GirlyGeek

Oh my gosh, I do this every year too! Love that xfile. This last year we (my hubby, friend and my 3 kids) watched these while decorating the tree, lol. What can I say, not a traditional Christmas. So for this ep, I only have pure love! Definitely in my top ten of favorite eps. I cry every damn time, lol. It just kills me. Love the flashbacks, and Colin Ford IS Sam Winchester. He just is. Great casting and he owns the role. And I can't recall the actors name offhand, but the one playing young Dean does very well, too but The stupid ending just rips my heart out (in a good, something in my eye kind of way)

Unfortunately, I couldn't Disagree more! I felt like the chat with the boys and the vamp Dixon was so heavy handed as a parallel to Dean. I Actually tend to miss the anvils and be kind of dense, lol, but that was too much for me.Otoh, I LOVED the brothers scenes, both in the motel room and by the car, and they get to me everytime. Loved them and been known to watch just those scenes and skip the rest, lol Ugh "...just cause" kills me everytime! :( I also dislike the vamp lore in the supernatural 'verse. It makes no sense to me. So you just have to get vamp blood in your mouth or on an open wound and you're a vamp? Lame. Also, why would a hunter ever fight a vamp, then? You punch them and risk getting their blood in yours (bust open a knuckle on their face or fang and you're toast). I prefer the way Vampire Diaries (and others) do the lore, that you either have to die with the blood in your system and/or drink human blood to fully change. The way SPN does it just isn't enough for me I do like how they showed Gorden experiencing being a vampire: the lights and sounds were making *me* feel crazy so it was easy to translate that into feeling a little bad for the guy. Great episode and one of my faves.

So, my only issue with this, as with everyone else's comments, is that Gert makes me so uncomfortable. Just icky. Other than that, the episode is ok. It has great brother moments in the car at the beginning and end. Dean is being an ass, Sam is not going to just stop trying, and Dean is so in denial. It's sad to watch, because on top of being scared about hell, Dean can't deal with the guilt of what he's doing/done to Sam, so he just continues being a jerk and acting like Sam will just be A-ok without him. It was interesting to hear both Cain and Abel AND Castiel mentioned in tis episode, too... (At least I think I heard Castiel mentioned in the Latin-ating)

This episode always... Intrigues me. I paid attention all the way through for once and this line always strikes me: "you don’t get it. all you got to do is nudge humans in the right direction. some whiskey here, a hooker there, and they’ll walk right into hell with big, fat smiles on their faces." I actually have very little faith in humans, and a healthy dose of sarcastic nature, and find this quote very true to how I think, lol I liked Casey. And I liked their talk and what it taught us about Dean. He's being a lying liar about not being scared, his false bravado about 'feeling free' knowing he's only got a year. We all knew that, but it was good to watch him try to lie to himself. I also thought they were reaching with Sam being cold killing those demons. He has a gun and means to kill them... Why not? I mean he killed Jake just 2 months earlier, and they lost most of the 7 deadly sin's meat suits without whinging about it too much... They just haven't decided yet how much hand wringing their gonna do about killing demons and the bodies they wear, I guess. Since we know where that ends up it seems like a useless worry now.

This ep is good time fun for me, everytime. Love Sam's bad luck, losing his shoe, all the physical comedy. Deans "I'm batman" is always funny. I love how Sam's sitting in the chair (leaning back, too, which the first time I was like 'really? You're gonna break you're neck!") and the a/c unit catches fire, he's loke 'really? I didn't do anything!' Lol I never had any issues with Bela (or original recipe Ruby either) and I love Lauren Cohen in this, Walking Dead and on Vampire Diaries, so she was fun here! My one quibble is I really disliked Kubrik. He was way too over the top for me.

