A lot of my shows weren't on again this week because of the Olympics, and given the amount of time I've spent watching various Olympic sports, I actually only managed to catch one new episode.
Teen Wolf - Letharia Vulpina: No big developments this week, but it was still a solid episode. The violence and darkness were definitely ramped up yet another notch, though, and the resulting tension played really well. I'm always happy to see Uncle Peter appear, because he is just the right mix of manipulative and creepy, and am also enjoying seeing more of Mr. Argent. The way the episode kept you guessing about the ultimate threat and end goal was handled nicely, and the ending pulled everything together well. Overall grade: B+
Saturday, February 22, 2014
Saturday, February 15, 2014
Last week on TV - Feb. 9th-15th
I've only managed to watch one new episode this week, thanks to the Olympics. Most of my shows are on break, and snowboarding and skiing took priority over Almost Human.
Teen Wolf - Riddled: Again, a dark episode that raised a lot of questions. Why did Lydia think Stiles was in the mental institution? Why was the kanji for "self" on the wall there? If Stiles was there, how could he also be out in the woods where he was found? I'm really liking Stiles having a big part to play, and Dylan O'Brien is doing a brilliant job. Stiles and Scott and Stiles' dad and Scott's mom's reactions to the fact that Stiles has the same disease that killed his mother were perfect (and heartbreaking, especially his father's). And the reveal that the monster that took Stiles was Stiles was handled well; again, kudos to O'Brien's acting. Overall grade: B+
Teen Wolf - Riddled: Again, a dark episode that raised a lot of questions. Why did Lydia think Stiles was in the mental institution? Why was the kanji for "self" on the wall there? If Stiles was there, how could he also be out in the woods where he was found? I'm really liking Stiles having a big part to play, and Dylan O'Brien is doing a brilliant job. Stiles and Scott and Stiles' dad and Scott's mom's reactions to the fact that Stiles has the same disease that killed his mother were perfect (and heartbreaking, especially his father's). And the reveal that the monster that took Stiles was Stiles was handled well; again, kudos to O'Brien's acting. Overall grade: B+
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Last week on TV - Feb. 2nd-8th
I've been having trouble settling down and focusing enough to write full-fledged reviews of episodes, so I'm going to try something new - a brief overview of the TV shows I've watched each week, along with episode ratings. We'll see how that goes...
How I Met Your Mother - Sunrise: An average episode - I liked the overall idea of Ted finally learning to really let go of Robin, because that needed to happen before he met the Mother. The resolution to Marshall and Lily's fight was also handled well - marriage isn't about winning or losing, it's about doing what's best for both of you, which might sometimes mean letting go of a dream or two and replacing them with something that's better in the long run. Barney passing along the playbook was kind of annoying. Yes, he's serious about settling down with Robin so his legacy passes to someone else, but I felt like we'd already covered that ground already (and better). Overall grade: B-
Teen Wolf - Silverfinger: This show surprised me earlier this season by turning away from the teenage angst and toward something much darker, and the episodes this year have continued that trend. The revelation that Stiles is possessed by the nogitsune wasn't entirely unexpected, but I felt it was handled brilliantly. This episode raised a lot of unanswered questions about Stiles' mother and Scott's father, as well as cementing Melissa McCall firmly as an awesome character. The Yakuza side of the episode was a little heavy on exposition, but that didn't ruin what was overall an episode on par with the ones leading up to it. Overall grade: B
Almost Human - Unbound: Cop procedurals always fare better with an overarching storyline to tie together otherwise unrelated episodes, and although we've had hints at this storyline before with bits of information about Insyndicate, I felt like this episode took a huge step forward with that. It's good to have a personal "big bad" rather than just a shadowy organization, and Vaughn's connection to Dorian should provide some interesting plot avenues. I'm also really curious about "the Wall" and what's on the other side - the show is expanding its universe beyond the confines of the city, and I can't wait to see what's out there. Looking back, the episode itself wasn't anything really special, but the potential that it revealed made me very excited for where the show is going to go from here. Overall grade: B
