Motels and Accommodations of SPN Season 4 (Part One)

[ash48]

banner by maichan <33

A few years ago the amazing bellanut posted Motels and Inns of Supernatural picspams (Season 1 - 3). I've always loved them and they have become the inspiration for not only the Motels entry on Superwiki but also the following picspam. I've expanded the idea a little by including various other accommodations, not just motels. Please feel free to pick me up on any errors or mention anything I've missed. It's a picspam come trivia fest. But I'm kind of a geek like that. :) (It's very image heavy, and may take a minute for all the pics to dl)

Wherever I Lay My Hat

Motels and Accommodations of Supernatural (Season 4)

Episode: 4.01 Lazarus Rising

Accommodation: Astoria Hotel (room 207)

The first episode of season four finds Sam in a rather seedy looking hotel. With the love heart on the door and the animal print wall paper, this suggests a hotel you might pay for by the hour. ;) If you recognise that tiger print it's because it also appeared in Andy's van in Simon Said. It also makes an appearance in episode 6.21 (Let it Bleed). And for an added piece of trivia, the song playing in the background in this scene is by the Republic Tigers. Surely that is not a coincidence. :) Episode: 4.02 Are You There God? It's Me, Dean Winchester. Accommodation: Bobby's Place

I imagine the boys spent quite a lot of time staying at Bobby's over the years. I love this full shot of Bobby's kitchen. And I HAD to include the shot of Sam's ginormous legs where the boys slept - Sam slept on the sofa and Dean on the floor. It puzzles me why there isn't a guest room for them.

Episode: 4.03 In the Beginning & 4.04 Metamorphosis Accommodation: Willow Tree Motel

Episode 3 and 4 feature the Willow Tree Motel. I love the green phone and ashtray. Very cool lamp shades also. It's curious to me how many rooms feature a table under a window. It makes me wonder if the same set is being used over and over and just re-dressed. (which...yeah, that makes sense). This is the first room of season four to feature The Floorplan. A number of motels feature the same floor plan. Sometimes turned upside down. :) Prop re-use: Curtains from 3.07. Bedding also seen in 1.12, 1.14 and 2.14 Episode: 4.04 Metamorphosis Accommodation: Rainbow Trout Motel

It's great when the rooms have a theme. This time it seems to be hunting (which is beautifully ironic). There's a fabulous painting of wild ducks above the bed, various wilderness paintings and photos, a mounted trout and the famous deer head. The deer head appears a number of times throughout the seasons. For all the appearances check out the Super Wiki entry Bed head also seen in 2.09, 2.11, 2.14, 3.10 Interior: Motel name

Episode: 4.06 Yellow Fever Accommodation: Blue Bird Hotel (initially the 4th floor, until Dean insists they move to the 1st)

The thing I love most about this motel is the way it's shot. This is the place Dean really loses it. We have fabulous high angle and low angle shots. We actually get to see the ceiling! The one above Dean on the bed is particularly low, emphasising the oppression Dean is feeling. I also love the way light is playing across the room. Lots of vertical lines to create a trapped, prison-like feel. It's a mix of warmth (earthy tones) with cold (those metallic looking wall panels are crazy!) Prop re-use: Bedspreads. Also seen in Season 7.15 - Repo Man. It's hard to know if they have been deliberately linked due to the imaginary fears. It would be pretty cool if they were. Retro Starburst Clock: Also seen in: 1.05, 1.13 1.14, 3.10 Lamp: I don't think this is a re-used prop but I had to include a link because the base is so interesting. I love how organic it looks. So many of the SPN lamps have awesome bases. (ETA: Lamp spotted in 7.05 Shut Up Dr. Phil) Motel Names: Day time Night time Episode: 4.07 It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester. Accommodation: Moonlight Motel (room 126) I ADORE this room beyond reason. LOOK at those colours. \o/ That floor is completely awesome. It's like a checker board (or chessboard), and considering the "game" the boys are about to play with the angles it makes perfect sense. I made an observation regarding the interesting lock and key room divider. There's a discussion about this here. There are some interesting ideas in the comments about this. See those lamp bases? So cool. Bedhead used: 2.04 and 2.13 The motel exterior is the actual City Center Motor Hotel. It's also seen in 3.03 and 2.07. Episode: 4.08 Wishful Thinking Accommodation: Tall Totem Lodge I like the warmth of this room - the deep browns and reds. It's seems to be a mix of Native American influences (totem pole, bedspread, mural) with a wild west feel (wood panel walls, the log-look cabin walls, wagon wheel light fixture (LOVE this!) and lamps mounted on tree branches. I find the stylised totem mural curious. I feel there's something significant here but can't lay my finger on it. The totem in the corner may symbolise the struggle ahead of the boys. You can read more here about the Thunderbird symbol and the omen of war. During the episode Dean passes in front of the actual Hotel Chieftain The fabulous wagon wheel light fitting is also seen in 7.11 (Adventures in Babysitting). Episode: 4.09 I Know What You Did Last Summer and 4.10 Heaven and Hell Accommodation #1: Blue Rose Motel (room 5) This is a fairly plain interior. More like your average motel room. I like how open the bathroom is to the rest of the room. I love seeing the little detail of the mounted hairdryer. The most interesting thing about this room is the blue rose outside the window. It's the same one used in episode 2.10 (Hunted). The motels are both called "Blue Rose Motel". They are different motels - interiors completely different and the motel sign (according to the brochure on the table) is different also. I'd love to think it was a deliberate attempt to link Sam being hunted in 2.10 because of his powers and Sam actually using his powers (in fact the birth of his real powers) in 4.09. Or maybe that they both feature Sam being with women. (Ava in 2.10 and Ruby in 4.09) Bedhead also used: 1.09, 1.12 and 2.03 Accommodation #2: Abandoned house (Flashback: Sam's accommodation) I love all the details of where Sam is staying - table littered with junk, foliage coming in through the window, paint-peeled walls and doors. A mirror to Sam's state of mind at the time. Episode: 4.11 Family Remains Accommodation: The Impala I had to include a pic of Sammy sleeping in the back of the Impala. More often we see them in a motel but occasionally it looks like they have to resort to sleeping in the car. I'm sure that would be pretty uncomfortable considering the size of our boys. on to PART TWO

