sweetondean

Review of Supernatural 7x19…….. “Of Grave Importance” by sweetondean

Warning: contains episode spoilers

I needed to help

Not if it means you have to… be this

At the risk of sounding repetitive, I’m really enjoying the old school vibe of season 7. I’m enjoying the stories, the style of hunting, the emotional connections, the boy’s banter and relationship, the way they’re talking to each other and leaning on each other. The only other thing I really need is the Impala back…..though I have a sneaking suspicion I’m going to have to wait for the season finale for that character to return. Boo.

And you all thought I was gonna lead with the shower scene didn’t you? You think I’m that shallow? Oh you know me so well. I probably shouldn’t tell you how I spent way too long last night, discussing the attributes of said scene, I mean what else is a Dean-girl supposed to do with her Saturday night………… Anyhoo I’ll get to it later, I promise, because I think it speaks to where the boy’s relationship is at, so I’ll wax lyrical about wet Dean, errr that scene, in a bit.

You know what? I liked “Of Grave Importance” I know a hell of a lot of you didn’t, but I did. I liked it more than “Party On, Garth” for example, which to me would have fallen on it’s ass, had it not been for the brother dialogue and Bobby reveal. But then, that’s me all over. I’m always going to go for something with emotional resonance over laughs. I’m much more likely to throw in a heavy myth-arc or emotionally fraught episode to re-watch than a comedic one. As much as I thought “The French Mistake” was genius, I’m much more likely to watch “Appointment in Samarra”….you know what I mean? So “Of Grave Importance” hit some really solid emotional notes for me and I’ll tell you why…..

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Dean stopped in the doorway and turned his head, listening, reaching out with his hunter’s instincts. What was that? What was that feeling? Like something was there, just beyond his grasp….

He shook his head and pulled the motel door closed as he walked back to the car.

Sam watched as his brother slid into the driver’s seat. “You get what you need?” he asked.

“Yep.” Dean held up the flask.

Sam nodded. “Ahh.” He leaned back, looking at Dean out of the corner of his eye. “You ok?”

“Yeah, I’m good. Why?”

“Dunno, you look…” Sam shrugged.

Dean thought for a moment. “It’s just…I thought….” He looked at Sam, his brother’s brows knitted in concern. “It’s nothing Sammy. Don’t worry about it. You’re right, it’s just grief or whatever.” He reached down and turned the key in the ignition…..

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Review of Supernatural 7.16 - “Out With The Old” by sweetondean

Warning: contains spoilers.

“You see a Winchester, you don’t eat him! You tell me and I eat him!”

On first viewing I wasn’t sure what to make of “Out With The Old.” Admittedly I had a bit of a bad run with the watching. I was watching it on my laptop and it kept freezing and I missed a tiny bit at the beginning, like when the dancer’s feet exploded (neat!), so I decided not to make any judgements and try again. This time it was on my big screen TV, just how Dean’s meant to be watched, I mean just how Supernatural’s meant to be watched, and well, I dozed off! I didn’t hold this against the episode…I went out the night before and had a bit of a late, slightly boozy one and, well…the Winchesters are so dreamy they must have lulled me to sleep. Heh. Note to self…don’t lie on the couch to watch TV when feeling a bit, um, well, like Dean must feel many a morning (no, not hot). So take three and a great big coffee and I finally managed to watch the whole thing through! On third, but actually first real viewing, I discovered, I very much liked “Out With The Old.” It turned out to be the kind of Supernatural episode I particularly dig. Initially it had a fun vibe, there were some ominous undertones mixed in, a mystery was brewing and then it morphed into something completely unexpected. Like much of season seven it felt old school. I’d call it a strong outing. Since coming back from the Christmas hiatus I’ve felt this season has been particularly strong. If only it weren’t for all the damn breaks in the schedule trying to ruin our momentum….

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Burcon Report: One Crazy Awesome Sunday with the Js….. Part 3 Jensen’s meet and greet.

All photos used are by me. If you want them, help yourself & credit me if you like.

Burcon Report: One Crazy Awesome Sunday with the Js….. Part 1

All photos used are by me. If you want them, help yourself & credit me if you like.

Ramble about Supernatural 7.13 “The Slice Girls”

Warning – contains episode spoilers.

You’re just as screwed up as I am, you’re just…bigger.

Before I kick off this week’s review, let’s just get this out in the open shall we? It took me an inordinate amount of time to get through the first 10 minutes of this episode. An embarrassingly, inordinate amount of time. Pause rewind pause rewind pause rewind. Even I was starting to think “awkward”. But seriously, these precious, precious moments of Dean getting it on are so few and far between that a gal really has to make the most of them. It wasn’t only the bedroom frolic scene, (intercut with awesome gore and set to an ACaDaCa soundtrack), though that was a visual and sensory delight, it was also the bar room flirtation. The close-ups of the eyes and mouth, the little knowing smiles….. Pause rewind pause rewind pause rewind. Hey, no excuses….I go by the name sweetondean after all….

I was massively hesitant about The Slice Girls for two reasons. The first reason was, the concept of Dean having and instant-child bothered me no end, I mean, please no, we know how he is about family and kids in general, the whole concept squicked me out. I saw angst with a side order of angst and not in a good way. The second was, the episode was written by the same team who wrote Shut-Up, Dr. Phil, but more specifically Route 666, which is not exactly a favourite of mine. The Cassie word tends to make me spill forth with a tirade that is often peppered with expletives. Of course that routinely slammed episode also gave us a shirtless, sexed-up Dean…. Hang on a minute…. hmm…maybe I like these writers more than I thought! But I digress…what I was going to say is, I was massively hesitant about The Slice Girls, but it turned out not at all how I thought it would and ended up being a rather enjoyable, if somewhat sad episode.

You know what I’m really digging about season 7? It’s a character study. More than any other season, it’s seems to be about the nitty gritty of what’s going on below the surface of our beloved brothers. Their relationship and their individual character arcs have been put back into the forefront of the story and it feels like a long while since that’s been the case. Each episode looks like it’s going to be about some monster or another, but what we really get to see is how Sam and Dean are, or more often than not, aren’t functioning and coping with what the Universe is currently making them wade through. I like. The Slice Girls, once again, gave us a good, deep, kinda gloomy look at where the brother’s respective headspaces are at and I liked it, a lot. So you’ll excuse me if I don’t bother going into the monster storyline, as it was secondary to what I saw as the real story.

As I see it, we had two things going on with the boys here, we had Sam in uber hunter mode and we had Dean in I don’t give a flying fudge mode. Neither was surprising but both were pretty disturbing to watch. There was strong vibe of frustration. It was like the air was sizzling with mutual exasperation. Not that they were at loggerheads, in fact they’re working pretty well together, all things considered, but there were definitely a few internal throwing up of the arms moments between them.

At the end of Adventures In Babysitting Sam said that he wasn’t doing so great and he just wanted to work….yep, that’s what we saw here. He was hyper focused on the job. He was right, as Dean so succinctly put it, the murders were in the general vicinity of the ballpark of their kind of thing, but Sam’s drive, his ploughing ahead seemed to reinforce that this is how he’s trying to deal, by not dealing. Kind of like his brother. The problem is of course; we know Sammy is hanging on by a fine thread of sanity. We know on the inside it’s 24/7 Satan-vision. We know this because the Leviathan told us. So while Sam is trying to block out whatever is happening inside his melon by throwing himself into the latest job, he also has to watch his usually stoic and resilient big brother continue his tailspin unabated. That’s a tricky balancing act. Stay sane while trying to keep your brother from going off the rails once and for all. He’s obviously very worried about Dean and he’s obviously trying not to beat his brother over the head with it. He even said it at the end, he doesn’t care how Dean deals, he just cares that he doesn’t get killed. Breaks my damn heart. That scene in the not-Impala as they argued about Amy and Emma and Dean choking and not having his head in the game, was so poignant. In that moment, when Sam asked his brother to just don’t get killed, he felt so small and young to me. He needs Dean and he needs Dean to be Dean, now more than ever. Dean’s all he has. He’s been Sam’s rock all his life, he’s always called the shots and now Sam’s in the driver’s seat both literally and symbolically because his brother is finding it difficult to be there. I really feel for Sam.

And Dean… Well I didn’t expect an overnight resurrection off the back of Eliot Ness’ very sage description of what it means to be a hunter, but I was hoping for just a little spark to be reignited. But Dean seems so apathetic. It’s really hard to watch. His drinking, his lack of engagement in the case. He doesn’t want to listen to anyone else because they aren’t Bobby. The “Our expert is dead” line totally floored me. He has been ‘wobbly’ ever since Cas died, but now…well he’s about to topple over. He’s letting his brother drive the car for Heaven’s sake. I mean sure, that’s responsible, being as he’s continually drinking from Bobby’s flask and I’m sure his blood alcohol level would be well and truly over the legal limit across all parts of the day, but he’s letting Sam drive and by that, I mean drive everything. Dean’s going through the motions in the worst possible way and Sam’s right to be worried that it’ll get him killed. I’m not one of those people who think Dean would ever purposely check out, not as long as Sam is in the picture. Even though I think he probably does just want gone, hence the carelessness, but while Sam is still by his side, Dean will keep putting one foot in front of the other whether he wants to or not; “I not going to walk out on my brother.” But is that enough to sustain him? I think somewhere inside he’s paralysed with fear that if something happens to Sam he’ll be totally alone and Dean doesn’t do alone. Neither brother does. There literally is no one else left. That must be a terrifying thought, for both of them. But Dean’s in a bad place and no matter what else is going on around you, it’s hard to pick yourself up when you’re free-falling through grief and despair. He’ll do it though…and when that day comes I’ll be air punching like crazy! I want my feisty, kick-ass Dean back as much as Sam does…maybe even more.

