Supernatural 9.03 Review: What Makes Us Human

Anyone that has yet to watch Tuesday night’s episode of Supernatural, entitled ‘I’m No Angel’, then please feel free to exit this screen or go and do that now. As always, this is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned

Okay, so this week we got to see the freshly human side of things from Cas’s perspective. He always does seem to have an interesting outlook when it comes to humans and how they live their lives. It’s intriguing to be able to see a fully-grown man go through the trials of human life and not as a growing child learning new things by the example their parents and teachers make.

Cas definitely threw out an interesting notion, what with his grace being what created the spell; perhaps he is the only one able to counteract the spell. I do have to say, while I find watching him be human so intriguing, I do hope that he eventually becomes an angel again. So hopefully there is a way to get his grace back as well as allow the angels back into heaven, because we all know they are just going to wreak havoc on our planet.

What I found completely unnecessary was Dean having to kick Cas out. Basically he had to choose Sam’s wellness over Cas, but in the last episode he was all about family to Kevin, so I don’t see why they all could’ve fit in the bunker. I think it’s really just another writing ploy to keep Cas out in the world and on the run. Was it just because the angel possessing Sam thought Cas would recognize that he is an angel? Or would him being an angel radio out to the other angels where Cas was? There honestly should’ve been some way Dean would be able to keep Cas there because come on, that face that Cas made when Dean said he had to go was just sad.

One question before I sign off. Since when did Reapers have to possess people? Because the one in April said she was all too willing to be taken over, but that’s an angel thing, not a reaper. Are the showrunners mixing up some of their mythology? This series is becoming pretty tired if there are too many supernatural races that they can’t be kept intact. Please end it this season, I can’t do another.

My rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“I’ma get whiplash.” – Dean mutters, about the switch between Sam and Zeke being in charge of Sam’s body.

“No, I read pie, the rest is all just blah, blah, blah.” – Dean retorts, after Sam asks him if he’d read the ingredients.

“I did. I do that.” – Dean states, about his habit of lying.

Okay, sorry for not posting this yesterday, I got a major headache and was pretty drained from the other five reviews, so here it is now. I’m off to go watch Nashville now. After that it’s Revolution and to cap it all off American Horror Story: Coven. Stay tuned.

Bones 9.03 Review: Giving Back to Grow Up

Any readers that have yet to watch the episode of Bones that aired last night, entitled ‘El Carnicero en el Coche’, that hope to do so devoid of spoilers, then now would be the time to exit this blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

This was a very Sweets centric episode, involving gangs in the DC area. The way they approached his character in this episode was very well done. We can see he’s feeling guilt about his unintentional involvement in the Pelant case, and that getting back to what he really wanted to do, helping people, has appeared to mature his character in just a few short weeks. I’m all for the comically dorky Sweets, but this side to him is something I’d very much like to see more of, from time to time. Plus, seeing him in something other than a suit was a refreshing change.

It’s been a long time since I can remember this series delving into a gang related case. The last time I remember it happening, Booth had to step in when a certain gang member had his sights set on Brennan, and not in a good way. This has been a better episode than this series has had in a long time. I know they can’t revolve this show around gang life every week, but it’d be nice to have it crop up a little more often. Though I might come to bite my tongue if they actually did that if the magic went away because of that.

I don’t know, there’s just something about this episode that I really liked. Maybe it was the gang related subject matter, or the development of a character that hasn’t been developed passed one long-term relationship (read Daisy). Or it could even be that it didn’t focus on the rest of the Jeffersonian crew as heavily as it has it the past. I do think part of it had to do with the fact it didn’t appear to try and push this huge lesson across. It was about this story, and these people related to that story, but not about this big message like last week’s PSA.

A few funny moments really stuck out with me in this episode. First was the point in which Cam is stumped for once. She’s caught speechless for what feels like the first time when it comes to Hodgins. It was funny to see her just fuddle through her words like that. Another moment was the shot when I think Cam and Brennan start discussing something, and Hodgins just glides down on that rig. I know he was searching through the car for bones and particulates, but it was such a random moment to just throw him on screen for a few seconds. It made me chuckle a little bit. And the last moment in the episode was the point in which they’re all in the conference room, and someone says something about the murder being about revenge. The camera circles the room, and when it lands on Caroline she’s about to take a bite of her food, and she just looks at it and puts it down. The way she glances at her food was just comical.

