Supernatural - Season 9 *Spoilers*

Ill keep this short as I'm typing this on my phone. Had a but of a double bill this week as I really hate the week long wait so put off episode 11 till last night.

Episode 11, First Born was absolutly fantastic, a brilliantly told story with some great action and it managed to once again conpletely rewrite the mythology and make it even more interesting. There's a real sense that we, and the gang are still only clutching at straws and that there's far more going in that we will ever know.

Seperating Sam and Dean, and keeping them apart paid off really well. Sam and Cas had a nice little story that felt like the writers just kicking back and allowing them to breath. Cas and his revelation about food was a nice way of further humanising him and it's the kind of fun throw away line that is indicative of a far more serious and lasting change on Cas. Much like Crowley, Cas feeling a sense of humanity allows for a far more interesting and diverse character.

The moment after Cas had removed the Grace from Sam and cured him was pivotal in the overall story. As they embraced I expected Sam to grab the syringe and plunge it into Cas and steal his grace. It would make no sense but Sam has became so devious and morally repugnant in recent months that we expect the worst. The writing for Sam is amingst the best on TV and they've taken a character who was 2 dimensional and created the most believable and humsn character on TV.

Cain was Supernatural at it's best. A terribly flawed character whom attempting to be good ended up far worse. Timothy Omundson was terrific and the image of the God of all evil keeping bees was quite beautiful. There was a world weariness to Cain that was perfect and the simmering rage beneath was played perfectly. The writers changing up the tale of Cain and Abel had just the right pulpy feel and perfectly reflected the journey and relationship of the Winchester brothers. Maybe it's just me but it felt like further foreshadowing that when this is all over brother will have turned upon brother one final time from which there is no coming back.

Crowley and Dean was a nice change up and their banter is like that of an old married couple. It's nice to see the show acknowledge that Crowley is a friend and ally to the boys. I assume being the King of Hell is a lonely and boring job considering how much time Crowley spends running errands for our heroes.

There's so much going on in Supernatural right now that you would have enough material for 3 or 4 series. We have the war in hell, the search for Cain's dagger, Cas and Sam's mentoring of each other, Dean and Crowley's intrepid detective agency and just about the half of it. Things are going to get a hell of a lot more interesting.


Episode 12, Sharp Teeth was a nice change of pace from recent episodes. By allowing some breathing room away from the ongoing story the show once again got to explore the grey lines that exist between good and evil.

The show has never really allowed its monsters much humanity and are treated like rabid animals. There's been a number of episodes and characters who have challenged that but over all it's been a case of, if it ain't fully human kill it.

I've always liked Garth and his disappearance has troubled me so its nice to see the blanks filled in, even if he is a werewol, excuse me a lycanthrope. The family of wolves is a great concept and reminded me a lot of the vampire pack who Inly killed animals from way back when. The two episodes actually work as a nice contrast and demonstrate just how far Dean has come. Back then Dean would have killed everyone and asked questions later but thanks to the great development of his character he's more restrained and human. The early series always played Dean like some unstoppable killing machine but thanks to Benny, (who needs to be brought back) he know realised that his Dad was wrong. There are more shades than black and white.

The werewolf Armageddon felt a little underdone. It all seemed to come out of nowhere and just felt like the writers felt it necessary to have a villain. Had they restrained themselves a little and instead had the characters debate the issue then it could have been far more effective. The whole being tied up thing felt like it was taken from an episode of wacky racers, though I'd like to think that the writers were poking fun at the early episides where it was a regular occurance.

The final scene with Garth was interesting and opens up a whole new level of possibilities. A werewolf hunter is a nice idea and I have a feelung that its something we may see in the spinoff.

Sam and Deans' final scene was superb. Sam pointing out that they no longer see one another in the same way vocalised what viewers are feeling. Dean has used the family card so often that I assume he's in group with Walter White. It's clear that Sam no longer sees Dean as family but in a colder, more clinical manner. They're like work colleagues thrown together and just have to get on with it.

What Sharp Teeth proves is that even where the writers to wrap up the ongoing story, that there is still a lot to be done with the initial concept. The monster of the week episodes still feel fresh and interesting and if they can continue to offer up imagery as creepy as a family of werewolves praying together with Garth in a sweater vest then ill happily be still tuning in 10 years from now.

The Black Oil wrote: »

9.13

Despite AV Club's C rating, I mostly enjoyed this. Sure, it was a conveyor belt episode that ran out of steam once they found out what was going on, but the first half was fun, including the Fargo inflected sheriff.

The boys are still having issues, then.

I stopped reading the AV Club's TV reviews years ago. They were far too critical of the smallest things and it seemed as if the writers felt that every show they reviewed should hire them on to fix it. I think the last time I looked at reviews there was when Hostages was airing and they slated every episode and came across as condescending dicks.

I really want there to be substance to this spinoff and not see it turn into another show about pretty boys doing little other than look good. Hopefully the main cast will be rounded out by a few more nature faces, there's a number of hunters that we've seen in the show who would be ideal for what the show promises and if the comic is anything to go by, the leader of the hunters should be seasoned.

Really would like to see them use the third trade as inspiration, that or at the very least work John into the backstory. It would be nice to see them work Bobby into a few episodes, honestly I'd happily see a show that just followed Bobby around while doing his weekly shop and hat hunting. Watching Harper's Island as I type and honestly, Jim Beaver is the sole aspect of the show keeping me interested. Bobby was the heart and soul of Supernatural, his coma episode is one of TV's finest 42 minutes and it managed to take a great show and invest it with more heart and soul than I ever thought possible.


Also, the more I read about the spin off the more it sounds like an adaptation of the most recent Dylan Dog film.

As I understand it, this weeks episode was aired out of order. The Ghostfacers and the Snooki monster from South Park was scheduled for this week. Hopefully it won't lead to any issues and I feel that this week may have suffered somewhat due to lack of context so to speak.

Kevin's speech at the end seems to speak of a widening gap between the brothers so there may be more pouting to come. Certainly glad that the writers didn't just neatly wrap it up and return to normal. The divide between Sam and Dean is one that the show needs to explore and I'm enjoying the way that Sam can so easily hate his brother.


The brothers story was a nice standalone bit of narrative that while we've seen a dozen times before didn't bore. Crowley's intern was fun though you have to wonder why the king if hell is hiding people in storage. Surely he has access to a prison, or you know hell itself. I suppose it is quite a nice way to show how mundane working as a demon can be, it's pretty much a dead end, go nowhere job that can last for eternity.


Cas's story was somewhat more interesting but the end reveal of his army was a little bland. Metatron's plan are mysterious and creating some genuine tension while Cas seems set on repeating the mistakes of the past. The writers have tried to address the changes in him yet they seem reliant on the same few ideas. An all out war between angels could be truly epic but I'd like to see the show address the motivations behind it.