OPINION

Supernatural: A Deeper Look At The Metallicar

Written by Alice Jester
Published September 04, 2008

In honor of Impala die-cast miniatures going out this week with the Supernatural season three DVD set at Best Buy, I’m devoting space this week to gush over the third main cast member, the always dependable car of Dean Winchester, a.k.a. the Metallicar.

But first, I have some pretty exciting fan news. I’ve been getting updates on how various projects are going. Lindsay at Support Supernatural informed me that they met their goal for PETA ($570) and the HSUS ($535) in the name of Jared Padalecki and his two dogs, Harley and Sadie, for a total of $1,105. Next they are taking collections for Young Life on behalf of Jensen Ackles. The goal is $1000. All information on where to donate can be found on their website. Great job guys!

Janglyjewels (aka Becky) informed me that the final tally for the Jared Photobook Project was 207 pictures and over $5000 in donations (thanks to a last minute generous donor) to give to the Animal Rescue Site. That’s some fantastic numbers! That’s going to be one exciting presentation at EyeCon. Congratulations to everyone involved.

The Impala

I’m sure there’s a few of you going, “How can you do a character breakdown of an inanimate object?” There’s no character growth or evolution, just a thing. The answer is because the creative minds of this show have given the Impala/Metallicar life. She’s (yes, Dean said "her" a few times) as vital to the Winchester family as Sam and Dean, and still going strong when most others from that year are scrap in junkyards.

The Impala caters to our romantic notions of cruising cross country in an awesome classic car. We love the car because it’s as pretty as the men riding in it and together, they rock.

Before I go on, a random Impala trivia question. The person with the first correct answer gets the honor of taunting their friends in superiority.

What were the two episodes in which the Impala did not appear?

Specs

Besides the fact she’s a fine looking vehicle, how much do you know about the Impala? Here’s some general facts:

The Winchester family vehicle was constructed in 1967, and is the four-door sedan model. The four-door option is rare, for that usually was ordered with the station wagon. The four-door models were also used as cop cars, which is what the first Supernatural Impala was before being pulled off a studio backlot and repainted black. Standard models came with only two doors, which is likely why die-cast models of a 1967 Impala only have two doors.

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Alice Jester in a fit of insanity left her 17 year career in Information Technology for a shot of writing for a living. In her words, "life is short". Her interests are vast, her creativity endless, and her obsession with television, the entertainment industry, sharing corporate horror stories and raising two children should be enough to keep her busy for years.
Keep reading for information and comments on this article, and add some feedback of your own!
Supernatural: A Deeper Look At The Metallicar
Published: September 04, 2008
Type: Opinion
Section: Video
Filed Under: Video: Cult, Video: Drama, Video: Horror, Video: Television
Part of a feature: The Winchester Family Business: Supernatural
Writer: Alice Jester
Alice Jester's BC Writer page
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Comments

#1 — September 4, 2008 @ 20:08PM — Katie

I don't think the Impala appears in The Usual Suspects or Hollywood Babylon.

#2 — September 4, 2008 @ 21:07PM — elle2

I think the Usual Suspects and Hollywood Babylon.

#3 — September 4, 2008 @ 21:31PM — Huppy

Alice, I smiled when I saw that you had written about the Impala. You have mentioned what a car buff you are. I assume you bought the Season 3 DVD that had the little Impala with it? I bought my Season 3 DVD at Target, which included the 2009 calendar. *happy Huppy*

You didn't mention in your review the priceless scene that the Impala gave us without even being there: Dean hyperventilating when the car is missing in RSAM. That was easily the best scene in that sorry episode.

#4 — September 4, 2008 @ 22:12PM — Alice Jester [URL]

Katie and elle2 - start your bragging, you both are correct! I actually had to pull out Hollywood Babylon and watch it last night, because I was convinced The Usual Suspects was the only one until I couldn't recall an Impala scene in HB. Glad I figured that out before posting this.

Huppy - Great one! I've actually blocked all of RSAM out of my mind, because personally I hate it that much. That was the one redeeming scene.

I actually got my DVD through Amazon, because the price difference was staggering, and I know I can find an Impala cheaper than that. Still, it was really pretty to look at on the one or two copies left at Best Buy. The sales this week of the DVDs are very encouraging!

I thought about writing a trivia quiz for an upcoming article, but I'm not convinced I'd be able to fool anybody. Fans know this show too well!




#5 — September 5, 2008 @ 10:27AM — Elle

Yay! I was afraid your latest treasure wouldn't be posted in time for my holidays - glad I was wrong. Sadly, as a Canadian resident, no die-cast Impala for me (I don't get the iTunes download either :( )
I love the Impala, it is definately a core member of the cast, as curcial as Jensen, Jared and Kripke in making Supernatural what it is. The first thing I did with my season 3 disc set (after the gag reel, naturally) was watch the Impala featurette - it was beautiful! I loved your review/character profile of the Impala - SPN wouldn't be that same without her. The hyperventilating scene was classic Dean. You don't mess with Sammy or His Baby! (I want to strangle John everytime I see the seen where he comments on Dean's "lack of care" for the car - low-blow, John, low blow). You forgot to mention that when Dean really "dies" in Mystery Spot after being mugged, the Impala is background as Sam cradles Dean's lifeless corpes and tries to restart the day. Looking forward to the next installment.

