Sorry, y’all. I found it all to be very empty. Yet another pep talk with Jack … which of course took place in the kitchen in the bunker … ARGH PEP TALK. ARGH THE BUNKER. There were some good sequences, and Dean’s little monologue about how now he understood the violation of being possessed, blah blah, was well-played. But that’s no surprise. He plays everything well. It’s just all really EMPTY for me. Something important – the life-blood – has been severed. They’ve cut themselves off from the powerful SOURCE of the series, which fed them for 11 years. It’s not there anymore. Now, with an entire AU going on, and creatures moving back and forth, and magic spears, and a girl in a Jawa costume … it no longer feels like it takes place in our world. It’s … phony. That’s the only way I can put it. I just don’t believe in it. Sorry to be a downer. Maybe others enjoyed it and can express why! I’m always open to the thought I might be wrong, and I’m always willing to take another look.
I agree with you on Kaia — we know she comes from the AU world, but seeing her with the Winchesters just looks wrong. She looks and acts like someone from an anime. Hopefully, her part is done since she gave up the spear.
I had the show on but I paid attention to about 30% of it. A lot went on that I didn’t care about, and the terrible teeth on those hybrid vampire things are so cheesy. I liked seeing Garth again, but it was clear that the Michael blood was going to affect him. Also, the focus on Jack is becoming annoying – he just gets cured of his bloody cough and now he’s a hostage. Oy.
The Michael subplot is not thrilling me either. I love JA with all my heart but for some reason when he’s Michael, it does nothing for me. The way he speaks doesn’t work for me. When he popped back up in this episode, my reaction was “oh, okay”, instead of “he’s back and JA is gonna rock that part!”. SPOILER AHEAD: The one thing that’s keeping me interested is the news about the surprise for Ep. #300.
That’s how they get ya, Pat!
You’re not alone Sheila! I felt the exact same way that you did about the episode. The few seconds scene of Baby driving down the road was the only source of real pleasure I had from the episode. I couldn’t even muster up that much excitement about seeing Garth again which made me sad. I’ve always loved his character and at least he was the real Garth.
Just my opinion, but I felt like they were all just downright stupid in the episode and I can’t stand it when they make them stupid just to shove a weak plot along. Heck even Michael came across as stupid when he gave his convoluted explanation of why he left Dean in the first place. You want to break Dean Winchester completely? Kill everyone he loves wearing his body. Boom. Done. (Yeah, I know, there would be no show then, but come on!! :-) :-)
I feel like you’re absolutely right in the fact that they have completely lost the essence of the show.
I read an article not too long ago that someone had wrote about the show celebrating making it to 300 episodes. This writer was absolutely gushing about the show. She was talking about the fact that Sam and Dean were basically healthy now and no longer co-dependent. She said “They haven’t been each other’s one and only in a very long time now.” She was raving about how the bunker was one of the best decisions that the show ever made, giving them a home and no longer having to be rootless wanderers. She was praising how the show expanded itself, bringing in an ensemble cast to interact with the brothers. After I finished reading it, my thought was “Everything that you are praising the show for is what I feel like has destroyed it.”
I was heartened a bit though. The other day producer Jim Michaels was on twitter talking about how they were working on stuff for episode 301. He jokingly said at the end of the tweet “How about we work towards 400? Do I hear 400?” There were a lot of responses and I read some them expecting the majority of them to be the enthusiastic “Yeah let’s do it!” type of tweets. There were some of those, but there were a surprising amount of tweets from people all saying almost the exact same thing…begging the show to get back to it’s roots and start focusing on Sam and Dean again. There are a lot of fans out there that are noticing the wrongness of Supernatural these days. Not sure that anything will ever be done about it, but we are certainly not alone in our opinion.
It should hopefully be interesting seeing Jensen playing Michael again when the show comes back. He got to do so little of it at the beginning of the season.
I think I read the same article, Michelle, and I’m with you and Sheila: the show is missing something, something essential. I’m glad that other reviewer could be so enthusiastic, but I just don’t see it.
Everything seems rushed nowadays from the scenes in an episode to the plot lines. For example, Ketch went from super-villain to ally much too quickly. Eileen is brought in then quickly killed off. Sam is Chief of the AU hunters but now they’re conveniently not in the bunker when we want the focus back on Team Free Will 2.0. As for how scenes are being presented now, I just like to compare them to past scenes. For example, in Point of No Return, Sam says, “You know I have to stop you”: Dean took his time with his reply. I just don’t get that sense of timing anymore.
Reading everyone’s thoughts here is so great! I spend a fair amount of time on Tumblr and people there are definitely loving the new touchy-feely, emotionally healthy Winchester brothers, which I do NOT understand. The show has seemed bloodless since Cas returned from the Empty last season. Once again, so many possibilities and NONE of them explored.
The missing something was very obvious to me when we see Jack die, for one I couldn’t care less and for two there was nothing going on visually in that scene for me. Jack did not look any more closer to death than he had the when he was fishing with Dean, there was no atmosphere in the room, no sense that people had been in there waiting, watching, agonizing over every breath. It was so antiseptic, just here’s the room, Jack get in the bed, everyone look constipated and ACTION! What? Really made me miss those early seasons and Sheila’s glorious recaps of all the BEAUTY! Where’s the beauty production team?
The weird thing is there are so many options for conflict this season, and not like big bad Michael conflict, but just simple stuff. Conflict with the AU people, conflict with Jack who should basically be a miserable teen right now, but is instead the most well adjusted son of Satan to ever be imagined, conflict over this bizarro Bobby, they kind of make these half hearted attempts but they just aren’t convincing or they don’t go anywhere.
