Supernatural S4E13: After School Special

I don’t really have time for this so if you didn’t watch it, check out a full recap at Buddy TV. While there is no such thing as a bad episode of SN, this has got to be the most disappointing flashback episode ever. Shame on you, Supernatural. Usually SN flashbacks are phenomenal (“In the Beginning,” “A Very Supernatural Christmas,” “Something Wicked,” “Home”) but this one didn’t tell us anything we didn’t already know and even Jensen Ackles in the above outfit couldn’t save it. Although the part when he nailed that kid in the stomach with a ball almost did. Some thoughts:

1. How on earth did Dean have time to absorb all these pop culture references in his life as a hunter? Heathers, Dead Poets Society, Hello Kitty -- he was all over the place in this ep. Although I guess young Dean and young Sam did spend a lot of time holed up in hotel rooms waiting for John to come home.

2. Young Dean was basically the same as old Dean. I was surprised by Young Sam, though. It had never occurred to me that they went to school, nor what their skills would translate into as far as high school goes. One of my favorite moments was when Dean asked why Sammy let the bully beat on him. “You could have torn him apart!” says Dean. But little Sam didn’t want to be a freak. Touching, and yet scary.



3. I already complained about this, but why does Dean look so much older than Sam? They are only supposed to be a couple of years apart.

4. Also, what came between these boys in the first place? In the pilot ep, they haven’t spoken in some time -- Sam asks why Dean didn’t call before showing up, and Dean says Sam wouldn’t have answered even if he had. And in the flash-forward ep “What Is And What Should Never Be,” Sam and Dean are totally estranged. But in the flashback eps, the brothers always get along relatively well. I get why John and Sam had issues -- supposedly when Sam left for college, John told him to “stay gone.” But Dean and Sam? What’s the deal there?

5. So, Sam’s teacher had some great effect on him by encouraging him to write? Maybe it would have been too perfect, but this would have made more sense if College Sam had majored in English rather than Law. I understand that the point of the inspiration was that he didn’t have to go into the family business, but they focused on the writing thing so much that I thought it could have flowed better.

And so could I, if I weren’t in such a damn rush.

Supernatural S4E12: Criss Angel is a Douche Bag

First: In exciting SN news, the show has had a ratings surge! An average of 3 million viewers a week, which is much better than its previous numbers. And, Maureen Ryan of the Chicago Tribune recently called it one of the best shows of 2008. Yay!

Second: how many times did they say “douchebag” in this episode? At least 15 or 20? Fabulous.

On to the recap: At a magicians’ convention, an aging trio of magicians are depressed about the state of the biz, which is being taken over by young, eyeliner-wearing douchebags. Jay, who still has a show (albeit a failing one), decides to do a trick called the Table of Death even though he’s really not dexterous enough anymore. There is a vague hint that he’s trying to commit suicide. Even though his friends are concerned, they strap him to a table upon which a bed of spikes will impale him if he cannot escape in time. A curtain is drawn, so the struggle is seen in silhouette. He totally doesn’t make it and the spikes slam into him…and then he draws back the curtain, beaming and alive. The crowd erupts in applause. But, out in the street, a young douchebag magician collapses as rows of blood spots pinprick his shirt. Dum-dum-DUM!!

The brothers arrive to see Jeb Dexter (a parody of Criss Angel) and immediately identify him as a douchebag. Jay is feeling good from the previous night’s triumph and decides to do “The Executioner,” a trick so dangerous that Houdini wouldn’t attempt it. Dean speaks Jay’s friends Charlie and Vernon. They misdirect him, later explaining that “you can’t con a con man.”

Meanwhile, Ruby pays a visit to Sam and informs him that 34 seals have been broken while he’s doing nothing. She pressures him to use his abilities to go after Lilith, but he resists. That evening, the brothers attend Jay’s show and are surprised to see him throw back the curtain after his silhouette clearly shows him being hung by a noose. Dean is wowed. Sam is dubious. He is also starting to panic, because he wonders if he and Dean will still being fighting demons when they’re 60. It’s kind of depressing.

The brothers go after Jay, but quickly discover that he’s not their man. However, during the interrogation they tie him to a chair, so naturally he presses charges. Later that night, Jay does the Table of Death trick again…only this time, Charlie is the one who dies. Horrified, Jay drops the charges and approaches the Winchesters for help. Oh, and the bros figure out that cursed tarot cards have something to do with the murders.



The only other option is Vernon, right? Jay confronts him and they argue, but both are shocked into silence when Charlie appears, all of 28 years old. WTF? Apparently, Charlie has used the Grimoire (also referenced in Charmed, ha ha) to cast an immortality spell. But for this “rebirth,” he wants Jay and Vernon to come with him. He doesn’t want to be alone anymore. Vernon is down with the idea, but Jay refuses.

When the brothers arrive, Charlie strings Dean up in a noose and straps Sam to the Table of Death, but just in time Jay stabs himself in the stomach and reveals that, via sleight-of-hand, he has secreted a tarot card in his friend’s jacket. So, Charlie dies. I don’t really understand this – I mean he’s immortal, so won’t he just be reborn?

In the end, the brothers come upon Jay drunk and alone. Vernon has sworn him off for what he did to Charlie, and he is despondent. They try to convince Jay that he did the right thing, but he shuffles off in despair. Dean gets a beer, and Sam says he’s going for a walk. And by “going for a walk,” he means “getting into a car with Ruby, saying ‘I’m in,’ and driving off.”

Next week: Dean and Sam, together again. And, the episode will involve flashbacks of the Winchesters as youngsters, but Dean looks way older than Sam. Aren’t they only supposed to be a couple years apart? Check it out:

Supernatural S4E11: Family Remains

This show isn’t that great for a girl living alone. I woke up at 4:00 a.m. positive that some horrifying girl was going to sneak out of the closet and start licking my hand.

Anyway, as usual SN picks up not-at-all-where-it-left-off. Sam and Dean are exhausted, having taken job after job with no rest. Sam tries to convince Dean to slow down, but Dean is obviously still trying to make up for his time in hell / trying to get past the fact that the last girl he touched has exploded. They follow the trail to a house recently sold to a nice, normal family. But the house has a dark secret – last tenant brutally murdered, his wife died in childbirth, daughter hung herself 20 years later – you know, the usual.

The family ignores the boys’ warnings and moves into the house. The son is delighted to have an ET-esque moment throwing a baseball back and forth with something hiding in his closet. Meanwhile, the daughter lies in bed with the family dog, giggling as the dog licks her hand. But then the dog walks into the room, and she looks over to see “something” disappear into the closet. AHHHHHHHHHHH!



