About: Supernatural "The French Mistake"

This week's episode of Supernatural, "The French Mistake", was an entertaining look into an alternate world where Dean Winchester is Jensen Ackles and Sam is "something called a Jared Padalecki". Supernatural does a great job of creating stories that poke fun at the show and give the actors a chance to showcase their awesome comedic skills. We've seen episodes similar to this before; "Tall Tales", "Monster Movie" and "Changing Channels" to name a few. But these episodes function best when they also serve as a catalyst to the over-arching story of the season. In this case, "The French Mistake" brought to the surface the much talked about civil war in heaven. We've heard about it on and off from Cas but so far he's managed to keep the details to a minimum. Maybe we were a little preoccupied with soulless Sam for civil war talk but either way, it's about time we get to hear a little bit about what's going on up there. Except, we didn't really get much information at all. We know Balthazar used Sam and Dean as a decoy so that the weapons could be transferred to Castiel and we know that if Raphael gets his hands on them, something very bad is going to happen. But that's about all we got as far as the over-arching story goes. But for me there was a little more story than meet's the eye.

When I first saw the promo for "The French Mistake" I thought "oh, that looks funny, kind of like Changing Channels" but after watching the episode I see a much different comparison. To me, "The French Mistake" seemed reminiscent of the season two episode "What Is and What Should Never Be" which finds us at the end of season two. Dean has spent the majority of the past year trying to protect Sam from his "destiny" as one of Azazel's chosen children and he's at the end of his rope. He's ready to give up on hunting altogether.

Dean: "Screw the job. Screw it, man. I'm sick of the job anyway. I mean, we don't get paid, we don't get thanked. Only thing we get's bad luck."

Sam spends the year dealing with John's warning to Dean, resisting Azazel and fighting his inner demons.

"The French Mistake" finds the boys in a similar position; Dean has spent the season trying to save Sam from himself and find a way to safely restore his soul. He has lost Lisa and Ben, the only fraction of a normal life he's ever had. He's at the end of his rope once again.

Dean: "All we do is make a mess"
Sam: "That's not true, we do save lives now and again."
Dean: "I guess, I'm just tired of all the bad luck, you know?

Sam has come back from his year of soullessness and is trying to reconcile his broken relationships while fighting to keep his memories at bay and "the great wall of Sam" intact.

At this point in WIAWSNB Dean finds himself in an alternate reality (which he comes to find is not reality at all) where he has everything he wants most. His mother is alive, Sam is happily engaged to Jessica and in law school and his dad died peacefully in his sleep. Dean has a girlfriend and a regular job as a mechanic. Sure, he and Sam don't get along but he can fix things with Sam. He's a civilian and he couldn't be more happy about it. In TFM Sam and Dean are sent to an alternate reality where they are actors in the television show about their lives. Sam is happily married to his former co-star and both boys have all the money they could possibly need. But there is one striking difference between these two episodes, Dean is alone in this alternate reality. There is no Ben or Lisa in this world, there isn't a mention of any family at all. He and Sam aren't even brothers and apparently they don't get along here either.

In reality, Sam and Dean are each others only family and they would do anything for the other. They have both sacrificed their lives to save each other and would do it again if they had to. So, it's odd to think that in both these alternate worlds this relationship doesn't exist. If they were never Winchesters then their mother never died and they never went hunting. Even if they were brothers as they were in WIAWSNB, if Mary doesn't die, their relationship never forms.

In WIAWSNB Dean wants to stay in his djinn-induced coma even when he finds out the truth. Sam is happy and his family is together so he's willing to sacrifice his existing relationship with Sam and work on a new one. In TFM Dean questions whether Sam should go back to the real world.

Sam: "No, we'll find a way back."
Dean: "You wouldn't be that broken up if we didn't."
Sam: "What? Don't be stupid."
Dean: Well, I'm just saying, no hell below us, above us only sky.
Sam: "Dean, our friends are back there."
Dean: Yeah, but here you got a pretty good life. I mean back home the hits have been coming since you were six months old. You gotta admit being a bazillionaire, married to Ruby, the whole package. It's no contest.

It seems like Dean is willing once again to make a sacrifice for Sam's happiness. But Sam isn't interested in staying in this world.

Sam: "You know, you were right. We just don't mean the same thing here. We're not even brothers here, man."

Sam and Dean have come a long way since season two but it seems as though they continue to struggle with a lot of the same issues. Sam struggles with who he is and who he was destined to be. He resits the evil that forces its way into his life and continues to try to right his wrongs and alter his destiny. Dean continues to sacrifice everything for his brother and the family business. He's still willing to settle for second best if it means that Sam gets a shot at a better life. Despite their constant battles one thing remains the same, family is the most important thing they have and they will fight to protect it.