Oh gosh, well now I’ve depressed myself! Let’s talk about something else shall we?

I had zero issues with Sam killing Emma, but then again I had zero issues with Dean killing Amy…though let’s not go there huh? Emma was going to kill Dean pure and simple and had she made a move in his direction or even Sam’s direction I think Dean would have dropped her in the blink of an eye. But I’m very thankful Sam did it instead, as that’s a great big piece of baggage the elder Winchester really doesn’t need to add to his load. Whether Dean knew his daughter or not, it still smacked of tragedy. Here is a man, who all his life has been about family and who unsuccessfully tried to leave being a hunter behind and live a ‘normal’ life with a woman and her son and now after an athletic one-night-stand where he was obviously less than careful, he has a kid and that kid turns out to be a monster and she has to die… This is what squicked me out! No wonder he hesitated. That’s just too sad! How either brother is still standing upright about now baffles me. A testament to their fortitude.

And what about Bobby? Man, you could feel him in the air in this episode. It speaks volumes that the boys still talk about him in the present tense, like they can’t let go. They want to ring him; Dean carries around his flask like it’s part of him. He was everywhere….including prominently in the ‘previously on’. Things that make you go hmm. Bobby being around made me happy. He should be everywhere, he was important, he is important; his impact needs to be felt, his loss needs to be recognised. I’m still in two minds about Ghost!Bobby though, but quite frankly, I so want the brothers to have some kind of happiness that I’ll roll with any idea at this point in time if I see a little joy or even some closure for Sam and Dean. I thought the scene where they talked about the possibility of it being Bobby’s spirit who moved the paper was fantastic. It looked like Sam was onboard for a moment there, EMF scanner in hand, but even he can’t get passed the fact that he can’t believe it could be real because that would be something that they’d want and they never get anything they want. Oh dear Lord. Seriously. Heart. Break. Now.

On a lighter note, I really enjoyed the banter in The Slice Girls. There was a fair amount of teasing from Sam of Dean. I figure he was trying to snap his brother out of his malaise with a bit of poking of the fun! Who hasn’t done that when someone around then is down, tried to make them laugh to brighten them up. Either that or Lucifer’s snarky sense of humour is leaking through! Whatever it was, it wasn’t working. Dean was resolutely grumpy….except maybe when he was banging Lydia. But it was fun to watch Sam having a go at Dean for a change! I love Dean’s come back “Are you deliberately trying to mess with me?” Well yes Dean, I believe he is! I also totally dug the moment they both realised that Dean was the baby-daddy and Sam trying to process this says, “But Dean, dude, seriously, a one-night-stand, you’re just going to roll the dice…” Sammy my boy, I was thinking exactly the same thing. I could go all deep and say this is part of Dean’s apathy towards life, that he’d take that kind of stupid risk, but his little remembering back smirk when he was saying accidents happen made me think it wasn’t him being careless, it was just, you know, one of those things and he was, you know, um prepared. Geeze, how often do we get to have these kinds of conversations around the show! Was or wasn’t Dean being ‘careful’! Ha! Anyway, I really enjoyed this whole scene. The dialogue between the brothers was spot on in this episode.

Another thing I enjoyed about this episode was the gore! Good grief, was that the goriest opening ever? When we pulled back to reveal that the dude had his hands and feet chopped off, I seriously gasped. Of course when the next guy was getting hacked up I was somewhat distracted….  I liked how Dean’s ‘love’ scene was intercut with the hyper-violence of that attack happening somewhere across town. This hammered home (no pun intended) two things, one being this was a fast and furious one-night-stand, no romance, no pretence, just need, as sweet as Dean looked about it… *sigh*… the other being this show has monsters, it has horror and as much as we like seeing the boys get, errr, lucky every once in a while, this is absolutely not what this show is about. As hot as the brothers are, it’s not a ‘let’s see them with their kit off week in week out’ kind of show and I’m thankful of that…most of the time…though someone remind me why…because I forget.

I’d also like to mention that Mayor Wilkins from Buffy was the Professor helping with the Greek translations etc. I clapped my hands when I saw him! I always loved that character, even if he was a snake…literally, plus young Missy Bender from the season 1 episode The Benders played Emma! Creepy hillbilly girl grew up into creepy monster girl! And Jerry Wanek’s directorial debut smacked of the beautiful, artistic style that we’re privileged to see every week via his stunning production design. He did some interesting visual work in this episode. I hope to see him get another shot in the director’s chair.

So, I enjoyed The Slice Girls, angsty, heartbreak and all. There was a lot of subtext, gore, brother moments and partially naked Dean! Weee! Plus it further reinforced for me, that as much as I love the characters that have come and gone and as much as I know and appreciate that the Winchesters need other people in their world, the real drama is with Sam and Dean and their journey is still compelling enough to carry an episode and I hazard to guess, given the chance, a season. It’s what it always was and what it always will be, their story…at least for me.

So what did you think? Did you enjoy the episode?

Thanks for reading! - Amy

Ramble about Supernatural 7.11 “Adventures In Babysitting”

Warning contains spoilers…

I’m not gonna quit. It’s not even an option. I’m not gonna walk out on my brother.

And we’re back….though, it appears, not everyone made it through the hiatus alive…..

I always think there’s a lot of pressure on the mid-season premiere. Supernatural generally gives us a rip-snorted of an episode as the mid-season finale, often with a cliff-hanger, usually with something that rips our heart out and makes us scream no, or makes us gasp out loud, or cry buckets of tears. We are then left to our own devices for 4-6 weeks to ponder the outcomes and feed each others frenzy. As we get closer to S-day we start counting down and I mean that literally. We rewatch the last episode. We hungrily keep an eye out for clips, spoilers, anything that will give us a tiny hint of what to expect. We discuss and theorise possible outcomes, motivations, arc directions. By the time the episode actually airs, the excitement is palatable; as well it should be, because we love this show and every moment without it is a nightmare. But I think this level of anticipation, this build up, often leaves us feeling a bit flat.

I’ll be honest and say, traditionally, the mid-season premieres have not been the strongest episodes of the season. But what they do, particularly in the later seasons, is bridge the gap between the first half and the second half of the season and show us where our characters are and how they are dealing, or more specifically, not dealing with what ever tragedy just befell them. They give us a sense of where we go next and set up questions that will take us through the next 10 or so episodes. If we look at them from this angle, they do their job well. All this sounds like maybe I didn’t enjoy Adventures In Babysitting….but, I did. For me, Adventures In Babysitting acted as a character piece, allowing us to, once again, witness the diverse nature of grief experienced by Sam and Dean. It also acted as a preamble for the remainder of the season by setting up some intriguing mystery and it stayed purposefully obtuse about the loss of Bobby and what his final decision was, stay or go, allowing for the possibility of something powerful to be revealed at a later date. It may have been a bit of a weak MOTW episode, but if you think for a minute Adventures In Babysitting was all about the Vetala, then you weren’t paying attention.

I liked how the passage of time was demonstrated after the loss of Bobby. Okay, before I go any further let’s talk about Bobby. As I said earlier, I feel like the writers are being purposefully obtuse as to whether Bobby chose to stay or go. We didn’t see Bobby answer the Reaper, we didn’t see the end result at the hospital, we didn’t see his body burned by the boys, a funeral, burial, cremation, nothing. For all we know he’s still in a coma in hospital, as per Dean in In My Time Of Dying, except that both the boys alluded to his death, specifically Sam saying he passed away, so we’ve got to assume he never made it through that final flat line. But by not discussing it in detail, by not giving us a clear cut answer it keeps us engaged with Bobby and his storyline, because we’re left wondering what he decided and how will this impact the arc moving forward. We’re left to imagine and discuss the possibly options and outcomes. It leaves us with a glimmer of hope that maybe we might see him again in some form, and hope can be a hard thing to come by on Supernatural so we hang-on to it like it’s a life preserver! But most importantly, it leaves us intrigued by the possibility of a crack in the door. I thought that was smart writing, manipulative sure, but smart writing. Of course we also had the mystery of the disappearing beer. Was that Bobby, looking after that idjit Dean from beyond? Making sure he didn’t go the route of the senior Winchester and get lost in a mire of alcohol and grief induced revenge? Well only time will tell….