The Winchesters burst in to help the family escape, but the ghost has removed all of the weapons from the Impala. This confuses the boys, but they corral the family into a salt circle nonetheless. Sam investigates the attic while Dean stays with the fam. Suddenly, the girl (who looks much like the girl from “Bloody Mary” and The Ring) appears and trots on into the salt circle. Everyone screams and runs away, but the son disappears during the melee.

Dean takes the uncle to find the girl, while Sam takes the rest of the fam to a shed. Dean discovers a hole in the wall and slips down to find the family dog, murdered. Meanwhile, the girl appears out of nowhere and shoves a knife through Uncle’s throat. Back in the shack, Mom recounts all the horrible things that have happened to the family, including the death of their eldest son. It is kind of weird to spend so much time talking about the dead son when he has nothing to do with the episode. Usually in SN-verse, a family with a dead son would be haunted by the son, or something.

Regardless, Sam has been whiling away the hours reading the diary of the daughter who hung herself, and learns that GhostGirl is actually human. The man of the house (murdered in the opening) had relations with his own daughter (ew) and then locked the baby up to keep it a secret. I love this, when the “monsters” on this show are human. It provides a great moral counterpoint – this girl is, quite frankly, an inhuman monster. But, because she’s technically human, the Winchesters have a hard time justifying killing her.

Eventually, Dean finds the son, who – once the gag comes off – screams, “He’s coming back! Her brother!” Who then attacks our hero, and they fight in a flurry of limbs until Dean shoots the brother twice. At point blank range. In the heart. Have they killed a human before? I feel like in “The Benders” (S1E15) they just escaped.

Outside, IncestGirl is advancing on Mom and Daughter when suddenly Dad drags her outside and murders her via what closed captioning calls “slicing sounds.” In the end, Dean muses that he understands what drove the IncestSiblings. A lifetime of torture can do that to a person. And, in a twist I certainly did not expect, he admits that he enjoyed torturing souls in hell because it dulled his own pain. All this time I’ve been anxiously awaiting a brotherly showdown, it never once occurred to me that Dean could be the monster of the family.

Supernatural S4E10: Heaven and Hell

“Why don’t you try J Date?”

We pick up right where the left off, with Castiel and Uriel claiming that Anna is far from an innocent. Suddenly, they are yanked away in a flash of light. The boys find Anna drawing symbols on the wall in her own blood – she sent them away with a spell that just “popped into her head.”

The boys get Pamela (the psychic who went blind trying to see who saved Dean), to find out what the deal with Anna is. Pamela hypnotizes her, and she goes freaking nuts. But, upside, she remembers who she is. And it turns out she’s a fallen angel. A really powerful fallen angel who disobeyed God and ripped out her grace to become human. Ruby looks shocked – this is way more than she had bargained for. Anna is determined to find her grace.

They are painting quite an interesting picture of Christianity in this season of Supernatural. First, Castiel admitted that he doubts God’s will sometimes. Now, Anna says that angels take the existence of God on faith. Only four have actually seen him. If they don’t have faith, they are killed. Dean relates to the idea of an absentee father whose commands you are meant to follow blindly. They find where Anna’s grace landed on Earth (really easily), but someone has taken it.
The angels threaten that if Dean doesn’t give up Anna, they’ll send him back to hell.

Later, Anna tells Dean that she has heard the angels talking about what he did in hell. He can’t talk about it. She says he should forgive himself. Meanwhile. Ruby burns the hex bag that has been hiding them, and brings Alastair. She’ll give him Anna in exchange for the rest of them. Instead, Alastair tortures Ruby. It’s super bloody and there’s a lot of screaming.

Dean sleeps with Anna, then Uriel comes to him in a dream. Uriel has her grace, and Dean tries to scarfice himself but Uriel makes a persuasive offer. Once everyone is awake, Castiel and Uriel appear. Dean gave up Anna, because they threatened to kill Sam. She understands.

Alastair then appears, and they battle. He says that Dean had such promise. Anna steals her grace back from Uriel, and explodes in a ball of light, killing Alastair. Turns out Ruby didn’t rat them out – instead, it was all Sam’s idea.

At the end, they have a bro talk on the hood of the Impala. Dean reveals that even though on earth he was in hell for four months, below it was more like 40 years. They carved him up until there was nothing left, and then he would magically become whole again and they’d start all over. After 30 years, he couldn’t take it anymore, and agreed to torture others. He wishes now that he couldn’t feel anything. They both cry. It’s really quite sad.

Supernatural returns January 15.

ANTM Cycle 11: Winner Edition

The girls shoot another commercial, this time with a line in Dutch. They also don’t get a teleprompter. Afterward, they shoot a Cover Girl ad.

Annaleigh completely blanks. She tears up, and says she can see her dreams slipping away. She lost all her personality, so Jay breaks it down line by line for her. She does better after that. In her shot, the photographer comments that she really uses her body.

McKey can’t remember her lines and is super nervous. She starts out stiff, but improves as she goes. Still, though she delivers her lines well she is jittery. Her photo is unique.

Samantha remembers her lines, but has no energy. In her photo, she struggled. Her poses were not clever.

DURING PANEL
Annaleigh’s commercial was painful, but she looked gorgeous. Her photo looks like an actress’ headshot, and she does the same face over and over.

McKey talked too fast but looked great. Unlike the other girls, her photo “looks like a model.” But sometimes in her film, she looked crazy.

Samantha’s commercial was distracted, choppy, unconvincing. She was insecure. Her photo was adorable but looked forced.

Annaleigh is eliminated. I find that bullshit.

McKey and Samantha do their 17 cover shoots, and they both “astound” the editor. Their runway is insane, involving ramps and stairs. They both look utterly terrified. Nobody falls down, but their walks are kind of lackluster. Once she gets out there, McKey transforms. She struts her stuff and looks proud. Samantha just looks scared.

And (in one of the least surprising ANTM finales to date) the winner is … McKey.

90210 S1E11: That Which We Destroy

Well. If I had realized that 90210 would not be on again until January 6, I certainly would not have skipped it last night. Oops. Here is the TWOP recap instead.

Supernatural S4E9: I Know What You Did Last Summer

Well, now we know for sure that Sam and Ruby have been having sex. Ugh. But this episode was interesting. It set up an intriguing story, and then basically abandoned it to tell us what Sam did while Dean was in hell.

First, the story: a young woman named Anna can hear angels talking, and everyone thinks she’s insane when she tries to tell them about Lilith and Lucifer and the end of the world. She reveals that there are 600 possible seals in the world – it’s just that only 66 have to be broken in order to set Lucifer free. This means it is nearly impossible to stop Lilith, because no one can know which 66 she’s gunning for.

