From MadCap's Couch - "Supernatural: Folsom Prison Blues"

For the record, yours is better than Nick Nolte's, Dean.

Who doesn't love a good prison movie?

. . .sorry, I mistyped that from my notes. Who loves a good prison movie?

. . .there are good prison movies?

Anyway, Folsom Prison Blues begins with a nice little recap montage of Sam and Dean's exploits back in Skin, The Usual Suspects, and Nightshifter.

At Green River County Detention Center (as a subtitle so generously informs us) we see what looks to be your standard correctional facility. An old cell block is being opened up, repairs on it almost being complete. Unfortunately, being that this is Supernatural where basically any construction site of any kind is a charnel house for minor characters, some of the construction workers accidentally unleash a ghost and a guard gets killed by something unseen. . .

We arrive at the Arkansas Museum of Anthropology, where Sam and Dean are breaking in. Sam tells Dean he hates this plan, but this isn't elaborated on. The boys trip a motion alarm, seemingly without their notice, and break into a case to steal some relics. The cops arrive and the boys are surrounded, being told to get on their hands and knees. The Winchesters have been caught.

After some mugshots, Agent Henriksen shows up to meet Dean face to face for the first time. We get the list of charges that Dean has on his record as well as Henriksen telling Dean that Sam is also up for murder for what happened back in Milwaukee. Before Henriksen can grill him more, Dean's lawyer shows up - a woman named Mara Daniels - who wants to meet with her clients privately.

Once again, a one-dimensional jerk.
He gets better in Season 3, but my god...

Because their arraignment isn't until Tuesday, the boys will be staying in the county jail. They have extradition requests coming in from five separate states, in particular Missouri and Wisconsin, and they can only be stalled for about a week. And so, Sam and Dean join the chain gang and get hauled to - where else? - Green River County Detention Center. Dean jokingly promises not to trade Sammy for smokes.

The two boys settle into their new living situation and Sam tells Dean that this is the dumbest, crazy thing that they've ever done, and this is in a long, storied history of dumb, crazy things that they've done. Besides Henriksen showing up, Dean is adamant that things are going according to plan. And it is indeed a plan, as the boys intentionally got caught due to a family friend, Deacon, asking for help. Sam gives Dean the rap for doing this favor for someone they barely know, but Dean reminds him that Deacon saved John during the war and Winchesters pay their debts.

The boys believe that they have a lead on the ghost, a prisoner who died in the old cell block years ago. After Sam accidentally bumps shoulders with another prisoner, Dean tries to act tough and accidentally starts a fight. Dean wins. . .and then the Warden shows up, putting Dean and the man he was fighting - Lucas - in solitary. In solitary, following some banter, Lucas bites it, a ghostly woman causing his veins to push up against his skin as he screams.

Mara Daniels comes back to Henriksen's office, expressing some inconsistencies with the Winchester's case. Henriksen dismisses the notions, saying that the witnesses that claim Sam and Dean are heroes are "nuts", but Daniels thinks there's something more to this even if she doesn't quite know what it is. Henriksen dismisses this too, however, and gets back to work in his completely one-dimensional (for now) way.

While on cleaning detail, Sam strikes up a conversation with a fellow inmate - Randall - and asks him about the guard who died a few nights prior to the Winchesters arriving. After finding out that Randall was in the old cell block, Sam learns from him that the prison who "died of a heart attack" actually died of a very violent death by guards.

Dean hustles a fellow prisoner at jailyard poker, getting cigarettes for currency. Dean tells Sam about the ghost attack, how it deliberately skipped him and attacked Lucas. Sam, in turn, tells Dean about the cell where a prisoner was brutally beaten to death and how this might be their guy. After Dean deals with his newfound windfall to get some accelerant for them, he starts a fight in the cafeteria with an inmate named Tiny. The Warden intercedes again, while Sam uses the distraction to go down and check out the disused cell block and finds blood all over a mattress. With some salt and some accelerant, he burns the blood and it seems like the case is closed.

"I have to do what in Season 7?"
(I'll let you debate as to what this joke is about)

In the infirmary, Dean and Tiny have a surprising bonding moment. While Tiny does open up, making an interesting parallel to Sam and Dean's situation with their father, the ghostly figure shows up again and is revealed to be a woman. It throws Dean around and begins pull a Kali Ma on him, but Dean using salt disrupts its physical presence. . .only for the ghost to kill Tiny instead.

Sam is less than pleased about all this, having already set up with Deacon for them to leave that night. If the ghost is still here, their job isn't done and they have to move quick. Two packs of cigarettes to Randall later and they learn about a crazy nurse named Glockner who once worked at the prison. Apparently, Glockner was a psychotic who killed inmates with a hypodermic needle because of some twisted sense of justice. Unfortunately, Randall doesn't know when she died or where.

With five hours to go, they have to move quick. Dean speaks with Mara, trying to convince her of his innocence and get her to do research into Glockner. While he doesn't think she went for it, he resolves to stick around until the job is done, which Sam protests. The two get into a fight, the Warden showing up with the boys and dragging them away. Here, we get the reveal that the Warden is Deacon and has been the whole time.

The boys start to argue about whether they're staying or not, Deacon giving them a letter left by Mara that details what Glockner died from (beaten to death in a prison riot) and where she was buried. Deacon thanks the boys for their help and says he hopes to see them again. . .just not in prison. To complete the image of the two escaping, Deacon has Dean punch him across the face.

The boys escape back to the Impala, hearing the alarms go off and bailing. Deacon gets interrogated by Henriksen and his partner, giving them nothing and putting on a very convincing act of knowing nothing and being horrendously pissed off by Henriksen (that second part isn't an act). Mara gets much the same treatment, her eventually revealing that they asked her to do some research on Glockner and where she was buried. When Henriksen asks if she told them the cemetery where she was buried, Mara tells him she did. . .and he tells her to tell him.

The FBI roll up to Mountainside Cemetery ready to go while Sam and Dean dig up Glockner and prepare to salt and burn the bones.

At the prison, Deacon gets attacked by Glockner for letting Sam and Dean go. Luckily, before she can do any lasting damage, Sam and Dean torch her.

The FBI go around the cemetery, finding nothing and no one. Henriksen's partner confirms the name of the cemetery - Mountainside.

Cut back to Sam and Dean leaving the Green Valley Cemetery.

Mara leaves the prison with a smile, Henriksen is empty-handed once again, and Sam and Dean have to go deeper than they've ever been before as we lead into the credits.

"Hello! Avon calling!"

And that's Folsom Prison Blues. I have to say, the idea to have Sam and Dean get caught by the authorities specifically to go on a hunt is a very interesting idea, forcing the boys to think outside the box without their usual equipment. The twist at the end is very The Usual Suspects and was kind of a masterstroke as Henriksen is once more left holding the bag while Sam and Dean get away.

While it's a blink and you miss it moment, Tiny's mention of his brother having killed their father (who treated them like garbage) is a neat parallel to John, Sam, and Dean. It also might remind you of a certain What If...? that's out now, can't imagine why it made me think of that. As we know though, in the actual show, things did not go that kind of bad between the three. Still, given especially how Sam mentions that Dean takes to prison life a little too well, it's kind of an eerie glance into a ever so slightly darker mirror.

Next week, we go from the more earthly-set stories to something a little more. . .let's say abstract. For Dean Winchester, it hasn't exactly been a wonderful life, but it could be. However, is it everything he's ever wanted? Next time, Dean is going to learn What Is and What Should Never Be.

Be there!