Supernatural - The Purge: I tried to like this episode, I really did. But the humor fell flat, the MotW wasn't interesting, the resolution to the case was extremely predictable... I wasn't impressed. The episode's only redeeming quality (aside from the boys wearing less layers than normal) was how the scenes at the bunker were handled, especially the ending one. I love Dean Winchester more than any other character on TV, but that conversation has needed to happen for years now. It hurt to hear Sam say those things, but the only way the brothers will ever find a happy ending is if they're able to work through this. I just hope Dean can see it that way. Overall grade: C-
NCIS: Los Angeles - War Cries: The bad guy was Colby from Numb3rs. Also, for so being tiny, Nell can kick some serious ass. And am I okay with Kensi and Deeks being apart for this long? Not really... It was a decent episode, but ever since Kensi left I feel like the dynamic of the whole team and of the show has been thrown off. Overall grade: B-
Arrow - Heir to the Demon: Most of the twists in this episode were things I expected to happen. I really liked Nyssa and Sara being lovers, and was also impressed by how Lance handled the news that his daughter is bi. I was much less of a fan of the ending scene with Oliver and Sara - even though I can see why it happened, I'd hoped they'd both matured past that. The best scene of the episode was probably Felicity confronting Moira - two strong women facing off. And I was glad Felicity didn't let Moira intimidate her, even though I hate to see her hurting. Overall grade: B+
Modern Family - iSpy: I've really been appreciating the way the show has been dealing with the kids growing up. And having Haley finally find something that she's good at made me happy (as did seeing the pictures she took - those were sweet). The other storylines didn't hold my attention very well - they weren't really funny or interesting. That's really been the story of this season for me, sadly. Overall grade: B-
The Tomorrow People - Things Fall Apart: So Stephen's mom is a Tomorrow Person too... I saw that coming about five episodes back, but it sets up some interesting possibilities. I wish they'd explored Cassie's heightened powers more, but maybe that will come later. And I'm not sure how Stephen hasn't been caught and stripped of his powers yet, since it's pretty obvious he's not on Ultra's side, given his recent interactions with Jedikiah and the Founder. Overall grade: B-
Enlisted - Rear D Day: I'm still on the fence about this show. On the one hand, it can be really funny or even occasionally play the "Aww" factor, but on the other hand, it can sometimes be borderline offensive. I think this episode bothered me because I hated the way the military spouse was presented for most of the time, even though he was sort of redeemed in the end. And the way the soldiers treated him wasn't okay, which the episode pointed out, but it tried to make it seem funny first. Up until this point, the show was growing on me after an iffy first episode, but now I'm back to not being sure what I think. Overall grade: C-
And that's it for this week - sadly, it was a rather disappointing week for my episodic shows. The Olympics started yesterday, though, so that will be on my TV a lot for a few weeks here.
How I Met Your Mother - Sunrise: An average episode - I liked the overall idea of Ted finally learning to really let go of Robin, because that needed to happen before he met the Mother. The resolution to Marshall and Lily's fight was also handled well - marriage isn't about winning or losing, it's about doing what's best for both of you, which might sometimes mean letting go of a dream or two and replacing them with something that's better in the long run. Barney passing along the playbook was kind of annoying. Yes, he's serious about settling down with Robin so his legacy passes to someone else, but I felt like we'd already covered that ground already (and better). Overall grade: B-
Teen Wolf - Silverfinger: This show surprised me earlier this season by turning away from the teenage angst and toward something much darker, and the episodes this year have continued that trend. The revelation that Stiles is possessed by the nogitsune wasn't entirely unexpected, but I felt it was handled brilliantly. This episode raised a lot of unanswered questions about Stiles' mother and Scott's father, as well as cementing Melissa McCall firmly as an awesome character. The Yakuza side of the episode was a little heavy on exposition, but that didn't ruin what was overall an episode on par with the ones leading up to it. Overall grade: B
Almost Human - Unbound: Cop procedurals always fare better with an overarching storyline to tie together otherwise unrelated episodes, and although we've had hints at this storyline before with bits of information about Insyndicate, I felt like this episode took a huge step forward with that. It's good to have a personal "big bad" rather than just a shadowy organization, and Vaughn's connection to Dorian should provide some interesting plot avenues. I'm also really curious about "the Wall" and what's on the other side - the show is expanding its universe beyond the confines of the city, and I can't wait to see what's out there. Looking back, the episode itself wasn't anything really special, but the potential that it revealed made me very excited for where the show is going to go from here. Overall grade: B