Anna first “overheard” the chatter the same day Dean was pulled from hell – and the first thing she heard? “Clear as a bell. Dean Winchester is saved.” But then a powerful demon shows up and Ruby (yeah, she’s there) demands that Sam use his abilities. Stuck with no other choice, he does. However, this demon is a little too powerful for that.



While Ruby sneaks Anna out the back, he tosses Sam down a flight of stairs and then attacks Dean – who recognizes him from the pit, as Alastair. Before we can learn anything more, Sam stabs Alastair with Ruby’s knife. This also doesn’t work, and only has the effect of losing the knife. With nowhere else to go, the Winchester boys leap through a stained glass window.

Back at the hotel, Sam sews up a nasty gash on his arm before popping Dean’s dislocated shoulder back into place. I like this. Now that I think about it, we rarely see the aftermath of the battles on this show. Anyway, this is where we get the brunt of Sam’s past. After Dean’s death, a drunken Sam tries to make a deal with the Crossroads Demon. Seriously? This again? Fortunately, the demon says the same thing – and this time, it won’t work. They’ve got Dean right where they want him, and Sam’s paltry little soul isn’t worth the exchange. Sam weaves his way home, where a blond secretary version of Ruby shows up ostensibly to kill him, but ends up killing her demon partner instead.

Sam is not happy to see Ruby again, and asks whose body she’s in this time. “You never asked me that before,” she says. Which is kind of interesting, really. But Sam is all high and mighty now. So, Ruby possesses the body of coma patient who has just that second been taken off life support, after making sure the woman’s spirit had moved on. Ruby sure does jump through a lot of hoops for young Winchester. What is her endgame?



After demanding that he sober up, Ruby tries to teach Sam to use his abilities in order to (someday) kill Lilith, but Sam’s not so good at it. As a consolation, Ruby seduces him, saying her new body is “warm and soft inside.” This line, combined with the awful faces Jared Padalecki makes when he’s simulating sex, cause a very uncomfortable couple of minutes. And like me, Dean is also disgusted.

Anyway, a very determined Past Sam goes on a suicide mission to avenge his big brother’s murder. Ruby tries to stop him, but he takes off after Lilith. Naturally it’s a trap, and when Ruby is attacked Sam finally harnesses his powers to save her. So that’s it. Ruby saved Sam’s life, and taught him how to continue to fight without his brother’s backup. That’s a lotta exposition!

In the end, Ruby temporarily commandeers a maid’s body in order to get a message to the boys. They meet up with Anna and Ruby at a shack somewhere, and Dean comes as close as he ever will to thanking Ruby. Suddenly, Anna cries, “They’re coming!” and everyone gets into fight mode. But, I’m thinking, doesn’t she hear angels? Doesn’t that mean angels, not demons, are coming? Sure enough, Castiel and Uriel blast through the door. But are they here to help? Oh, no. They are here to kill Anna.



Next week: Dean and Anna do it in the Impala. Quite frankly, I don’t feel too good about this. For all their swagger, the boys have never been particularly loose – and whenever they have had sex, dire consequences always follow (Jess-burns to death, Madison-werewolf, Doublemint Twins-Dean goes to hell). Haven’t they learned anything yet? Although, maybe with what she’s overheard Anna is the only one who can understand what Dean has been through. That, I could see. The one thing I really, really hope is that they don’t try to tell us about (or more specifically, show us) Dean’s time in hell. I mean, come on. It’s hell! A TV show, especially on a network like the CW, could never show how bad it truly was. My imagination is way worse than anything they could show me, so it would just be a disappointment.

ANTM Cycle 11: Drunken Edition

The CW webmaster should be fired. For the third week in a row, something is messed up with the ANTM photos. This time, Sam’s photo is in Annaleigh’s portfolio, and Annaleigh’s photo is nowhere to be found. I will update with the photo when its fixed.

THE RUNDOWN
McKey is the only one who hasn’t been in the bottom two yet. Marjorie doesn’t like being thought of as weak. She resolves to project a different image, though her nerves give her an edge that she doesn’t want to lose. Later, she invites over the guys who drove their boats during the go-sees, asking them to bring wine. None of the girls drink except Marjorie, who gets wasted. Everyone has fun at first, but then it turns “messy,” as Annaleigh puts it. Marjorie gets into the tub with one guy and Annaleigh is understandably concerned about her drunken friend. The other guys are all, “Hey baby, no big deal, let’s leave these two alone” while trying to shuttle her out of the room. Annaleigh isn’t buying it, and soon the sober girls are yelling at the guys that it’s time to leave. McKey threatens to drag the one dude out of the tub herself. The next day, Marjorie talks about how the whole thing was wonderful because since she was the only girl drinking, she knew everyone else would take care of her. Lame!

THE CHALLENGE
Paulina teaches the girls that they have to be able to sell anything without speaking. They work with dead fish, toilet paper, a cell phone, and a letter. They all do quite well. Their challenge is a 30-second audition for a sports shoe commercial – girl is jogging down street, sees cute guy in a cab, guy gets out of cab, girl kisses him and runs off. Supermodel Mark Vanderloo is the guy. The girls are all, “Woah, did it just get hot in here?”

The winner gets a $10,000 shopping spree at G-Star denim. But the audition isn’t quite what they expect. They “jog” on a treadmill while Mark Vanderloo stands next to them pretending to be in a cab. Then they jump off the treadmill, kiss him, and run off. They all do well, but Marjorie is the winner because her interpretation is “unique.” She chooses Annaleigh to share the spree with, and lets her have half the money. That’s pretty nice.

THE SHOOT
The girls pose in the Dutch countryside in extreme hair and makeup. Jay says they have to “come through” the makeup and props.

Marjorie is ungraceful, looks crazy, seems drunk, and lacks presence.

Samantha complains that her shoes hurt. Her shoot is very weak. She’s gone from 10 to 0 in just a few days. She rallies for her last few shots, but returns to hair & makeup in tears. She knows she fucked up.

Annaleigh is beautiful and dynamic, and tries lots of different things. She comes up with the idea of jumping in the air, which both Jay and the photog love.

McKey is gorgeous and creative, and works her props. Jay says she’s “genius.”

DURING PANEL



Marjorie’s photo is very editorial. She looks lost, “like a spaceship just dropped her off.” However, her film was not strong and her personality is faltering. She is fighting her nerves too hard, and now she is just flat.



Samantha is wearing another bad outfit. Her photo is fabulous and her expression is great, but her film was disappointing. Jay had to force a performance out of her. She took 53 bad frames, and 7 good ones.


Annaleigh’s photo is the best of the bunch. The judges love it. The guest judge, the editor of Seventeen, loves that Annaleigh is all sweetness and light in person, yet can be so dark in her photos.



McKey is wearing a very fashion-forward outfit. Her photo is unusual, her face is phenomenal, and her legs “just go on and on and on.” She mixes strong and feminine, and Tyra thinks this will become her signature look.

