Supernatural 8.1- DISCUSSION and POLL

[Deleted]

Wasn't a fan. Sam and Dean were so ooc. And I don't like Dean hiding the fact that a monster is loose from purgatory, and not telling Sam how he got out of purgatory. Nothing good comes from them hiding shiz from each other.

Benny calling Dean his brother also bothered me.

Vet love interest?Eww............ We've only seen her once and I'm already finding it forced...

Glad Meg is alive.

What happened to Cas? Are there any spoilers if Misha will be back? I was never a big Cas fan but I like to see him for a few episodes

[jensenRick]

Oct 4, 2012 13:24:20 GMT -5 ezpzy said:

JensenRick, Benny seemed regretful that Dean doesn't want to hang out with him, and the hug was very warm. I bet they are making fanfics about them.

Not only are they making them, I'm reading them. And they are GOOOD. I particularly like the ones that purport to explain how Benny got "inside" Dean. Hee hee hee.

I think ditching the phones is part and parcel of giving up the hunting life, so I don't have a problem with it at all. I hope Dean remember soon that he once took a year off from hunting.

[jensenRick]

Oct 4, 2012 16:22:57 GMT -5 AntiArbitrator said:

Oct 4, 2012 14:39:10 GMT -5 SoCal said:

I think we might find out in later episodes that Sam told her he had to go to his brother, otherwise, why would he have gone to the "Rufus" hideout?

I thought their reunion needed explaining. How did Dean get Sam to come there? Was Sam aware that it was Dean he was going to meet?

I can hardly wait for the coming episodes to explain everything.

I thought about that and decided Sam held onto a special personal phone that Dean knew the number to. They can't just leave us hanging like that.

Um . . . I didn't see any indication that Sam had any idea Dean would be at that cabin. Where are you seeing this?

[jensenRick]

Oct 4, 2012 23:39:50 GMT -5 @smallvillian0 said:

Benny calling Dean his brother also bothered me.

Oh everybody wants to be Dean's bro- Gordon, Cas, Benny, etc . . . never seems to work out well.

Glad Meg is alive.

Where did we see this?

[evilsquirre1]

Oct 4, 2012 20:57:48 GMT -5 AntiArbitrator said:

I forgot to mention that I asked several places what was the significance of the word "safety" in Kevin's comment to his girl when he said you've got a demon in you and you are going to a safety college. Everyone remembered Dean's expression, but only one person gave me an informed response.

"Example, Harvard and Yale are first choices. MIT is a safety school which is a damn good school but to these prodigies, is a last resort. It is ridiculous to us because we could only dream of going to MIT. And they think it is a safety net per se."

Yup that's a Type A personality for you. Which Kevin as for sure was if he didn't get Princeton then he would not have been happy. So for Kevin any other college was his safety schools because he only applied there in case Princeton didn't work out. Type A personality crack easily because of the pressure they put on themselves. I think that is why interesting to see this change with him. You take a person who is that smart and push him into a situation like this and the results are interesting. I think Crowley will always have trouble control Kevin. I just wonder why he didn't use Kevin's Mother like Dick did. However, I had the impression Kevin's Mother was also very intellgent to maybe she disappeared. Ash was a Genius but not a Type A he got bounced from MIT for fighting and seemed kind of proud about that.

[SoCal]

Oct 4, 2012 23:55:17 GMT -5 jensenRick said:

Oct 4, 2012 16:22:57 GMT -5 AntiArbitrator said:

I thought about that and decided Sam held onto a special personal phone that Dean knew the number to. They can't just leave us hanging like that.

Um . . . I didn't see any indication that Sam had any idea Dean would be at that cabin. Where are you seeing this?

I am guessing since Sam quietly packed up and left his girlfriend (and dog) and drove to the cabin. And Dean just happens to be there? And if Sam didn't have ANY idea who he was meeting, then his surprise at seeing Dean after a year was strangely muted as compared to his reaction to seeing him at the start of season 4.

Maybe he didn't think he was meeting Dean but someone else. Why else would he suddenly turn up in another state at Rufus's cabin?

Just wondering.

