“We Need to Talk About Kevin”
Supernatural
Season 8 Episode 1
“We Need to Talk About Kevin”
Welcome back, boys. You’ve been missed.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, last night brought the Winchester Brothers back to our living rooms and, after two seasons that left more than a little bad taste in my mouth, it was a decidedly welcome return at that. Sure, I’ve got questions, but all in all, Supernatural felt all warm and fuzzy again.
Picking up a year after last season’s cliffhanger we see character development, the germ of an intriguing season arc, and, cribbing a page from LOST, flashbacks. Man, I love me some flashbacks.
We also got an interesting new character to keep our eyes on — Benny the Vamp, Dean’s brother from another mother over in Purgatory. I was worried they were going to just dump the whole Purgatory thing, or at least the best bits of it, but they already gave us not one, but two beheadings in the over-there. Loved it. It was all Hunger Games-ish, Supernatural-style. Add the fact that there’s a mystery in what went down on the other side involving Cas, and well, I’ll be chomping at the proverbial bit each week waiting for our little glimpses into what was shaking in that little slice of God’s miscreation.
“You don’t take a joint from a guy named Don
and there’s no dogs in the car.”
— Dean Winchester
Robert Singer did a smashing job directing the episode, the boys were in fine form, and the supporting cast were perfect (save for a little prophet girlfriend awkwardness when she went all demon on her roommate… cool scene on paper, but the actress didn’t quite pull it off). Props as always to Mark Sheppard, whose King of Hell Crowley is the ultimate foil for the Winchesters. He really brings the character to life and chews every bit of scenery to its fullest.
But the most anticipated return, for me, was seeing the Mettalicar back in action. Best vehicle in television history, in my opinion, and seeing her roll along with Dean behind the wheel blasting awesome 70s rock is about as good as it gets.
So, the season 8 premiere was a rip-roaring success in my book. I’m already counting down the days until next week.
October 4, 2012 at 3:01 pm
After being horribly letdown by Season Six’s execution, I skipped Season Seven almost entirely. I watched snippets here and there and watched the last episode. As I figured, I wasn’t too lost, as they didn’t seem to cover much ground–story and character-wise–throughout the season. I decided to give it a shot last night and was pleasantly surprised. Dean was hard-edged and focused on the mission. I hope he stays that way. There was enough mystery dangling to keep me interested, I just hope they don’t crap out like they have been. I love the new vampire character and Kevin had some great moments. There seemed to be more subtle character stuff in this episode than I’ve seen in a long while. Here’s hoping Supernatural is back on track. Only time will tell… I remain hesitantly optimistic. We shall see. I just hope they cut down on the dopey episodes/moments and give us some real hunters. Every time they play that silly organ music, I cringe. I miss the drama aspects of the show :(
October 5, 2012 at 11:22 am
There’s precious little worth watching on television. I miss Supernatural being my go-to escape. After this episode I felt a little bit of that excitement return. Here’s to hoping they stay true to the course.