S08.E01: We Need to Talk About Kevin

[AwesomO4000]

Quote

See Also: Sam was stoned.

Hee. Or see also: "They just didn't care." *

As long as they set up: ooh, the drama! The conflict! The mystery! I guess it didn't matter that the reactions didn't really make much sense.

I'm not sure how much the writers had decided on the details of how the future flashbacks were going to go or what they would reveal at this point, so I think Sam's reactions were one of those things they left vague until they decided exactly what the flashbacks were going to show, so that no matter what they revealed they would "make sense" (sort of) and not conflict with what we saw here. Unfortunately it all ended up being somewhat muddled when we did finally find out the rest of the story... which by the time I found out, I was so annoyed and bored that I didn't even care - well I cared even less, if that was possible.

* Mystery Science Theater 3000 quote.

Edited June 3, 2016 by AwesomO4000
Stupid top of the next page, so needed to add the quote.

[DittyDotDot]

You know, time is a funny thing. I keep thinking, as time goes on, I'll become more fond of S8 like I did with S3--which, BTW, I now adore S3 so very much--and to a certain degree, it does help. But I just can never get over the sudden change in the overall tone of the show. Maybe next time I do a rewatch I should take a couple months break between S7 and S8 and see if it's not quite as jarring?

Anyhoo, something that jumped out to me this time: the little trek Dean goes on to re-soul Benny had me in mind of Lazarus Rising. The show used to do this sort of thing a lot, back in the day; re-stage scenes to show the characters in different places. This was kinda an interesting call back, for me. In Lazarus Rising, Dean is walking down that dirt road after digging himself out of his own grave with this whole "What the Hell?" attitude, but here he's a man on a mission. It nicely sets up the idea they're not really on defense this season like they were in the past.

On 12/2/2014 at 3:40 PM, AwesomO4000 said:

I'm not so sure about what happens to monsters if they die in Purgatory, but I don't think they die die. If they did, my guess is that there wouldn't be very many monsters left in purgatory - and Castiel supposedly sucked in millions of monster souls. My theory is that they don't die, but just come back - which is what I would love to have seen for either Dean or Benny: one of them getting killed and the other having to go find him again. [...]

I'm totally watching this time with this idea in mind. No one dies in Purgatory, they just get sent back to "start" However, my caveat is that since Dean's been transported to Purgatory in his human body, and he doesn't belong there anyway, death would be real for him.

I really wish they'd done a whole lot more with Purgatory, in general, though. (I once had this idea that Purgatory could be like Australia--a once penal colony turned legit society--but before it turned legit society, there was a lot of fighting between the different cultures transported there.) And I still think they missed an opportunity to get some familiar faces to make some brief appearances. Ah well, whatcha gonna do, right?

Edited August 23, 2016 by DittyDotDot

[Hanahope]

So I'm agreeing with most posters that it seems a bit out of character for Sam to have done absolutely nothing to find out what happened to Dean and to try and help him/bring him back.  Sam is good with research, he knows enough about hunters to find some that might agree to help him, he knows how to summon Crowley and at least hold him for a time for some real answers.  and to completely ignore the phone with all those messages from Kevin is stunning.  Yet another resource he could have used to help Dean.  It does seem just unfathomable Sam did nothing.

I was going to ask whether "Amelia" meant the vetrinarian or the dog, but reading the above indicates it was the vet.  Frankly, I'd've been more sympathetic if it was the dog (since it reminds me of one of those Sam flashbacks we saw when they were reliving prior happy events in their life and Sam was on his own with another dog for a time).  I can't believe any self-respecting vet would push for an homeless man (even though he's good looking) to take care of an injured dog (and I know a few vets).

I am interested to find out how vamp Bennie became Dean's bff.  Of course, Dean isn't telling Sam about it, not yet at least.  We remember how so well it worked out when Dean didn't tell Sam about his time in hell or Sam not tell Dean about his time with grandpappy while Dean was canoodling with Cassie.  These two never communicate when they need to.

[bettername2come]

This is one of my favorite episode titles. How come I never find a crazed Dean Winchester in the woods? Dean and Benny's hug is just so happy. You made the dog sad when you left, Sam. He whimpered. You made the dog and Dean sad. "Deep, abiding love for each other." You know Dean's serious when he refers to their relationship with the word love. Poor Kevin. I love Dean's protective instincts coming out saying Kevin was their responsibility. I really like Sam's hair in this one. Holy water gun, Kevin! He's a nerdy little demon obliterating badass. Amelia blaming Sam for hitting the dog (like he did it on purpose) and making him take him does not endear me to the character. "There's a demon in you and you're going to your safety school." Poor Jenny. Dead women. Dragging men into hunting since 1983. I like Benny and his accent. 

