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Aired: Tuesday October 18, 2005

Baddies: Shapeshifter

Sources: tv.com, wikipedia

arrow 1st Post: Episode Recap
arrow 2nd Post: Lore
arrow 3rd Post: Screen Caps
arrow 4th Post: Video Caps
arrow 5th Post: Interesting Facts
arrow 6th Post: Quotes

Lore:

Shapeshifters

Shapeshifting, transformation, metamorphosis, transmogrification, morphing, or transmorphing is a change in the form or shape of a person, especially:

-a change from human form to animal (or plant) form and vice versa
-a change in appearance from one person to another

"Shapeshifting" often refers to characters who change form on their own, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, and for a time; "metamorphosis", to permanent changes from any source, and any degree of willingness; "transformation", to externally imposed change of form, whether by magic or sufficiently advanced technology. There is no settled agreement on the terminology.

Shape-shifting, transformation, and metamorphoses all refer to actual changes, such that the character has the abilities of the new form and not the old one, and that no-one can "see through" the change.

Needed items

Some shape-shifters are able to change form only if they have some item, usually an article of clothing. Most of these are innocuous creatures — even if they are werewolves. In Bisclaveret by Marie de France, a werewolf can not regain human form without his clothing, but in wolf form does no harm to anyone.

Another such creature is the selkie, which needs its sealskin to regain its form. In "The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry" the (male) selkie seduces a human woman but does no further harm.

The commonest use of this motif, however, is in tales where a man steals the article and forces the shape-shifter, trapped in human form, to become his bride. This lasts until she discovers where he has hidden the article, and she can flee. Selkies feature in these tales. Others include swan maidens and the Japanese Tennin.

Other terms for shapeshifters include metamorph, skin-walker, mimic, and therianthrope. The prefix "were," coming from an Old English word meaning "man", is also used to designate shapeshifters. Examples are "werewolf," "weretiger," etc.

Doppelgangers

A doppelganger is the ghostly double of a living person. The word doppelganger is a loanword from German: doppel, meaning "double", and ganger, as "walker".

The term has, in the vernacular, come to refer to any double or look-alike of a person, most commonly in reference to a so-called evil twin, or to bilocation. Alternatively, the word is used to describe a phenomenon where you catch your own image out of the corner of your eye. In some traditions, seeing one's own doppelganger is an omen of death. A doppelganger seen by friends or relatives of a person may sometimes bring bad luck, or indicate an approaching illness or health problem.

In folklore

The doppelgangers of folklore cast no shadow, and have no reflection in a mirror or in water. They are supposed to provide advice to the person they shadow, but this advice can be misleading or malicious. They can also, in rare instances, plant ideas in their victim's mind or appear before friends and relatives, causing confusion. In many cases once someone has viewed his own doppelganger he is doomed to be haunted by images of his ghostly counter-part.

Other folklore says that when a person's doppelganger is seen, the person him/herself will die shortly. It is considered unlucky to try to communicate with such a doppelganger.

Video Caps:

arrow The Episode

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPhfCZxN16M
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK-CXrRvpOw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rrhE6b4WPQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf2VTV8Cfz4

Quotes:

Dean: You kidding? You still keep in touch with your college buddies?
Sam: Why not?
Dean: Well, what exactly do you tell them? You know, about where you've been? What you've been doing?
Sam: I tell them that I'm on a road trip with my big brother. I tell them I needed some time off after Jess.
Dean: Oh, so you lie to them?
Sam: No! I just don't tell them... everything.
Dean: Yeah... that's, that's called lying. Hey man, I get it. Telling them the truth is far worse!

Dean: Sam, the guy’s walkin’ around with my face. Okay, it’s a little personal, I wanna find him.

Sam: What are you gonna do to me?
Shapeshifter Dean: I'm not gonna do anything. Dean will, though.
Sam: You'll never catch him.
Shapeshifter Dean: Oh, it doesn't matter. Murder in the first? Of his own brother? He'll be hunted the rest of his life.

Rebecca: What did you call it?
Shapeshifter Dean: A shapeshifter. Yeah, maybe we're crazy, but what if we're not? I mean, look, you said it yourself, that Zach was in two places at once, now tell me how that can happen?
Rebecca: Okay, so this thing, it can make itself look like anybody?
Shapeshifter Dean: That's right.
Rebecca: Well, what is it? Like a genetic freak?
Shapeshifter Dean: Maybe...evolution is about mutation, right? So maybe this thing was born Human but was different, hideous and hated... until he learned to become someone else.

Shapeshifter Dean: I must say, I will be sorry to lose this skin. Your brother's got a lot of good qualities - you should appreciate him more than you do.