As devastating as the loss of Bobby is to me, somewhere inside I feel like it’s a loss we had to have, because the nature of death in Supernatural was starting to lose meaning. It had almost become a gag. You die, so what, they’ll bring you back later. Death was beginning to no longer have the impact that it had when the boys lost John. I feel like we’re being shaken out of our complacency, that we’re being given a wake-up call. Real death still happens on this show and it still has a significant impact and a death this large is going to reverberate through the boy’s lives and somehow change them. It’s for this reason alone, that I have sort of come to a place of peace with the loss of Bobby (also because I’m still in denial), because if his death has an importance to the season arc or is imperative to the development of Sam and Dean, individually or collectively, then, as dead Ash said when he came back, I’m cool with it. Having said that, in my heart of hearts of course I hope it’s not forever, but I no longer feel cocky about that assumption.

Okay, back to the boys. Sam and Dean have always dealt with grief differently but somehow, they seem to have come to a place where they now share one aspect of their processing, they internalise. As they’ve got older and encountered more and more crap, they’ve turned less to each other to unload. A lot of this comes from the breakdown of trust they’ve experienced through their various transgressions and lies. You can’t expect them to just open up, not when there’s been so much water under the bridge. Once upon a time, Sam would have tried to make Dean talk, but not anymore, he knows it’s futile, he knows his brother wades through denial like no one else. Once upon a time Sam may have tried to open up about his feelings, but now Sam’s dealing with a whole other problem inside his head. Seeing them sitting on the couch in silence, experiencing their own grief personally and yet together was powerful. Jensen and Jared need only look at each other to show the well of emotion their characters are feeling or show Sam and Dean’s isolation even though they’re sitting next to the person they love most in the world. I got the sense from those looks that each wanted to reach out, but neither no longer knows how. There was a tragedy to that scene that just floored me.

Three weeks in, as they moved through their grief they both took different paths which I felt was totally appropriate to how they would react. Sam chose to follow a case that related back to Bobby. The kid of one of Bobby’s hunter friends needed help. Sam chose to go that route; I’m sure thinking that if he could save this one life it would give some kind of meaning to everything. Restore some kind of balance. Dean chose to bury it all deep as usual and angrily pursue revenge, focusing on the numbers Bobby gave them with his dying breath and continue the search Dick Roman. In having a separate focus, they went their separate ways. This would usually freak me out! But though they weren’t working together, they never actually felt apart. They kept in contact, didn’t cut the other out, ensured the other knew what was going on. Sam told his brother he could do with his help. Dean dropped everything when he realised Sam was in trouble. They weren’t working the same case, but they were still working together. Somehow, this felt like a step forward. It felt like they were leaning on each other just a little.

As Sam went in search of the missing dad, Dean went in search of the silent Frank, only to find that the conspiracy nut had gone even further off the grid due to helping Sam and Dean with their Leviathan problem. Dean’s interactions with Frank reveal some things about Dean and his grieving. He doesn’t want to talk about Bobby, getting openly hostile when Frank tries to share stories. He appears even more torn than usual about living the life, but he resolutely will not leave his brother. That and revenge seem to be the only things moving him forward right now. He’s so bottled up it’s explosive. He’s operating on fumes. He’s tired. When he finally crashes out, Frank lets him sleep for 36 hours. When he wakes up, Dean gets some advice from Frank about how to keep going. I’m not so sure it was what Dean needed to hear quite frankly. Frank essentially told him to either quit or fake it. Wake up everyday and slap a smile on your face because that’s what you do because it’s your job. You’re alive. Be a professional. To quote T. S. Eliot, “Put on a face to meet the faces that you meet.” Read: bury your pain. The last thing Dean needs to be told is to bury his pain. He’s already a master at that. And I mean, look at Frank, the man is obviously buckets of crazy, and as we find out, after finding his wife and children butchered in his home, he’s been burying his pain like a dog with a bone ever since. No, Dean needs to get it out, somehow, and I think he will and I think when it happens, it’ll be violent.

When Dean finally gets the message from Sam and realises Sam’s working on old information, he leaves Frank to continue the surveillance of the mysterious field owned by Dick Roman enterprises and hot foots it to find his brother. In doing so, he meets Krissy, the daughter of the missing hunter. Personally, I adore any interaction Dean has with kids. I love the way he speaks to them. He susses Krissy out almost instantly as a tough brat of a hunter and talks to her accordingly. He talks to her like she’s got a brain. She calls him a dweeb. During their conversation we also get to hear a story from when Dean was hunting and Sam was at Stanford. I may or may not have geeked out a little over this! I love nothing more than hearing about the brother’s lives before we met them. Of course this also gave Dean the chance to tell Krissy she could go to Stanford too. Become a hunter/paediatrician. He’s a good man Dean Winchester, with a great big heart and I love it when we get to see this side of him.

Of course, Sam’s case of Krissy and her missing father, directly mirrored the lives of Sam and Dean. Murdered mother, father driven by revenge, kid dragged along for the ride. By saving Krissy’s father and then by saving Krissy from the brother’s fate of living the life, the Winchester brothers finally got something they desperately needed. They got a win. Lord knows they need a win every now and then.

As the episode comes to a close we have the two brothers, alone in the car. They discuss how good it is to finally walk away from a case feeling like they’ve made a difference. Dean asks Sam how he’s doing. Sam openly admits, once again that he’s not doing great, but says he just wants to work, saying to his brother, “Should I even ask?” Of course, Dean answers, “I’m fine.” and adds he also just wants to work, after all, they are professionals. Sammy knows it’s a heap of crap, frowns at his brother, turns up the music and swings around to try and sleep off the recent attack. Then as his little brother rests beside him, Dean takes Frank’s advice and practices smiling….  Though his eyes are filling with tears, Dean practices smiling…. He’s going to fake it. That’s how he’ll be able to keep going, by faking it, by putting on a smile. In this moment, Dean’s true level of grief and despair is revealed. This scene. This scene was amazing. To be honest, I burst into tears. Great big wracking sobs. Jensen Ackles is just…I don’t know, I can’t even put it into words. Why these two guys don’t get the kind of kudos their far less talented peers receive is one of life’s great aggravating mysteries.

Adventures In Babysitting was in absolutely no way the best episode of the season, I think we’re all honest enough to say that, but it offered us a lot to think about and I feel like that was it’s job. It set up the mystery of what the Leviathan were doing in the field. It made us question what was the fate of Bobby, by keeping that information hidden and having that beer strangely disappear. And it proliferated the scenes with engaging characters such as crazy Frank and fiesty Krissy, which helped us see how the brothers are doing both individually and as a pair. Through conversations and actions, tragic and heroic, we saw Sam and Dean’s inner struggles as they process their grief. Sam always seems to be doing better, but his eyes and their sadness reveal his struggle with in. Dean is in a deep pit of anger and despair, but he’s going to try harder to hide it. I want nothing more in this world than for Sam to be whole again. I want nothing more in this world than for Dean to find his spark. I want them to come through this and be better for it. And that’s what I hope will happen, because though I feel like the worst is yet to come, I felt like some small progress may have been made here and this is why Adventures In Babysitting worked for me.

There’s been a lot of talk about the show no longer having hope, but I don’t see that, because I choose to see the Winchester brothers as the hope. As long as they keep getting up and fighting the good fight. As long as they keep battling evil and not letting the supernatural S.O.B.s push them around. As long as they stick together through everything, even when they’re mad with each other, then as I see it, there’s hope. Because they do keep getting up and fighting the good fight. They do keep choosing their own paths. They do stick together. Maybe they sometimes forget why, maybe they sometimes can’t stand the pain of it, but they do keep doing it and in a way, that shows they still have hope. It shows that somewhere inside them, they still believe that they can win. They still believe that good can triumph over evil. They still believe that what they’re doing means something. They still believe in each other. And this gives me hope. They give me hope. And that’s all I need.

Well, there you have it….I’m nothing if not optimistic, though some may say delusional…feel free to tell me in the replies or comments.

But one thing you should know, I’m on this journey with the Winchester brothers until the end, thick and thin, good and bad, I joined this ride a long time ago and I’m sticking with them.

See you next week…and thanks for reading! -Amy

Supernatural Season 1 Awards - Part 2.

Best Character Moment

Supernatural Season 1 Awards.

Last hiatus, my friends Kara, Tiny and I looked over Season 6 and revealed the good, the very good and the not as good as we’d have liked in the Supernatural Season 6 Awards. This hiatus, we decided to go back to where it all began! It turned out to be a bigger project than we thought, which meant we had to break it into two parts! Come back tomorrow night to see the second part…but for now, without further adieu may I present part 1 of…….

Favourite Writer

KARA: Eric Kripke — Supernatural was his creation and really its all his fault. He wrote the most pivotal episodes of season one — The Pilot, Home, Shadow, Devils Trap. All awesome episodes, all embodied the feel for the rest of the series.

