“A Little Slice of Kevin”

Supernatural

Season 8 Episode 7

“A Little Slice of Kevin”

Yes, yes, I know… I bailed on posting my thoughts on last week’s episode, “Southern Comfort” and left you in the cold. Sorry, kids, but I was, as they say, on something of a sabbatical. I did watch the episode and didn’t hate it. Not the biggest Garth fan, but he actually came off okay this time out. Still, nothing earth-shattering went down. The writers are still stuck on the brotherly angst. Something that was sort of resolved a few seasons ago, but what the hell. Supernatural’s all about beating a dead horse sometimes.

“A Little Slice of Kevin” was just this side of heaven and a welcome relief. It’s good to have Castiel back and, despite Mrs. Tran being a complete idiot, this was a rocking good episode. Crowley’s always a treat and he was in rare form. But really, this was all about Castiel and the great mystery around what went down between him and Dean in Purgatory and how he got the hell out of there himself, what with Dean wandering about puppy dog eyed over leaving his celestial buddy behind.

“I missed television.” — Castiel

This was good stuff. An even deeper mystery, with Heaven’s Hosts taking keen interest in Castiel being back on Earth and keeping a clandestine eye on the Winchesters. Oh my, something’s definitely afoot, and when there are angels involved, well, they’re just as bad as the demons, now aren’t they. Everyone’s plotting and scheming, back-stabbing and dirty dealing. Love it.

I could go on and on about this one, but I’m a bit under the gun. Have several projects brewing, so I’ll check out and catch up with you Supernatural lovers on November 29th. Looking ahead to the next episode, airing November 28th,  Castiel’s of a mind to become a Hunter. A humorous episode to lighten things up after this week’s heaviness. I can live with it.

“Blood Brother”

Supernatural

Season 8 Episode 5

“Blood Brother”

Hot damn, now that’s what I’m talking about. When Supernatural is good, there’s nothing better on TV and last night’s episode was not just good, it was, to quote Dean Winchester, “awesome“. Simple fact is, I’m digging the hell out of Benny and getting a taste of his back story here was a welcome respite from the last couple of “monster-of-the-week” episodes. A vampire who drinks blood, not humans, with a dark past and a somber disposition. Yes, it’s been done, but Ty Olsson sells it and sells it well.

A Supernatural episode appearing on Hallowe’en night seems like a no-brainer. In fact, I’m surprised the CW doesn’t put together an annual Hallowe’en Special for the boys. I’d certainly make it a part of my “must see TV”. Well, this may not have been a Hallowe’en drenched lovefest, but it did give us vampires, a creepy-ass mansion, and so many beheadings I lost track. Sounds like Hallowe’en to me.

“Vampire pirates? That’s what you guys are? Vampirates!”
— Dean Winchester

I thought the flashbacks were well done, giving insight into both brothers time apart, and it’s always a pleasure seeing Misha Collins as Castiel, especially since he’s back to being bad ass Cas. Sam’s story, this time out, felt poignant and natural. They hadn’t quite pulled that off so far, so that was a welcoming sign that it might actually go somewhere. Purgatory’s still where all the real mystery lies and I am totally invested in what went down there during their “great escape”.

Of course, Blood Brother ended with Sam meeting Benny. Cue the icy stare between brothers. I wish they’d move that part along. Dean and Sam have been through this so many times, it would be nice if they buried the hatchet and get down to the business at hand. Which leads us to next week’s promo —

Oh, did you notice the easter egg in the picture up top?

“Bitten”

Supernatural

Season 8 Episode 4

“Bitten”

Well, they get an “A” for effort, but a “C-” for execution in this week’s “Monster-of-the-Week” installment of Supernatural. Yes, you read that right. Two weeks in a row. At least they went for something a little different this time. Ambitious. Experimental. But flawed. I’m a fan of the stylistic potential of  “found footage” storytelling and Supernatural’s approach to it in Bitten was damn close to being, dare I say, awesome. It’s ultimate failure for me comes down to the guest cast. Kate was mostly annoying, though shined by story’s end, while I never warmed to Mike or Brian. And don’t get me started on the Alpha Prof. I hope these people didn’t pay for acting lessons because they got ripped off.

“Time to hit the books and feed the monster.”
— Dean Winchester

Too little Sam and Dean didn’t do the episode any favors, but when they were highlighted the whole thing seemed to pop. They have presence. Something our trio of soon to be werewolves never really had, at least until Kate’s heartfelt plea to be left alone at the end of her video.

I do hope that the writers are planning on bringing Kate back later in the season. It would give “Bitten” a little more bite, and I think that, overall, the actress earned another go around.

Next week Supernatural fittingly airs on Halloween night and we are treated to the return of Benny the Vamp, Dean’s Purgatory Blood Brother. That means, I assume, that this will also mark a return to the season’s thematic story arc. After two steps backward a step forward will make for a nice change of pace.

“Heartache”

Supernatural

Season 8 Episode 3

“Heartache”

Two mythology episodes down and we’re back to “Monster-of-the-Week“. I don’t mind the occasional sidestep, but it’s the mythology I prefer. For a “Monster of the Week” to work it needs a strong story, good performances from the guest cast, stellar writing, and a director with their head screwed on right. This week Supernatural was batting .500.

I like it when Supernatural takes a walk through “American Gods” territory, playing with mythological deities and giving them the watered down Neil Gaiman treatment. Unfortunately the excellent premise for “Heartache”, a Mayan athlete hellbent on appeasing a Mayan god in exchange for immortality, was hindered by weak casting and predominately lackluster dialogue.

Ackles continues to impress as a director, he just didn’t have much to work with here.

“Our King Daddy Monster is a stripper?”
— Dean Winchester

As for the bits that knitted this episode into the season’s story arc, concentrating on Sam’s desire for a normal life away from hunting, it just seems like “been there, done that“. The younger Winchester’s been reset to Sam circa Season 1, seemingly ignoring the character development of the past seven seasons. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with Sammy yearning for something beyond the hunt, just that it could have been handled in a different way.

“Heartache” felt like a step backward,unfortunately, but I still have high hopes for the season as a whole. Case in point — the promo for next week’s “found footage” episode — “Bitten” — has got my attention and appears on the surface to be more of what I’m looking for in a “Monster of the Week” outing.

“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.