The ending of the 5th season heavily implied
that Chuck was God and had been hiding in plain sight all along.
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So I've started watching Supernatural...
- Thread starter Thestral
- Start date
The ending of the 5th season heavily implied
do you think that god is still writing those books about the boys....
kinda makes you think he favor's them....
kinda makes you think he favor's them....
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Now I can certainly understand not liking plot elements, and such or even general roles. But one can't use one's own relationships to judge how much angst the characters would experience. Since we can't mention specifics, its worse then any two beings who live on earth have experienced. Certainly one's own family couldn't even scrape a feather of off what these two have gone through (even before seasons 4 and 5 come up with), and I can understand that depressing a viewer (ie not wanting to watch it), but that doesn't mean that the characters shouldn't experience it.
Argh spoilers. 
Anyway, I find the argument about whether the show's too depressing interesting and I look forward to getting into the meat of the angst. Although these last two episodes certainly ratcheted it up.
1x11 Scarecrow
I know the most important part of this episode isn't the monster of the week but rather the hints towards the larger plot, but darnit I really liked the episodic part of it as well. That basic storyline of "small town has a deep dark secret that keeps it alive and happy when everything around it is wasting away" really appeals to me, whether it's done as a comedy like in Hot Fuzz or as serious drama as here and in American Gods. Doing whatever it takes "for the common good" including sacrificing outsiders is a fairly standard bit of commentary, but it's executed well here - especially with Emily saying "let it die" when they burn the Tree. Seeing Dean try to operate without Sam was fun and especially the way he self-lampshaded it when he couldn't convince the couple to just leave town. The scarecrow was creepy enough, though I wonder if it mightn't have been more effective if it'd stayed silent? Would it be nitpicky to point out that in fact a Vanir is a god? And of course the way Sam and Dean look at each other when they're going their separate ways... aww. I've said it again, and I'm sure it'll come up much more, but Ackles and Padelecki are great at playing brothers. Dean needs Sam around despite any protestations, and I know from the next episode how much Sam needs Dean.
Then of course there's the Sam subplot with the cute hitchhiker Meg. Such a sweet girl, if a bit dedicated to being rebellious and oddly attached to him after such a short time, no?
So what I've picked up from this is that whatever the demon is that killed Mary and Jess, it knows John is coming and knew Sam was going to join him - thus siccing his daughter Meg on Sam. Was she going to simply kill him, or try and seduce him to Team Evil? I'm guessing not just kill, because she had opportunity for that, and Daddy Demon could've done so himself in the past. I have no doubt we'll see her again, and fairly soon. Good episode, 9/10. Oh wait, I said I was going to drop the scale. Well, it's very good anyway. 
1x12 Faith
Nope, never saw the wife's pulling the strings coming - though of course once it was explained it was the only thing that really made sense. God save us from Your followers, indeed. There's one question left completely unanswered though: why'd the preacher choose Dean? Was it as simple as Dean was the one who challenged the preacher? I guess that's probably the best answer. Interestingly, this episode is sorta related to one I saw from a later season, where Dean gets to be Death for a day - really great episode, and also featured a Reaper, though a much nicer to look at one. Also, Death looked a lot like this Reaper, though less... decayed, so I was expecting the Reaper to be Death. Anyway, I like how this episode showed us more of how close these brothers really are and how much Sam's willing to do to help Dean - and of course there was a lot of great angst once the connection between Dean's healing and the death of that runner was discovered. Not to mention the angst of Dean having to break up Layla's healing, somebody who truly deserved to be healed (you could almost see him thinking "For this one I'll play God," though maybe I'm biased by having seen that later episode). I was kinda expecting Layla to be healed when the Reaper took the preacher's wife, but that would've robbed us of a great "Julie Benz has come to terms with the fact that her death is inevitable and she's made peace with it" moment. I like the melancholy, and I also like Dean's statement that he'll pray for Layla. I get the sense that things have shifted now fir Sam and Dean - Dean appeared to have made some peace with his impending death, and now he lives with the knowledge that another man died in his place; and Sam gets to live with both the guilt of probably feeling responsible for that and also happiness to have his brother back. How delightful.
Anyway, I find the argument about whether the show's too depressing interesting and I look forward to getting into the meat of the angst. Although these last two episodes certainly ratcheted it up.
1x11 Scarecrow
I know the most important part of this episode isn't the monster of the week but rather the hints towards the larger plot, but darnit I really liked the episodic part of it as well. That basic storyline of "small town has a deep dark secret that keeps it alive and happy when everything around it is wasting away" really appeals to me, whether it's done as a comedy like in Hot Fuzz or as serious drama as here and in American Gods. Doing whatever it takes "for the common good" including sacrificing outsiders is a fairly standard bit of commentary, but it's executed well here - especially with Emily saying "let it die" when they burn the Tree. Seeing Dean try to operate without Sam was fun and especially the way he self-lampshaded it when he couldn't convince the couple to just leave town. The scarecrow was creepy enough, though I wonder if it mightn't have been more effective if it'd stayed silent? Would it be nitpicky to point out that in fact a Vanir is a god? And of course the way Sam and Dean look at each other when they're going their separate ways... aww. I've said it again, and I'm sure it'll come up much more, but Ackles and Padelecki are great at playing brothers. Dean needs Sam around despite any protestations, and I know from the next episode how much Sam needs Dean.
