Lost Limey Watches Supernatural #25 – “Bloodlust”

A quick note by way of introduction may be required here. For quite some time now, certain members of the Richmond WriMos have been trying to persuade me to watch the CW show Supernatural. I  have relented and am now embarking on watching Supernatural via the wonders of Netflix. This series of posts will simply be my first impressions, almost stream of consciousness style, presented in the form of the time elapsed in the episode and my thoughts expressed as bullet points. It’s effectively live tweeting the episodes except I don’t have to stick to 140 characters or fewer. So without further ado here’s my take on:

Season 2 Episode 03 – “Bloodlust”

• 01:11 – Young woman in white shirt running through dark woods at neat. I do believe it’s our old friend, the Inevitable Teaser Death.
• 02:02 – Decapitation via sickle is a pretty darn grisly Inevitable Teaser Death as such things go.
• 02:25 – The Impala is back! And it’s still black! To reinforce this we have AC/DC on the soundtrack performing a song, the very title of which revels in the concept of things that are black being back. I think it’s called “Thunderstruck” or something like that.
• 03:28 – This police officer has a luxurious mustache. I just want to drink it in in all of its fabulousness.
• 05:38 – “So much effed up crap happens in Florida.” Indeed it does, which is why this website has a special tag for Florida.
• 06:19 – A whole lot of Silence of the Lambs riffs in that morgue scene.
• 06:55 – Apparently the Inevitable Teaser Death was a vampire. The boys have faced those before.
• 08:41 – So this dude is gonna be stalking the boys. I think him being a vampire would be too obvious. Perhaps he’s another Hunter?
• 10:09 – Yep. He’s a hunter. Or at least a guy who kills vampires.
• 13:32 – Non-Winchester hunter was kind of getting his ass kicked until Our Heroes showed up.
• 14:02 – Whoa. Dean is scary intense.
• 15:07 – “He’s the only one who gets to call me that.” Poor Sam(my)
• 18:15 – So vampires took this guy’s sister. It’s the Fox Mulder motivation.
• 19:43 – Well, Ellen’s back via telephone. Nice to see the show build up some supporting characters. Even if the odds are good that they’ll die horrifically sooner or later.
• 20:03 – Other hunter’s name is Gordon Walker. He’s just been compared to Hannibal Lecter. I assume that isn’t good.
• 20:43 – Gordon’s an extremist. All black & white, no nuance.
• 22:45 – Sam’s only gone and got himself kidnapped by vampires.
• 23:00 – It’s Tara from Buffy! But she’s on the pro-Vampire side? Willow would not approve.
• 23:38 – So these are friendly non-human-blood drinking vampires. I guess the farmers don’t like them drinking the ol’ cattle blood though. Tara us a vampire, and her character is actually named Lenore.
• 25:00 -They are freeing Sam unharmed,  so maybe these are trustworthy vamps. I’m guessing Gordon might not be down with that.
• 28:00 – I think you should have seen that punch coming Sammy-boy, even if you are (probably) right about Dean’s feelings about Daddy. I saw it coming.
• 30:21 – Looks like they’re setting up Eli the vampire for a “we’re not so different, you and I” type of thing with Gordon.
• 32:02 – Gordon comes across as the real monster in his attack on Lenore. Pretty sure that’s the thematic point of the episode.
• 32:48 – The way Gordon’s torturing/interrogation of Lenore is shot with slow lingering shots of the knife slashing across her skin feels very voyeuristic, invoking a very sadistic vibe that’s deliberately uncomfortable for the viewer. At least this viewer.
• 34:05 – Oh, Gordon’s sister wasn’t killed by vampires, she was turned by them and he did the whole killing part. No wonder he’s coming off as such a wackjob.
• 35:39 – Lenore has some impressive vampiric willpower to resist Sam’s blood being drip fed to her like that.
• 37:15 – Dean does not take Gordon calling him “a killer – like me” well.

Damned solid episode. Widened the world slightly by introducing more hunters. Also introduced some welcome ambiguity and doubt into the heretofore ironclad “supernatural creature = evil” hegemony, which makes me wonder if that’s a note the season will be revisiting.