#6 — September 5, 2008 @ 12:47PM — Grand Sophy

Canadians can get the Impala with the Season 3 DVDs at Best Buy, but they're charging $20 more than this week's sale price for the set without the car. Phooey.

Did you know that the Metallicar won the award for "Best Performance by an Inanimate Object" in last year's Television Without Pity's Tubey Awards? (And Dean won for Best Bad-ass, although unfortunately that category's been dropped this year.)

#7 — September 5, 2008 @ 13:24PM — Malevolent

I would love to point out another factoid about her that makes her a bit more gorgeous tan usual. Metallicar is a hardtop, which means that she doesn't have the posts in between her four doors, roll the windows down and she is an all-out open to the wind in your hair beauty. :)

#8 — September 5, 2008 @ 14:28PM — LindsayW [URL]

Alice, thank you again for "plugging" our little site. :)

Please keep these blogs coming! They are so much fun to read!!

#9 — September 5, 2008 @ 15:41PM — Gadfly

You forgot to mention that the Impala is the only "member" of Dean's family that hasn't left him or walked out on him. No wonder he loves her so much.

#10 — September 5, 2008 @ 20:24PM — Mary (Bardicvoice) [URL]

Thanks for the tribute to the Impala, Alice!

There's a little celebration of the Impala happening over on alias_chick's LiveJournal, counting down 41 days of poetry, art, and story tributes to the Impala leading up to the season premiere of Supernatural. This year, I'm writing a drabble a day; I'm up to 28 very short, 100-word-each short stories built around the car. Drop on by! You can get to the fun through my blog URL ...

#11 — September 6, 2008 @ 00:02AM — Alice Jester [URL]

Wow, so many great comments. I knew there was lots of love out there for our favorite classic muscle car.

Elle - you are so right about Mystery Spot! What also stands out for me was Sam driving the Impala alone, all dead inside, and then he went and organized the trunk into some weird military fashion. That just about killed me. That's when I felt the true heartbreak of Dean without his baby.

In my notes, I had two Impala scenes actually that I cut from the article. One was the one from Mystery Spot. The other was at the gas station during "Home", when they both struggled with the notion that something evil was in their old house. I didn't see where those fit in my writing, but they were powerful Impala scenes nonetheless.

Grand Sophy - thank's so much for pointing that out! To think last year, when I voted for the Tubey awards (which I've done since 2001), that I never heard of the Metallicar. I'm so glad that's no longer the case.

Malevolent - Damn, now I'm ready to go get that classic car to go cruising in! I wrote a review on this site about Woodward Dream Cruise, lamenting about how I wanted a classic of my very own. Of course I'd go for a Mustang, but all the old cars are like that, nothing like posts or back seat windows that only go up halfway to inhibit the full cruising experience.

Hi Lindsay! Keep up the great work.

Gadfly - Thanks for pointing that out. So true!

Mary - I have been following the 41 days of Metallicar. They've been great installments. Thanks this year for your drabbles. They've been fantastic. The icons and pictures have been great too. It's thrilling you're up to day 28. It's getting closer.

#12 — September 7, 2008 @ 04:37AM — sjwinchester [URL]

yay! I love this car, and I've been in the 42 days of Metallicar and I'm looking to buy at the moment and OMG BREATHE.

*calms down - a little*

I praise you unconditionally for writing about MY BABY. lol. She deserves more love..

#13 — September 8, 2008 @ 01:44AM — Malevolent

Alice, I was a Mustang girl through and through as my whole family was a "Ford Family". My dream car was a '68 Shelby GT500, but, along came the Impala and I basically became a turncoat! LOL I surely appreciate any classic hot rod that people put time and love into and I still drool over every 60s Mustang I see, but the Impala definitely has stolen my heart. :) Goodluck getting your own dream car!

#14 — September 9, 2008 @ 08:26AM — cassi

Great article but I'm not a big car fan.
If you love the Impala, look.

Isn't that cute!

#15 — September 11, 2008 @ 08:08AM — Alison

Alice, great piece! I wanted to comment on your cut Metallicar mentions, especially this one:

"The other was at the gas station during "Home", when they both struggled with the notion that something evil was in their old house. I didn't see where those fit in my writing,"

During that scene, they weren't actually talking about something evil being in their house. They didn't know what was going on with their house. Instead, that scene seems like a mirror to me of John and the boys sitting on her trunk in the Pilot--another case of her being there when they are confused and lost. Sam is sitting on the trunk and Dean tells him the story of what happened that night. This is just after they have arrived in Lawrence, and immediately after that, the car is in the foreground as Dean goes to call his dad and have his near-breakdown on the phone.

Man, that car kills me. I actually teared up during your description of the end of Everybody Loves a Clown. Excellent stuff!

#16 — September 18, 2008 @ 20:45PM — Konstantinos [URL]

For the record, the Impala used on the show is a four-door "sports sedan" or hardtop. The four-door sedan has a post between the front and back doors.

How do I know it's called a sports sedan? I have the same car in black :)

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