[RulerofallIsurvey]

::deep breath::  Whoo Boy!   Here we go!  

Less than 15 minutes in and Sam is trash.  Absolute trash.  It was definitely the not looking for Kevin.  Then the Kevin voice mails.  And "eat me."  Replayed.  Yeah, I can't do this.  If it were Lent, I'd consider watching this season, or at least this episode, penance.  But since I'm weird, I have to get through it.  I just can't skip, no matter how much I want to.  So I'm going to try to concentrate on the positives.  (Which should make the rest of  this post pretty short!  LOL!)  

I don't think I noticed first time I watched that in the Purgatory flashback Dean has while standing in front of the vending machine (was he thinking how much he missed junk food or wondering if it was still Leviathan tainted), Dean was hunting.  He was tracking the thing for information about Cas.  For some reason, I'd remembered it as Dean evading monsters, not the monsters evading Dean.  

Also: I know I said I was going to try to concentrate on the positives, but this still - 5 seasons later - makes no sense:  Sam: "...I found something.  Something I've never had.  All my life."  Well, I would say that meant an affair with a married woman, but he did that as Soulless, so the only thing I can think of to which that applies is: a pushy, bitchy vet.  Not one for the memory books, Sam.  Okay, the good: the hair is looking pretty good.  I didn't like it so much the first time though, but it is pretty.   There's scruff now though, not clean-shaven dimples.  I wonder if this is the beginning of the perma-scruff?

Did we ever find the origin to the "you don't take a joint from a guy named Don" piece of advice?  I'm thinking S12, but I could be wrong.  I really want to know what happened there.  

I think it's interesting that God included a 'human' portal out of Purgatory.  It was only meant for monsters, but somehow he still provided a contingency plan.  

The Sam hair is pretty, but SO not FBI appropriate.

Did see, or remember, Kevin's girlfriend being a demon.

Damn, so much for the positives...again...1. the flashbacks themselves (well, the Sam-backs anyway) were pretty awful, but 2. the things that triggered them were really, really, (etc.) REALLY bad.  Sam sees a girl walking a chocolate lab and that triggers the flashback to the "I hit a dog" incident?  I could see if the dogs looked the same, but they didn't.  It was just some random dog.  That was pretty stupid. 

Okay, here's a positive!  Sam Winchester is the kind of guy who will stop and make sure the animal is okay if it's hurt, and take it to a vet if he needs to.  I like guys like that.  There are (sadly) a lot of people who would not do that. 

And another positive: I like watching Dean enjoying his burger.

I like how Kevin is super smart - deceiving Crowley, blasting away the demon minions, and making his borax blasters and holy water door traps.  He was an awesome prophet.   

On 8/5/2017 at 10:54 PM, bettername2come said:

How come I never find a crazed Dean Winchester in the woods?

And what would you do with him if you did?  Or should I even ask? ;)

[DittyDotDot]

21 minutes ago, RulerofallIsurvey said:

in the Purgatory flashback Dean has while standing in front of the vending machine (was he thinking how much he missed junk food or wondering if it was still Leviathan tainted

I think he was just overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choices, which he was now unaccustomed to after being in Purgatory...FLASHBACK!! ;)

21 minutes ago, RulerofallIsurvey said:

I think it's interesting that God included a 'human' portal out of Purgatory.  It was only meant for monsters, but somehow he still provided a contingency plan.  

It's funny you mention that because were humans even created when Purgatory was created? I mean it was really created for Leviathan, but ended up containing all monsters. So, did God create the portal after monsters were sent there or was it part of his original design? And, if he did create it when monsters starting being sent there, why? Could it be that since monsters are basically mutated humans, that they can be "cured" in Purgatory and returned through the human portal?

Which have I mentioned how I felt like there so many cool and interesting possibilities with Purgatory? 

Edited December 10, 2017 by DittyDotDot

[RulerofallIsurvey]

10 minutes ago, DittyDotDot said:

It's funny you mention that because were humans even created when Purgatory was created? I mean it was really created for Leviathan, but ended up containing all monsters. So, did God create the portal after monsters were sent there or was it part of his original design? And, if he did create it when monsters starting being sent there, why? Could it be that since monsters are basically mutated humans, that they can be "cured" in Purgatory and returned through the human portal?

