Day 19 – Jus in Bello, Ghostfacers, Long-Distance Call

Now, this is day 19 of the marathon, I’ve been extraordinary hours this week and a exhausted…so if some of this doesn’t make sense, blame it on the fact I’ve been watching it past midnight on school nights!

03×12

Beautiful, beautiful episode. Attempting to stage an entire episode with such a small set, in inside of a jail cell, is tricky, but they pull it off…even if they do let the brothers go way too early for my liking!

See, Bela got me again – I love her devious ways. She knows the boys are after her, she knows her time is running short and so she sets them up and gets them carted off. Seriously harsh treatment but exactly what I’ve come to expect from her. While, on re-watch I’ve really taken a shine to her!

Hendriksen is awesome here, and I can totally see him as hunter – I wish he could have become a hunter. It sucks they waited until this episode to make him more human, more accessible. Whenevr they do that with characters, you know they’re nering the end of their lives! Sad but true!

He does go to some terrific lengths to capture them and keep under guard – but comparing Dean to Hannibal Lecter? Ooh that’s a harsh one!

The boys being tied up is funny…they’ve always been close, but I’m guessing not this close. Still, some light humour when faced with a lfie sentence never goes straight away. I actually think it’s a shame they’ve finished off this storyline, I mean they ahd to at some point because they can’t really keep dragging it out without an ending, although with Dean dying soon enough that could’ve worked? Maybe I’m just a teensy bit bitter about Hendriksen’s swan song…

I lvoe the line how he tells them they’ll enver see each other again..hitting a little close to home. Unintentionlly, Hendriksen still falls into the udnerlying theme of this season….them needing to function on their own…Sam needing to function without Dean…

I lvoe how Hendriksen is so calm and collected while everyone around him panics. Of course, he’s probably possessed by this point – and how did the guys guess, or have they simply decided after Dean got shot everyone must be possessed (and what a delicious shot it was too). I love Dean’s interactions with Nancy, I guess after Sam scared her off, he has to play nice for a change.

So ehre is where they mention Lilith…the new big bad coming up. And it has to be a young sweet girl. The second they said her name, I knew this is how it would end up….predictable! and not the slightest bit scary. More meh. I love how nancy is willing to sacrifice herself in roder to save everyone, she’s right up Dean’s alley…..but he won’t allow it. He truly and deeply cares for each and every person they come across. I lvoe the difference between him and Ruby – she believes in striking hard and fast before the enemy has a chance to make a move, which is probably for the best, but Dean won’t allow anyone to give themselves up for the cause. He’s apparently the only one allowed to sacrifice his life. Hmm. SELFISH! Again, it’s interesting, because while you cans ay Ruby is all nice and sweet – I still swear it’s a secret agenda. See how far the WInchesters can be pushed, if Sam has enough backbone to stand up to hios brother…more importantly, get them to trust her even more by offering to off herself…although I’m starting to think maybe I’m all wrong in my estimation of her!

The battle scene is very meh. I mean it’s cool, and actually ignenious, particularly the tape recorder reading, which kind of begs the question why they’ve never tried it before.

Dean takes everyone’s death really harshly…….

still, we’ve ehard the demon who hols Dean’s contract is male, yet by the end it’s Lilith. I wodner if this will be explained or not?

03×13

Ooh 13th episode! And of course, the first episode back following the writer’s strike…cleverly used as our normal show becomes hijacked by..Ghostfacers!

I love this episode, just because it’s outside the norm and it brings back  couple of funny characters who, in all their geekiness, I liked. It’s what Buffy attempted to do with the geeks who kind of fucked up season 6, but so far, Ed and Harry are rather enjoyable.

I really like how they’ve filmed this episode, as a video created by Harry and Ed for tv execs (discussing how this show will be great following the writer’s strike, hee) and following them on their first hunt. And it’s a great way of seeing Sam and Dean, particularly when they first appear, in their car. It’s like a view of the boys how other people see them and it’s really cool. When they turn the show around a little, give it a little flick and watch it bounce around, it makes it all the better, keeping it interesting varied. I love it.

Corbett? Why, That’s Ethan on 90210! But I thought he was wooden and blah! Here he acts and is cute and adorable and so lovesick…my god the boy can act! So it’s not the actor’s fault, but the scriptwriters and the entire crew? (Or maybe this episode was a fluke)

Anyway, unrequited gay lvoe stories always rock my vote, no matter in what context. It’s also really bittersweet, because I think deep down Ed does realise it, but he’s too scared to face up to it. I think he comes out at the end, but I’m not sure. Hopefully we’ll see the again soon.

It’s really cool, this very gritty, realistic footage, which actually scares me a little. I udnerstand the idea of watching what happens through the camera, because it makes it less real for them, and I guess it also works well for the audience. It’s exactly how we watch the show, after all.

Ooh…..Sam vanishes. Into nothing. Ok, that was cool. Normally you turn around and they’re gone, but atcually seeing hi vanish, is really cool. And then sitting with a party hat and all bloody (and yes, I did get turned on by that scene, don’t lock me up just yet!)

Heh, and Dean works it out. He is smart – I always knew it! HA!

I love Ed in this. I love Corbett. A very touching way of bringing a gay love story into a show about ghosts. Awesome.

03×14

Hmm…Shazz is calling. Well, Sha33. WHich is Shazz. Short for Sharon. WHy is Sharon calling people and telling them to die?

They finally mention Bela and the Colt again, good to see they haven’t forgotten that little plot point.

Ooh, Dean held onto a secret for a few episodes – he only reveals now Ruby can’t save him. WHich I guess is why he becomes so desperate – he finally wants to save himself? But see, we haven’t seen any of that in the last 2 episodes, so it feels out of place again. He was desperate to live, then he keeps dying, they get locked up by the cops and then they deal with the ghostfacers, at which point Sam got snippy with Dean for wanting to go for the Moreton House – the grand canyon of hunts. Whatever happened to him wanting to save himself? It just seems out of place – now, he suddenly will do anything it takes, which is basically risking his brother’s life, while Sam sits back? It’s a little screwy.

Hmm..I immeidately guessed the phone company guy. Sifting through porn and mess, yeah it’s him. Except – oops! I’m wrong! Nicely done, show!

Ok, so Daddy Dearest starts calling Dean…what I find interesting is they both believe people are actually calling them. I’m surprised. They didn’t suspect it was another creature using painful memories of loved ones to kill themselves so it could feast? I never believed for a second it was their loved ones calling – I always thought it was someone else screwing with them. I guess this is why Dean falls for it, because neither of them thought of it. And they didn’t know about the dead people asking them to die or do soemthing dangerous like that, so they had nor eason to think any ill-will? I’m not sure. It’s just a little strange.

another episode where they seperate, so Sam can spend tie with the pretty teenager saving ehr and her brother’s life (nice save by the truck), and Dean can go all half-cocked and enarly get himself killed by a grieving father.

And Dean wants out of the deal – well, he should have thought of that before he went through with it! I guess they have to reiterate what’s happened, as we’re close to the end now, but they’ve jammed this deal sof ar down our throats…although I guess at this point, everyone believed they’d pull a last minute iralce out of their asses. I mean, you can’t actually throw one of your stars into hell, can you?

