A Sashurai’s Review: Supernatural – Season 11×23 (Sorry Dean, The Flash beat you to it and saved his mother last night)

 

SUMMARY

Sam and Dean recover from Amara’s attack but find that Chuck (God) is slowly dying. The sun’s light begins to dissolve as the brothers, Rowena, Crowley, Castiel (sans Lucifer) and Chuck return to HQ. Dean accepts their predicament but Sam refuses to give in, leading to a plan to kill Amara by detonating a soul-bomb in her presence. Sam and Dean go to an abandoned asylum and collect the souls there as Billie, the reaper follows them. Amara, meanwhile, ponders what her vengeance is costing her while listening to an elderly woman speak about her family situation. Billie shows up at HQ and offers the souls they need to fill the bomb which Rowena fuses into Dean, who has to confront Amara and sacrifice himself to destroy her. He says his goodbyes and confronts Amara but finds she’s remorseful over her actions. He convinces her to summon God and together they forgive each other. She heals God and the two reconcile making plans to leave Earth for the time being. Amara thanks Dean and offers to give him something he’s wanted. Meanwhile, a woman of letters from England, Lady Antonia Bevell is sent by a regal group of Men of Letters to apprehend the Winchesters. Sam returns home believing Dean is dead and is confronted by Antonia who banishes Castiel with a warding spell. Sam approaches her believing she won’t him, but is wrong as Antonia fires her gun. Elsewhere, Dean attempts to find where he is within a forest clearing and finds his mother, Mary alive.

 

INITIAL THOUGHTS

This is not the reboot I was looking for. In some astute yet cliché manners, Supernatural closes its chapter on the biggest possible story it could have told and leaves us with interesting yet bland cliffhangers that will set the stage for the inevitable 12th season later this fall. The sacred nature of dead characters finds a small loophole here as Sam and Dean’s mother has been brought back as a thank you from the Darkness. It hangs on Dean’s ghastly confusion as he wraps his mind on the prospect of seeing his mother again while we understandably eye roll at Sam’s fate, because clearly, she shot him either in the shoulder or around him to make a point. This finale gave us a bit of the fairytale approach by sticking to their explanation that if God had died, creation would have went with him. While I wanted more risk and sacrifice to own this episode, I understand the need to maintain the balance and allow for everyone to survive because any major deaths would have had a horrific effect in the following season. At least we know Lucifer is somewhere out there, hopefully recreating the horsemen as we speak.

 

THE GOOD

Supernatural knows how to hit homeruns with their themes. Family, obligation, reconciliation, and most of all understanding play their parts here tonight and followed through with a fashionable design that showed human qualities are an extension of all beings light or dark. Dean nailed the truth when he told her that revenge feels good for about 5 minutes. He’s the go to when the truth needs to be rushed and heard in that short amount of time because he’s the master of summing up eternity’s irrational behavior and humanity’s on-going hiccups with its contradictory existence. The message of enduring and forgiving remain the same and no one spells it out better than Dean Winchester.

 

THE BAD

There was something awkward and rushed about this ending, almost as though the writers had built a rock-solid foundation for the season but weren’t sure if ending the existence of the two more powerful beings would sell well enough to be topped by a future season. The answer was no, and thus God and Amara held hands and returned to the stars to work out their wondrous sibling relationship. Chuck’s fallible nature suggests that he never really had to lock Amara away to begin with, he just made a bad call by not explaining creation well enough to his sister so that she wouldn’t flip out and destroy it. What we got was the same exact conversation God had with Lucifer prior to the finale. And the same result was applied making this finale feel like a bit of a rerun.

 

Antonia (Valerie from TVD) also was shoe-horned in to make some semblance of a plot for season 12 giving us some “Watcher’s Council” in England that head up a different chapter of the Men of Letters, who have seen fit to send what I can only guess is their top performer to apprehend the brothers and I assume brought before them. The Men of Letters had an interesting history but most of their storylines have been told now that I don’t need to nor want to see how they’ve been operating in present day conditions. The idea that they’d send one of their own in conceivably the end times is absolutely ridiculous but in the off-chance the world didn’t survive what would it have mattered? They could have presented this episode without her presence and I think it would have been better off.

 

FAVORITE MOMENT

I really enjoyed Amara’s reactions in this episode as she tried hard to understand the feelings that were plaguing her after the fact. Dean scenes with her really capitalized on that front and I think she sold her feelings rather well given her state of mind. From her perspective, omnipotent as she may be, human-like qualities can effect them just the same. She understands beauty and is able to build on that remorse she felt to allow creation to continue. Maybe it was an easy fix, but I just liked her reactions to Dean summary of what she was doing would cost her. Bravo, Emily.

 

CHARACTER MVP

As per usual, Dean was very much the central figure in staving off the apocalypse, but is willingness to once again put himself on the path of certain death gives him the golden ticket to the MVP slot. It can’t be easy to come up with reasons not to let God die while a soul-bomb is emanating from inside him, something that I wish was more unstable than it turned out to be. But nevertheless, he accomplished the alternate goal that helped save humanity and furthermore, his goodbyes to Sam was every bit as emotional as any other time they’re forced to do a scene like that. “You know the drill” indeed.

 

ENDING THOUGHTS

While the theories will skyrocket over what Amara actually did, we can see that Mary is wearing the same nightgown that she had on in the pilot episode right before old Yellow Eyes killed her, which means it’s entirely plausible she was taken out of time and brought to the present. But since that would really mess the timeline up, I’m guessing she somehow manifested Mary back to life and that included the last thing she was wearing. God-like characters have no respect for the timeline it seems. But in all fairness, the continuity is appreciated if mind-boggling at the moment.

 

This also makes for some seriously awkward and hilarious segments for season 12 because if Mary knew half of the things Dean was into, well let’s hope Dean learns a new shade of red on his face.

 

I was particularly sad that Crowley and Rowena had no resolution, even if it was fake, I would have been fine with it. The two operate on an understanding of hate and loatheness, but while Rowena can be charming when needed, Crowley acts more bored and ego-centric, thus his nature to dispel with any family forgiveness is simply out of the question.

 

Something else which irks me about writers is why wouldn’t Amara sensibly bring back both of Sam and Dean’s parents? I understand JDM has more than moved on from the show and becoming more movie-centric, but ideally, wouldn’t it make more sense if both their mother and father were returned, unharmed? Or is it more psycho-analytical as Amara could have peered deep into Dean’s psyche earlier on and understood that Dean made his peace with his dad dying but never with his mother? Who knows.

 

Will Lucifer return as a villain, or has he moved on from destroying the world? This is a tough question to answer as Lucifer should by all rights become his own man, for lack of a better term. I could see him actually helping Sam and Dean in a pinch, but at the end of the day, he’s still the embodiment of the human need to be sinful and evil. There should be some resolution with his character next season, not immediate, but something. I refuse to believe that Amara simply wiped him from existence.

 

OVERALL SCORE

7 out of 10. I’m not as impressed as I thought I would be as the storyline became less and less personable. Amara too easily gave into the human qualities of remorse, and more than certainly retracted her destructive ways all from understanding what Chuck was trying to do. The soul bomb was a good enough idea but I couldn’t help but remember my escapades in Skyrim, filling soul crystals from monsters I vanquished. Billie is and remains a boring and underdeveloped minor character who apparently is the only reaper left in the world since no one else came to their aid toward the end. The cliffhangers were hit and miss with the English Antonia the latter, making us groan into thinking Sam is in any real danger. Mary’s return may or may not be permanent depending on how they want to formulate season 12, but I do like the idea of her interacting with her sons as they are now. What’s important to take away from this is that the show goes on and it will continue to endure and embrace its multi-faceted stories while keeping its core themes forever intact and alive. Overall, not a bad season. It shined much brighter than season 7 and 9 for certain and without the doubt, there is certainly enough gas to push the Impala into the next state of being, whatever that may be. Just don’t turn their car into a Transformer, that will definitely be jumping the shark. Until then, thanks for reading.