AMY: I’m going to say Eric Kripke for this one. I mean, he created this show and it all started here so he has to been seen as the most influential writing force during the first season. He imagined and created these wonderful characters, wrote in their voices, which, even into season seven, we can still hear. Though the boys have changed substantially, a lot of what was established in the Pilot,of their individual personalities and their relationship remains true today; they were written that well from the get go. Also, some of the lines Kripke created in season one have become staples in the fan vernacular. “Driver picks the music, shot-gun shuts his cakehole”; “No chick flick moments”; “Bitch/Jerk”; “Saving people, hunting things, the family business”; “There’s a storm’s coming, and you boys, your Daddy, you are smack in the middle of it.” He wrote the Pilot, Wendigo, Home, Shadow and Devil’s Trap.  Five of the strongest episodes of the season. Home is one of my all time favourites. There’s so much wonderfulness in Home. From Dean telling Sam he carried him from the burning house, to his plaintive call to his dad asking for help, the first time we really see Dean’s tears, to Mary’s foreshadowing when she says “I’m sorry” to Sam. We didn’t find out why she was sorry until In The Beginning in season four! Kripke always says he had a five-year arc planned; just that one word alone, “Sorry”, makes me believe his vision for the series was pretty much locked and loaded by this ninth episode. So, yeah….favourite writer for season one has to be Kripke.

Honourable mention: Sera Gamble. In season one she was writing with Raelle Tucker. I think Sera is a beautiful writer who reveals an emotional depth in the Winchesters that very few of the writers are capable of doing. Also, she wrote Faith, which is pretty much my go to episode when I need to feel good. I love Faith. Like a lot.

TINY: Eric Kripke — Supernatural has such as solid first season. Kripke is the genius who drove the mytho, the tone, the characterisation of the Winchester brothers, the writing (including the use of urban legends, music and the writing of the dialogues)… THE LOT! I wasn’t not really into genre shows back then but the thing I love about Supernatural is that it isn’t just another show in the horror/sci-fi/fantasy category (which can well be another post as I am totally opposed to the press classifying Supernatural as ‘sci-fi’). Supernatural is a solid character driven drama, above all evil hunting/ horror stories and it’s about the main characters fighting for something that’s worth dying for, Eric Kripke showed me the one element other horror shows failed to project and perfect — family.

The family theme can be found in other character relationships in later seasons — the Harvelles, the Campbells, the Singers, the angels and even monsters have families. Eric Kripke created an unique quality for Supernatural and created a theme the show is still sticking with — two brothers on the road, saving people, hunting things, family business. Without his vision, especially in season one, Supernatural would’ve gone Heroes.

Favourite Director

KARA: Kim Manners — Why? Because he continually ‘Kicked it in the ass’.

AMY: Kim Manners — No contest. Kim Manners was not only a wonderful director he was a mentor to many of the cast and crew on Supernatural. He was already rich with TV directing experience when brought onboard in season one. He directed five episodes in the first season and left a permanent mark on the cast and crew before his death during season four, and though he passed away three years ago this January 25, he remains a strong presence and influence on the show. Jensen says he felt Kim guiding his hand during Jensen’s directorial debut and both boys and the crew still talk about him often and with much love. We all know the bee story from Bugs, where Kim insisted on sitting in the bee filled room in nothing but shorts and a t-shirt, because Jensen and Jared had no protective clothing either. This story is still a vigorously told at conventions, all these years later. In 2011, the Supernatural studios were renamed in his honour and each and every one of us knows his mantra “Kick it in the ass”. And for me, well he was also responsible for so much of what The X Files was and he directed my favourite episode Home. I will never hear ‘Sunshine and Lollipops’ without thinking of that particularly distasteful family! Kim Manners will forever be in the hearts of everyone who loves Supernatural.

TINY: Kim Manners — He was a major contributor in setting the tone of the show. His direction helped us to understand the story and the brothers. Episodes such as Dead in the Water, Scarcrow and Devil’s Trap consisted of the perfect combination that made an episode a classic Supernatural episode, setting up the benchmarks for others episodes. His vision continues to inspire the crew and new directors such as Jensen Ackles.

Best Use of Song

KARA: Back in Black — Seriously when I hear Back in Black, in my day to day life, I can’t help think of Supernatural. It was the perfect song (and theme song for the impala).

AMY: Season one set the scene for the use of music in Supernatural. Kripke is famously quoted as saying, to ensure his taste in music was used in the show, he actually put in the Pilot script “CUE MUSIC - and you can take your anaemic alternative pop and shove it up your ass. Dean plays bass thumping, pile driving Zeppelin, and he plays it loud”. Actually, he played AC/DC’s Back In Black! The music in season one was almost a character. The songs were intrinsically tied to the action, much more so than in the later seasons, where the small budget is now spent on special effects and not on music licensing. So what’s my favourite use of a song? Well, I narrowed it down to three…best I could do, sorry. Hey Man, Nice Shot by Filter, which plays in Skin and will always make me think of evil, hot, shapeshifting Dean; (Don’t Fear) The Reaper by Blue Oyster Cult, which plays in Faith and which I think is one of the best music cues ever and Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival, with plays at the end of Devil’s Trap and the beginning of In My Time Of Dying, which probably is the best music cue ever! And you all thought I was going to say, “Highway To Hell”, didn’t you! Or did you think I’d say Carry On Wayward Son? Seeeeee! Awesome music!

TINY: Carry On Wayward Son by Kansas — Never have I imagine myself screaming a classic rock song at kareoke! The song was first introduced to me in 1.21 Salvation. If it wasn’t Supernatural, I would’ve missed out all the classic rock goodies and… Kenny Rogers. Carry On Wayward Son was the first of many classic rock songs I added to my playlist, the song was also the most played song on my iTune.

Best Quote

KARA: You have to stick with the classic here, “Saving people, hunting things, the family business” no one quote had been able to sum up the entire series. Also… “Bitch” “Jerk”.

AMY: Gah! I think this might be the toughest category. Season one was full of pithy retorts!I could go for just about any of Dean’s quotes here. Or any of the brother’s come backs to each other. The bitch/jerk, the shotgun shuts his cakehole, the fabric softener teddy bear. I was trying like crazy to think of a quote that wasn’t just a throw away line, one that represented the brother’s relationship. I thought about when Dean tells Sam how he wants them to be a family again in Shadow, I thought about when Dean tells Sam that the three of them, that’s all they’ve got, that’s all he’s got in Salvation, I thought about “Take your brother outside as fast as you can and don’t look back! Now, Dean, go!” from the Pilot, because really, that’s where Sam and Dean started, but I settled on, “I hope your apple pie is freakin’ worth it!” from Scarecrow, just because it’s Dean and pie.

TINY: What else but “Dad wants us to pick us where he left off, saving people, hunting things, family business.” This is the “May the force be with you” to Star Wars.

Favourite Good Guy

KARA: This is a bit of a hard one for me. I had to decide how I wanted to approach this. Do I want to have for the stand alone season, or would I let the other seasons dictate my feelings. My favourite Good Guy for season one has to be, without a doubt John Winchester. He was built up to be this God among men.

AMY: Ummm Dean? Am I allowed to pick Dean? Right from the beginning it’s obvious Dean is the archetypal hero. Deeply flawed and conflicted, as all great heroes are. Loyal, almost to a fault. Selfless and brave and deeper than he’d like anyone to know. He’s compassionate and caring, but he hides it behind a shield of flippant remarks and a tough guy demeanour. Not that he’s not a tough guy, he’s totally badass, but just under the surface is a soft centre. He’ll stand in front of a stranger to save their life without even hesitating and he loves his brother more than any other person on the face of the Earth. Personally, I think Dean Winchester is one of the most beautifully realised, written and performed characters on TV, and that’s as a TV fan, not just a Supernatural fan. To me, the ultimate Good Guy will forever be, Dean Winchester.

Do I need to pick someone other than a Winchester? Probably. So, in that case, Deputy Kathleen Hudak from The Benders. I liked her character a lot. She was smart and sympathetic and I thought the actress that played her did an awesome job.

TINY: It’ll be too easy for me to name any Winchester boys.. so how about Favourite Good Woman? Missouri in Home was my Favourite Good Woman. She was very enjoyable to watch and I wish to see her again. Dean and Sam need more ‘family friends’ especially NOW. Missouri was one of a few friends mentioned in John Winchester’s diary. The character definitely has a lot of potentials. She needs to return to the show!

Favourite Villain

KARA: Yellow Eyed — I know he isn’t seen all that much in this season, and to be fair he is more present in the second season, but the way the Supernatural writers were able to build up a character that wasn’t even seen is just remarkable. And then when this big evil, so evil that it scared their family home, possessed John. Wow. Awesome stuff.

AMY: Oh that would have to be the Yellow Eyed Demon, later revealed to be Azazel. As much as I loved Fred Lehne’s version of the YED in season two and six, the YED was never scarier or more threatening than when he was inside John Winchester, taking his anger out on Dean. That whole scene in Devil’s Trap;you just can’t look away. I think Jeffrey Dean Morgan did a great job with the YED and seeing as that’s the evil son of a bitch that started it all, he has to be my favourite villain.

Honourable Mention: Meg. I love Meg too, whichever meatsuit she’s in…even when she’s in Sam.

TINY: Yellow Eyed Demon — Supernatural’s first big bad! I think YED was like Crowley, he is so badass but he is so fantastic to watch and there is something likeable about him. Is it bad that we all love our demons in Supernatural more than angels? YED and the demons are likeable villains, unlike the Leviathans who are just dicks.

Favourite Guest Star

KARA: I am totally, without a doubt, going to cheat in this category. My favourite guest star of season one is… Jim Beaver. Oh yeah, that is cheating. There is a reason why the character of ‘Bobby Singer’ went from just a one episode appearance to a major character for the rest of the series, Jim Beaver.

