(S03E02) There aren't a lot of things that freak me out more than evil children. Maybe clowns, and bugs give me the wiggins, but when done right, a gaggle of evil rugrats is just creepy as hell. And I thought the Supernatural team got it just right here. That story alone made the episode worth watching, but we also got so much more. Does Dean have a kid? Just who is the mysterious Ruby? Have we put that whole Sam is special thing behind us? Will that little scene from last season where it seemed that Mary knew the demon come back into play? The answers, and my review, after the jump.

Ok, let's get started with the story of the week portion and get to the bigger fish afterwards. First, Sera Gamble, you had me at "man gets thrown on running table saw." Far and away the most gruesome death I have seen so far this television season, and that's a good thing, although I'm still not sure why everyone kept saying powersaw.

Moving on, I really liked the changeling story. Margot Berner gets a lot of credit for that. She did a great job playing Katie. It was very creepy, and built nicely too. Looking back, the strange insistence that her father was mean was a nice hint that Katie had already been changed. And Mom napping in the middle of the day was a nice nod to changeling feeding on her. By the time they got to the point where she was banging on the door, terrorizing her mother, it was very unnerving.

One thing I wasn't completely sure of was the real estate woman/changeling mother showing up to interrupt Katie. Given the communication the changelings seem to have, was that her coming to discipline her child? Kathleen Munroe (Beautiful People) was also very good as the mother. The actual resolution of the story was somewhat rushed, but there are only 44 minutes in an hour, so something has to give.

Less creepy, but every bit as interesting, was the little peek into Dean's past. The similarities between Dean and Ben (Nicholas Elia) played very well. I especially liked the cake eating scene where they both had the same mannerisms and vocabulary. It didn't end up how I thought it would though. I expected Lisa (Cindy Sampson) to stick with the story that Dean wasn't Ben's father, but reveal to the viewer at the end that he really was.

When the episode started and I saw the setup, I was fully expecting to be left hanging where our new friend Ruby is concerned. So it was quite a pleasant surprise when she just popped up again. I really like the way they have introduced her. She's got spunk, and attitude. Her conversation with Sam in the restaurant was fantastic, with some great lines.

"I love a tall man... and then there's that whole anti-christ thing."

"Doesn't change the fact that you're special, in that Anthony Michael Hall ESP vision kind of way."

And of course, there was the revelation about Mary and her friends. Last season, in "All Hell Breaks Loose", they let on that Mary knew the yellow-eyed demon, assuring all of us that there is still much more to the Winchester's past. Sam's discovery that everyone his mother knew is dead was another interesting bit of information, but as good as it was, it paled in comparison to seeing Ruby look up with those big demon eyes. I did not see that coming.

Ruby the demon is a very cool twist. Her explanation that she wants to help Sam so she can find out why he is so special is a good angle. After all, it is all about Sam. It also hints again at the idea that something is changed in Sam, possibly not for the better. And her little offer that she can help him save Dean should be the icing on the cake, cementing that relationship for some time to come. I suspect that their goals will take different paths at some point, but until we get there, I'm looking forward to the boys having a demon on their side. It should make for a hell of a conversation should they run into Gordon again.

Overall, a very good episode. It had the perfect balance of an interesting story for the episode, and a whole mess of really great setup for the rest of the season. Season three is off to a great start and I can't wait to see what's next.