S14.E01: Stranger In a Strange Land

[Myrelle]

1 minute ago, ILoveReading said:

This is why I want a scene where Michael asks Mary and Sam want they want and calls them out on their "I want Dean back" BS.

I found it interesting that in that scene with Sister Jo he referred to Dean's thoughts and knowledge as a type of guide in regards to her, so now you have me wanting this, too, because it could be a way of letting us know what Dean believes that the people who supposedly love him really think of him.

[catrox14]

1 minute ago, Myrelle said:

I found it interesting that in that scene with Sister Jo he referred to Dean's thoughts and knowledge as a type of guide in regards to her, so now you have me wanting this, too, because it could be a way of letting us know what Dean believes that the people who supposedly love him really think of him.

I don't really get why Michael wouldn't have gone right back to the bunker to make sure to kill them all before conquering the world, other than maybe Dean fighting him in some effective way. 

[catrox14]

[Myrelle]

He's on a mission and they're likely small potatoes to him. I mean even if they still have the archangel blade, they'd need another archangel to wield it in order to kill him or hurt him and I don't think that he wants to just hurt Dean per say. And if he's using Dean's thoughts and knowledge and finds them helpful, he might even be starting to like Dean. And that would be something we've seen often-these powerful supernatural beings forming a likability for him.

Edited October 12, 2018 by Myrelle

[Myrelle]

9 minutes ago, catrox14 said:

This is pretty much a perfect description of Jensen's Michael-Dean, IMO.

He really brought the menace with the man in the first scene and even more so with Jo-even just the way he said her name. Not gonna lie-I LOVED! that.

[sarthaz]

I want to crawl in a hole and die after that. :(

[Mick Lady]

Haven't been around in a while, but I love Supernatural!

My thought on this episode agrees with you all, it sucked!

But I believe the reason Nick is back is because they are setting it up to save Dean. Sam will stab Michael with the blade, and Dean will live as Michael dies.

Nice to be back!

[starfishka]

That was really, really ........ bad. Boring, ridiculous, almost unwatchable (in my opinion). It needed more Michael. So sad they won´t (more than probably) give Jensen enough time to really develop and grow the character :(. 

Edited October 12, 2018 by starfishka

[Female83]

4 hours ago, catrox14 said:

 

Nope. They didn't give a promo. 

I'm wondering if a promo will be posted on Youtube tomorrow. Here is what I didn't like about the opener:

-Sister Jo

-Too little of Dean/Michael

-Cas being useless and not seeing that he was in a room full of demons

I'm guessing that Lucifer is faking it and didn't really die. Crowley had runes from Luci's cage carved into Nick so he might still alive and in Nick. 

[starfishka]

8 minutes ago, Female83 said:

I'm wondering if a promo will be posted on Youtube tomorrow.

 

 

Gods and Monsters promo on youtube

Edited October 12, 2018 by starfishka

[companionenvy]

- Annoyed by Cas's continued slide into uselessness, which as others have noted, doesn't even make sense given what should be his current level of power.

- Sam's gambit with the demons working was a bit much, but as the character had a pretty weak S13, I was glad to see him in a take-charge role, and the "I intimidate my enemies into running away after a show of power" thing is kind of a trope in genre shows at this point. It also makes a little more sense when you consider the nature of demons. Could Sam have taken out a room full of demons? No, but if I'm an individual demon, I'm not going to risk being one of the ones who doesn't make it. What I don't get is how Sam could possibly stop someone from taking the position of king of hell. Like, yeah, if whatever new king emerges is stupid enough to try to take on the Winchesters directly, there's a reasonable chance he winds up dead, but otherwise, we've seen no evidence that TFW has any real bead on hell's normal operations.

- I really don't see any comparison between S8 Sam and this one. Sam has clearly been looking for Dean, and running himself ragged doing it. Cas and Ketch are also on the case, if not others. But other monsters still exist, and so I don't see any reason that everyone in the bunker should be on Michael/Dean duty 24/7, especially as at this point, I'm not even sure how helpful it would be. They only have so many leads to follow up, and the chances that they're going to find knowledge that Cas or even Ketch don't already have in the bunker library is pretty small. Whether or not you bought Sam or Mary's grief is an opinion over acting choices, but there wasn't any hint, IMO, that Sam was anything but committed to finding Dean and despairing at the thought that it might not work. 

