BabySpinach

So not only does Sam get the main mytharc, he also gets a romantic interest. Meanwhile, Dean's only got his now-nonexistent connection to Michael and the big hanging question of his death books that may never actually be addressed. I'm so. Fucking. Bored.

I'll just add that, among all of CW's shows, one thing that Supernatural still stands a cut above on are the fight scenes. Most of them (usually Dean's) are well-choreographed and performed and still carry a real sense of grit and grounded reality. His tussle with Lee was really dynamic and fun to watch. First the bar shootout, then using things around them as improvised weapons, both of them gaining the upper hand at different points. It was the best part of the episode (after the singing, of course!). The editing could have been a bit less frantic, admittedly, but it was all still coherent.

My favorite thing about this episode was Undeniable Badass Dean Fucking Winchester. His rolling out the monster head was classic stuff. Reminded me of the season six vampire episode where he cleaned out a whole nest (along with its leader) as a starving young vampire. Neat fight scene at the end, too. For me, Badass DW was automatically a big step up in this episode's favor. The writing's reiteration of his purpose, his unconditional care for innocents, was a nice bonus. Now onto the rest. Holy Hell, was the A-plot dull. Mytharc stuff happened, we got a brief "Sam's dying oh noes" scare 🙄, you know, the usual. Whatever. I'm also over the whole "Cas is compromising his morals" schtick. Guys, WE KNOW. This has been his only semblance of a character arc for years. We already know he'll never go all the way down the moral rabbit hole; and even if he does, as he did in season 14, it'll just be handwaved and eventually foisted onto Dean, anyway. What's the point? And shocker, the old trusted friend turned out to be the bad guy. Most predictable "plot twist" in the world. But yes, Jensen finally got to sing well as Dean! It was pure fanservice, but it sure made this fan happy! Overall, better than I expected. At this point, just give me some positive Dean love and I'm all set. Thank you to Jeremy Adams for not pretending that anyone who looks like Jensen Ackles would have trouble getting attention from women (and men!). He's new, so he apparently hasn't been force-fed the koolaid yet.

If Dean didn't submit, he would have continued to be ripped apart for all eternity until he eventually did. Meanwhile, Sam gets his ego stroked by his demonic paramour and that, plus his desire for revenge, is all that's needed to send him down a rabbit hole which culminates in the draining of a possessed human begging for mercy to cap off an entire year of escalating bad choices. Sam's breaking of the seal is not the issue, it was how he acted throughout the season. He called his brother, the brother who went to Hell FOR HIM, weak because he was traumatized by the experience! In what conceivable reality is that acceptable? It was about the journey, not the destination, and it's not particularly hard to see why some would sympathize a lot more with Dean's circumstances than Sam's. ETA: Also, any "choice" made under torture automatically disqualifies it as an actual choice by any standard of sound mind and judgement. And what is more likely, Dean genuinely enjoying inflicting pain on people, or Dean "enjoying" it as a coping mechanism along with his relief for the end of his own decades of suffering?

And she saw an opportunity and took it. Good on her! 😂

James McAvoy, Chris Pratt, Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Ewan McGreggor, Joaquin Phoenix, Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Benedict Cumberbatch, Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Cruise, Mark Ruffalo, Cillian Murphy, Timothy Olyphant, Idris Elba, Ryan Reynolds, Jeremy Renner etc. etc. If you believe that Jensen's age is the only thing holding him back from a "major" movie role, there's plenty of examples disputing that. I'd argue that the majority of our most famous movie stars nowadays are 40+.

I agree with those saying that this episode was Snoozetown. There was little spark or personality on display for most of it, just characters going through the motions and doing exactly what they're supposed to do. Zero clever lines, unexpected moments, or spontaneity. Both Sam and Cas have been gradually stripped down to the most agreeable, smooth-edged versions of themselves. SNORE. The exception was Cas stabbing the djinn into mince meat. He's way overdue for some actual grit and ferocity again. I liked that Dean got to play a crucial part in the action and that Sam killing the witch with "powers" wasn't some flashy glowy-eyes-light-shooting-out-of-hands BS, but just a hex bag and incantation. You know, what witches USED to be. Looks like Dean's inevitable grovelling to Cas hasn't come about yet, so I appreciate that small mercy. Cas was the one forced to call him, and Dean was the one who ended the call. And his passive-aggressive jab about Cas' habit of not checking messages was both on-point and way overdue, lol. But yeah, mostly Snoozetown. Too bad the next episode is two weeks away; that one looks way more interesting. ETA: Oh my god, how could I have forgotten to mention the GHOST CHOKING SCENE?! It was that special brand of unavoidable dumb that can't possibly be explained away by even the most far-fetched meta. Seriously, WHAT THE FUCK?! What were the stakes? Were we really supposed to worry about an already-dead person getting choked? What was the endgame of that scenario?!?! They could have easily, EASILY done what Jack the Ripper did in 15.02 and had the witch ghost attempt to consume Eileen, instead. Boom, fixed! Now give me my paycheck.