There were a couple great moments in "The French Mistake" that I can't go without mentioning.

Dean had some really great lines.
* "I'm a painted whore"
* "Dude, we're not even in America."
* "Dude looks like a lady."

* The picture of Sam on horseback was priceless. I almost couldn't pay attention to the scene because I was so distracted by it.
* Eric Kripke getting gunned down Godfather-style.

About: Supernatural "Like a Virgin"

This post is very late but I couldn't not write about "Like a Virgin", so here we go!

The LOOOOOONG wait is over. Finally. The boys are back and everyone is alive and re-souled (?). Hallelujah! Dean and Death made a deal and everything is perfect, right? Ok, so I know this re-souling isn't going to come without a price but for now, can we just pretend? At least until the end of this paragraph. It was so nice to see Sam so peaceful since we haven't seen him rest this whole season. I was a little worried that he was going to sleep through the whole episode. In fact, I kind of expected him to wake up right at the end when we'd lost all hope. I'm glad that wasn't the case though because I really liked the flow of this episode. I loved having Sam back. And was I the only one who felt like I was looking at Season 2 Sam? He had that fresh-faced Sammy innocence that has been M.I.A. since the middle of season 2. Not that I haven't enjoyed the depth and darkness of Sam's character, because I have. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss Emo-Sam from time to time. But, I digress. On to the episode.

As I have said before, I'm spoiler-phobic so I really didn't know what "Like a Virgin" was going to be about. I only knew what the promo told us; "Virgins, Sam. Virgins". If you had told me I'd come back from a nearly two month hiatus to an episode about dragons, I probably would have been...shocked? Confused? I honestly don't know, I really haven't spent much time thinking about dragons. That being said, I was pleased with the way Supernatural handled them. I was happy that they were able to take on human form. The thought of Sam and Dean slaying a scaly over-sized reptile is a little too much for me to handle.

Once I knew we were dealing with dragons I didn't really know what to expect. Like I said, I haven't spent much time thinking about dragons. So, needless to say I didn't realize they had a taste for virgins. And the sword in the stone had slipped my mind completely. The scene that followed was a hilarious reminder. Watching Dean struggle with the sword while Dr. Visyak tried to hold back her smirk was wonderful. It's no secret that Jensen Ackles has great comedic timing and it was perfectly showcased in this scene. My favorite moment of the episode by far was Dean's defeat in the battle of man vs. rock. "Son of a bitch, that's really on there!". While we're still on the topic of Dr. Visyak, I'd like a little back story on her relationship with Bobby. There is definitely some bad blood there.

There were a lot of really funny lines in "Like a Virgin" But there was also some very crucial information given in this episode. These dragon's aren't back after 700 years for no reason, they have a very specific purpose; open the door to purgatory and let something out. "Mother of all" as they're calling her, creator of all things that go bump in the night. Who knew there was a big bad worse than Lucifer? We don't know her plans yet but we know it's not going to be good. Still I can't help but wonder how these dragons came back from a 700 year extinction. I know we've heard theories from Bobby and the boys that it's got something to do with the botched apocalypse but I'd really like to see the show get more specific about why all the bad guys were so affected by it. What is it about the failed apocalypse that causes these changes? Is it a total shift in world order? Then why are the monsters the only ones affected? I need more information! I know I should probably just be patient, I'm sure what I'm looking for will start to come out in the next few episodes.

I was surprised by a few things in this episode. Bobby's cold reaction toward Sam was a bit unsettling to me. On the one hand I understand where Bobby is coming from, Sam did just try to kill him a few days before. But Bobby should know better than anyone that that wasn't Sam. To me, soulless Sam should be no different than the possessed Sam we saw in season 2. In both cases it was Sam, and it wasn't, but they drew on Sam's memories and oppressed emotions. So why is this so much harder for Bobby to deal with? Is it possible that he doesn't believe Sam is really back to his old self? Is he just uncomfortable with the deal with Death because that wouldn't surprise me. Deals have never produced positive results for the Winchesters. Either way, I'll be interested to see Sam and Bobby's interactions in future episodes.

Another thing that surprised me was Sam's reaction after Cas spilled the beans about his year without a soul. I expected and big argument between the brothers. That is a major lie on Dean's part and a huge violation of Sam's trust. I understand why Dean did what he did but Sam had a right to be upset. So why wasn't he? Was he just so wracked with guilt that he didn't feel like he deserved to be angry? Even Bobby warned Dean that when Sam found out, it wasn't going to be pretty. Maybe the anger will come later when Sam inevitably starts to scratch at that wall. As much as we don't want him to, he will because his soul won't let him forget what he's done. And that is Sam's constant battle, constantly trying to right the wrongs in his life.

On the lighter side, I had a few quotes I really enjoyed in this episode, besides the aforementioned sword in the stone scene.