- The Nicksuit surviving - if that's actually what is going on -- is silly, but I still liked the scene because of the dynamics between him and Sam, which were actually played with some subtlety. 

- Michael choosing the vampires was underwhelming, and I think they could have done more with Jensen, but I did find the idea that Michael is looking for something real and honest kind of interesting. The "what do you want" thing was different from what we've seen from others in the past. Ironically, you know who is authentic and sincere in his desires? Dean Winchester. I'd love it if that somehow came into play: Michael letting Dean go out of respect for him would be genuinely unexpected. 

- As much as I'd like more development of Michael, though, Dean's absence really is felt. I don't want the arc to be cut short, but I hope we get some episodes where Dean is allowed to emerge, whether because he's fighting back or because Michael lets him out to play for a while. 

- Still don't have a reason to care about AU Bobby. He seems Bobby-ish enough, but the one I care about was left in heaven's prison last we saw of him, and this one has no history with our characters. His rapport with Jack was OK, I guess, but as I'm more interested in Jack's relationship to Cas, I don't need Bobby to be Jack's father figure. Nor do I care about a romance with him and Mary.

-Speaking of romance, there was a look at one point that seemed like it could be setting up Jack/Maggie. Which I also have no interest in. Maggie had red-shirt written all over her; as they kept her around, I assume they want her for something. 

- Surprised no one has commented on the totally queer-baiting Destiel line. I don't remember the exact words, but it was something Kip said about having thought Cas and Dean were attached...everywhere. 

All in all, to me, a perfectly mediocre episode of SPN. 

[Casseiopeia]

5 hours ago, Myrelle said:

He's on a mission and they're likely small potatoes to him. I mean even if they still have the archangel blade, they'd need another archangel to wield it in order to kill him or hurt him and I don't think that he wants to just hurt Dean per say. And if he's using Dean's thoughts and knowledge and finds them helpful, he might even be starting to like Dean. And that would be something we've seen often-these powerful supernatural beings forming a likability for him.

I'm thinking they do have an archangel.  Maybe we will finally resolve Adam.

[gonzosgirrl]

1 hour ago, companionenvy said:

. I don't remember the exact words, but it was something Kip said about having thought Cas and Dean were

This is the second time I've seen the name Kip. Did I miss something in my rage watching, lol?

[Casseiopeia]

6 hours ago, catrox14 said:

How great would it have been to leave the Alpha Vamp alive and let Michael have an encounter with him, or have the Alpha Vamp go against him or ally with him in some way. Instead of this one random vampire or whatever he is? 

LOL this tells me they don't plan that far ahead at all. 

Unless they are setting up a story wherein Sam really is okay with Dean not being around. And I would actually find that interesting to know why

Didn't Sam send the AU's out to take care of a bunch of rogue vampires?  I'm assuming that is how they find out about Michael's new army.  Hopefully by wiping out most of the AU's in the process.

[companionenvy]

11 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

This is the second time I've seen the name Kip. Did I miss something in my rage watching, lol?

I thought that was the name of the new and now dead king of Hell. I could be wrong.

[Katy M]

58 minutes ago, companionenvy said:

I thought that was the name of the new and now dead king of Hell. I could be wrong.

Yes.  That's right.  That's Kip.

[DeeDee79]

Gah! That was awful. No dis to Jared but I'm so over the dewy eyed heart to heart talks every time Jack looks sad. I understand that he prefers the emotional, empathetic scenes but they make me stab my fast forward button. I can understand the hunters deferring to Sam since they're in his home but it would have made more sense if they were still following Mary or Bobby since they've been under their leadership longer than the 3 weeks that they've been around Sam. With that being said the AU hunters in the bunker really bothers me. It was the first real home that the brothers had and now it's just a headquarters for a bunch of strangers. I would rather them lose the bunker and do it old school living out of motels than see them continue to cohabitate this way all season. 