Day 18 – Malleus Maleficarum, Dream a little dream of me, Mystery Spot

03×09

Well this one is all about the back story for our favourite blonde demon (obviously not our favourite demon, that privilege is held solely by ol’ yellow eyes. He’s sadly missed this season), which is long overdue. I mean, we’re 9 episodes in, and we have 2 mysterious females who are semi-main characters and yet we still know nothing about them. I wonder if it would have changed the storyline if they’d revealed them earlier? Who knows? This whole idea of her being a good demon – I don’t know. This whole episode is a bit of a downturn for me, mainly because I’m not sure I like all this new lore. Let’s face it, I actually don’t believe in Hell, and this new direction they’ve taken, revealing all demons used to be humans who got stuck in hell….I don’t know. Where’s the balance? What happens to all those who float about in heaven? (Wish they’d been in hell, you can only take so much singing and floating about) Maybe I’m reading too much into it to begin with, particularly since I find the concepts of heaven and hell weird and silly to begin with.

So this whole explanation of how demons are humans who have lost their humanity, I don’t know I guess it makes sense, but it doesn’t explain why she didn’t. Why is she so demon snarky, or does that trait come with black eyes and puffy smoke? I do like how she reveals to Dean what will become of him, how hell will change him into the very thing he kills…which is the second time this has happened actually. In my time of dying, he could have stayed behind, become a restless ghost like what he wants. I wonder if this has any relevance? I don’t know, I just feel like there are some issues which they like to repeat for these characters.

Anyway, this is where they reveal all about Sam, and how this season is really about strengthening Sam to survive once Dean dies, which is a nice touch. Make everyone think he’s all evil now and wrong, when really he’s simply aware of how he needs to toughen in order to survive and so he does it the only way he knows how- by becoming like his brother. It’s the brotherly theme running through the season, where we start to see how closely entwined these 2 boys are and how their actions affect each other. It’s pretty cool, and a much better explanation for Sam being slightly evil!

Another thing which really annoys me is this is their portrayal of witches – it’s not all new-age stuff, but old heavy duty bad stuff. WTF? Ok, let’s look at this logically – witches are pagans who followed a slightly different path, like Presbyterians or what not. They were not evil – that was pure propaganda from the church. Gah, why this show feel the need to tear down all pagan lore and beliefs as evil? Come one, please, give us something good! AT least Ruby managed to sue some her witchcraft for good, helping Dean survive (and let me say, the attack on Dean was beautifully done – I love how you can see him slowly become uncomfortable and it just hits). Sam’s panic when he realises Dean’s dying and he can’t do anything? That is cool. They place Sam in this position a few times, I guess to prepare him for the inevitable, which he’s still not willing to admit. Awwww….

One thing about the witches – I do like how they basically rip into these women for joining in on the fun without realising what they’re getting into. It’s not something light and fluffy, it’s serious, and people who don’t treat it as such will get burned.

The maggot scene is disgusting, I hate maggots, they’re nasty little creatures. Dean’s expression about the potential girl-on-girl? Heh, cliché, but still funny. Although I do wonder if Sam is too trustworthy. I don’t know, everything Ruby does screams underlying agenda to me. Maybe next year will find out more (which will be difficult as Kate Cassidy is not returning)

03×10

Ooh Bobby! I love Bobby, more Bobby next season please (along with Ellen, dammit! How many times do I have to tell you people?)

Smart man…unlike the boys and Daddy Dearest, he pretends to be normal and hides all the creepy occult stuff in the wardrobe so nobody tries to lock him up.

I love Sam getting drunk – please, let us have more!Drunk!Sam! – he’s funny. But how sweet is it – he’s upset because he realises he can’t save Dean until Dean wants to be saved?

I love Dean’s techniques of getting information by totally bluffing his way through everything…and taking a bottle of beer. Heh, but of course, he didn’t suspect the kid, did he?

I realised this is another separation episode, which we haven’t had for awhile. I mean, Dean does the legwork while Sam researches, then they get separated inside of Bobby’s and Dean’s head. This was smartly done, because I didn’t really realise they were separated for most of the episode until this re-watch – although maybe this is another ingenious method of preparing everyone for things to come? Seperating the boys throughout the season because they will be separated in the future when Dean dies? Ooh, if that’s true, then that is truly ingeniously subtle and intelligent. My love for this show just swelled considerably.

It’s sweet seeing how Dean reacts to Bobby being down for the count – you can see how he’s translated his emotions to Bobby following his father’s death. Poor boy is in severe need of a father figure, which is why he keeps hunting for one. But I reckon Bobby is a better daddy than, well, Daddy Dearest.

Can I just say, I love Sam’s dream about Bela. I love it because it’s so nice to see Sam moving on and living his life, and just nice to see the little twist. Considering how the girls split off, Bela teased Dean and Ruby hung with Sam, you could see the potential pairings. But to see Sam lusting after Bela was a genuine twist and rather enjoyable, especially when he woke up – his reaction is brilliant. And then she shows up! Say what you like, but this remains one of my favourite Sam moments.

And of course she’s after the Colt! Obviously, we now know she didn’t steal it in order to sell it for its value, but to protect herself You know, it really is a shame she never told the boys, because I bet they would have helped her, given half a chance.

I love love love Dean’s raspy voice when they get into Bobby’s head….mmm that voice does all sorts of naughty things to me.

I also love his secret wish – it’s a nice change to the sly looks he gives. But I mean, he’s a bad boy all over, he’s a love em and leave em, but secretly, he wants that gorgeous woman and a family to stablise himself, particularly now with a death wish. All he’s ever wanted is a family, his entire life he’s been searching for a normal life. Gah, it’s making me cry!

Him meeting himself is an interesting take on the aspect – his biggest nightmare is himself, which wow, severely low self esteem there, dude. (Although I bet that would be mine as well.. maybe why Dean resonates so well with me? Hmmm) Even though Bad Deab gets it wrong (duh! His dad did love him, why else would he die for him?) but it does finally break his cloud and make himr ealsie his lfie is worth living. Why meeting himself does this and not the idea of saving people, or his brother, I don’t know. Although it works well, and better than the other conceptions would have. Daddy Dearest was meant to appear, but I don’t think that would have worked – that’s not Dean’s biggest fear, that’s who he looks up to, nobody can say a bad word against him – although maybe that’s it would work? His disappointment as a failure? I don’t know, and I’m really too tired to go any heavier into Dean’s twisted and scary mind)

03×11

Oh come on, who doesn’t love this one? Ok, maybe I’m in my own little boat, rowing away with the gaffer tape and ropes and cables…..because yes, masochistic Petra LOVES this episode. Can you imagine being in the writer’s room, sitting there and coming up with different ways for Dean to die? Heh.

And they do manage to make a truly depressing incident humourous, so kudos to them. I mean, Sam is going through hell here, losing his brother no matter how hard he tries, and yet all I can do is giggle mindlessly at the creative ways they top him off – rabid dog? Piano on his head? I love it.

I also love the change, how initially Dean annoys Sam, and then Sam’s mystified by it all, then depressed yet hopeful, then merely bored tot ears by it all.

