Originally aired: Thursday April 23, 2009 on the CW.
Writer: Andrew Dabb & Daniel Loflin
Director: Phil Sgriccia
Show Stars: Jared Padalecki (Sam Winchester), Jensen Ackles (Dean Winchester)
All Guest Stars: Jake Abel (Adam)
A 19-year-old boy named Adam calls Sam and Dean looking for John Winchester, claiming to be his son. Dean and Sam meet Adam, assuming he's a demon trying to lure then into a trap.
However, they find out that John was indeed the boy's father and Adam tells them of his "normal" upbringing, which infuriates Dean.
Source: The CW and TV.com.
Full Version: "Jump The Shark" 4.19 Episode Discussion
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No one around 
Sorry Vin, I just watched the episode on my DVR. I liked it, I kinda figured it out but it was still sad.
Well, this was probably my least favorite ep this season which has been so strong. Poor Dean trying to protect yet another brother and another wedge between the brothers. Yet again, John Winchester breaks his boys even after his death.
Val~ What's the Adam Baldwin avi from? His current show?
Val~ What's the Adam Baldwin avi from? His current show?
I agree Vin this wasn't one of my favorite episodes. It was very dark and I don't mean just subject matter, I felt like I was watching a black screen at times. I know that's a little off topic but I don't like when the light the show like that...sorry pet peeve rant over 
.
I like how the roles were reversed in this eppy that Sam wanted to train Adam but Dean wanted to protect him and let him lead a normal life. That he knew his father had no choice with Sam and Dean on how they would grow up and become hunters but how he wanted Adam to have a chance at a normal life.
Like I said it wasn't a favorite episode but it did have some interesting characher development.
Vin-Yup that is from Adam's current show Chuck. You should check it out but unfortunately the chances of it getting picked up for a 3rd season is pretty slim. BTW, I finally watched Firefly and Serenity and loved it. Nate and Adam were great on that show.
.I like how the roles were reversed in this eppy that Sam wanted to train Adam but Dean wanted to protect him and let him lead a normal life. That he knew his father had no choice with Sam and Dean on how they would grow up and become hunters but how he wanted Adam to have a chance at a normal life.
Like I said it wasn't a favorite episode but it did have some interesting characher development.
Vin-Yup that is from Adam's current show Chuck. You should check it out but unfortunately the chances of it getting picked up for a 3rd season is pretty slim
. BTW, I finally watched Firefly and Serenity and loved it. Nate and Adam were great on that show.
Any episode that threatens to introduce a long-lost third Brother Winchester is treading on thin ice from the get-go. I distinctly recall the hue and cry when the first inklings of this episode were strewn across the internet by distressed fangirls. They shouldn't have been worried. How many times have the earliest spoilers turned out to be woefully devoid of context?
I knew that all would be well once Sam and Deam met with Adam at Cousin Oliver's, passing by the Fonzarelli Water Skiing poster on the way to the table. The episode was filled with references to past "jump the shark" moments, and the writers used the expectations of the audience to pull off some wonderful twists.
The interesting thing is that the existence of Adam shouldn't come as a surprise, if one thinks about it logically. The life of a hunter lends itself to sowing wild oats, so to speak, and if Dean is a reflection of John, then where else would Dean learn the ropes? We've already seen one episode where Dean thought he had fathered a son on the road, so the odds were favorable for more Winchesters out there.
As always, the action is a catalyst for character exploration, and we get to see just how much the brothers have changed over the years. In particular, this is episode says a lot about Sam and how hardened he's become. Sam looks at Adam and sees himself, the younger brother who thought he could escape the legacy of the Winchesters, and he feels like he was fooling himself to ever believe he could live a different life.
Sam is being very selective in his interpretations of things, especially given what we know. It was Azazel that made it impossible for Sam to leave his old life behind, and that had more to do with Mary than John. Sam may not know that, but Dean certainly does. But more to the point of the episode, this isn't about the facts, it's about how Sam is choosing to view his life and his path. Sam doesn't see a way out, which is a dangerous place to be, psychologically.
