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Supernatural: I Think I'm Going to Like It Here

"There ain't no me if there ain't no you."

Season nine. It's really season nine. My favorite shows never get nine seasons. Hell has frozen over. So to speak.

Even with the number of times Sam has died in the past, this particular situation was fresh and new and full of interesting quirks. I particularly liked the way Coma Sam worked through his interior conflict, with "Dean" as the part of Sam that wanted to fight, and "Bobby" the part of Sam that was ready to hang it up. I was even thinking of Bobby before he showed up, because I could swear Sam was dying in the same hospital room that Bobby did. (Of course he didn't, though. Bobby died in New Jersey, and this particular hospital was in New York. Except they were both in Vancouver.)

Yes, I don't want Supernatural without Jared Padalecki and I certainly don't want Dean to have to soldier on without his brother. But Sam was so, so ready to die. He was totally exhausted, mentally and emotionally as well as physically, and he'd purified himself with the trials. And Death even made a personal reaping trip for Sam, which was impressive. Hey, I'd be honored. Sam's heartfelt plea to Death that this time it would be final, that no one else would get hurt because of Sam? he obviously meant it. Dean may have won this time, but he really should have let Sam go. Dean can't live Sam's life for him.

Sam would never have agreed to be an angel's vessel, even a friend of Castiel's, even to be healed. When Sam finds out, and you know he will, he'll have a cow, man. I wonder if we're going to get more Tahmoh Penikett? Yes, the vessel isn't around any more, but will they use him like they used Mark Pellegrino to represent Lucifer in Sam's head?

The opening music was "Who Do You Love?" Dean loves Sam. And Castiel loves Dean, and I don't mean either in a slashy sort of way. (We all know Crowley wants to be loved, too. Who would love Crowley?)

This was not an auspicious start for Castiel's adventures as a human, but at least he's more familiar with Earth than the other fallen angels. He didn't seem all that bummed about losing his wings, either. I liked that Castiel was so unselfish that he didn't ask Dean for help after he learned that Sam was dying. I also liked the stripdown in the laundromat, and his inner battle on cleanliness versus food. Personally, I've been waiting for him to get out of that trench coat forever. (Castiel also needs to learn about dry cleaning.)

Grace Phipps, who played Hael (the Kathy Bates role in Castiel's version of Misery) also plays a clueless character named April on The Vampire Diaries that shows up at the weirdest times. Her creepy limbless death scene reminded me of the walker in the pilot episode of The Walking Dead. Apparently I can't look at this actress without thinking of other characters.

So there was a lot of great stuff, Misha Collins is back in the cast, thousands of fallen angels are stories waiting to happen, and I'm a happy camper. But I think my favorite moment in the episode was Dean knocking on the trunk of the Impala. And we didn't actually see Mark Sheppard. We didn't need to. He was funny anyway. What are they going to do with Crowley? What about the trials? Can Sam still cure a demon and close the gates of Hell without dying? What sorts of powers do these wingless angels have?

And what happened to the Men of Letters bunker? It looked like it was going to Def Con 1. Please, please, please, don't blow up the bunker! I love the bunker!

Bits and pieces:

— This season's credits feature burning angel wings. Striking.


— It was just lovely seeing Bobby again. And Death. I'm fond of Death. I'm also pleased that the good Samaritan that nearly hit Castiel didn't wind up accidentally bystandered into oblivion.

— "Ezekiel" is a prophet, not an angel, but the name apparently means "May God strengthen him." That certainly works with what Ezekiel is doing with Sam. While checking on the name, I noticed that Ezekiel in Supernatural has already been added to Wikipedia.

— Lots of broken glass during the angel attack on the hospital. A little callback to the season four opener.

— This week: Randolph, New York; Longmont, Colorado; Sam's brain. The doctor called Dean "Mr. Dougherty."

— Have we seen that cabin before, the one in Sam's head that Bobby said had everything Sam would need? It didn't look like Rufus's cabin. (Okay, quick addition. Jared Padalecki said on Twitter that it was McGyver's cabin. Was it? If so, it was a great joke and I missed it.)

Quotes:

Sam: "We got a major freaking crap fest on our hands. Thousands of superpowered dicks touching down and we got no idea where to start."

Doctor: "I'm afraid that's in God's hands now."
Not the thing to say to Dean, for sure.

Biker: (to Castiel) "I'm gonna finish this call. Then I'm gonna stab you."

Grief counselor: "Unless you're telling me you have a direct line to those angels that you were looking for…"
Dean: "Yeah. No, I guess I don't. (has a thought) But I might have something better. I've got the King of Hell in my trunk."
Grief counselor: "Is that… I'm sorry, is that a metaphor?"

Dean: "Crowley? Listen up, you sonovabitch. One for yes, two for no. You alive? Come on, don't be a pouter."

Dean: "If heaven is locked, where do you go when I do this?"
Good question.

As I said, I'm a happy camper. Supernatural is back. Three out of four… well, I want to say "superpowered dicks" but that sounds dirty,

Billie
---
Billie Doux has been reviewing Supernatural for so long that Dean and Sam Winchester feel like old friends. Courageous, adventurous, gorgeous old friends.

17 comments:

  1. And we didn't actually see Mark Sheppard. We didn't need to. He was funny anyway.

    This made me smile. :-)

    It was so odd to see April from TVD show up. I expected Castiel to compel her into ignorance.