There was much too little Jensen but I expected as much from the spoilers. What we did see was wonderful and it made the rest of the episode feel even more lackluster. At this point I don't care if we get more Michael or if it's wrapped up and he's back to Dean; I just want more Jensen on my screen. I didn't mind his scenes with Danneel as some seemed to; she's doing well with the mediocre material that she's been given.

I'm over Bobby; I would be more interested in seeing what happened to the real Bobby after he rebelled in season 10 than this AU version that we're immediately supposed to have the warm and fuzzies for. Mary continues to be wooden and I continue to dislike her. Cas ( and Misha ) are being done a serious disservice. I'm so sick of seeing him getting beat to a pulp by damn near everyone! When was the last time he held his own in a fight? I'm struggling to remember and that's sad for a character that's been around for so many seasons. Jack is just...there. I don't have any feelings negative or positive for the character because he just bores me. I'm also sick of Mark Pellegrino. Even if he's not Lucifer ( doubtful ) I'm still sick of seeing him on my screen. Also, how the hell is Nick still alive if Jimmy has been dead for ages? Did Jack's grace heal the meatsuit after Lucifer was dead? If this was addressed I missed it but I don't want to watch again to make sure :( 

Also I'm so, so, so sick of demons and demons that want to be the next Crowley. TPTB really shot themselves in the foot when they dicked over Mark Sheppard and it shows with the knock off Crowleys that they continue to parade out as a replacement. At this point I wish that they would just wrap up the whole demon/hell & angel/heaven storylines and just focus on regular monsters since they've taken over every single storyline. 

Overall this was a major disappointment. My least favorite out of all of the season premieres.

Edited October 12, 2018 by DeeDee79

[catrox14]

1 hour ago, gonzosgirrl said:

This is the second time I've seen the name Kip. Did I miss something in my rage watching, lol?

His name was Kipling and he said Kip for short.

[Myrelle]

3 hours ago, starfishka said:

Gods and Monsters promo on youtube

 

Looks like Dean might be throwing Michael off his game a little in the mirror scene. Go Dean!!!

Thanks for the link. :-)

Edited October 12, 2018 by Myrelle

[sarthaz]

1 hour ago, DeeDee79 said:

Gah! That was awful. No dis to Jared but I'm so over the dewy eyed heart to heart talks every time Jack looks sad. I understand that he prefers the emotional, empathetic scenes but they make me stab my fast forward button. I can understand the hunters deferring to Sam since they're in his home but it would have made more sense if they were still following Mary or Bobby since they've been under their leadership longer than the 3 weeks that they've been around Sam. With that being said the AU hunters in the bunker really bothers me. It was the first real home that the brothers had and now it's just a headquarters for a bunch of strangers. I would rather them lose the bunker and do it old school living out of motels than see them continue to cohabitate this way all season. 

There was much too little Jensen but I expected as much from the spoilers. What we did see was wonderful and it made the rest of the episode feel even more lackluster. At this point I don't care if we get more Michael or if it's wrapped up and he's back to Dean; I just want more Jensen on my screen. I didn't mind his scenes with Danneel as some seemed to; she's doing well with the mediocre material that she's been given.

I'm over Bobby; I would be more interested in seeing what happened to the real Bobby after he rebelled in season 10 than this AU version that we're immediately supposed to have the warm and fuzzies for. Mary continues to be wooden and I continue to dislike her. Cas ( and Misha ) are being done a serious disservice. I'm so sick of seeing him getting beat to a pulp by damn near everyone! When was the last time he held his own in a fight? I'm struggling to remember and that's sad for a character that's been around for so many seasons. Jack is just...there. I don't have any feelings negative or positive for the character because he just bores me. I'm also sick of Mark Pellegrino. Even if he's not Lucifer ( doubtful ) I'm still sick of seeing him on my screen. Also, how the hell is Nick still alive if Jimmy has been dead for ages? Did Jack's grace heal the meatsuit after Lucifer was dead? If this was addressed I missed it but I don't want to watch again to make sure :( 

Also I'm so, so, so sick of demons and demons that want to be the next Crowley. TPTB really shot themselves in the foot when they dicked over Mark Sheppard and it shows with the knock off Crowleys that they continue to parade out as a replacement. At this point I wish that they would just wrap up the whole demon/hell & angel/heaven storylines and just focus on regular monsters since they've taken over every single storyline. 