 

 

No more words

A Sashurai’s Review: Supernatural – Season 11×22 (The Devil locked himself in Sam’s room to defy God. Yeah, let that one sink in)

 

SUMMARY

Sam and Dean convince Lucifer and God to sit down and talk their differences out leading to an honest conversation with how God treated the situation and inevitably apologizes to his son. With Lucifer on board, the team form a plan that includes the combined power of the angels, Crowley, his demons, Rowena, and a team of witches to combat Amara. Meanwhile, Amara finds Donatello and swallows his soul to gain the location of HQ. Rowena leads Amara from HQ to an abandoned facility as the fight begins. Rowena and the witches use their magic to shock Amara as the angels cast another pillar of light, followed by a maelstrom of demons led by Crowley. Weakened but still on her feet, Amara bursts through the doors and confronts God but is stabbed in the back by a spear artifact from Lucifer. Amara, unable to reconcile explains that God needed to feel powerful by creating lesser beings as he and Amara had no basis for comparison at the beginning of time. God explains the need for creation but laments that he must put Amara away again. He begins transferring the mark from Amara to Sam who volunteered to take it against Dean’s wishes. Unwilling to return, Amara breaks the transfer and uses her darkness to fatally injure God and Lucifer. Sam and Dean watch as Amara tells them God is dying and will watch his world turn to ash. Rowena wakes to a dawn but fears the worst is yet to come.

 

INITIAL THOUGHTS

Yeah, that’s probably how it really would go down. Points for effort as the Winchesters almost took down the Darkness but fell short due to her absolute hatred for going back to the cage. Though a mixed bag of therapy, wickedness, and a sense of desperation, Supernatural does pull out all the stops and produced a quintessential penultimate episode pitting the lord of light and his worldly creations against a sister who couldn’t make sense of a primordial’s process for making things. There are inescapable moments where one just has to accept how far the show has come with it’s storytelling but the results do speak for themselves. Never too cheap to make fun of itself, “We Happy Few” targets the fight into a all for one plight to save existence that’s very effects heavy, but somehow drapes over the Winchester’s brotherly concern of self-sacrifice and leaves it to the drama that God, his son, and his sister bring to the forefront.

 

THE GOOD

The show really does know how to keep the themes of family and holding through the hard time over the last 11 years, now we see that relationship extend to the very fabric of god-like characters, far beyond how any Greek or Roman style would do it. Some of it based on misunderstanding, a lot on not communicating, and certainly a bit of blame-shifting and self-torturing, but here we get the best and worst of what Supernatural’s drama really boils down to and that’s you have to love your flaws. Sometimes those flaws are in ourselves and sometimes it’s what we recognize in other people, but in the case of Lucifer, God, and Amara, there’s little to no acceptance of those flaws within the family and everything is torn asunder because of it. Whether it’s ego, a danger to one’s self, or simply a case of disappointment, all the same earth-like choices are made and humankind suffers immensely for it. The point is, they focused on all the right details to get God, Amara, and Lucifer in a position to speak about what they went through and how they felt and how God is at the center of their problems one way or another. How they deal with them makes Sam and Dean reminisce like the old days when their father led them through a life of hunting. Still, they are telling the right story here, and that’s what’s important.

 

THE BAD

Notwithstanding the great scenes that he was involved in, it’s been entirely too difficult seeing Lucifer run around as a team player. The writers had to come down on one side of the fence or the other and in the end they chose to give Lucifer a genuine moment with his father which led to a new understanding the acceptance of the situation. It’s bold because the devil isn’t supposed to do the right thing, he’s not supposed to get on board with team good-guys and be part of the solution, the architecture of the devil just isn’t designed that way. So while I respect the decision, I find myself wishing he crossed his fingers and chose a different path because generally Lucifer represents the embodiment of free will, a collection of chaos that rebels against what’s “supposed” to happen with existence. Anyone can argue that he plays his part and in the grand scheme of things this Lucifer has daddy issues like so many other types of characters big or small, but it’s also hard to see the Lucifer we essentially feared from season 5 reduced to this snarky entity who just wanted an apology from the World’s Greatest Dad. It’s a personal gripe, but I liked Lucifer when he was more menacing, not to discredit Misha for continually playing the part because he’s excellent at it.

 

FAVORITE MOMENT

The entire showdown with all the main players. Amara took the brunt hits from everyone and still managed to come out ontop. Granted, if Lucifer had struck that second blow, it might have been truly over for her, but that’s not the story here. The Archangels were the stuff of legends and witches, demons, and angels simply weren’t enough to stop her completely. Great show of effort through especially when Crowley through his essence into her. Though she hit a car. Granted she’s nearly invulnerable, but for some reason when you get knocked into a car, something always translates to “Damn, that hurt” no matter who you are.

 

CHARACTER MVP

Chuck and Lucifer played a real dual purpose here and both deserve a lot of credit for having “that talk” especially without the presence of Sam and Dean. That was the important element was these two old characters got to have an honest conversation about their choices and Chuck gave Lucifer that apology he needed to hear. Amazing how a few words can go a long way even when it involves the Lord of Lies. It should stand out as an epic moment because of the meaning behind it. Great scene by both actors.

 

ENDING THOUGHTS

My first thought when Rowena stood up at dawn was that it was Lucifer in her body, shortly after he was expelled from Castiel. I doubt that’s what really happened, but it’s a twisted thought and a means to keep Lucifer on the show unless he really was snuffed out by Amara’s power. Shame.

 

The only thing wrong with the fight against Amara was how little God actually took part in it. She’s still on a surface level in the form of a human and forms can be disrupted by any number of elements namely crazy physics and mental distractions. God did nothing but stand there and watch his “free will” army battle his sister. Just seemed off that he wasn’t willing or possibly capable of lending a hand to the fight itself. Not even an epic beam battle? Come on!

 

And wouldn’t you know, they glossed right over the “Michael can’t handle it in his current condition” excuse. I mean really, they’ve pulled out all the other stops that they just refuse to bring Adam back in any capacity? It’s strange that the half-brother dynamic was so ill-received that they just won’t touch that character ever again.

 

Too bad Donatello had but a few fleeting moments before he was taken out. Makes you wonder why bother with a prophet to begin with. Not much of a prophet if he didn’t see Amara coming. At least he refused to give in to the end, which was within 20 seconds.

 

Playing Dean up with his reluctance to kill her was a good seed to plant for the finale as it was always meant to be about him and Amara. He’ll be given that one golden chance to take her out or succumb to her will. Either way, it’s painfully obvious God and Amara will be inextricably removed from the creation equation by next week’s end. I’m still hoping for that soft reboot to the series, but who knows how it will go down. There have been some stories (comic related) that have done this, ironically, a comic called “The Darkness” and “Spawn” where the world was more or less rewritten by the main character as sort of a new-god type scenario after several years of plots that led to epic worldly disaster. Supernatural is in a really good position to do the same thing. I’d buy into it.

 

OVERALL SCORE

8 out of 10. Family drama was a key factor in joining the most powerful beings in existence. Some found common ground while the other remained resistant and came out the stronger entity. What stood out in this episode was a structure of therapy and diversion coupled with a rough and rugged attempt to ally and be rid of the stronger threat. There’s a soft symmetry in how the Winchesters can relate to the problems of these unearthly characters which gives them the unique perspective of being able to discuss and give advice on the problems they’re intimately familiar with. That’s always been the heart of the show for these two regardless of the squabbles they go through each season. The power of Amara has proven to be too great and she still wishes the destruction of mankind and creation as a whole. Dean will do what he has to, but for his sake, it better be a choice he understands and not one he makes for the betterment of the planet. If only he had one more conversation with Death himself, but that’d be asking for too much. Very fun episode to watch and I look forward to how the finale will shape the rest of this universe. Thanks for reading.

 

 

No more words

A Sashurai’s Review: Supernatural – Season 11×21 (You just brought the devil home to roost)

 

SUMMARY

Chuck (God) returns with the Winchesters back to HQ to discuss his involvement and absence as of late. Meanwhile, Amara’s fog consumes another city with the only survivor an atheist named Donatello who became activated as the next prophet. Sam and Dean recover the new prophet as Metatron seeks an audience with the brothers. At a bar, Metatron tells them that in God’s autobiography, he writes that he’ll give himself up as a sacrifice to Amara to spare his creations. Dean tries to persuade God otherwise while the team attempt to find Amara to break Lucifer from her grasp. Dean lures Amara out of hiding after receiving numerous messages to see him as Sam, Metatron, and Donatello find Amara’s hideout. They free Lucifer just when Amara uncovers the diversion. Metatron stays behind to distract Amara but loses his life in the process. When Amara is about to destroy Sam, Lucifer, and Donatello, God transports them back to HQ. God then heals Lucifer’s wounds and Donatello returns home, knowing he’ll likely be called on again. Dean reveals to Sam that Amara intends to make Dean a part of her in literal fashion.

