Hunt Initiation Log (Season 3)

The purpose of the Hunt Initiation Log is to track the source of the hunts Sam and Dean Winchester undertake. Sometimes they find hunts themselves, sometimes other characters give them information. Some episodes are more personal, with no clear hunt. This provides one more means of analyzing the characters. For example, it reveals that while Dean is the quintessential hunter of the family, Sam actually more often instigates the hunts, and that Sam gradually takes a more active role in that regard.

Hunt notes, by episode

3x01 The Magnificent Seven

Comments: After the deal he made to save Sam's life at the end of season two, with one year left to live, Dean seems more intent on cheeseburgers and sex than on hunting. Sam, meanwhile, has his nose buried in book, looking for a way to get Dean out of the deal. Which means the boys are pretty distracted from hunting, although Dean does mention that in the five days since the demons escaped from hell, there hasn't been much going on. Bobby is keeping sharper eye out, and calls the boys with information about crop failures and a cicada swarm. There are two new hunters in the episode, a husband-wife team, Isaac and Tamara, who are already on the hunt when the Winchesters arrive.

Given all that, it makes sense that all the hunters in the episode get a point except for Sam and Dean, who do have other problems on their minds.

Initiator/Method: Bobby/observation-deduction; Isaac &Tamara (as a team)/presumably the same

Tally for 3x01: Bobby=1, Isaac & Tamara=1

Tally, season to date: Bobby=1, Isaac & Tamera=1

3x02 The Kids Are Alright

Comments: Dean finds a news item about a man who died by power saw. It turns out what Dean really wants to hunt down is an old flame. However, once Sam and Dean get to Cicero, Illinois, they discover there is something supernatural afoot. Once he realizes there's an actual hunt, Dean's focus snaps to the job, temporarily putting aside his pursuit of hedonism. There's just a touch of hunt-turned-personal here, as one of the endangered children is Ben, who Dean thinks might be his. Mostly, this follows some classic season one patterns -- Dean finds a newspaper article, Sam plays devil's advocate. It's also a throwback to Dean in 2x03, Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things, where Dean sees a hunt because he needs to see one, and turns out to be right. In this case, Dean didn't actually believe there was a hunt, and then there was. But as in early season 2, Dean's emotional state is in turmoil and he's in denial, and hunting is a means to hide.

Initiator/Method: Dean/newspaper article

Tally for 3x02: Dean=1

Tally, season to date: Dean=1, Bobby=1, Isaac &Tamera=1

3x03 Bad Day At Black Rock

Comments: Sam and Dean find out about this hunt -- a cursed rabbit's foot -- because Dean left John's cell phone charged in cased one of his contacts called. While this shouts back to John sending them on hunts via cell phone in season 1 -- leaving them text messages with coordinates, or calling them with a list of names -- John kept his storage locker from his boys. Also, yes, he's dead, but it would be feasible for Sam and Dean to get a hunt because John deliberately left a message to be found after his death. But that's not what happened here and he probably never intended for them to go to the storage locker or ever deal with the rabbit's foot. While Dean's something of a passive receiver of a hunt in this case, he gets the point for luck and having the foresight to leave the cell phone on. This is probably most parallel to how they got the hunt in season 1's Phantom Traveler, when a call for help alerted them to a job. Dean was assigned the initiation for that episode, so he's getting it here.

Initiator/Method: Dean/luck and foresight

Tally for 3x03: Dean=1

Tally, season to date: Dean=2, Bobby=1, Isaac &Tamera=1

3x04 Sin City

Comments: This one is straightforward. As Dean and Bobby tinker with the magic Colt revolver, Sam walks in with printouts, announcing he's found signs of demonic activity and several suspicious deaths. This is Sam's first initiated hunt in season three. Both Sam and Dean seem eager to rush off for a hunt. The episode also shows us another glimpse of a Sam more willing to shoot first, ask questions later. Ironically, it's Dean who felt enough of a connection with Casey the demon that he tries to warn Sam not to shoot her. Sam kills her and the possessed priest to save Dean's life. The look on his face mirrors his expression as he killed Jake back at the end of "All Hell Breaks Loose, Part II." It's also a more distant echo of the expression on Dean's face when he killed Azazel's demonic son in "Devil's Trap" to save Sam. In this episode, Sam is acting out the fears Dean expressed about himself in "Devil's Trap": "I didn't hesitate, I didn't even flinch. For you and Dad, the things I'm willing to do or kill...it scares me."

Initiator/Method: Sam/research

Tally for 3x04: Sam=1

Tally, season to date: Sam=1, Dean=2, Bobby=1, Isaac &Tamera=1

3x05 Bedtime Stories

Comments: The episode opens with Sam and Dean having a shouting argument about Dean's deal. Sam wants to summon the CRD and shoot her but Dean thinks that's dangerous, since by the terms of the deal, Sam could drop dead if he tries to wriggle out. Dean diffuses the argument and changes the subject by saying "Tell me about the psychotic killer." Sam grabs a folded up newspaper with the news article in question. There's no concrete evidence who found the news item. Dean brings it up in part to drag the conversation from things personal back to safer ground, hunting, but Sam doesn't seem surprised that Dean's asking to be briefed. Which implies that Sam might have mentioned finding the article but they hadn't discussed in full yet. Speculatively, the point goes to Sam. (This could be a shared initiation; we haven't had one of those yet this season)

Initiator/Method: Sam/news article

Tally for 3x05: Sam=1

Tally, season to date: Sam=2, Dean=2, Bobby=1, Isaac &Tamera=1

3x06 Red Sky At Morning

Comments: Sam and Dean are already investigating the mysterious deaths in a seaport town when the ep opens. Sam reels off exposition about ghost ships, but he might have done the research after they arrived. Given lack of evidence as to who found the hunt, we'll call this one a shared. The last shared initiation was ep 2x20, What Is and What Should Never Be, again by default because there was no way to tell for sure who found the job. You have to go back to 2x16, Roadkill, for a true shared initiation, where the boys found the hunt and did the research together. Looking at the seasonal tally, Sam and Dean are tied for hunt initiations, and now they have a shared hunt. This fits with Sam and Dean inching back to being in sync and honest with each other again, after starting the season alienated.

Initiator/Method: shared/unknown; presumably news story

Tally for 3x06: Dean & Sam=1

Tally, season to date: Dean & Sam=1, Sam=2, Dean=2, Bobby=1, Isaac &Tamera=1

3x07 Fresh Blood

Comments: We have no evidence how Sam and Dean wound up at the warehouse hunting the vampire Lucy. It seems fitting this episode would be a shared initiation, as this is an episode with a lot of close brotherly moments amid the gore. Sam directly confronts Dean about Dean's recklessness and bravado facade. "I know you. Better than anyone else in the entire world. And this is exactly how you act when you're terrified." There's also the scene at the end when Dean teaches Sam how to fix the Impala. It's a letting go -- Dean preparing Sam for him being gone when his year is up -- but it's also a moment of strong connection between them. The boys are tied for hunt initiations this season to date, and now have two shared initiations this season as well. Ironically, Sam is also the hunted in this ep, hunted by Gordon who is now a vampire. Sam takes another step here towards being more of a ruthless hunter, as well: in the beginning he steps aside so Dean can kill Lucy, but by the end Sam beheads Gordon.

Initiator/Method: shared/unknown

Tally for 3x07: Dean & Sam=1

Tally, season to date: Dean & Sam=2, Sam=2, Dean=2, Bobby=1, Isaac &Tamera=1

See also Hunt Initiation Log Season one

See also Hunt Initiation Log Season two