Oh, and how long can he gurgle? Mmmmm..some amazing mouth talents there….

I love how the guy in the background, the trickster, becomes more prominent throughout the episode, so it is subtle, and you can see how that would work in Sam’s head…seems him everyday but little by little, like the other characters, he becomes more important to the story.

This episode does feel out of place – last episode they have Dean deciding he wants to save himself, and here suddenly they’re preparing Sam to lose Dean…I don’t know. I know they ended up filing a few episodes out of order, but I reckon this one would have worked better before the dream episode…it would have given Sam’s tears and drinking more sense. You know, he keeps losing Dean and realises he’s going to have to let him go, which brings him to tears, and then Dean realises he wants to be saved….does that work? Well, it works for me.

I also love the switch – letting Sam think he’d gotten away with it, only to have Dean die on him. It’s quite scary seeing how Sam goes totally dark and evil (yet really sexy at the same time!) He’s got a new weapons cache in the boot, a totally hard body…the really creepy aspect is how terrifyingly clinical he’s become, all tidy and polite….I love that change, how Dean is what keeps him calm and quiet…and without him, he basically becomes a serial killer. I mean, the tidying of his bed, the tidy hairstyle, the eating a perfectly balanced meal on his own in his room…..it’s really creepy. I wonder how close to the truth it is?

The fakeout where he kills Bobby thinking it’s the trickster and he waits just a little too long and believes he’s actually killed Bobby is cruel…and so good.

Now what intrigues me is the line about this being the death of Sam – obviously, next season finale it’s Sam’s turn to die….I wonder if it’s foreshadowing his untimely end? Hmm…

And whose side is the trickster on, really? Is he trying to prepare Sam for what’s ahead, or is he really just messing with him and gets bored? He kinds of toes the fence here, almost as if he is trying to help Sam to prepare him. I guess he’s enjoying a comfortable life and is afraid of what will happen if the demons take over. But when he realises he’s edging too closely to the truth he steps back and pretends it’s all a game.

I don’t know.

But the HUG! MORE BROTHER HUGS! (and kissing? )

Just want to say – Jared was brilliant in this episode. I like the focus on Dean, because it’s giving me the opposite of the other 2 seasons – an opportunity to see Sam, and see Jared’s acting…and it’s great. More like this one, please!

Day 17 – Red SKy at Morning, Fresh Blood, A very Supernatural Christmas

03×06

CAn I just say, the intro of this episode is the reason why I don’t run alone at night! Because the running scene was scary, and nothing even happened! I think it’s simply the idea of seeing something creepy and then trying to dismiss it as not real…

Ah the return of Bela, who fast became one of my favourites, I will admit it. I never understood all the bitching online, I liked her! She wasn’t a sappy damsel in distress, she was using the boys for her gains, and winning. I enjoy every episode she’s on the show and the little games she plays with the boys. Normally I don’t like these games, I particularly don’t like when the main heroes of the show are constantly being outsmarted by a new character, but somehow I like it here, because it’s tit-for-tat.

Bela messes with them by getting their car towed, they get her escorted away from the grieving brother and Dean enjoys the opportunity to call her a few choice names, ones which wouldn’t be unheard of in front of the press. She of course manages to take off with the hand right from underneath Dean’s nose…only to see the ship herself, and realise she’s next so she turns to the only guys who can help her. Heh.

I love that at this stage we still have no idea what heinous thing she has done. I mean, knowing her character at this stage, it could be anything. To what lengths will she go to, after all?

But knowing what happens, knowing exactly what her sad sob story is, it just makes this episode all the more poignant. Dear Bela who made a deal to get rid of her nasty father. Which is why Dean’s smirky questioning is brilliant. She does mask her response, but she’s a good enough actress that you can see the slight flinch as he speaks of the truth, and she hides it, not replying, but answering with a question. Gah, it’s beautiful.

The whole old lady with the Sam crush, well firstly I totally understand it! It is silly and meant to make you giggle, but it just bugs me a little they decided to make fun of an old lady crushing on a young guy. What’s wrong with her being attracted to him and being so sure of herself she wants to go after someone younger? She’s a confident woman with an appetite and a good eye, and it gets used for comedic value. Don’t get me wrong, I giggle shamelessly at Sam’s helpless look, but I still think it’s a little off-colour. Like it or not, all tv shows make statements about themselves, and I don’t like this statement. It’s fine now while we’re young and cute, but when we get to that age, we want to be sure enough of ourselves to try pulling a Sam. Hell, I wish I was sure of myself enough now to try to pull a Sam!

It seems they took last season’s critics to heart with regards to the boys keeping secrets, as anything either of them finds out this season they seem incapable of keeping to themselves for longer than the title sequence. As soon as we’re with the boys Dean’s pestering Sam about going to see the crossroads demon. I just kind of wonder what’s the point, if they’re going to keep spilling their bleeding hearts within 3 minutes of the next episode?

They do have a brotherly theme this season, what with the ghost being murdered by his brother here and in a previous episode which I can’t remember. It intrigues me, this concept of letting your brother go, killing your brother….I don’t know. It requires some more thinking.

I like the end, I love how Dean apologies to Sam for being angry and saying he understands and he wants to make sure Sam doesn’t hate him. It’s just so Dean, in that for once he’s selfish. It’s funny, because this is only the place he’s selfish – Sam. And Sam won’t allow it, he doesn’t understand why Dean has such blinkers on and can’t see past his own pain. Obviously Sam would feel the same in the same situation, but Dean just can’t see past that…..I’m just grateful all this comes to a head soon enough, because shovelling it down our throats every episode is getting annoying!

03×07

GORDON!

The return of our favourite vampire hunter (barring Buffy), and our vampire episode for this season. I love the fact there are monsters they keep coming back to, ones where they can change the lore or flesh it out a little. They can’t constantly keep running into new stuff, every now and again they will run into successive monsters…I guess the shapeshifters come second, considering the rumours I’ve heard about season 4.

Harmony, or Mercedes McNab is back, another Buffy veteran, and yet again playing a vampire, albeit briefly. She is quite a little gem, with her pitchy voice and blonde hair. I’ve missed her.

And we see Bela again, up to her usual ways, willing to trade information for something available. I’ll be keeping an eye out on that mojo bag, because I’m guessing that was for personal gain, a way to keep the hounds away, if only long enough to find another way out. See, little details like this are great on re-watch because you actually pick them up.

Actually getting to see through the eyes of a vampire, particularly a hunter of vampires, is terrific. See, this is how they twist the stories, because here we get the opportunity to see what it’s like to be a vampire, and just how quickly the bloodlust takes over. After all, he harbours no ill over killing that guy by the car, and Kubrick…which is a shame, because for all his creepy God-loving ways, I actually enjoyed Kubrick. He was really creepy in his obsessive way.

Of course, we lose Gordon here, in one of the goriest scenes on this show, it truly is grisly. And not because of the beheading, but because of how long it goes for. I like they went with that, with showing just how much effort it takes to behead someone that way, because that’s what made it grisly. It made it real, particularly knowing a year or 2 ago, Sam would have stopped, whereas he now he went ahead of it.

