Supernatural: The Executioner’s Song (+2, or 3)

Your thoughts on “The Executioner’s Song?”  Here’s mine.

It’s the Battle of the First Borns.

1.  Jensen Ackles is back, baby!

In the past I’ve called him the most underrated actor in Hollywood.  But recently he hasn’t overwhelmed me.  His performances haven’t been bad—I don’t think Jensen’s talent or work ethic would allow that—but they haven’t been as riveting as I’ve come to expect. It was wonderful to see him back in full form again.  Every single one of Dean’s scene in “The Executioner’s Song” was magnificent.  Even before his confrontation with Cain, Dean’s fear and sorrow drew me in and didn’t let go.

Superantural Redux

TNT is hosting a Supernatural marathon tomorrow (Wed, Jan 28).  I’m not sure what the special occasion is, but since they’re currently on the back side of the Great Season 8, I’m there!  Sure, I could just pull out the season 8 DVD set, but this way is lazier, even if it means fast-forwarding through the commercials.

The Winchesters show off their dimples.

As it is, I watched “Trial and Error” again today.  I loved it when it first aired (it’s possibly my second favorite episode of season 8, after “Sacrifice”), and I think I love it even more now.  As if seeing the guys in geeky glasses and getting a look at a hell hound for the first time (just as creepy as one would imagine) wasn’t enough, we got a couple scenes of the brotherly love which makes this show so special.

Dean’s determined to keep Sam safe, believing his own life isn’t worth much, and he’s willing to die.  Sam says Dean’s life does matter.  Because Sam can see a future at the end of the trials, he should be the one to complete them so that they both can survive.  It’s a little heartbreaking since we know what’s coming.

Recently, I’ve been thinking about my favorite Supernatural episodes through the years and doing a(nother) retrospective.  Hmm… Should I do another Supernatural March Madness this year?  Nah, it’s too time-consuming, especially since March is not a rerun month.  Perhaps a June/July Jubilee would be a better alternative?  Or just a “Favorite Five” for each season?  So many options, so little discipline.

Tonight the awesome Charlie Bradbury returns, but seems she may not be so awesome.  Man, I hope they didn’t make Charlie a bad soul just because Felicia Day cut her hair.

A Summer Sci Fi Summary

Aha!  I bet you thought I’d forgotten about this site.  Fooled ya!

It’s been a restful summer, sci fi-wise.  There are a few sci fi shows currently airing, but they’ve not grabbed me.  Then there was the demise of Believe, the show that could have and should have been so much more.  I started draft after draft discussing its final episodes, but it seems rather silly to say anything now.

So let’s move on.

First up:  Defiance

Have these two hooked up yet?

This summer has brought us the second season of Defiance.  My best friend and her husband love Defiance.  But they also loved Battlestar Galactica, a show I never cared for.  I watched a few episodes of Defiance last year but quickly lost interest.  I like Julie Benz; it’s great to see her in a strong female role.  I like Graham Greene, but his character wasn’t (isn’t?) very likeable.  The show killer for me, however, is Jaime Murray.  I first saw her (and her breasts) on Dexter, where she played a despicable, often naked character.  It formed a hatred of her that seems to have left a permanent mark.  Not even her turn as H.G. Wells in Warehouse 13 softened my feelings.

Next up:  Dominion

Best of Supernatural Season 2, Part 2

Since TNT is wrapping up season 2, let’s take a look at best of the final 11 episodes.

1.  All Hell Breaks Loose, Part 2 (222)

Dean sells his soul, then kills the Yellow-Eyed Demon.  Ding-dong, bitches!

“Are you that screwed in the head?” Yes, Bobby, he is.

– Written by Eric Kripke; directed by Kim Manners
– IMDB rating 8.5 (out of 10);  TV.com rating 9.4 (out of 10)

Best of Supernatural Season 1, Part 1

Jensen Ackles has said that season 1 is his favorite.  It’s what launched the juggernaut; and it’s what brought the cast and crew together.  Let’s look at the top ranked episodes,based on ratings from IMDB, TV.com, and me.  (Remember, the stars are my ratings only.)

Run, brothers, run!

Agent Hamil. Or is it Ford?

Lucky girl!

Come back, Missouri.

Zzzzzzzzzzap!

Howdy, Meg!

1.  Home (109)

This may be the only mid-season episode written by Eric Kripke.  So it must be special, right?  Sam and Dean return to their old home in Lawrence, KS, to investigate one of Sam’s visions.  Reviewed here.

– Written by Eric Kripke; directed by Ken Girotti
– IMDB rating 8.6 (out of 10);  TV.com rating 9.2 (out of 10)

Best of Supernatural Season 7, Part 1

Big announcement!  TNT begins airing  season 8 episodes of Supernatural this Thursday, October 10.  Yay!  Now, on to the top five of the first half of season 7.

