I’m happy to answer them 🙂
When I was growing up we’d sometimes plant a veggie garden out back. The first thing you have to do is use shovels to turn the topsoil so it’s nice and loose. You start with making a perimeter by sticking the shovel straight down into the earth and pulling it back to upset the dirt in front of the shovel, then move to the side and do it again and again until you have straight lines showing the edges of your garden space. This is so you know exactly where the garden ends and wont waste energy digging further than that. Digging is hard, a perimeter ensures you only dig what you need to dig and nothing else. Our garden was pretty big so we did the perimeter first, a grave is a smaller area so they can start in the middle and establish the perimeter as they work. That’s why the graves are dug up with straight lines, because you mark off edges to keep yourself from wasting energy
They don’t show this every time because it’d be redundant but the Winchesters spray lighter fluid on the remains, bones wont burn unless you use an accelerant and the fire springs up very quickly because of this. That’s why they throw the lighter, because if they stood in the grave to light it they’d be burned before they could get out. They use zippo lighters which are specially designed to light easily, stay lit without having to hold anything down, and the cap blocks wind/rain so you can light them in any weather. Zippos are sold at every gas station so they wouldn’t have any trouble replacing them. I’m sure they keep several in the Impala and when they run out they can restock the next time they buy gas. As for the lighters being identical, that’s the classic Zippo look and it’s the most popular design so they’re sold everywhere
Sorry I’m just now seeing this but thank you for answering my ask.
You’re welcome. I’m always happy to answer Supernatural questions
They use Zippos because of how they’re made, cheaper lighters wont do what they need them to do. Zippos are reliable, will light in bad weather, and stay lit without having to hold anything. Yes, they’re a lot more expensive than a plastic Bic lighter but you can’t throw a Bic into a grave because it wont stay lit. Also the cheaper lighters wont light reliably even in mild weather, and if it’s bad weather it can be almost impossible to light them while outside
Zippos are small and easy to steal. Some gas stations keep them locked up because of this but I’ve been in many that don’t, so the Winchesters have a fair chance at finding ones they can shop lift. I’m sure they have to pay for them at times but they use stolen credit cards at gas stations so they’re still not actually paying for the lighters.
When you have a murderous ghost terrorizing people you don’t worry about tossing a $15 lighter into a grave, all that’s important is having the best tool to do the job quickly. They often go months between ghost hunts so it’s not like they’re tossing out a lighter every week. It’s an acceptable expense, you don’t want ot worry about a cheap lighter crapping out on you when people’s lives are at risk
Yeah, that makes sense. But there’s a thing I learned from my dad: When you want to lit up a fireplace or a campfire, you can use a method where you take a big splinter and light it, then throw it into the fireplace. And I think it would be pretty cheapier to carry some splinters instead of buying a ton of lighters.
A big splinter is a great method for lighting fireplaces but the Winchesters have to drop the source of fire down a six foot hole. Ever notice that when people are done with matches they usually shake them to get rid of the flame? That’s because air pressure will extinguish small fires. Tossing a splinter into a deep hole means it will encounter enough air pressure that it can be blown out. Zippos have an accelerant feeding the flame and the case is shaped to reduced air pressure and keep it lit
Money isn’t an issue, they steal the lighters or use stolen credit cards. It’s a tool they need just like bullets and salt. The amount of salt they use would probably cost more than the Zippos since ghosts are an infrequent problem and salt is used against multiple monsters but fans never say they waste money by putting down so many salt lines. When people are being killed you don’t mess with cheaper, but less reliable, alternatives. You get the best tool for the job and you use it
Ok so actual plot holes that need to be explained: Why is it that every time the boys have to dig up a body the hole is perfectly square? I guess that’s not really so much a plot hole as it is something that bothers me and just doesn’t make sense. Nobody is going to make a perfect rectangle when they’re digging a grave up with two shovels. Also, why do they drop their lighters in the graves? Do they have a box full of identical ones in the impala? These are the questions that keep me up at night
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