I loved Bobby's shout out to Hogwarts. Love me some Harry Potter.

Sam: Who likes virgins and gold?
Dean: P. Diddy?

How many different ways can Dean use the term "hymenated"? Hilarious.

About: Supernatural and the Hiatus from Hell

I don't know about you but this hiatus is killing me. How long do we have to wait! (January 28th, I know.) This season has been all about patience for me. The summer after (the AMAZING) Swan Song felt like an eternity. So much was left up in the air and so many questions were left unanswered. How long was it before Dean and Bobby saw each other again? What is going on with Dean and Lisa? How did Sam get out of the hole? How long had he been out? Why was the street light blinking? Is that even Sam? And then the season premier finally came and I had a whole new set of questions. Dean is a civilian!? How could Sam let a year pass without contacting Dean? How could Bobby not at least tell Dean that Sam was safe? Grandpa Samuel!? What the heck is wrong with Sam? Where is the Impala?! I don't mean to sound like I'm complaining because I'm not. Shows like Supernatural thrive on anticipation and suspense. If you're not racking your brain after every episode why bother watching? It's part of what makes Supernatural so addicting. but now we've been left sitting on our thumbs for the past month wondering why Death is helping the boys and what's going to happen to Sam? What is up with all these alphas? Grandpa Samuel? What is going on with Cas? So needless to say, I cannot wait for next week's episode "Like A Virgin". I posted the promo below. If you haven't already seen it, what is wrong with you?

I love to hear feedback so don't hesitate to comment! But as always, no spoilers please!



Click here for the last Supernatural post.

About: Supernatural “Two Minutes to Midnight”

We are getting dangerously close to the moment we’ve all been waiting for the entire season. But just when we thought we knew what had to be done the tables turned and we’re back in limbo.

At the beginning of the episode the mission seemed fairly simple- all things considered. Find Pestilence and Death and get their rings. It was supposed to be the next step that was difficult. But when the boys wiped Pestilence off the map so quickly (with a little help from Cas, who I was more than happy to see again) I began to get worried. I knew it was a little too easy. Taking on two horseman in one episode seemed a little rushed for Supernatural; not a show that tends to rush plot lines. But I had no idea what kind of twist was in store.

Before I go on, I do want to say that I loved the sequence of Death walking down the street to “Oh Death” (by Jen Titus if you were wondering, and I was). That was one of the most haunting scenes I’ve ever seen on Supernatural. I’m getting chills just thinking about it!

So Pestilence is taken care of. Then, we find out that Bobby, in true Winchester fashion, has decided to loan his soul to Crowley. I can’t say I blame him considering the outlook of things, but come on! Haven’t we learned by now that this soul selling business is never a good idea? Besides, I’m not sure that I trust Crowley yet. I’m still feeling betrayed by Ruby who turned out to be exactly what instinct told us she was. The good news is that Bobby can walk again, for now. But I bet he’d be willing to make a permanent crossroads deal with Crowley if it meant the use of his legs for ten years. I’m starting to think that was in Crowley’s plan to begin with. Let Bobby feel what it’s like to walk again and he’ll never want take his soul back leaving Crowley with the “insurance” to keep him safe from the Winchesters.

How suspicious was it when Crowley led Dean to the location of Death only to find out he wasn’t there? Crowley could not have been more un-phased by that realization. Did he just not care or was he not surprised? I can’t see the point of writing the wrong location into the plot unless there was a reason for it. And Crowley did eventually lead Dean to Death when he didn’t have to so it seems like he wasn’t planning on breaking his deal but is there more to the first location than they let on?

Oh, I haven’t even mentioned the fact that Castiel is now a human! This is just a problem that I don’t know what to do with. At this point there’s no way Cas is going to get his Angel mojo back unless the moment I’ve been hoping for actually happens. God’s triumphant return! I’m still hoping that God will come back to save the day and reward Cas for being his most faithful servant. But I’m an optimist. Well, either way at this point Cas is now about as helpful as Bobby.

Now on to the biggest problem of all. Death. I think we all knew that Dean’s sneak attack on Death was not going to work but I guess he had to try. (Lately it seems like all the demons and horsemen have a spidey sense that detects Sam and Dean. I don’t remember that being something that demons were capable of earlier in the series. I could be wrong though. But I digress…) Then, when Death told Dean to sit down and eat pizza with him (Chicago style pizza!) I started to get nervous. I thought for sure that Dean was going to put his butter knife to use until the conversation took a turn. Death is a slave to Lucifer, that wasn’t a surprise, but the fact that he’s older and far more powerful was. How did Lucifer manage to trap death in the first place? The fact that he wants Lucifer in the hole was also a shocker. Once I knew that, I knew what had to come next. Dean had to promise that Sam would say yes to Lucifer. The exact thing we don’t want to happen. Because now we have a problem; either Sam does what Death wants or Dean dies. If Sam says yes to Lucifer, it’s likely that he’ll “die” as we know it. So now we just have to hope that Cas was right about Sam’s strength because it’s clear that he is the only one who can end this.