Supernatural - The Purge: I tried to like this episode, I really did. But the humor fell flat, the MotW wasn't interesting, the resolution to the case was extremely predictable... I wasn't impressed. The episode's only redeeming quality (aside from the boys wearing less layers than normal) was how the scenes at the bunker were handled, especially the ending one. I love Dean Winchester more than any other character on TV, but that conversation has needed to happen for years now. It hurt to hear Sam say those things, but the only way the brothers will ever find a happy ending is if they're able to work through this. I just hope Dean can see it that way. Overall grade: C-
NCIS: Los Angeles - War Cries: The bad guy was Colby from Numb3rs. Also, for so being tiny, Nell can kick some serious ass. And am I okay with Kensi and Deeks being apart for this long? Not really... It was a decent episode, but ever since Kensi left I feel like the dynamic of the whole team and of the show has been thrown off. Overall grade: B-
Arrow - Heir to the Demon: Most of the twists in this episode were things I expected to happen. I really liked Nyssa and Sara being lovers, and was also impressed by how Lance handled the news that his daughter is bi. I was much less of a fan of the ending scene with Oliver and Sara - even though I can see why it happened, I'd hoped they'd both matured past that. The best scene of the episode was probably Felicity confronting Moira - two strong women facing off. And I was glad Felicity didn't let Moira intimidate her, even though I hate to see her hurting. Overall grade: B+
Modern Family - iSpy: I've really been appreciating the way the show has been dealing with the kids growing up. And having Haley finally find something that she's good at made me happy (as did seeing the pictures she took - those were sweet). The other storylines didn't hold my attention very well - they weren't really funny or interesting. That's really been the story of this season for me, sadly. Overall grade: B-
The Tomorrow People - Things Fall Apart: So Stephen's mom is a Tomorrow Person too... I saw that coming about five episodes back, but it sets up some interesting possibilities. I wish they'd explored Cassie's heightened powers more, but maybe that will come later. And I'm not sure how Stephen hasn't been caught and stripped of his powers yet, since it's pretty obvious he's not on Ultra's side, given his recent interactions with Jedikiah and the Founder. Overall grade: B-
Enlisted - Rear D Day: I'm still on the fence about this show. On the one hand, it can be really funny or even occasionally play the "Aww" factor, but on the other hand, it can sometimes be borderline offensive. I think this episode bothered me because I hated the way the military spouse was presented for most of the time, even though he was sort of redeemed in the end. And the way the soldiers treated him wasn't okay, which the episode pointed out, but it tried to make it seem funny first. Up until this point, the show was growing on me after an iffy first episode, but now I'm back to not being sure what I think. Overall grade: C-
And that's it for this week - sadly, it was a rather disappointing week for my episodic shows. The Olympics started yesterday, though, so that will be on my TV a lot for a few weeks here.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
SPN "I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here" review
After months of waiting, Hellatus is finally over, and there's a new episode of Supernatural to talk about! Yes, I realize the premiere was a week ago now. Yes, I know that means this review is going up really, really late (beating the new episode by about an hour). But my desire to write died a horrible, bloody death early last week (literally - I was working on a creepy story and I think I killed my muse along with my characters), and I only just got around to heading out to the crossroads to resurrect it...
So, here we go, on what will hopefully be the first of many positive reviews this season.
Supernatural Season 9, Episode 1 - I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here (season premiere)
Before I get into the minutia, I'd like to start by saying that for any season premiere of a show I really love, my expectations are generally extremely high. The anticipation has been building for months, I've seen every promo and preview clip, every interview, I've read all the spoilers I could get my hands on, and I've basically built my expectations to a point where it's practically impossible for the episode to actually meet them (I think that only happened once out of all the shows I've ever watched, with the premiere of Fringe's fifth season...) So I wasn't actually surprised when the episode wasn't everything I'd dreamed it would be, and was able to still really, really enjoy it for what it was.