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  2. JP and special guest JA did a live tweet during the West Coast showing of the premiere last night. JP tweeted that yes, that is Rufus' cabin, only re-arranged. Death's fireplace is where the door to Rufus' cabin was. Also, the hospital scenes were filmed on the soundstage, not a real location.
    Sam may be ready to go quietly and really be dead, but he's not acting with full thrusters if he has to ask Death to reassure him that no one would be hurt by his dying. Of course, one person will be hurt by his dying: Dean will be devastated. Dean lives for Sammy, and he's proven that time and time again. In a way, Sam's willingness to die is similar to his not looking for Dean after Dean disappeared in the Leviathan explosion at the end of season 7.

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  3. Did anyone else think 'The Road So Far' felt off? Their musical montages are usually so kickass and this one did not feel very kickass to me.

    Oh and FYI, the premiere's ratings were crazy crazy high. :D

    (I hope we get more Tahmoh too!)

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  4. Good point, sunbunny. It felt like they had way more clips than usual in the montage, so you ended up with lots of bits and pieces - and more dialogue over the music than usual. Plus, they started early, and my DVR missed the first ?? seconds, the first scene I get is Kevin and the demon tablet. I would've preferred hearing "Carry On, My Wayward Son" as the music, too.

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  5. That's great news about the ratings, sunbunny. swellison, I just now read all of JP's live tweets -- thanks.

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  6. When they sent Sam to coma instead of continuing with closing the gates of Hell, I decided to wait 15 minutes to be extra certain. But the scene between Castiel and the biker was painful to watch. I turned it off and decided to stop. Farewell, Supernatural.

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  7. Gotta agree with migmit. Last season's ending (i.e., not closing hell) made absolutely no sense and was totally out of character. And Sam not going with Death was a bit unbelievable as well.

    I'm still deciding if I will just drop this season and think to myself that they did indeed close hell and everyone was happy forever after.

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  8. I enjoyed this ep so much! I see trouble down the road when Ezekiel disagrees with something Dean and Sam do, and makes his presence known by using Sam's body in a vengeful way against the Winchesters. I think Ezekiel is going to like being in Sam's body and not want to give up such a strong vessel. I look forward to Cas, now human, learning about how hard it is to be one of us. I know Dean and Sam are going to have their hands full with the almost-human Crowley. Keeping him in the trunk seems pretty cruel. Not! I'm very excited about the start of season 9 and can't wait to see where we go from here. Love, Robin

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  9. I really liked this episode, and the season has so much potential. And I can´t wait to see more of Cas.

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  10. Actually, this one had lot of parallels to the second season premiere:

    One of the boys in hospital, in a coma, making peace with their choice to just let go, only to be brought back when a deal is made without their knowledge. The episode even ends with Dean having to hide a pretty big secret from Sam.

    I really like the new winged titles though.

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  11. I know this is coming to come off as weird, but mustached trucker guy really reminded me of this Bible quote:

    "Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." (Hebrews 13:2)

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  12. I thought this was a pretty solid premiere, and I liked the echoes of events and journeys past. To a point. While I liked Sam's coma journey towards death (and Death), I've got serious reservations about yet another secret deal to save one of the boys' lives and Dean keeping a rather huge secret from Sam. His reasons for doing so make sense, but I'm not really enthusiastic about going down this well trod road again.

    I did really love Castiel trading in his "uniform" for a much needed bit of hydration. I'm certainly interested to see his journey this season.

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  13. For the record, I loved this season premier! I was so glad to see Bobby again, (and I liked the way that they brought him into the story) and Cas is always a joy. (Laundry quandary -- brilliant!) I'm so very much looking forward to more. I was disappointed in the Season Eight opener, and this one felt great to watch. Season Eight seemed a little off to me anyway; it didn't seem to be their usual quality work. Season Nine, however, looks very, very promising.

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  14. Oh dear. This episode really, really got to me. From the opening song to the end, I was emotional to the point of being weepy and shouting at the television.

    I do agree with Jess, however, that this is a road we have traveled (yes, I know what I did there). The inevitable will happen and Sam will discover the lie. How many times can these two keep disappointing each other so much before it all implodes?

    sunbunny -- great minds, my friend. That quote actually ran through my head as the Good Samaritan handed Cas the money.

    Billie -- your pull quote was one of the great lines ever uttered on this show. I actually wrote it down.

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  15. I was tickled with this episode, and am very pleased to have the guys back on the screen! I'm glad that Dean is acknowledging his need for Sam as his back-up; the bond between the two makes the show. (I'm also glad to know that the actors are friends -- it shows through.) The laundry scene will probably remain one of my favorites -- nice work, writers!

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  16. I just started my season 9 marathon and have managed to remain spoiler free. The Good Samaritan exchange of giving Castiel the money and saying "take care, kid" made me wonder if the Good Samaritan was actually God. Isn't he on earth? Ok don't spoil for me ;)

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  17. This was a great season opener, I do wonder though if Sam cures a demon will it close the gates of hell. But the flashy thing he had going on in his arms stopped so I wonder if that means sam cannot continue the trials. The ending to last season with the angels falling was awesome. I look forward to seeing how Sam reacts when he learns that Dean let him get possessed by an angel. I was abit unsure how that happen did Ezekial go into Sams head as Dean and trick him ?

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