Not a sign of him going evil, not in the slightest. It’s those steps he’s taking to be like Dean, because of course he realises he needs to be more like his brother in order to survive…because physically, Dean can survive on his own, whereas Sam can’t, he’s always had Dean looking out for him. I like how subtle they were with this, making you think it was because he came back wrong, but really it’s because he’s aware of what’s to come and he’s preparing himself.

Kamikaze Dean was back,. Remnants of the beginning of season 2, which is a little jarring, following Sam’s chat. I don’t know, some scenes seem out of place this season. That little speech of Sam’s is just…….my god, they really did their best to break the fangirls, didn’t they? I love the idea of how Sam has spent his entire life trying to be his brother, protect his brother the way Dean protects him, and he knows him better than everyone else. It’s the perfect symbolism of their relationship. Oh these boys make me cry!

But the last scene? Ah, I love it love it love it. Dean teaching Sammy the ropes, playing that big brother role is so heartbreaking. On one hand, he realises that Sam does look up to him as a big brother and needs him to be a big brother, to show him the way and teach him the ropes, which is what he does. But on the other hand, he also realises he’s leaving him on his own and won’t be able to save him anymore. It’s just that balance, where every sweet moment between them this season is broken up with heartache. Awwww…

03×08

The Christmas episode to end all christmas episodes – it simply rocks.

The credits, with the snow and the music…I just love how they decided to make a Christmas special, but instead of it being sappy it’s basically tearing the shit out of Christmas, and yet it has a sweet sappy story behind it.

Let’s face it, evil Santa is such a kickass idea! I wish it had been evil Santa, that would have been cool.

The little flashbacks are wonderful and you can see already their personalities. Sam is questioning everything, he obviously knows the truth but it hasn’t been confirmed yet, but this is where his innocence is lost. I love how it’s not Daddy dearest who breaks that innocence but Dean. Dean who always protected his brother from the truth and tried to give him a proper childhood. But at the age of 12, it must be really difficult keeping that to yourself, and I know he must have resented Sammy’s innocence, knowing he would never get the same experiences growing up as his brother. And it has affected how they’ve grown up, because you can tell it’s another thing Dean secretly blames himself for. My god, he’s so twisted!

I love young Dean. I can actually see it now, the little similarities, the freckles…he’s great. And I love the new Sammy they have, he’s just adorable. Dean’s still angry about their mum’s death at this stage, I guess because he probably guiltily blames her for screwing up his life, before he transferred that blame to daddy Dearest, and finally onto himself. The man is a ball of angst. One which I want to play with. J

I love the carol singing…they have beautiful voices, both of them. It’s rather funny that moment, bursting in on Santa settling in with his porn. Hee. I love how they twist Christmas around in this episode.

Dean always gets the better presents – But it is about the thought, isn’t it? I mean, he risked himself and robbed a house in order to get him presents – it’s not his fault it was a girl’s house. And Sam gave up hope on his dad and realised who’s really there for him, Dean. So he gets the special amulet which everyone ahs been kicking themselves into a fuss about and it better get some back story this season (my secret belief is it has something to do with why Dean comes back) Now, when I firsts aw this I thought to myself, hmm, Dean’s simply picked up some crap and not really though about his brother at all, whereas Sam at least got Dean some chocolate and fuel…But then I realised now, given it was a last minute gift, Dean did think about it. After all, we know Sammy has had a few moments up to now watching the Skin channel and he’s now definitely moved on from Jess and Madison, so Dean’s basically telling him to loosen up. And the shaving cream is his way of saying you’re a man now. I like it. It makes me giggle. Particularly the efforts Sam goes to give him a Christmas. Yes it’s half-hearted, but again, it’s the thought that counts.

And yes, we go back to the evil pagans. People! Pagans are not evil! Stop treating them all like evil heathens out to eat people! Hmm.. second pagan people, and they sacrifice people again. Right. I’m sensing a theme here! And of course they have to be evil – they’re your atypical 50 super duper couple! Heh, which is amusing of course.

And hello! Sam ahs a point, Christmas solidly built on pagan beliefs and rituals, because it was the only way they knew how to convert the pagans to Christianity back in the old days…

There is one picture, when Sam is researching, he’s looking at pictures in books and there’s this one of a demon with 2 or 3 kids on his back…IT’S REPEATED! I think it’s from The Kids are Alright, and I honestly cannot be bothered to go back and check…I’ve just watched all these episodes!

Ooh I love the torture scenes, although I couldn’t actually watch the fingernail ripping scene, as I have my own painful memories of that happening when I was younger. But ooh….masochistic Petra is VERY happy with this episode…the blood, the gore, the snarky comments…the torture….mmmm…torture….

And of course, we finish on the comfortable silence (slightly awkward on Sam’s behalf, but he’s trying) and then it snows. I love snow. I love this episode. More like this one please, show!

Bones – s04 ep03

I seem to have lost my shine for this show a little. Maybe it’s getting a bit long in the tooth? I don’t know, but after 3 seasons I find it hard to find these little gems charming. I guess the new flashy and dazzling shows have dragged me away from the old-school cheesy copper shows.

Anyway, this was a fairly disgusting episode considering it contained an enormous amount of faeces. For some reason, it also involved a vast amount of discussion regarding morality, as Bones is dating 2 guys, one for conversation and one for sex. Something which Booth obviously doesn’t agree with. And which I can’t seem to find any amount of enthusiasm to get involved over.

I don’t know, the cute dialogue and the slightly cheesy interchanges used to make me smile, but nowadays I’m all meh. I think I’m still bitter over the extremely harsh and nasty treatment of Zach, who I really loved. At least they’re not going the House route and having a survivor-esque hunt for new assistants – they’re simply going to be bringing in new ones until they decide on who will take his place. The girl who was sticking around for this one? Annoyed the hell out of me.

And there was absolutely no follow-up with the Angela-Hodges break-up – what the hell is going on there? Why do they have them go through all that crap tog et married then suddenly break up?

This show makes no sense.

But I’ll keep watching.

90210 – s01 ep03 – Lucky Strike

This show is like sugar. Addictive, sweet and extremely bad for you. But I like it. Gah, I admit, I am enjoying the rebirth of rich kids in Beverly Hills who can’t seem to work out how screwy their lives are!

I love the idea of the parents wanting to re-instate family night, but seriously, on a Friday? That’s pure insanity.

Still, this is fast becoming my guilty pleasure so far this season, as I gave up ANTM a few seasons back. Although I guess Gossip Girl is also a guilty pleasure?

Anyhow, I’m enjoying the budding relationship between Kelly and the teacher, he’s pretty cute and gah, I can’t believe I’m old enough to be checking out the teachers on this show rather than the kids! But them’s the breaks, I’m afraid.

The storyline involving Silver is interesting. I did find her to be a rather bratty little sook, but i found her storyline interesting here and I like how it played out. The way she hides what’s happening even from her sister, she’s obviously very independent and self-reliant, but it allf alls apart. Bringing back mama Taylor and showing how she’s derailed was a nice little nod to the original season; obviously Silver and Kelly dealt with their mother differently, and I wonder if that’s because Silver actually has the strong base there of Kelly, something which Kelly never had.

This little blossoming relationship between Silver and Dixon? Very cute!