Okay, time for the details.
First, "The Road So Far." What a great job encapsulating the entirety of season eight in one minute and forty seconds. Sometimes I feel like these lean too heavily towards just showing the best fights and such (which is still cool), but this one was really nicely done. It fit really well with the song that was used as well, and after having seen the episode a few times, I feel like the song worked nicely with the episode as a whole.
And then we're inside Sam's head (although we don't know that for sure at the start). This time through I had an interesting thought - Sam knows that the news is reporting meteor showers to explain the angels falling, which means at some level he is aware of the things he's hearing out in the real world. Which means that later on, at some level, he could very well have heard Dean and Ezekiel talking. I know Ezekiel wiped all the memories from the hospital at the end there, but what if Sam remembers? I don't actually think he will, but it hadn't occurred to me until now that if he does, he's not just going to be wondering why he was in the hospital, he's going to know what Dean and Ezekiel did. I hope I'm right and he doesn't remember, but it's still an interesting thought.
I'd also like to mention the way the camera keeps shifting slightly during the scenes in Sam's head, so that the angles feel off the whole time - it helps to sell the idea that this is a fluid environment, created solely by Sam himself. The way the later scenes are tinted also helps with this, as the world is lit by something that's not quite sunlight. It's a nice use of cinematography to allow us to visit yet another dimension, and it's also interesting to me that Sam's head now looks very different from Sam's head at the end of season six (more on that later).
So, here we go, on what will hopefully be the first of many positive reviews this season.
Supernatural Season 9, Episode 1 - I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here (season premiere)
Before I get into the minutia, I'd like to start by saying that for any season premiere of a show I really love, my expectations are generally extremely high. The anticipation has been building for months, I've seen every promo and preview clip, every interview, I've read all the spoilers I could get my hands on, and I've basically built my expectations to a point where it's practically impossible for the episode to actually meet them (I think that only happened once out of all the shows I've ever watched, with the premiere of Fringe's fifth season...) So I wasn't actually surprised when the episode wasn't everything I'd dreamed it would be, and was able to still really, really enjoy it for what it was.
Okay, time for the details.
First, "The Road So Far." What a great job encapsulating the entirety of season eight in one minute and forty seconds. Sometimes I feel like these lean too heavily towards just showing the best fights and such (which is still cool), but this one was really nicely done. It fit really well with the song that was used as well, and after having seen the episode a few times, I feel like the song worked nicely with the episode as a whole.
And then we're inside Sam's head (although we don't know that for sure at the start). This time through I had an interesting thought - Sam knows that the news is reporting meteor showers to explain the angels falling, which means at some level he is aware of the things he's hearing out in the real world. Which means that later on, at some level, he could very well have heard Dean and Ezekiel talking. I know Ezekiel wiped all the memories from the hospital at the end there, but what if Sam remembers? I don't actually think he will, but it hadn't occurred to me until now that if he does, he's not just going to be wondering why he was in the hospital, he's going to know what Dean and Ezekiel did. I hope I'm right and he doesn't remember, but it's still an interesting thought.
I'd also like to mention the way the camera keeps shifting slightly during the scenes in Sam's head, so that the angles feel off the whole time - it helps to sell the idea that this is a fluid environment, created solely by Sam himself. The way the later scenes are tinted also helps with this, as the world is lit by something that's not quite sunlight. It's a nice use of cinematography to allow us to visit yet another dimension, and it's also interesting to me that Sam's head now looks very different from Sam's head at the end of season six (more on that later).
Monday, May 20, 2013
SPN "Sacrifice" review
So this review is going up a little later than normal, but there's a good reason for that - I flew back to PA on the day after the episode aired, and only got back to Oklahoma this evening. I was still able to watch the episode twice the night it aired, and then actually wrote this review during my third, fourth, and fifth times through (gotta do something while you're sitting in airports and on planes) I just couldn't stop rewatching, and every time I did, I noticed something else I wanted to talk about... So, just a warning - this is a long one... Enjoy.