Lost Limey Watches Supernatural #24 – “Everybody Loves a Clown”

A quick note by way of introduction may be required here. For quite some time now, certain members of the Richmond WriMos have been trying to persuade me to watch the CW show Supernatural. I  have relented and am now embarking on watching Supernatural via the wonders of Netflix. This series of posts will simply be my first impressions, almost stream of consciousness style, presented in the form of the time elapsed in the episode and my thoughts expressed as bullet points. It’s effectively live tweeting the episodes except I don’t have to stick to 140 characters or fewer. So without further ado here’s my take on:

Season 2 Episode 02 – “Everybody Loves a Clown”

• 01:55 – We hear a happy couple talking about clowns. I have a feeling we’ve met our first Inevitable Teaser Death of the seaon.
• 02:13 – It’s a creepy looking clown. It is a Stephen King novel that covers a similar subject.
• 03:05 – Creepy clown is seemingly only visible to the little girl. I predict she’ll either be horrifically injured or an orphan by the team we see a Winchester.
• 04:10 – We interrupt this episode of Supernatural already in progress to recreate the Vader funeral pyre from Return of the Jedi.
• 05:12 – Dean starts the new post-Daddy death trusting Winchester brother relationship by… lying to Sam. He opts not to tell Sam about whatever was whispered in the last episode.
• 05:41 – A week has passed, and we get to see a shot of the show’s greatest character, the Impala. It looks better than it did, but is still hardly in traveling shape.
• 06:42 – ” Come here. I’m gonna lay my head gently on your shoulder. Maybe we can cry, hug, and maybe even slow dance.” – Dean to Sam, inspiring another 330,481 slashfics.
• 08:00 – The substitute car is a beater minivan with faux wood side panels. For some reason, I find that indescribably hilarious. Captain & Tennille on the soundtrack just adds to that.
• 09:25 – “Oh God, please let that be a rifle.” It is.
• 09:43 – Dean’s slick disarming maneuver is only mildly undermined when the woman who had been holding the rifle hauls off and punches him in the face. I like her already.
• 10:20 – So the rifle wielder was Jo (though I recognized the actress as Sonya from Burn Notice) who is the daughter of Ellen. Ellen has some connection to Daddy Winchester. I’m assuming a fellow hunter.
• 11:45 – Methinks that Dean doth protest too much. He so isn’t over Daddy’s death
• 12:15- Ash (not that one), the alleged “genius” has a sweet mullet.
• 14:35 – Jo’s father was a hunter who died. I’m sure this is in no way setting up any parallels between her and the Winchester brothers…
• 15:19 – It’s not called “Zeppelin IV!” Led Zeppelin’s fourth album doesn’t have a title. I know it’s a Fast Times at Ridgemont High joke, but damn it, these things matter to me.
• 16:21 – Sam’s afraid of clowns? After all the crap they’ve faced, Clowns are what scare him?
• 16:23 – Dean’s fear of flying is brought up. I was hoping we would never have to speak of that episode again.
• 18:08 – That’s a genuinely creepy haunted house. Of course the little snot is ignoring that in favor of his Nintendo DS. I think that may be the most curmudgeonly sentence I have ever written.
• 19:16 – And now the little snot just aided and abetted murder-by-clown
• 20:34- Really? They’re going to join the circus?
• 21:27 – I like Dean rushing just enough that Sam has to sit in the clown chair.
• 26:25 – The blind knife thrower guy is giving off a weird avuncular vibe. Plus, he has the whole super hearing thing going on. I don’t like him.
• 27:42- I would think the ugly minivan parked in front of the site of what (I’m assuming) will be the next clown murderpalooza could attract law enforcement attention.
• 28:42 – The clown sitting up from being shot was creepy, especially as the motions weren’t quite natural. Also, if I’m the parents at this house I’ve just heard a shotgun going off and my kid screaming in terror. Coming downstairs to the see two strange men in my house would not go well.
• 30:54 – Aah, that patented Winchester family strife finally starting to boil over.
• 31:18 – So the creepy clown thing is probably a rakshasa. For those of you who have never played Dungeons & Dragons it’s essentially a flesh-vampire from Hindu mythology.
• 33:23 – Looks like I was right not to trust the blind guy. He’s secretly a flesh eating monster. Worse, he dresses up as a clown for kicks.
• 35:12 – I gotta say that the haunted house/hall of mirrors does make for a visually distinctive location for the climax.
• 38:44- Pretty sure we’re gonna see Ash and the Road House crew again. Especially now that they have that demon detector doohickey.
• 40:28 – I think Dean might have some teeny-tiny anger issues. Also, stop smashing up that beautiful Impala.