Sam: We've gotta find a phone, call the police!
Dean: You're gonna put an APB out on me?

Dean: Argh, the thought of him driving my car.
Sam: Ah come on.
Dean: It's killing me!
Sam: Let it go.

Dean: I think we're close to its lair.
Sam: Why'd you say that?
Dean: Because there's another puke-inducing pile next to your face.
Sam: Urgh, God!

Shapeshifter Dean: Even when we were kids, I always kicked your a**!

Dean: I hate to say it but that's exactly what I'm talking about. You lie to your friends cause if they knew the real you, they'd be freaked. It's just... it'd be easier if...
Sam: ... If I was like you.
Dean: Hey man, like it or not, we are not like other people. But I'll tell you one thing. This whole gig... it ain't without perks!
(hands Sam a gun with silver bullets in it to kill the shape-shifter)

Dean: Alright, what are we doing here at 5:30 in the morning?
Sam: I realized something - the videotape shows the killer going in but not coming out.
Dean: So he came out the back door.
Sam: Right, so there should be a trail to follow, a trail the police would never pursue.
Dean: Because they think the killer never left, they caught your friend Zach inside. (sotto voce) Still don't know what we're doing here at 5:30 in the morning.

Sam: Hey Bec, can we take those beers now?
Rebecca: Yeah, sure.
Sam: And, ah, maybe some sandwiches too.
Rebecca: What do you think this is, Hooters?
Dean: (sotto voce) I wish.

Dean: Sam wears women's underwear.
Sam: I've been listening, I'm just busy.

Dean: All right, but first I want to find that handsome devil and kick the holy crap out of him!

Dean: Man, it's not even a good picture!
Sam: It's good enough.

Shapeshifter Dean: He's sure got issues with you. You got to go to college. He had to stay home. I mean, I had to stay home, with dad. You don't think I had dreams of my own? But dad needed me! Where the hell were you?
Sam: Where is my brother?
Shapeshifter Dean: I am your brother! See... deep down, I'm just jealous. You've got friends. You've got a life. Me? I know I'm a freak. And sooner or later, everyone's gonna leave me.
Sam: What are you talking about?
Shapeshifter Dean: You left. Hell, I did everything dad asked me to and he still left me! No explanation, no nothing, just poof! Left me with your sorry a**! But still, this life isn't without its perks. I mean, I meet the nicest people! Like little Becky. You know... Dean would bang her if he had the chance. Let's see what happens!

Dean: That better be you Sam and not that freak of nature!
Sam: Yeah, it's me. He went to Becca's, looking like you.
Dean: Well, he's not stupid. He picked the handsome one!

Dean: Yeah, it sucks. But with a job like this you can't get close to people. Period.
Sam: You're kind of anti-social, you know that?
Dean: Yeah, you know. Whatever.

Dean: I really wish things could be different, you know, I wish you could just be Joe College.
Sam: Nah, that's okay. You know, truth is, even at Stanford, deep down, I never really fit in.
Dean: Well, that's cuz you're a freak.
Sam: Yeah, thanks.
Dean: Well I'm a freak, too. I'm right there with you, all the way.

Dean: You know, I gotta say, I'm sorry I'm going to miss it.
Sam: Miss what?
Dean: How many chances am I going to have to see my own funeral.

LOL!!! Angst makes the supernatural world go round xd

It's always funny how normal people want to be special, but special people just want to be normal... It just goes to show how things have evolved in the Sam/Dean universe.. Now we have a Sam who's pretty much embraced his hunting roots because everyone he cared about is dead and he wants revenge... but also to make sure it never happens to anyone else.

And...... MORE ANGST! YAAAAAAAY!...... 4laugh

Well yah... father AND brother... I'm sure deep down Sam still wants to go back to school lead the normal life.... and now that they know of other hunters.. I wonder if that thought will come up later on.. maybe if Dean can find someone else to hunt with... I doubt it'll come to that.. but normalcy to Sam could be like a drug to others.. once you get a taste of it, that's all you want... it's like being home.

i think the father and brother thing i was getting at was that they were both on missions... and sam was out of the loop on that one... but when jessica died, he had someone he needed to avenge.. as he said before, he didn't even remember his mom. so it was a different story for him.

I keep thinking back to the end of Salvation..... SO GOOD!!! where dean says how he's barely holding it together... and without sam and john... *sqeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!* but yah.. sam's a good brother and now that dean is all he as left.. their relationship can only get stronger. them and their sexy, sexy co-dependence.

ALRIGHT WOMAN!! That's like the 5th time you've told me to go to that forum!!! lol! I suppose I shall take a gander. xd