Then of course there's the Sam subplot with the cute hitchhiker Meg. Such a sweet girl, if a bit dedicated to being rebellious and oddly attached to him after such a short time, no?
So what I've picked up from this is that whatever the demon is that killed Mary and Jess, it knows John is coming and knew Sam was going to join him - thus siccing his daughter Meg on Sam. Was she going to simply kill him, or try and seduce him to Team Evil? I'm guessing not just kill, because she had opportunity for that, and Daddy Demon could've done so himself in the past. I have no doubt we'll see her again, and fairly soon. Good episode, 9/10. Oh wait, I said I was going to drop the scale. Well, it's very good anyway. 1x12 Faith
Nope, never saw the wife's pulling the strings coming - though of course once it was explained it was the only thing that really made sense. God save us from Your followers, indeed. There's one question left completely unanswered though: why'd the preacher choose Dean? Was it as simple as Dean was the one who challenged the preacher? I guess that's probably the best answer. Interestingly, this episode is sorta related to one I saw from a later season, where Dean gets to be Death for a day - really great episode, and also featured a Reaper, though a much nicer to look at one. Also, Death looked a lot like this Reaper, though less... decayed, so I was expecting the Reaper to be Death. Anyway, I like how this episode showed us more of how close these brothers really are and how much Sam's willing to do to help Dean - and of course there was a lot of great angst once the connection between Dean's healing and the death of that runner was discovered. Not to mention the angst of Dean having to break up Layla's healing, somebody who truly deserved to be healed (you could almost see him thinking "For this one I'll play God," though maybe I'm biased by having seen that later episode). I was kinda expecting Layla to be healed when the Reaper took the preacher's wife, but that would've robbed us of a great "Julie Benz has come to terms with the fact that her death is inevitable and she's made peace with it" moment. I like the melancholy, and I also like Dean's statement that he'll pray for Layla. I get the sense that things have shifted now fir Sam and Dean - Dean appeared to have made some peace with his impending death, and now he lives with the knowledge that another man died in his place; and Sam gets to live with both the guilt of probably feeling responsible for that and also happiness to have his brother back. How delightful.
Well I guess I just can't respect your opinion that it's the "strongest brother relationship ever on tv".
"No one has experienced anything as difficult as them"... well that's a good reason they should be focusing on other things than angst. And it seems real brothers would either quit constantly talking about it, or they would move their separate ways and not continue to be in each others lives.
To me, their relationship is in neutral from season 1 to season 5. I had quit caring long before season 6, and the stories weren't strong enough to keep me watching. (Although I am intrigued by a few of the plots you guys talked about in recent episodes.)
Also the ending of the season (and the overall storyline) is definitely lacking the punch and I'm sure that the small budget is to blame. While I understand very well that the core of the story has always been the brothers and while I like the solution, the backdrop of the finale needed something similar to what we saw in The End. If you're going to have Michael and Lucifer starting their destined fight, you are going to need an army of followers backing them up and at least one city totally destroyed. Not just an empty field.
Alex1939
But I haven't seen another show that has its two siblings so tied to each other. That would almost due anything and everything for the other. (Sorry being vague because no spoilers).
Now notice I said strongest relationship, notice I didn't say balanced or well adjusted, because they aren't not even close. Its a truly messed up, co dependent relationship but its an exceptionally strong one.
Again, do you watch the show. How often do these two really talk about their feelings? It isn't often, not at all. The majority of the time they brush each other off. They have used again humor, women, drinking, physical violence, ect all to avoid having in depth conversations.
First I said of the shows I have watched, certainly in 45 years I haven't watched every show to ever be broadcast.
But I haven't seen another show that has its two siblings so tied to each other. That would almost due anything and everything for the other. (Sorry being vague because no spoilers).
Now notice I said strongest relationship, notice I didn't say balanced or well adjusted, because they aren't not even close. Its a truly messed up, co dependent relationship but its an exceptionally strong one.
Okay do you really watch the show, the characters frequently use humor, drinking, sex and music to avoid the "angst".
Again, do you watch the show. How often do these two really talk about their feelings? It isn't often, not at all. The majority of the time they brush each other off. They have used again humor, women, drinking, physical violence, ect all to avoid having in depth conversations.
Also seem to recall this occurring as well multiple times in fact, and thats even with their insane level of codependency. You might think that might explain why Sam not only had no contact with John, but also broke off all contact with Dean while he was at school.
Seriously, you can't see any changes in behavior or attitude from either character towards the other and how it shapes how they interact with each other?
Ahhhh, a new convert. 
Welcome to the fold. If you loved season one, season two is going to blow you away. Season six is going along very well and unfolding nicely. The only season that, IMO, lacked a cohesive storyline without proper suspense (though it had several individual episodes that resonated) was season five. Still, some loved it. What I've found with SPN is that the characters really resonate, so I'm good. Wait until you see some of Ben Edlund's episodes. That man is bizarre.
Bipolar. Suicidal. Teddy bear. That's not a signature, Kestrel.
Welcome to the fold. If you loved season one, season two is going to blow you away. Season six is going along very well and unfolding nicely. The only season that, IMO, lacked a cohesive storyline without proper suspense (though it had several individual episodes that resonated) was season five. Still, some loved it. What I've found with SPN is that the characters really resonate, so I'm good. Wait until you see some of Ben Edlund's episodes. That man is bizarre.Bipolar. Suicidal. Teddy bear. That's not a signature, Kestrel.