Supernatural Season 8, Episode 23 - Sacrifice (season finale)
I think with this episode, it's appropriate to start with the ending, because it was the ending that totally blew my mind. My jaw literally dropped and I just stared at my computer screen in awe. I'm pretty sure it was one of the most incredible scenes in any Supernatural episode, ever. From the shots of the angels falling while their wings burned off, to the ones of Sam and Dean staring at the sky in horror, to Cas in that field with the streaks of light burning across the sky behind him, the entire thing was visually stunning. And when you combined that with the fact that this was a total game-changer for really the entire world, I was blown away.
It was something you might expect to see in fanfiction, not canon, but that just made it that much more of an unexpected twist. Castiel's grace being torn out - did NOT see that coming! And every single angel being cast out of heaven - nope, didn't see that coming either, not at all. And both of those things change everything.
Let's start with the angels. From what was said in the episode, it seems that they'll still have their power; they'll just be trapped on earth. And given what we know about angels, a lot of them are not very good guys (this may be the understatement of the year) Add to that the dissension in heaven for the last however many millennia, and having every angel suddenly restricted to the earthly realm seems like a really, really scary thing. Imagine thousands of angels suddenly duking it out in our world... If two archangels could destroy half the world when they fought, how much damage could happen now? The war in heaven just spilled out down to earth, and that doesn't sound good for humanity.
Supernatural Season 8, Episode 23 - Sacrifice (season finale)
I think with this episode, it's appropriate to start with the ending, because it was the ending that totally blew my mind. My jaw literally dropped and I just stared at my computer screen in awe. I'm pretty sure it was one of the most incredible scenes in any Supernatural episode, ever. From the shots of the angels falling while their wings burned off, to the ones of Sam and Dean staring at the sky in horror, to Cas in that field with the streaks of light burning across the sky behind him, the entire thing was visually stunning. And when you combined that with the fact that this was a total game-changer for really the entire world, I was blown away.
It was something you might expect to see in fanfiction, not canon, but that just made it that much more of an unexpected twist. Castiel's grace being torn out - did NOT see that coming! And every single angel being cast out of heaven - nope, didn't see that coming either, not at all. And both of those things change everything.
Let's start with the angels. From what was said in the episode, it seems that they'll still have their power; they'll just be trapped on earth. And given what we know about angels, a lot of them are not very good guys (this may be the understatement of the year) Add to that the dissension in heaven for the last however many millennia, and having every angel suddenly restricted to the earthly realm seems like a really, really scary thing. Imagine thousands of angels suddenly duking it out in our world... If two archangels could destroy half the world when they fought, how much damage could happen now? The war in heaven just spilled out down to earth, and that doesn't sound good for humanity.
Thursday, May 9, 2013
SPN "Clip Show" review
I really love writing these reviews - there's something about putting my thoughts about this show I love into a coherent form that makes me really happy inside. That's been true before of my other favorite shows too, actually, now that I stop to think about it... I totally used to use study hall every Friday in high school to write at least a page on my theories from the latest episode of Lost, and then later on Fringe had me staying up til all hours spitting out fanfiction tags to episodes... Writing something, anything, is how I process. And the more I love the show, the more emotionally invested I am in it, and the more I need to get those thoughts out and organized. Thus, episode reviews!
Okay, I'm done psychoanalyzing myself now. On to the actual review.
Supernatural Season 8, Episode 22 - Clip Show
First things first - from what I've seen on the web, the fandom was rather split in their reaction to the episode. There were those who loved it and were raving about how amazing it was, but there were also people who felt gypped, underwhelmed, and confused. Personal confession time - I fall into that part of the fandom that tries very hard to sit back and enjoy the ride, rather than picking things to pieces or sitting around going "But it could have been better..." So... I liked this episode. Was it as good as the last two were? Maybe not, but then again, the more times I watch it, the better I like it.