IN PRIVATE DELIBERATION
Marjorie has managed to lose her nerves, but in doing so she lost her charm. The Seventeen editor finds her condescending.

Samantha takes consistently good photos, but this week it took way too long to get the shot. Her presence just doesn’t say model.

Annaleigh is taking flight. She has become a girl to be reckoned with … though Miss J is still not sure about her.

McKey is fantastic. The judges love her. Her eyes are magnificent.

The first photo is Annaleigh.
The bottom two are Samantha and Marjorie.

Samantha just doesn’t get it. The judges don’t understand how she can STILL not understand what it takes to be a model. Her film was incredibly weak.

Marjorie takes exquisite photos, but was flat this week. She doesn’t understand balance.

Marjorie is eliminated.

Well. At this point I guess it will come down to McKey and Annaleigh, with Annaleigh winning. But I only say this because McKey has done everything right lately, and that usually doesn’t bode well for whatever reason (Nik vs. Nicole, Melrose vs. CarriDee). However, if Sam can step up her game in the final episode, it’s all up in the air. I am rooting for Annaleigh, if only because she’s so sweet. She reminds me of Nicole from Cycle 5. I would be happy with McKey, too. Sam would be just ok.

Side note: I caught the end of The Big Bang Theory on Monday, while waiting for HIMYM to come on, and Annaleigh and Sam were guest stars. Which, contrary to what I said above, kind of makes me wonder if they’re the final two. Hmmmm.

90210 S1E10: Games People Play

“Payback’s a real bitch, isn’t it?”

FINALLY, the claws come out! Naomi, who spotted Annie and Ethan’s illicit make out session at the end of the previous episode, flies Annie’s ex-boyfriend Jason to Cali for a 16th birthday surprise. Then, when Jason can’t break up A&E, Naomi makes out with him during Annie’s birthday party and rigs it so A&E will catch them. Annie cries, forces Naomi to “take it outside,” and then whines about how hurt she is, but Naomi is unabashedly unapologetic. That is, until Harry & Tracy’s son appears on the doorstep, stunning them both into silence.

I was on the phone during the first 15 minutes or so, but I’m pretty sure Naomi’s new hottie didn’t make an appearance. Her newly straightened hair looks way better though.

Meanwhile, Ryan has been forced to take a paid leave after a student catches him kissing Kimberly. After a mass text message about it is sent to all BHH students, they decide he’s a sleaze. He is understandably upset. Kelly returns and kind of maybe tries to suggest that they pick up where they left off, but Kimberly interrupts them. Oh, and Kim nails her drug dealer, who was apparently a teacher (or administrator) at the school. It all seems very... simple.

In other news, Adriana meets Navid’s parents. His mom is the French girl from Summer School, FYI. Navid is embarrassed by his large, loud family, and by the fact that he’s a virgin. Adriana is sweet about both things.

Next week, Brenda tells Kelly that she slept with Ryan. For someone who is neither cute nor interesting, that guy sure gets around!

Supernatural S4E8: Wishful Thinking

“Are we gonna kill this teddy bear?”

The above photo has nothing to do with this episode, I just think it’s funny.

Not a whole lot of substance here, but since it’s apparently impossible for Supernatural to produce a bad episode, there was still plenty to love. The bros travel to Washington and discover a wishing well that really does grant wishes. A young girl brings her teddy bear to full-sized life, a nerdy guy dates the girl of his dreams, and a bullied child gains the strength to overturn SUVs with one hand.

The Winchesters’ first tip that something is really, really wrong occurs when they run across a small girl who says her teddy bear is sick. They enter the house to find a six-foot teddy bear drinking heavily and bemoaning the futility of life. Eventually, the bear tries to kill itself in what is, hands down, one of the best scenes I’ve ever seen. We open on a suicide note, pan over to the bear holding a rifle, and then pan slowly to the wall behind the bear. Were this a human, we would hear the shot and see a splatter of red hit the wall. Instead, we hear the shot and see a puff of stuffing float through the air. Then we pan back to the bear, still very much alive, who screams, “Nooooooo!” It was brilliant.

Anyway, the boys find a Babylonian coin in the well, but can’t remove it. Only the person who made the original wish can, and thus reverse all of the damage. They figure out it’s the nerdy guy, and take him to the well, but Super-Strength Child gets in the way and kicks Dean’s ass while Crazy-In-Love Girlfriend of Nerdy Guy kills Sam with a lightning bolt. Horrified, Nerdy Guy removes the coin and all returns to normal.

During the episode, Sam confronts Dean about what Uriel has told him. “I’m with you all the time,” Sam says, so he can’t help but notice Dean’s heavy drinking and constant nightmares. He asks, again, if Dean remembers hell. Dean blows him off. But at the end, he finally admits that he does remember. He remembers everything. Sam encourages him to talk about it, but he refuses. Sam could never understand, and Dean could never make him understand. He has to suffer through this burden alone.

ANTM Cycle 11: No-Makeup Edition

THE RUNDOWN
Elina irritates everyone. Marjorie’s insecurity rears its ugly head. Shocking, right?

THE CHALLENGE
The girls do go-sees…but they have to travel on the canals, in the slowest boats in the world. Anyone who returns after 5:00 pm will be disqualified. Here is what we do see:

McKey makes it to 4 go-sees. The designers say “That’s it! That’s what I want” and “Stunning.”

Samantha makes it to 4 go-sees. She is too commercial.

Marjorie makes it to 2 go-sees. She gets hopelessly lost, and is extremely uncomfortable with the designers. When one designer says he’s “seen enough,” she gets totally discouraged and gives up. She goes to the end location and sits around twiddling her thumbs.

Elina makes it to 4 go-sees. One designer says she is “ok, but she’s not a model, she’s just playing at being a model.” Another wouldn’t hire her because of her tattoos.

Annaleigh makes it to 3 go-sees. She presents herself well, has style, and is willing to learn. One designer loves her “fresh look.”

McKey is a few minutes minutes late, and is disqualified. But the designers LOVED her. She would have won, if not for being tardy. The designers were very disappointed with Marjorie. Annaleigh wins something like $18,000 worth of the goods from the designers.

THE SHOOT
When the TyraMail leans heavily on the word “exposed,” the girls become terrified it’s a nude shoot. Get used to it, girls. Turns out Tyra is their photographer, and they will do one “natural” shot and one “glam” shot to see how they do at both.

McKey is gorgeous and listens. Tyra says, “She can MODEL!”
Samantha looks hot, came alive, her theatrical shots are great.
Marjorie is nervous and intimidated. Her glam shot is a little better.
Elina poses too much and is too stiff. Jay is truly frustrated because she doesn’t listen.
Annaleigh’s natural shot is just ok, but her glam shot is lovely.