I bought season one dvd as a blind buy some years ago. I'd tuned in to watch the first episode when it aired but didn't watch any more as I'd just come off a marathon X Files re-watch and I was up to "there" with the supernatural. After a couple of years I got the dvd and I haven't stopped since. Great show. 
Been a few days, but here's some new stuff! Thanks for the welcome, Dorian!
1x13 Route 666
Sam and Dean head South (though not as South as I expected) to deal with a phantom truck that's involved in a string of racially-motivated murders after Dean's first love calls for help from the brothers. As it turns out the truck is the spirit of a racist named Cyrus who used to kill African-Americans in the 60s but whose girlfriend left him to be with a black man, who overcame and killed Cyrus when attacked.
I'm guessing this is the one people think is generally poor? There's elements of this episode that worked - I liked Dean's girl, I liked how it shed some light on why he was adamant that Jess couldn't be told. It's not a simple matter of Dean doesn't want other people involved, it's that he doesn't want his brother to have to go through the heartache he went through. And the idea of a phantom truck going around killing people is a pretty solid monster. And the family secret was interesting enough.
That said, there's also some serious problems. Primarily, I'm a bit confused about the truck's motivation. It seems like it wasn't so much a series of racially motivated killings as it was
the spirit getting revenge on the people that (justifiably as it was) killed him, and their family. Maybe that's not actually a serious problem, but I was a bit confused if he was doing it because he's such a racist bastard or because he was killed. Did Cyrus go after Dean becuase the brothers were disturbing his watery tomb, or because Dean was in a racially mixed (albeit brief) relationship?
Also, the resolution was rather abrupt and vague too. Ok, I get what happened, but as with the truck's motivation, I'm a bit unsure as to the why. I thought at first when Dean stopped in the crossroads that being a crossroads would have something to do with things (one of the later-season episodes I've seen involves one of the brothers at a crossroads summoning a demon) but it turns out to be the church Cyrus burned down. My question is: would any hallowed ground have worked, or was it that particular church? If so, that church could've used I think a bit more development than just the half-scene mention I recall. Finally, and maybe this is unfair of me because it does need to be said more often in society, the constand reminders of how racist the town used to be seemed kinda... repetitive. Is that unfair? Anyway, I still enjoyed it, but overall meh.
1x14 Nightmare
Sam's precognitive dreams return, though this time not about Jess but instead about a random man in Saginaw, who is murdered in a way that looks like a suicide. After investigation and the mysterious (and pre-seen but unavoidable) death of the man's brother, Sam and Dean discover that the man's son Max is telekinetic and is striking out against a brutally abusive family - and his stepmother's next. When Sam's attempts to talk Max down fail, Max turns
a gun on himself to end the pain.
Ahh, a good return to form. We get a little more information about the bigger picture, since apparently Mary Winchester wasn't the only victim of whatever demon John is hunting, and whatever the demon is is somehow connected to the strange gifts Sam and Max are exhibiting. Sam continues to be the very empathetic one, and I like how his first reaction was to try and talk Max down - though I wonder if it was partly so he could figure out what was happening to him. I expected the minimal telekenis, but it was still fun to see it happen. And more fun to see Dean's reaction when Sam told him about it. You get the idea Dean's starting to wonder about what exactly his brother is, but the love between them is strong as ever. The guy who played Max did a really good job being a mix of threatening, a little pathetic, but also clearly sympathetic in his brokenness (if not his murderousness). I appreciated the point Sam made that despite how messed up their home life might've been, things could've gone much, much worse considering what happened to Mary Winchester. Very good episode.
1x15 The Benders
"Supernatural meets Wrong Turn" - the brothers go to Hibbing, Minnesota to investigate some disappearances, and Sam gets himself disappeared as well. Dean impersonates an officer as per usual, teams up with local Deputy Kathleen Hudak, and goes looking. Despite being found out, Dean is allowed to remain on the case, but is handcuffed to Kathleen's car while she investigates (and gets herself captured). Turns out the monsters making people disappear are in fact a local hick family that like to hunt and kill humans for sport. Dean breaks in and gets subdued, but is enough of a distraction that Sam and Kathleen escape; Kathleen shoots the father in revenge for her brother's death and lies to Sam and Dean that he tried to escape.
Then again, maybe this was the one people were talking about as really not very good. Or maybe it's just me. There's nothing really *wrong* with this episode, and the Deputy who lost her brother is a good guest star. But the villain, aside from being boring and stereotypical, just angered me, in the sense that they're not worth being villains. Yeah, I know the point of "sometimes the worst enemy is humans" but they just annoyed me. Plus, if they were snatching people off the street, why'd they have so many cars? There were some nice character moments - it's always good to see Dean worried sick about little Sammy, and I enjoyed him kicking the shit
out of the misplaced hillbillies before he got snuck up on, but overall this episode left me fairly cold. Well, I guess except for the ending when Kathleen shoots the bastard - he deserved it, and it was good to see him done away with.
Next up, 1x16 Shadow and 1x17 Hell House.
1x13 Route 666
Sam and Dean head South (though not as South as I expected) to deal with a phantom truck that's involved in a string of racially-motivated murders after Dean's first love calls for help from the brothers. As it turns out the truck is the spirit of a racist named Cyrus who used to kill African-Americans in the 60s but whose girlfriend left him to be with a black man, who overcame and killed Cyrus when attacked.
