Stand alone episodes have always been a part of Supernatural’s landscape. They allow us to explore new creatures, urban legends, and folklore that fascinate our imaginations. They provide glimpses of our greatest fears—giving us insight as to what it means to be human. Stand alone episodes entertain and provide us an escape from the humdrum…
I don’t have as much as I usually do to say about this one. Fittingly episode 199 is classic Supernatural formula: opens with a teaser monster killing, the boys catch wind of the case, adorn undercover costumes, interrogate and solve the problem. Paper Moon flowed like a season one episode in this way and coming…
I went into “Paper Moon” with some pretty low expectations. After last week’s disappointment, I wasn’t sure if any writer was able to tackle where Sam and Dean were supposed to go from here. They’re in a pretty bad place, and the hits have been coming bad since the trials began. How do they regroup? …
Disease has consumed the headlines in the last month—from the Ebola outbreak to the Enterovirus 68—and as a result we’ve seen fear and concern ratchet up for the nation’s safety, security, and health. But our fear dates much father back. Our fear of disease is perhaps one of our oldest—along with a fear of the…
Excuse me while I catch my breath, because intensity of this week really had some deep-gasp moments. The little bits in between the Sam and Dean interaction, for the most part, were kind of “meh” in this episode – but when they were on the screen – and since the boys were the majority of…
I’ve given myself a few days to reflect on “Soul Survivor” and a second viewing. I had to, because my initial impression was so negative. Well, it still is. Not everything, of course. Jensen Ackles’ direction was stellar, particularly the stalking scene but really the entire episode. What interest I had in “Soul Survivor” arose…
The biggest problem for a show in its tenth season is keeping the drama fresh. Expectations are high, and too many prior episodes have set a very high bar. Thanks to last week’s setup with the excellent episode “Reichenbach,” everything was laid out to deliver a compelling, jaw dropping, emotional drama. That’s where “Soul Survivor”…
The monsters, demons, angels—and hunters—that populate the rich world of Supernatural excite, entertain, and thrill us each week. But its what they represent that keeps us coming back. Dig deeper, and we can see that each one captures a facet of ourselves. They can represent our hopes. They can represent our fears. They can represent…
Life conspired to keep me from my keyboard the last couple of weeks, but I can’t resist sneaking in a review of “Reichenbach,” late in the game as it is. I wasn’t as thrilled with “Black” as I’d hoped to be, but “Reichenbach” hit all the right notes. I’m really looking forward to seeing the…
Okay, okay – week two here we come and it’s all about dark, dark payoff with a grin before the final blow is delivered. This episode takes each of the characters deeper into the mind frame that was established last week: why Cole wants Dean, exactly how twisted Dean is, Crowley’s wacky leadership and brotherhood…
Now I know what they mean by a “Devilish Grin”. That is one, scary just-you-wait look! To say that Supernatural’s second episode of the season, “Reichenbach” was a stunning and brilliant hour of television would be an understatement. The episode alternated from making us afraid of Dean, the hero who never gives up and will…
Well, that’s much better. Too bad that “Reichenbach” wasn’t the season premiere, because that was so much more of an attention getter. Dean is evil to the core. Sammy has his work cut out for him. There was far more than the sagas of Sam and Dean though. “Reichenbach” succeeded where “Black” struggled. It was…
