WATCHING SUPERNATURAL FOR THE FIRST TIME
BEST OF SEASON 2 AS A 1ST TIME VIEWER
Once again, I made it. 22 episodes later and I can add season 2 to my Supernatural belt. Looking back through the last season is always fun, especially when laying it all out at once. Letโs get into it:
โ๏ธ BIGGEST GRIEVANCES
5. Many characters introduced got immediately axed:
- it just feels like such a waste to have so many of them killed so quickly and all at once. Ava, Andy, Ash, others whose name I canโt remember. On top of that, the one that didnโt get the last rites treatment, I hateโGordon!
- The main two storylines throughout this season were being wanted by the law and Sam being a special child. It consistently was flip-flopping back-and-forth between the two storylines and with the season finale introducing the demon war and Deanโs deal, I honestly have no idea if being wanted by the law is dead in the water or if thatโs gonna pick back up in season three. At the rate weโre going, it really is anybodyโs guess. But considering it would be the third time that we have 5 stars active, it wouldnโt feel quite the same especially considering that we have already been incarcerated once.
- truly sad by this one because as shocking and out of left field as it was, it was also pointless! Iโve heard the writers didnโt want Sam and Dean to be trapped to a home base, and yeah, I get it, but they didnโt need to burn it to the ground! Just give them a reason to stay on the road or hell, just have one of the boys say, โyou know, I actually kinda like roadtripping,โ and leave it at that.
Not so much as a grievance but a vent. Oh my god. I am so frustrated that in both seasons they used a shapeshifter to cause legal troubles for the brothers and I SWEAR if they do it againโฆ also, why canโt there just be a normal shapeshifter that isnโt evil? We discussed there being vampires and werewolves that didnโt want to be evil and grasped that concept. Why are all the shapeshifters terrible people(s?).
Itโs time for the bottom four; here they are after much deliberation:
4. Tall Tales: before Iโm crucified for this allow me to say: this wasnโt a bad episode. I enjoyed it, however, it was a bit all over the place. It was a cute episode and the story was funny but I definitely could feel that it was a filler episode as it played out. The central plot changed numerous times until we got to the end so it felt a bit confusing at times. But because I liked it, itโs in the S tier of the bottom 5.
3. Crossroad Blues: again before I get slammed for this, this wasnโt a bad episode. I actually did kinda like this episode, but in terms of pacing it felt a bit off. Also, I really truly thought that the boys were about to be in a western so I was very disappointed when that wasnโt the direction it took. I also just cannot get the cold open out of my head, where the guy knows that heโs being chased so he decides to run out into the open woods alone by himself. Survival instinct of a fly.
2. Croatoan: this one felt so out of whack. It was like the walking dead crossed with thatโs so raven and was set in supernatural, and had the classic family guy reset at the end. I was so lost this whole episode and the way it ended made me feel like what was the point. It did have some really good emotional points, but overall plot was so much nothing burger. Looking back I can see that it obviously was supposed to push the envelope of how far Dean would go for Sam and be a hint that Sam had demon blood, but A, we already know Dean is lovingly insane, and B, the hindsight demon blood feels like the only point for that entire episode and you donโt even know that the first time you watch it.
1. No Exit: Yeah, this one was guaranteed to take the top spot when I watched this episode, and itโs only the sixth episode of the season. The fact that the first lines of my recap are me already complaining about Jo set the scene. After seeing Born Under a Bad Sign, I have more respect for Jo, but the fact I needed a second episode to redeem her from this catastrophe, shows how bad this one was. Jo was incredibly naive, and while I understand that she was sheltered to a degree, her mom literally ran a bar for hunters so Jo has plenty of experience seeing what harm might come to them, and yet still wanted to go all She-ra on some spirits with a safety pin of a knife. โStrongโ Female Character + Blonde + 2006 CW = Jo Harvelle. Also, they didnโt even kill the ghost? They just trapped him in concrete and fucked the entire sewer system. What happens when the sewer needs to be fixed?
