Throughout Supernatural’s 300-plus episodes, there are plenty of characters who made a serious impact on the lives of Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles). From hunting buddies to wayward angels and non-deadly monsters, the Winchester brothers have always made friends (and more than a few enemies) wherever they go. But the one character who had arguably the biggest influence over the brothers’ lives was their own father, John Winchester, who was played most notably by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Morgan appeared in about a dozen episodes of Supernatural’s early years, but one episode stands above the rest as one of the best examinations of the character, the Season 1 vampire thriller, “Dead Man’s Blood.”
“Dead Man’s Blood” Is a ‘Supernatural’ Family Reunion
This episode kicks off when Sam and Dean hit the road for the fictional Manning, Colorado to investigate the murder of a man named Daniel Elkins (Terence Kelly), who happened to be their father’s old mentor in the hunting business. Though John and Elkins had a falling out years earlier, the Winchester patriarch shows up to work with his boys on the case when he discovers that Elkins had the mythical Colt, a weapon that can kill almost anything supernatural. It turns out, vampires killed Elkins, and it’s here that Sam and Dean discover that the blood-suckers actually exist (beforehand, they had no idea). Of course, killing a vampire on Supernatural isn’t like killing Dracula. Wooden stakes, crucifixes, and holy water won’t do the trick. Instead, decapitation is the only way, and knowing that, the Winchester men charge head-first into the vampire nest to retrieve the Colt.
Though things didn’t originally go according to plan, the Winchesters revise their final attack on the vampires, nab the Colt from the nest, and kill the lead blood-sucker, Luther (Warren Christie), and many of his lackeys. By the episode’s end, Sam and Dean save their father’s life, proving to him that they’re more than just kids. John agrees to work directly with his sons to hunt the Yellow-Eyed Demon that killed their mother, Mary Winchester (Samantha Smith), and “Dead Man’s Blood” ends with the Winchesters officially reunited and ready to tackle whatever’s thrown at them. The following two episodes, “Salvation” and “Devil’s Trap,” continue the story, returning to the demon-infested mythology and rounding out the first season, but “Dead Man’s Blood” is unique in that it’s the first and only time we ever see Sam, Dean, and John all work together on a standard hunt that doesn’t involve enacting revenge on the demon that ruined their lives.
(Fun fact: the vampire Jenny, played by Christine Chatelain, who escapes at the end of this episode, is the same vampire who shows up in the Supernatural series finale, “Carry On.” Not only is she partially responsible for Dean’s death, but John reveals in this episode that once a vampire catches your scent, it’s for life. Sam, who tried to save her in “Dead Man’s Blood,” is eventually the one who kills her nearly two decades later.)
Jeffrey Dean Morgan Thrives as John Winchester on ‘Supernatural’
Unlike some of Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s other more charismatic characters, such as Neegan from The Walking Dead or Joe Kessler in The Boys, his performance as John Winchester is a bit more understated. He’s a military man, and one with an Impala-load of tragedy following him at every step. John is careful, calculating, and doesn’t wear his emotions (good or bad) on his sleeve. There’s a subtlety to him that reinforces the type of parent John became long after Mary’s death – which he likens in this episode to a drill sergeant rather than an actual father. From the moment we’re introduced to John in the “Pilot” to his next appearance at the very end of “Home,” there’s a clear difference between the man that John Winchester was and the man he is throughout Season 1. Even though we don’t see much of him in those episodes, Morgan conveys the change masterfully.
“Dead Man’s Blood” is by far the most we’ve gotten from John Winchester up until this point. Sure, he called his boys at the beginning of “Scarecrow,” reunited with them briefly in “Shadow,” and appeared via flashback in “Something Wicked,” but this is the first episode which retains Morgan in a vital role throughout. From the moment John steps out of the shadows and pops into the Impala, we know that this is more than your standard Supernatural episode. Morgan instantly commands the scene both as an actor and while in character as John, who almost instantly barks orders at his sons as if he were their commanding officer. Nevermind the fact that Sam and Dean have been working together as a unit all season and know a thing or two about the job.