Which have I mentioned how I felt like there so many cool and interesting possibilities with Purgatory? 

Ooh! I completely forgot that Purgatory was created to house the Leviathans.  However, wasn't it created to house the Leviathans after humans were also created because God was worried that 'they'd chomp the whole petri dish'?  I mean, if it were only Leviathan, and not humans, around, it wouldn't matter much if they chomped the whole petri dish, would it?  

Or maybe Purgatory was created to house Leviathans after they were eating the whole rest of the animal kingdom but before humans were actually created?  

Interesting speculation!

Which makes me wonder, when it was determined that monsters - who were human, but now aren't - would end up there instead of just in Heaven or Hell?  

I really like your theory about monsters being cured in Purgatory.   I'm not sure how that would happen, given the logistics we've seen?  Maybe a monster, like Benny, who tried to help others instead of just being out for themselves.  (Even though Benny actually had an ulterior motive - so maybe he's not the best example here.)  

Or was the human portal really only meant for the reapers to guide the monsters who'd regained their humanity to pass to Heaven or Hell?  But since it was meant for 'human' souls, that was the loophole that allowed Dean to use it.

[DittyDotDot]

2 minutes ago, RulerofallIsurvey said:

Or maybe Purgatory was created to house Leviathans after they were eating the whole rest of the animal kingdom but before humans were actually created?

That was my understanding. Death said something about them being locked away long before God created humans. I once asked what people thought they may have eaten since humans weren't yet created and someone pointed out dinosaurs...and their eventual extinction. Which just now got me thinking.... . ;)

2 minutes ago, RulerofallIsurvey said:

I really like your theory about monsters being cured in Purgatory.   I'm not sure how that would happen, given the logistics we've seen?  Maybe a monster, like Benny, who tried to help others instead of just being out for themselves.  (Even though Benny actually had an ulterior motive - so maybe he's not the best example here.)

I don't know how it would work exactly, but in religion Purgatory is supposed to be a place where souls are purified before entering Heaven. So put a little Supernatural twist on the lore and it might've been interesting if monsters could be "purified" and sent back to the real world--or sent on to Heaven? I had so many bits of speculation on Purgatory, so many.

[RulerofallIsurvey]

1 hour ago, DittyDotDot said:

That was my understanding. Death said something about them being locked away long before God created humans.

Okay, thanks for that.  I couldn't quite remember all of it - and well, was too lazy to either look it up or rewatch myself.  :)  

1 hour ago, DittyDotDot said:

I once asked what people thought they may have eaten since humans weren't yet created and someone pointed out dinosaurs...and their eventual extinction. Which just now got me thinking.... . ;)

ROTFLMAO!  Well...I AM a big believer in 'what goes around, comes around.' :D

1 hour ago, DittyDotDot said:

I don't know how it would work exactly, but in religion Purgatory is supposed to be a place where souls are purified before entering Heaven. So put a little Supernatural twist on the lore and it might've been interesting if monsters could be "purified" and sent back to the real world--or sent on to Heaven?

I would have liked this.  Even if it was stipulated that it was difficult to accomplish and very few did - just that there was some hope for 'monsters' who'd been turned into monsters unwillingly.  

[catrox14]

2 hours ago, DittyDotDot said:

I think he was just overwhelmed by the sheer amount of choices, which he was now unaccustomed to after being in Purgatory...FLASHBACK!! ;

I don't think it was the necessarily the sheer amount of choices but that he had choices at all. He had few choices in Purgatory. I always thought that was an homage to Hurt Locker when the Jeremy Renner character was overwhelmed by the shopping aisle when he returned from battle. I liked that they tried to show that Dean was indeed having PTSD. Should have gone into that more.

ETA: My head canon is that Dick Roman created the human portal so he could go back and forth building his empire.