Pretty much agree here.I'll reiterate what I said in the In My Time of Dying thread. The way I watched S3 made a big difference. I think if you had to watch live, with the writers strike and the uncertainty and the millions of hiatuses, etc, that would be extremely frustrating and I think gave season 3 a bad wrap. I recall my other shows during that year really suffering, too. I didn't watch SPN yet at that time, and I got to binge watch season 1- 4x10, so season 3 didn't feel too disjointed to me. Plus, I'm pretty easy going, as a viewer, lol I don't remember really liking this episode the first time around, and on previous re watches, I would usually skip all or most of this one. BUT today I liked it, beginning to end. Yes, the 7 deadly sins could have been so much more, but therein lies the issue: As soon as you start throwing demons (or Angels for that matter) into the mix, en masse especially, you're ability to tell a story about a bunch of humans fighting the good fight really diminishes. You either end up with demons who aren't that epically demon-like (no real power or easily defeated, or dumbed down) or you end up with more-than-human humans, who start to really blur the line between what the show was/is about: brothers and humans who are saving people, hunting things. Unfortunately, the show did both: made epic big bads who should be unkillable or at least very difficult foes, spanning multiple episode arcs to reign in, AND It's inevitable in a show like this, I think, and it's not necessarily a bad thing. But as soon as they threw demons in, as the main big bads vs the urban legends monsters they usually went after, now it's a whole new ball game. The stakes have to be higher, and unfortunately, with human protagonists, they can't really reach that level.

You'd think I never saw this episode (or the rest of the series before), lol. From Carry on Wayward Son through Deans speech to dead Sam, I was all teary eyed! Cmon now, pull yourself together... You know where this is going, ;) Anyway... Love, love love Dean talking to Bobby with Sam laying dead in the next room. Dean keeps side eying the corpse, glancing in there like it's not really happening. Jensen just rocks the whole first 10 minutes of the ep. He looks trashed, emotionally, the rough broken voice, his line delivery is so perfect. Just rips me up. He's done, and I fully believe it. Sam's dead and Dean is DONE. I do wonder, how many days were supposed to have gone by? Bobby was acting like it had been a few, and for Sam to even, for a moment, believe he had been healed of his wound, it would have had to be awhile, right? Also love that Dean wasn't eating, not hungry when Bobby was trying to get him to eat. As soon as Sam is alive (and Awww, the hug!), Dean is suddenly *starving*. And he gets pissed that Sam wants to jump back in to the fight right away. I don't blame him- you have a year and the last thing you want is your brother to risk his life again minutes after you throw yours away for him, lol Is this where all the secret keeping really gets going? I mean I know Dean kept his dad's 'secret' about possibly needing to kill Sam, but it seems like this is the beginning of Sam and Dean choosing to keep big stuff from each other? Sam purposely (and very poorly) lies to Dean about the demon blood. Dean lies about the crossroads and Sam's death. It begins... Bobby's look when Sam shows up at the door with Dean. Lol, priceless. He looks terrified. And the scene in the junkyard with Bobby and Dean is a great moment. A little heavy handed and anvilicious, but wow does Jensen sell it. So the whole Devils trap railroad hells gate thingy falls apart under any kind of scrutiny, so I won't bother. And I know there was serious complications with filming of the finale. Still, I love John coming in and saving Dean and Sam, love that we got to see him find peace, whatever that means for him/this show. Love love that Dean got to kill YED The finale scene with Sam and Dean is wonderfully done. Sam finding out about the deal, about Dean only getting one year, and him telling Dean that he's going to save him, no matter what it takes. It's such a nice balance to Dean's declaration of the past year of "if it's the last thing I do, I'm gonna save you" and Onto season 3.

I'll admit that when I usually re watch this episode, I skip around a lot and just hit the Dean parts and the end. So this time I watched it all, and am glad I did. Especially in retrospect from where the series is now, I noticed more than usual. Sam being in trouble and wishing his big brother was there... A great thing to see vs what comes in later seasons. I also never really appreciated the scene with Jake quite as much as I do as of this viewing. I always liked the psychic kid storyline, not ashamed to admit it. :) so I was very surprised the first time when Ava was revealed to have flipped. I think had we had a little more time with Jake as a character, his flip would have felt more organic, but it was a little 'huh? He's really falling for that...?' for me. The end is a heartbreaker for me. When I first watched this show,I had binge watched Season 1 and 2 to this point and I reached the end of this episode and was completely shocked by Sam's death. Emotionally drained by Deans reaction and Jensens fantastic end scene. The long-crane shot was beautiful. Ugh the whole thing, to this day and everytime I watch it, just rips me up. I'll save more comments for the finale thread

Yes! Agree so much. Jensen just kills me, and I can't casually watch this episode because I can't tear my eyes away from watching his every nuanced reaction. The moments with Mary are most notable, and it's heartbreaking. Very well played. I don't know how, after so many viewings of this ep, that I still crack up when Sam joins Dean in the car. The whole bitch/jerk thing is one of my faves for the boys, so to see it not work here because the history and brotherly relationship is non existent... So telling and so well done. Re shooting their first scene from the Pilot was also brilliant. Dean taking down 'wimpy' Sam so easily was funny. While I agree that it would have done well earlier in the season, I think the next two episodes wouldn't have worked as well without this one being right before. We needed to see Dean dealing with this loss, the loss of a wish or dream, the loss of a life that could have been, loss of hope because he is pushed . Timeless and great episode.

