S00.E02: A Very Special Supernatural (Special)

[Guest]

This one-hour special takes a behind-the-scenes look at the past nine seasons of the hit drama about the thrilling and terrifying journey of the Winchester Brothers. Interviews include series stars Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins and Mark Sheppard, along with series creator Eric Kripke and executive producers Robert Singer and Jeremy Carver. The stars and producers share stories and clips of their favorite memories, monsters, demons and angels from seasons one through nine and tease the upcoming action fans can expect in season ten.

 

 

[catrox14]

I'm ridiculously excited for this

[Demented Daisy]

I'm ridiculously annoyed with that name.  

[DittyDotDot]

It is a very stupid title, IMO.

[catrox14]

If they use the same opening as the other episode I'll allow it :)

[lovebug871]

Whose voice is narrating? I swear it sounds like Chuck. Could be my wishful thinking.....

Edited October 7, 2014 by lovebug871

[Ferniesfreckles]

It is indeed, Chuck.

[kimrey]

I loved it.  I wish it was longer!  I've been watching this show since the pilot aired and it's always fun to look back.  I just wish they had some more season 10 stuff.  I wanted a new promo!

 

I seriously miss Kripke.  I wish he'd come back.  I also think Wendigo still holds up.  It's not that bad and they've had way worse (see Route 666).

 

They sure love their bees story, don't they? haha.  I feel like I've heard Jared and Jensen tell that one over 100 over the years.

Edited October 7, 2014 by kimrey

[Tippi Blevins]

They were down on "Wendigo," but I still like that episode. I thought the monster was scary enough, since it was mostly hidden in shadows. I mean, most of the monsters they have just look like regular people who sometimes get to wear pointy teeth or funky contact lenses.

[Ferniesfreckles]

That was fabulous!!

Damn, but there's been a lot of cussing in this show!

It's funny to hear Kripke mention the CW when he mostly worked with the WB, right?

[Frost]

I liked Wendigo!  Nowhere near as bad as Route 666.  Although the Dean sex scene provides at least one redeeming feature for that episode.  And they didn't mention the insta-sunrise from Bugs.  The continuity issues were worse than the bad special effects.

 

It was funny that Jensen did most of the talking.  I would have thought Jared would be the chatter box!  I'm excited for tomorrow!

[DittyDotDot]

That was fabulous!!

Damn, but there's been a lot of cussing in this show!

It's funny to hear Kripke mention the CW when he mostly worked with the WB, right?

 

They were only on the WB for the first season, so he worked with the CW for four of his five years as show runner.

 

I haven't had a chance to see it yet, but am more interested in this than I have been for the premiere. So, it was good, eh?

[JennB]

"Wendigo" was at least better than the worst hour of TV this group ever produced, "Man's Best Friend With Benefits." That, I would like an apology for.

I love that they gushed over how great Chuck was when they barely ended his storyline and have mentioned him maybe once since he was last seen.

I just started watching a few months ago (I've spent the past six months binge-watching and finished just in time for the new season), so I hadn't heard the bee story before. Interesting that they used bees again with Cain when they had so many problems the first time around.

[Frost]

"Wendigo" was at least better than the worst hour of TV this group ever produced, "Man's Best Friend With Benefits." That, I would like an apology for.

 

I had stricken that episode from my memory banks!  It was rather self-serving that all of the 'bad' episode examples they came up with were done years ago. 

 

I did like that they acknowledged the repetition of storylines.  Dean went to Hell, Sam went to Hell.  Dean went to Purgatory, Sam went to Purgatory.  Rinse and repeat.  Although, just mentioning it without any explanation as to why doesn't make me feel confident they're actually bothered about it.

[Ferniesfreckles]

Actually, DDD, at the risk of pissing some people off, I loved it because the show focused on Sam and Dean.

They are the show, it's the brothers' journey and story, we love them and want to see what happens to them, etc.

They mostly showed footage from the first few years of the show.

Like I said, I loved it.

[DittyDotDot]

Thanks Ferniesfreckles, I was so hoping it would be like that--I love the early years to a ridiculous amount--I hope I can get to it soon!