 

INITIAL THOUGHTS

In a coming stages of a grand scope war with only the kings and knights remaining, the countdown to the rewritten word has begun. And though the clues may not be crazy visible, it appears one way or another, God and Amara will probably either stalemate each other into oblivion, or find a way to undo both entities leaving the world alone once more yet for all time. The theme does rival a few other stories that deal with what it means to detach from parental coverage. One particular comes to mind in which characters from the Babylon 5 series dealt with similar circumstances where beings of immense power wanted to control the fate of all mortal entities, yet here it’s much more closer to home as God himself is subject to the same case of being “over it” as any human would be when they’re simply done. In a way, God is like a programmer, he’s set up the gaming server and the MMO has reached levels of untold craziness and now the server is either going to EA or getting shutdown. Analogies are fun. Great follow up to last week’s discover of God’s whereabouts, but let’s dive into the thick of it.

 

THE GOOD

Once more we’re given very humanizing concepts that God is portraying, the doubt, the parent that’s through enabling his children and of course, the odd case of the munchies. It gives something for Sam and Dean to work with, mostly Dean because he’s the one person who will face Chuck without feeling too intimidated after the initial introduction wore off. Again, this Chuck isn’t omniscient or he’s really good at hiding it and he’s fallible enough that when Dean called him out on justifying his actions, there’s still emotional baggage with that. They’re sticking with Chuck as an inherently good person even though he’s willing to let humans die under Amara’s dark influence, but that doesn’t mean he’s going to shut down completely. In fact, the most interesting moment was when he and Lucifer finally saw each other and had a very candid moment on expressing how changed they look. Good times.

 

Metatron’s sacrifice to help Sam and the others was utterly futile, but the point was to showcase that even though Metatron had a villainous role in the past, he more than made up for it even so far as to tell Amara that he “God” meant well, but now he’s little more than evaporation. I wasn’t expecting his departure this soon, but it was a fitting end to give Sam and Lucifer those extra few seconds of driving time.

 

THE BAD

The inclusion of a new prophet seemed oddly out of place. I’m fine with the actor they chose, Mr. Keith Szarabajka who has been in such roles as Holtz in Angel, the voice of the Crowfather in Darksiders II, and many other roles. I think it was necessary to show how powerful Amara was at staying hidden from even God though a character like a prophet could find her hidden location. Again, it wasn’t necessarily lazy writing, just a tool they didn’t really need to insert to get the point across that Amara was equal in God’s power. For a moment, I thought his calling through Amara’s fog was some plan to create an anti-prophet or an anti-scribe that Amara could use like God did with Metatron. That would have been interesting.

 

FAVORITE MOMENT

When Chuck, Sam and Dean had their first sit down at HQ. It was important that they get this seen out of the way first since the million questions would come rolling out, most importantly, why weren’t you there for the others and why did you leave, kind of stuff. What impressed me was how simple Chuck made it sound from his perspective that helping didn’t change anything, and that’s such a great point add in this particular universe and more when he chose to stop enabling by helping and being the parent who let the kids grow up. Sometimes that’s not the best analogy, but it works in this case, because free will may still come with the option of being saved when you’re in a pinch, but they don’t dabble in the object of servitude which is gets more into the territory of historical violent acts and freedom of choice in general. Sam, Dean, and Chuck kept it simple and it was fine how they chatted about it.

 

CHARACTER MVP

Chuck is still owning his scenes and rightly so. He’s not overdoing it with a sense of macho attitude and only stepping in when the moment gets desperate. He’s letting the players still work out their move sets but isn’t offering real guidance that they might have expected. Still, Sam and Dean do what they have to and Chuck is there as very much a wildcard in this mess. He’s willing to let himself be taken by Amara, but hopefully it won’t come to that. Now he gets to interact with Lucifer which could be an episode all by itself, something I’m hoping they entertain the possibility of even though there’s only two episodes left.

 

ENDING THOUGHTS

They still make mention of Lucifer playing a part in Amara’s capture, yet God initially denies it because of either disappointment or resentment toward his “son.” I wonder if there’s anything more to pull from this because clearly Lucifer had power back then but what exactly did he do to help? What could an angel have done that would have put Amara in that cage so long ago? It’d be nice to find that little specific point out.

 

I can’t help but remember Death’s comment once more that he said “God will die too” when speaking to Dean. It’s times like this I wish he’d return to insert his position into this sibling fight. I wanted Death to have such a monumental role as the one being who could slew anyone in existence, but it’s more about the message now than anything and that alone is what’s convincing me that this season will end in Chuck’s true death.

 

The cameo with Kevin was very out of nowhere. I’m glad he got the chance to ascend like Bobbi did a few seasons ago, but that was still strange. Was his ghost just hanging out HQ the entire time? Did he need to be let go that way in order for Donatello to be called as a prophet? And he didn’t even ask about his mom.

 

Of course Chuck has to make the porn joke on behalf of Dean and his computer that seems to be full of it. Logistically, either Chuck sat down and snooped through the laptop before deciding on watching shuffleboard or it was clearly the only thing running when he took it over. Either way, God knows Dean, God knows.

 

I’m hoping Crowley gets to come back and have one last dance in this battle between good and evil, he deserves to be a part of it, so does Rowena.

 

 

OVERALL SCORE

8 out of 10. Season 11 is keeping up a great pace, something that keeps you guessing on how it’s all going to end, and with Lucifer back on the side of the Winchesters, there’s no telling how trustworthy he can be, but a lot will likely depend on how he and Chuck interact moving forward. This episode was about getting to know Chuck a little more this time for the Winchesters to understand. Sam accepts everything as it’s presented to him and Dean of course questions everything especially when he sees Chuck is willing to give up everything. This is the kind of writing we’re finally getting to after all these years of filler seasons and that pesky civil war between angels and demons. It circumvents everything before, but that’s kind of the point. An ending is coming and hopefully a reboot that shows this show still has gas in the tank. Many stories have rebooted the universe in their arcs, I don’t see why this should be any different. Thanks for reading.

 

 

No more words

A Sashurai’s Review: Supernatural – Season 11×20 (Funny, he doesn’t look like Alanis Morissette, but he does sing)

 

SUMMARY

At the end of his rope, Metatron is summoned to a bar where he finds Chuck who reveals to him that he’s God. Elated at first, Metatron helps God proofread an autobiography which goes through a massive edit after several criticisms. During that time, Metatron confronts God on why he abandoned everyone and even calls him a coward for doing so. God lashes out but soon comes to a conclusion as he finishes his new draft. Meanwhile, Sam and Dean follow Amara’s destructive path to Idaho where the darkness fog inhabits the townsfolk there. As Sam becomes infected, Dean is immune but refuses to leave his brother’s side. As they are surrounded by the infected, the fog suddenly clears and everyone who was infected or died by Amara’s influence is returned to normal. Sam and Dean discover the amulet that activates in God’s presence is shining bright. They find Chuck outside as he announces they need to “talk.”

 

INITIAL THOUGHTS

When creating a human version of the most powerful character in the existence of human-kind, a writer has to tone down one of two things, Omniscience, or Omnipotence. In the case of Chuck, it’s Omniscience with a hint of Omnipotence and that makes Supernatural’s God a fallible mess. That’s good though as it humanizes the concept and makes him undoubtedly relatable, but what’s important to the story is that after 11 years, Sam and Dean now will understand who they’ve been trying to find and what he’s all about. This episode is very much part meta and part mist with no direct connection between the two until the end when God finally decides to intervene against Amara’s destructive wave. It pokes fun at the show’s concept multiple times but finds itself cornered on every default cliché topic when someone confronts the Almighty. Luckily, they chose the right guy because Dean would have come out the gate by calling God a coward, but we’ll get to that down the line. As unpopular as it may sound, I’d want the show to end on this season considering there’s no more up to go, unless you tackle the paradox of where did these ungodly siblings come from?

 

THE GOOD

The interaction between Metatron and Chuck was spot on. The laid-back humorous Chuck prances back and forth between non-chalant, and “choose-your-words-carefully” that makes him rather unpredictable in his “not-quite-all-knowing” personality. Is it all rib though? Is he still method acting the part of how a human would if it “believed” it was god? Who knows. What stands out is Metatron’s focus on the “why’s” and Chuck’s avoidance through many topics including his sister and what he really wants to discuss. Finally past the desperation, Metatron serves of much more surgical purpose in helping God redraft his autobiography which he feels needs truth rather than fluff. While the ending is hidden from us, one can possibly extrapolate many scenarios that deal with God permanently leaving humanity by this season’s end, something I think is required in a show where humanity needs to evolve on its own.