Another big winning episode for me. Its so much fun and has some of the greatest brother moments, that I immediately hand wave any complications or not realistic plot points. Love the blue steel, "I think I'm adorable", "They're doughnuts, not love", tear drop tattoos, Sam's bunk mate making him uneasy, and all the smart dialogue. I honestly found myself grinning through most of the episode. The boys were smart and resourceful, and Hendrickson rocked as usual. Good ghosty, great additional cast, tight plot, and levity, all in one. Top it off with a salt n burn and great song with "Rooster" and you have one happy fan here. ...of course now I have to move on to the final 3 eps of Season 2 (and yes, I will finish them tonight, I'm on a roll). Quite possibly the most depressing and emotionally taxing 3 ep run ever... I'm gonna need medication after this :(

This is a prime example of an episode I watch for certain scenes. Overall, not my favorite, but there are scenes that get to me in different ways, so it always makes the cut onto the list of episodes I like (even though I don't like a good portion of it!) Strange Rock, paper, scissors originated here, and I still love it! Dean's "Awwww, Sammy" is adorable. Jared's delivery of that final scene is great, and Jensen plays the hell out of being devastated for Sam. Love it, even if its a little... intense. And the song is a fantastic choice. On a side note (and this is big, since I'm a Dean-girl), Jared looks fantastic in this episode. Its probably the best hair of all seasons IMO, his big grins and boyish charm is so cute here (especially during the scene where Sam and Madison are watching tv). Just cuteness all around. Jensen/Dean is awesome and beautiful as usual... goes without saying of course. ;) BUT, I don't like how they handled werewolves and the lore. And I just can't buy that this Madison chick, who's fairly well adjusted and normal, decides she's A-OK with being shot in her own apartment, less than 24 hours after learning she's a werewolf. No bargaining, no trying to make it work? No I want to live, I'm too young to die? No I could lock myself down and be OK? How about the fact that she'd have another 30 days or so to try and figure out a miracle fix/system of keeping others safe/etc before the next full moon? No? Really?? Instead she agrees that they boy she just met and slept with should shoot her? Does she have no one she'd like to say good bye to or spend another day with? Really?! Its like they said, 'well we don't have time for more character development or making this a tad more realistic cause there's only 5 minutes left in the episode... so let's have Madison be really understanding about being killed". Do.not.like. :)

I agree with your timeline, and maybe this is a discussion for another thread, but then when in Season 1 did he flip it back on? The whole idea of the switch being flipped is still very vague and hard to follow. Did Damon's just gradually return? Was his never off? I can't recall this being addressed in canon. I agree and hope we see something different, and possibly get some switch-related answers that make sense, from Caroline's decision.

Leaving all the discussion of John's motives and history aside (cause I just don't have the energy to open that can of worms), I love this episode. I have to say that I think *how* a person first watches a show plays a large role into their enjoyment or lack there of. I binge watched Season 1 - 4.10 over a 4-5 week period (yes, I had no life). Running through it so quickly makes it easier to hand wave and just jump to the next episode when you don't quite like something, and I find that stuff bothered me a lot less cause I could just go to the next ep and move on. I remember seeing the finale of Season 1 and jumping right into this episode within moments of each other (cause, WOW, S1 finale and I couldn't wait), and I was really shaken up by this ep. I think it was the first time I paused in my binge watch and realized that I had something awesome here and I appreciated the directing and acting and really *loved* these characters. Something about this episode clicked for me and became a milestone in the series that I always come back to. I didn't get mad at John for giving Dean the warning and I watched the rest of the season so quickly that I didn't get mad about , and I think that changes the enjoyment of scenes and plots quite a bit. All that to say, my viewing of this episode isn't colored by a hatred of John and I'm glad. To this day, I think of John as a good man in a crappy situation and he handled it very, very poorly at times. But what we actually *see* of him onscreen is a loving guy, trying to do right, with more info than he's sharing and whatever that info is/was he's scared to death, and bottom line he loves his boys but he lost his way. I know the show has gone back and forth and painted him worse then better and its enough to make my head spin, but that is my analogy of him above and its enough for me ;) End of the day, he saved Dean's life. he didn't take the one shot he had (thus ending Dean's life and *maybe* getting to kill YED). Whether that turns out well is different, but he made that sacrifice for his eldest son and it made for an incredibly enjoyable hour of tv. Even in its talky and preachy moments, I can't find fault here (except with Sam's hair... can't handle it) ;) Oh, and I do wish Dean would have heard (and been able to remember) Sam's "we were just starting to be brothers again". Breaks my heart. *Looks like I didn't leave all discussion of John aside, lol. oh well