DURING PANEL
McKey booked 4 of 4 jobs. In her natural shot, she really used the teach Tyra gave about a signature pose. Her glam shot is amazing – even in an uncomfortable position, she doesn’t look strained.

Samantha booked 2 of 4 jobs. Her natural shot is great; Nigel says it could be an advertisement. It is the judges’ favorite shot of her to date. They love her glam shot; she was totally “on.” She shows off the clothes wonderfully.

Marjorie booked 0 of 2 jobs. In her natural shot she is posing too much and looks like a broken doll. Her film is a disaster. Her glam shot is beautiful and sharp. The judges wonder what it takes to get Marjorie’s glam side to exert itself in person.

Elina booked 2 of 4 jobs. Her natural shot is too controlled. Every time Tyra tells her to “hold it,” she turns it into a posey-pose instead. Her glam shot is ok. They told her to go crazy, and she didn’t. Tyra mentions that she’s 18 (!!!) and the other judges are shocked. They tell her she looks and acts 30. Ouch!

Annaleigh booked 3 of 3 jobs. Her natural shot isn’t great; the judges say it looks like a casting photo. Her glam shot, however, is amazing. Her legs are fantastic, and she looks perfect.

IN PRIVATE DELIBERATION
McKey is true high fashion.
Samantha blew them away.
Marjorie is too frail. Nigel wouldn’t book her for a job either.
Elina is too controlled, and is not inspirational.
Annaleigh is a dream but Paulina thinks her face doesn’t photograph well. Nigel disagrees.

The first photo is Samantha.
The bottom two are Marjorie and Elina.

Elina has a unique face, but is too controlled.
Marjorie is exquisite, but is too nervous.

Elina is eliminated.

Supernatural S4E7: It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester

“That guy’s so vanilla he makes vanilla seem spicy.”

As we open, a man eats Halloween candy and then retrieves a razor from the roof of his mouth. It’s been a while since Supernatural managed to gross me the fuck out, so it’s about time this happened. Blood shoots everywhere. He dies. The bros find a hex bag in his kitchen. The next day, a high-school girl at a pre-Halloween party goes bobbing for apples and boils to death. The bros find a hex bag in the couch. As Dean puts it, “Witches are so freaking skeevy.”

The brothers pick up the trail of a witch who is attempting to raise Samhain, the demon for whom Halloween was created. This is bad, because Samhain has the power to raise all manner of things that go bump in the night. They figure out that the witch is Tracy, a tiny blonde cheerleader, and are mid-plan when Castiel shows up with the angel Uriel to stop them. Sam falls all over himself in his delight to meet the angels, but is sorely disappointed once they begin to speak.

Raising Samhain is one of the 66 seals, and they cannot allow it to be broken. They are going to destroy the entire town, including hundreds of innocent people, in order to stop it. It’s the old “the good of the one vs. the good of the many” argument. A horrified Sam protests that angels are supposed to help people, not hurt them. Castiel replies, “Have faith in the plan. It comes from heaven, which makes it just.” Dean refuses to leave town, knowing that after Castiel went to all the trouble of saving him from hell, there’s no way he’ll let him die now. Castiel agrees to let the boys try. Later, when Uriel suggests they just drag ol’ Dean out of town, Castiel mysteriously references their “real orders.”

The bros discover that a high-school art teacher is involved and shoot him up after finding Tracy tied up in his basement while he holds a knife to her throat. Unfortunately, Tracy and the teacher are in it together and she manages to raise Samhain, who inhabits the teacher’s body and then breaks Tracy’s neck. While this is going on, Sam smears blood all over his face and Dean’s, thus creating “masks” that hide them from Samhain.

Samhain trots off to the cemetery and brings the dead to life. Dean makes Sammy promise not to use his abilities in this fight. At the cemetery, Dean battles a zombie horde while Sam goes after Samhain, who is shocked to find that Sam is impervious to his demonic skills. Sam tries to use Ruby’s knife, he really does, but Samhain knocks it away and he is forced to use his powers. Samhain is so powerful that he manages to struggle through Sam’s psychic onslaught, moving closer and closer to Sammy while Dean watches in horror. The fight takes so much out of poor Sammy that his head pounds and his nose bleeds, but eventually he conquers Samhain.

The next day, Uriel reprimands Sam. He was specifically told not to use his powers, and if he steps out of line again Uriel will not hesitate to kill him. The trouble-making angel’s parting words are, “Ask Dean what he remembers from hell.” Across town, Castiel tells Dean that the angels’ real orders were to let Dean do whatever he wanted in order to test his leadership capabilities. He admits that he sometimes has doubts about god’s wishes, and has no idea whether Dean has passed the test, or failed.

ANTM Cycle 11: Red Light Edition

THE RUNDOWN
There isn’t much here. The girls go to Amsterdam and have to find their house through a series of clues, like a scavenger hunt. They team up in pairs, and Sam and Elina end up together. They win, and get 50 extra frames to split. That night, Annaleigh, Marjorie, and Elina share the large tub. Samantha, bigoted as usual, describes what they’re doing as “a lesbian party.” Elina comments that Amsterdam reminds her of the Ukraine, and Sheena and McKey get very irritated by that. Talk about intolerant. While I admit that Elina can be a bit whiny, the sense of “us vs. them” in this cycle is overwhelming.

THE CHALLENGE
A group of Dutch designers is taking over part of the red light district, and the girls pose in windows much like prostitutes do, in pairs. The winners get to walk in Amsterdam Fashion Week. McKey and Samantha win.

THE SHOOT
This one is pretty unoriginal. The girls pose on a ship.

McKey is editorial, breaks out of her shell, is creative.
Elina is editorial but completely ignores Jay when he talks. Like, completely.
Samantha starts weak but gets better.
Sheena looks like a can-can dancer, does lewd poses.
Marjorie does well, takes constructive criticism without crying.
Annaleigh is beautiful, Jay says “hallelujah!”

DURING PANEL
McKey is wearing a fabulous outfit, was fantastic, she really gets it.
Elina looks the most high-fashion though in general her film was stiff.
Samantha filled the frame, it’s a great shot.
Sheena has a great face but her body is terrible, the photo is dull.
Marjorie is gorgeous, passionate, and strong though she’s shy in person.
Annaleigh looks like a beautiful pirate, uses the props, they love it.

IN PRIVATE DELIBERATION
McKey has taken her best shot yet.
Elina looks the most high-fashion though she didn’t listen to Jay.
Samantha looks like a mallrat in person, her shots don’t match.
Sheena has no life, can’t balance hoochie and pretty.
Marjorie “is like Bambi” in person but transforms in front of the camera.

