Berly and LA dive into Supernatural's Season 8, Episode 14: "Trial and Error" - where the Winchester boys get fancy new digs while poor Kevin survives on nothing but hot dogs!

The episode kicks off with the hosts confused about Kevin's location (still on that gross houseboat, not in the bunker as expected), where he's living his worst life eating plain wieners and having nosebleeds. Meanwhile, Sam and Dean are living their BEST lives in the Men of Letters bunker with Dean decorating his room like he's finally discovered HGTV. Memory foam mattress included - because apparently the Men of Letters were ahead of their time!

Kevin calls with good news: he's figured out how to close the gates of hell! It just requires three trials, starting with killing a hellhound and bathing in its blood. Easy peasy, right? The brothers head to Idaho to stalk the Cassity family, who struck oil 10 years ago under geologically impossible circumstances - classic demon deal territory.

The case gets complicated when they discover multiple family members made deals with Crowley during a charming family dinner 10 years prior. Carl the "trophy husband" traded his soul for Alice's love (consent be damned), while farm manager Ellie made her deal to save her mom from Parkinson's. The hosts initially loved Carl until they learned about his creepy motivations - then it was "fuck you, Carl."

Things get steamy when Ellie shoots her shot with Dean in the most direct way possible, leading to the hosts' hilarious commentary about what they would do in her "last night on earth" situation. Dean turns her down for noble reasons, which probably saved everyone from trauma when his face starts going all hellhound-proximity crazy later.

The hellhound special effects steal the show - the semi-invisible design with glowing red eyes and teeth had the hosts thoroughly impressed. Sam gets to be the hero, killing the beast and getting covered in an ungodly amount of black blood that had the hosts questioning what exactly hellhound blood contains.

The episode ends with Sam completing the first trial (complete with mysterious light traveling up his "thick, hairy forearms" - the hosts are VERY aware of this season's increased scruff factor), setting up the ongoing arc. Dean's not happy about Sam taking on the trials, knowing how these things usually end for Winchesters.

The hosts loved the hellhound effects, the beautiful farm location, and the continuing "daddification" of the Winchester brothers, while lamenting that most of the characters were pretty terrible people who probably deserved their fates.

"Between the claws, the teeth, and the invisibility, those bitches can be real... bitches."

Sources:

• https://supernatural.fandom.com/wiki/Trial_and_Error
• https://www.buzzsprout.com/2076426/episodes/12977493

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