I knew the show would have to have a more standalone episode after the monumental events of the last few, and this certainly fits that bill. Unfortunately, it’s also not very good. it isn’t a bad episode per se, but is a very boring one. The mystery of the rakshasa was neat, but seeing essentially the same clown-murder beat three times was redundant. On the plus side the characters of Ellen, Jo and Ash look like they  might stick around for a while. Seeing as they were easily the most interesting thing that happened, that’s a good thing.

Lost Limey Watches Supernatural #23 – “In My Time of Dying”

A quick note by way of introduction may be required here. For quite some time now, certain members of the Richmond WriMos have been trying to persuade me to watch the CW show Supernatural. I  have relented and am now embarking on watching Supernatural via the wonders of Netflix. This series of posts will simply be my first impressions, almost stream of consciousness style, presented in the form of the time elapsed in the episode and my thoughts expressed as bullet points. It’s effectively live tweeting the episodes except I don’t have to stick to 140 characters or fewer. So without further ado here’s my take on:

Season 2 Episode 01 – “In My Time of Dying”

Sorry for the delay in posting this. I had an unexpectedly busy December and so didn’t have a chance to watch the Winchester boys do their thing. Back in the shadowy mists of time when we left off, things weren’t looking good for the Brothers Winchester, nor their father, what with a demon-possessed semi truck having smashed into the Impala and leaving everyone dying in the road.

