Supernatural 9.08 Review: Back to Basics

For all those that have yet to watch last night’s episode of Supernatural, entitled ‘Rock and a Hard Place’, now would be a good time to go and do that. This is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! Proceed at your own discretion.

This season is definitely making up for the crap that was the combined seasons six, seven, and eight. Honestly, this season is just amazing. They’re finally getting this series back to the basics of hunting down monsters and facing foes in different cities. It’s not just all about angels and demons anymore (Thank God!), although they are still included, they’re just not as heavily involved as they were before. This season is just making me so utterly happy, it’s hard to believe. The only thing that would make this season better is if Sam would cut his unbelievably ridiculously long hair.

It’s been a while since this series has done an episode where the brothers haven’t figured out who the villain of the piece was before the halfway mark. It took until the last quarter of the episode for them – more like recurring character Jody Mills – to figure out that it was the goddess Vesta going after born-again virgins that broke their pledge. And in order for the boys to figure this out, they had to become – of all, laughable things – born-again virgins themselves so that they could infiltrate the purity group the missing people had been apart of. And while I’m not too keen on bringing Greek and Roman gods into the mix of this series, it was still a much more interesting breath of fresh air compared to the crap known as angels, as well as the seasons past villains Leviathons (ugh, so glad they’re dead). This is what I liked from the show I’ve loved for five years.

Honestly, this series is managing to get back into the days of Kripke greatness, and, while I don’t think it can legitimately go on much longer than a season or two more, I am much happier with the material they’re generating. They even managed to get back to his womanizing ways – something that hasn’t happened for the viewers’ eyes in a very long time. This season is definitely making me feel like the last three didn’t happen at all, to which I am utterly grateful to the showrunner for managing to do that. Thank you.

My rating: 8 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“Dragons? Those are a thing?” – Jody Mills asks. “Yeah, too many things are things.” – Sam responds.

“I’m calling the cops.” – the poetry reading virgin exclaims. “I am the cops.” – Mills retorts.

“Because of that hippie from Bethlehem.” – the goddess Vesta sums up her lack of worship in a nutshell.

“What’d I miss?” – Dean mutters after popping up out of the ground.

In conclusion, this series needs more Jody Mills from those lines right there.

Alright, folks, I’m going to call it quits for the night. I may watch Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. tonight, but I won’t be reviewing. Also, sorry for the break between reviews, I was getting my Christmas on by wrapping a couple of my roommate’s gifts – because I have none of my own to wrap yet – and watching Home Alone. But here this is, and don’t forget to tune in tomorrow night after midnight for my reviews of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., 

Supernatural 9.05 Review: Dean Winchester, Animal Whisperer

All those that have yet to watch Tuesday night’s episode of Supernatural, entitled ‘Dog Dean Afternoon’, now would be a good time to do so before reading ahead. As this is not a spoiler free blog. THIS REVIEW MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS! Proceed at your own discretion.

For the first, I don’t know, half of the episode, I thought to myself, ‘Yay, two monster-related episodes in a row. This series is finally getting back to its roots where angels and demons were few and far between.’ So, I was a lot happier with this episode than I have been with this series – other than last week – in a long time. Still, it didn’t cap off nearly as exciting as it began. It was only a human with a shaman spell. Which makes two witch-like villains in a row. Please give me some actual monsters.

My one big issue with this episode was the ludicrous aspect of Dean communicating with animals. It was kind of stupid, made it too easy, and just wasn’t written well enough to be depicted in a realistic – for this show – kind of way. Sure, it brought a lot of humourous moments to this episode, but that’s with my currently low expectations of this series that should have ended three years ago. Seriously, they are running this series, that I have loved for five years, into the ground. End it soon, every series has a shelf life, this one has passed its.

There were some funny moments to this episode that I did enjoy. Dean pulling out a gun on the bird that was mocking him was simply hilarious. Also, Sam having to rub that dog’s belly for it to give them answers. But still there were some bad points too. The villain’s ridiculously fake looking “wolf” teeth comes to mind, as well as how easy it is for them to get answers with the Men of Letters bunker library. It makes me miss the point to this series, two brothers going on the road to hunt things. Not angels specifically, not demons, all evil. I miss Kripke. Also, the guy ate the kitty, what the hell?

Overall, better than a lot of the episodes this series has been putting out. The current show runner is much better equipped than Sera Gamble was, whose only big achievement was the episode where Sam and Dean end up on the Supernatural set. Otherwise, this series is still growing stupendously disappointing. I really am done after this season if they don’t give me what made this show great in the first place. There is evolving a series, but not forgetting its roots altogether.

My rating: 7 out of 10.

Best Lines:

“I don’t like the way that owl’s looking at me.” – Dean grumbles about the dead and stuffed owl.

“I always knew I’d find the source of all evil at a vegan bakery!” – Dean announces to Sam.

“You know who wears sunglasses inside? Blind people, and douchebags.” Dean tells Sam.

“That’s monkeys.” – Sam says to Dean, about the animal that knows sign language.

“Oh shut it, you winged rat.” – Dean shouts at the bird.

Okay, all caught up now. Just have to watch Revolution and American Horror Story: Coven, of which both I am excited for, so it’s a toss up to which I’ll watch first and review. Stay tuned. Or not.