[Iju]

i had serious problems with this episode. it was so easy, so cut and dry to understand sam's side of things. i just believe how the direction was done made sam look cold. i'm sure he tried to find so many ways to find his brother, but as he said, he didn't even have 1 clue. dean just disappeared. dean has said since season freaking 1 that they don't have anyone but each other, but that wasn't the case. they still had their father, and they still had their friends. but now with even bobby gone there literally is no trace of family or friends left (and bobby was both), sam had no-one. i would have been done myself, so i can totally understand what sam is going through. and let's say sam abandoned hunting and looked for dean the entire time. i bet the show still would have found a way to make sam look like the bad guy. 

and i'm still in a pissy fit on how the writers can get their relationship so right (most times), but the brothers' reunions are so pathetic. this time it was almost as worse as S4. in S4 sam and dean haven't seen each other in 4 months. this time, it's double that amount of time and we get a single hug, and they're back to working on their cases or whatever like dean went on a vacation trip for 2 weeks. i mean, my father left to see his sister for two days, and when he came back me and my family threw a freaking party. so i know that if we have that sort of family connection that sam and dean have, they would not have just had such a slouchy reunion. end rant.

[DeeDee79]

48 minutes ago, Iju said:

i had serious problems with this episode. it was so easy, so cut and dry to understand sam's side of things. i just believe how the direction was done made sam look cold. i'm sure he tried to find so many ways to find his brother, but as he said, he didn't even have 1 clue. dean just disappeared. dean has said since season freaking 1 that they don't have anyone but each other, but that wasn't the case. they still had their father, and they still had their friends. but now with even bobby gone there literally is no trace of family or friends left (and bobby was both), sam had no-one. i would have been done myself, so i can totally understand what sam is going through. and let's say sam abandoned hunting and looked for dean the entire time. i bet the show still would have found a way to make sam look like the bad guy. 

 

Sorry that your takeaway was mostly how Sam looked like a bad guy. I empathized with Dean and how he was tossed into another dimension with no idea of what he was in for or if he would make it out. Adding to that he was hoping that his brother was trying to find a way to find him only to be told that he moved on with his life because of a so-called “promise” that hadn’t been mentioned in the previous 7 seasons. I definitely think that Dean was dealt the shittier hand here. IMO of course.

[gonzosgirrl]

54 minutes ago, Iju said:

i had serious problems with this episode. it was so easy, so cut and dry to understand sam's side of things. i just believe how the direction was done made sam look cold. i'm sure he tried to find so many ways to find his brother, but as he said, he didn't even have 1 clue. dean just disappeared. dean has said since season freaking 1 that they don't have anyone but each other, but that wasn't the case. they still had their father, and they still had their friends. but now with even bobby gone there literally is no trace of family or friends left (and bobby was both), sam had no-one. i would have been done myself, so i can totally understand what sam is going through. and let's say sam abandoned hunting and looked for dean the entire time. i bet the show still would have found a way to make sam look like the bad guy. 

and i'm still in a pissy fit on how the writers can get their relationship so right (most times), but the brothers' reunions are so pathetic. this time it was almost as worse as S4. in S4 sam and dean haven't seen each other in 4 months. this time, it's double that amount of time and we get a single hug, and they're back to working on their cases or whatever like dean went on a vacation trip for 2 weeks. i mean, my father left to see his sister for two days, and when he came back me and my family threw a freaking party. so i know that if we have that sort of family connection that sam and dean have, they would not have just had such a slouchy reunion. end rant.

You noticed that Sam also abandoned Kevin as well as Dean, right?

Sam's MO is to either walk away or run away when it is what he wants to do, so it really wasn't out of character for him to stick his head in the sand regarding Dean and Kevin.

[Iju]

3 hours ago, DeeDee79 said:

Sorry that your takeaway was mostly how Sam looked like a bad guy. I empathized with Dean and how he was tossed into another dimension with no idea of what he was in for or if he would make it out. Adding to that he was hoping that his brother was trying to find a way to find him only to be told that he moved on with his life because of a so-called “promise” that hadn’t been mentioned in the previous 7 seasons. I definitely think that Dean was dealt the shittier hand here. IMO of course.

if sam knew he is was purgatory, if he knew he was anywhere, he would not only look for him but get him as well. he has proven this during the seasons, so if sam didn't get dean, he must have tried everything and then some to get to him. for we know he could have went right back to his alcoholic tendency that happens when dean isn't around (funnily enough, it's what happens with another brother pair IRL lol), which is possibly how he ran over the dog, but that's pure speculation of course. 

3 hours ago, gonzosgirrl said:

You noticed that Sam also abandoned Kevin as well as Dean, right?