[AntiArbitrator]

Oct 5, 2012 11:00:58 GMT -5 SoCal said:

I am guessing since Sam quietly packed up and left his girlfriend (and dog) and drove to the cabin. And Dean just happens to be there? And if Sam didn't have ANY idea who he was meeting, then his surprise at seeing Dean after a year was strangely muted as compared to his reaction to seeing him at the start of season 4.

Your reasoning mirrors the impression I got from the scene in the cabin. He was only startled because Dean jumped out at him with the Borax. He was not shocked to see Dean, only curious as to where he had been.

[SoCal]

Oct 5, 2012 11:27:59 GMT -5 AntiArbitrator said:

Oct 5, 2012 11:00:58 GMT -5 SoCal said:

I am guessing since Sam quietly packed up and left his girlfriend (and dog) and drove to the cabin. And Dean just happens to be there? And if Sam didn't have ANY idea who he was meeting, then his surprise at seeing Dean after a year was strangely muted as compared to his reaction to seeing him at the start of season 4.

Your reasoning mirrors the impression I got from the scene in the cabin. He was only startled because Dean jumped out at him with the Borax. He was not shocked to see Dean, only curious as to where he had been.

I'm just wondering who called Sam and got him to go the the cabin? Benny, maybe? Otherwise, wouldn't he have been happier to go see his brother, the brother he thought was dead? The fact that Dean had to practically beg Sam for a hug is disturbing.

[yimhappy]

the Soap Opera scene with the dog was laughable.

That was my biggest nitpick for this episode. Sam seemed so worried that some dog would die. Sam sees people lose their children and worse every month. Sam's concern for the dog was overplayed, imho. It bugged me that the dog got more emotion than Kevin's girlfriend.

Fan reaction to Amelia seems almost all negative. I don't have any reaction because I had trouble paying attention to anything Amelia said. I knew it was about a dog and tuned out. Who cares? Get back to the demon intrigue.

It's annoying that SPN reputation for rabid, jealous fan girls hating any female love interest. It's unfair when they don't give these female love interests anything interesting to do.
Bring back Jody Mills.

[yimhappy]

How does SPN do it? For years, I'll have heard an old song occasionally, and just think it's a "nice tune". But it won't have made any impression. But then, SPN plays it and I suddenly see this song's mind-exploding awesomeness. I can't stop replaying Jethro Tull's "Locomotive Breath". Can you believe that it gets even better the more I replay it?

"Locomotive Breath" has a sense of what I loved best about the Winchesters. Even if the big bad is tearing out their guts, they're still rocking and fighting. They'll pay in blood, and will probably lose, but that bigger guy will have felt the fight of his life.
Plus, Styx's Wilderness piece was apropos too. "A year has passed..." "Is it worth it?" "weary soldier of God".



Oh the episode? Eh, not bad. Maybe a bit of a let down after that rocking music. Definitely more interesting mysteries than S7. Also, better grounded than S6.

Sam not searching wasn't half as bad as I feared. There's even a sense of mystery about it. Sam didn't in fact say anything when Dean asked him point blank if Sam searched for him. Going to the cabin, being watched, gradually revealed flashbacks, all these point to there being more to Sam's decision than first appears.

I'm glad for it, since Sam asked great questions I welcomed. Why is it always OUR responsibility? Is free will only for you? And also, the key question for the episode - why should we undertake this quest? Someone needs to balance out Dean and relate to Kevin. (BTW, I agree with Laura Prudom that Kevin is a great way to take us back to S1 when hunting was new)

Plus, it is all kinds of fucked up if Purgatory was a place of purity and peace for Dean. I have no words. It is disturbing as hell, but believable character development. A fitting question for the series maybe, since Purgatory could be a metaphor for the extremes of a life spent hunting. The price of becoming an ultimate BAMF? Dean's arc seems like the "run away train" in the opening music.

[AntiArbitrator]

I have always enjoyed the small stuff that is included in each episode.

In the beginning, the young couple is in a tent 12 miles from the road. The girl hears something and she wakes Will up and tells him to go out there and do something. He wanted to know what he was supposed to do. When he did what she told him anyway, I had to laugh. Anyone remember Wendigo?

In that camping scene, they tried to make Dean look as dirty and beat up as possible, but he still looked handsome.

Chau was shocked that Mark Sheppard was the one who recognized him out of thousands of people at a convention in spite of his hair cut. I notice Crowley commented about the hair cut when he greeted Kevin.