Overall this was a major disappointment. My least favorite out of all of the season premieres.

All of this, especially Sam and Jack. I don't hate Jack, but I also don't care about him enough to have not-one-or-two-but-I-lost-count-how-many heart-to-hearts.

[Bobcatkitten]

I wanted to love it but it was average. 

I knew there would only be a few minutes of Michael/Dean and was ready for that. Those moments were great. I loved Michael's flat affect. I'm trying to figure out what Jensen was doing with his eyes to make them seem so different. They were shinier and he barely blinked. They almost looked blue. Just me? 

My biggest problem is that there were so many ridiculous plotholes and canon problems. You all have named them. It was disappointing. 

I was good with seeing assertive, hot-bearded Sam though it was a little OTT having demons run from him. Weird. 

And poor Cas (and his fans). He literally sat in a chair the whole episode being useless (save for one scene). 

I don't really care about the well-oiled machine back at the bunker. I really don't want to see them at all. And I didn't feel like anyone was missing Dean. 

 

One question - the fight scene in the bar/restaurant - it seemed weird to me, like slo mo punches or something. It was jarring and took me out of it. 

Edited October 12, 2018 by Bobcatkitten

[patty1h]

I've been watching since S1 and this premiere was so not engaging. So many characters that I don't care about - these newbies in the bunker need to go. Mary and Bobby romance? No thanks. New Crowley is not menacing nor charismatic. I was excited to see what JA brought to the Michael character, but I was not feeling JA's new voice and slow cadence. JP just seemed like he was going through the motions.  Cas and Jack didn't even make an impact.

All of these stories (the brothers separated/one possessed) have been told multiple times on SPN and the long-time viewers have been down these roads before. You can't expect fans to be excited to see this retreaded hash. I love the brothers but I think the idea well has dried up.

[gonzosgirrl]

4 hours ago, companionenvy said:

I thought that was the name of the new and now dead king of Hell. I could be wrong.

 

3 hours ago, Katy M said:

Yes.  That's right.  That's Kip.

 

2 hours ago, catrox14 said:

His name was Kipling and he said Kip for short.

Thanks all, I most definitely missed that. It's funny, because Dean Armstrong had his first big role playing a tweaked-out twink on Queer As Folk, and there was another character on there around the same time named... Kip. I thought maybe it was a reference, lol. I really expected more of him in this role - the guy has a successful acting school ffs, but he was way too OTT for me. If the Show intended to keep trying to have a snappy, saucy King of Hell, they never should have let the one they had go. Hopefully speculation is right and that (ridiculous) fight and verbal thrashing of demonkind signals the end of demons/Hell as a regular part of the story. Now if we could only get rid of Heaven and angels.... but that's another post.

Edited October 12, 2018 by gonzosgirrl

[Katy M]

25 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

Hopefully speculation is right and that (ridiculous) fight and verbal thrashing of demonkind signals the end of demons/Hell as a regular part of the story. Now if we could only get rid of Heaven and angels.... but that's another post.

Hopefully is right.  But, I dare not dream such big dreams.

[catrox14]

I've watched Jensen as Michael multiple times. And this is what I think he was going for here and for me it worked.

- he changed his voice to completely eliminate Dean. Dean tends to speak more quickly and his voice is full of emotion. Dean speaks at a faster pace than Michael as I think was seen with Matt Cohen and also with Christian Keyes. IMO he kept that aspect.

- Not blinking at all and boring a hole with his eyes into his prey. Mostly emotionless save for his own sarcastic smile born of his disregard for humanity.

I think he just doesn't find them useful other than to serve his purpose.  I think he sees them as unimportant little humans. I think he asks humans what they want because he wants it to be in line with what he wants or needs  certainly not because he intends to give them what they want unless it serves his  purpose.  I think Jensen was brilliant as AU Michael.
 