Sam's MO is to either walk away or run away when it is what he wants to do, so it really wasn't out of character for him to stick his head in the sand regarding Dean and Kevin.

if my brother, my only sibling left in my entire life, my entire family, was gone without a trace, i would not give two rats tails about kevin either, or anyone else for that matter. and i'm sorry but it's super hard to imagine dean would care about anyone else outside of finding sam/coming to terms that he's gone as well. as he said in S3, why the heck would he care about the world ending or anything if his brother is dead, and that was with bobby alive at the time.

[DeeDee79]

3 hours ago, Iju said:

if sam knew he is was purgatory, if he knew he was anywhere, he would not only look for him but get him as well. he has proven this during the seasons, so if sam didn't get dean, he must have tried everything and then some to get to him. for we know he could have went right back to his alcoholic tendency that happens when dean isn't around (funnily enough, it's what happens with another brother pair IRL lol), which is possibly how he ran over the dog, but that's pure speculation of course. 

if my brother, my only sibling left in my entire life, my entire family, was gone without a trace, i would not give two rats tails about kevin either, or anyone else for that matter. and i'm sorry but it's super hard to imagine dean would care about anyone else outside of finding sam/coming to terms that he's gone as well. as he said in S3, why the heck would he care about the world ending or anything if his brother is dead, and that was with bobby alive at the time.

So basically Sam is the only one worth empathizing with here. Got it. 

[ahrtee]

7 hours ago, Iju said:

if sam knew he is was purgatory, if he knew he was anywhere, he would not only look for him but get him as well. he has proven this during the seasons, so if sam didn't get dean, he must have tried everything and then some to get to him. for we know he could have went right back to his alcoholic tendency that happens when dean isn't around (funnily enough, it's what happens with another brother pair IRL lol), which is possibly how he ran over the dog, but that's pure speculation of course. 

 

SAM:   I had no one – no one. And for the first time in my life, I was completely alone. And, honestly, I-I didn't exactly have a roadmap. So, yeah, I-I fixed up the Impala, and I just... drove.

DEAN: After you looked for me. [SAM says nothing.] Did you look for me, Sam? [SAM looks away.] Good. That's good. Now, we – we... always told each other not to look for each other. That's smart. Good for you. Of course, we always ignored that because of our deep, abiding love for each another, but not this time, right, Sammy?

 

All Sam had to say at that point was, "Of course I looked,"  or "I didn't know where to look."   Like Dean in 6.1:

Dean: That woman and that kid -- I went to them because you asked me to.

Bobby: Good.

Dean: Good for who? I showed up on their doorstep half out of my head with grief. God knows why they even let me in. I drank too much. I had nightmares. I looked everywhere. I collected hundreds of books, trying to find anything to bust you out.

Sam: You promised you'd leave it alone.

Dean: Of course I didn't leave it alone! Sue me! A damn year? You couldn't put me out of my misery?

 

So unless Sam had a good reason *not* to tell Dean that he'd looked for him (which he never mentioned, then or later), it seems pretty obvious that he didn't look.  I'm sticking with quotes and not going into reasons or excuses because that would probably head into BvJ, and it's all been said already.

Edited August 17, 2018 by ahrtee

[The Companion]

Well, I guess the only positive thing I can say about this one is: at least I didn't have months to anticipate a story that didn't happen. It's like S7 pitched a big fat easy ball down the middle of home plate and they threw the bat and walked off the field. I don't get it. I don't get why they would write Sam this way. All they had to do was have him say he tried. Have him reference mystery spot. Something. Instead he is entirely dismissive of the idea. 

I also hate PTSD Dean, as a concept. Dude spent 40 years in hell being tortured relentlessly and barely blinked. And yes I understand trauma varies, but it is irritating to have the trauma hit so differently.

The entire set up feels like something we have done before. I hate when they have these ridiculous conflicts between the brothers. I get they want drama, but there are plenty of ways to write internal conflict other than keeping secrets and dying and coming back to life only to hate something the other person did during death.

Meanwhile the most intriguing bits are crammed into flashbacks that are irritating and disjointed.

And don't get me started on the absolutely ridiculous vet. 

Oh and they finally have a Winchester in Louisiana and he digs up a grave and leaves. 

Someone please tell me this mess gets resolved quickly and we can all pretend it never happened.

[gonzosgirrl]

7 minutes ago, The Companion said:

Someone please tell me this mess gets resolved quickly and we can all pretend it never happened.