What an episode! I can’t wait to see how the season will end!

Thanks for reading!

About: Supernatural “Point of No Return”

Happy 100th! It’s hard to believe it’s already been 100 episodes but at the same time I feel like I’ve known these boys forever. Can you believe how far this show has come since the woman in white? What a trip!

So let's talk about "Point of No return". I really enjoyed this episode. There was a lot time spent on the relationships between the characters and how they've evolved over the seasons. But most of all I think "Point of No Return was about Faith; faith in family, faith in what is right, and faith in yourself.

The spare Winchester is back! I have to say I really liked Jake Abel as Adam Milligan (Winchester). He not only looks and talks like a Winchester but he’s got the devil-may-care attitude down to a tee. I was glad to see them bring his character back. While things don’t look good for him at this point, I don’t think this is the last time we’ll see Adam Winchester (more on that later).

If we learned anything from “Point of No Return” it was that you do not want to piss off Cas. Dean got a royal ass kicking that was not totally undeserved. Cas has sacrificed everything for Sam and Dean. While I understand Dean’s feelings too, no matter how selfish they seem, Cas is not ready to see these boys fail. I think he’s secretly holding on to a shred of hope that the God he has served for who-knows-how-long will intervene. I am definitely holding on to that same hope.

Last night’s episode also had some very heartbreaking moments and what I thought was some really great acting. When Dean told Bobby that he wasn’t his father he may as well have slapped him across the face. Bobby has been such a great help to these boys over the years and he has been more of a father to them then John ever was. Bobby has kept going for these boys even after he was paralyzed and more recently forced to kill his own wife, again. I obviously, don’t think Dean meant what he said but it was selfish of him to say regardless. It seemed like Dean had a hard time keeping his thoughts to himself last night. I was surprised by what Dean said to Sam about not believing in him. We knew that Dean never really forgave Sam for abandoning the family to go to school. He also has never trusted him in the same way since the demon blood addiction and alliance with Ruby. But for Dean to come out and say something that hurtful to Sam was a really low blow that couldn’t have come at a worse time. I guess I hadn’t realized the depth of mistrust Dean had for Sam. Sam has spent a long time trying to make up for his mistakes and to have that go un-noticed by Dean must have been very hurtful. (Look at me forgetting that these aren’t real people) And Sam has clearly never lost his trust in Dean. I thought his decision to bring Dean along to save Adam was the stupidest thing I had ever heard. But clearly, Sam knows Dean better than I do. I will say that I was glad to have the boys really talk about their trust issues. For so much of the season they have pretended that these deeper issues aren’t there. They’ve had a lot on their plate and I guess their trust in each other can’t take precedence over the apocalypse but these are issues that they needed to sort out if they are ever going to fight as a united front.

My roommate and I were discussing whether or not Adam Winchester’s character was created specifically for the purpose he served in “Point of No Return”. Did Kripke know back in season four’s “Jump the Shark” that he would use Adam as the Zachariah’s bait to get Dean to agree to Michael’s proposal? It seems like a huge thing to introduce another Winchester brother only to kill him off in the same episode. I think Kripke is more creative than that. I also don’t believe that Adam is dead now. I would be a little disappointed if they brought him back just to kill him off for a second time; although, multiple deaths seem to run in the Winchester family. I think Adam will pop up again at a moment when Kripke has us thinking that all is lost. Although, I'm not sure how things can get darker for the Winchester’s at this point.

Another question I discussed with my roommate (are you sensing a theme?) is whether or not we think Michael is all that bad. We met Lucifer who is obviously no good but so far, Michael is yet to be seen. This makes me think that maybe he’s not all bad. In fact, maybe God is using Michael- I still think God is testing the Winchester’s faith. Maybe not so much their faith in God, because that seems shot to hell at this point, but maybe their faith in what is right and their faith in each other which seemed to be the main theme of “Point of No Return”. In this episode, it looked like God sent Zachariah on the mission to resurrect Adam which was maybe supposed to be a hint at God’s position on the subject of Dean as Michael's vessel. But I really wonder if God knew how everything would play out. I wonder if he knew Dean would end up in that room and would have to make the decision to accept Michael’s proposal and fail or continue to fight for what he thinks is right. Either way, I refuse to believe that God has “checked out”.

I am very interested to see how things play out as season five comes to a close. Either way, the boys will be back next season so I’ll find hope in the fact that they can’t die, yet.

Here’s to 100 great episodes and counting!