Meanwhile, knowing that John had another son makes it even worse, because John apparently gave Adam the kind of life that Dean wishes he could have had. Dean admits that he spent his entire childhood trying to emulate his father so John would give him approval. That meant giving up any notion of a normal life, as we've seen. Adam never had that problem, and it forces Dean to realize that John was perhaps the wrong role model.
Looking at it from John's perspective, he already had tried to raise Dean in his image, and it didn't work out at all. John wasn't disappointed in Dean, but he was sorry that Dean never had the chance to make other choices. That complicated his relationship with Sam, because Sam wanted out, but John didn't know how to handle that. Along comes Adam, and John has another chance and learn from his mistakes. I doubt that John ever thought that Sam and Dean would run into Adam.
Because Adam served a purpose in terms of exploring how the Brothers Winchester have changed, and how it still all ties back to who they were and where they came from, his purpose was short-term. So it makes sense that he would be dead at some point in the story. Making him dead before the story even started, yet still factually the son of John Winchester, was the perfect way for the writers to have their cake and eat it, too. It allowed this story to stand on its own, while still pertaining to where the Winchesters are, and more importantly, where they are going.
I knew that all would be well once Sam and Deam met with Adam at Cousin Oliver's, passing by the Fonzarelli Water Skiing poster on the way to the table. The episode was filled with references to past "jump the shark" moments, and the writers used the expectations of the audience to pull off some wonderful twists.
The interesting thing is that the existence of Adam shouldn't come as a surprise, if one thinks about it logically. The life of a hunter lends itself to sowing wild oats, so to speak, and if Dean is a reflection of John, then where else would Dean learn the ropes? We've already seen one episode where Dean thought he had fathered a son on the road, so the odds were favorable for more Winchesters out there.
As always, the action is a catalyst for character exploration, and we get to see just how much the brothers have changed over the years. In particular, this is episode says a lot about Sam and how hardened he's become. Sam looks at Adam and sees himself, the younger brother who thought he could escape the legacy of the Winchesters, and he feels like he was fooling himself to ever believe he could live a different life.
Sam is being very selective in his interpretations of things, especially given what we know. It was Azazel that made it impossible for Sam to leave his old life behind, and that had more to do with Mary than John. Sam may not know that, but Dean certainly does. But more to the point of the episode, this isn't about the facts, it's about how Sam is choosing to view his life and his path. Sam doesn't see a way out, which is a dangerous place to be, psychologically.
Meanwhile, knowing that John had another son makes it even worse, because John apparently gave Adam the kind of life that Dean wishes he could have had. Dean admits that he spent his entire childhood trying to emulate his father so John would give him approval. That meant giving up any notion of a normal life, as we've seen. Adam never had that problem, and it forces Dean to realize that John was perhaps the wrong role model.
Looking at it from John's perspective, he already had tried to raise Dean in his image, and it didn't work out at all. John wasn't disappointed in Dean, but he was sorry that Dean never had the chance to make other choices. That complicated his relationship with Sam, because Sam wanted out, but John didn't know how to handle that. Along comes Adam, and John has another chance and learn from his mistakes. I doubt that John ever thought that Sam and Dean would run into Adam.
Because Adam served a purpose in terms of exploring how the Brothers Winchester have changed, and how it still all ties back to who they were and where they came from, his purpose was short-term. So it makes sense that he would be dead at some point in the story. Making him dead before the story even started, yet still factually the son of John Winchester, was the perfect way for the writers to have their cake and eat it, too. It allowed this story to stand on its own, while still pertaining to where the Winchesters are, and more importantly, where they are going.
entilzha~ As always I enjoy your insights and in this case, I totally agree. This was a great ep for emotional fodder, BUT it also wasn't very fun to watch. One thing about this show is it always balances the rip-your-heart-out moments with lighter funnier moments to make the pain a little easier to bare. I just didn't feel it in this ep. Again, I totally agree with ALL your points but this isn't one I'll rewatch often.
Vin scratches her head wandering off trying to figure out how she managed to watch all 5 years of BSG?????Certainly no fun to be had there????
Again, I totally agree with ALL your points but this isn't one I'll rewatch often. Vin scratches her head wandering off trying to figure out how she managed to watch all 5 years of BSG?????Certainly no fun to be had there????
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