The only time I've ever related to Lilith was when she was making unabashed googly eyes at Dean. Like, same, girl! I suppose if I had to choose between a lame hunt played straight and an intentionally lame hunt with a whole other twist and story included on the back end, I'd definitely pick the latter. And good on Yockey for still championing Divinity Magnet/Cosmically Important Dean. Regardless of whether it will amount to anything, I appreciate the effort. If Sam gets a direct connection to God, Dean at least deserves this for himself. The actress for Lilith was really very good. Her confidence and charisma made her fun to watch and elevated her way beyond the typical young, attractive guest stars usually cast in these roles. Demon!Dean's brief return was very welcome. Five years later and Jensen's still got it, not to mention he's barely aged since then! His expression while killing Sam was exquisite and chilling. Age joke was dumb. If it was intended to be misdirection (ie. Sam is the one who actually looks different, but for some reason people question Dean) then it should have been conveyed more clearly. My standards are rock-bottom right now, so I was mostly content. At least Dean's importance was alluded to and he had relevant stuff to do, plus we got some bonus Demon!Dean on top.

I'm not sure if it's the same thing that bothers you, but Jared's constant stuttering and Shatner-worthy pauses in "serious" scenes drive me up the wall. Literally Sam's very first spoken line of the season was a stuttering mess. His acting didn't used to be like that, but it was really obvious and distracting in this episode's BM scene. JUST SPIT IT OUT, DAMN IT.

Hey-yo, the first decent episode of the season! Same as with Perez's Mint Condition last year, it was an unexpectedly nice, palette cleansing MOTW. Awesome opening action scene, Jensen's song at the end was perfectly cued, and I actually kind of felt something for the hunt this time! Hopefully, with the actual textual acknowledgement that a horrible and depressing ending isn't automatically good just because it evokes strong emotions (cough cough, Game of Thrones), we might just get a garbage fire ending instead of a dumpster fire one. One can hope, right? 😉 I'm waaaayyy over the brothers playing Depression Hot Potato. One week it's Sam's turn, the next week it's Dean's. There was no rhyme or reason to Dean's angry bitterness in 14.02 suddenly morphing into optimism two episodes later. The petty fangirl in me is just going to assume that it's because Woobie Cas' isn't around being a self-pitying party pooper who drags everyone down with him. And we just know that Sam's current funk isn't actually going to lead anywhere plot or character-related. It's just filler at this point, something to cap off an episode's weekly BM moment in the car. Whatever. Agreeable episode, no strong objections, I'll take what I can get.

Jensen basically confirmed that Dean has no story of his own this season. One of the two main characters who's been there since the beginning. Fuck Michael and fuck Billie then, I guess?

Yeah, it's insultingly blatant at this point. I can't imagine them just not addressing this gaping plot hole, but I was almost certain that there was some big twist coming with it last season too. We'll just have to wait and see, and grit our teeth through more character-assassinating dreck in the meantime. Whoopee.

Haven't seen the episode, but just scrolling through the "supernatural" tag on Tumblr has me furious. Fucking hooray, Dean is once again framed as the bad guy and the fandom is (ONCE AGAIN) calling for him to grovel for forgiveness because everyone else is now just a sad woobie being abused by meanie Dean. And now Cas gets his undeserved moment of vindication where he walks away from the "abuse" just so Dean can learn a Very Important Lesson and browbeat himself some more. Fuck Berens. Fuck it all. I'm so tired and sick of this shit.

I've never seen a more beautiful man.

Yes, please let Emily Swallow write the rest of the season! At least SHE'D treat Dean like he deserves. And she also perfectly expressed my confusion/fury over Chuck randomly ruining the creation that he'd defended and betrayed her for. One of us! One of us!

This is so cathartic. We're not alone!

This is an issue I've had with the show for years, but why the FUCK are so many "scary" scenes set in BROAD SPANKING DAYLIGHT?! I so miss the times when there was actual atmosphere and creepiness instead of this bright, flat palette that shows everything and makes all the "scares" look corny and cheap. Genius tip, TPTB, horror usually works best in darkness and very selective light ie. through the strategic withholding of information. The earlier directors/cinematographers/showrunners knew that. And watching the ghosts actually RUNNING after them was completely ridiculous. UUUGGHHH about Sam's Supernatural Affliction #1052. I'm so over this dead horse. Michael's escape from the cage is the only thing that piqued my interest. Definitely not getting my hopes up, though. Still waiting on Billie to explain what the fuck was going on with Dean's death books. Demon Jack had an actual personality, so that automatically put him leagues above regular milquetoast Jack. His fanboying of Dean was nice, as was the callback to Alastair. Could we just keep this one and leave the far inferior original in the Empty? I didn't feel any sympathy for Cas getting the cold shoulder from Dean. He fully absolved and sided with the murderer of Dean's mom and vehemently opposed even locking up this obviously dangerous loose cannon. But too bad Dean seems to have already forgiven Jack. Pretty underwhelming premiere, though IMO not as bad as the previous season's.