In a way this episode was an improvement for the series, a step in the right direction. While I enjoyed last week’s undercover episode, particularly more than the last undercover episode, I think this week there was a much better story. The very idea of what kind of family comes first, and what can be ingrained in a person that is trapped in a gang is interesting territory. And also how much a person (see Sweets) can want to help people in order to kind of alleviate the guilt they feel, and just give back to a community in need is a warming concept. Particularly for such a clinical based series. It’s almost like Bones is getting back to more of it’s character based storylines, rather than case storylines that improve characters slightly.

My rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Best Lines:

“Unless one of us is already dead.” – Brennan says to Booth, after he promises that if one of them is ever shot at, they’ll immediately tell each other. Just goes to show logic comes first with this lady, at least most of the time.

“Clink!” – Brennan, almost like a child demanding their parent do what they say when she demands it from Booth.

All right ladies and gents, I’m off to go watch The Blacklist and review it, then try and get in another type of writing in, work on one of my ongoing novel or script concepts. Otherwise, I’m going to bed. No Sleepy Hollow tonight, I’m not feeling it, so expect that first thing tomorrow. And for me, that’s about fiveish, being that it’s my day off.

How I Met Your Mother 9.03 Review: Goodbye New York

Let’s keep this brief, if you have yet to watch last night’s episode of How I Met Your Mother, entitled ‘Last Time in New York’, and wish to do so spoiler free, now would be the time to exit this blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! You’ve been warned.

So we got one more episode into the longest wedding weekend ever, and it wasn’t all that bad. Marshall’s scenes on the road to the wedding were kept blissfully brief. That was not a great part for the season premiere, but kept short actually isn’t completely terrible.

This series still feels to me like it’s a different show this year. No bar, barely any apartment, and not much New York. But I suppose that’s the significance to this episode, not for Ted to say goodbye to New York, but for us. The New York that this series has given us. In that way, it’s rather poignant, but it still makes me nostalgic for the episodes where all the characters interacted with each other at some point in the episode, at least for the most part. This season, the characters have been more separated, and they no longer seem to feel like a whole unit like they did before. Sure, Barney and Robin are getting married, but that doesn’t mean these five people that have been so much apart of each others lives the last near decade aren’t going to stop being friends.

My favourite scenes from this episode were all of the ones surrounding Ted and Lily’s conversation at this new bar, especially all of the scenes in the apartment. Ted has a fair amount of funny moments in this episode that I love. He’s definitely elevated this episode enough to keep it interesting, and not make it feel like this season completely revolves around Barney and Robin’s wedding.

Of all the parts in this episode, I liked the scenes where Barney and Robin are trying to escape their old relatives the least. These scenes were the ones that made me feel especially that this isn’t the same series as last season. They felt like they almost didn’t completely connect the story to whole picture. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that this is the most amount of relatives that have been seen in this series related to just one or two people. Most episodes before this has just been a few relatives, and it’s made it feel like the five core characters had really become each others family. And also the fact that it made me feel like Barney and Robin are still unsure about their relationship because they’re still insecure about whether they’ll want each other when they’re old. I know that this happens a lot with weddings, but when the whole season is about the lead up to that wedding, it can become a bit tedious.

I do have to say that this episode did improve on the last one. I’m still not completely loving where this wedding is being held, other than the bar and patio area, but I’m beginning to get a bit used to it. This setting is so far from where this series has been held before that there is a fair amount of disconnect, but I suppose I’ll just have to get used to it or stop watching. And this is the last season, so I’m certainly not going to stop watching.

My rating: 3 out of 5.

Best Lines:

“Marshall’s driving through Wisconsin?” – Ted asking Lily, after hearing a bullhorn through the phone. A fun little ‘I know this guy well’ reaction.

“Don’t say buffet, it attracts old people. Same goes for coupons, Sixty Minutes, and Mandy Patinkin.” – Robin to Barney. The most comical part being the reference to Mandy Patinkin.

This interaction: “I knew it!” – Ted. “You knew nothing!” – Lily, practically speaking over Ted.

Now I’m off to watch Bones, stay tuned for that review. Then it’s Sleepy Hollow and The Blacklist, most likely in that order.