 

THE BAD

Sam and Dean’s cookie-cutter run through the Idaho fog of zombie-ness was too distracting from the juicer bits between Chuck and Metatron. I would have fancied the entire plot take place in that bar with snippets of Sam and Dean played out through the broadcasts that Chuck summoned. I don’t think we would have lost a step on Earth and the plight that was taking place. But that would have removed us too far from the brothers and I can somewhat understand why they needed to stay front and center. Still, every cut back to the Winchesters what when I felt like tuning out. Luckily those scenes didn’t last long.

 

FAVORITE MOMENT

From the moment Chuck started singing to the final line of the episode. It was very poetic and engaging how Metraton’s face understood what God was trying to write and how that interpreted into the lyrics of his “farewell” which transferred into his appearance in front of the brothers as he saved the city within a flash. Now we’re dealing with beyond creation and while Sam and Dean will probably grill Chuck with all the “what the hell’s” and “do something you dick” comments, it’s setting up a great start into the final episodes of the season.

 

CHARACTER MVP

You’d think Chuck, but honestly, though his part was very malleable and fun to see, Metatron kept the situation real to our expectations and spoke through us in the frustration of figuring this show’s “God” out. He never wavered in his inquisitive nature, and didn’t seek to gain anything more than just a simple understanding of the nature of why. I have to give him credit for being very stand-up with humanity and being that voice for them while God surmised his experiments were failures and was ready to let Amara clean the slate for him.

 

ENDING THOUGHTS

One thing they either purposefully cheapened out on or wanted to tone down the omnipotence was Chuck’s reaction to being called a coward. Out of all the simple and crass things to do, he simply force-pushes Metatron through the bar doors to the outside. Oh, come on, put some more effort into that. Metatron should have been pushed through a billion realities with the cosmos crashing down on his brain, but maybe that’s too much for the guy to handle. The fact that God can be fazed by such words is interesting, though he is method acting for the most part, so the scenes say.

 

Easter Egg reference. Chuck mentions “Revolution” as another title alongside of “Supernatural” which was a show on NBC created by Eric Kripke that lasted only two seasons unfortunately. Bonus points for Metatron mentioning Supernatural needing a reboot. I believe it.

 

I’m actually surprised Sam didn’t mention anything about needing to be cleansed by fire when he was infected. Maybe he just didn’t have time to think on it, but I feel it’s a bit of a plot inconsistency. I know the goal was to sell the desperate moment that Dean was feeling, but he chose not to leave his brother regardless of the consequences, which is always endearing but I wasn’t feeling the impending loss because by this point in the show, these two characters are impervious to anything evil has to offer. Stop trying to make me feel like one of them is going to perish. Just do it if you’re going to do it already.

 

One aspect they’re not diving into just yet is Chuck’s ability to exist in all points of time as probably a complete overlord of the cosmos is capable of doing. His nature thus far has been to avoid dealing with Amara’s choice to end humankind because he just doesn’t want to deal with it. Words are thrown around like “responsibility” and “disappointment” to further instill in us how Chuck reacted and a little bit on how selfish he was acting like when he declared the story was about him. The second an almighty character starts talking, he can be proven wrong by the wit and perseverance of the human brain and since Metatron has had that going for him lately, he’s the voice of reason here and if anything, they’re really painting us a picture that no being is perfect by any stretch even when you have absolute creation at the palm of your hand.

 

Also, it’s good to know that the fan service continued as Chuck was always the odds on favorite to be labeled as this show’s primordial creator. To pull some weird twist on us with someone else likely wouldn’t have been received as well, and it made sense to give it to Chuck, he’s been fantastic in his few appearances so far and he’ll likely steal some scenes before we’re done with season 11.

 

OVERALL SCORE

9 out of 10. It’s always a sigh of relief when the show finally tackles burning questions and year-long debates on how certain plot elements will go down. Giving “God” a face and an attitude to match is risky because writing a character of that magnitude means making things around that character very simple whether its the pleasures of music which Chuck proclaims is the best trait of humanity while Metatron once said it was stories. I think the two go hand in hand, but what’s important to the show is a seemingly benevolent being is finally getting into the ring with the stars of the show, and the looks on their faces when they saw him were priceless. Now things are going to get interesting. This should be a fan-favorite across the seasons as it answers questions and reveals what we’ve always known. Thanks for reading.

 

 

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A Sashurai’s Review: Supernatural – Season 11×19 (Return of the living filler episode)

 

SUMMARY

Sam and Dean travel to Colorado where they investigate a series of missing persons in a small town. In the forest, they encounter a pair of the missing people and are attacked and then saved by another pair of hunters, Cesar and Jessy who have returned to put an end to the creatures known as Bisaan, of Malaysian origin. Jessy lost his brother 27 years ago when the creatures last resurfaced. Dean and Cesar return to the woods to track the creatures while Sam and Jessy drive to the old Sheriff who eventually breaks down and tells them he knew about the creatures and killed his daughter who had become one. Meanwhile, Dean and Cesar track the creatures to a mine and dispatch the males who attack them. When Sam and Jessy arrive, they find Jessy’s brother and bury him after setting the mine on fire destroying the incubating eggs. Afterward, Jessy and Cesar, who are also a couple, decide to return to New Mexico and retire while Sam and Dean return home.

 

INITIAL THOUGHTS

When introducing new creatures to this show, it’s important to make them unique and different from other incarnations of supernatural entities otherwise the theme must outweigh the creatures in question, such as creating a similar and relatable event the brothers view from a different perspective while ignoring their reoccurring sibling rivalry. This episode did neither of those things and instead opted to give us a very watered down look at familial loss that had the makings of a decent plot, but gave no creative twist of climax to wrap up this one-off plot. With the exception of the charismatic and loyal Cesar, not much stood out tonight as the brothers basically ran through their checklist of one-liners and machete swinging tropes. We learn nothing more about Amara and Lucifer and the creatures themselves were hardly interesting and the blandest form of forest dwelling things that I’ve seen in many seasons.

 

THE GOOD

I’ll start by saying Cesar saved this episode from being a complete waste of an hour. Every now and then, the Winchesters get to see the lives of hunters from a different lens and though Jessy and Cesar didn’t seem to be interested in the grand scheme of creature-hunting, Jessy had his vengeance card to play and Cesar backed him up as someone who really understood what Jessy was going through even if he didn’t lose people like other hunters have. Dean recognized their connection and made the right call by not including them in the bigger fight. Hunters don’t get to have a happy ending, and even though Sam and Dean only just met them, they knew it was the sensible thing to do by letting them retire. In that light this episode did show us that not every hunter has to die.

 

THE BAD

This creature feature attempted to legitimize another “legend” in a small town scenario, but it just came off as creatively weak. We never got to see the Bisaan in its native form and instead had to deal with growling humans who bite you as any animal would to destroy you and copulate in random places as any animal would to survive its species. But fundamentally there was nothing being served that felt original. This is a classic case of scraping the bottom of the barrel for ideas on how to incorporate monsters that the Winchesters haven’t dealt with before. Sure they ask questions and seem interested, but once they understand how to kill them, it’s business as usual with little to no payoff. The only thing mildly interesting was when (Libby?) was standing in the woods and made those “chitter” noises before reacting. That was an interesting little idea they had, but everything else surrounding their legend and actions barely held any interest.

 

This deserves its own paragraph, but the trip to Cochrane’s house was the biggest waste of time out of the entire episode. The only thing it served was Jessy being validated on what he went through. No new information was discovered that essentially helped them at all since Dean already found the mine when Sam and Jessy returned. Cochrane’s story was certainly tragic and the way it was told and acted was perfectly fine, it just didn’t serve to push any semblance of the plot forward except to separate the group for some reason. If anything it should have been Dean who went with Jessy and Sam who searched the forest with Cesar. Dean is more the warrior and I get that, but in this case I think he would have had a better conversation with Jessy about what happened and possibly how to cope with 27 years of vengeance and heartache.

 

FAVORITE MOMENT

Didn’t really have one. Every scene followed a predictable beat with a standard outcome and nothing really stood out with the exception of the MVP.