I’m over whatshername, Annie, and definitely over whatshisname, Ethan. Bleugh. Boring characters whooveract. Or can’t act, in Ethan’s defence. Where do they find these people?

Ultimately, the story all melds together well and you cans ee some developments. They’re not holding back on bringing couples together in one way or another which is nice to see, but hopefully they’ll lay off the huge love story of Annie and Ethan…they are simply not an enticing couple at all.

Gossip Girl s02 ep02 – Never Been Marcussed

I was not impressed.

After a decent start of the new year, this episode dragged the whole mood down.

I found Blair’s behaviour odd and totally unbecoming. I mean, if she’s meant to be part of New York royalty, I can’t understand why she’s act so superfluous and flustered around Marcus. I can understand her attention being piqued because he’s a British lord and all, but I cannot see Blair being that flustered. She’s meant to be the crème de la crème, the air of perfection…..so why is she flubbering in front of Marcus, calling him lord and ensuring everything is the way she presumes he’s used to? I just imagine Blair as smarter than this behaviour. If she’s managed to hold on to Nate and entrap Chuck, why is it she loses her composure over a superfluous title? I don’t understand why she’d go to such lengths for the party she threw, I imagined a truly big NY bash, celebrating the best of the best of the US, with fabulous people around, in the greatest club and proving that she has what it takes to stand by side with him, not this pathetic attempts to make herself seem aware of stuffy British stereotypes. It just doesn’t make any sense to me.

But what really throws me is Catherine, is it? Nate’s new lover, who happens to be the Duchess, Marcus’ step-mother.

Ok, he’s British……why is she an American, holidaying in the Hamptons, her husband coming home from work and apparently being well-known enough for Serena to know her? You don’t reckon at least one of them would have known she’s the Duchess? Or Blair would have done exhaustive research on his family so she could recognise everyone and find out exactly how many degrees of separation there are between him and the throne?

It’s moments like these, weak plot points strung together for their soapy effect, which annoy me. As Blair doesn’t know about Nate’s relationship with her, it would have made more of an impact if she’d known immediately who she was and had been surreptitiously trying tog et onto her good side while still in the Hamptons, with it all falling apart and her getting her comeuppance by finding them together. See, that makes more sense to me, is better played out, and doesn’t treat anyone like an idiot.

Serena and Dan also truly frustrated me with their whole I want you but I’m going to pretend I don’t routine. Ugh. I do like them as a couple, but contrived plot points like this only make me want to fast forward their scenes together.

The only crowning point in this episode, and any episode really is Chuck. He’s the saving grace of GG, and hopefully they leave him untouched and rotten.

But if they don’t pick up the weak contrivances of the episodes, this show will fall apart in its sophomore season.

Hopefully the next one is better. Much better.

Day 16 – Sin City, Bedtime Stories

03×04

I quite like this episode, surprisingly enough. It’s another take on morality and ethics, and shows how both brothers have changed in relation their own perceptions since the last season.

There’s a lot of theology behind this episode, the concepts of what’s right and wrong, where do you draw the line of morality and at what point are we as humans responsible for our own actions.

I like the idea of a small dusty little town turning into a hotbed of sin – it takes it all into a new direction. The dialogue between Casey and Dean kept me very interested. It’s a very socio-political discussion on morality and social responsibility, and you can see how she manages to convince Dean. After all, she didn’t do anything, all she did was make a few suggestions. It’s up to as individuals and as a society to decide what is moral and what isn’t and where to draw the line. Otherwise, we’d descend into a bad adaptation of Lord of the Flies.

It’s ultimately well done, particularly the way conversation flows between them. It’s nice to see a smart demon, one who’s aware of what’s going on around her and ready to lay out the cards in front of her. I think it’s an eye-opener for Dean to spend some time with a demon, particularly right near the end where she’s trying to stop the other one from killing Dean. She’s ready to leave him be and go, and I think that gets to him more. After everything he saw the previous year, all the different quandaries he’s been through with the grey shades of morality, I think it kicks in here with Casey.

Unfortunately, Sam’s getting his evil on and decides to test the new colt out and kill them both. Very cold-blooded like. Although I still don’t believe this is a glimpse of the bad Sam who came back from the dead wrong. I think it’s desperation and anger, with life, with his brother and with himself. He’s following the exact same path Dean did last year when he found out about the deal Daddy Dearest made. He’s acting out and venting his frustration on anyone he can find.

I do believe ultimately Sam will god ark and it will be Dean’s fault. What turned the other kids? Desperation for their own lives. What will turn Sam? Desperation for his brother’s life. His fight to save his brother from his fate, his subsequent failure and the aftermath will turn him, will lead him to the dark side as he searches for answers. At least, that’s my guess.

But back to the episode!

Sam’s funny if under-utilised in this episode, but it’s another Dean episode. You can really see how this season they tried to give the boys a break by separating them throughout the episode, focussing on one or the other and separating them in their investigations in order to give the guys a break. Well, they are working ridiculous hours keeping the show afloat, but 4 episodes in a row now they’ve separated them in archaic manners and I want it to end!

Ruby’s involvement in this episode…I don’t know. See, sometimes I feel they made her too mysterious because she frustrates me. I don’t understand her motivations to the end. Hopefully they bring her back in some form or another and explain it further, because currently, I just don’t get her. She’s snarky and mouthy and all I’m a bad-ass demon, but one with a heart of gold who goes around killing other demons. WTF? At least we learn to understand Bela, and let me tell you, I’m really looking forward to re-watching her episodes with this knowledge in my mind, because I think it will totally re-arrange her actions in my mind. But Ruby’s motivations are never fully explained. We’ll get into this a little later.

Honestly my favourite part of this episode is Casey. She’s hot. That actress is damn seductive and she knows it. She’s probably one of the best actresses I’ve seen on this show in terms of playing into her character and being overtly sultry without acting damn tarty. I could watch her again and again and again and…

03×05

I know there was a lot of unease about this episode online, but I still like it. I’ve always preferred the original Grimm’s fairy tales, rather than the Disney-fied version and this reminds me a little of the Brothers Grimm, a movie I actually really liked.

I think it’s been done rather intelligently in terms of the stories and characters they chose. With the 3 brothers who have their own building company, the old granny living in the middle of the woods and the girl who is beaten by her step-mother, you can recognise the fairy tales, and yet they add a little twist in there to keep it modern and slightly realistic.

I absolutely love how Dean goes off to fight the big bad wolf away from Red Riding Hood – ie he’s a hunter, and who rescues Red Riding Hood? A hunter. Hee. That’s a rather smart take on the whole episode.

It’s just a sweet episode, and the girl they get to play is amazing, she looks like she could be Snow White.

One scene which always gets me is right near the end, where the girl dies, and Dean stops Sam in the hallway, and tells him to take the advice. Sam asks if he has to simply let Dean go, and then shoot the hallway with Sam standing on his own as Dean walks away. The imagery there was simply beautiful. Dean doesn’t answer, he just walks away, without looking back and it’s just such a perfect image of the whole situation at that precise moment. I could go on and on repeating myself here, because I just love this single moment. It strikes me immediately.