No spoilers, but if you hate this episode this much, you are in for a long seven seasons. Turn back now. You've been warned. Heh.

[DeeDee79]

47 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

No spoilers, but if you hate this episode this much, you are in for a long seven seasons. Turn back now. You've been warned. Heh.

Indeed! This is mild compared to what comes in the later seasons.

[Katy M]

1 hour ago, The Companion said:

Oh and they finally have a Winchester in Louisiana and he digs up a grave and leaves. 

I don't consider this much of a spoiler, so I'll just say they go back to Louisiana in epi 9, I think, if that makes you feel better.

[7kstar]

1 hour ago, The Companion said:

The entire set up feels like something we have done before. I hate when they have these ridiculous conflicts between the brothers. I get they want drama, but there are plenty of ways to write internal conflict other than keeping secrets and dying and coming back to life only to hate something the other person did during death.

If you read the comments I think you will see that many of us agreed with you.  But what do us Fans know?  We aren't the so awesome writers...yes sarcasm. 

All I can say is enjoy the ones you like and rewrite the rest.  There is a reason that Fan-fiction was created.  lol

[AwesomO4000]

7 hours ago, The Companion said:

Someone please tell me this mess gets resolved quickly and we can all pretend it never happened.

If it makes you feel any better the second half of the season isn't much like the first.

The bad news... It's just maybe a little spoilery, so

Spoiler

Things get worse before they get better. And the better ain't all that great...

The following advice is just my opinion, others my chime in... My advice - and what I wish someone had told me... Watch episode 8.13 and 8.21, oh and in your case 8.17 (I have issues, but you'll probably like it), and forget the rest of season 8. Seriously. You think you dislike Amelia now based on this episode? Wait till you see more of her. (Carver is generally in love with his own original characters and won't let them go.)

If nothing else, avoid 8.9 (infuriating Out of Character Sam) and 8.10 (unnecessary torture porn. Awful.) Watch 8.15 at your own risk. It's not nicknamed "the episode that shall not be named" for nothing. I still don't know how Carver green-lighted it.

Season 9 is tough for me, because I mostly hated it, but I liked one of the recurring characters (who others actually disliked) so that's a hard decision. I'd say watch 9.5, 9.11, 9.18, 9.19 - skip 9.20 or pretend it's a different show - and 9.21 - 9.23.

I liked season 10 and loved season 11.

Good luck and whatever you decide, we'll be here to commiserate and discuss.   : )

Edited December 20, 2019 by AwesomO4000
To add another episode.

[ahrtee]

8 hours ago, AwesomO4000 said:

The following advice is just my opinion, others my chime in... My advice - and what I wish someone had told me... Watch episode 8.13 and 8.21, oh and in your case 8.17 (I have issues, but you'll probably like it), and forget the rest of season 8. Seriously. You think you dislike Amelia now based on this episode? Wait till you see more of her. (Carver is generally in love with his own original characters and won't let them go.)

If nothing else, avoid 8.9 (infuriating Out of Character Sam) and 8.10 (unnecessary torture porn. Awful.) Watch 8.15 at your own risk. It's not nicknamed "the episode that shall not be named" for nothing. I still don't know how Carver green-lighted it.

Season 9 is tough for me, because I mostly hated it, but I liked one of the recurring characters (who others actually disliked) so that's a hard decision. I'd say watch 9.5, 9.11, 9.18, 9.19 - skip 9.20 or pretend it's a different show - and 9.21 - 9.23.

Pretty much the only things I agree with here are to avoid 8.15 and 9.20.  There are also some truly terrible one-off eps but they can be watched once.  9.20 can be safely skipped (it's the only episode I've never seen all the way through) because it has no bearing on the rest of the show.  At all.

As for the others mentioned that should be skipped, most were important parts of the whole story and quite a few were pretty good IMO, though they apparently bothered some Sam fans, so I'd say watch and make up your own mind.  

Edited December 20, 2019 by ahrtee
To add more of the post quoted.

[Katy M]

2 hours ago, ahrtee said:

, so I'd say watch and make up your own mind.  

I agree with this statement 100%.  There are fans and whatever the opposite of fans is for pretty much every episode (with the possible exception of Bloodlines which is pretty much universally reviled).  And, I don't think anyone knows anyone from these boards well enough to accurately predict which epis they will like and not like.  And, I can't imagine skipping As Time Goes By, whether you liked it or not (and I think it was the first or second best epi of the season) because it's pretty important canon for the rest of the series.

