"Skin" begins with one of those wtf moments where something crazy is going on with a familiar character, followed by a "two days earlier" title card before starting to show the circumstances that have led up to the confusion intro. The reason for seeing Dean behaving so strangely is revealed pretty early in the episode when the concept of a shapeshifter is introduced, so we don't dwell for a whole lot of time on the mystery, but instead get caught up in the style with which the episode flourishes.
Two parts of "Skin" are particularly potent. One, the m.o. of the shapeshifter is pretty unsettling. He (I assume he's male as he mostly takes on male forms) takes on the identity and personality of the male half of a young, attractive, heterosexual couple. From there, he tries to make a connection, possibly even assume the life he's pretending, and when that fails, he snaps, brutally attacking and eventually murdering the woman. The terror of this scenario didn't really sink in for me until one husband returned home from work to find his wife tied to a chair, bleeding. When he goes to console her, she flinches away from him, begging him to not hurt her anymore. With that, it strikes you that these women have been assaulted and killed by, most likely, the one person who they would be hoping to save them from all of this horror. They are, in their perception, betrayed by men who (justifiably) they had no reason to suspect were even capable of such violence. Their last thoughts are ones of agony and shattered foundations. Now if that's not scary, I don't know what is.
The other notable part of the episode was the transformation scene. Very coolly set to Filter's "Hey Man, Nice Shot," the scene showcases exactly what happens to the shapeshifter as he undergoes his transformations. At this point played by Jensen Ackles (it has assumed the form of Dean), the scene is fueled by the painful visual effects that accompany the transformation. It's like all of the gross transformation stuff from The Fly packed into 45 seconds. If you're curious, here it is, in its poorly embedded from YouTube glory.
While the darkness of the episode doesn't allow for a whole lot of levity, I feel like it's been awhile since we've laughed. All that charm and sort of wit is just bubbling under the surface at this point, so hopefully during the next one, we'll see more of the Win-jesters.
Still (and I know I say this a lot), this is still the best episode we've had since The Pilot, with its creepiness, great special effects, good musical selections and revelation of the tensions between the brothers.
Rating: 3.25 stars
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