• 01:24 – The previously montage (soundtracked with Ted Nugent’s “Stranglehold”) ends with the word “NOW” in big golden letters. Of course, this “now” was back in 2006, whereas the actual “now” as I watch is 2015.
• 01:51 – Well Sam (and his terrible hair) are not dead. Though there is a demon possessed trucker (but not Ol’ Yellow Eyes) doing the Terminator walk towards the ex-Impala so that may change.
• 02:31 – Demon is right about the Colt being an empty threat but still exits the trucker.
• 02:48 – And now a helicopter in silhouette against the sky. apparently this is now a Michael Bay movie.
• 03:20 – Dean also appears to have won in the not-death stakes.
• 04:46 – Um, nope. Deany-boy’s either dreaming, dead or having an out of body experience.
• 06:21 – “Screw you, Doc. I’m waking up.” Ghost-Dean is as bloody-minded as the regular version.
• 06:56 – Daddy Winchester is also awake and has an utterly terrible alias for his medical insurance.
• 07:12 – “Find some hoodoo priest and lay some mojo on him” is officially a running gag.
• 08:39 – Daddy’s clearly up to something with that list of materials (spell components?)
• 09:07 – Ghost-Dean seeing through Daddy’s lie immediately. Someone clearly knows what’s behind Ol’ Yellow Eyes’ Sam/psychic children obsession type thing.
• 09:16 – No! That beautiful Impala!
• 09:44 – Trying to decide if Sam is lying to himself more about Dean’s recovery chances or the fixability of the Impala
• 11:34 – Ghost Dean seems less adept at burying his emotions (or at least his resentment of Daddy) than the living version was.
• 12:05 – There’s another spirit thing in the hospital, and going by the pulsing music, it isn’t quite as friendly as Dean.
• 12:57 – Daddy Winchester wants to summon a demon. Understandably, Sam is pissed.
• 13:41- Quoth the Daddy: “…and your brother would be awake right now.” Dude is ice freakin’ cold.
• 13:56 – Ghost Dean: “Dude, I full on Swayzed that mother-” Lost Limey: *choking with laughter*
• 14:20 – And the not-ghost Dean is flatlining. I suspect it’s not a tribute to Kiefer Sutherland
• 14:45 – Scary spirit from 12:05 floating on Dean’s body
• 15:42 – “If I can grab it, I can kill it.” Being semi-corporeal doesn’t alter Dean’s personality much.
• 16:28 – Another Dean-like ghost named Tessa. Her appearance reminds me of The Nostalgia Chick for some reason.
• 18:27 – “I promise I won’t hunt this demon. Not until we know Dean’s okay.” Since Daddy Winchester’s entire deal has been 1)lying to his kids and 2)hunting Ol’ Yellow Eyes, I can’t say I believe him.
• 19:48 – Non-ghost Tessa is dead, presumably aided by scary spirit thing from 12:05 which was floating above her body at the moment of death.
• 20:29 – Sam produces a ouija board and Ghost Dean responds with a truly epic eye roll.
• 22:31 – So the scary spirit thing is probably a Reaper. We’ve met them before, but that’s not a good thing for Dean, given his current state.
• 23:20 – Daddy Winchester’s buggered off. I knew it!
• 24:11- And he’s making with the whole demon summoning thing, like he explicitly told Sam he wouldn’t do. Daddy Winchester is kind of a jerk is what I’m saying.
• 25:22 – So, Tessa was actually a Reaper. Didn’t see that coming.
• 27:33 – Daddy Winchester, like Professor Xavier, is a jerk. Motherf***er just summoned Ol’ Yellow Eyes. Also, this hospital doesn’t have any working smoke alarms.
• 28:20 – …and now Daddy Winchester wants to make a deal. It’s like these guys have never even heard of Faust.
• 28:59 – Sam just said that he & Daddy would kill each other if Dean dies. I winder if that’s foreshadowing anything?
• 30:07 – It just occurred to me that Tessa is probably supposed to invoke Neil Gaiman’s Death from the Sandman comic series.
• 31:44 – That monologue about Dean becoming an angry spirit is very Nietzschean. “He who fights with monsters” and all that.
• 32:38 – So Daddy Winchester maybe isn’t a total jerk. He’s willing to trade the Colt (and the all important last magical bullet) to Ol’ Yellow Eyes in exchange for Dean’s life. I can see absolutely no possible way that this could ever back fire…
• 33:49 – Pretty sure Ol’ Yellow Eyes is going to demand Daddy Winchester’s life and/or soul to sweeten the pot. Also, the actor playing the demon’s host is delightfully intense. He’s also clearly having a ball playing the villain.
• 34:21 – Tessa asks Dean “So, what’s it going to be?” and I immediately start hearing Meat Loaf’s Paradise by the Dashboard Light in my head.
• 35:01 – Ol’ Yellow Eyes appears to have just possessed Tessa. How? I thought Reapers were insubstantial which would seem to make possession impossible to me. I assume Eric Kripke disagrees.
• 35:14 – Either way, it seems that possessed Tessa just revived Dean.
• 35:43 – And Dean conveniently has no memory of Ghost Dean’s experiences. Which means that neither Winchester brother is aware of Ol’ Yellow Eyes’ presence in this here hospital.
• 37:12 – Daddy Winchester is literally incapable of telling Sam the truth, isn’t he?
• 38:52 – I like that Dean’s immediately suspicious when Daddy’s in full on confessional mode.
• 39:32 – Daddy just whispered something inaudible (and not close captioned, so I presume it was deliberate) into Dean’s ear. I’m guessing it wasn’t “Rosebud.”
• 40:33 – Daddy Winchester is now Dead-dy Winchester. Sam reacts like he just found out who Keyser Soze really is. Waste of good coffee.
• 41:23 – The Winchester boys are officially orphans. Roll credits.

While still a strong episode, with some callbacks to first season events, this was definitely weaker than the previous episode. I think that might be something that’s inherent to cliffhangers though, as just about all of the ones I can think of have weaker resolution episodes than set up episodes.

And this episode leaves our heroes slightly more alive but also slightly more screwed than they were before. Firstly, their best source of information and driving force for much of the first season’s plot, Daddy Winchester, is now dead. Secondly, Ol’ Yellow Eyes is very much alive. Finally, the Colt, the only thing that’s been established as killing Ol’ Yellow Eyes is now in his possession.

I imagine the next episode will have some fallout from the Daddy’s death but the series will probably return to a few less arc-based episodes given the vagaries of network television.