Supernatural Season 3 Hits and Misses – Part Two
Supernatural Season Three Hits and Misses – Part Two
Miss: Sam’s Shooting
This, I believe, is another unanimous “miss” in season three – when Bela shoots Sam in the shoulder. It was a too serious and startling button on an otherwise pretty balanced and enjoyable episode. Not need to go into too much detail here. Quite simply Bela + Gun + Shooting Sam = MISS.
Hit: Vampire Gordon
Talk about getting your just desserts. If there was anyone who deserved to be turned into a monster and live in what one imagines was his own personal hell for a time, it was Mr. The-World-Is-Black-&-White, Gordon. Yes, Gordon was an apparent “good guy” who was really bad news and ultimately, having him, you know, not human (physically anyway, because the internal humanity seemed to have ebbed away long ago) made it so much easier to finally be rid of that giant pain in Sam’s side. (Plus, let’s not forget that beheading). Hit!
Miss: Crocotta
Okay, I’ll keep this short and sweet. Long Distance Call is not on my list of favourite episodes. For whatever reason it just never struck me the way some SPN episodes do. That aside, one particular element that felt weak here was the MoTW. Really? A phone-calling soul eater thing? Really? Somehow this wasn’t a scary monster and it just didn’t work for me – so we’ll call it a miss, at least on my part.
Hit: Kids are capital C Creepy!
Casting Lilith as a child was very clever. It’s extra chilling and creates just a touch more hesitation on the stabbing her brutally thing.
Miss: Once Bitten, Not at all Shy?
*NP Alert!* Overall, this is a good episode. One small thing that bugs me, and excuse me for repeating myself here, is the inclusion AND TRUST of Bela. Could have had the colt snatched more cleverly – because this was an evident and very unshocking motivation considering the transparent and vague “Bobby did this thing for me once” reason for her participation. And that is all I’ll say on the subject.
Hit: Ghostumentary
This will be another short one. Ghostfacers was genius. No if, ands or buts about it. Genius.
Miss: Romance
*NP Alert* SPN has never been shy with the romance storylines or giving the boys a passing fancy for somebody featured in the case-of-the-week. Having said that, this view felt some of the “love” stuff was a little cheesy and out of place in season three. Such cheese includes: Dean’s affection for Bela, Sam’s affection for Bela (funny as that post-dream sequence was) and some of the Lisa stuff. Like I said – this is nitpicky and pure personal opinion, but I could have done without those bits.
Hit: Jail Time
Jus in Belo is one of my favourite episodes of season three. Just about the entire episode is executed perfectly. First, Henricksen learning the truth was done very well. This character has always been a good man, just lacking some essential information. Second, the episode has some good humour to it but more importantly, some good drama and key plot developments. Finally, the ending with Lilith in the police station, while sad to lose Henricksen just as he’s seen the light, not to mention the others in the station, was very well done. This chick demon is not your run of the mill demon. Badass evil bitch = hit.
Miss: Ruby’s deep, dark past
While the witches themselves were pretty awesome, one problem with Malleus Malificarum was Ruby’s relationship to them. Yes, Ruby has issues as a character overall for some people – and I’m not going to get into that debate here. What I will say is that Ruby’s “troubled” history and struggle to “keep her humanity” spin, well that was too forced for this viewer. True, not true, half true; frankly I don’t care – it just didn’t work. Not to say it wasn’t well written, or well acted for that matter. Simply put it oversold that “good” demon character that was being pitched to the viewers. Swing and a miss on this one, at least for me.
Hit: The End
No, no – not the season five episode (we’ll get to that in a later list). No, this hit was the end of season three, the end of the year and the end of Dean’s life. The unshocking and easy out to this plot would have been the death of Lilith with Dean living, driving off into the sunset happily with his rock music, his Impala and his beloved brother. But that wasn’t they ending we got and I’m so, so glad for that. Emotional, dramatic and unexpected this was a beautiful conclusion to a well done storyline.
What were hits and misses for you?
I have some hits and misses too. But yours are so fun I’d like to comment on them.
Yes. Gotta agree about Bela shooting Sam, with one exception – look at that cute little look on his face in that picture. Perfect.
Yes. I agree. Sam beheading Gordon with razor wire was PERFECT. Their strength, the effort, the muscles bulging (not a shallow observation at all), the life and death struggle, how much Gordon deserved it, and yes, the guttural kill-or-be-killed look on Sam’s face.
Yes. I agree. Long Distance Call is a miss because it was so close to the end of the season and absolutely nothing happened. Very disappointing.
Yes. I agree. The little girl playing Lilith was wonderful. So sweet with Freckle’s blood all over her dress. And then the bloody hug. *nodding and smiling*
Yes. I agree. Bela should never have been trusted. One moment I liked related to Bela was Dean hyperventilating when his car was “stolen.†And Bela wasn’t there for that scene.
Yes, I agree. I liked the Ghostfacers too. Every time they showed up. Strange how I hated Freaks and Geeks with kid hunters and Bitten with a whole new set of kids. But Ghostfacers were worth watching many times.