Of course, Sam lets Dean walk away…and then sneaks out, calls the crossroads demon and does his absolute best to look menacing (which, no offence Jared, but you’re too puppy-cute to do menacing well), waving the newfound amazing colt around. He learns that someone else owns the contract, a male…an interesting point, since of course we find out later on Lilith owns the contract…and she’s most definitely female. So is this a screw-up on the crew’s behalf, or did Lilith re-negotiate and get the contract? I’m confused, I’ll keep a look-out over the next few episodes and see where that goes.

Of course, he shoots her dead…..which is freaky because the crossroads demon is played by his (then) girlfriend. Just…how weird is that, hey, can you get a part for my girlfriend? Sure…as long as you don’t mind shooting her between the eyes! ………………

See, this is where I started thinking myself, hmm, something’s going on. Someone wants Dean dead, down in hell, something is important about him. Why else has everyone done their best to rip him down and draw him into this? I’m not sure if I’ll be proven correctly, or if it’s simply my fangirl tendencies coming to the forefront…but I guess we’ll be finding out over the coming weeks, now, won’t we?

Day 15 – Magnificent Seven, The kids are alright, Bad day at Black Rock

right.

I have 5 discs containing 16 episodes and 5 days left.

Even though one of them is a Sunday (ie day in bed doing nothing) and the other 4 are work days, do I spend some extar time on Sunday getting ahead?

No.

Oops.

03×01

This was an extremely disappointing season premiere. Seriously disappointing, particularly considering all it had to compare itself to was the Pilot and In my time of dying, one of my top 5. There’s something about it which simply didn’t mesh, and unfortunately I can’t put my finger on it.

I do love how they slowly started integrating Bobby further into the story this season, as he really does become a father figure for the boys. It’s funny, because he only appeared at the end of season 1, and yet I feel like he’s been here with us for the entire road trip. I love Bobby. The day they kill him off is the day I stampede through the CW offices, demanding they bring him back from Hell.

Anyway, they start with their little comedic introduction of Dean enjoying himself with twins, and continue in this vein. I mean, I guess I like how they found a comedic route to take with Dean’s deal but still…they do seem to trivialise his sacrifice a bit so far this season. I can understand it from Dean’s point of view, he’s living it up and he wants booze, parties and girls….but, I don’t know, I feel like they dumbed Dean down for comedic value and it irritates me. He isn’t an idiot, and yet so many people treat him like one, including himself.

I love Sam in this episode, how he sits back, aware of the sacrifice Dean went through for him, and wanting to give him everything he needs. I also love his frustration over Dean’s refusal to lift a finger to save himself, and the comprehension when Dean reveals the last of the deal – he’s finally realised just how lowly Dean thinks of himself. It’s a great role to act, and this season really does give Sam the opportunity to sit back and have the more interesting outside observing role which Dean has had for 2 seasons, where they allow the character tog row through the obstacles faced by the other one.

I like the concept of the 7 deadly sins being demons which have escaped into the world, but the execution of this episode is poor, and fails to deliver on the grandiose scheme it tries to hit. I love Tamera, mainly because she’s Cyberwoman Lisa from Torchwood! AH! It’s Ianto’s girlfriend who tried to kill him! She’s cool.

This one also introduces Ruby, well kind of introduces Ruby, in that mysterious kick-ass girl way. For all the flak Ruby and Bela got on the show, I quite liked them, as they are both antagonists on this show, and neither of them are serious love interests. It’s not like they follow the brothers around like lovesick puppies or anything, in fact they both come from such different angles and interact differently with both brothers throughout the season, enough to make their characters interesting to watch and interact with. It’s a shame they’re not coming back. But as the play on revealing them more later on, I’ll leave that discussion for later. Suffice to say, Ruby was not impressive in this episode, coming in all creepy like and having yet another magical weapon which kills demons, like the Colt was. Gah.

03×02

Ooh……I like the idea behind it, but again the execution was slightly poor. You can sense these guys are still trying to find their feet with the beginning of the season, working out how best to keep the show afloat and hopefully renewed for yet another season, and also how to deal with the potential writer’s strike which was looming in the distance.

I love the changelings, as children can be very creepy, and they have managed to do some terrific children-specific episodes on this show to great effect. But this one, well, I quite liked the idea of Ben possibly being Dean’s child, but they tried too hard. I think they had done enough with the music and clothes taste, did they have to go overboard with the checking out chicks? What 8 year old kid checks out girls in such a way? It felt cheesy and really came out that way, although Dean’s later interaction on the park bench was a lot better. That’s where it became more natural, and you could see Dean’s fatherly/protective instincts coming out, which was really nice to see.

I also love how Dean has a serious type, gorgeous dark brunettes. Every single woman he’s been attracted to on this show is a brunette. I love how they keep that up.

The scene with the mother trying to drown her child in the lake was really awesome, I must say, and I cannot believe they went there. It really does take you into that part of psyche, what would lead a mother to try and kill her own child? At what point is it wrong, and can it not be wrong? It’s a rather heavy psychological point which they deal with in a supernatural sense, and I really liked it…particularly when she comes home and there’s her little girl, dripping wet and asking for ice cream.

I know Dean believed Ben was his son not from his actions at the party, but afterwards when he came to rescue him. Coming up with innovative ideas, putting the other kids first, that’s Dean all over. I’m curious – was she serious when she said it wasn’t Dean, or did she just want to save herself the heartache? She says it rather matter-of-factly, but in the end, a biker bar, leather jacket, no postal address……that’s still Dean. I don’t know, I like to think she decided to lie to him because she was afraid he’d be unhappy by that aspect and get all defensive and angry…she was watching his reaction way too carefully for it not to be his.

It’s a shame they dropped the story with their mother here, because that was getting good. Why are all her friends did, why has someone being covering their tracks? What did they know? I mean, obviously, with the writer’s strike coming up, they dropped it to focus on Dean’s deal, and luckily they’re picking up back up again this season. Maybe it will work better, particularly if it involves Dean, which I believe it does. I just hope they don’t have too much going on in the new season, but I guess they can focus on Dean, and Sam and then slowly draw out this plot point towards the end of the season.

Gah, can you tell how excited I am?

Oh and Ruby being a demon? Yeah, I like that. After all why is she helping Sam? What’s in it for her?

My own personal belief? She wants to help Sam get rid of the other demons, so then she can get rid of him and take over. Or use Sam in some way to rule. That’s what I would do!

03×03

One of my personal favourites from this season, for one reason solely –

“ I lost my shoe.” L

I love this episode. These guys do snark and humour really well. It was hilarious, just how Sam’s luck changed and how it affected the case. Jared was absolutely brilliant in this episode, he obviously has great comic timing. The A/C catching fire? I love his face, the whole, but I didn’t even touch it, look.

Gordon is back and wanting revenge, and I love how twisted the man is, how he manages to convince him the brothers are evil and created this whole mess. Which I guess they did do, unintentionally, mind you! But he brings the scary Kubrick in…who is so God-fearing, adding an interesting element of faith into an episode all about dumb luck.

It was great seeing them twist daddy Dearest into the plot again, with the revelation of a secret storage space which obviously holds items he cared for…such as Dean’s first shotgun and Sam’s trophy. It’s these little moments which I love, how characters surprise you. I believed Daddy Dearest had gotten rid of everything, not wanting the boys’ stuff growing up to get in the way.. and here he was all this time, collecting them, saving these little memoirs of their lives. Awwww.