[AwesomO4000]

I enjoyed this, but I was a little disappointed that they didn't talk about Death as a character (unless I missed it when switching channels during the commercials for the many other CW stories - which sorry CW, no matter how hard you try, I'm not watching anything other than Supernatural. they're just not my thing.) And I would've liked to have seen a nod to the many variations of Sam and Dean - like Lucifer Sam and Soulless Sam, shapeshifter Dean and 2014 Dean... and of course Leviathan Sam and Dean. But I realize they only had so long for the special.

 

Also add me to the dinner table of those who enjoyed "Wendigo" and don't get why that monster was supposedly lame. I thought the calling from the darkness using someone else's voice is a creepy damn thing. Sometimes it's what's not seen that actually makes the monster creepy.

 

"Wendigo" was at least better than the worst hour of TV this group ever produced, "Man's Best Friend With Benefits." That, I would like an apology for.

 

Oh, so much this. I would gladly watch "Wendigo" a couple dozen times in a row - even if that meant forgoing sleep - before I would ever watch that episode I shall not name again. And I agree - that's the one they should have been apologizing for. That was beyond awful and that witch was their lamest yet - and witches in general tend to be lame on this show, so that's saying something.

[SueB]

I agree, the show reached rock bottom with "Mans Best Friend With Benefits". We deserve an apology for that one. Wendigo, OTOH, gave us "Saving People, Hunting Things, The Family Business" mission statement.  So that makes it a memorable episode. Plus important live saving tip: peanut M&M's.

 

I loved that Chuck narrated.  My only complaint was the commercial time -- yikes...these guys were at 3 minutes every break.  But seeing Jared & Jensen together talking so comfortably about the show they MADE... fantastic.

 

First time I heard Bob Singer acknowledge he didn't really want Bobby Singer to be named after him.

 

I'm ridiculously excited for tomorrow. 

[miles2go]

Well, that was fun!  Gets me primed and ready for the new season.  Looking forward to tomorrow evening.

[supposebly]

That was overall rather adorable. Still, I really hope they were kidding when they said they would do it for even more years. There CAN be too much of a good thing. Especially in creative endeavors. One should never overstay their welcome. I think they're getting there.

 

I miss Kripke's enthusiasm.

 

I loved that Chuck was the narrator.

[catrox14]

Kripke is a hoot. He aggravated me so much with Swan Song, but I love how self deprecating he is about things that missed the mark.

[Iguana]

This was great and I love that the CW is giving the little show that could it's due after 10 seasons. And while I agree that "Mans Best friends with benefits" is far and away the worst thing they've ever done and I would rather watch a weeklong marathon of nothing but Wendingo then even just the first 15 minutes of the dog fucker episode ever again, I can't blame Kripke for it. That was done on Jeremy Carver's watch, and so it is he who owes me an apology, salted caramel chocolates, and an hour of my life back.

[mertensia]

This was fun. I like that they got Rob Benedict to narrate. Amused that they did a bit on the Impala.

[DittyDotDot]

They did well, my only nitpick was that I could have been twice as long. Man I miss Kripke's enthusiasm.

 

I'd say Wendigo is better in retrospect.

[mertensia]

Yeah I like Wendigo. It's a good solid monster of the week story.

They could have apologized for Red Sky instead.

I do like that people found the changelings episode to be supremely creepy because it was.

[Frost]

I just thought of a rather glaring oversight.  What about Ellen and Jo?  Or the sheriff?  Or brief experiment with Bella and Katie Cassidy.  Besides a brief mention of the last incarnation of Meg, no discussion of any recurring female characters.

[DittyDotDot]

I think it wasn't long enough to delve into all of it. I also thought it would have been nice to hear from Sera Gamble and Ben Edlund, too. And, it made me a little sad that Kim Manners was not longer around to add his voice too. One hour is just not enough time to cover nine years of television, IMO.

 

First time I heard Bob Singer acknowledge he didn't really want Bobby Singer to be named after him.