I'm guessing this is the one people think is generally poor? There's elements of this episode that worked - I liked Dean's girl, I liked how it shed some light on why he was adamant that Jess couldn't be told. It's not a simple matter of Dean doesn't want other people involved, it's that he doesn't want his brother to have to go through the heartache he went through. And the idea of a phantom truck going around killing people is a pretty solid monster. And the family secret was interesting enough.
That said, there's also some serious problems. Primarily, I'm a bit confused about the truck's motivation. It seems like it wasn't so much a series of racially motivated killings as it was
the spirit getting revenge on the people that (justifiably as it was) killed him, and their family. Maybe that's not actually a serious problem, but I was a bit confused if he was doing it because he's such a racist bastard or because he was killed. Did Cyrus go after Dean becuase the brothers were disturbing his watery tomb, or because Dean was in a racially mixed (albeit brief) relationship?
Also, the resolution was rather abrupt and vague too. Ok, I get what happened, but as with the truck's motivation, I'm a bit unsure as to the why. I thought at first when Dean stopped in the crossroads that being a crossroads would have something to do with things (one of the later-season episodes I've seen involves one of the brothers at a crossroads summoning a demon) but it turns out to be the church Cyrus burned down. My question is: would any hallowed ground have worked, or was it that particular church? If so, that church could've used I think a bit more development than just the half-scene mention I recall. Finally, and maybe this is unfair of me because it does need to be said more often in society, the constand reminders of how racist the town used to be seemed kinda... repetitive. Is that unfair? Anyway, I still enjoyed it, but overall meh.
1x14 Nightmare
Sam's precognitive dreams return, though this time not about Jess but instead about a random man in Saginaw, who is murdered in a way that looks like a suicide. After investigation and the mysterious (and pre-seen but unavoidable) death of the man's brother, Sam and Dean discover that the man's son Max is telekinetic and is striking out against a brutally abusive family - and his stepmother's next. When Sam's attempts to talk Max down fail, Max turns
a gun on himself to end the pain.
Ahh, a good return to form. We get a little more information about the bigger picture, since apparently Mary Winchester wasn't the only victim of whatever demon John is hunting, and whatever the demon is is somehow connected to the strange gifts Sam and Max are exhibiting. Sam continues to be the very empathetic one, and I like how his first reaction was to try and talk Max down - though I wonder if it was partly so he could figure out what was happening to him. I expected the minimal telekenis, but it was still fun to see it happen. And more fun to see Dean's reaction when Sam told him about it. You get the idea Dean's starting to wonder about what exactly his brother is, but the love between them is strong as ever. The guy who played Max did a really good job being a mix of threatening, a little pathetic, but also clearly sympathetic in his brokenness (if not his murderousness). I appreciated the point Sam made that despite how messed up their home life might've been, things could've gone much, much worse considering what happened to Mary Winchester. Very good episode.
1x15 The Benders
"Supernatural meets Wrong Turn" - the brothers go to Hibbing, Minnesota to investigate some disappearances, and Sam gets himself disappeared as well. Dean impersonates an officer as per usual, teams up with local Deputy Kathleen Hudak, and goes looking. Despite being found out, Dean is allowed to remain on the case, but is handcuffed to Kathleen's car while she investigates (and gets herself captured). Turns out the monsters making people disappear are in fact a local hick family that like to hunt and kill humans for sport. Dean breaks in and gets subdued, but is enough of a distraction that Sam and Kathleen escape; Kathleen shoots the father in revenge for her brother's death and lies to Sam and Dean that he tried to escape.
Then again, maybe this was the one people were talking about as really not very good. Or maybe it's just me. There's nothing really *wrong* with this episode, and the Deputy who lost her brother is a good guest star. But the villain, aside from being boring and stereotypical, just angered me, in the sense that they're not worth being villains. Yeah, I know the point of "sometimes the worst enemy is humans" but they just annoyed me. Plus, if they were snatching people off the street, why'd they have so many cars? There were some nice character moments - it's always good to see Dean worried sick about little Sammy, and I enjoyed him kicking the shit
out of the misplaced hillbillies before he got snuck up on, but overall this episode left me fairly cold. Well, I guess except for the ending when Kathleen shoots the bastard - he deserved it, and it was good to see him done away with.
Next up, 1x16 Shadow and 1x17 Hell House.
Ahhhhh, Route 666. Often mentioned as one of the series worst episodes. I consider it the second worst episode of the entire series. Trust me. It get a loooooot better from here on in. The season one finale will shock you. Oh man......it gets soooo good. You're also about to be treated to the first true comedy episode of the series in "Hell House."
I prefer to think of it as "it's already been a lot better, and now it's going to get even better."So it's been awhile since I updated this thread but I've watched several episodes in the meantime. Prepare for another Very Long Post since I'm going to look at 5 episodes.
