TV Review: Supernatural Episode 1.19

Thursday, April 13, 2006

From WB: A young couple is murdered in their home shortly after buying an antique painting of a family portrait circa 1910. Upon reviewing the painting's provenance, Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) learn that everyone who has ever bought the painting has been murdered and race to discover how the portrait is causing the deaths before it can claim its next victim.

My Rating: 4 out of 4

This week's fresh episode of Supernatural is titled Provenance starts with a young couple returning home from an auction where they have bought an odd old painting. While they prepare for bed, the old man in the painting comes to life and kills first the female and then her husband. Sam learns about the case from a newspaper story, and it is similar to a case their father had in his diary, so he thinks they should take a look. The two head to the city where it happened, and Sam finds the house has already been cleaned out of the couple's belongings. This leads them to an auction party, much like the one the couple had probably attended and bought the painting at.

They meet the daughter of the auctioneer, Sarah, and she tells them of the estate, but soon her father returns to kick the brothers out because they weren't on the guest list. After they make it to their hotel, Sam calls her for a date after Dean tells him she was definitely more interested in his little brother than him. After dinner, Sam is able to get the provenance of the items in the young couple's estate. They find the painting in the listing, and this painting is the same item their father had listed in his diary.

This leads them to break into the auction house to see the painting. Not only do they see it, but they burn it. They think this destroys, but little do they know that as it burns in front of them, it is also recreated in its frame back in the auction house. The next morning, Dean wakes up to find his wallet missing, and he thinks he lost in the auction house. They return to the building, and Dean does find his wallet, but not before they are caught by Sarah. While talking to her, he sees the painting back in its frame with no signs of painting.

They need to find out more about the family in the painting, so this takes them to the library. They find out the father killed his entire family and then himself. Afterwards, they were cremated. The man shows them a picture of the family, and the picture is the same as the painting, except for one major difference. In the painting, the father is looking downward. Meanwhile, the painting has just been sold to another family at the auction house. When Sam finds this out from Sarah, he immediately asks for an address. He knows what will happen next. However, they are too late. The woman that bought the painting has already been killed. When Sam, Dean and Sarah arrive at the house, they find the woman dead, and they also see the man in the painting move.

After Sarah lies to the police, she goes to Sam and Dean's motel room wanting to know what is happening. They tell her they think that the painting is haunted. Once they do, she wants to join them in their task. Sam is against it, but she stands strong. They go to woman's house to see the painting, and they compare their picture to the painting. In the painting, they find a picture of the family crypt. This takes them on a journey to find it. When they do, they break in and find that the father's remains are not with the family. Dean goes to look at the county records, while Sarah and Sam talk about their budding relationship. He tells her they shouldn't do anything because people around him get physically hurt. He believes he is cursed. However, she once again doesn't listen.

When Dean returns from looking at the county records, he tells Sam and Sarah that the father hadn't been cremated by the family, but instead he was buried by the county in a pine box, so they can burn the man's bones and hopefully end the haunting of the painting. Sam and Sarah return to the house with Dean to check on the painting and also bury it so they are sure nothing further will happen. When they see the painting, it turns out it isn't the father that they had to worry about, but the daughter has left the painting instead. That explains why the father was looking downward in the painting. He was watching her.

The daugter locks them in, and they wait for Dean to let them out. The daughter soon materializes, and Sam is able to hold her off once with an iron poker. After talking, Sarah tells Sam and Dean that antique dolls are usually made using the child's hair, so Dean goes to the crypt again to burn the daughter's doll. The daughter returns, but Dean is able to destroy the doll just before the daughter is able to kill Sarah. Once again the brothers are on their way, but not before Sam admits his feelings for Sarah.

This episode was once again a good episode for Supernatural, and the main reason for that is the character development for Sam. We see his struggle as he deals with his feelings for Sarah, and his fear of her also getting hurt. Once he sees, she isn't, he is able to push passed the fear and deal with his feelings. I do hope we see her again. Next week, we have another all new episode of Supernatural.