[gonzosgirrl]

Here's what I don't get. Setting aside the nonsense of a vampire Army, let's suppose it works. What's the point? So the vampires wipe out the entire human race. As far as I know you still have to be dead to be a vampire, so I'm assuming they can't reproduce. Michael doesn't think the angels are worthy of as far as I know you still have to be dead to be a vampire, so I am assuming they can't reproduce. Michael doesn't think the angels are worthy of inheriting the Earth. We already know that there are only a few left and they can't reproduce themselves. So what exactly is Michael going to rule over? Animals? Whatever is left of the vampires? Is he going to create a new Adam and Eve and start over? It just doesn't make any sense.

[Hana Chan]

I get the feeling that unlike Lucifer, who wanted to save what he saw as his father's greatest creation from humans, Michael doesn't give a fig about any life form. Not after seeing what he'd left of the alternate world. The only ones that seemed to matter to him were angels, and even they had fallen to the point that he didn't think they were worth saving. The vampires would be a useful tool for him, but I don't think he had any more real care for them than Lucifer had for the demons he created. They're just a means to whatever endgame he has in mind.

[Katy M]

26 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

Here's what I don't get. Setting aside the nonsense of a vampire Army, let's suppose it works. What's the point? So the vampires wipe out the entire human race. As far as I know you still have to be dead to be a vampire, so I'm assuming they can't reproduce. Michael doesn't think the angels are worthy of as far as I know you still have to be dead to be a vampire, so I am assuming they can't reproduce. Michael doesn't think the angels are worthy of inheriting the Earth. We already know that there are only a few left and they can't reproduce themselves. So what exactly is Michael going to rule over? Animals? Whatever is left of the vampires? Is he going to create a new Adam and Eve and start over? It just doesn't make any sense.

Vampires can reproduce by turning other humans.  Maybe Michael will have them turn most/all the humans. But, I'm willing to wait to see what Michael's end game is until I get upset about it.  But, I may be silly to assume he even has one.

[gonzosgirrl]

2 minutes ago, Katy M said:

Vampires can reproduce by turning other humans.  Maybe Michael will have them turn most/all the humans. But, I'm willing to wait to see what Michael's end game is until I get upset about it.  But, I may be silly to assume he even has one.

That's still a finite number - and when the humans are all vamps, what then? They live off animal blood? And does Michael really want to rule over a race of vampires? Or an empty planet?

[Katy M]

9 minutes ago, gonzosgirrl said:

That's still a finite number - and when the humans are all vamps, what then? They live off animal blood? And does Michael really want to rule over a race of vampires? Or an empty planet?

I don't know.  Again, I'm willing to wait to see what's going on.

[BabySpinach]

First of all, that bar fight scene, from a technical standpoint, was way worse than the marionette fight. At least the latter was much shorter and actually coherent. Here, I could barely tell what was going on and where the characters all were in relation to each other. Way too many cuts and zooms, and the slow-mo was ridiculous. The scene might have been done this way to cover up the bad stage fighting of some of the actors. 

Michael!Dean was about what I expected, which was pretty good. One of my first comments on this forum was about how I had complete faith in Jensen's ability to play Michael, and he has not disappointed me here. Now that his intro and exposition is over with, I am far more interested in what he does in the next episode. The mirror scene, especially, has piqued my curiosity. 

I did notice both Cas and Sam using some Dean-isms (Cas' last line to Jack at the end). If it's intentional, it's a surprisingly subtle way to show that they're really feeling Dean's absence. What I'm getting from Sam is that he's a serviceable leader, but he's just going through the motions of it and not deriving any particular joy or fulfillment from that role. Even when he's dealing with Kip, he's treating it like an annoying inconvenience that's distracting him from his REAL mission ie. finding and saving Dean. That was my take on it, anyway.