The first photo is McKey.
The bottom two are and Elina and Sheena.

Elina takes pretty pictures but they don’t see a model.
Sheena is full of personality but her photos are just ok.

Sheena is eliminated. Hallelujah!

90210 S1E8: There’s No Place Like Homecoming

“Homecoming is everything that’s wrong with this place in stark relief.”

Ethan tells Annie he wants to ask her to homecoming but he can’t because it will hurt Naomi. She is all giggles and batted lashes. Really? Annie’s skirts are way too short and I can’t believe Debbie would go for that. But anyway, Naomi invites Annie over to get ready for the dance and they have fun. But when she sees them dancing together later, Naomi tells Annie that she can’t be friends with her and date Ethan. Annie chooses Naomi, but then makes out with Ethan in the parking lot. Classy.

Silver has made an appointment to get her wisdom teeth out on homecoming because she could care less about the dance, cause she’s indie and all that. Dixon plays it cool and comes over to hang out with her chipmunk-cheeked, high-on-Percocet self. When she realizes he really wants to go to the dance, though, she gets all dressed up, surprises him, and tells him to never be afraid to tell her things. They are totally cute as a couple. Where’s the strife?

Adriana goes to rehab. She is distraught because Naomi won’t return her calls. Navid keeps visiting her and bringing her stuff and is obviously in love with her. She doesn’t get it, and finally he screams that he likes her. Apparently they were friends when they were younger and he’s always loved her. Whatever. This is too out-of-the-blue, and doesn’t work very well. Naomi meets a hot young thug in detention. At first he’s all, “whatever, white girl,” but then she speaks fluent Spanish and he does a second take. He attempts to woo her at Homecoming and they dance, so hopefully he’ll be back on the scene in upcoming episodes. In the end, Naomi forgives Adriana. These kids are way too nice to each other.

Ryan catches Kimberly buying drugs at the dance and throws a hissy fit until she admits she’s a cop to shut him up. Then this happens, literally:

Ryan: How old are you?
Kimberly: I’m 25, why?
Ryan: grabs her and passionately kisses her

Ew! He did have a thing for her even when he thought she was a 16-year-old. PS, I learned on IMDB that Ryan Eggold, who plays teacher Ryan, is in reality one year older than Dustin Milligan, who plays Ethan. And it shows! What kind of casting is that?!?

Finally, Debbie gets fed up with Tracy and threatens to punch her in the face if she ever touches her husband again. Cindy Walsh would never do such a thing!

Supernatural S4E6: Yellow Fever

“He’s even afraid of PEZ dispensers, with their dead little eyes.”

The Winchester boys investigate the mysterious death-by-heart-attack of Frank, an incredibly healthy marathon runner. He is not the first person in town to die of fright, so they know something is up. They do some interviews and learn that the dead man was kind of a dick, though his behavior improved after his wife’s suicide. Dean starts to get a little jumpy. The boys learn that what affected Frank, and is now affecting Dean, is “ghost sickness,” which kills within 48 hours. Sam points out that all the infected were dicks. Dean replies, “You’re a dick too.” And Sam says, “Apparently, I’m not.” Ha!

It is pretty funny to watch Dean being afraid of everything – he won’t drive over 20 mph, he won’t carry a gun in case it goes off, he won’t stay on the fourth floor of a hotel because it is too high up. Not so funny is his fear of returning to hell, and his hallucination of a yellow-eyed Sam trying to kill him. While exploring the local mill, the boys come face to face with the ghost of Luther Garland, and they eventually learn that he used to have a crush on Frank’s wife. Wracked with grief after her death, Frank decided that Luther had something to do with it and murdered the man by dragging him behind his truck (apparently there is a term for this, and it’s “road-hauling”). The sheriff, who also happened to be Frank’s friend, didn’t pursue the case. And they can’t burn Luther’s bones, because his remains are spread all over the stretch of road he was dragged down.

Bobby arrives to help, and he and Sam return to the mill while Dean stays in their hotel room drinking and watching cartoons. But then he hallucinates Lilith, who says horrible things about how he remembers every moment of being in hell and it’s time to go back. Meanwhile, Sam manages to wrap an iron chain around Luther’s neck and Bobby road-hauls the ghost, who dissipates. Dean immediately returns to his former cocky self (“I’m still alive, so … go team”), but when Sam asks what his hallucinations were, he lies. As usual. Does it never occur to these boys that telling each other the truth might actually help them do their job better?

And then, in something you normally only see in DVD special features, there is a short bit that shows Jensen Ackles lip-syncing “Eye of the Tiger” while the crew laughs in the background. He really hams it up, at one point even sticking his leg out and strumming it like a guitar. It was fabulous, and you can see it on YouTube here.

Supernatural S4E5: Monster Movie

D: “Sam, I have been re-hymenated.”
S: “Even an angel couldn’t do that.”

To let SN fans rest after a couple episodes full of dramatic exposition and escalating familial strife, “Monster Movie” was pure, unadulterated tongue-in-cheek delight shot entirely in black & white and styled after the classic monster movies of the 1930s.

Sam and Dean head to a small Pennsylvania town to investigate claims that a vampire has killed there. Dean is thrilled to be back on an honest-to-goodness monster hunt. They end up smack-dab in the middle of Oktoberfest and meet Ed, who swears he saw a vampire with a Romanian accent and a cape gnawing on a woman in the park. Skeptical, the bros decide this is not their kind of case after all. But wait! A werewolf attacks a lover’s lane couple, and mummy attacks a security guard. Suddenly, the Winchesters aren’t sure what’s going on. As Sam puts it, “This is stupid.”

Meanwhile, Dean decides that because he returned from hell without any of his old scars, he is a virgin again. And he is determined to lose that virginity. He hits on a local barmaid named Jamie, who returns his flirtation. He tells her he’s a “maverick” and if that’s just a coincidence and NOT a John McCain joke, I’d be amazed.



In the end, the boys realize they’re dealing with a shape shifter after Dean comes face to face with Dracula and tears his ear off. And it turns out Jamie’s fellow barmaid Lucy is the shape shifter. After dressing Dean up like an extra in a production of Hansel & Gretel, Dracula explains that real life is messy, movies are elegant, and he wants an elegant life. Pizza is delivered, Sam saves his big brother, Jamie shoots Dracula in the back with silver bullets, Dean gets to have sex, and everyone lives happily ever after. The end.

Now. There were just two things in this cheeky little episode that actually seemed related to the overall story arc. First, while explaining to Jamie what he & Sam actually are, Dean admits that his duties had started to weigh on him but now he realizes it’s a gift, not a curse, and he’s on a mission from god. So apparently Dean is 100% on board with the god thing. Secondly, though it might have been done just to set up the “re-hymenation” joke, I find it interesting that Dean came out of hell with no scars, no wounds, no “messed up fingers from being broken so many times.” Is this a physical manifestation of being cleansed of original sin? Or I am reaching?