๐ Sam Winchester is scared of clowns
๐ Sam and Dean have an uncle theyโve never met
๐ Dean Winchester has no idea what MySpace is ๏ฟผ
๐ Funkytown is a word in Winchesterโs Dictionary ๏ฟผ
๐ SAM WINCHESTER CANONICALLY SUCCESSFULLY TOOK OUT THREE SWAT OFFICERS
๐ Dean Winchester is in love with Daphne from Scooby Doo
๐ Dean Winchester is a fan of Justin Timberlake
๐ Sam equates intellect level with the books one has in their house
REVERSE: Dean tells Andy, the guy who controls others with verbal commands, to shut up, and Andy listens.
OFFICIAL: Sam smashing the brick wall with his elbow when he could just use the club he has.
REVERSE: Sam stops Dean from kicking down a door he can just open. ๏ฟผ
OFFICIAL: Dean screams for Aam to hurry up, potentially giving away that Sam is working on burning the bones.
REVERSAL: Dean being an absolute badass saving the woman from the street urchin.
OFFICIAL: What is it with these people going back to closed-down sets after hours after numerous people have died on this singular production?
REVERSAL: Even demons on the other side apparently know of the power that is Sam Winchesterโs puppy dog eyes.
โPlanes crash!โ โAnd apparently clowns kill!โ - Sam & Dean
โNeil, itโs your grief counselors. Weโve come to hug.โ - Dean
โThat was a Shapeshifter creature that only looked like me.โ๏ฟผ- Dean
โSecretaryโs name is Carly. Sheโs 23, kayaks, andโฆ theyโre real.โ - Dean
โYouโve got a neighbor named Mr. Rogers?โ - Dean
โWhat made you decide to seek out therapy?โ โI have no idea.โ - Ava & Therapist
โThatโs not the kind of whacking I mean.โ - Dean
โYouโre bossy. And short. *laughs*โ - Sam
โWEโRE NOT WORKING FOR THE MAN-DROID!โ - Sam
โThe professor and the frat guy: theyโre both dicks.โ - Dean
โMaybe the spirits are trying to shut down the movie because it sucks. Cause, I mean, it kinda does.โ - Sam
โI think Iโm adorableโ - Dean
โThat was for our mom, you son of a bitch.โ - Dean
HM: NIGHTSHIFTER, ROADKILL, FOLSOM PRISON BLUES
EPISODE 7: THE USUAL SUSPECTS โ๏ธโ๐ฅ
I really liked this episode. For someone who loves true crime and fantasy, itโs so much fun when the two of them are put together, especially under the aesthetic that Supernatural carries. I love it when a show has the guts to face an issue head on that is important to the plot. The way Sam and Dean covertly communicate is very impressive and shines a small yet bright light on their sometimes hidden intelligence. The ending was reminiscent of The Benders with how the officer let them go, but it didnโt feel recycled; instead it served as a warning of how next time they are caught, they will be stuck in trouble.
EPISODE 14: BORN UNDER A BAD SIGN ๐
I loved this episode because it felt so different from anything I had seen at the time. The opening with the brothers already split, Dean trying to find Sam, and Sam having no idea what had happened. I also loved how the two of them were reverse engineering what must have happened until it was revealed that โSamโ wasnโt exactly Sam, and I loved that surprise even more. I also must admit, I loved how Jo x Dean was very simply and quickly written off, along with Jo realizing in real time that Sam will always be Deanโs first priority, and that it why it wonโt work. Also, Bobby and his holy water alcohol was the cherry on top.
3. EPISODES 21 + 22: ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE I & II๐ช
Both of these episodes: Whew. Dare I say it, part one was better only in the sense of feelings like a season finale; part two had very heavy season premiere vibes. I really loved how with it being a two parter, each brother had their dedicated segments where they grapple with whatโs most challenging: Sam fighting being told he will inevitably carry out evil, and Dean facing life without his sole purposeโSamโand the lengths heโs willing to go. I was very shocked when part 2 ended feeling very chipper despite what we know is to come, but it was a great break and a pretty bow placed on the end of season 2.
