Tonight on Supernatural

“I Believe the Children Are Our Future”
Season 5 Episode 6

Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) investigate a series of odd murders that strangely resemble fairytales and urban legends. The brothers track down an 11-year-old boy named Jesse (guest star Gattlin Griffith) and realize that whatever Jesse believes is coming true. Castiel (Misha Collins) tells Sam and Dean that Jesse is a serious threat and needs to be eliminated. Charles Beeson directed the episode written by Andrew Dabb & Daniel Loflin

Tonight on Supernatural

Tonight on Supernatural

Fallen Idol

Supernatural – The End

The End

“We make our own future.” – Dean Winchester

Another brilliant episode. “The End” introduces us to the Supernaturalverse five years from now and my how the world has changed. The Croatoan Virus is running rampant, the Angels have vamoosed, Bobby’s dead, Castiel’s a pot smoking – orgy loving hippy, Dean’s a hardass survivalist, Sam’s got the Devil in him… and Sarah Palin is President.

You couldn’t have asked for a better episode. This was Dean’s wake up call. After dismissing his brother, proclaiming them better off apart (even after learning Sam was Lucifer’s Vessel), Dean is treated to a glimpse into the future by way of Arch-angel Zach… and it wasn’t pretty.

Zach’s plan was, of course, to inspire Dean into accepting his role as Michael’s Vessel, and Future Dean tried to impress this same thing upon his time-challenged self, but in the end it brought Dean to the realization that he and his brother needed each other, that it was their only chance to face what was coming and still cling to their humanity.

It’s compelling stuff, wrestling as Supernatural does with the family dynamic. It’s what keeps the show fresh and exciting, grounding it in reality despite the “supernatural” trappings.

It’s why Supernatural works.

Unfortunately, ratings continue to be middling at best.

Still, I’m in for the duration. It’s my second favorite series and a top notch thrill ride that fails to disappoint. I can only hope that the saga of the Winchester Brothers continues on course toward an epic conclusion to its five year run. If the show continues after I’ll be surprised, but in the end, five years is enough so long as they go out with the Colt blazing.

Oh, and next week… we get this:

Thursday Night Television

Someone has it in for me in Hollyweird. Bones, FlashForward, Fringe, The Mentalist, Survivor, and Supernatural… all on the same night? Are you kidding me? Thankfully I already walked away from The Vampire Diaries or I’d be in some real trouble. When so many other nights are filled with utter dreck, why on earth would you pile this much quality programming into three hours on a Thursday?

Let’s start with last night’s premiere of FlashForward (ABC / 8pm). Wow. Move over LOST. FlashForward really hit the ground running with a tightly drawn introduction to a world gone mad when seemingly everyone on the planet “blacks out” for 2 minutes and 17 seconds. Except “black out” isn’t exactly accurate. Instead, nearly everyone has a brief glimpse of their future selves 6 months down the road… I was glued to the television and despite some hiccups in dialogue, overall this was as good as science fiction on the small screen gets. Next weeks continuation will not come soon enough.

Next I watched Supernatural (CW /9pm). The fifth season’s third episode finally drew us closer to where i was expecting the story to go all along. We had already learned that Dean was the vessel of the Archangel Michael, but now we’ve learned that Sam is the chosen vessel of Lucifer. Now we’re talking. This was the obvious direction for the series to move toward… Sam vs Dean. Oh, it’s coming. I just wish more people were watching.

I capped the night by watching the second season premiere of The Mentalist (CBS / 10pm) and I don’t know why I keep coming back. The actors are great from top to bottom and I truly enjoy the characters, but the writing is just terrible. I’m not sure if I’m going to make it to the end of the season. Something needs to give and this was not an auspicious outing for the show. The cast deserve better mysteries to become embroiled in…

Friday is catch-up day. Thank the gods for online viewing.

Survivor is Survivor. Nothing to talk about here, though I will say that Evil Russell is a hoot.

Bones continues to be an entertaining procedural. Booth and Brennan are a delight, as usual, and the extended cast fills the show out nicely. Someone should invite the writers from The Mentalist over for a little show-and-tell.

And Fringe? Well, its second episode of the season was gripping. Walter, as usual, stole every scene he was in, but the real star of the show last night (well, this morning for me) was the mutant baby thing. Damn, was that shit scary. Loved it…

As you can see, Thursday nights have become a cornucopia of dynamic television and it’s freaking killing me. I’m going to end up wearing my VCR out.

Sympathy for the Devil

Season 5, Episode 1
“Sympathy for the Devil”

Supernatural’s fifth season hit the ground running with not only the rising of the Prince of Darkness but perhaps the Hand of God making a play for some storytime as well… And in a nutshell I believe this is the central theme this season will be exploring: the father and son dynamic, or on a more broader scale, the idea of family and forgiveness.

I know, shocking isn’t it?

It’s been a common theme throughout Supernatural right from the start. Now we see the ultimate father and child conflict taking shape, that of the creator and his creation.

We also see the idea of sacrifice played over and over again, from Father John’s deal with the demons, to Dean’s own barter with the same… and with last night’s sacrifice made by the Winchester Brother’s surrogate daddy, the irrepresible Bobby Singer, one can’t help but wonder when the cycle of sacrifice and redemption will end.

The boys’ relationship is left lying in pieces, with Dean having lost all faith and trust in Sam, and not without good reason… and we see this mirrored in the poignant performance by Bellamy Young as the voice of Lucifer who pleads his case in the guise of an angst ridden widower’s late wife. The widower, played pitch perfectly by LOST’s Mark Pellegrino, is the chosen vessel of the Morning Star and easily manipulated into welcoming Lucifer in so as to extract revenge for God’s absentee daddyhood.