Supernatural S4E4: Metamorphosis

“If I didn’t know you, I would hunt you.”

“Metamorphosis” was chock-full of the brotherly strife, and you know how I love that. However, it was also WAY too heavy handed with the parallels between the MOTW and “I’ve-got-demon-blood-in-me”-Sam, which therefore lessened its appeal.

We open with Sam & Ruby interrogating a demon, who taunts Sam about the fact that he’s sleeping with a demon. What is this kid thinking? I can only imagine that human-demon sex has dire consequences. Dean busts up the party, and the brothers fight. Not just with words, but with fists. Awesome! Dean learns that Sam has known about the fact that the YED bled into his mouth for a year, but has kept it from him. The boys are not happy with each other.

Meanwhile, a guy named Jack (who looks like Data from Star Trek) is really hungry. Hunter & family friend Travis calls the brothers for help. He tells them John would be proud of them for sticking together. He also tells them Jack is a “rougaru,” a creature that is human until age 30. At that point, he begins to change into a monster. Once the rougaru takes his first bite of human flesh, it’s all downhill from there. Sam does some research and learns there are rougaru who have resisted the change. Travis and Dean don’t buy it.

The scenes involving Travis are interesting because 99% of the shots cut off some portion of his face. My dim memory of college film class tells me that this is done on purpose, to subtly convey the possibility of Travis’ sinister nature. It’s kind of distracting, though.



Sam and Dean fight some more. Sam is mad that Dean treats him as if he doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong. Dean asks if he does know the difference. Poor little Sammy has demon blood in him and he can’t get clean. All he can do is try to make something good come of it, so he uses his powers to exorcise demons.

The brothers tell Jack what he will become, and try to convince him to fight it. That night, Jack manages to not kill a woman. Yay Jack! However, Travis tricks him by breaking into his house and tying his wife Michelle up. When Jack arrives, Travis gets him too. And it turns out Michelle is pregnant. Travis won’t allow another rougaru to be born into the world. Jack summons super-strength to break his bonds, and rips Travis’ throat out. But he’s not all gone, because he allows Michelle to escape. The rougaru line lives on!

When the brothers arrive, Jack attacks. Sam tries to talk sense into him, saying that it’s not what you are, it’s what you do. But it’s too late, and Sam is forced to kill the poor man. Later, he tells Dean that he’s done using his powers. Dean thanks him, but Sam says he’s not doing it for his brother. He’s doing it for himself. It would be so amazing if the brothers actually had to go up against each other in the end. Every season I’ve been hoping that’s where the show will go (he thinks so too) and perhaps we’re finally right. I envision some incredible battle between good and evil, with Dean on one side and Sam on the other. Wouldn’t that be freaking awesome?!?!

ANTM Cycle 11: The Fiercies Edition

THE RUNDOWN
Elina and Samantha both grew up with very controlling parents. There is a lot of talk this cycle about how Europeans don’t show any emotion. Interesting. Annaleigh is concerned that she can’t find her niche. Elina is very critical of the other girls, which is funny since she’s consistently slipping in the judging room. The girls chat about how Lauren Brie has no personality; she’s “translucent.”

THE CHALLENGE
The girls go to a photo studio, where they find Tyra modeling. She teaches them about the “signature pose.” They get 10 shots on their own, and then they get to look at the monitor and get 10 more shots with Tyra directing them. The winner is Marjorie, who takes her awkwardness and turns it into “The Hunchback of Notre Dame.” She and a friend get diamonds, and she chooses Annaleigh.

THE SHOOT
At the Orpheum Theater, the girls have to act out embarrassing moments that happen at awards shows with photographer Mike Rosenthal. It’s kind of a weird theme, and Marjorie gets a stupid version of it for the second week in a row.

Sheena: Girl Whose Dress Was Stepped On
Concerned about being “hoochie,” she reeled it in way too much. She doesn’t look pretty.

Elina: Overemotional Crier
Jay really pulls it out of her, and she sobs. He says it’s the best she’s done yet.

Marjorie: Has To Pee In A Too-Tight Dress
Both Jay and Mike love her, she used her lesson with Tyra and “turned it OUT!”

Annaleigh: Reporter With Attitude
Jay loves it, Mike says she “does bitchy really well.”

Lauren Brie: Trips While Getting Award
She looks like a movie star but is stiff like a mannequin.

McKey: Thought She Had Award In The Bag, But Lost
Jay says she’s “kinda cute.”

Samantha: Can’t Read Cue Cards Because Spotlight Is In Her Eyes
She’s too fake, her pose is terrible.

Joslyn: Sees Someone Else Wearing The Same Dress
At first she’s too posey, but later she uses her Tyra teachings and nails it.

DURING PANEL
Sheena is good but her eyes aren’t right, her body is good but not mind-blowing.
Elina didn’t get it right, not emotional, too steely.
Marjorie got an extraordinary pose yet her face is relaxed, used her teach, incredible.
Annaleigh impressed Mike, has a great face and body.
Lauren Brie doesn’t look like she’s falling, didn’t let go enough.
McKey is beautiful, her best photo, she’s really coming out.
Samantha doesn’t excite the judges, she looks sad, didn’t get the theme right.
Joslyn took her prettiest shot yet, has a great profile.

IN PRIVATE DELIBERATION
Sheena has gone downhill, Paulina doesn’t think she has what it takes.
Elina is exquisite but didn’t do the job.
Marjorie was Mike’s favorite, Tyra “j’adores” her photo.
Annaleigh is consistently improving, she did a great job.
Lauren Brie has a strong face but a terrible photo, she’s been coasting.
McKey is full of potential but Mike said it was like pulling teeth to get her shot.
Samantha did poorly, her photo is boring.
Joslyn looks beautiful, it’s her prettiest shot.

The first photo is Marjorie.
The bottom two are Lauren Brie and Sheena.

Lauren Brie is “gorgeously alienesque” but lacks personality.
Sheena has a shining, inspiring personality but is too sexy.

Lauren Brie is eliminated. In her exit interview, she says she gave up at the end.

If Marjorie can overcome her weird negativity, she will own this competition. I’m still shocked that McKey has made it this far. Sheena too, for that matter. Elina had a rough time this week – she finally let go only to have the judges tell her it wasn’t enough. Annaleigh is really improving, and Joslyn is kind of a non-entity. Oddly enough, she didn’t appear in the house scenes at all.

90210 S1E7: Hollywood Forever

“I also like tacos, welcome to school.”