AMY: I’m going with Julie Benz in Faith. I’m a big fan of Julie, so from that respect I was excited that she was in the show. But beyond that, I liked the character of Layla Rourke a lot. She had a great outlook for someone in her position and her chemistry with Dean was undeniable. I was glad that it didn’t go anywhere, that it just ended with her gently touching Dean’s face and walking away leaving him pondering the nature of faith.

TINY: Jeffrey Dean Morgan — This was the episode that made me a superfan of the show and John Winchester was a major factor. The appearance of John Winchester at the end of Home injected that family element that I love so much. I love Jeffrey Dean Morgan, I think he is the perfect actor for the role.

Best Monster

KARA: Bloody Mary — Freaking hell that eyeless chick. Supernatural had managed to not only build up a common urban legend but they were able to ‘Supernatural-lise’ it by making it their own. But not only was Bloody Mary visually awesome but also the whole story on how she chooses her victims.

AMY: The Reaper from Faith. I love the Reapers in Supernatural. The whole concept that they are there, lingering behind you, just waiting to tick you off their list and whisk you off this mortal coil is fantastic. This was our first introduction to a Reaper and consequential our first introduction to a supernatural creature that wasn’t some form spirit or monster. I gotta say, he was pretty ugly though. I don’t think I’d want to go with that Reaper!

TINY: Demons — I think it’s because the demons were so connected to the mytho of the story, and I’ve always been a fan of the mytho heavy episodes. Demons in Supernatural weren’t just portrayed with heavy make-up or costumes or over the top dialogues, they could be your friendly neighbour or maths teacher. The show’s interpretation of demons as characters is so real, it’s creepy! Demons are seen in popular culture all the time but there is something unique about those in Supernatural.

Best Special Effect

KARA: Mary burning on the ceiling. That effect still gets me now, and is one of the special effects that hadn’t changed, why change it, it was awesome to begin with.

AMY: I think this might be more a visual effect than a special effect, but the truck hitting the Impala at the end of Devil’s Trap never ceases to take my breath away. Every time I see it, I’m gobbed smacked! It’s just Sam going…”Look, we’ve still got the Colt. We still have the one bullet left. We just have to start over, alright? I mean, we already found the demon…..” KABLAMO! Out of no-where an 18 wheeler smacks into them! I remember watching this when it originally went to air and jumping out of my skin! Then I just sat there, mouth agape, for like five minutes! And I know it was a fortuitous piece of fate, but how the truck pushes the Impala into the camera just tops off the perfection. One of the best special effect/visual effect/stunt or whatever it is shots ever. Gets me every damn time.

TINY: I’ve always been a fan of the death scene of Mary Winchester — Mary in her sleeping gown, pinned to the ceiling and then burst into flames. It was the most iconic scene of the entire series.

Worst Special Effect

KARA: Ok, lets just say it, the demon smoke. I am so glad they changed it to actual smoke instead of what looked like a spilt bag of black seeds.

AMY: I hate, hate, hate the special effect at the end of the Pilot, when the Woman in White and her kids turn into a black blob and splat into the floor boards in a puddle of water. It’s just terrible. I cringe every single time I see it.

TINY: Humm… I actually don’t have one for this category. Cassie?

Best Confrontation

KARA: Sam verses John in Dead Man’s Blood. That whole ‘You were just pissed off you couldn’t control me anymore.’ We had a whole season of hearing about how Sam and John butted heads, we had a whole season of Dean being like ‘yeah lets find Dad, but Sam don’t be a jerk when we do.’ And then bam!

Honourable mention: Dean snapping it at John in Salvation. The whole ‘I was dying, a monster was at our childhood home and no you didn’t call back, and that is why we didn’t tell you about Sam’s freaky shiz’. The reason why I have put this one as a honourable mention even though I probably enjoyed it just as much and thought it was just as pivotal to the characters we had seen. However this scene seems to be a little bit more important throughout the series.

AMY: John/YED and Dean in Devil’s Trap. I find this scene gripping. The fact that the Yellow Eyed Demon is inside Dean’s dad, who he worships and has been searching for all season, just adds to the intensity of the confrontation. The way Dean just perseveres with his cocky attitude, throws it in the demon’s face that he wasted his children, tells him to stop monologuing. He won’t give the YED the satisfaction of seeing his fear. It’s incredibly stupid really but very Dean! Of course it all goes pear-shaped when the YED decides he’s had enough and just goes ahead and tries to kill Dean. Still, it’s a brilliant confrontation.

TINY: When Sam confronted John in Dead Man’s Blood. For a moment, I thought Sam was going to transform into the Incredible Hulk. Sam’s rebellion has always been a recurring theme. That scene was almost like bridge connection his past and the shape of things to come. The whole “you can’t control me anymore”/ “if you can’t save him, you have to kill him”/ “you think I’ll go dark side” theme pretty much started to explode from here.

END OF PART 1

Well that’s it so far! We hope you liked it! What did you think? Do you agree with our choices? If you want to see what our favourite episodes were, or our favourite brother moments, make sure you come back at the same time tomorrow night for part 2 and the continuation of….The Supernatural Season 1 Awards! - Amy

Ramble about Supernatural 7.09 “How To Win Friends And Influence Monsters”“

Leviathan, Big Bird, Ken Doll and Creepy Uncle…all mixed in with a good helping of cannibalism, flare wearing waiters, gross out autopsies, snappy dialogue, dick jokes, mythology and poignant moments. Hmmmm feels like Ben Edlund to me.

Ramble about Supernatural 7.08 “Season Seven, Time For A Wedding!”

Warning - contains episode spoilers 

It’s a waffle iron. Nonstick. You just…I actually don’t know how to use it. We good?   

Ok, so I’m not really sure how I feel about Season Seven, Time For A Wedding! I just couldn’t find the funny. I wanted to love it so bad and I didn’t. It really got my dander up. It made me wear my frowny face. But, I took a deep breath and watched it again, because, even I was weirded out by my reaction. Second time around I found myself giggling, but not enough. We needed a bit of light after all the dark of late and this episode sure tried to deliver on the light, but for me, I still couldn’t help but see the dark and that’s why I think it didn’t work. Season Seven, Time For A Wedding! didn’t find that balance between light and dark that Supernatural usually delivers on so well. I know it was just a filler, some of my favourite episodes have been fillers, and I’m certainly not putting it in the category of Criss Angel Is A Douchebag or even worse, Mannequin 3: The Reckoning, my two least favourite episodes ever, but it currently falls into my least favourite episode of the season category, which I guess, as I’m really enjoying season seven, is not necessarily all bad. There’s no other show that can’t raise in me the kind of emotions this show raises, good, bad and sad. That in itself demonstrates how fine this show is, even when it’s not firing on all cylinders. 

I chastised myself on rewatch for not knowing that Dabb and Loflin wrote this episode. They‘ve become favourite writers of mine, or at least they were, before season 7. I’m finding their work this season a tad on the wobbly side at best. Thank Chuck or Cas or whomever, that they didn’t kill Becky! Can you imagine if they killed Amy and Becky! They’d be pinned to the ceiling and flambéed! As much as Becky bugged me and during the episode I admit at one point I wanted her dead, she is not a monster who has killed anyone so……..damn it, I promised last week I would no longer talk about Amy! Stopping now. It’s interesting that two of Dabb and Loflin’s episodes have used TV terms or ideas that are used for shows at the end of their run, Jump The Shark and now Season Seven, Time For A Wedding! Quite often a show that’s jumped the shark will throw a wedding in, in a desperate grab for ratings. No, I’m not saying Supernatural has jumped the shark, good lordy no! Wash your mouths out! I’m saying I’ve always enjoyed how Supernatural teeters on the boundary of what’s funny in the writer’s room and funny to the audience. That they tease the fourth wall. It’s a fine line. I don’t know of any other show that does it and gets away with it. The little digs are always a treat too. I loved how Becky commented “Supernatural’s not exactly popular” I’m sure we all got a giggle out of that. Nevertheless, I think, overall, Dabb and Loflin delivered a patchy episode, which is disappointing. But like every episode of Supernatural, there was something to love!

Let’s talk about Becky shall we? So, here’s my gripe. I liked Becky. I’ve always found her odd, but enjoyable. I’m not one of those fans that found her offensive, probably because I’m not one of those fans. I loved our first introduction to her when she just couldn’t stop touching Sam, then meeting her again at the Supernatural convention with Chuck. Though she was an overly obsessive fan to be sure, she was always fun and I felt that her heart was in the right place. I never saw her as some loser. In fact, I always thought she was strangely confident. Remember how she did that hand lick, kiss blow thing at Sam in The Real Ghostbusters? That didn’t come across to me as someone who was totally lacking in self-esteem. I always thought, gosh this chick’s got some cojones on her. She even assumed that Sam would dig her, apologising for her hook up with Chuck with that classic monkey on the sun line. Sure, she’s a little delusional but I liked that she seemed comfortable in her own kooky skin. I liked Becky and this episode made me not like Becky. Booo Dabb and Loflin, boo. I should have felt empathy for her. I should have felt sad for her. I should have felt, awww poor Becky’s finally hitched a ride to crazytown. Instead I felt angry! I was angry at her for being so manipulative and thoughtless, for railroading someone’s life for her own fantasy, for drugging Sam, for whacking him on the head with a waffle iron, (seriously, she could have killed him), for allowing Sam to be awful to his brother while under her influence, yeah, maybe this is what started the anger, but mostly for being stupid enough to fall for the sassy-gay-friend crossroads demon! She’s read the books, when is a too good to be true deal ever not too good to be true? Why was she suddenly made into this dunce! I disliked her and that really upset me because I used to like her. Admittedly, by the end I felt less like slapping her and a little more understanding and on rewatch she even made me laugh here and there, but still. She was ruined for me in this episode. I hope we never see her again. Bummer.