One thing that Morgan does here that other actors who tackled the character were unable to convey is the way he displays John Winchester’s mastery over the world of hunting. Matt Cohen played a 20-something John Winchester in Seasons 4 and 5, but he had no hunting experience yet. Likewise, Drake Rodger’s version from The Winchesters (which takes place in an alternate timeline, anyhow) is only just learning the ropes of exorcising demons and battling monsters. Morgan’s John Winchester is confident, self-assured, and deeply un-trusting. In “Dead Man’s Blood” alone, he takes out vampires and constructs an impressive battle plan that reminds us that he’s been doing this for 22 years. It’s only by the very end of Supernatural that Sam and Dean (who far surpass their father as a hunter) have about the same number of years under their belts. Of course, John never went toe-to-toe with all the sorts of evils they did either.
“Dead Man’s Blood” Reminds Us How Alike John and Sam Really Are
One of the biggest themes throughout “Dead Man’s Blood” is that Sam and John are more alike than either would like to believe. Both have lost the woman they loved at the hands of the same demon, both wish their life had turned out differently, and both are consumed by thoughts and feelings of revenge, which they take out on the evils they hunt. Ironically, both need Dean to keep them in check. The elder Winchester brother is forced to play peacemaker on a few different occasions in this very episode. There’s one particular scene, just before the trio enact their “dead man’s blood” plan (the blood of the dead is poison to vampires), when Sam and John admit as such to one another over a heart-to-heart that helps them both understand where the other is coming from.
Outside his return in the 300th episode “Lebanon,” this scene is Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s best performance on Supernatural. Here he explains to Sam that the reason he was afraid to let him go to college wasn’t because he didn’t want Sam to leave and have his own life (that had never occurred to him), but because he was terrified of the thought that Sam would be out there all alone. Later episodes of the show eventually confirm that John had uncovered the Yellow-Eyed Demon’s plans for Sam, which would eventually include him leading a demon army and ushering in the Apocalypse. With that in the back of his mind, John bears his soul out to his son, hoping that he’ll understand why he’s been so hard on him, and why he will do everything in his power to keep him safe.
Of course, not a few minutes later, Sam and John are already arguing once again about tactics while out in the field, and the endless cycle of Winchester disagreement continues. But just like John couldn’t help but expose himself to Meg (Nicki Aycox) to save his boys in Chicago (“Shadow”), so too do Sam and Dean risk it all to save their father from a horde of vampires. It’s unfortunate that it took John this long to see how capable he’d raised his sons to be, but “Dead Man’s Blood” finally proves to him that Sam and Dean are ready for everything. It’s just a shame we didn’t get to see these three work as a unit more often, or ever embark on a simple hunt together again.
We Needed More of John Winchester on ‘Supernatural’ (and a Lot More Jeffrey Dean Morgan)
Over the next three episodes, including the Season 2 premiere “In My Time of Dying,” Jeffrey Dean Morgan gives his all as John Winchester. “Devil’s Trap” raises the stakes the highest as John is possessed by the Yellow-Eyed Demon himself, with Morgan proving his worth not just as a hero but a villain. But episodes like “Dead Man’s Blood” make us wish we had gotten more of Morgan’s John Winchester on the show. Sure, he appears via vocal cameos and photographs over the years, and returns as a ghost at the end of the two-part Season 2 finale, but it always felt like John Winchester was a loose end that Supernatural never got to fully wrap up. Morgan was a staple of Supernatural’s first season that deserved to be revisited more in the second. Even if we got more flashbacks to his time raising the boys, or even hunting out on his own like in “Something Wicked,” we could’ve gotten a more well-rounded picture of the character.
Episodes like the second season’s “No Exit” make note of John’s history with other hunters, most importantly his partnership with Jo Harvelle’s (Alona Tal) father. Though we heard about what happened, seeing these events via flashback would’ve evoked a more powerful response from viewers. Likewise, the comic book prequel Supernatural: Origins connects the dots between the Winchester patriarch and the horrific Doc Benton (Billy Drago) from Season 3’s “Time Is On My Side,” explaining that John once hunted the immortal serial killer. How cool would that have been in an episode?
Unfortunately, Morgan was just too busy to commit to the WB-turned-CW series. At the time, the actor also played parts on Grey’s Anatomy and Weeds, and even had roles in feature films such as P.S. I Love You and, eventually, Watchmen. Although it took longer than we liked, Morgan did return to reunite with his resurrected wife and sons in Season 14’s heartfelt 300th episode, “Lebanon,” with the series intending to bring him back once more for the series finale. Sadly, that didn’t happen either, but at least we knew that John Winchester was finally at peace. Maybe if Supernatural returns one of these days, we’ll get to see more of Jeffrey Dean Morgan too.
Supernatural is available for streaming on Netflix in the U.S.