave a trail of bread crumbs through the forest so they'll find their way home. 

Trivia

  • Antagonist: Wendigo
  • It mentions that Jessica's birthday is on January 24th, same as Dean's.

The coordinates John gave them in the Pilot episode aren't in Colorado, they are in Arizona.

  • In lore, Wendigos didn't have the ability to mimic voices.

Continuity

  • Sam and Dean use the coordinates found in their dad's journal from the previous episode to try and find him.


Quotes

Haley: "And you're hiking out in biker boots and jeans?"
Dean: "Sweetheart, I don't do shorts."

Sam: I mean, why are we even still here?
Dean: This is why. (holds up their dad's journal) This book. This is Dad's single most valuable possession. Everything he knows about every evil thing is in here. And he's passed it on to us. I think he wants us to pick up where he left off, you know, saving people, hunting things. The family business.

(Sam finds a trail of peanut M&M's on the ground)Sam: (laughs) It's better than bread crumbs.

Haley: You didn't pack any provisions. You guys are carrying a duffel bag. You're not rangers, so who the hell are you?
Dean: Sam and I are brothers, and we're looking for our father. He might be here, we don't know. I just figured that you and me, we're in the same boat.
Haley: Why didn't you just tell me that from the start?
Dean: I'm telling you now. Besides, that's probably the most honest I've ever been with a woman. Ever. So we okay?
Haley: Yeah, okay.
Dean: And what do you mean I didn't pack provisions? (pulls out peanut M&Ms and walks away).

International titles

  • Finnish: Kauhujen metsä (The Forest of Horror)
  • French: Wendigo
  • German: Wendigo
  • Hungarian: Fenevad (Beast)
  • Spanish: Wendigo
  • Italian: Wendigo
  • Polish: Wendigo

External links

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