Why was Sam off on his own? I don’t get it. He’d just had 10 days on his own and then he goes off for another four to commune with nature or whatever? Leaving Dean alone, again. I know, I know, they’re grown men and should be able to take a time out when they need it and I’m all for that, but he just had a time out and they supposedly have evil, difficult to kill, shapeshifting, monster-mouthed, Leviathan on their tails. Is this really the best time to go walkabout? It makes no sense. Not only that, IT WAS VEGAS WEEK. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again, for a bright and sensitive guy, when it comes to his brother, Sam is really clueless. He’s been pressing Dean to tell him what’s wrong. He just had a D&M with Dean over the fake Impala. Dean fessed up to struggling. Sure the lie was now out in the open, but he said he was having trust issues after Cas. That’s about as open as Dean has been since he got back from Hell. Now it seems Sam’s so worried about his brother’s state of mind and constant drinking that he dumps their traditional Vegas plans to go camping, on his own, without his brother, that only a moment ago he was apparently so worried about. This whole thing made absolutely no sense to me. Why would he do that? Then, in all his wisdom, Sam nails Dean with that “Now you finally get to take care of yourself” line. Oh dear…if I wasn’t so opposed to everyone smacking Sam in his Denver scramble head, I’d smack Sam in his Denver scramble head. I know he didn’t mean to hurt Dean, I know his intentions were good, I know he thought saying “I do need you watching my back, obviously” was enough, but when Dean said, “It’s stupid to think that you need me around all the time, you’re a grown up” the wrong thing to say was “Right” and the right thing to say was, “Right, but just because I need some time on my own every once in a while Dean, doesn’t mean I don’t need you.” Sammy are you writing this down? Dabb and Loflin are you writing this down, because really dudes, you need to be taking notes. I’m not hating on Sam. I love Sam to pieces and he’s had an awful tough time of late, and by of late I mean forever, culminating in being tied pantsless to the bed by super-fan 99…(I might have to say thanks to Becky just for that one thing…also very nice work from Jared)…and I couldn’t be happier that he’s getting a handle on what’s going on inside his grapefruit, but, and honestly I don’t mean this hatefully, he has to stop putting his needs first every once in a while. Astonishingly, after what his brain’s gone through, he currently seems to be most functional one in the duo and he’s going to have to step up. We all need to take care of ourselves but sometimes we have to put our wants and needs, like going camping, on the backburner while we take care of the others in our lives and Dean needs taking care of right now, even if it’s only verbally and even if he’d never admit it. He needs to know he’s still wanted; he needs to know he’s still needed. He needs to be needed; it’s what defines him. It wouldn’t take much, just a few words here and there to make him feel like, how he defines himself is still relevant, that he’s still relevant. Don’t keep walking away from him, even if you need a bit of space. Just take a deep breath and remember you’re worried about your brother and he’s not going to ask you for help. You’re great at this stuff. Give it a try. Please. Aaaaand apparently I just started talking directly to Sam. I might be as nutty as Becky. I’m hoping Sam will cotton on, sooner rather than later.  But I must admit I’m worried about Sam, I’m worried he’s convinced himself he’s okay. Like Dean, I’m struggling to understand how that’s even possible. You know one thing that I thought was really awesome though ….when the magic potion was wearing off and Sam was all hurting and confused, his first thought was to ring Dean. A tiny little light at the end of this otherwise somewhat gloomy tunnel.

And what about Dean? He was equal parts awesomeness and sadness. His arm waving frustration in the chapel was brilliant. Man I love a cranky, exasperated Dean. He thought Becky should ask him for Sam’s hand? Bless. He was all sixes and sevens about the whole thing. He knew it was wrong, he knew something was up but there was his brother in a love bubble he just couldn’t pop! I totally dug that he got what was going on in a flash. People’s fantasies coming true? Sounds like Becky marrying Sam right? Good on you Dean. Then he rocks up with a waffle iron! He went a bought a waffle iron? I wish we’d seen that. I thoroughly enjoyed his flirtation in the strip club, but the boy needs to get lucky real soon. That’s three women that have got away this season. You know something’s wrong with Dean Winchester when that happens. Oh and the sweater vest. I probably don’t have to say anything more than….sweater vest.

But, beyond the fun Dean moments, I was so damn sad for him throughout this whole episode. His brother not only dumped him to go camping, he then finds out Sam’s getting married! Then he gets left again until he can “be supportive”, then Sam tells him he no longer needs him, yes I know he was under the influence, but don’t think for a second it didn’t hurt Dean to hear that and don’t think for a second that’s not rattling around his brain. To top it off he can’t even get Bobby to help “I don’t want another hunter Bobby, why can’t you do it”….read…. “Bobby Sam’s got married I don’t know what to do, he says he doesn’t need me anymore, I really need you here right now.” Sadly, Bobby was busy and seemed to misread the situation sending Dean another hunter, when I’m quite sure Dean just needed Bobby to be there for him again. Yet somehow, Dean keeps soldiering on, smiling, even at Becky when he comes face to face with Mr and Mrs Sam Winchester working the case. But you can tell, it’s not as easy as it used to be. Then, just when it seems that maybe it’s all finally heading back in the right direction, his brother accidently crushes him with the take care of yourself faux pas. His face, in that moment, was so damn heartbreaking. I literally started to cry. What’s going on? Is it more than we know? Or is it just that he’s struggling to find his place in the world, post everything that’s happened to him and his brother. And now with Sam being strangely balanced for someone seeing Satan-Vision 24/7, he’s constantly worried the other shoe’s gonna drop. I think Dean doesn’t know who he is or what he’s supposed to do anymore. He knows he has to fight the monsters, save people, but beyond that, who is he, what’s his purpose? He used to take care of his family, he used to take care of Sam, he took care of Bobby when Bobby needed him, he even took care of Cas, helping him muddle through this world. Who needs him now? Cas is gone, Bobby’s all good and Sam’s doing fine (at least on the surface), what’s his role? How much satisfaction can you draw from helping strangers when the people that you love, seem to no longer need you? And if he doesn’t have to look out for anyone, does that mean he’ll have to look to himself? I think the thought of being on his own simply terrifies him, because if he’s on his own he might have to face his inner demons. Like the waitress in the bar said, “We all need to face ourselves sometimes.” I think that thought scares Dean to death. No one to take care of, desperately trying not to look within. Dean’s lost.

And this, all this here, all this underlying sorrow is why I couldn’t totally get on board with this week’s episode. I love black comedy and it’s not that I found it disturbing or offensive or anything like that. I just found it kinda sad. It was supposed to be funny, but for the most part, I didn’t laugh. Not for Sam being drugged, when he’s already struggling with what’s going on in his mind and most certainly, not for Dean. Right from when Dean said Sam dumped him and Vegas week, my heart started to break and it just got worse and worse as the hits kept coming. It’s not like his pain is anything new, it’s just now, he doesn’t seem to be able to deal with it like he used to. All those years of not talking, of supporting everyone else, of shrugging it all off, it’s worn him down. He’s tired. You can see it in his face, in his actions, in the way he carries himself. He’s pushed so much sadness down for so long, it’s filled him to the brim and now it’s coming back up to choke him. The booze, the nightmares. You know, this is what I was talking about last week, with the writers being true to the characters and not being repetitive. This, what is happening to Dean now, is a culmination of everything we’ve seen him go through over the years. On one hand, it’s so beautiful to see how this character is being realised but on the other hand, I can’t stands it! I need him to have win. I need him to be ok, or as ok as he’s ever going to be. I need Sammy to need him….. When Dean hurts I hurt plain and simple and Season 7, Time For A Wedding! hurt like bloody crazy. Like my friend Tiny said, what’s been happening to Dean, it’s supernatural bullying and I need it to stop.

But hey, there was some nice stuff in this episode too! Like I said, I always find something to love in Supernatural and I in no way hated Season 7, Time For A Wedding! even though, reading this back you’d be forgiven for thinking I did! I thought there was a lot of heart in this episode. I liked DJ Qualls’ Garth a lot. I’m calling him the Anti-Sam. Shorter and scrawny, not great with people, sucky in interviews, completely the opposite of what Dean is used to working with. I thought it was a little out of the blue when he hugged Dean at the end, but it was a fun and nicely awkward moment. I’d be more than happy to see Garth again, maybe with a bit more to do next time.