My more knee-jerk emotional reactions are similar to lots of others' here. Kip calling Sam a legend and an icon and complimenting his hair (seriously, WHAT IS PEOPLES' OBSESSION WITH JARED/SAM'S HAIR?!) was cringey and ridiculous. Calling Sam "Chief" and "sir" was annoyingly on-the-nose. Sam's decision to take Jack along was awful, yet it was framed as a wise Shiny Leader moment. Sometimes being a leader is about NOT making everyone happy, which Dean has done before for the good of the objective. Nick being back is proof that Mark P has something on TPTB, and I wish that they'd just fucking LET HIM GO. Cas' uselessness has descended into self-parody at this point, and I have no hope that it will ever turn around now. Even the characters themselves point it out.

And I'm still icked out by Mary/Bobby. Aside from the fact that her son is possessed by the most powerful being on Earth yet she's relaxed enough to make googly eyes at Bobby, he's about 30 years older than she is. Samantha Smith may be nearly 50, but Mary is less than half his age! Ugh! 

I really don't like how many characters there are. Every major character gets a single tidbit per episode, and that's all the writers can fit within the time frame. I don't care about Jack's angst, the nameless AU hunters, stunned-trout Maggie, Mary and Bobby's "romance." It really is like a soap opera now, with the extensive cast and constant sentimental moments and lines to make you go "aww". Barf. 

The episode overall was about as good/bad as I expected. It sure helps to be permanently pessimistic about this show, lol.

[Bobcatkitten]

19 minutes ago, BabySpinach said:

First of all, that bar fight scene, from a technical standpoint, was way worse than the marionette fight. At least the latter was much shorter and actually coherent. Here, I could barely tell what was going on and where the characters all were in relation to each other. Way too many cuts and zooms, and the slow-mo was ridiculous. The scene might have been done this way to cover up the bad stage fighting of some of the actors. 

 

So glad I wasn't the only one who was bothered by the fight scene. It was just not good. Tried some new camera technique maybe and it was odd. Plus it was long. 

[catrox14]

21 minutes ago, BabySpinach said:

I did notice both Cas and Sam using some Dean-isms (Cas' last line to Jack at the end). If it's intentional, it's a surprisingly subtle way to show that they're really feeling Dean's absence. What I'm getting from Sam is that he's a serviceable leader, but he's just going through the motions of it and not deriving any particular joy or fulfillment from that role. Even when he's dealing with Kip, he's treating it like an annoying inconvenience that's distracting him from his REAL mission ie. finding and saving Dean. That was my take on it, anyway.

This is a really interesting take.  I hadn't considered that maybe Sam is actually only doing what he thinks is expected and he hates it. I just wonder why he doesn't just leave it to Mary and Bobby who already know those people and spend his time on finding Michael and saving Dean. I like your take and I actually hope the show goes that route.  That would be a real surprise and maybe let Sam be Sam and not turn him into Dean.

I did notice Cas' last line to Jack and felt that was intentional to show what Cas has learned and absorbed from and about Dean.  It was a nice moment IMO.

6 minutes ago, Bobcatkitten said:

So glad I wasn't the only one who was bothered by the fight scene. It was just not good. Tried some new camera technique maybe and it was odd. Plus it was long. 

I disliked it immensely.  It was like they want to be a Quentin Taratino movie all the time. I want them to just be SPN style which is it's own thing and I like it.  But I do kind of agree maybe that was done to hide less than optimal stage fighting for everyone not named Jared who is really good at it.

[catrox14]

29 minutes ago, BabySpinach said:

gh to make googly eyes at Bobby, he's about 30 years older than she is. Samantha Smith may be nearly 50, but Mary is less than half his age! Ugh! 

And to be really superficial after having a man that looks like Matt Cohen/Jeffrey Dean Morgan, why would she be at all attracted to AU!Bobby? Doesn't work for me at all.

IMO that's not about Mary at all, but about Bobby getting a hot woman. I am 100% serious about this.  It will be more about AU Bobby than Mary in the end. 

[gonzosgirrl]

21 minutes ago, catrox14 said:

It was like they want to be a Quentin Taratino movie all the time.

If this didn't begin with Speight's run as a director, it's certainly been heightened by him. I actually had to look and see who was directing, because I was sure it was him.

