Wendigo

Wendigo is the 2nd episode of Season 1. It aired on September 20, 2005.

Summary
Sam and Dean Winchester 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 mistakes 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 shows them the last video Tommy sent her via cellphone before he disappeared. She also informs them that she and her younger brother, Ben Collins, have hired a guide and are headed into the hills to find Tommy the next morning.

Sam does some research and finds that people go missing in Blackwater at regular intervals - every 23 years. He also plays Tommy's last video in slow motion, and he and Dean spot an extremely fast moving shadow on the tent wall. They then go to visit Shaw, a survivor of an alleged bear attack in 1959. The old man tells 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 reach the campsite, they find ripped tents and damaged equipment. Screams for help sound in the distance so they all run to investigate, but there is no one there and when they return to the campsite their packs have been taken.

With the help of their father's journal, Sam and Dean realize that they are facing a Wendigo, to Dean's disappointment, as their guns are useless against it. They inform the disbelieving group, and Dean draws Anasazi symbols for protection as they make camp for the night. Sam argues with Dean that he wants to abandon this hunt and search for their father. Dean replies that they have to help others; it is “the family business.” Once again, cries for help ware heard, and Roy ignores Dean’s warnings and runs into the dark with his gun. He is caught by the Wendigo in a tree and disappears.

The next day Sam and Dean explain that Wendigo means 'evil that devours.' They were once human but had become something else when forced to eat human flesh to survive. Tommy may still be alive, as Wendigos hibernate and like to store live food, so they follow the Wendigo's bloody trail, armed with molotovs as the only way to kill a Wendigo is with fire. Eventually, Roy’s dead body falls from a tree and the Wendigo appears, which causes everyone to scatter. Haley and Dean are captured by the Wendigo, but Sam and Ben follow a trail of peanut M&M’s that Dean has left behind. They eventually find Dean, Haley, and Tommy hanging from the ceiling of an abandoned mine, and cut them loose.

Dean finds two flare guns along with the rest of their stolen supplies, and while Sam leaves with the Collins siblings, Dean tries to draw the Wendigo away. The Wendigo follows Sam instead, cornering the group; however, Dean appears from behind and shoots his flare gun into the Wendigo's chest. The Wendigo bursts into flame and drops dead, they then make their escape and summon help. The group then fabricate a story, that they were attacked by a bear, to tell the police. Haley thanks Dean and then leaves with Tommy and Ben in the ambulance. Dean jokes that he hates camping and informs Sam that they will find their dad. Sam agrees but in the meantime - he's driving.

Main Cast

 * Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester
 * Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester

Guest Cast

 * Callum Keith Rennie as Roy
 * Gina Holden as Haley Collins
 * Graham Wardle as Tommy Collins
 * Alden Ehrenreich as Ben Collins
 * Timothy Webber as Ranger Wilkinson
 * Cory Monteith as Gary
 * Wren Roberts as Brad
 * Roy Campsall as Wendigo

Featured Music

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

Featured Supernatural Beings

 * Wendigo
 * Special Child (Sam Winchester)
 * Werewolf (mentioned)
 * Black Dog (mentioned)
 * Skinwalker (mentioned)

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 film 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 Deer 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.

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).

Continuity

 * Sam and Dean use the coordinates found in their dad's journal from the previous episode to try and find him.
 * This is the first time Demons, Skinwalkers, and Black Dogs are mentioned although they will not appear until later in the series.
 * This is the first episode to feature a Monster rather than a spirit and the only episode to feature a Wendigo.

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.
 * The last grizzly in Colorado was killed in 1979 and prior to that it was believed the last one was killed in 1951.
 * Most people in Colorado would reference Alfred Packer rather than Donner. It's the regional cannibalism tale.
 * In lore, Wendigos didn't have the ability to mimic voices.

International Titles

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