For several season monster of the week are a mainstay in the show. Even today there are strong procedural elements. This episode does a remarkable job overturning the conventions of the show in a believable way. Gordon is wonderfully dark/evil version of Dean and Lenore is a wonderful damsel in distress in context. The flipping of the roles for the humans and the supernatural creature creates a powerful dissonance in the boy's moral universe that helps ground the show in emotional reality. The show has a humanistic viewpoint-it embraces the flaws and crap that make up people's loves and this episode has some of the strong resonances of the entire series.
Add in a the pathos for the vamps and this is a great episode.
Add in a the pathos for the vamps and this is a great episode.