1x16 Shadow
In which we run back into the cute but murderous blonde named Meg that Sam met back when he and Dean were fighting (Scarecrow.) The brothers are in Chicago investigating a cruesome, animalistic murder. Sam suspects and follows Meg - with Dean's horn-dogging goadings that he's really just into her - while Dean's the one that does the research. They find out the mysterious symbol found at the murder scene corresponds to an ancient and powerful Zoroastrian shadow demon called a daeva; Sam follows Meg to a warehouse and sees her communicating with somebody while standing before a black altar. Sam and Dean seek to get the drop on Meg, but she turns the tables on them, revealing that the whole thing was a trap for their father John Winchester, who's closing in on the demon that killed Mary Winchester and Jess. Sam breaks Meg's control of the daevas and they apparently throw her to their death; at the hotel Sam and Dean meet up with their dad whose shown up, only to be attacked by Meg and her daevas. The Winchesters escape and decide that traveling together is too dangerous before going their own ways again.
Whew, there's a lot packed into this episode. The great majority of it deals with and ties into the larger mytharc of the show, but the episode-specific stuff was good too. It's a shame that they were in Chicago and did so little with the city itself; one of the things I've been liking about this show is how the specific places they are plays a role in what's going on, but this could've just as easily been in Detroit, Philadelphia, or Seattle. The daevas were an effective villain, if little more than lackeys. I was a bit confused at first because I was thinking of devas, who are good Hindu beings - which makes me wonder about an ancient schism perhaps between India and Iran? A very minor thing, but it is kinda funny how easily the first victim we saw died and how much more punishment the Winchesters take. It's good to have plot armor.
It's always fun to see Dean's horndog nature contrasting with Sam's brooding and refusal to open up; of course, I'd say this is masking how badly Sam wants to connect but feels he can't, whereas Dean's terrified of connection beyond his family.But as I said, the majority of this episode deals with the mytharc. We really didn't get any more revelations beyond confirmation the John's getting close, but now the Winchesters have faced the demon's Dragon, so the next time they go after the demon it should be to confront him directly. The parallels of demon-Meg Masters and John Winchester-Sam and Dean were nicely highlighted. Although - we know the demon messed with other people because of Nightmare, so what makes the Winchesters so special? Is there a reason the demon can't just take out John directly that he has to rely on trapping Sam and Dean? I mean, John's badass and all, but the daevas almost made short work of him - and they're the servants. The reunion between John and the Winchester boys was played *perfectly* - from Dean's immediate hug and backslap, to Sam and John's polite exchange of "Hey Dad" and "Hey Sam," to their opening up just enough to acknowledge a healed rift and hug. Fantastic scene all around. And the bittersweet ending with a sense that there's clearly unfinished business to get back to... soon. Excellent episode all around.
1x17 Hell House
In which Sam and Dean truck it down to Richardson, TX to investigate a possible haunted house that's made a name for itself on an urban legend website. The legend goes that the owner of the house killed his six daughters and himself during the Depression - but something really isn't adding up about the whole thing. As they investigate, Sam and Dean run into some "paranormal investigators" from the website trying to make a name for themselves. Convinced they've dealt with the problem, the brothers prepare to move on - until a girl actually turns up dead. On further investigation, Dean recognizes the symbol of Blue Oyster Cult sprayed inside the house among many other symbols, and the brothers figure out the whole thing was originally a prank that's somehow turned deadly. Turns out, the spirit is a Tulpa, which manifests itself based on strength of belief and has no weaknesses beyond what its form dictates. When the bumbling webmasters aren't able to upload a set of weaknesses in time, the brothers burn down the house and move on.
After the heaviness of Shadow, it's nice to have something goofy and lighthearted. Well, mostly goofy and lighthearted - I thought we might get through a whole episode with no deaths, but I guess not. The monster was very much a background part of this episode, but was still a really neat concept, both in the monster itself and how it came to the House - shouldn't tamper with things you don't know, and all that. I wonder if that sort of spirit will ever reappear? Seems like it could be a real problem in a more serious episode. I know the "paranormal investigators" were meant to be funny, but they didn't really click with me. I didn't hate them, they were just "meh." What did work really well though was Sam and Dean pranking each other - lots of fun with them upping the ante on each other. Even the resolution was kinda funny if a bit perfunctory - "Fuck it, we can't beat this thing? Then we'll burn the fucker down!"
Not a whole lot more to say about this one. Good fun and I enjoyed it.
1x18 Something Wicked
In which Sam and Dean head to Fitchburg, WI to finish some of their dad's unfinished business - and Dean's too. Something has been making the kids of Fitchburg sick and fall into comas, and the Winchester boys figure out its a witch called a shtriga that's feeding on the kids' life energy. The same one, in fact, that got away from John Winchester years ago when Dean left his little brother unguarded and the shtriga almost got Sam. After realizing that the shtriga likes to take a whole family of kids one at a time, the brothers decide to use their motel owner's son as bait since the boy's younger brother was taken; after killing the shtriga, all the kids get well.
Yay, more angsty goodness! This show's so good at showing the tortured and fucked-up relationship these brothers have with each other and their past. Jensen Ackles does a great job again connecting with a kid as they bond over their responsibility as older brothers. This is definitely a Dean episode, which is find by me. The flashbacks do a nice job giving us a glimpse of what the brothers "home life" was like and explains a lot about why they are how they are. Jeffrey Dean Morgan as usual does a great job as the slightly-unhinged and vengeful but still loving father.
The shtriga's a nice villain with a good way of getting close to kids (who'd suspect a doctor), and in monster-form is probably the creepiest villain since the Reaper in Faith (or the vanir in Scarecrow since the Reaper was technically not a villain), especially when coming through windows. I bought in to the creepy-old-lady-as-villain herring like anybody and wondered how it could be so easy (I must've been tired), but the way the "confrontation" with her went down was really funny.