Hmmm, I guess I agree, because during season 3 I never saw “romance.†I saw that Dean liked being wanted for angry sex. (No surprise, could have been with anyone.) I saw Dean wishing he was leaving DNA behind in addition to his car. I saw Sam having sex dreams about random women passing through an episode mostly/maybe because he didn’t actually sleep with that many women in his own “real life.†But for me romance couldn’t have felt out of place in S3, because romance wasn’t there to begin with.
Yes, I agree. Jus in Bello was a very good episode. Anything with Henrickson is good, because he always sweeps in like Darth Vader. It’s great. He did it in Nightshifter when he swept into the bank, too. Fantastic!
Yes, I agree. Ruby 1st and the witches. Meh and bleh. Ruby 1st and Sam. Meh and bleh. She couldn’t bring the dialogue off at all.
Yes, I agree about the horrible end for Dean in the last episode. But the rest of the episode was boring for me. (Get to the point already!) But the effect of going into Dean’s eye and him being strung up on meat hooks yelling for Sam’s help him was really awful – in the right way, I mean.
So here are my hits.
My absolute favorite “moment”in S3 is the entire [i]Mystery Spot [/i] episode. Jeremy Carver and Kim Manners. Spot on in every scene. Dean’s first death (shotgun) was amazing. The way he looked at Sam and tried to grab his jacket. Sam’s panic and horror. Then Sam deteriorating every day. Going more than OCD when alone. His emotions when talking to the Trickster. That hug. Dean accepting the hug even though he didn’t have a clue why Sam was hugging him. *tears*
My next favorite S3 “moment” is the entire episode [i]Supernatural Christmas[/i]. Jeremy Carver and J. Miller TobinIt is so sweet and explains so much about their childhood and their relationship. And they got to kill a monster with a Christmas tree. And we got to see one of the rarest SPN scenes: a gorgeous smile from Dean, big eyes, showing pretty teeth, [b]not [/b] a warrior smile.
My miss: the writer’s strike. It was awful. Then Dean went to hell after the writer’s strike? The worst hiatus – it actually put us through hell? The writer’s strike sucked! Can I say sucked here? Well, it DID.
I have to say I really liked “no rest for the wicked’ yet I did not live with the writers strike when it first came out. But I like how Dean just accepted in the end that there was no way to get him out of his deal and all he asked of Sammy was to watch his wheels and also to remember what dad taught them and also not using his freaky powers. But Dean just accepted that he was going to hell. No way he was getting out of it even though eps leading up to it he wanted a way out but in the end he made the deal and his year was up he went to hell.
I love Mystery Spot how can you not its like the many ways to kill Dean Winchester and just watch Sam trying to prevent it and all because the trickster was trying to teach Sam a lesson not sure he ever got the lesson but it was a cruel lesson but I always like Mystery Spot. One of Jeremy Carvers best eps.
Bella I could do without at times because of the fact that she could have been nicer to the guys in the end she wanted their help because she was also going to hell but all she cared about was money. In the end I like how Dean said to her ‘see ya in hell’. She got what she deserved.
Gordon got what he deserved also he killed his sister who was a vampire and thought Dean would be like him and able to kill Sam if he turned into a monster. And Dean proved him wrong he has never killed Sam I don’t think he ever could kill another family member way Gordon did. Kewl how Sam killed him.
Season three was shortend season but its an intresting season seeing how to save Dean from his deal but in the end Sam unable to do so.
And I don’t mean to talk Season 8 here but Sam in that season does bring up a point to which the seasons after Dean goes to hell that he is unable to win his brothers trust again and unfortunately alot of that starts after this season. But introduces us to Ruby who he even trusted when Dean was in hell. So the season does introduce us to someone Sam himself trusted and tried to get Dean to trust.
Sorry rambling I just have so many seasons on the brain and how they all come to what Sam talks about to Dean in S8 in the church in the end.
I’ll start off by saying, for me, there is not one miss in season 3, in fact, no misses at all until season 4 when Sam starts sneaking out and lying, and yes, drinking blood. That by itself is my biggest miss of the whole series! 😕
I don’t even hate and despise Bela as most fans do. And I certainly saw no romance with her for Dean or Sam. She was a continuing adversary for a season and I thought the actress did a great job of it. Dean’s self-satisfied smirk (heehee!) when she suggested angry sex, was adorable, but never seemed to me to be any way softening up to her. Sam’s dream was hilarious, and who hasn’t dreamed absolutely bizarre things? His little problem when Dean woke him? 😀 😳
I absolutely loved Dean’s time with Lisa, and Ben. Just proved how impressed he was from their “bendy” weekend when they were teens. He never forgot her, and she was the one he went to every time he thought he was going to die, to say goodbye. She was a worthy partner. (and I’m still hoping, and believe, that Ben is his son). I think it is a crying shame that she will no longer remember “the best night of her life” or “the best year of her life”. That breaks me up something fierce! 😥
I enjoyed Katie Cassidy as Ruby. As we find out much later, she is so very very manipulative and clever with the way she insinuated herself into their life and created the doubt of “is she friend, or foe?”l Ruby was a lone minion of Lilith and did her job beautifully. No, Ruby was not a miss for me in 3 or 4. (and if not for Ruby, Jared would not be a happy husband and father today!) 😉
I loved “Long Distance Call”, not for the crocotta, but for showing Dean’s paralyzing fear of going to hell, and grasping at every straw he could get to prevent it. Him thinking his dad called him with a way to stop it was heart breaking. Him just watching his phone and waiting for it to ring, crying out to Sam for understanding, going it alone to kill the supposed demon, being hurt when Sam (as he thought) deserted him. Admitting to his brother just how terrified he was at the end of the episode. Broke my heart! 🙁
I do agree with one of your misses, and it is the writers’ strike. I keep wondering what we’ve missed from the six episodes that never were. What a waste! I keep thinking since season 3 is the last season where I had absolutely NO misses, there are 6 wonderful episodes I will never ever see! 😕
But all of your hits, are definitely my hits also. 😉
My main miss for Season 3 was the season premiere, The Magnificient Seven. Easily (for me) the weakest lf all SPN openers. Just left me kinda blah. Thankfully the rest of the season made up for that one.