Again, all the awesome has been covered. I'll admit upfront, I'm a Dean girl and love Jensen's mad skills I don't tend to "get" Sam (or his motivations) very often, and Jared can be so-so for me in the acting dept. Everytime I watch this episode, I am blown away by Jared. I'm always thinking "where the hell did that come from?" He plays evil, possessed Sam so well and effortlessly in this episode and I love it. There are a few times when we(the audience) see "Sam's" expression sour or change (or a bit of an eye roll), that Dean can't see, giving a slight clue that all is not well with Sam, and on re-watch I appreciate the subtly of it. His scenes with Alana/Jo are terrifying, watching Jared's face flip from "Sam" to Meg is just pure gold. Also, Sam's hair is less distracting by this point in the season (cause good lord was it awful at the beginning of Season 2- the little tufts that looked like wings by his ears... I can't even). I do wish Sam would have felt a little bad about shooting his brother (again). Just a little, tiny bit of apology? Poor Dean was wrecked this episode, emotionally and physically. I do love the beginning, how the scenes are cut up to show even more desperation/erratic searching on Dean's part. It worked well for getting us ramped up and anxious right out of the gate. All in all, an episode I can watch over and over and always find something that hits home. I remember thinking back when I first got into SPN that "Wow, this was getting dark"... ha ha ha, that's cute, right? ;)

I don't have much to add here.. I love this episode for all the reasons above. It's practically a perfect episode and I realized in the re watch that, if I needed to hook someone on supernatural, this would be a great episode for that. I have no complaints with this ep, and I still love the ending just as much as the first time i saw it. Sam's reactions to Ronald are hilarious, I especially love Jareds delivery of "understatement!", as well as all the man droid and laser eye talk, and deans reiteration of "we're so screwed". Yes, yes they are. Hendrickson is made of awesome, too. LOVE that scene and it cracks me up every time. "Is this community theatre or are you just that good?" Lol I'll have to look for the, now in the riot gear! I didn't notice.

Ok, so im just now getting to start my Re watch, so I'll be polluting the episode threads and being generally obnoxious in threads tha haven't seen action since the summer, lol. Sorry I'm new to the SPN forum, so I'll read the rules. I haven't seen many of the older episodes in years and years, so it'll be fun (and I'm imposing a rule on myself... I have to watch them ALL. Yes, even *that* one ;). If anyone's still re watching, join me!

Love it. Great solid episode, not too heavy handed (who am I kidding... I am so dense I sometimes miss anvils completely, which from what other viewers tell me is probably good with SPN) And while, yes, this ep introduces the crossroad demons which leads to hi jinx later on, I loved seeing Dean struggle with the choice his dad made and having to decide what choice he would make. He was smartDean too,which is always great, setting two traps and effectively luring the demon and getting what he wanted. Deans spiral is shown well here as it escalates and that's always an interesting plot in my book. Ha ha, ill be in my bunk. I like you already. I'm gonna fit in here nicely ;)

Ok, I'm finally getting through the rewatch... Better late than never, lol For some reason, I skip this ep whenever I'm re watching. But since I'm on a strict self-imposed no skipping ANY episodes rewatch I watched I don't recall why I skipped it! I really liked this one, and I forgot all the great brother moments and smart dialogue. Smart Sam and smart Dean will always win in my book and I wish we saw more of it. Of course they'd have contingency plans for getting separated (much like the funky town code word in Hunted) The main thing that grates for me is the ending. I like some meta, and actually really enjoy meta episodes of SPN in general, but the comment at the end of this ep about Ballard being familiar and wanting pea soup... Annoys the hell out of me. Dumb imo and Not even funny. (Though not sure it qualifies as meta per say... You all know what I mean)

Ha ha, I'm sad to admit, I didn't even think of that. That'll end well...