The problem with being a highly organized blogger is that when you stock up on promo photos in advance, you have to deal with the fact that you are going to ruin surprises. But anyway, 90210 FINALLY stepped it up a notch this week. There was drama, there was intrigue, there was death and dismemberment. It was a marked improvement.

First: the Naomi/Adriana story. Adriana is now a full-blown cocaine addict. Naomi, who used to “dabble” in coke, recognizes the signs and offers to help. But Principal Harry has called the fuzz, and cops burst onto the scene to search everyone’s lockers. In a moment of pure stupidity, Naomi takes the coke from Adriana and runs, only to get caught flushing it down the toilet. She later explains that she assumed her daddy could buy her way out of it. Not so. As the episode continues and Naomi realizes the amount of shit she’s in, she begs Adriana to fess up. Ade agrees to meet Naomi and her parents at the lawyer’s office. Bitch please! I can’t believe Naomi fell for that. Naturally Adriana doesn’t show, and as the episode comes to a close we see an unconscious Adriana surrounded by paramedics as Naomi simultaneously leaves a furious message saying that Adriana is dead to her. Next episode: bring on the guilt!



Second: the Ryan/Kimberly story. New student Kimberly arrives at West Beverly, and she is sassy and cute. (She’s also Sue from Life As We Know It). And I know that she’s a brat in class, but Ryan is shockingly rude to her considering that he’s a teacher. She flirts with him, and though they have the same personality and make the same jokes, he shuts her down hard because, you know, he’s an adult and she’s not. But surprise! Kimberly is an undercover cop involved with the sting Harry has arranged (which, coincidentally, Ryan doesn’t believe in, and fights Harry on). Interesting developments could be afoot…



Third: the Dixon/Silver story. It’s Silver’s half-birthday, so she invites a bunch of people to a showing of Psycho at the Hollywood Forever cemetery. Dixon doesn’t like horror movies. Silver invites him over for “something he’s never done before.” And, side note, she’s painting the interior walls of the house black. Kelly’s gonna be pissed! Anyway, the “something” is “watching a horror movie marathon” and when Dixon falls asleep Silver gets upset, all “I tried to share something I love with you and you were a dick about it.” Blah. They make up. This storyline did give Dixon a chance for some amusing lines, though, which beefed up his character a bit.



Fourth: the Annie/Ethan story. Seven episodes, and I’m already over it. Annie and Ethan are paired together on the requisite “take care of a mechanical baby in health class” storyline. They go to the movie with Silver and Dixon, each assuring the other that it’s not a date. Finally, after a bunch of hemming and hawing, Ethan says it can’t be a date because he wouldn’t… and leans over to kiss her. They get within a ½ inch of each other before a scary movie moment causes the audience to shriek and they spring apart. I would prefer a little more buildup to them getting together. Where is the angst?



Fifth: the Harry/Debbie/Tracy story. Tracy has hired a private investigator to find their son. And she kisses Harry, who is horrified. The end.

This episode had some great little moments, but I think my favorite was when Annie finds her computerized baby crying in the bathroom corner, where she has left it. Debbie says, “Nobody puts baby in a corner,” and she and Harry giggle like children. Annie and Dixon stare at them blankly. It was one of the moments that could have been terrible had the children laughed too. As it was, it was pretty cute.

Supernatural S4E3: In the Beginning

“Sammy, wherever you are, mom’s a babe. I’m going to hell…again.”

Holy shit, guys. I know I’ve said this before, but I think this was the best episode of SN, ever. It answered so many questions, and brought nearly every major plot point of the show so far into one big, beautiful package. Holy shit!

As we open, Sam leaves a sleeping Dean in their hotel room to meet Ruby. “You ready?” she asks. “Definitely,” Sam replies. Dean, who is in a terribly uncomfortable-looking sleeping position, awakes to find Castiel, who tells him to “stop it.” Suddenly, he awakes on a bus bench. It doesn’t take long to discover that he’s in 1973, and that young man he runs into? John Winchester!

And then he meets Mary…who is a hunter! And so are her parents! Dean’s grandparents are hunters! And Grandpa Samuel (played by Mitch Pileggi!) refers to it as “the family business”! Dean asks his mom what John is like, and she says he is sweet and kind, he believes in happily ever after, he’s everything a hunter isn’t. She wants out of the hunter’s life because she wants to marry John, and the worst thing she can imagine is her children being brought up as hunters. Dean warns his mother not to get out of bed on that fateful night in 1983. Too bad that doesn’t work. I never doubted Jensen Ackles’ talent, but in this episode he blew me away.



Dean crosses paths with the Yellow-Eyed Demon, who is making shady deals that will come to a head in 10 years. Dean is determined to kill him, even though Castiel warns that if he changes the future, all the innocents the Winchesters have saved will die. Dean gets the Colt from a young Daniel, and goes after the YED. Mary and Samuel reluctantly join the charge, and Mary ends up fighting the YED, who tells her he “loves her spunk” before escaping. While Mary begs John to take her away, Dean tells Samuel the truth about what will happen in the future … but Samuel is the YED! He kills Dean’s grandma and stabs himself in the gut, all the while chatting happily. “Are you one of my psychic kids?” he asks. Turns out he’s attempting to breed certain individuals together and has taken a liking to Mary … but not to “that slug” she’s going to marry. Interesting. Is this why only Sam is special? Because John’s blood somehow tainted the pool? Before Dean can even catch a breath, the YED reveals that his endgame is much, much bigger than the creation of a demon army.

Samuel then goes after Mary and John. He kills John, and of course Mary makes a deal to get him back. HOLY SHIT! Poor Mary is responsible for everything this family has gone through. And the worst part is, she knew what she was doing. The YED says he’ll be back in 10 years, and as long as he isn’t disturbed no one will be hurt. First Dean warns her to stay in bed. Then the YED tells her not to interrupt him. Mary is one stubborn lady. A devastated Dean shows up moments later to find a dead grandpa, newly reanimated dad, and sobbing mom. Now he’s going to be even MORE fucked up.

When Dean awakes back in the future, Castiel tells him he couldn’t have stopped the events because destiny can’t be changed. They needed him to know everything they know. Castiel gestures to Sam’s empty bed and admits they still don’t know the YED’s endgame. Sam is headed down a dangerous road, and if Dean doesn’t stop him, they will.

HOLY SHIT! I cannot believe the fountain of goodness that erupted from my TV tonight. The truth about why the YED attacked the Winchesters, revealed! Mary’s vaguely-hinted-at strange past, revealed! The origin of the Impala, revealed! Sam’s slow slide to the dark side, returned! I always thought that storyline died too early a death. The episode ended with a “to be continued,” although the preview for next week’s ep didn’t look like much of a continuation. What will happen? I can’t wait to find out!