 

CHARACTER MVP

Again, Cesar had more character than anyone else on that line up including either Sheriff and the victims who weren’t interesting either. Sometimes accents help flesh out a personality but even more so, he had that reserved but stoic sense of loyalty that I think hunters are should be generally known for but are usually blocked by the bickering and squabbles of different view points. Some characters nail their performance in one shot and Cesar was one of them.

 

ENDING THOUGHTS

If Dean told Cesar it was a hike to get to the mine then why did he say he was going to bring the car around to gas up the place? Why didn’t they just drive the car there to begin with?

 

Jessy got to see his brother’s body but he didn’t get to destroy any of the creatures which felt like missing closure. He had the signs of deep-rooted anger as he made a few comments about saving the Winchesters and being bothered with being in the town itself. He should have been the one in the mine slaying the creatures and yelling to find his brother.

 

Not to mention, Jessy seemed entirely too over it once his brother was burned. After 27 years of being in probably the worst emotional turmoil of his adult life, he just seemed fine at the end, like what he went through was no big deal. That just seemed off.

 

I wonder what the count is on how many times Sam and Dean decide to randomly research a case when they can’t do anything about the major plot at hand. How many lives have they saved when they’re stuck at HQ with no leads to turn to an article that briefly sounds like a case for them? Can’t save the world just now? That’s okay, just find a case and solve it then get back to it. At least they’re willing to see everything through, which is good.

 

OVERALL SCORE

5 out of 10. A very mediocre plot that removed the character who should have been interacting the most with the creatures at hand and gave him a side quest with hearing another victim’s similar tell that offered no insight into how to beat the creatures because they were easily killable. This kind of plot usually focuses more on the guest stars and though Cesar had the makings of a mainstay character, nothing else came into view that told a story that anyone will ever remember. Jessy and Cesar weren’t going through a scenario that mirrored the Winchester’s current plight and the Bisaan weren’t any real threat and existed simply as creatures do in order to propagate their species. But worst of all was the lack of momentum on the previous episode that ended with a crazy cliffhanger on Lucifer being tortured by God’s sister which isn’t something you can just write about all the time. Let’s get back on track, we’ve only a few more episodes to go before the end. Thanks for reading.

 

 

No more words

A Sashurai’s Review: Supernatural – Season 11×17 (Still waiting for the payoff that’s sure to never arrive)

 

SUMMARY

During a search for missing campers, Sam and Dean tackle with a group of werewolves and Sam is wounded by a gun shot to the stomach. Making their way to an empty cabin with two survivors, Dean attempts to gather branches to make a bed for Sam. The male survivor, fearing for his significant other’s safety, and believing Sam will slow them down, suffocates Sam forcing Dean to believe his brother is dead. Swearing to return, Dean and the others avoid more werewolves and are taken in by a local office in the morning. Dean attempts to return, grows angry and is tasered by the officer. In the hospital, Dean convinces Michelle, the survivor to watch over him while he commits suicide in an effort to convince the reaper, Billie to return Sam to him. Unbenknownst to Dean, Sam recovers and makes his way back to the hospital. While nearly dead after ingesting many pills, Billie arrives but is unwilling to help Dean in any way. As she tells him that Sam isn’t dead, Dean revives and is held in custody. Corbin however, having been affected by the werewolves earlier, changes into one and kills the officer in the hospital and hunts after Dean. Sam arrives to kill him and is later treated for his wound. The two leave with Dean omitting that he summoned the reaper by nearly dying.

 

INITIAL THOUGHTS

While this wasn’t a train wreck, there were many missed opportunities that could have catapulted this episode into another glorious one-shot. Something was blatantly absent in this episode and I think it’s centered around a lack of outcome based on the character depictions we’ve been introduced to here. What appeared as a run of the mill adventure for the Winchesters turned out to be a run of the mill adventure that tried to be something more, but couldn’t quite reach the height for it. I’m in no way satisfied by Dean’s interaction with Billie the reaper and even less thrilled that Sam’s “mostly dead” state was simply a miscue on Dean’s behalf. The flashback segments held nothing either and were more distracting to the explosive opening than anything else. Very poor episode through my lens, but it did start with a heck of a try.

 

THE GOOD

The opening act showed promise. Everything detailing the fight and the low-light slow-mo shot of Sam getting a bullet in the gut had the right formula to propel the episode into a nail-biting arc with Dean struggling to save his brother in the middle of the wilderness. And for the next few moments it delivered on mostly that concept. Unfortunately that’s about as far as I can take what I thought worked out well tonight.

 

THE BAD

I go back to the payoff aspect of this theme. We were told many episodes ago that the next time Billie ran into any dead Winchester, she’d reap them without question. What was completely glossed over is that Dean was never actually dead, so why did Billie show up at all? Maybe in the past, reapers arrived pre-death, but it made no sense in the context with what Dean was trying to do. It was just an illusion of struggle, painted in desperation, which we’ve seen plenty of Dean in the past in trying to save his brother. But nothing worked, not only was Billie unconvinced, she was incredibly unhelpful too, selling the impression that Dean is on his own against The Darkness. Maybe that’s what we needed to see, but I would have though something more significant would have happened except what actually did happen.

 

There’s nothing new or interesting detailing the werewolves here tonight. Usually with ghosts or new monsters, there’s a lure of new ideas, or an attempt to make the old pattern new with some fresh concept, but there’s realistically nothing new to learn from werewolves on this show, and there was no attempt to infuse the formula with new ingredients. Essentially the werewolves were nothing more than the product of getting Sam injured so that Dean could have a pointless discussion with Billie and make no headway on the big struggle against the Darkness.

 

FAVORITE MOMENT

It’s not very medically accurate considering the wound and subsequent act of being comatose after being suffocated, but I’ll give Sam credit, he was very resilient in this week’s episode and given how weak he was, he still managed to make it all the way back to the hospital and kill Corbin to save Dean. I suppose if the bullet can be removed by some tweezers, it can’t be all that bad.

 

CHARACTER MVP

Sam. Again, it was a trek for him to go through what he did from top to bottom. Dean will always do what he has to save his brother or beat the evil, so him committing suicide isn’t anything terribly new or inventive. But Sam pushing through that kind of pain isn’t normal for him, and he was a trooper through and through.

 

ENDING THOUGHTS

Billie needs to go. She’s a very uninteresting character who has no redeeming qualities and maintains this passive obsession with pulling the Winchesters to the other side. She represents lazy opposition and resembles the living embodiment of the human shrug.

 

I would have suggested that the bulk of the episode be about Dean countering Billie to save Sam, who actually died from the gunshot wound. There are so many scenarios that could have come from this, but none of them were realized in the slightest. Shame. We could have learned so much more about the reapers that maybe we hadn’t learned yet.

 

At this point, the brothers should be able to tell each other anything that happened to them. Dean should have told him that he tried to kill himself and Sam should have done the worried face but laughed it off as crazy, believing him anyway. They’ve both been dead before, this isn’t something so grandiose that Dean would have to keep it from Sam. Sure, maybe he’s embarrassed, but it’s still a token of passion and plight that makes these two work so well together in their hardships.

 

OVERALL SCORE

5 out of 10. This felt like the weakest episode of the season by far. The storytelling had a hook, but took a very bland direction and didn’t give us any new insight into the arc of the Darkness, the reaper beings, or the werewolves as a whole. There was too strong a sense in Dean’s momentum to save Sam that every other idea that could have been utilized was cast aside to show how serious Dean can get when his brother’s life is at stake. Maybe the goal was to show the brothers truly are alone against a higher power, but we didn’t need a full episode to downplay it. And all the kudos to Sam for surviving a hellish experience, but realistically, he should have died, twice. Here’s hoping next week picks back up. Thanks for reading.

 

 

No more words

 

 

A Sashurai’s Review: Supernatural – Season 11×13 (It’s like The Ring, but with kisses)

 

SUMMARY

When a young babysitter is murdered seemingly by the husband she wanted to steal away, the Winchesters follow the strange clues to the wife who played a role in a curse disguised as a love spell meant to draw her husband back to him. The curse is in fact a shape-shifting entity that rips the hearts out of those connected to the castor and the castor itself. As the brothers track down the witch responsible, Dean allows himself to become afflicted and faces against his darkest desire in the form of Amara. Sam confronts and stops the witch just in time to save Dean who later reveals that the entity took the form of The Darkness. Sam attempts to persuade Dean that its not his fault and doesn’t have control over Amara’s pull, but Dean is unsettled and confused over his feelings with the sister of God and leaves to handle his issues alone for the time being.