I’m glad Dean is Michael again if only to force some kind of conflict with Sam and Cas, their “rescuing” back in episode one was pretty terrible, so I’m hoping there will be something interesting there if we get more than half an episode of it.
Agree with all said here — Jenna and Michelle, I know, it’s so weird to see people enthusiastically celebrating some of this stuff — it makes me feel like I’m taking crazy pills! Found Family Ensemble Fantasy Drama In The Bunker is just — so completely the opposite of why I watch, it makes me ill. So glad to be able to come here and be grumpy about it.
Random thoughts:
I loved Jack last year, I loved his “Happy Holidays” moment in this episode — still wish he had died for good. The tuberculosis plot limped out of the gate. Jenna, you’re spot on about that death scene — an oxygen mask?! seriously?! It made me cringe. It was great that it gave Sam and Dean something to be worried about, to act on, to play, to have a journey around. Sam’s grief and walking out — and Dean being subsequently fierce about deals — those are the moments I’m here for. Might have been nice to see where that went before it got reset.
The problem of Cas. Most of his scenes are pep talks and gravely insisting upon emotional and narrative “realities” that do not read as true. Miserable material and I feel like Collins has given up making sense of the character. Am I the only one having viscerally negative reactions to his choices? From the way he stands, to what feels to me like forced emotion in all his interactions. I hope this whole Empty threat (oh dear, that’s unfortunate) actually LEADS to something.
Alt-world business. Alsan’s Own, once again just seconding what you say here — so Sam’s Chief (gag me with a spoon) of all these semi-traumatised (?) war hunter (?) refugee (?) people (?) and that’s just — nothing? Where is the specificity? Where is the emotion? What is hunting anymore? Why is this team so incapable of dealing with the prospects they raise? It is just so hilariously symptomatic of the show now that they have just conveniently mysteriously disappeared for the last three or four episodes.
Now, with an entire AU going on, and creatures moving back and forth, and magic spears, and a girl in a Jawa costume … it no longer feels like it takes place in our world. It’s … phony.
Sheila, this is it. Phony and superficial. Michael’s monsters are killing me. His plan is nonsense, his goals dull. Everything is so easy and dumb. Drink a bit of grace, flash your eyes. It’s been been lightened beyond recognition. Where is the dark? Where is the portent? The grave, the sucking undertow? The fight scenes and flashbacks are humiliating.
There are moments where I’ll be like, okay, yes, That was nicely lit. Jared killed that reaction shot. Jensen felt alive and responsive in the scene. That Duma actress did a really god job with her Empty monologue. It’s not all terrible, I suppose. I could look at gifs of Jared/Sam flinching away from Dean/Jensen’s spear twirling all day. Just holding out some hope that Michael!Dean delivers something personal and grody and I can finally feel something in my cold dead heart again, haha.
Jessie- YES to the character problems with Cas! What is he doing? Who is writing his dialogue? That cereal scene with Jack was painfully stupid.
But I almost forgot the thing that drove me the most crazy about this recent episode, and these most recent seasons, Dean lying and manipulating Kaia to get the spear! What? Who IS this person???? Every interaction Dean has ever had with Kaia, dark or otherwise has seemed wildly out of character to me, so at least they are being consistent? I didn’t understand at all why they even wanted to take the spear, just recruit Kaia! She obviously knows what she’s doing, is not some innocent child that needs protection, and does not even belong in our universe, seems like a total no brainer. Just bring her with!
Scenes like that or when Dean points a gun at an actual innocent child, make me just….so disappointed in where the show has gone.
//There are moments where I’ll be like, okay, yes, That was nicely lit. Jared killed that reaction shot. Jensen felt alive and responsive in the scene. That Duma actress did a really god job with her Empty monologue. It’s not all terrible, I suppose. //
THIS! This nails it Jessie. When I watch Supernatural now I feel like that any pleasure I get are from various shots and scenes here and there. I draw more pleasure from Jared and Jensen acting then I actually do from Sam and Dean.
There have been decent moments on the show this season and some decent episodes. I liked Mint Condition…the one episode of this season that had Sam and Dean together on a monster hunt with no secondary storyline. The last episode I can truly say I loved? (whole episode from start to finish, not just bits and pieces or scenes) Scoobynatural from last season.
//Just holding out some hope that Michael!Dean delivers something personal and grody and I can finally feel something in my cold dead heart again, haha.//
This is my hope too!! This is my Supernatural Wish List for 2019…to feel something again.
Jenna — glad I’m not the only one! And that’s been an interesting thread, Dean and Kaia. It’s kinda reminding me of when he was interrogating that woman (reaper? angel?) — said that she hates men like him and he launched over the table and said honey there ain’t no men like me. But it does seem weirdly focused around Kaia. I love the idea of them just getting fantasy wizard karate Kaia to kill Michael! I wish! Then we could all move on with our lives lol.
Michelle — fingers and toes crossed! I did like that djinn episode, as much as it had a lot of problems. It was direct and beautiful. More like that please!
I am a terrible person, and I know this, but I have to say that I REJOICE in knowing I can come here and assuage my grief over the loss of Sam and Dean and their world. I really feel like I’ve lost them. We all have. And this is the third year for this writing crew, so I don’t expect to get any of the magic back. It makes me very sad, but knowing I’m not alone makes it hurt less. Misery loves blah blah. ❤️