This is also the introduction of Bela, who I will come right out and say I liked. I love how she manages to get the better of the boys and actually becomes a brilliant opponent for him. She’s always one step ahead of them, something they boys aren’t used to. While I would love to see some female hunters, I like the introduction of a female mercenary. Yes, she’s rather cold-hearted, hunting down priceless artefacts and talismans for money but of course this all becomes clear later on. But I liked her character a lot, and to this day don’t udnerstand what all the bitching in the fandom is about. It’s not like she jumped into bed with either of the boys – and never intended to.

All in all, this is one of my favourites, with the little twists of luck. I particularly lvoe Jared’s attempts not to laugh right at the end when Dean yells “son-of-a-bitch”, it’s absolutely brilliant. This one is always good for a pick-me-up…

I lost my shoe. *Snorts with laughter*

Day 14 – ….eep!

Well, when you spend a whole day out in the countryside, you tend to lose some time!

I decided to spend Saturday in the countryside and then follow it up with a migraine and all the other shows I hadn;t caught up on. Which means no Supernatural – I do like leaving things down to the wire, don’t i?

day 13 – what is and what should never be, all hell breaks loose 1 & 2

It’s taken me awhile to sit down and write this, mainly because I’d forgotten how exciting moments of these last 3 episodes could be and it’s taken me awhile to settle down, collect my thoughts together and attempt to string it altogether in random sequences of letters and spaces in order for it all to make sense.

02×20

My second favourite episode of all-time. And as much as it is a Dean episode, continuing yet again in the long tradition of his low self-esteem issues and self-sacrifice, I actually find myself drawn to Sam. Jared had the more interesting role here, in my opinion, as he had to play Sam, our Sam, but with a difference. After building this character for 2 years, his beliefs, his nuances, his reactions, his characteristics and then having to play him differently, yet the same? I think that’s a challenge. Suddenly, you have to change your character’s mindframe, see him in a different light, re-assert his reactions and tones and this is the aspect which I loved. Seeing how these characters all could have turned out. Although I did have some issues with it, mainly Dean.

Ok, I understand, the Djinn is creating a world where their mother never died…but why do the writers immediately presume Dean would be the black sheep in the family? I can’t see it. Without the hunting and the depression surrounding their mother’s death, I think Dean would have ended up very balanced, maybe not as intellectually smart as his brother, but why is he immediately the screw-up? Everyone assumes he must be drunk when he’s questioning them all, Sam doesn’t seem to have any faith in his brother…I just can’t see it. It’s almost as if Mary’s influence was inconsequential when it came to the brothers, because Sam seems to be leading the same life, except without that close connection to his brother. And it just doesn’t gel for me. Would Sam really have gone to Stanford, would the same circumstances have caused him to fall for Jess?

I can see Dean being a little lost, but you know, I would have imagined he’d have followed his dad into the marines, been a good little soldier boy. Sam, in my mind, would have been more petulant, used to being spoilt and using his smarts to manipulate people to his side. I’m sure in this life they wouldn’t have enjoyed such a strong relationship because there is no bond created by Dean protecting his brother, and this attitude of them against the world….just, I’m not happy with this season’s need to ground Dean’s face into the mud over and over and over again.

They get other aspects right, as I can definitely see him with a nurse, someone who does good in the world and can see it within him, even if everyone else can’t. It’s just that one aspect which truly annoys me.

I understand why they did all of it, and it does work. Just…really, the reason why Dean decides to go back is because he realises all those people he saved ended up dying? That’s what brings him back? Even after that heartbreaking sob at the cemetery where he asks at what point he has to stop sacrificing himself and those he loves? It doesn’t fit with what happens later…if he’s tired of his life and sick of sacrificing everything, why doesn’t he give in and stay here, where everyone is happy and he can mend fences with his brother? Where he can enjoy a life with his mother? And yet, only a week or 2 later, he gives up his life for his brother…it’s not as fluid as I might have hoped (mainly because I would have loved to see Dean succumbing and Sam actually coming through and bringing him out of it, which would have created an even stronger impact for me later on, as the only thing keeping Dean going is Sam, so when he loses Sam….see, that flows better in my head!)

There’s one other sticky point, where I would have preferred if Dean had woken up in this other world, with all these new memories. One where he believes he’s lived this life, and little elements crop in, a show on tv, seeing the girl out of the corner of his eye, the knowing there’s something wrong about that plane crash but unable to put his finger on it, somehow learning about the Djinn. You know, not realising there’s something wrong, until reality comes flashing in every now and again and he breaks through it to reveal the awful truth, and then ahs to make a decision about whether to stay or not. That, I would have liked to see, because we know Dean, we know how he thinks and why he acts in certain ways…but this alternate Dean we’ve never met before, and that interaction with his brother would have been fascinating. Obviously they did it their way because Dean thinks he’s been granted a wish and life has actually been changed, and he slowly discovers it’s actually all in his head…but I like my version better. A bit darker and creepier.

Now, onto the good stuff – Dean mowing the lawn is a classic moment, and I will admit to yelping excitedly when I saw Mary alive. All the family photos are funny – some of them are badly photo shopped, but they did make an effort to create this alternate world.

It’s well put together, particularly the end where Dean breaks out (by killing himself – how many times does he get to die on this show, and is Jared jealous? He’s only gotten 1 death scene….) and they both fight off the Djinn together. I love Sam’s face when he sees how desperate Dean is to save the girl, you can tell this experience has really changed him. And what’s really terrific is Sam’s pep talk, he understands just how terrific his brother is and all the good he’s done, even if Dean doesn’t. That I love, it makes me whimper (with glee).

Even with all of the above, this still remains my second favourite, possibly third, I don’t know, my top 5 keep jumbling around together. There are strong parallels with my favourite episode of Buffy here, Normal Again. Honestly, Buffy did it way better, but then again, it’s difficult to surpass the genius which is Joss Whedon. Even so, there’s nothing I love more than twisting the ideas of reality and what if? Episodes will always grab me…after all, it’s what I love about fanfiction!

2×21

Ooh.

Very Sam-centric episode (you can really tell they attempted to give the guy’s a break towards the end of the season, where suddenly the scenes tend to only have one of them there – half the work for the boys, the poor exhausted little darlings…hee)

This is of course where it all comes to a head – the demon kiddies are kidnapped by ol’yellow eyes, whisked away to frontier town, and left to fend for themselves (ie pick each other off until there’s no one left). It’s the final lot, as apparent ol’ yellow eyes has been bringing them by in bits and pieces.

I guessed it was Ava, maybe not from the get-go, but I did guess before the big reveal it was her. After all, missing for 5 months and thinking it’s only been a few moments? Either she’s been possessed or she’s putting on an act, and I can’t believe Sam fell for it. He really is way too vulnerable and naïve, no wonder Daddy Dearest didn’t want to let him leave on his own in the big bad world!