When Kevin complained that it was hot in there, Crowley said "Our mistake", then motioned to the demon to increase the temperature.

The comment Dean made to the demon that he beat up. He called him "Spanky, the one who uses too much teeth."

Crowley's "What's-the-point-U". I guess he's not impressed with higher education.

Crowley's "Who writes your stuff, a marshmallow?"

Played in season 2

---

---

I had to research the "I'm not gay" comment:

Sam: You know, it gets better
.
Kevin: You know I'm not gay, right?

This is a reference to the campaign in support of LGBT Youth "It Gets Better." The campaign was created in response to a number of students taking their own lives after being bullied in school in September 2010.

[jensenRick]

Oct 5, 2012 11:27:59 GMT -5 AntiArbitrator said:

Oct 5, 2012 11:00:58 GMT -5 SoCal said:

I am guessing since Sam quietly packed up and left his girlfriend (and dog) and drove to the cabin. And Dean just happens to be there? And if Sam didn't have ANY idea who he was meeting, then his surprise at seeing Dean after a year was strangely muted as compared to his reaction to seeing him at the start of season 4.

Your reasoning mirrors the impression I got from the scene in the cabin. He was only startled because Dean jumped out at him with the Borax. He was not shocked to see Dean, only curious as to where he had been.

Well, mileage varies, I guess. I didn't get that impression at all.
I figured Sam ended up at Rufus's cabin, because he had no where else to go after leaving Amelia behind. That makes more sense to me than some unknown, unseen phone call from who-knows-who.

[AntiArbitrator]

Oct 7, 2012 22:59:41 GMT -5 jensenRick said:

Oct 5, 2012 11:27:59 GMT -5 AntiArbitrator said:

Your reasoning mirrors the impression I got from the scene in the cabin. He was only startled because Dean jumped out at him with the Borax. He was not shocked to see Dean, only curious as to where he had been.

Well, mileage varies, I guess. I didn't get that impression at all.
I figured Sam ended up at Rufus's cabin, because he had no where else to go after leaving Amelia behind. That makes more sense to me than some unknown, unseen phone call from who-knows-who.

I thought Sam got a phone message from Dean because Dean said "You know that half your numbers are out of service? Felt like I was leaving messages in the wind." I did not get the impression Sam ditched all of the phones. And that would have been the logical moment to reveal if some other source was involved in Sam coming to the cabin.

[jensenRick]

Oct 7, 2012 23:28:50 GMT -5 AntiArbitrator said:

I thought Sam got a phone message from Dean because Dean said "You know that half your numbers are out of service? Felt like I was leaving messages in the wind."

To which Sam replies, "I didn't get any of your messages." Why would he say that if he had actually heard from Dean?
Plus the place was stocked with dinner supplies and beer, so obviously this wasn't the first time Sam had gone there. He probably was there frequently.

[jensenRick]

Oct 6, 2012 13:09:45 GMT -5 yimhappy said:

I'm glad for it, since Sam asked great questions I welcomed. Why is it always OUR responsibility? Is free will only for you? And also, the key question for the episode - why should we undertake this quest? Someone needs to balance out Dean and relate to Kevin. (BTW, I agree with Laura Prudom that Kevin is a great way to take us back to S1 when hunting was new).

I agree, I think those are all great questions, and I like the direction the new season has taken us.

As for the vet's office flashback, I do think that was important to establish why Sam had given up. It hurts me to even think it, because I've always thought of Sam as so strong, but he is only human, and there is just so much one human being can take.

I think that's why we had the scene of Sam flipping out in the vet's office. He's lost everyone, left hunting behind to just drive and WHAM, here comes this dog- another tragedy that's Sam's fault, more blood spilled by his hand. He just can't get a break. Remember when he says, "I did this."? I think Show is illustrating the moment when Sam hit rock bottom.

It's even been speculated by some friends that Sam might be hiding something from Dean- that Sam tries to commit suicide around this time, and Amelia is the one who stops him and nurses him back to health, physically and mentally. It's a theory, not sure if I go for it, but I see it's merits.

[Aeryn]

Oct 4, 2012 21:04:03 GMT -5 lala2 said:

Apr 11, 1974 13:16:01 GMT -5 Aeryn said:

I watched the rest of it this morning, and I was even more bored than I was last night.