Add in some comedic relief in the form of the Prophet Chuck and an earnest Sam-loving,  fan fic-writing messenger… a blade wielding, ass whupping Castiel… and what you have is a fantastic start to a season with a lot of promise…

Next week’s second episode, Good God Y’all, will not come soon enough.

Tonight, the return of Supernatural

APOCALYPSE NOW — Picking up where the finale left off, Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Sam (Jared Padalecki) watch as the Devil (guest star Mark Pellegrino, “Lost”) emerges from Hell. The brothers and Bobby (Jim Beaver) deal with the aftermath of Lucifer rising and the stunning news from Chuck the Prophet (guest star Rob Benedict) that Castiel (Misha Collins) was blown to bits by the archangels. Robert Singer directed the episode written by Eric Kripke

Supernatural airs at 9pm on the CW following the debut of The Vampire Diaries.

Thursday just might be the new night for “Must See TV”.

Two more days…

Sounds Like HELL

Here’s the SPACE preview for Supernatural’s 5th season, which airs for us in the US on Thursday, September 10th at 9pm, following the CW’s premiere of The Vampire Diaries:

“Has Hell been unleashed?  Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) discover the consequences of breaking the final seal as the series’ fifth season opener picks up right where we left off – with Lucifer walking free and the first signs of the apocalypse beginning to be evident.  Also stars Misha Collins as Castiel and guest stars Jim Beaver as Bobby, Kurt Fuller as Zachariah, Mark Pellegrino as Nick, Rachel Miner as Meg and Rob Benedict as Chuck.  ‘Sympathy for the Devil’ was written by Eric Kripke and directed by Robert Singer.”

Armageddon unleashed? Looks like it. Lucifer walks the Earth, Angels and Demons are at war, and the Winchester Brothers are smack dab in the middle of it… My excitement meter is dialed up to eleven.

Hungry for more? Check out the Chicago Tribune’s Watcher for some clips from the Thursday premiere of Sympathy for the Devil.

Two for Tuesday

It’s always a treat when I get to double dip.

I don’t know what’s up with Mark Pellegrino, but this guy is living some kind of seemingly charmed life. If I didn’t know better, I’d swear he’s made a deal with the Devil himself.

Pellegrino parlayed his appearances on the cult hit serial killer series Dexter into being cast as the enigmatic Jacob on LOST. That turn, which blew the minds of LOST fans across the globe, cemented the actor in the hearts of the genre obsessed… and now with this latest feather in his cap, it seems that he is on the verge of becoming geek royalty.

In breaking news coming out of Comic Con, it’s been announced that Mark Pellegrino has been cast in the much coveted role of Lucifer on the CW’s spectacular occult detective series Supernatural. Hitting the ground running in the 5th season premiere, due to air September 10th, Pellegrino will indeed be stepping into the shoes of the Prince of Darkness and giving the Winchester Brothers all they can handle.

How this effects his role on LOST remains to be seen, but I expect they’ve made allowances.

Two awesome shows. One terrific actor. This news will make the long awaited premiere of LOST’s final season a little less painful.

And while we’re on the subject, I would be remiss if I didn’t comment on LOST’s Comic Con revelations… chiefly that many of the previously dearly departed Lostaways have been signed for a return visit to the Island. With confirmation that Boone, Shannon, Juliet, and others will reprise their roles for the epic endgame to come, it can be assumed that some form of reset by way of Jughead was accomplished.

Now let’s add this to the mix:

Fans of the show are well aware that this is not how the events went down as shown in the episode “What Kate Did”… So are we now dealing with an alternate timeline?

Watch for further ruminations on this and other LOST mysteries in weeks to come… but for now I will leave you with this:

Supernatural – “Lucifer Rising”

“Lucifer Rising”

Let me preface this review by stating unequivocally that Supernatural is one of my favorite television series… ever. That being said, something just seemed off about this season’s finale. The acting was spot on, as usual. The tension was amped up to eleven. The threat was ominous and imminent. Still, there was this nagging feeling that the writers got cold feet…

In an episode where so many things were telegraphed, from Lilith actually being the seal to Ruby having played Sam as a sucker (bloodsucker, that is)… the obvious extension, and what I was anticipating, was that Sam’s evolution would lead him to becoming the earthly vessel of the Prince of Darkness and setting up season five as a Dean versus Sam epic.

Instead, in the final moments, we have a late arriving Dean killing Ruby, with Sam’s assistance, and the opening of the seal… followed by a malefic white light rising up from the widening portal (and yes, I got a LOST vibe from this, the fade to white being its final frame as well).

All in all, “Lucifer Rising” felt more like a penultimate episode rather than a season finale, and I was somewhat disappointed. Don’t get me wrong, it was good… it just fell below my expectations.

Of course, that being said, it was great to finally see Lilith get hers, even it was a victory for her in the end.

It’s the Apocalypse and everybody wants it, the good… the bad… and the ugly.

Heading into season five will be a challenge. A Lucifer-centric arc awaits, with plenty of Angels and Demons ready to take part in the conflict, but I have the sense that what we’re heading toward is a return of the ultimate absentee father, the Big Cheese himself, and what that will bring to the table remains to be seen.

I just hope that Jim Beaver’s Bobby Singer is along for the ride. He’s a great father-figure for the boys and brings some much needed level-headedness to the game.

One thing’s for sure… it’s going to be a long summer.