 

On the commentary for The French Mistake, Edlund and Singer talk about this. Singer said that Kripke snuck it into the script while Singer was in Vancouver directing an episode. It's a funny moment because Singer says to Edlund something like "nice, you calling me a douchebag" and Edlund was like "well...no...um...I'm calling that version of you a douchebag."

[catrox14]

I just thought of a rather glaring oversight. What about Ellen and Jo? Or the sheriff? Or brief experiment with Bella and Katie Cassidy. Besides a brief mention of the last incarnation of Meg, no discussion of any recurring female characters.

You know, that bugged me a little at first. But on a 2nd watch, it felt almost like they were reiterating that the show is all about the Winchester brothers AND setting up this season. It struck, me how much time they spent discussing demons. I can't help but think that's because of Dean's status. I think the only reason Meg and Abbadon were specifically mentioned is they were Carver and Sheppard's favorite demons.

It's possible there was a longer version of the special that was edited out for more ad time. Maybe a longer cut willl be on the s10 dvd?

It felt like they were setting up for the show for another reboot. They talked a lot about how the fans stuck with them after every bizarre shift.

And I am even more convinced that Carver's favorite character is Crowley.

Edited October 7, 2014 by catrox14

[JennB]

They did have a couple clips of Ruby, but you're right, no Ellen or Jo. However, when was the last time they even mentioned the Harvelles on the show?

 

Also no mention of Jessica, who I think is really important in explaining Sam's motivations in the earlier seasons.

 

 

They could have apologized for Red Sky instead.

 

Eh, Chuck already apologized for that. :)

[Morrigan2575]

Heh, Chuck narrated...you have to love Supernatural.

[7kstar]

Yeah I like Wendigo. It's a good solid monster of the week story.

They could have apologized for Red Sky instead.

I do like that people found the changelings episode to be supremely creepy because it was.

I like Wendigo and Red Sky...not the old lady and not every moment but they both have some wonderful moments.

 

Poor Jared and Jensen, sounds like they got stung for nothing.  But after this, I really think that Carver should never open his mouth, he sounds bored about his own show and the lack of emotion, well it doesn't work.

 

However, Kripke always is interesting to listen to, even I don't agree with him...Maybe the problem is we need a show runner that loves the show and has a real understanding of why the fans love it, even when we don't agree, we do all find some common ground.  It would be nice if they had more hits than misses, but the look back was fun but it makes me long for the times when the boys enjoyed saving people and hunting together.

[weightyghost]

I'm glad to read that others miss Kripke as well. There was a definite shift when he left the show. I found it interesting that they didn't really talk about any other episodes than from the first 3 seasons, but I agree - the best episodes were definitely in that bunch. And it was interesting that they kept talking about humor and the funny episodes while I sat struggling to remember a single fun episode the last few seasons. I wish they would bring some of that back. 

 

And seeing clips from the first few episodes in season 1 (Wendigo, Bloody Mary, etc) threw me way back in time. God I love love those episodes. Legitimately scary, simple, young Sam and Dean. So great. 

[mizkat]

I think Carver just has a dry personality. I also think that any episode with humor that he wrote that was actually humorous was under Kripke's watch. The snark ship pretty much sailed after he left the show. It was nice to see he's still enthusiastic about SN after all these years. 

 

I liked Wendigo too. Since Kripke didn't write/oversee the truly horrible episodes of latter years he can't really comment or critique those. But good on him for admitting there were some fails, even if Wendigo is a fail in his own mind. 

 

I found it interesting that Hollywood Babylon contained actual exec notes--shows how ludicrous execs can be (and might explain the downshift in quality over the past four/five years). 

 

Crowley is definitely Carver's favorite character. He gets all the good lines. I remember when Dean got all the good lines. Now he only gets a bone or two each episode. 

Edited October 8, 2014 by mizkat

[Julia]

I thought Wendigo was a terrible waste of Callum Keith Rennie. I think his sense of humor would fit rignt in to this show if they hadn't thrown him away.