I seem to recall Sam and Dean getting mistaken as a gay couple at least once before, and I know they did in one of the few later-season episodes I've seen (they're mistaken for "antiquers" in New England). I'm guessing this is a running joke?
Good episode: solid villain, nice flashbacks, good brother interaction and establishment of family history.
1x19 Provenance
In which Sam and Dean face down with a haunted painting. After a young couple is slaughtered in their tightly-locked-down home, the Winchester boys investigate on a tip from their dad's journal, discovering that other murders had taken place in a fairly regular fashion, with the one common thread being a painting of the family of Isaiah Merchant, who killed himself and his family with a razor. In the meantime Dean acts the hungover dick and nearly gets them kicked out of the auction house they're investigating (it houses all the victims' possessions) and tries to "encourage" Sam to hook up with a girl, especially the daughter of the auction house's owner. It's during a somewhat-awkward date with Sarah that Sam's able to get the provenances for all the auction items and the brothers make the connection with the painting - a painting that looks different now than it did in 1910. Figuring out Merchant's painting is haunted and he's still killing people, Sam and Dean break into the auction house to steal the painting and burn it - which doesn't work, and it repairs itself. By the time the Winchesters figure out the painting is back and further steps need to be taken, it's killed somebody else and now Sarah's in on their secret. Dean goes to find the bones of Isaiah Merchant and burn them while Sam and Sarah get ready to destroy the painting - which has changed again, the little adopted girl now missing. The girl has manifested herself and was the killer all along; Dean manages to destroy the girl's doll which contains some of her hair and all's well. The brothers depart, but Sam and Sarah share a goodbye kiss.
When I read the blurb for this episode I think I was expecting more "Dorian Grey" and less slasher. Still, there's some really good things in this episode. One thing that really stands out to me is that, as much as I love Ackles and Padalecki, it'd be nice to have somebody else as a main character. I don't need a Friday Night Lights sized cast, and I adore Doctor Who which has primarily been a two-person show, but Sarah helping the boys out worked really well, if briefly, for this episode. I think part of it was her calling Sam out when he said he didn't want her getting close to him. I really liked that the emotional focus of this episode was on Sam's continued mourning for Jess and his continued guilt for what happened to her. Dean's in many ways the more fucked up person so far I think, but Sam's got a lot darker demons to face and I think is going to go down the much darker path. Dean confronting Sam was a nice case of these two not beating around the bush the way they so often do - Dean's a womanizer and never really gets close, sure, but Sam's closing himself off out of fear for what might happen is just unhealthy. His coming back to kiss Sarah at the end might have been cliche, but it was needed - finally Sam is starting to open up. Of course this just means he's going to be brutally shut down, I'm sure...
The twist of the little girl being the killer was mostly "meh" to me - I would've been perfectly happy if it had remained the dad, but a little girl with a razor makes a good villain too. The way she moved reminded me somewhat of the Woman in White from way back in the Pilot - I wish they would more often show spirits moving that way, kind of warped/out of sync with quick cuts of the camera. Although... what, did the little girl slash everybody's throats, slash her own, and as she died put the razor in her adopted dad's hand? Why'd she choose to kill herself when before she'd just killed the family and moved on?
Overall a solid episode, with good emotional work if a somewhat sketchy villain.
1x20 Dead Man's Blood
In which Sam and Dean face off against the most pathetic vampires since the Cullen family - with special guest star Papa Winchester! When an old hunter friend of John's is killed by a vampire, Sam and Dean head to Boulder, CO to find out what killed him where they find a letter addressed to their dad and he pops in on them to take charge of things. John explains that the old man was his mentor in hunting and was holding onto a very powerful artifact - a Colt revolver specially forged by Sam Colt that can kill anything with one shot and has six bullets left. This, John tells the boys, is what's going to kill the demon he's been hunting after they dust the vampires (well, behead) to get the Colt back. Despite Sam chafing under John's command and a brief but loud argument, the Winchesters capture the mate of vampire leader Luther and John will use her for an exchange while Sam and Dean play their part. The exchange goes awry, Sam and Dean intervene, and John gets ahold of the gun, shooting Luther dead. The episode ends with John planning to split up from the boys again - but a united Sam and Dean convince him that they're stronger together than apart, and they head off to confront the demon.
For me, Dead Man's Blood was a tale of two parts - one very good, the other kinda shoddy. Specifically, the stuff connected to the mytharc was very good - the episode-specific stuff, rather less so. Good stuff first.
In terms of building on the mytharc, there's some really good stuff here. We finally figure out how John's planning to kill the demon that he's been hunting, and as far as mystical weapons go, a one-shot-kill Colt Revolver's pretty badass. I kinda think they missed an opportunity when they could've made the mystical gun a Winchester rifle, which would tie the family even more closely to the weapon, but that's a very minor "what if." Like I said, mystical gun that can kill anything but has limited shots is a great update to the classic "artifact weapons" of swords and crossbows and the like. Assuming I'm remembering right and there were six shots with one being used on Luther, that leaves five. One at least will be used for the demon, but something's going to go awry of course. I'm betting something unexpectedly bad goes down and John Winchester ends up dead, perhaps shot by this very same gun. That still leaves at least three shots for later use. I do wonder though, why did John wait so long to come get the gun?