Loved it. Cried. Loved it again. Bonnie and Damon was awesome. He was so happy and while I didn't expect the huge jump up and hug moment, I LOVED it more than anything all season. I've been wanting Damon to reach out to Caroline for awhile now, so it was nice to see the attempt. I don't expect it to solve/fix anything, but it was the right time and their scenes together we're just perfect for where the characters are. Speaking of Damon (who I'll admit is my fave) I love his characters growth. Really I do. And I think a lot of the characters have really grown and changed this season, for the better... ...BUT, I do miss some of the bad ass vampirey things. It seems like there's been lots of talking and growing and character moments (again, great!) but I miss some of the violence. Our vamps seem to have been house trained a little too much for my taste. Ymmv of course. I certainly don't want to go backward, or have the writers royally screw up character development (I'm looking at season five Damon), but they ARE vamps and supernatural beings,... Idk Elena, while she never really annoys me as much as she seems to annoy so many viewers, lol, was a great friend and hit all the right notes this ep. I didn't find her speech to Caroline hypocritical, and in fact was amazed that the writers didn't have her making it about her losses really at all. Not directly at least. She said she made huge mistakes and she didn't want her friend to make the same ones. As for mama Salvatore... I'm not so sure that 1903 is the prison world she was originally in. I mean, Bonnie was traveling between two worlds at the end there, maybe Mama Salvatore had been jerked into the 1903 world, too. While I wish Alaric had more of a purpose, though I don't know what it would be, I'm going to choose to be happy that he's happy and alive. I'm sure the soon-to-come mystical twins will give him enough to do. I'll bet Kai and/or the Gemini coven will be all about wanting those kids. Speaking of... Still LOVE Kai. More Kai. Didn't miss Enzo one bit.

I somewhat agree with the previous post. However, I am a Delena fan... in theory. We haven't gotten to see them together much because of all the aforementioned obstacles! I'm sick of the convoluted ways and reasons that they can't be together. There relationship does.not.need.to.be this complicated and it doesn't need to be the center of the plot! Just have them be together and focus on plot driven storylines rather than contrived relationship-driven, angst-making storylines! I LOVE Damon and I (again, in theory) like Delena, but I much prefer the Damon and Elena of Season 1-3 because their growing relationship was on the sidelines of *actual real plot*. It frustrates the crap out of me that we are being TOLD, in retrospect, about the great parts of their relationship. Not being SHOWN it. Its like they haven't even been together for the last 2 seasons, but all the fans are aggravated about it anyway (both the Delena haters hate the way it is, and the Delena lovers hate the way it is) who wins with this situation? I'm grasping at *moments* where I see what I like onscreen! ALL that being said, I am actually enjoying this season for the first time since early season 4-ish so I see progress and I won't be jumping ship (like I could, I have to see things through until the (probably) bitter end) As for Jeremy moving on, I'm glad. He's been a useless character for many seasons and he needs to distance himself from the crazy supernatural lifestyle. I wouldn't be surprised if Matt moved on, too (or got killed off this season, cause he's got very little use left AND he's so over the supes)

A

Ok, I've just got The Truth part 1 and 2 left in my rewatch... And the last movie. Then I'm done with my full, skip no episodes, rewatch of The Xfiles. Took me 90 days! Trust no 1... Was like bad fanfiction. The emails were awful,the episode was disjointed. Strange William was sad and heartbreaking. I get it, really. But now she's put that couple at risk. Honestly her and Mulder are going to check up on that family years down the road and find they were all murdered in their bed and the child taken. The HUGE leap that Doggett took, saying burned/disfigured Spender was Mulder?! Mulder himself has never made a leap that crazy. There was No reason he should have thought that... I don't understand the leap at all, nor why Anyone would believe it? S9 had some good episodes, some great MOTW, and I really like D and M on rewatch. Sunshine Days... Hmm, I had only seen this episode once, when it first aired. I recalled hating it with a fiery vengeance. On rewatch, it was actually a nice episode. Ill timed maybe, and not a good use of the second to last episode of the series. Scully was awfully upbeat for someone who just gave away her child, though. It was nice seeing Doggett so...free? Happy? A good continuation from the previous episode Release. Ok, on to the Truth. Can't wait to see Mulder and the big smooch

H

Christmas carol and Emily. Though those are depressing (and mess up continuity in such a big way it annoys the crap outta me re: the necklaces). Like, seriously, if shows had even one a Fan on staff they would never make glaring errors in continuity, lol Still good episodes though and GA is fantastic. I still love DDs Mr Potato head face that he makes