[Bruinsfan]

Wendigo was one of the episodes (along with Dead in the Water) that kept me from becoming a regular watcher until late in Season 2. I maintain that if I'd seen the pilot first I'd have been a devoted fan from the start. Though I do agree that the dog fucker episode was the show's absolute nadir.

[Hana Chan]

Wendigo is hardly the best SPN episode, but I wouldn't put it as the worst. Sure, it was probably a bit too straightforward (which is sometimes refreshing given how convoluted some of the storylines got at times), but it wasn't the travesty that Bugs was, and it was a damn sight better than the racist truck and Hookman. And the less said about the dog fucker, the better.

[DigitalCount]

LOL at more people talking about MBFwB than the actual special, but that makes sense since 1) MBFwB was aggressively bad and kind of offensive on just about as many levels as possible and 2) given that they were given the opportunity to acknowledge it and yet mentioned Wendigo instead makes the lack of mention a bit startling.

 

But yes, that episode was breathtakingly egregious.

[Morrigan2575]

Took me a minute to actually figure out the title. Yeah that was a steaming pile off dog poo.

[Zanne]

I called bullshit in the first couple of minutes when they claimed, "Loyalty drives [sam]." I wondered if they've been watching the show since about...oh, let's say, season 4?

 

Then came this. "All of the demons have been great!" At this point, I feel they are contractually obligated to say that, with oaths signed in blood. 

 

This special did make me miss the early seasons, though.

[catrox14]

I have to admit I yelled at the TV when the shoveled that shit. I was like ermmmm Sam is a funny way to spell Dean.

[SueB]

I rewatchrd this weekend as I just got access to my DVR. I had tuned in a little late and so I missed them talking about 'Faith'. I can't tell you how much that thrilled me. It really WAS a landmark episode IMO and they agreed!

Speaking of 'they'.... Who wrote Rob's narration? I looked at the end no couldn't figure it out.

And I'll have to disagree with the complaints that same is should not be labeled as loyal. Because I think he IS loyal. Yes, I do associate that quality with Dean but Sam has demonstrated loyalty over the years IMO. If I was to use another adjective for Sam it might have been empathetic. But I can see why they went with loyal.

The special is NOT on iTunes. I wonder if it will make the DvD/BluRay or if I should rip a copy off my DVR.

[Julia]

If I was to use another adjective for Sam it might have been empathetic. But I can see why they went with loyal.

Not last season, though. For either.

[catrox14]

I think Sam is sympathetic. but I really don't think he's particularly empathetic. loyalty comes and goes for Sam.

[SueB]

 

I think Sam is sympathetic. but I really don't think he's particularly empathetic. loyalty comes and goes for Sam.

Bless him, I think Sam is as f*cked up in the head as Dean. I think he just manifests it differently.  He can't shake his "otherness" and hides his self-doubt with rationalization.  I consider him a very loyal person.  I think they did a piss poor job of explaining how he lost his shit and went looking for a fantasy in S8. I also think in S9 he was mad (and still has issues with Dean) but he was so caught up in his own damage he failed to see what Dean was doing to himself until too late.  Which -- yes, it pissed me off but I felt that was writer contrivance versus Sam being an ass.  

[SueB]

It's downloadable now from iTunes.  Warning: I have a season pass, so it may only come with that -- or not.

[missbonnie]

I watched this show faithfully right up to the point where they made Castiel God. I thought it was stupid and ridiculous and I was out. I will catch a few episodes on TNT in the mornings and they have been for the most part ok, but not enough to pull me back into watching it regularly. This however, I was excited to watch because these guys are just plain funny in real life. I will always watch the comic con panels etc on YouTube etc. I liked this special well enough. My only complaints were the length, which was already short, ( I don't need who's line is it anyway) promos, and I thought the title was just plain stupid. Nice shots of Jared P's house though.

Edited November 5, 2014 by missbonnie

[SueB]

 

Nice shots of Jared P's house though.

I don't remember them showing his house.  Can you give me a hint when it was in the video?

[mertensia]

I think she thinks the house in the French Mistake was really his.

[catrox14]

That wasn't jared's actual house.

[missbonnie]

Oh well dummy me, I thought it was. My bad.