I really got the feeling from Mary/Sam Smith that when she was with Sam and Jack there, she had her 'family'. Not one word she had to say about Dean rang true. Her greeting Sam with 'How was Atlanta' seemed more like he'd been there to catch a ballgame than hunt for his brother.

48 minutes ago, BabySpinach said:

My more knee-jerk emotional reactions are similar to lots of others' here. Kip calling Sam a legend and an icon and complimenting his hair (seriously, WHAT IS PEOPLES' OBSESSION WITH JARED/SAM'S HAIR?!) was cringey and ridiculous. Calling Sam "Chief" and "sir" was annoyingly on-the-nose.

This whole thing bordered on parody. Somebody needs to reign Dabb in.

Edited October 12, 2018 by gonzosgirrl

[Myrelle]

6 hours ago, DeeDee79 said:

I didn't mind his scenes with Danneel as some seemed to; she's doing well with the mediocre material that she's been given.

ITA. And I thought she was terrific in her scene with Michael!Dean. She conveyed such trepidation and complete discomfort with Michael as he moved into her personal space and his little, gentle caress of her jaw that trailed down to her chin was creepy as hell, IMO. And her try at indifference was clearly just that-an attempt at it and nothing more. She was creeped out by him, too-big time. I'm seeing so much awesome Dean!Michael stuff on my tumblr dashboard this morning and that scene is everywhere, as are close-ups of his face with those eyes of his-those eyes that were yet again an extremely effective Ackting tool for JA in this role. And I can't even describe what he did with them, tbh, but whatever it was, it was different from anything I've ever seen him do with them before. I just wish we'd have been given more of him, dammit. Hopefully, next week.

Edited October 12, 2018 by Myrelle

[ahrtee]

3 minutes ago, Myrelle said:

I just wish we'd have been given more of him, dammit. Hopefully, next week.

And that's why people who were really angry (or bored) this week will still tune in next week.  I just wish they wouldn't do so much bait-and-switch.  Sooner or later even the most optimistic/diehard fans will give up. 

[gonzosgirrl]

16 minutes ago, ahrtee said:

And that's why people who were really angry (or bored) this week will still tune in next week.  I just wish they wouldn't do so much bait-and-switch.  Sooner or later even the most optimistic/diehard fans will give up. 

*raises hand*

[Myrelle]

18 minutes ago, ahrtee said:

And that's why people who were really angry (or bored) this week will still tune in next week.  I just wish they wouldn't do so much bait-and-switch.  Sooner or later even the most optimistic/diehard fans will give up. 

Yeah, I can only imagine how someone who has nothing to do with social media would have felt about this one. They wouldn't have been forewarned at all about the sad lack of the Michael!Dean storyline that was left to us as the big cliffhanger in the S13 finale. Disappointment wouldn't even have come close to covering my feelings and how I would have felt, if that had been me, but then again, if they're still following this show, and always have been, they'd likely know that the overall quality of the production of it has been steadily declining for some time now, and that these last few years have been the worst. 

Edited October 12, 2018 by Myrelle

[Jonesy]

10 minutes ago, Jakes said:

I was a little disappointed in the episode but not as much as some others here--will still give it a 7 out of 10.  It was too slow(too much set-up) and not enough narrative force until the last 10 minutes or so which I liked and picked up the episode.  Jensen was good but they didn't give him much to bite on as Michael's depth not explored enough--bit of a cipher at this point.  Also agree that don't like useless Cas BUT don't see this as a trend since Cas was a badass all last season--i'll put this down to an aberration with Cas all shook up over Dean and not thinking straight.  I do LIKE Bobby/Mary--their connection works for me.   Like Jack and enjoyed his scene with Cas especially.  I'm one of the few that likes Mark P. on this particular site--so very happy with Nick...nice little twist.   Liked Sam being badass in last moments of the episode and enjoyed his scene with Cas in the end.  I didn't mind the chaotic bar scene direction--I enjoyed it.  Missed Dean and he usually is the engine of the show--so don't mind he won't be gone too long--hopefully before he gets back they explore Michael's interior more.  Like the extended family and interactions among them at the end of the episode.    Enjoyed the ACDC song.  