That's not to say I didn't like it the first time around. I was totally yelling at my screen at several points in the episode, got rather emotional during those last four minutes, and proceeded to totally lose it as the episode ended. But after I had a few minutes to recover, when it came time to decide whether I was going to rewatch it that night or not, I wasn't sure. I thought to myself, "Self, that felt a little disjointed. I'm not sure if I'll watch it again tonight." So I went and watched Arrow (best episode of their season right there, I think), and then, since it wasn't even 11:30pm yet, I thought, "What the heck; why not?" and gave Supernatural that second shot.
And the second time through all those emotions were still there (I even yelled at my screen again... yeah), and on top of that, it suddenly felt much more coherent to me. Why? Well, I had zero idea what was coming that first time through (no spoilers, not even the episode synopsis, remember?), so there was so much happening that it felt a little like riding The Phantom's Revenge for the first time... One crazy thing after another, one reveal on top of the next, leaving me breathless and actually a little overwhelmed. On the second viewing, I knew what to expect, and could therefore spend more time appreciating the dialogue and the way things came together. And I really liked it, even more so the second time through.
Yes, there was a lot packed into this episode. Yes, you could probably have taken out some of the filler episodes and spread out the main storyline over more of the season, but that makes it harder to attract viewers who want to jump in and out of shows, which is why it really isn't done anymore. And there's something to be said for having such a fast-paced episode like this. I think it really worked well as the setup to the finale - there's nothing like a crazy roller coaster ride of an episode to get your blood pumping before you fly off a cliff next week...
Okay, I'm done psychoanalyzing myself now. On to the actual review.
Supernatural Season 8, Episode 22 - Clip Show
First things first - from what I've seen on the web, the fandom was rather split in their reaction to the episode. There were those who loved it and were raving about how amazing it was, but there were also people who felt gypped, underwhelmed, and confused. Personal confession time - I fall into that part of the fandom that tries very hard to sit back and enjoy the ride, rather than picking things to pieces or sitting around going "But it could have been better..." So... I liked this episode. Was it as good as the last two were? Maybe not, but then again, the more times I watch it, the better I like it.
That's not to say I didn't like it the first time around. I was totally yelling at my screen at several points in the episode, got rather emotional during those last four minutes, and proceeded to totally lose it as the episode ended. But after I had a few minutes to recover, when it came time to decide whether I was going to rewatch it that night or not, I wasn't sure. I thought to myself, "Self, that felt a little disjointed. I'm not sure if I'll watch it again tonight." So I went and watched Arrow (best episode of their season right there, I think), and then, since it wasn't even 11:30pm yet, I thought, "What the heck; why not?" and gave Supernatural that second shot.
And the second time through all those emotions were still there (I even yelled at my screen again... yeah), and on top of that, it suddenly felt much more coherent to me. Why? Well, I had zero idea what was coming that first time through (no spoilers, not even the episode synopsis, remember?), so there was so much happening that it felt a little like riding The Phantom's Revenge for the first time... One crazy thing after another, one reveal on top of the next, leaving me breathless and actually a little overwhelmed. On the second viewing, I knew what to expect, and could therefore spend more time appreciating the dialogue and the way things came together. And I really liked it, even more so the second time through.
Yes, there was a lot packed into this episode. Yes, you could probably have taken out some of the filler episodes and spread out the main storyline over more of the season, but that makes it harder to attract viewers who want to jump in and out of shows, which is why it really isn't done anymore. And there's something to be said for having such a fast-paced episode like this. I think it really worked well as the setup to the finale - there's nothing like a crazy roller coaster ride of an episode to get your blood pumping before you fly off a cliff next week...