Sam and Dean's reunion felt uncomfortable and awkward. And seriously, I didn't feel any brotherly connection between them. Not at all. The rest of the episode bored me beyond words. It was a chore to sit still longer than five minutes.

For the first time since I've been watching this show, I felt like I was observing "actors" reading lines. Period.

There is no way a ninth season will happen. This show has run it's course.

Jared's hair looked great. That's the only positive for me.

Haha! Jared's hair was gorgeous - so full and healthy.

You know I have always thought shows have a shelf life, and at one time, I thought Supernatural was going to prove me wrong. I though it would never have a less than stellar sason and then Season 5 came along. Season 6 redeemed the show in my eyes, but then there was the train wreck that was Season 7.

I just don't know. I think the show may be running out of steam and ideas. The story may be coming to it's natural conclusion.

I love Jared's hair. And he's so wonderfully tall, with muscular arms.

I used to say that S6 was the worst thing ever, but then The French Mistake and Clap Your Hands If You Believe changed my mind.

However, S7 is definitely the worst. There's not even one episode worth mentioning.

And I still think Swan Song should have been the series finale (which intially was Eric's plan in the first place).

No matter how great a series is, eventually you run out of fresh ideas...no matter how wonderful a writer might be.

[evilsquirre1]

Oct 6, 2012 13:07:18 GMT -5 yimhappy said:

the Soap Opera scene with the dog was laughable.

That was my biggest nitpick for this episode. Sam seemed so worried that some dog would die. Sam sees people lose their children and worse every month. Sam's concern for the dog was overplayed, imho. It bugged me that the dog got more emotion than Kevin's girlfriend.

Fan reaction to Amelia seems almost all negative. I don't have any reaction because I had trouble paying attention to anything Amelia said. I knew it was about a dog and tuned out. Who cares? Get back to the demon intrigue.

It's annoying that SPN reputation for rabid, jealous fan girls hating any female love interest. It's unfair when they don't give these female love interests anything interesting to do.
Bring back Jody Mills.

The fans might not be so rabid if a single one of the love interests had any personability. Not the actors fault it's the way they are written. There was no depth at all to Lisa or Ben. They were plain. Ben didn't even have fear of his attack as a child. Had we seen even that with Lisa comforting him maybe we would have felt a connect to them.

This new chick Amelia comes on and the first thing she does is blame Sam for hitting the dog. What did she think Sam rolled onto the sidewalk to hit the dog. I do totally agreed the dog scene was way overplayed and sucked. To me the only interesting love interest for either of the boys was Madison and they killed her off pretty fast.

[evilsquirre1]

Oct 8, 2012 9:28:21 GMT -5 evilsquirre1 said:

Oct 6, 2012 13:07:18 GMT -5 yimhappy said:

That was my biggest nitpick for this episode. Sam seemed so worried that some dog would die. Sam sees people lose their children and worse every month. Sam's concern for the dog was overplayed, imho. It bugged me that the dog got more emotion than Kevin's girlfriend.

Fan reaction to Amelia seems almost all negative. I don't have any reaction because I had trouble paying attention to anything Amelia said. I knew it was about a dog and tuned out. Who cares? Get back to the demon intrigue.

It's annoying that SPN reputation for rabid, jealous fan girls hating any female love interest. It's unfair when they don't give these female love interests anything interesting to do.
Bring back Jody Mills.

The fans might not be so rabid if a single one of the love interests had any personability. Not the actors fault it's the way they are written. There was no depth at all to Lisa or Ben. They were plain. Ben didn't even have fear of his attack as a child. Had we seen even that with Lisa comforting him maybe we would have felt a connect to them.

This new chick Amelia comes on and the first thing she does is blame Sam for hitting the dog. What did she think Sam rolled onto the sidewalk to hit the dog. I do totally agreed the dog scene was way overplayed and sucked. To me the only interesting love interest for either of the boys was Madison and they killed her off pretty fast.

I don't mind long hair at all as long as it has shape. Right now Sam's hair is pretty shapless and is hanging all over the place expect in the back where it's flipping up like a bad 70s sitcom.
I might have to start calling his Mary since his hair looks like Mary Tyler Moore.