2. EPISODE 17: HEART ๐
I almost cried watching this. This was this seasons Scarecrow for me considering how early I was able to figure out the plot of the episode but I still loved it so much. Sam finally got some action and then immediately is made to regret becoming close to someone. It truly was so unfortunate that there was nothing that could be done and the only โsolutionโ was to shoot Maddy. Jared and Jensen destroyed this episode, it was borderline how cruel how well it was done.
1. EPISODE 20: WHAT IS AND WHAT SHOULD NEVER BE ๐ช
The first episode to make me cry. I yapped so much about wanting to see Dean live a normal life that when he got it and immediately had it yanked away, I cried. Dean was happy. Dean was happy that Sam was happy. Dean was happy John was dead. Dean was happy that Sam was finishing college and he and Jess would get married. Dean was happy that his mom got to have dinner with her boys. Dean was excited about life and his only issue was that he and Sam werenโt close and he immediately began to think of ways to fix it. Dean had 99% of everything he ever dreamed of, and then the next episode Sam dies and then Dean immediately sells his soul. What the actual fuck man.
๐ค THE BROTHERS WINCHESTER
This season pushed Sam and Dean further than they have ever known in their lives; they battled other hunters, demon viruses, the government, and at times each other. I love how โinnocenceโ is one of Samโs core traits, and even with him having demon blood and being so called predisposed to have evil within him, he time and time again shows that he will always do what is right and moral, even if it would be totally justified to do what may be the โwrongโ thing (he totally should have stabbed Jake.) Dean went through a wonderful arc where he over the course of the season flipped from โWe have to do it for Dad,โ to โthis is bullshit and Dad never should have put this upon us.โ Where Sam is innocent, Dean is guilty both in conscience and his actions: he will do what he deems necessary to protect Sam even if it could openly be seen as wrong, and he is aware of that, yet does so because Sam is all he has. I love how they are direct foils of one another.
Another thought I had during this season is the length of normalcy the brothers have had in their lives is the exact same: 4 years. The only difference is that it was Deanโs first four years of life that were normal, and for Sam the last four years of his life while he was in college. So of course Sam is going to still cling to any memory of those normal years, while Dean will do whatever he needs to get back to a life similar to when his mother was alive.
*puts my head in my hands* Ok, here we go. Dean Winchester, my beloved. He made a lot of growth this season. Last season I said I wanted him to snap, and in the season premiere he took a crowbar to his car: man had a breakdown. And it continued for 22 episodes. In season one he was so hopefully, but season two, it was apparent that the gas tank fell empty and he was running on sheer obligation. His snark became a bit more sorrow, and his teases were replaced by single tears. I want him to continue to be emotionally expressive as itโs so much fun to watch.
New segment as it the first time I have prior season to look back on. Maybe absence does make the heart grow fonder, or itโs Walking Dead conventions where Jeffrey Dean Morgan is asked about other projects, but dare I say it: I wonder if I was maybe just a little too hard on John Winchester. JDM saying on stage that he was confused as to why John was hated considering he died for his sons opened up my noggin just a little bit. Donโt get me wrong, he is still bad, but after further time and thought, I have begun to understand the โwhyโ behind him. He watched his wife burn up like a failed Mars satellite on his infants nursery ceiling and that was his introduction into the world of the supernatural. I understand why he constantly had Sam and Dean on the move and wanted to be untraceable; he had no idea what killed his wife or why, and had no idea if it was coming back for his sons or him. I do however also believe that two things can be true at the same time: despite John thinking he did what he could only understand as the right thing, it was the worst thing he could have done for his sons.
This season was awesome. I donโt know how but in terms of consistency among episodes, it was better than season 1, and I missed season 1 before I even finished season 1. I mourn the end of โsaving people, hunting things, the family business,โ because I feel like that is no longer being used in the recaps. Overall, this season took turns I never expected it to, had amazing moments of both comedy and emotion, and the story kept going through it all. Both of the brothers had time to shine as well as ask the questions other shows may have been afraid to put out in the open. I loved every time I had no idea where an episode would go and would see that there was still 28 minutes left. This season left me well fed and I canโt wait to see where season 3 will take me next.
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