And then…that darn strike. If ever a season deserved it’s full load of eps, Season 3 did.
I loved season 3. I only had one miss – and I know I am the only fan that feels this way – Ghostfacers. Sorry – I really can’t stand them. They were tolerable in Hell House, but watching them for a whole episode had the same effect on me as listening to nails scrape a chalkboard. I know, you all think I am a freak now.
I had lots of hits for the season. I also loved No Rest for the Wicked. Yes, that amazing ending – with Dean’s last big brother advice to the crying Sam – keep fighting, take care of my wheels, Sammy remember what dad taught you, and remember what I taught you. But also Dean getting hs brother to sing Wanted Dead or Alive, and then the viewer watches his face change as he stops thinking of his brother and starts facing what is coming.
Fresh Blood is also a huge hit for me. In addition to the great scene you describe, two of the best brother scenes of the series. Sam’s speech to Dean in the motel room to stop his brother from going after Gordon alone – he told him he knew he was terrified, that he’d been studying him since he was 4, trying to be just like hs big brother. And, the scene at the end when Dean teaches Sam how to fix the car, since he is going to need to know these things for the future.
Other huge hits for me: A Very Supernatural Christmas and Mystery Spot. Love both of those episodes. Getting insight into the boys’ childhoods – and how Dean got the amulet was wonderful – and the final scene when Sam made Christmas for Dean made me cry. And who would not love Mystery Spot? It was a masterpiece. Watching Sam try to save Dean, and Dean clueless but trusting his brother, and then seeing that without Dean, Sam lost all the color from his life. That episode always reminds me of Dean’s line to Sam in The End (after Dean saw his future self ready to kill his friends) that the brothers keep each other human. Oh yeah, and who would have thought that we could find Dean deaths amusing. Genius episode.
Funnily enough the original plan for season 3 was to have Sam kill Lilith and save Dean, but the writer’s strike, so Kripke made the the decision to kill Dean.
That would have been so much more interesting. I heard the price would have been Sam turning dark side. What would Dean do then, considering what he had promised his father? So much potential, much better than having Castiel do it, and then Castiel getting Sam out of Hell. I’d rather have the boys save each other , whatever the cost, than the interference of angels. Damn strike. :sigh:
[quote]I loved season 3. I only had one miss – and I know I am the only fan that feels this way – Ghostfacers. Sorry – I really can’t stand them. They were tolerable in Hell House, but watching them for a whole episode had the same effect on me as listening to nails scrape a chalkboard. I know, you all think I am a freak now. [/quote]
[b]Grace232[/b] – You are not the only fan who feels this way. Ghostfacers was a huge miss for me too.
Season Three is a favourite of mine so I don’t have that many misses. Along with Ghostfacers I’d include Bela and Ben (sorry, I just could never take to that character *hides*.)
I also loved NRFTW. That scene where Dean tells Sam to ‘Remember what Dad taught you. Remember what I taught you’ and Sam is crying…just so devastating. It still rips me to shreds every time I watch it.
Another massive hit is Fresh Blood. Gordon getting beheaded is a great scene but I love even more the two awesome brotherly scenes.
Two more huge hits – Mystery Spot and AVSNC. Both utterly fantastic episodes. Mystery Spot is still my most favourite episode ever.
Also loved Ruby, Hendricksen, Little Girl!Lilith and “I lost my shoe”. 😆
My biggest miss was the writers strike. I would have loved to have seen Kripke’s original plan for S3 play out. Damn strike indeed.
Thanks Gwen. It is nice to know I am not alone.
Wow! I guess you all knew that, but I somehow missed that the original plan was to have Sam save Dean and go dark side from it. Thanks for sharing that Mikael. It is like this huge revelation for me. I really liked the Dean going to Hell storyline, but Sam’s story would have been so much better for me if that had been the case. I always had to swallow twice at the idea he went dark side to get revenge – doing it to save his brother would have gone down smoother. That being said, too late now, and I really did love season 3, so I guess I cannot complain. Thanks again for the inside info though. This is such a great site!