Anyway, that reveal was actually good. All in all, this episode was a lot better than I remembered it. Maybe it’s because my head has stewed from watching at this point 45 –odd episodes within 2 weeks. But as soon as I heard Carry On My Wayward Son, I got so excited. It’s amazing how I attribute that song to kick-ass season finales. Well, Supernatural finales at any rate.

I like the separation and how Sam immediately takes charge in frontier town, keeping the kiddies together and trying to protect them. You can immediately see why he is ol’ yellow eye’s favourite – because he is a fighter, he’s a hunter, and he is a natural born leader. Dean is a soldier, Dean will follow where he is led, but Sam takes a stand, Sam takes his own road and he will lead.

But seeing sweet little paranoid Ava turning on all bad side was pretty cool. This is what I like – rather than using the kids as his little army, he’s finding a leader. And he is pushing them to kill, but to kill each other. He wants to see who has it in them to come out on top, who has the balls to kill everyone else in order to save themselves (thank god Dean isn’t involved – he’d be gone in a second, the self-sacrificing hotboy). I love how Ava obviously stood back and watched others killing and being killed around her, and at some point had to make that decision to accept her surroundings and come out on top. That would have been awesome to see. Her turning darkside? Is really cool, and she was truly a terrific character in the end. The only disappointment in this episode is seeing Andy die…I loved Andy! He was so sweet. But understandably they need that shock value to truly get across how nasty this situation is – sweet and cuddly people don’t survive. I think it creates an even bigger impact.

I have one thing to say to Dean in this episode – put a freaking leash on your brother! How many times has he lost Sam this season? I feel like they took a whole pile of footage of him on the phone, flipping out, and simply decided to recycle the footage. Poor Dean – he’s terrified of losing Sammy and not being able to save him, because let’s face, it’s screwed up in that respect a couple of times already!

Going back in time and seeing exactly what happened on that night was great – if slightly…well, crappy. I mean, Sam now ahs demon blood in him because ol’ yellow eyes bled on him? Whatever. The cool bit was Mary, saying it’s you, right beforehand….it makes me wonder what happened, particularly as we now have a vague idea the Winchesters weren’t a random selection, there’s actually purpose to all of this, which we will learn this season. At the time, though, it drove me mad.

The final bit rocks. The fight between Strong-armed Jake and premonition Sam is pretty cool, as Jake simply uses his powers while Sam uses his skills in order to fight each other. Sam is still unable to willingly cause harm, and walks away…which of course allows for that beautiful moment when Dean realizes what’s happening is too far away, and Sam is literally stabbed in the back. Ouch.

I cried.

I actually cried at the end of, seeing the anguish, the heartbreak on Dean’s face as Sam flops his massively floppy hair around the place. It’s beautifully done, this entire scene…and I wish they would have left it here. How awesome would this have been for a season finale? But not knowing whether there would even be a 3^rd season (as the massively critically acclaimed and wonderful Veronica Mars got axed – and no, I’m still not ready to talk about it!) they had to provide an ending which would close the show but be able to continue the storyline if needed…and although killing off a main character could close the show, there would be too many unanswered questions!

02×22

Here it is – the finale. This is the one they submitted to the Emmy board, I believe, hoping to get Jensen Ackles a nomination. I don’t think it’s the best one for that, What Is and What Never Should Be would have been a better choice in my opinion. But hey, who listens to me?

We catch up where we left off, with Sam dead and Dean blaming himself. Heh.

Dean here is…angry. The way he reacts to Bobby, physically forcing him out of the house is terrifyingly sad, as you can see the bolts of fury and misery flying off him in droves. The fact he blames himself? Gah, that’s just….you want to yell at the TV (and I did, actually), and just yell at him to see beyond his own self-doubt. He feels like he’s failed Sam because he couldn’t keep him safe, just like he failed his dad, and how he’s failed the world now for not keeping his brother safe. This whole idea of how he is worthless, his life amounts to nothing beyond keeping his family safe just breaks my heart, it really does. Elements of this attitude where there in the first season, but nowhere near how heavy it got in this season, almost as if they decided to go this route in between the 2 seasons. I think they did some overkill with the self-esteem, as you can see where this is going – Dean of course runs straight off to the crossroads to demand his brother comes back. And ok, at the time, he believed he had 10 years, which, let’s face it, isn’t as bad as we may think. As a hunter, his life expectancy isn’t all that great anyway, so he figured 10 years is enough time. When the crossroads demon only gives him a year…and the bartering, man, another screamfest at the TV there. But you have to see in that moment how exhausted he is of life, of sacrificing everyone around him, and never getting what he wants. He wants to take this deal, because it means his life is over, he finally has a game plan. He knows exactly when he’ll go and he can now enjoy what he has left and stop worrying over keeping everyone else.

Oh Dean, you break my wee heart.

We have to suffer another devastating death, this time Ash, who was awesome whenever he was around and I really will miss his presence in this show. Oops, that was last episode. Never mind! This is also the last time we see Ellen – and I will continue kicking and screaming until they bring her back! I WANT ELLEN!

Anyway, so Sam comes back, they visit Bobby, who lovingly rips into Dean for his stupidity. I wish someone had knocked that sense into his head a little earlier!

The showdown with ol’yellow eyes is cool, but slightly weird. I like the opening of the gates to hell, releasing the demons, and I particularly enjoy how Dean realises he has the Colt and the way is now open for ol’ yellow eyes to come forwards…and he does prepare, but the guy gets him good. That little line of blood turns me on in some freakish way. But that’s beside the point.

Yet again, Sam is helpless to save his brother, who’s at the mercy of ol’ yellow eyes, and it’s here where I seriously start considering my own personal theory. Obviously Dean is important. Ol’ yellow eyes may consider him a mere thorn in the backside, but I think he may not be aware of his own importance – or he does but he’s not willing to admit it, as he wants to keep Dean down. After all, why else does he keep trying to kill Dean? Why does everyone go out of their way to kill Dean and keep Sam alive? There’s more here than what they’ve told us. You heard it here first.

So, Daddy Dearest crawls his way out of hell in order to save his boy, and although you can tell it’s all CGI, I still love this scene. I love the interaction there, the knowing look as Daddy Dearest obviously gives his son his approval for everything and tries to convey just how proud of him he is, and how he does love him. Sam doesn’t get that much – HA! But that’s because Sam is now the anti-christ, as the last one standing, considering he turned Jake into a very holy bucket.

Now, all this talk about Sam not coming back right? I disagree, I never believed that. I do believe, however, the reason Sam doesn’t go all evil in season 3 is because of Dean. He has someone stabilising him, keeping on the straight and narrow, which is what the other kiddies didn’t have, and would probably not have held out if they’d been left as the victor. Of course, this might all change in the new season…..without Dean there, will Sam finally give in to his evil side? I hope so, I love evil Sam!

I’m just happy they decided not to do a whole half a season mulling and angsty tension between the brothers. Instead, Sam knows exactly what Dean did and he can’t deny it. Finally, they are communicating like brothers!

I do like the rounding out of the show; it’s what confirmed to me they still weren’t sure whether they would be renewed or not, which is why they finished off the second season, the same way as the pilot – bringing it all around full circle.

Well, that’s it for the second season. Only 16 episodes and 5 days to go before season 4! EEP! The clock is ticking!