Edited October 12, 2018 by Jakes

[Katy M]

9 minutes ago, Myrelle said:

Yeah, I can only imagine how someone who has nothing to do with social media would have felt about this one. They wouldn't have been forewarned at all about the sad lack of the Michael!Dean storyline that was left to us as the big cliffhanger in the S13 finale. Disappointment wouldn't even have come close to covering my feelings and how I would have felt, if that had been me, but then again, if they're still following this show, and always have been, they'd likely know that the overall quality of the production of it has been steadily declining for some time now, and that these last few years have been the worst. 

I tried to stay as spoiler free as possible.  I didn't really expect more Michael because we usually don't get much of the big bad on screen.  So, by "definition" if Dean's going to be the big bad his screen time is going to decrease.  Without knowing if the payoff is going to be worth it, I think we just got a good start going to that.  I was more disappointed that Cas doesn't recognize a roomful of demons, but that's par for the course since S10.  And that Sam could give orders to demons.  And that Lucifer's vessel is alive.

[Ninamags]

Even AC/DC was boring. They've used them in premiers before.

[sarthaz]

The realization that these clowns will likely write the final on-screen moments for our heroes consumes my heart in darkness.

[catrox14]

28 minutes ago, Ninamags said:

Even AC/DC was boring. They've used them in premiers before.

And it wasn't even the best AC/DC song which they could have used. (Not a fan of Shoot to Thrill myself, YMMV) Or am I mistaken? I mean at least it could have been Thunderstruck LOI

 I corrected myself, Thunderstruck was used for 5.1 but I think Shoot to Thrill was used in another one.....I think...

Edited October 12, 2018 by catrox14

[Ninamags]

I didn't even recognize the song. Just recognized the lead singer, catrox14. 

Every time I hear "Renegade" from STYX is heart-breaking for me. What happened to that show? 

[catrox14]

Just for comparison's sake, here is the leaked audio of Michael's first scene. from Comic Con.

I actually prefer the SDCC version over the one that aired. They cut out a pretty significant portion that I think makes Michael's mission more clear

I really wish they would have left the entire scene as it was here. It seems like a few words but I think it sheds more light on Michael's internal life WRT to what he finds disdainful in humanity. His judgments come from a clearer place. Bothers me TBH that this didn't make it to air. :(

[ZennyKenny]

57 minutes ago, Ninamags said:

Even AC/DC was boring. They've used them in premiers before.

SRSLY! I was so excited when they used my favorite Halestorm song for the premiere... last season, was it? And I was joking earlier yesterday saying "watch it be another AC/DC song lol" And then it started playing and I was like "Sonuvabitch!"

Oh and another thing. Did anyone else's first set of commercials lead in with Sam asking Nick "Where's Michael?" and then showing a commercial for the new Halloween movie? And then AFTER the break, doing this whole drawn-out reveal that Nick was still alive? Like wow way to ruin the surprise! I honestly thought they screwed up and meant to place that commercial during the 2nd set. 

[Casseiopeia]

14 minutes ago, ZennyKenny said:

SRSLY! I was so excited when they used my favorite Halestorm song for the premiere... last season, was it? And I was joking earlier yesterday saying "watch it be another AC/DC song lol" And then it started playing and I was like "Sonuvabitch!"

Oh and another thing. Did anyone else's first set of commercials lead in with Sam asking Nick "Where's Michael?" and then showing a commercial for the new Halloween movie? And then AFTER the break, doing this whole drawn-out reveal that Nick was still alive? Like wow way to ruin the surprise! I honestly thought they screwed up and meant to place that commercial during the 2nd set. 

I didn't realize it was a commercial at first.  I thought wait how did we get to this point?  CW needs a new promo dept.

[Katy M]

12 minutes ago, Casseiopeia said:

I didn't realize it was a commercial at first.  I thought wait how did we get to this point?  CW needs a new promo dept.

Then I got more confused and thought that Jared was in the movie.

[Jonesy]

A big ACDC fan who've seen them twice in concert--them being used in SPN is never tired and Shot Down in Flames...a very good song.