Thursday, May 2, 2013
SPN "The Great Escapist" review
It's Thursday, and that means it's time for a review of last night's incredibly awesome episode of Supernatural. I'd like to preface this review by saying that if I had attempted to write this last night, I would have gotten exactly nowhere, because I was too busy being blown away by how good the episode was as a whole. I actually watched it through once, sat and stared at my screen for a minute, and started it all over again. And was still speechless after the second time through (aside from phrases like, "holy freaking..." and, "wow... just wow") Yeah. It was that good. So if at any point in this review, I sound totally incoherent and overwhelmed by the sheer awesomeness of the show, you can blame it on me not having fully recovered from having my mind blown :)
Supernatural Season 8, Episode 21 - The Great Escapist
I don't really even know where to start with this (mind still blown), so I think I'll stick with starting with the very beginning. That seems like a very good place to start...
So... from the moment Kevin woke up in the boat, I knew it wasn't real, couldn't be real. Wasn't sure yet whether it was demons or angels messing with him, but it had to be one of the above. I hadn't seen any promo clips or previews or anything, having decided to go spoiler-free for these last three episodes, and that totally paid off here, because I was left wondering rather than knowing from the get-go that Crowley had him.
It was also evident from the very first scene that this was gonna be an amazing episode. I mentioned in my review of Taxi Driver that the character of Kevin had really grown on me, and this episode solidified that. These last two eps with Kevin have been really well acted by Osric Chau, and I've (finally) reached the point where I actually care about what happens to the character. Which is good, because the episode wouldn't have been nearly as gripping if I hadn't care about a third of its plot...
And was anyone else both highly impressed and highly amused by the fake Sam and Dean? It really felt like you were watching a Sam and Dean from a mediocre piece of fanfiction - where they're close to how they should be, and yet all the little differences scream to you that this isn't the Sam and Dean you know and love. Which, of course, is exactly what the show was going for.
Plus, I love Crowley, and so I was totally psyched to see him appear. Definitely my favorite bad guy on this show (with Lucifer a close second), and probably on my list of top ten bad guys on TV. He has the best lines... This week, the ones that killed me were, "I was born to direct..." and then, "I was thinking to myself, 'Self...'" Combine awesome dialogue with Mark Sheppard's amazing acting skills, and Crowley rocked this episode. He's a freaking smart bad guy, too - melting down angel blades to make bullets, paying off an angel to have an inside man, figuring out how Cas' mind works... Naomi's wise to be scared of him.
Okay, I have now written four paragraphs with the episode paused one minute in... Time to move on, I think.
Supernatural Season 8, Episode 21 - The Great Escapist
I don't really even know where to start with this (mind still blown), so I think I'll stick with starting with the very beginning. That seems like a very good place to start...
So... from the moment Kevin woke up in the boat, I knew it wasn't real, couldn't be real. Wasn't sure yet whether it was demons or angels messing with him, but it had to be one of the above. I hadn't seen any promo clips or previews or anything, having decided to go spoiler-free for these last three episodes, and that totally paid off here, because I was left wondering rather than knowing from the get-go that Crowley had him.
It was also evident from the very first scene that this was gonna be an amazing episode. I mentioned in my review of Taxi Driver that the character of Kevin had really grown on me, and this episode solidified that. These last two eps with Kevin have been really well acted by Osric Chau, and I've (finally) reached the point where I actually care about what happens to the character. Which is good, because the episode wouldn't have been nearly as gripping if I hadn't care about a third of its plot...
And was anyone else both highly impressed and highly amused by the fake Sam and Dean? It really felt like you were watching a Sam and Dean from a mediocre piece of fanfiction - where they're close to how they should be, and yet all the little differences scream to you that this isn't the Sam and Dean you know and love. Which, of course, is exactly what the show was going for.
Plus, I love Crowley, and so I was totally psyched to see him appear. Definitely my favorite bad guy on this show (with Lucifer a close second), and probably on my list of top ten bad guys on TV. He has the best lines... This week, the ones that killed me were, "I was born to direct..." and then, "I was thinking to myself, 'Self...'" Combine awesome dialogue with Mark Sheppard's amazing acting skills, and Crowley rocked this episode. He's a freaking smart bad guy, too - melting down angel blades to make bullets, paying off an angel to have an inside man, figuring out how Cas' mind works... Naomi's wise to be scared of him.
Okay, I have now written four paragraphs with the episode paused one minute in... Time to move on, I think.
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