Also, it's great to have some sense that John's not just some crazy guy that's self-taught and somehow learned all this stuff. Even though the old hunter died early and fairly easily, the fact that he mentored John means there's probably some sort of loose network of hunters. Probably not a Watcher's Council or anything like that, but a network of folks dedicated to doing what Sam and Dean do. In a sense, it makes the possibilities of the universe bigger. And it's good that we're building towards a real game-changer here - I'm guessing not a conclusion to whatever killed Jess and Mary, but the demon will be revealed and something huge is gonna happen. The ending of the episode really leaves you looking forward to it.
Dean standing up to John was a great moment. He's been the good soldier for so long, and despite what I might think of the fighting between Sam and John in this ep, it's great to see this shift in Dean that, hey, we're not just boys any more, we're men.
As to the bad. Well, as I'm sure you can tell by the preceding paragraph, I found Sam kind of annoying for a lot of this episode. I'm not blaming him for being pissed or chafing under his father's orders (John was being something of an ass too), and maybe it's just because I'm an oldest sibling, but god I wanted to smack Sam around some of the time. Did we really need to see the "Sam rebels against his dad's control, they have a (short) throwdown but make it mostly-alright in the end"? Like i said, it did lead to one good thing, namely Dean's siding with Sam and sticking with John, but man it was obnoxious and cliche - poorly executed cliche, which was the problem.
And then there's the vampires. All I could think every time they showed up was "Any one of Darla, Drusilla, and Spike would mop the floor with you jokers. And god help you if you caught Angelus' notice." Maybe I was tired, maybe I'm being unfair, but they were probably the most disappointing villain all season. Not *worst* - that's obviously the bugs from Bugs - but most disappointing. Vampires can be done well and threateningly on a tv budget, Whedon among others proved it. And at first, when Kate was hunting the elderly Hunter, it seemed like they'd work out fine, if fairly familiar. But it was downhill from there and these guys just seemed like they belonged at the end of time on Doctor Who or in the fifth season of Earth: Final Conflict. No wonder these guys were hunted to extinction. Also somewhat annoying was the "Our Vampires Are Different" moment when the classic anti-vampire methods were all debunked and the only thing that works is beheading. Well that's fine, except this is a show where the "old wives tales" approach often *does* work - salt for example, either in circle form or a gun ammo, and drawing a dark spirit onto hallowed ground will banish it. So why not vampires? Ehh, maybe I'm harping on this too much because I'm also watching through Angel with a friend, but these vampires really soured me towards the this-episode stuff. If they ever come back, hopefully they're more threatening and less obnoxious.
The Colt balances out the vampires for me, so this episode overall is better than average and I look forward to the conclusion of the season.
Yes I did really watch the show. It seemed EVERY episode at least had a few minutes of the famous Dean Brother Angst in it.
It wouldn't have been as much of an issue for me if it were a few times a season, but it was overwhelming. I think there's a significant % of people that would agree with that.
mswood said:
As I said, nearly every episode devotes some time towards their conflicted relationship.
mswood said:
That's valid but then again, how many episodes did Sam/Dean not have an onscreen appearance together? Were there any? I can't remember an extended departure, via screen time.
mswood said:
Hmm I guess I was embellishing. I think season 1 feels like definite growth. There's a dramatic change from season 5-6 (that didn't work for me, and I quit watching).
Overall, their constant drama/angst was the #2 reason that turned me off the show. The #1 reason was their roles in the overall plot arc of seasons 3-5. I didn't mind the major background story/plot as much as their specific roles in that plot. And overall (and I do think in some part due to budgetary restraints) it just didn't leave me satisfied.
For all that criticism, I have to basically agree with JWD75. "It's certainly better than 95% of the garbage on TV nowdays." While it wouldn't make any top lists for my preference, I don't watch many tv series (altho I give a fair number a chance).
(Route 666 is not that awful, it's goofy horror at its best, and I preferred the episodic nature of the earlier seasons. Seasons 1 and 2 are great Halloween fodder)
Yes there has been an episode where the brothers don't appear together (nor are they working together).
And while yes the episodes do devote some time each episode to show the brothers reactions to the events of their lives or the behavior of the other. Thats realistic. Every day you experience events that remind you about your past and current problems. You react, be in just a look, or a change in tone. Your at work and a coworker talks about something that makes you think of your own experiences (be it better or worse) you react to that. Each and everyone of us does throughout or waking life.
Now you might not want to watch that in a show (and I can understand that). But that doesn't mean character's wouldn't legitimately experience it. In fact the show doesn't even come close to showing us how dark their lives should really be.
Look at up to this point in the first season.
Dean is clearly hurt that Sam left, yet how long did it take for Dean to even address that issue. Sure when something comes up that reminds him of that he reacts. Sometimes with humor or anger, sometimes with just a look. But actually talk about those feelings...Not damn often.
When Sam knows something is off, something is deeply wrong, does he just open up and talk to Dean about it. Nope sure doesn't. It takes the mortal threat to others to get Sam to even admit anything is up at all.
In my family experiences and the experience I have witnessed in others, thats fairly true to life. You dodge and deflect and only talk when you really have no other choice or things have gotten seriously, seriously bad. But you always react, even if its subtile in your day to day life, you always react.