Demons. I’ve miss demons and I do like a good crossroads demon. Guy was fantastic. I thought Leslie Odom who played Guy did a really nice job, suitably smooth and smarmy. And did you see how his eyes changed? Not just in a blink, but like a snake or something, it’s like the red came from both sides and joined in the middle. Cool! Then we had the joy of Crowley, albeit briefly, which is always wonderful and he managed to remind everyone about the Leviathan and that there are bigger fish to fry. I do love me some Crowley and I’m very interested to see what his play is this season. Also, nice beard!  

The opening titles with the wedding cake were a pearler! Jim Michaels told me and my friend Amanda that it was Phil Sgriccia’s idea and they shot it at 1000 frames a second, which is how they could get the super slo-mo. I thought it looked awesome. Must have been real messy!

And of course there was Jensen Ackles and his comic timing, which, quite frankly, was probably the saving grace of this episode, because when I did laugh, it was at Dean’s eye-rolling exasperation. His face, his arm waving, his surliness and just his general bafflement over the whole situation was beautiful. Dean, in all his sadness, somehow still managed to be the light in this episode. Jensen can really act….and wear a sweater vest.

Oh and Dean had ‘Sammy’ in his phone…….my heart runneth over.

 So yeah, Season Seven, Time For A Wedding! was a bit of a disappointment. It had its fun moments for sure, but I felt like it could’ve been so much better. I felt like there was a great opportunity for some meta, what with Becky’s intimate knowledge of the brother’s past cases and their relationship, but the script missed the mark. I am enjoying season seven a lot though. I really think this is the only episode that has disappointed me quite on this level, and if this is the worst we get, then damn we’re a lucky bunch! Even when I have questions, I always enjoy the show. I’m interested in the Leviathan, I’m interested in the brothers and how they are slowly but surely finding their way back to each other, I’m interested in Sam and how well he’s really doing and I’m (overly) interested in Dean and how low he will go before he sores like the phoenix back to his former glory! Not the Frontierland kind of phoenix…the pretty kind… Each week I’m filled with a little more hope that the brothers are finally going down the right road. Hey, and next week………we have a script by Mr Edlund! I’m excited. Ben Edlund, Guy Bee, Winchesters with big guns….carrying rifles…. Heee! It’s going to be good! See you then!

 P.S. BRING BACK DEAN’S BABY!

 Thanks for reading….I know many of you won’t agree with my thoughts on this one, so please let me know what you thought, I’d love to hear it - Amy

My Spudchesters arrived in Vancouver!!

Sam and Dean Spudchester! :D

Preview of Supernatural 7.02 “Hello, Cruel World”

It’s not long now until the new episode of Supernatural and essentially, 7.02 is the second part of the season opener. Though these two episodes are not a double, due to the nature of the cliffhanger at the end of 7.01, they sure do feel like it.

So what do we know so far….well we know everyone is in deep doo doo! Cas has been obliterated, at least for the moment, by the Leviathan. Sam is having crazy hallucinations starring none other than Lucifer (in his Nick suit), one thing about this is we get to see Mark Pellegrino which is seriously awesome. Dean and Bobby have just been tossed around like rag dolls by the new big bad in the guise of their once favourite Angel and Dean is also getting very wobbly with all he has to deal with, with his brother going looney tunes, his best friend going darkside and well, the new evil in town. Like I said, deep doo doo! Thank heaven’s for Bobby!

According to Guy Bee, episode 2 picks up where the season opener left off…. let’s have a read of the official synopsis….

SAM HAS FLASHBACKS FROM HELL —- Castiel (Misha Collins) continues to struggle with the burdens that come with his new-fangled power. The broken wall in Sam’s (Jared Padalecki) head causes him to have hallucinations, and he has difficulty discerning what’s real and what’s not. Bobby (Jim Beaver) worries that Dean is beginning to stumble under the weight of fighting Castiel and keeping an eye on Sam.



In the spoiler clip released earlier this week we see Sam really fighting to figure out what is reality. Faced with 2 Deans, one of which morphs into Lucifer, he has no idea what’s going on and to make matters worse, he’s armed! Can Dean make him believe he’s the real Dean before his brother shoots him? Well yes, of course he can…because, well d’uh. But also, Dean will get through to Sam because inevitably he always does and the picture below looks like he manages to disarm him.

We also see the guys investigating. We’ve got to assume they’re trying to figure out what on earth to do about the Leviathan and it looks like they’re doing some good old fashioned hitting the books, hitting the laptop, style of research. 

But as we know from the spoilers Sera Gamble and Bob Singer have teased us with, there are no books to tell the guys what to do about this new threat, which makes me assume they’re going to come up dry. Which brings me to the second promo released for episode 7.02, “Don’t Drink The Water.”


Ok, so as most of us know by now, the Leviathan is/are a sea monster referred to in the Bible and in Demonology it’s one of the seven princes of Hell and the gatekeeper of the Hellmouth. Who else gets Buffy chills from this? It’s fitting then that this new evil seems to have gotten into the water ways and is now traveling through the pipes to infect humans. This promo shows some black goo coming out of the taps and then people going crazytown after accidentally drinking the black goo. Is this goo what the new opening title card represents? With the black splats? The other important and rather troubling question is how does the Leviathan get free of its Cas suit? In this promo we see Cas stumbling around looking rather worse for wear. Not looking great for our lovable nerd Angel.

It appears Sam comes clean with his brother (hallelujah) and tells him the truth as to what’s going wrong in his brain. Sam’s hallucinations of Lucifer seem to be quite extensive (once again yay, Mark Pellegrino) including seeing him stab Bobby and being strangled by him, again.

Then there’s Dean ‘he’s fine’ shooting someone or something and getting hurled through the air onto a car windscreen, which makes me wonder if that’s how he ends up in hospital in 7.03, resplendent in a hospital gown. Hospital gown. Sorry can’t I help it….

There also seems to be a flying car….I have nothing.

One thing I like about the look of this episode (apart from everything) is that it leads me to believe it’s going to be gory. Yay! That doctor looks like he’s chowing down on a patient and the kid looks creepy and the Leviathan look like they get into the hospital and cause havoc. I think I’m going to like the Levaitan, they seem like fun!

I’m still pondering how the creepies get out of Cas…. Is this going to be the end of him?

Well, I guess we’re all just going to have to wait and see. Like I said, it’s not long now and I’m really very excited. Add in the fact that this episode is written by Ben Edlund and directed by Guy Bee and seriously, I’m really VERY excited.

Ahhhh Supernatural, it’s good to have you back.

Ramble about Supernatural 7.01 - Meet The New Boss

WARNING! Episode spoilers!

When God gets righteous you get the hell out of the way.

Most shows going into their seventh season don’t need to take a lot of risks. They’re established, they don’t have to work too hard, don’t have to challenge the audience, they’ve got their fans, they can set themselves to cruise control and relax a little. Thankfully Supernatural is not one of those shows, because, though it is indeed heading into its seventh season, it’s taking bigger risks than ever before. It’s challenging its audience, damn; it’s confronting it, even thumbing its nose at it a bit! It’s saying, hey we know you love this or we know you love that, but don’t get too comfy there; we’re pulling it all out from under you…again. Thankfully, the Supernatural audience is used to this and to be honest, I think we secretly enjoy it, because….well we’re all a little twisted that way.

When Supernatural soars, it really soars and Meet The New Boss took us to giddy heights. But like the best rollercoaster rides, it ultimately sent us plummeting back down to earth with our hearts in our mouths, screaming just a little. It was one of those episodes that makes you want to jump up and cheer and then drop back to the couch and scratch your head at why more people aren’t jumping up and cheering! This was a beautifully written hour of television, with performances that outshone the vast majority of work currently on the tube. For me, it was by far my favourite season opener since Lazarus Rising.

So, on to the episode….

We open with The Road So Far (yay) and Foghat’s ‘Slow Ride’ and then pick up exactly where season 6 left off, with Cas asking the boys and Bobby to kneel before him, their new God and basically, it all goes pear-shapped for everyone from there. Welcome back Supernatural!

There are 3 distinct Castiels in this opening episode of season 7. There’s God!Cas, (or Smitey McSmiteron). He’s on a misguided mission to set right what he feels were the wrongs his Father ignored. He chooses to destroy those he believes deserve to be punished. From Evangelists, to the Ku Klux Klan (ok he was right on that point), to the Angel’s who stood against him in his war with Raphael. The scene of destruction in Heaven was something else, Angel bodies strewn all over, their wings burnt into the grass of what I assumed was the eternal Tuesday afternoon of an Autistic man. 

This Cas is righteous to a fault and though seemingly confident, he has his doubts. It only takes a few choice words from Death to make him start to feel he needs to justify his actions, to make him voice that he doesn’t think he’s being petty. He knows something’s going horribly wrong, but trapped by his own arrogance and hubris, or as Death put it, having bought his own press, he continues on his imprudent path. This Cas is tragic, yes he’s scary, but under it all, the flaking skin, the whispering voices, the souls trying to push their way out of his tummy like an alien baby, the ever increasing self doubt, there’s a tragedy to God!Cas that’s almost Shakespearian. His realisation that maybe he’s wrong, truly gut wrenching.