 

INITIAL THOUGHTS

The previous segments leading to the intro of the episode gave the impression that all the holiday elements were going to play some role tonight, however that wasn’t the case. It was loosely related to Valentine’s Day only in the heart-ripping aspect and that they referenced the date. Notwithstanding, it was a very solid episode with some poignant moments that delivered including Dean’s reveal to Sam about his desires for Amara which, at best, completely conflict with his logical sense to destroy her. The villain’s weapon was a reflection into Dean’s emotional state, trying into the main over-arcing plot which helped solidify this one-shot as a necessary piece of the seasonal puzzle.

 

THE GOOD

Even though it was telegraphed, the entity taking the shape of Amara was a necessary segment to get out in the open for both Dean and for him to explain it to Sam, which he didn’t have to, and I’m glad he did. When the brothers show trust it helps them figure things out as a team. Granted, Dean may not agree with what he’s hearing, but at least it’s honest feedback, which he’s been avoiding for a while now. This doesn’t really solve much or get the brothers any closer to figuring out how to stop Amara, but at least its out in the open and not hidden like some diabolical secret. Its incremental, but the development is there and its rare to see within a one-shot episode.

 

These kinds of mystery-driven episodes hinge on the result being far from our typical guesses, in this case, instead of a shape-shifter, we get a curse brought on by a witch who’s fed up with those who deal in affairs. I like when its nearly impossible to figure out based solely on the one or two scenes we see, usually the murders that take place. When the brothers are stumped, we’re stumped, and as long as the payoff delivers, the episode will be in good standing and I believe it delivered tonight. The witch being responsible may have been slightly weak, but its not like we can have Rowena back.

 

THE BAD

Not much went wrong tonight in my view. The storytelling was good, the tone was there, the comedy was appropriate when it needed to be, and the mystery element didn’t drag too far away from the theme which was facing the desires as they are and not as we want them to be. I did expect the wife to kill the witch, but in the end, Sam shot her, sparing her the need to do it. I might have thought the entity showing up as Amara would have been more strange effects, but considering the form of the darkness doesn’t mean the power, it was fine. It played its role as it was supposed to. I suppose it was a bit too cliche that the husband was having an affair with the babysitter, but its 2016, I guess that still happens.

 

 

FAVORITE MOMENT

When Dean faced off against the entity as Amara. Tying the episode into Dean’s arc with the darkness was important and if anything the episode was written around getting Dean to admit he somehow wanted Amara and really didn’t like it. He plays really well at denying his passion and hides it with anger, humor, and a very cynical attitude. But tonight, he had to face the truth and face it he did.

 

CHARACTER MVP

Dean had a lot going for him tonight. His passive, but cavalier attitude with who he slept with early on, the easiness in his figuring out the husband’s affair, and courage to tell Sam that who he really saw as the entity was Amara. He’s always the first to take one for the team even if it meant passing the curse onto himself, and he’ll do whatever it takes to handle his issues on his own before putting his brother at risk of knowing his secrets. When Dean is conflicted for the right reasons, he carries himself in a more positive light and tonight he was much more resonant than what normally comes out of his personality during dark times.

 

ENDING THOUGHTS

Have we done an April Fool’s day episode yet? That month is coming up soon and another dimensional bopping episode into the real world would be most amusing.

 

This might be a record for how many episodes sans Crowley. It would be interesting to see an entire episode from Lucifer’s perspective on how he’s been existing and what he’s doing on the side to combat Amara, if he’s doing so at all.

 

Since Sam and Dean aren’t aware that Rowena is dead, I’m surprised her name didn’t come up when the wife mentioned a witch being responsible for the “love spell”. I also mean before she was named Sonja too. Perhaps Rowena would never take up hairdressing as an alternate occupation.

 

I know the husband had an alibi, but it seems like an odd thing to do with showing who he thought was an FBI agent some pretty strange and incriminating evidence that showed himself killing the babysitter. And on his work computer of all places too. Even if he was 1000% certain he wasn’t responsible, he can’t believe in strange phenomena that easily to trust an agent with that video footage. Seemed odd.

 

At this rate, I question what Amara’s real agenda with Dean is. Does Dean somehow hold the key to stopping her and she needs him close and complicit to her wishes? Or is she truly in love with him as she perceives it because of his role in freeing her? Either way, I think Lucifer will discover this truth before anyone else does and be forced to utilize it for his own diabolical scheme.

 

OVERALL SCORE

8 out of 10. Again, a solid stand-alone with enough mystery and tie-ins to the main plot that didn’t make this a forgetful episode. Dean is showing he can trust his brother with his conflicted feelings toward Amara and the effects all around weren’t half bad at all. Lucifer will need to play a bigger role soon whether he stays hidden as Castiel or not. That dynamic is certain to cause chaos when Sam and Dean find out which I’m very much looking forward to. I also want Lucifer to deal with Metatron and any other angel he thinks needs to be dealt with. As always, thanks for reading. We’ll see you soon.

 

 

No more words

A Sashurai’s Review: Supernatural – Season 11×12 (You can tell there’s sibling rivalry when one of them is dressed like Sam)

 

SUMMARY

Sheriff Jody, Alex, and Claire return in this standalone episode where the Winchesters help Jody deal with the struggles of raising two late-teens and Claire’s obsession with hunting the local supernatural. When a body turns up dead at their local high school, Claire’s suspicions are proved real as the brothers deal with a new vampire threat in North Dakota.

 

INITIAL THOUGHTS

If this storyline were a trilogy, this would be the bookend of that plot in both Claire and Alex’s development. This is one of the few natural progressions on this show that could be made into its own spin-off if ever a thing was conceived. Not to say Claire, Alex, and Jody should team up and face off against creatures on a weekly basis, that’s what the Winchesters are for, but the pursuit of the normal life in the rampant conditions of an unnatural world wouldn’t be boring to watch with the right characters. There’s a good dynamic here and I applaud their use in this break between the Darkness and Lucifer’s return. The villains were the only weak link, but it didn’t drag down the episode’s overall story about teen drama and the awkward sex talk at the dinner table.

 

RECAP

Claire has been investigating on her own the disappearance of multiple people in her town and hasn’t found any real evidence supporting her claim that a creature of some sort is involved. After she calls Sam and Dean for help, they arrive and find Jody having to deal with Claire’s rebellious nature and Alex’s positive adjustment combined with undertones of a developing sexual relationship with the popular kid in school. When Alex’s favorite teacher is found dead at school, Claire pushes to be involved in the investigation as Sam and Dean attempt to sway her from living a life exclusively bent on hunting. That night, Jody, Sam and Dean interrogate and suspect the school’s janitor is involved with the death. The janitor later confronts and kidnaps both Claire and Jody while Alex is taken by her boyfriend, Henry who is revealed to be a vampire, the same as the janitor. At an closed down pool by the school, the janitor reveals that years back he was lured to the vampire next Alex was living with and was turned. He killed his family and sought revenge against Alex. He turned Alex’s boyfriend and killed the missing people Claire had been investigating. Sam and Dean find the pool as Alex attempts to convince the janitor to use her like the old nest to save Jody and Claire. Claire is bitten but Sam and Dean intervene and kill the Janitor as Claire kills Alex’s boyfriend. The next day, Jody, Alex, and Claire reconcile their differences as Sam and Dean head back home, convinced everything will be okay for the family.

 

THE GOOD

Claire and Alex dealt with opposite problems, but they both centered around Jody’s confidence in raising both women even though no one’s related. The dinner table scene was one of the episode’s highlights in acting and reacting to both of their plights. Alex is painted as the reformed student but with motives to begin a sexual relationship with her boyfriend, something Jody is quick to highlight the issues that come with it. I found it interesting that Alex and Claire didn’t yell at eachother or that candid moment when one storms off in a frustrated mood, something that would have been more geared toward Claire and being shut down with her activities toward hunting. Some of the dialogue was a bit textbook as were the reactions of Sam and Dean, but it also made sense that they wouldn’t know what to say let alone take part in the conversation except to awkwardly stare and eat. The drama was a part of showcasing how they’ve adapted in this family lifestyle and it was done enough maturity that didn’t involve shouting matches.