That in and of itself it isn't melodramatic. That's realism.
I think that when I hear a viewer state that this show has too much angst there are two ways of taking that statement.
1. That it isn't valid for the characters to be experiencing strong emotional reactions to their environment and experiences.
or
2. The viewer just doesn't want to see that in their entertainment.
I can understand 2, as their are programs that are great and well crafted but don't appeal to me for weekly entertainment. But number 1, I can't as the show really doesn't focus so much on the real emotional and physical trauma these two characters would experience.
And while yes the episodes do devote some time each episode to show the brothers reactions to the events of their lives or the behavior of the other. Thats realistic. Every day you experience events that remind you about your past and current problems. You react, be in just a look, or a change in tone. Your at work and a coworker talks about something that makes you think of your own experiences (be it better or worse) you react to that. Each and everyone of us does throughout or waking life.
Now you might not want to watch that in a show (and I can understand that). But that doesn't mean character's wouldn't legitimately experience it. In fact the show doesn't even come close to showing us how dark their lives should really be.
Look at up to this point in the first season.
Dean is clearly hurt that Sam left, yet how long did it take for Dean to even address that issue. Sure when something comes up that reminds him of that he reacts. Sometimes with humor or anger, sometimes with just a look. But actually talk about those feelings...Not damn often.
When Sam knows something is off, something is deeply wrong, does he just open up and talk to Dean about it. Nope sure doesn't. It takes the mortal threat to others to get Sam to even admit anything is up at all.
In my family experiences and the experience I have witnessed in others, thats fairly true to life. You dodge and deflect and only talk when you really have no other choice or things have gotten seriously, seriously bad. But you always react, even if its subtile in your day to day life, you always react.
That in and of itself it isn't melodramatic. That's realism.
I think that when I hear a viewer state that this show has too much angst there are two ways of taking that statement.
1. That it isn't valid for the characters to be experiencing strong emotional reactions to their environment and experiences.
or
2. The viewer just doesn't want to see that in their entertainment.
I can understand 2, as their are programs that are great and well crafted but don't appeal to me for weekly entertainment. But number 1, I can't as the show really doesn't focus so much on the real emotional and physical trauma these two characters would experience.
So there are several times in the story that they get mad and part ways, but only one episode where they don't appear together? (and I assume we are talking about the first 5 seasons, as previously said I quit watching during season 6.)
mswood said:
Supernatural is a TV show. It is not real life. I do not enjoy the brotherly bitchfest that occurs in EVERY episode. It occurs WAY TOO OFTEN and doesn't need to be shoehorned in every single episode for we the viewers to understand that they have issues.
You obviously disagree and that's fine. To me it's complete overkill and eventually led me to roll my eyes everytime it would come up.
mswood said:
Now maybe I should ask if YOU actually watch the show. Sam would just whine, what's wrong Dean??
mswood said:
You also probably aren't around that person every single day of your life.
And again, it's a TV show, not real life. I don't need to see brotherly angst in every episode to understand that it exist between the characters.
mswood said:
Definitely 2. But part of number 1. It's not realistic for me to see it constantly carry out the way it does in supernatural. Either they would permanently go their separate ways or they would be men about it and stop constantly bringing up their issues to each other.
what... it is... well... u bursted my bubble... I coulda swore it was real....
But, then as a 4th generation spiritualist... I've sat in my share of sceances and dealt with my share of disembodied entities...
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Actually I meant when Sam knows there is something wrong with himself, he didn't try and talk about it. Only when he saw another going through the same thing end up being a killer and taking his own life did Sam really open up about it to Dean.
Sam is the more open character out of the two, but neither are what you would call sharing. I mean how long does each brother lie (or admit to tell) the other about deeply personal things that impact their daily life? Happens all the time. In fact, I think there is only one time that either brother ever immediately (with in the span of an episode) talks to the other about something serious (about themselves) that they just learned. It usually is about half a season to more then a season in keeping things to themselves.
And yes I want my Dramas (and its probably why I don't care for the light hearted episodes) to show more realistic behaviors. And frankly there are lots of people over the years that bitch and fight and have drama that stay together. Hell I have know a set of twins that are deeply connected that fight with each other and broad, and harp and they have lived with each other for the last 36 years. Let alone how many people in relationships do it. And in many cultures its common to stay near or with your family for your entire life.
Sam is the more open character out of the two, but neither are what you would call sharing. I mean how long does each brother lie (or admit to tell) the other about deeply personal things that impact their daily life? Happens all the time. In fact, I think there is only one time that either brother ever immediately (with in the span of an episode) talks to the other about something serious (about themselves) that they just learned. It usually is about half a season to more then a season in keeping things to themselves.
And yes I want my Dramas (and its probably why I don't care for the light hearted episodes) to show more realistic behaviors. And frankly there are lots of people over the years that bitch and fight and have drama that stay together. Hell I have know a set of twins that are deeply connected that fight with each other and broad, and harp and they have lived with each other for the last 36 years. Let alone how many people in relationships do it. And in many cultures its common to stay near or with your family for your entire life.
Personally, not having seen the later seasons true, but to this point the difficulty Sam and Dean have in opening up and yet the fact they both know they should is a selling point. As much fun as the monsters are (and a poor monster seriously dampens my enjoyment, as I'm sure you can see), the fucked up relationship between the Winchester boys is the heart of hte show.
