The Benders

Season 1, Episode 15, Aired
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Episode Summary

Dean searches for Sam when he is kidnapped by a backwoods family who likes to hunt humans and use their body parts as trophies.
8.7
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Fan Episode Reviews (69)

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  • A not so Supernatural episode.

    8.0
    "Great"
    By ZaleIsBackAgain, Dec 13, 2011 Report Abuse
    Crazy ass hillbillies, might be the only thing that is scarier than a ghost. Every so often shows like to throw you a curveball, but I never would have imagined that Supernatural would have used hunting addictive hillbillies as the central theme of an episode. It relies less on the suspense of ghost hunting to fuel the episode and more on the acting of its characters, and it worked out reasonably well. The cop in this episode is one of the better side characters that we've encountered so far; although desperate to find closure for her missing brother, does a great job of keeping her cop composure...somewhat. The thing is this episode doesn't really do a great job of separating itself from other similar movies; although these hillbillies have been doing this for generations, somehow it is the main characters that wiggle their way from their cages and end the killing streak. Nonetheless, still a solid episode.moreless

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  • Close Encounters of the Redneck Kind

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By leofiregod, Dec 13, 2011 Report Abuse
    This episode is so unlike any other episode from season one.The villians of this story are humans that have no connection to the world of the supernatural. Not even psychic powers like the Miller's son in the previous episode. These people are just plain evil. They kill for fun. For them it is the thrill of the hunt. The premise for the episode is people being hunted for fun which is something that has been a major part of fictional works from the short story The Most Dangerous Game to The Condemned starring Stone Cold Steve Austin.

    The trademark pop culture references and humor are back in this episode. At the beginning of the episode there is an exchange between Dean and a young witness about the greatness of Godzilla vs Mothra and the crappiness of the Godzilla remake. Later, a fellow captive tells Sam that he thinks "Its Ned Beatty time, man" and that their cators are "psycho, hillbilly rednecks looking for love in all the wrong places." Both of which are references to Deliverance. While this episode does not contribute to the main story of the series, it does show the lengths that Dean will go to to protect his brother and shows some more of their relationship with each other. It is another middle of the road episode that is neither amongst the worst nor best episodes of the season.moreless

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  • Caged and Confused

    7.0
    "Good"
    By MovieMark, Oct 22, 2011 Report Abuse
    There's more than an air of familiarity to this episode and that's mainly down to the fact it cribs its ideas from many, many hillbilly horror films. It's a good thing that I enjoyed the likes of Texas Chainsaw, Wrong Turn and Hills Have Eyes, cos this was a really enjoyable stand-alone episode. Yes, I'd prefer more arc driven storylines, but with the boys in deep dung so early into the episode and Dean meeting a damsel that's far from in distress, it's a refreshing change of pace. The fight scenes on this show are great they're stylised but not overly choreographed and for every punch you're guaranteed a bruise or a cut. The hour just feels out of place, like it should have been at the beginning of the season.moreless

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  • this was a good ep i thought

    9.0
    "Superb"
    By cube2k8, Oct 22, 2011 Report Abuse
    in this ep of the show supernatural sam is kidnapped by a clan of rednecks well people that act like them and dean must figure out where they are taken him and how to stop they them from tearing apart sams body and useing it and his as trophys to put on there walls this was a really crazy ep i thought and it had some intenisity and that is why i gave it a 9 instead of anything lower and the story was pretty intesresting. sam is saved and dean almost got it himself . this ep and otherlike it are what make this show goodmoreless

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  • It reminds me of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre

    10
    "Perfect"
    By seriesguy3998, Oct 22, 2011 Report Abuse
    Supernatural Season 1 Episode 15 The Benders
    When Sam goes missing, Dean searches for him in the woods and finds out that he has been taken by a family that like to hunt humans and use their body parts as trophies.

    "They're only humans" but barely. Hunting down humans? That's just sick. A sadistic possibly cannibalistic, family abducts Sam. Damn, intense! It was a grt episode, full of suspense and was rlly intense. But man, seriously, thats a traumatizing family. It was an awesome episode, amazing. Season 1 is grt. This episode was full of suspense, rlly entertaining, recommended to anyone who likes thrills.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • Pa Benders says that they take one or two victims a year to avoid drawing attention. However, they abduct Jenkins and Sam within a week. That's not an average of one to two a year. Edit
    • At the bottom of Dean's information on the police records, there is a "Relevant Link" to 'Sam Winchester - brother of the subject.' However, Sam was in the database as "Samuel Winchester" which is what the link should say. Edit
    • At 11:30 when Sam asks Alvin Jenkins where they are, the tip of the boom-mic is visible in the shot. At the top center, just to the right of the Alvin's head. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • International Airdates: Denmark: April 16, 2006 on TV3 France: January 15, 2007 on TF6 Portugal: January 15, 2007 on AXN Belgium: July 11, 2007 on VT4 Germany: February 18, 2008 on ProSieben The Netherlands: October 12, 2008 on NET5 Edit
    • This is the first episode in the series where the villains are humans and they act on their own without the help of the supernatural. Edit
    • This episode is the first which doesn't feature a teaser at the beginning of the episode. Instead, it shows the "22 years ago" recap and then goes straight into the titles. All other episodes have a short teaser of the current story before the titles. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Dean: Have you seen them? Sam: Yeah. dude, they're just people. Dean: And they jumped you? You must be getting a little rusty there, kiddo. Edit
    • Deputy Kathleen: And it just got back to me. Says here your badge was stolen. And there is a picture of you. (shows him a picture of a large black man) Dean: I lost some weight and I got that Michael Jackson skin disease... Edit
    • Dean: Oh, you gotta be kiddin' me. That's what this is about? You yahoos hunt people? Pa Bender: You ever killed before? Dean: That depends on what you mean. Pa Bender: I've hunted all my life. Just like my father, his before him. I've hunted deer, and bear. Even got a cougar once. Ho boy. But the best hunt is human. Oh, there's nothin' like it. Holdin' their life in your hands. Seein' the fear in their eyes just before they go dark. Makes you feel powerful alive. Dean: You're a sick puppy. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • The Benders Though their methods and motives for killing are different, the Benders in this episode share their name with another killer family. The "Bloody Benders" were a family of serial killers from Kansas, killing an estimated 21 people between 1872 and 1873. Edit
    • Jenkins: They're just a bunch of psycho hillbilly rednecks... lookin' for love in all the wrong places. Referring to the song "Looking for Love" from the album of the same name by country singer Johnny Lee. Edit
    • Kid: Godzilla vs. Mothra. Dean: That's my favorite Godzilla! So much better than the original, right? (about Sam) He likes the remake. Movies in the Godzilla franchise referenced here include Godzilla (1954), Godzilla vs. Mothra (1962), and a remake, possibly the 1984 Godzilla remake, the 1998 American Godzilla, or the 1992 remake of Godzilla vs. Mothra. Edit

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