What is that shot of the Mark of Cain on Dean's (or AU Dean's) arm? I'm pretty sure it's not an old scene.

Characters who are never held responsible for their actions are boring at best and unbearably obnoxious at worst. There are no stakes and no reason for us to genuinely care about them or their journeys.

Yeah, God being a dick has been baked into the show ever since it was revealed that he existed. I'd always assumed that he truly did create humans in his image ie. he's at least as flawed as they are. And a human as omnipotent God would be exactly that much of a callous screw-up. But I'd much preferred it when Chuck was framed as not intentionally malevolent and his sister had the justified vengeance. It was a more interesting and complex avenue than having one side as pure evil and the other as pure good. On a tangentially-related note, I DESPISE how the Winchester's many floutings of destiny and fate have now been retconned to have STILL been part of Chuck's big plan. It's basically Dabb yelling, "Now it's time for the REAL version of the story! Fuck those far superior previous seasons, it's my show (to ruin) now!" Egotistical hack.

It looks like season 15 is going to be "about" the Winchesters the same way season 14 was. Being the central focus of the story means being an active agent, a driving force of the plot. Jack and Nickifer fulfilled that role far more than the Winchesters did. Characters who only react to the progression of the story (rather than actually causing it) are not the focus; they're the passive support. I have less than zero interest in a season that features Jack playing the dominant active role, even if he's just a plot device. He'd still be the center of attention, and I just want this bland, paper-thin, self-centered, navel-gazing, endlessly-excused little shit completely gone. The most active thing that Dean did all season was lock Michael in his head and build the Malak box. And guess what?! It all amounted to FUCK-ALL. The manner of Michael's death retroactively nullified any of Dean's already-scant contribution to the plot. Nothing changed between 14.10 and 14.14 that suddenly allowed for Jack to kill Michael. He literally could have glowed up, ripped Michael out of Dean, then smoked him right then and there. Dean trapping an archangel in his head did ABSOLUTE SHIT for the actual story progression. Every time I think about where season 14 ended up going after such a strong latter-half setup, I get majorly pissed.

Dean "wasn't in any position to fight Michael" because the writers WROTE HIM THAT WAY. They deliberately pissed away Dean's arc, that has existed since season five and was unceremoniously dropped until season fourteen, and gave it to a supporting character's who's been around for TWO YEARS. Because this isn't elementary gym class where everyone gets a fair turn and a lollipop and a pat on the head so that they aren't left out. And Jack killing Michael completely obliterated Dean's (YET AGAIN) unresolved arc without a proper thematic conclusion. Objectively, it's completely shite storytelling on par with the

The key to Lucifer changing back was not for him to become a better person, to make himself "worthy" of Chloe, or to receive some grand gesture of acceptance from her. It all tied back to Lucifer's self-perception, because we've seen from the beginning that Lucifer being "evil" has never been the problem. He's always been a decent person at his core; he'd simply internalized humanity's collective villification of him, his siblings' disdain, and his own guilt and come out with a warped impression of himself. This was a more original and authentic take on healing and redemption. I'm unbelievably grateful that Lucifer's personal crisis was not tied to his worthiness as Chloe's friend/romantic partner. She even told Lucifer to stop using her as an excuse, because it wasn't about her. It also makes 4.07 better in retrospect, because Lucifer choosing to adhere to the law (eyeroll) was clearly not the answer. Lucifer only felt like a monster because his own actions didn't agree with him, not because breaking Julian's back was illegal or objectively wrong somehow (which IMO it wasn't).

I found it refreshing that, perhaps for the first time in the show, Chloe was allowed to actually be wrong and to face fallout for it. Her motives and reasoning didn't come out of nowhere, but her actions were still a serious blow to their relationship. After everything they'd been through together, after the multiple times Lucifer had risked/sacrificed his life and family for her (some of which she does know about), her pushing all that history aside to only focus on him being the Devil was deserving of consequences, especially following her multiple proclamations of love and forgiveness of all aspects of him. Words like that aren't cheap, and when they were actually put to the test, Chloe did fail to follow through. The whole "Lucifer is a spazzy, tunnel-visioned goober always trailing after eternally forgiving and patient Saint Chloe who deigns to tolerate him" had worn VERRRYYY thin by season 3. It'd both diminished Lucifer as a character and placed Chloe on an unwarranted pedestal. This was a welcome shake-up to their dynamic. She got to come back down to earth and Lucifer got to be rightfully angry with her for once and demonstrate some dignity and self-respect in the process.

And I'll take the opportunity to pimp the fuck out of this show. If you like genre shows with great character writing, strong themes, and coherent narratives, Lucifer is the answer! Seasons 1, 2, and 3 are fluffy and entertaining and have their moments of greatness (also with some admittedly rough spots in season 3), but season 4 fires on all cylinders and is absolutely fantastic. The network change did this show a world of good.