[The Companion]

18 hours ago, DeeDee79 said:

Indeed! This is mild compared to what comes in the later seasons.

Luckily or tragically, I am quite stubborn. I will say it is easier to have these issues when you can fly through the episodes. Any plotline you hate doesn't get drawn out forever. 

18 hours ago, Katy M said:

I don't consider this much of a spoiler, so I'll just say they go back to Louisiana in epi 9, I think, if that makes you feel better.

Awesome. I mean, I will probably just complain about bad accents but still. 😆

18 hours ago, 7kstar said:

If you read the comments I think you will see that many of us agreed with you.  But what do us Fans know?  We aren't the so awesome writers...yes sarcasm. 

All I can say is enjoy the ones you like and rewrite the rest.  There is a reason that Fan-fiction was created.  lol

It's true. I have personally decided to rewrite it as Sam did search, believed it hopeless, knew where he would end up based on Mystery Spot and decided to get out instead. It made me like 19% less angry.

11 hours ago, AwesomO4000 said:

If it makes you feel any better the second half of the season isn't much like the first.

The bad news... It's just maybe a little spoilery, so

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Things get worse before they get better. And the better ain't all that great...

The following advice is just my opinion, others my chime in... My advice - and what I wish someone had told me... Watch episode 8.13 and 8.21, oh and in your case 8.17 (I have issues, but you'll probably like it), and forget the rest of season 8. Seriously. You think you dislike Amelia now based on this episode? Wait till you see more of her. (Carver is generally in love with his own original characters and won't let them go.)

If nothing else, avoid 8.9 (infuriating Out of Character Sam) and 8.10 (unnecessary torture porn. Awful.) Watch 8.15 at your own risk. It's not nicknamed "the episode that shall not be named" for nothing. I still don't know how Carver green-lighted it.

Season 9 is tough for me, because I mostly hated it, but I liked one of the recurring characters (who others actually disliked) so that's a hard decision. I'd say watch 9.5, 9.11, 9.18, 9.19 - skip 9.20 or pretend it's a different show - and 9.21 - 9.23.

I liked season 10 and loved season 11.

Good luck and whatever you decide, we'll be here to commiserate and discuss.   : )

I will probably watch it all because stubborn, but appreciate the recommendations and know I will only have myself to blame. Hee

 

[gonzosgirrl]

1 hour ago, The Companion said:

It's true. I have personally decided to rewrite it as Sam did search, believed it hopeless, knew where he would end up based on Mystery Spot and decided to get out instead. It made me like 19% less angry.

It's funny that nobody ever re-writes it so Dean says 'you didn't look for me and you don't seem particularly happy to see me, so see ya later. Have a nice life'.

[ahrtee]

1 hour ago, The Companion said:

I will probably watch it all because stubborn, but appreciate the recommendations and know I will only have myself to blame. Hee

I think most people here liked seasons 8 and 9 in general (though they did have a few missteps, like all seasons) so I hope you'll be able to enjoy them without any prejudgment.    

[The Companion]

9 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

It's funny that nobody ever re-writes it so Dean says 'you didn't look for me and you don't seem particularly happy to see me, so see ya later. Have a nice life'.

Well, then the show would basically end or at least not include both Winchesters. Personally, I like the show best when they are working well together. I find the internal drama tedious. So, not going in my hypothetical fan fic. 😆

 

[7kstar]

1 hour ago, The Companion said:

Well, then the show would basically end or at least not include both Winchesters. Personally, I like the show best when they are working well together. I find the internal drama tedious. So, not going in my hypothetical fan fic. 😆

 

1 hour ago, gonzosgirrl said:

It's funny that nobody ever re-writes it so Dean says 'you didn't look for me and you don't seem particularly happy to see me, so see ya later. Have a nice life'.

Well Dean walking away wouldn't end well...especially in the Carver years.  Don't think it is really a spoiler.

I think the show lands differently when you binge watch.  Your not having to wait to see what the idiots decided to do.  You can just fast forward through the dull or nope not interested story.  I will say every season has at least one good ep.  May not be great but it's why I keep trying to watch to the end.

Since the writer's ignore their own cannon, well we can too.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  Yep a quote from a song.  Don't know that Dean would like it though, as it's country.  🙂

But yes, I would watch all the eps and you can decide which ones aren't worth your time watching all the way.