Then we saw Leviathan!Cas, with an ancient evil burning through Cas’ thin membrane of skin as they slowly took control of what would soon become their vessel. Sneering, chaotic, evil grinned who knows what. So heinous that God created Purgatory to stash them away in. The Leviathans are the new big bad, the thing that’s going to be on Sam and Dean’s ass this season. After fighting Archangels and the Devil, the Leviathans seem like a fitting enemy. I mean, it would be a bit silly for the boys to go back to simply torching Wendigos after all they’ve been through right? I’m pretty excited by this turn of events. This big bad sounds awesomely challenging and I like nothing more than seeing the Winchester brothers put on their thinking caps and outsmart creatures who think they’re smarter than anything else. Those boys are pretty brainy! 

Then of course, for a brief shining moment we saw Cas, the real Cas, our beautiful Angel, Cas. Remorseful and wanting redemption, asking for forgiveness and in his final moments, trying desperately, one more time, to save his friends before the festering evil inside him burst forth. Man I nearly howled when he turned and said “I’m sorry Dean.” When he fell to the ground after the souls were extracted from him and Dean called his name and ran to his side. When Dean plaintively said, “Maybe Angels don’t need to breathe.” 

Dean’s face when Bobby said Cas was gone. Hang on….I’ve suddenly started taking about Dean, how very unlike me…… I loved every moment of when Cas became Cas. The way he deadpanned “I really over reached.” No kidding! I also thought the interaction between Cas and Dean at the end, was spot on. Even as Cas was trying to show his remorse and Dean was stubbornly standing firm, their little banter was so them. “Is it working?” “Does it make you feel better” “No, you?” “Not a bit.” That made me smile. If there was ever any doubt, and there never was from me, that Dean loves Cas, these finally moments when he ran to Cas and tried to stay with him even though Cas was telling him to go, should clear that up. Cas was his best friend…..Cas was his only friend. What has happened to Cas is so very sad, but in so many ways, so very awesome…storytelling wise.

Seeing as I’m already doing it, let’s talk about Dean….yes, yes, my favourite subject. I felt that Dean was at tipping point in this episode. He’s focusing on the small things, like fixing his baby, because that’s something he knows he can achieve. When faced with the bigger problems of Cas and Sam, he isn’t doing so well. I mean, I’m pretty sure he was drunk when he was watching that Asian cartoon porn (bless) and I don’t remember seeing Dean drunk ever. I’m not sure who was more surprised, Dean or Cas when Dean yelled at Death to kill his friend. I’m not sure he would’ve ever recovered if Death had actually done it. He’s hurt, he’s angry, he’s exhausted and he’s hanging on to whatever he has left by the skin of his teeth. So he’s doing what he always does, he’s blocking it out, he’s not talking about it, he’s numbing his feelings. Classic hurt and angry Dean behaviour. It makes me wonder if we’re finally going to go there with Dean. His ever increasing consumption of alcohol and his apparent comfort with this. We’ve even danced around him taking something else. Apparently he takes pills. He offered them to Sam in Mannequin 3: The Reckoning and Sam alluded to this again in Let It Bleed. Is this something the writers are finally going to investigate with Dean, his increasing dependance on substances to get him through the day?

I felt like this was a look at the path he will be on while he, once again, comes to terms with how they can never, ever catch a break.  On the flip-side he had some lovely Dean is awesome moments. He came up with the clever (or maybe not so clever) binding Death idea. I love how Dean deals with Death. I think it’s the only time you actually see Dean scared. Doesn’t stop him being a smart-ass though. It was brilliant that he brought Death some cheap food! I loved how he took out the couple with the gun and was so very polite when he tied them up, introducing them to Bobby and Sam, (who were hilarious by the way in how they practically snuggled together through the whole Death scene, looking from Death to Dean with horrified faces). Dean also had a couple of corker lines, my favourite being “God part deux”. But I can’t say I don’t worry about Dean when he’s so down in the dumps. I always wonder how much more this man can take, how much more is he supposed to shoulder, how many times can he pick himself up and dust himself of. Gah! Hugs!

And Sammy, oh dear, he’s been copping it since he was six months old. How he keeps moving forward is beyond me! I do wish he’d come clean with Dean regarding the hallucinations, but I totally get why he didn’t. These two boys are all about protecting each other again and though being kept in the dark is one of Dean’s pet hates, Sam was doing it for all the right reasons, he was looking out for Dean, trying not to add more crap to his already full plate, which was nice to see. I’m interested in how Sam’s crumbling wall is dealt with as we move through the season, he can’t be teetering on the edge of insanity the whole time, so he must either come to grips with it somehow, or get repaired at some point. I have a theory about that…..I’ll get to it in a minute. I thought it was healing and somewhat fitting that Sam was the one who prayed to Cas to accept their help. No way Dean was going to do that. It takes a lot for Dean to make that first move, but Sam….it’s so in his character to forgive and try and help their friend even though their friend may have damaged him beyond repair. Where did Sam go at the end though? It was an awesome twist, with the Devil trying to convince him he was still in Hell. How will Dean make Sam believe that he really is out of the pit? I think a lot of this will play out next week. Poor Sam.

Of course Bobby was his usual brilliant self. That man is a never ending source of common sense and he never gets flustered. I adored seeing Crowley in his slippers and listening to These Boots Are Made For Walking, he has fabulous taste in music and it was also fun to see him lost for words when Cas was telling him his plan. Crowley…lost for words! Death is so very cool; he is definitely one of my favourite characters ever on Supernatural. But it was Lucifer I loved seeing the most. I totally missed Mark’s name in the opening titles, so I got a complete surprise when he popped up. I always feel so awkward saying this, but I simply love Lucifer! Or rather I should say I love how Mark Pellegrino plays Lucifer. Having Lucifer, Crowley and Death in the one episode was a treat. I was totally geeking out!

With this fantastic roster of guest stars, I also have to say that, once again, the acting in Supernatural blew my socks off. Whether it was the amazing flipping between the various Cas’ that Misha pulled off, I thought his performance was really remarkable, the tragedy of Sam and how Jared brings so much pathos to him, or those subtle nuances of Jensen’s performance that manage to convey everything that is going on deep inside Dean in the quietest way, everyone did a stellar job. Add in the flawless Jim Beaver, and the calibre of guest stars in the shape of Mark Sheppard, Julian Richings and Mark Pellegrino and what show has actors and performances on this level?  

And I can’t not mention the new opening titles. They.Are.Cool. I totally dig them. This black splat and dribble thing? So messy. So perfect. It reminded me a bit of the Hellhound blood from Caged Heat, when Meg was stabbing them with the Angel blade. And with the weird black veins that were making their way up Cas’ neck at the end when he was laughing like a maniac (veins reminiscent of Sam’s hallucination in the panic room), I wonder if there is any correlation. Whatever, they’re great!

So where to from here and what’s my theory? Well for starters, I don’t think Cas is dead. I know the Leviathans said he was, but I think he’s in there, kind of like when a demon takes a host, or even Cas and Jimmy, or Sam and Lucifer, the person is still inside, just suppressed. They were just screwing with Dean. I think Cas is still inside and I think at some point further into the season we will see him again. I think his redemption is going to come in the form of somehow overcoming the Leviathans and either saving Dean or, and this is what I think is most likely, fixing Sam’s poor old brain. It’s just a theory of course and most of the time my half baked theories are way wrong, but I can’t see that Angel going out any other way than as a hero and though he got some redemption in this episode, that journey is incomplete. Meet The New Boss was almost a teaser. With the cliffhanger ending, it’s not entirely clear where the story is going, what’s going to be the arc, what mythology will we be investigating this season? This is something we need to get used to, a new mythology, a new road trip each season. We were used to the story following on, going towards the ultimate end game, but now all bets are off. Some of us coped with that concept better last season than others. Bob Singer said they are going year to year, not a two or three year plan and at this stage of the show that seems wise to me. We sure don’t want to be in a situation where we are half way through a story arc and the show gets cancelled (I think I just threw up in my mouth a little). So we need to put our patient hats on and see where this road takes us. We know the Leviathans will be involved, but we don’t know how or for how long. As for Cas, I’m one of the fans who really loves this change up with the character. I’m glad it’s not just same old awkward Cas, as much as I love him, I’m okay with how his story is playing out, I’m okay to say goodbye to him, as long as that goodbye is epic. But only time will tell, because they are a sneaky bunch those Supernatural creatives! Just when you think you’ve sussed something out…wham, you’re on your ass because they pulled it all out from under you again! Supernatural never rests on it laurels and I for one, am eternally grateful for that.

So, yay! Season 7 underway! I thought Meet The New Boss was another brilliant outing from the Supernatural team. The script by Ms Gamble, the direction by Phil Sgriccia, everything just popped. I was more than satisfied. I was thrilled. I thought it was a kick ass start to the season. It just has this really exciting vibe don’t you think? Like I said earlier, this is my favourite season opener since Lazarus Rising (4.01), which is a top 5 episode for me. I have a feeling Meet The New Boss will become a favourite of a lot of us, but I have such a damn good feeling about season 7, that I think I might have a whole bunch of favourites by the time 8 is announced!

It’s so good to have my show back. Supernatural, how I miss you through the painfully long hellatus. Bring on episode 2! See you next week and thanks for reading! - Amy

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