A CW Show’s Best Episode Is Responsible For Star Wars’ Worst Movie

By Jonathan Klotz
| Published 33 seconds ago

Supernatural felt like it was on the air forever, 15 seasons and 327 episodes is an incredible run, but it’s even more impressive for a genre show. That’s why it’s hard to remember, but way back in the second episode, “Wendigo,” Alden Ehrenreich made his acting debut as the young Ben Collins, and while he’d go on to star in Weapons, Ironheart, and Beautiful Creatures, his most infamous role was no fault of his own. Ehrenreich starred as young Han Solo in Solo, the most unneeded prequel of all time, and a film that destroyed the entire Star Wars side-story project Disney had been pursuing, which is a little ironic, as his very on-screen role was so good, it helped turn Supernatural into the juggernaut it would become.

Sam And Dean Take On One Of Supernatural’s Best Monsters

“Wendigo” is the second episode of Supernatural. which means it had the task of setting the tone and format for the rest of the series. The pilot introduced characters, set up the world, and established stakes, but “Wendigo” was the first real Monster of the Week episode. Back before it was a battle against demons and angels, the show mined folklore and urban legends for its villains, and the Algonquian legend of the Wiindigoo, a ravenous, gigantic, emaciated cannibal, made for the perfect introduction to the Winchesters. 

Alden Ehrenreich’s Ben Collins is wandering in the wilderness with his older sister, Hayley, as they try to find their other brother, Tommy, who went missing. Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) find the siblings, and thanks to their dad’s journal, deduce it was a Wendigo that took Tommy. The Wendigo they find isn’t a furry, bestial monster, instead it’s closer to the actual tradition, a strange-looking, gaunt, humanoid that has more in common with Slender Man than Big Foot, but it’s also one of the best-looking monsters of Season 1.

The episode plays out as you’d expect, with Sam and Dean losing horribly to the beast before they outsmart it and snatch victory from its ravenous jaws of defeat. Supernatural eventually got stuck in a rut with subsequent episodes playing out in the same fashion, but given its later seasons’ emphasis on the mythology arc, it’s refreshing to go back and see such a simple Monster of the Week story that lets Sam and Dean be, well, Sam and Dean, going up against a beast from classic folklore.

From All-Time Great To All-Time Flop

Following the success of “Wendigo,” Supernatural became a hit, and Alden Ehrenreich hasn’t had to stop working yet. Supernatural fans should at least check out Beautiful Creatures, based on the young adult novel of the same name, where he plays a teen who falls in love with a young witch. It’s Southern Gothic, giving it a sense of style and charm that what should have been his breakout film, Solo, completely lacks. 

It’s not Ehrenreich’s fault that Solo was a failure. Asking him to play one of the most iconic roles in movie history that made Harrison Ford a movie star was an impossible task. The fact that he does as well as he does is a testament to his acting ability and his own natural charm. Solo was the victim of studio interference.

Supernatural had to overcome its own periods of studio interference, and its spin-off, The Winchesters, also had a rough start to production. Years after it finally came to an end, it’s fun to look back at the saga of Sam and Dean and realize how good we had it. Two brothers, a 1967 Chevy Impala, and a Monster of the Week became one of the greatest genre shows in history.