#1.  Time After Time (712)

I thought season 7 had only one 5-star episode, but it turns out there are two.  This is one.  It was so good in so many ways.

Team 1944: Dean Winchester & Eliot Ness

I love time travel, and Supernatural does it well.  It’s usually about the fate of the world and our heroes’ destiny, but that wasn’t the case here.  Rather, the drama was a bit more straightforward—gank the monster and get Dean back to the present.  It was about two brothers working towards the same goals in two different eras, with some funny and heartfelt moments along the way.

Nicholas Lea made a terrific Eliot Ness.  Plainspoken, unemotional, he was the straight man to Dean’s wisecracks and movie innuendos.  He wasn’t encumbered with the usual hunter-associated baggage.  He was simply trying to make a difference.  His ‘boo-hoo” speech to Dean was spot-on for an age when men didn’t discuss their feelings.  They were too busy fighting and dying in a war.

Best of Supernatural: Season 6, part 1

This has been an incredibly hard review to write.  No wonder season 6 was so unmemorable; it was a jumbled mess.  Or maybe it’s a mess because I didn’t watch these episodes in order.  Sometimes that can really screw with your head.

Grumpy middle-aged men.

Even so, the buildup to Sam’s soullessness was well done.  Although his behavior was a bit “off” from the beginning, we knew something was wrong in “Live Free or TwiHard,” when he let Dean get turned into a vampire.  In “You Can’t Handle the Truth,” he was immune to the truth spell.  When we finally learned what the problem was in “Family Matters,” the saga continued but with a different focus until mid-season.

Many will disagree, but Dean was insufferable.  When he wasn’t whining to Bobby about something being wrong with his brother, he was trying to run Sam’s life.  Can you imagine how Dean would react if Sam tried to make every decision for him?  In that respect, the show really does have the older/younger brother relationship down pat.

Supernatural Top 5: Season 4, Part 2

The best-rated episodes for the second half of season 4 follow.  If we didn’t count my own personal ratings (the stars) the order of the episodes would have been different.  “The Rapture” would have been #3, “When the Levee Breaks” #4, and “It’s a Wonderful Life” #5.

#1. The Monster at the End of This Book (418)

Dean and Sam discover a series of books by “Carver Edlund” (a mash-up of writers Jeremy Carver and Ben Edlund) which chronicle their lives.  It’s the classic case of predestined destiny; even as the boys try to change the outcome, circumstances keep pulling them back on track.

“I’m sitting in a laundromat reading about myself sitting in a laundromat reading about myself.”

The first 15-minutes contain some of Supernatural‘s most humorous moments as the Winchesters confront author Chuck Shurley (Carver Edlund’s real name) and realize their lives are literally an open book.  The episode also provides an opportunity for Eric Kripke and company to poke fun at the fans, who, as Dean says “… for fans, they sure do complain a lot.”  (That comment is still true today.  Just read any episode thread at the Television Without Pity Supernatural forums.)

After that, however, the episode becomes darker.  Chuck’s most recent story has Sam meeting Lilith in a motel room.  Sam is anxious to have a showdown with the uber-demon, but Dean wants nothing more than to avoid the situation.  Dean attempts to go “off-book” while Sam and destiny thwart him at every turn.  Eventually Dean resorts to prayer (and threats) to successfully alter the outcome.

Supernatural: Agism Runs Rampant

The thing that really irks me about Supernatural is its blatant agism.  The writers constantly make unsavory jokes about the elderly.  It’s like they think they’re immune to the aging process.  They’re not.  Everyone ages.  And it’s a blessing to do so.  After all, consider the alternative.

One tuxedo…

That agism is rampant in two of this week’s three episodes, and is alluded to several times in the third.  (With that little mini-rant out of the way, let’s explore this week’s regularly scheduled reviews before we enter the blitzkrieg.)

Red Sky at Morning (306)

Considered one of Supernatural‘s worst episodes, most people blame the “ghost ship” as a lame spectral enemy.  The ship and its associated spirit weren’t the problem.  That honor goes to Bela Talbot, one of the worst conceived television characters ever.

Supernatural Blitzkrieg

Oh dear.  My initial calculations were wrong.  New calculations show that if I want to review and rate all Supernatural episodes before next year’s Supernatural March Madness, I have to watch and review five episodes per week, not three.  With new sci fi shows premiering next month, that’s a bit much for my lazy brain.

So we’ll look at the top 5 episodes (as determined by IMDB, TV.com and me) per half-season each week.  That’s 10 episodes per season.  (Season 9 episodes will be covered as they air and the top rated episodes will also be considered.)

TNT is beginning the fabulous season 4 starting tomorrow (Sep 30), so we’ll start the blitzkrieg with some excellent shows!

Sam, Dean, and their dimples approve of the new schedule.