[AntiArbitrator]

Oct 7, 2012 23:35:46 GMT -5 jensenRick said:

Oct 7, 2012 23:28:50 GMT -5 AntiArbitrator said:

I thought Sam got a phone message from Dean because Dean said "You know that half your numbers are out of service? Felt like I was leaving messages in the wind."

To which Sam replies, "I didn't get any of your messages." Why would he say that if he had actually heard from Dean?
Plus the place was stocked with dinner supplies and beer, so obviously this wasn't the first time Sam had gone there. He probably was there frequently.

jensenRick - You have whipped me into submission, and I am now convinced Sam had not been in communication with Dean at all. Please be patient with older folks like me because we have a hearing problem - it's called "selective listening".

Heck, for all I know, Sam and Amelia might not have been living together. I know nothing, but I have no problem talking about something I know nothing about.

[yimhappy]

Oct 7, 2012 1:52:39 GMT -5 AntiArbitrator said:

When Kevin complained that it was hot in there, Crowley said "Our mistake", then motioned to the demon to increase the temperature.

The comment Dean made to the demon that he beat up. He called him "Spanky, the one who uses too much teeth."

Crowley's "What's-the-point-U". I guess he's not impressed with higher education.

Crowley's "Who writes your stuff, a marshmallow?"

Played in season 2

---

---

I had to research the "I'm not gay" comment:

Sam: You know, it gets better
.
Kevin: You know I'm not gay, right?

This is a reference to the campaign in support of LGBT Youth "It Gets Better." The campaign was created in response to a number of students taking their own lives after being bullied in school in September 2010.

Crowley is awesome. I'm glad he lasted a few seasons.

[jensenRick]

Oct 8, 2012 12:12:42 GMT -5 AntiArbitrator said:

jensenRick - You have whipped me into submission, and I am now convinced Sam had not been in communication with Dean at all. Please be patient with older folks like me because we have a hearing problem - it's called "selective listening".

Heck, for all I know, Sam and Amelia might not have been living together. I know nothing, but I have no problem talking about something I know nothing about.

Oh, I wouldn't want to whip anyone, and I doubt you are older than me. I'm 46!

As for Amelia, I'm withholding judgement on her until I hear more. When I hear Sam say, "I found something Dean. Something I never had before, in my whole life," I can't help wanting to hear more about her, what she did to help Sam with this grief and loss, and maybe hold out a hope that Sam might reconsider and get back together with her.

[Aeryn]

Ty Olsson (Benny) was also in Battlestar Galactica and X-Men 2!! I knew I recognized him from somewhere.

That doesn't mean I'm going to watch S8, though.

[SoCal]

Oct 10, 2012 8:51:09 GMT -5 Aeryn said:

Ty Olsson (Benny) was also in Battlestar Galactica and X-Men 2!! I knew I recognized him from somewhere.

That doesn't mean I'm going to watch S8, though.

I bet you will! If only to bitch about it!

[Aeryn]

Okay...maybe you're right.

[SoCal]

......and to get your fill of Jared's flowing locks!

[evilsquirre1]

Oct 10, 2012 10:08:43 GMT -5 SoCal said:

......and to get your fill of Jared's flowing locks!

Should we start calling him cousin it. I'm going to Con next year should I bring my scissors? I bet the security guards won't let me cut his hair. But that would be awesome. I could sell his hair on E-bay and retire off the proceeds from Jared fan girls.

[yimhappy]

I'm totally on-board with Amelia if she gets Sam to take off his shirt.

[LoveMyBoys]

Watching the rebroadcast tonight, I just noticed a subtle change that was made during the episode's editing. When Dean is talking to Sam about closing the gates of Hell forever and banishing every demon off the face of the Earth, he specifies getting rid of those that killed mom and killed Jess. The camera angle when he says the Jess part of the line is from behind, over his right shoulder, and it seems pretty clear that his mouth/jaw movements don't match up. I think he actually said something else but they dubbed in a Jess reference after the fact. I wonder what he said originally?

[SoCal]

I didn't notice it. Must have been pretty subtle. And he might not have been saying something else, but the continuity was off.

I liked the episode better this time. I got what Dean meant when he said about Cas in Purgatory, "...he just let go." And I think Sam left Amelia because her husband was alive and he didn't want to come between them. Still don't care for her, though.