Five Things I Learned from Supernatural “The Hunter Games” (1010)

Poor Dean is having a tough season.

1.  ELO rocks… hard!

And here I thought they were more of a soft rock band.  Either way, my love for them has been renewed, and I now have another song to download.  Bonus question:  Do you know what ELO stands for?

Sam? Or Sam?

2.  I’m a Sam er, Jared uh … Sam girl.

After years of proclaiming myself “bi-bro,” turns out I was more excited to see Sam than Dean. Granted, that might be because of my new fascination with Sam Heughan, who looks remarkably like Jared Padalecki in some (but not all) photos.  Unfortunately, with Dean having the mytharc story this season (which is awesome), Sam is relegated to support status, which seems to mean doing research on his laptop.

Finale-Palooza

It’s that time of year, when most of the shows on the broadcast networks are finishing their seasons.  Agents of SHIELD concluded magnificently last week.  How did Grimm and Warehouse 13 fare?   (Supernatural will get its own post later.)

Grimm:  Blond Ambition (322)

Even with all the vows and such, we still don’t know Monroe’s last name.

Grimm isn’t a show frequently covered here, but the season finale is worth mentioning for the sheer number of stories left up in the air for next season.

Monroe and Rosalee were married.  On the night before the wedding, Rosalee’s sister ruined their grandmother’s wedding dress, which Rosalee had planned to wear.  Thank goodness, because it was one ugly dress!  Monroe’s parents bribed the bridal shop to open early so they could buy a $7,200 dress for Rosalee on the day of the wedding  (She’s worth it.)  They’ve come a long way from protesting the mixed-Wesen marriage.

All of the show’s arcs come together quickly with action and blood galore.  Where to start?

Supernatural: Blade Runners (916) Quick Takes

It’s all about Dean this (half-)season. I like it.

If you heard a huge groan around 9:15 (ET), that was me reading the “Special Guest Star” credits for “Blade Runners.”  Thankfully, Snooki’s part was even shorter than Paris Hilton’s in… whatever episode that was.  Actually, Snooki wasn’t too bad.  A crossroads demon was a great part for her.

So Crowley’s phone lists Dean as “Not Moose.”  Does that mean Sam’s phone shows up as “Not Squirrel”?  And Sam is researching “Cain and Abel, The First Brothers.”  Because?  Is he preparing himself if Dean should turn against him?

Supernatural: Devil May Care (902)

I liked Irv.  He said “Criminy,” and “Roger-dodger.”  😦

“Devil May Care” was so good, I didn’t mind the Army sergeant’s totally non-regulation hair, or that her rank insignia was for “private first class,” or that Sam referred to the Navy guys as “soldiers.”  It’s a perfect example of not letting the inconsistencies get in the way of a good story—a lesson I must learn to apply to Sleepy Hollow.  At least Dean got the right service branch when he called the trio “SEAL Team Douche.”

To the rescue, guns a-blazing, with no real plan.

Some nameless demon returns Abaddon to the Josie Sands body, complete with full makeup and nail polish.  I understand.  If I’d had that body once, I’d want it back again.  They could have gone with another actor, but Alaina Huffman has such a great sinister-but-sexy quality about her, it’s only right they bring her back.

After spending a week or so in the trunk of the Impala, Crowley finds a more permanent home in the Men of Letters’ demon-proof cellar.  Crowley says he loves physical torture, but instead the Winchesters leave him alone in the dark.  With no one to toy with, it’s possibly Crowley’s worst nightmare.  Mark Sheppard mentioned he enjoys playing a somewhat vulnerable Crowley, rather than the nasty menace he was at the end of season 8.  After all, a multi-layered Crowley is Sheppard at his best.

Supernatural: Live Free or Sacrifice, Mannequin.

The season 6 title card caught me by surprise.  How did breaking glass tie in to it?  The Supernatural Wiki says it’s a reference to film noir, the genre season 6 was going for.  Ok.

Live Free or Twihard (605)

Every Supernatural fan has her (or his) own reasons for liking the show, and that’s no more apparent than in the wide range of ratings any episode receives.  TV Fanatic and TV.com gave this episode very high marks, yet it’s one of my least favorite episodes.  I’m not a big fan of vampires—nearly all of Supernatural‘s vampire-centric episodes are on my unremarkable list.  Or perhaps it’s because season 6 was mostly forgettable.

Dean Winchester: Vampire-hunting vampire

We know something is off about Sam, but don’t yet know what.  He watches (and even smiles!) as Dean is turned into a vampire. Fortunately, their grandfather Samuel shows up with a vampire cure.  How convenient!

Samuel, still one of the good guys at this point, chastises his namesake for not telling Dean of the “old Campbell recipe” for curing a vampire.  He says it’s as if  Sam  wanted Dean to become a vampire in order to search for the alpha.  The line inititally passed (by me) unnoticed.  We learned about the shapeshifter alpha in “Two and a Half Men” (which I haven’t covered yet), but was this the first reference to the vampire alpha?  Now that we know the key role the alpha vamp played in season 6, and what was wrong with Sam, Sam’s motivation is clearer.  Letting Dean be turned and not curing him was cruel.  But it worked.  By entering the nest, Dean learned how the alpha communicated with his minions, and what his plans were.