 

It was also important in showing that Claire was right about supernatural forces being in town. Had she been wrong, this entire episode would have been a bad attempt at getting her to stay away from hunting, but in so many cases, that lifestyle is unavoidable. Sam tried to encourage her to not take such a drastic step, but even Dean understands how impossible that can be. All Dean wanted was for her to respect what Jody had given her and at least try to engage that normal life. Now that Claire was accurate in her suspicions it only compels her further to be a part of that lifestyle, one which Jody is now facilitating but at a pace she chooses.

 

THE BAD

As I stated, the villains this time was a very cheap revenge plot that didn’t sell well this week. The evil boyfriend was easy to spot and the janitor whining about how he was turned didn’t paint the kind of picture vampires have when they become vampires. He killed his own family which sent him on this revenge but as a vampire why did that end up bothering him so much? If he hated what he became that’s one thing, but it just felt like a loose attempt to create a suitable villain to include Alex in on this plot. At least the boyfriend had the one-track mind to be the run-of-the-mill-evil-boyfriend-vampire-type. Even Dawn Summers had to deal with that trope.

 

FAVORITE MOMENT

As much as I thought the dinner scene went, I liked how the family came together at the end both in the finale and in the last scene. No one died and both Alex and Claire are stalwart in their decisions to continue in the direction they’re going. Claire wants to embrace hunting and Alex wants to be free of it. But they’re doing so under Jody’s guidance and in that there’s hope for the two of them. I’m confident nothing bad will happen unless the show decides to kill off Jody, which you never know, but hopefully they won’t.

 

CHARACTER MVP

I liked Jody a lot. She’s always level-headed and is quick to take responsibility including raising two “daughters”, which as a Sheriff can’t be an easy task. She continues to be an endearing character on the show and one of the few Sam and Dean implicitly trust. I’d like her to have a few more appearances this season, at least one to keep us in the loop on how her family is doing.

 

ENDING THOUGHTS

Okay, so there’s this doughnut burger that’s introduced as “The Elvis” and though there are many interpretations on the meal, the doughnut burger is essentially known as the “Luthor” burger, though I’m sure its called all sorts of things around the states. The actual Elvis burger involves a peanut butter topping, not to be confused with the Elvis sandwich which also involves toast, peanut butter, bananas, and bacon. Now I’m hungry.

 

Why is it when a big bad villain doesn’t appear for a while, it’s assumed they’ve “gone underground” or is hiding? The states are quite large and not everything makes it on the “news” internet. Amara is probably stalking more angels as we speak.

 

Two episodes without Crowley which could still be nothing, but it’d be nice to know very soon the result of our ruler of Hell and Lucifer’s little meeting from two weeks prior. At this point, if nothing’s happened, is he batting for Lucifer or will he be attempting to recapture the first angel?

 

OVERALL SCORE

7 out of 10. The brothers checked in on a the few remaining minor characters who have survived their last few encounters together. Though the weather in North Dakota was crummy and windy, the episode detailed some fine moments with how the everyday life is going when the world isn’t in definite peril. Claire and Alex have settled into their lives with Jody who remains a positive influence on both the young women and on the brothers as well. A very simple episode with a few bland villains that didn’t take any focus on the drama both Claire and Alex brought to the dinner table. When supporting characters are given the reigns its important the brothers don’t overshadow their development by dealing with their own problems which thankfully wasn’t the case tonight. With any luck, we’ll get to see Jody and company one more time before the Darkness becomes completely unstoppable. Thanks for reading.

 

 

No more words

 

 

A Sashurai’s Review: Supernatural – Season 11×11 (Help me out here, is it Castifur, or Luciel?)

 

SUMMARY

Sam and Dean track down an evil Banshee and come into contact with another legacy hunter who is after the same creature. Lucifer begins his quest to hunt Amara and discovers Dean’s secret connection to her from the man himself. When they find the Banshee, it targets Dean whose heart is vulnerable due to his relationship with the darkness.

 

INITIAL THOUGHTS

Some good old school vibes here. We have our first potential reoccurring actress, this time in the form of a deaf hunter named Eileen, whose tragic history is very similar to the Winchesters. The Banshee monster was a bit run of the mill but it wasn’t really about the creature and more about the tender moments Sam and Dean shared throughout the episode. And of course Castiel outperforms as the newly freed Lucifer, who so far has been very casual with his reemergence.

 

RECAP

30 years ago a banshee attacks and kills the father of a newborn baby girl. Her mother protects her from the creature but loses her life in the process. In the present, Sam and Dean investigate a murder at a retirement home, with Sam questioning a deaf maid about the incident. Meanwhile, Lucifer strolls through a park and encounters an angel who recognizes him. Lucifer explains he’s here to help put an end to Amara but the angel attacks him anyway and is killed for it. Later, a second person is killed at the retirement home and is witnessed by a middle-aged woman who is attracted to Dean. The brothers identify the creature as a malevolent banshee and attempt to capture it. Sam is subdued by the maid who is revealed to be Eileen, the baby from the past who grew up as a hunter descended from a Men of Letters. She is hunting the creature as well. Together they set a trap for the banshee while Dean returns home to collect weapons to kill it. Lucifer is there and the two chat about Amara which leads to Dean telling “Castiel” about the chances he didn’t take to stop her. Back at the retirement home the banshee comes for Dean but is eventually stopped by Eileen. Afterward they part ways and the brothers share a moment where Sam admits he should have searched for Dean while he was in Purgatory. That night, Dean is overcome with his thoughts of Amara and what his relationship with her is doing to him.

 

THE GOOD

I like this new character in Eileen. She has a kindred spirit to Charlie in that rogue toughness and quirky jokes, but also very likeable and charming. So, it sucks to think that the writers may just kill her off later this season or the next because supporting characters do tend to have a shelf life. Even our lovable lady cops are probably on borrowed time which would also suck if something happened to them. In any case, she had a good debut and I look forward to her next appearance.

 

Dean and Sam’s brotherly relationship and heart to heart scene felt more genuine this time around. I usually cringe at these because there’s something oddly out of place as of late because I’m waiting for the inevitable moment that will break them up. But I don’t really get the sense that’s the purpose this season. True, Dean is hiding his feelings to Sam about Amara, but I hardly think that’s grounds for brotherly bonds to be severed like they tend to be every year. No, this time, Sam’s confession to Dean about how he should have looked for him was a true moment. Dean is his usual self, but he understands.

 

THE BAD

There wasn’t much to complain about or too terribly off-putting. My only comment regarding Lucifer is that I honestly thought he’d be more cruel and chaotic, but aside from killing the angel who indeed try to kill him, he’s been relatively low key. It’s not a bad thing by any means, I’m just surprised at how he’s treating the situation. His cover will be blown eventually when Amara sees him and the Winchesters are present. Then all hell will break loose for lack of a better pun.

 

FAVORITE MOMENT

When Lucifer snap/kills the angel who tried to stab him. It was classic devil moves and it also let us know that he has his original abilities and isn’t tied to Castiel’s powerbase, assuming Castiel could never snap/kill people, which I don’t think he could. Excellent moment that made me chuckle.

 

CHARACTER MVP

I think Mildred really outdid herself in her role in tonight’s episode. She seemed really comfortable and easy to get along with, and even though the flirtation with Dean was a bit over-the-top, her character fit like she’s been the show for a while. I think her accent slipped in and out, but maybe that was done on purpose, I’m not sure. If Eileen returns it would be appropriate to bring Mildred back as well.

 

ENDING THOUGHTS

The best part about Lucifer in Castiel’s body is that Misha played Lucifer pretending to be Castiel perfectly. He deserves so much credit for his versatility and I’m find with this marriage for the rest of the season if need be.

 

I might be thinking too hard on this, but how was Eileen’s father vulnerable for the banshee to attack him? He seemed like a jolly fellow before he smashed his own head in.

 

If Sam didn’t detect anything on his ghost radar-device-thingy, then why did they still proceed to think a ghost was involved? Was he reading the device wrong? Was I reading the device wrong?

 

I guess I wasn’t really expecting it, but it’d be nice to know very soon what happened after Crowley realized Castiel was Lucifer. Granted, he didn’t seem all that bummed that mother, Rowena died, but what exactly happened after? Of course Crowley isn’t dead, but still, we need to know sooner rather than later.

 

I’m also interested in knowing just how Lucifer stopped Amara the first time. Is it the same technique he’s going to use again? Will it involve a powerful artifact or something else entirely, like a sacrifice of some sort? Lucifer is generally known for liking sacrifices.