Comments

[oywidapoodles.livejournal.com]

It puzzles me why there isn't a guest room for them.

I have a couple theories. Either what would be Bobby's guest room(s) has been turned into book/magical miscellanea storage. OR after years of Sam and Dean arguing about who gets the bed in the guest room, Bobby banned them from it completely.

I wannnntt this clock. (http://i522.photobucket.com/albums/w350/ash4897/Season%204%20motel%20rooms/406clock.jpg)

It's like a checker board (or chessboard), and considering the "game" the boys are about to play with the angles it makes perfect sense.'

Love this. Very clever, Show.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

I love both of these ideas as to why the boys don't sleep in a guest room. :DD

And I LOVE that clock. It's appeared so many times now I think it could be released as The Supernatural Clock.

And yes... show is very clever with the little hints it leaves around the place.

[katiki7.livejournal.com]

I am impressed by the number of fugly shades of green they have found for the motels: chartreuse, puce, olive, pea, kelly, baby poo.

(Baby poo is totally a colour. I used to watch that decorating show, Trading Spaces, and they called brownish green "baby poo.")

I love all the details you have included in this, as well as how they symbolize or add meaning to the story of that episode.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

ha! I think they totally had a run of fugly shades of green paint at the local store. The designers bought up big. :) (Along with the wall paper).

Thank you. I'm glad you like the details. I've become a little geeky over that lately.
xx

[keerawa.livejournal.com]

Ooh, thank you, that was interesteing, particularly with some of the meaningfully re-used props. And your comments about the shots in Yellow Fever. *shudders*

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I'm so glad you found it interesting. It was kinda fun looking for prop re-use. I felt like I'd struck gold when I'd recognise something appearing again.

Thanks so much for commenting.
xx

[zimshan.livejournal.com]

OMGGGG ASHHHH, YOU POSTED IT!!!! Um, yea, reason #1 why I shouldn't leave LJ, I miss awesome posts like this. UGH. I need to like take a day and go through all of this. SO MUCH WORK you put into this! Seeing them all together in one place, I love it. It's such a neat way to appreciate all the details the designers put into each week.

My favorite is the names of the motels. "Willow Tree" for 4.03/4.04 throws me into sputters, the symbolism!!! "Rainbow Trout" for Metamorphesis is like omg, shutup, Sam Winchester swimming against the current of the life he's been dealt, I can't handle perfection. And even Bluebird sorta supports the fanwank that Dean got his Hell memories back then! I love the chessboard floor idea for 4.07, I think you're totally right! Purple is also a color of royalty and power, no? Fits the intro of Uriel nicely. The Thunderbird totem in 4.08 is...curious. Reading it made me think of Uriel, but then I realized it was 4.08 not 4.07. Maybe just a "big powers are watching over them" reminder? ;)

I agree, I think the Blue Rose was a definite callback to Hunted and Sam's powers. I remember someone doing a meta on it back when that aired, something about it being anywhere from a symbol of mystery or caution to a symbol of the impossible, because it legit doesn't exist in reality. Maybe a reference to Sam trying for an impossible feat here, trying to use powers of a malevolent source for good?

The 4.09 abandoned flashback house will always be my favorite set of the series, I think. I always love the extra mile they take on this show to make things look old and worn, but combo of the decrepit-ness and the lighting with the greenery on that one is just too much perfection. Especially with the importance for how it works with Sam's state at that moment. Just A++.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

YAY! Thanks so much sweetie. SO glad you had a chance to check it out. :DD

I love the idea of Sam swimming against the current for "rainbow trout". Sometimes the names are more obvious in their connections, other times not so much....

I love all your thoughts on those! :DD

I think the abandoned house flash back is one of my favs also. I adore the symbolism! I'm looking forward to tackling S5. I'm sure that will reveal some interesting insights.

Thanks so much for stopping by hun.

(and I got your PM re the footage. It's all cool and I'm glad it all worked out for you. :D And I might just take you up on those offers...;D)

<33

[etoile444.livejournal.com]

This was brilliant! I love it! I thought the motel in Yellow Fever was also interesting because of the wood floor. I love how there are things in the room showing symbolism.

[ash48.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much! I adore it when they use rooms to symbolise stuff. :))