 

OVERALL SCORE

8 out of 10. The creature of the week featured a possible new-comer to the show that worked out rather well. The brothers faced the evil and came out a little more understood with each other which is a plus considering most episodes end with the two slightly becoming more distant. Lucifer isn’t just in the background, he’s a major player now and his hunt has begun. I felt very at home with this plot and will be a contender for the top 6-8 provided more of these kinds of episodes are churned out the rest of the season. Good supporting cast, nice creature effects and superb acting by the angelic man himself. Until next week, thanks for reading.

 

 

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A Sashurai’s Review: Supernatural – Season 11×09 (Bat out of hell, back into hell…II)

 

SUMMARY

Biblical anarchy carries the weight of the world as Amara attempts to force God’s arrival while Sam and Dean hold a thin truce with Crowley and Rowena over their only play left against The Darkness…Lucifer. As Dean is brought closer to Amara’s desires to rule existence, Sam comes face to face with the devil himself, and as always, the devil has the last word.

 

INITIAL THOUGHTS

This is one of those episodes that ended too fast and at the most inconvenient point of the season, the dreaded winter break. This was nothing short of exquisite that includes the triumphant return of Mark Pellegrino as the captivating and deviously malevolent, Lucifer. We haven’t seen him since Sam’s breakdown which even now still yields questions regarding Lucifer’s presence and his missing brother, Michael, who seemingly has been retconned out of the cage. That outstanding issue aside, there was a surge of brilliance brought forth between Amara’s conversation with Dean and Lucifer’s conversation with Sam which we’ll dive into in a bit. Everything leading up to their fateful reunion had a few minor ups and downs, but once the ball gets rolling it doesn’t let up even at the crushing climax that promises to deliver a welcome change to the paradigm of the Supernatural. Let’s get to it.

 

RECAP

Amara encounters a small group who all listen to the ranting of a religious zealot, who attempts to sway her. Amara kills them all with lightning and continues trying to draw out God. Meanwhile, Sam and Dean argue over seeking out Lucifer but decide to try which includes help from Crowley who captures Rowena. With her help, she deciphers a spell from the book of the damned to allow them access to Lucifer without opening his cage. Amara goes to a church and murders all the attendees including the priest as she fails to contact God again. While Dean investigates the church murders, Sam reluctantly pursues Lucifer personally in Limbo with Crowley and Rowena. After the spell is set, Sam comes face to face with Lucifer who is elated to see Sam again. Dean encounters Amara who takes him away to a secluded land in an attempt to sway him to her side. Meanwhile Sam attempts to gain Lucifer’s help, but he wants to be free and once again inhabiting Sam’s body as a vessel. Sam refuses just as Dean refuses to join Amara. Angels appear to Amara and swear to smite her with their combined might. She dispatches three of them while the remaining group form a heavenly blast of light against her. She returns Dean back to the church before being struck by it. The spell surrounding Lucifer’s cage disperses as Rowena quietly leads Crowley away. Sam finds himself back inside the cell with Lucifer explaining that it was he who put the images in Sam’s head to find him. Sam is then left at Lucifer’s mercy and potential possession again.

 

THE GOOD

Starting with the highlight we’ve been waiting for since the end of season 5, the real Lucifer makes a captivating and brilliant come back. His demonic eyes and shadowed appearance gave way to the snarky, yet diabolical denizen of hell who shaped his own escape thanks in part to The Darkness who allowed Lucifer to ping Sam’s mind after she escaped. This was not only the feature of the episode, but it frankly stole the show. Never one to let up, Mark doused the scene with empty promises to help and easily sowed the seeds of confusion as Sam let a single tear loose as his gullibility for thinking he could trust Lucifer for a second. From top to bottom, it was a grand sight to behold and watch because the wait had been so long. Mark hasn’t missed a beat either. His opening shot had dread tattooed behind Sam’s eyelids as he tried his best to face the original evil of earth.

 

Once Amara took Dean to her secluded area, she helped perpetuate the episodes second best segment which included Dean trying his best to resist Amara’s temptations while explaining her view of God and how existence should be ruled by her. This combination fits so well because as much as Dean loves his brother and shares in their camaraderie as passionate hunters, he also suffers from the kind of wounded heart that comes with a rough life and seeks tenderness both subjectively and objectively. Amara has threads of that to offer, yet, his duty is resolute which is also his most endearing trait. He won’t give into his deepest desires whether they’re manufactured by Amara’s will or not. Amara still recounts her issues with God as a sibling with near omnipotent power would, speaking in some riddles but wanting Dean’s support almost as bad as just needing to God to appear to rectify his choices in imprisoning her.

 

THE BAD

It’s not much, but the initial scenes dealing with the angels ramping up to take out Amara didn’t feel as critical or worthy to note tonight. The business suit attire of these angels are a tired motif and made their speech seem more like a board meeting attempting to convince themselves they’re hitting a bottomline.

 

It’s also minor, but I would have liked to have seen some initial entry into hell rather than a hard transition to Sam, Crowley, and Rowena walking down a barren hallway with no ceiling and a figurative thunderstorm looming overhead. Sometimes I get the sense these writers don’t get to truly flourish in creating hell or limbo and are stuck with dulling it down to a grungy but capable atmosphere that barely manages to capture the visage of the underworld.

 

I’d be remiss to leave out how oddly conceivable it was that the book of the damned would have anything pertaining to a spell that could subvert Lucifer while releasing the shell of the cage. What we don’t know is why Rowena seemed to calm when taking Crowley away. It’s possible there was no spell and the act itself actually released Lucifer which means Rowena pulled one over everyone, we simply don’t know for sure, but odds are Rowena planned his escape or at the very least didn’t want to be around when he did.

 

FAVORITE MOMENT

When the spell was cast and our initial sight of Lucifer in his darkened, majestic appearance. It was creepy and fantastic how it slowly dissolved to reveal the devil, who surprisingly maintained the image of the human vessel he took over during his tenure on earth before possessing Sam. I’m glad they added that murky flair to help us remember just how sinister he was and still is.

 

CHARACTER MVP

Lucifer easily snags the top spot tonight. Courteous but snide, sneaky and simple, Lucifer casts the biggest shadow while behind bars and though Sam refused his offer to help, he still held the final card that allowed him to capture Sam into the cell with him. The eccentric truth is we don’t know if Lucifer intends to truly help anyone defeat the Darkness after he presumed to admit he helped God lock her up to begin with, which seems like a boastful claim, but Lucifer’s power has always been very high, above the angels but below Death himself. He knocked one out of the park and hopefully he’s not done yet.

 

ENDING THOUGHTS

In these last several seasons, was it ever explained where Michael and his vessel Adam scampered off to? Seems fleeting, but a rather noticeable continuity error unless Lucifer did something to subvert him. I guess the third half Winchester brother didn’t make the cut for some unknown reason.

 

It seems utterly futile that the angels thought they could unite and smite God’s sister. I guess I’m glad they tried, because now maybe Amara can wipe the angels completely off the face of the map and leave Castiel and Lucifer the last two. I’m not counting Metatron, not anymore.

 

Thunder in hell seems a tad bit redundant. I felt they could have gone more unique and less cliché in that department.

 

So they reference Charlie in regards to the cipher/translations for continuity but the brothers don’t mention Rowena giving that woman who killed those imaginary best friends that witch-imbued knife? And that was just last episode.

 

I liked how Amara referenced that she and God had no “daddy.” Dean glosses over it but she had the tone that there’s something going on in their origin, almost a cynical side to it. I’m wondering if this will be referenced again, because the further back you dive in creation therein lies the hardest explanation ever. How did it all begin? Maybe Supernatural will dive into that possibility.

 

OVERALL SCORE

9 out of 10. Fantastic plot, very seriously toned, and a great turnout for the rejuvenated Lucifer who is the show’s best villain to date. How he factors into this era of The Darkness is still unknown, but his possession of Sam seemed imminent. Does he intend to do what he wants or will he face The Darkness on his own terms? He’s just an angel after all, and unless Amara has need of him, has to know his days are equally as numbered. But freedom calls and it’s season 5 all over again, which is great, because that was the pinnacle of this show’s storytelling. This show has been missing some key villain flair and with Lucifer back, here’s hoping he’s a mainstay for at least the season. We’re now officially on winter break and what a time to end with the devil’s return to the franchise. Now the question remains, will God finally make an apperance, and if so, what would a showdown like that entail? Thanks for reading.

 

 

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