Wednesday, 28 October 2015

The Light on Spoilers....Heavy on SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE Preview of Supernatural 11x04 "Baby"


-by sweetondean



THEN

On April 21, 1967, the 100 millionth GM vehicle rolled off the line at the plant in Janesville -- a blue two-door Caprice. There was a big ceremony, speeches. The lieutenant governor even showed up. Three days later, another car rolled off that same line. No one gave two craps about her. But they should have, because this 1967 Chevrolet Impala would turn out to be the most important car -- no, the most important object -- in pretty much the whole universe. She was first owned by Sal Moriarty, an alcoholic with two ex-wives and three blocked arteries. On weekends, he'd drive around giving Bibles to the poor "gettin' folks right for Judgement Day." That's what he said. Sam and Dean don't know any of this, but if they did, I bet they'd smile. After Sal died, she ended up at Rainbow Motors, a used-car lot in Lawrence, where a young marine bought her on impulse. That is, after a little advice from a friend. I guess that's where this story begins. 


NOW

Baby



Saving people, hunting things, eating burritos.

Finally it's here. The episode we've heard so much about. The episode the boys are so excited for us to see. "Baby", an episode shot entirely from within the Impala!

I feel like everyone is just about as amped up for this one as we were for the 200th episode! There's been so much teasing and talk about it. Everyone who works on the show says they're excited and proud for the episode. It's an episode both the boys love. One that Jensen says has been his favourite of the season so far. And personally, I'm super excited, like SUPER EXCITED, because the idea of seeing an episode where we get to see the 'between' moments with the brothers, the moments we don't normally see, the moments of driving from place to place, silently or talking, the moments with them sleeping in the car, like we know they must have done so many times throughout their lives, but that we've rarely seen...those moments that happen in between the scenes we see. The small moments and the big moments. The brothers (and the green cooler), heading down the road together, in their home on four wheels. My heart.



Let's check out the synopsis!

Saturday, 24 October 2015

Review - Supernatural 11x03 "The Bad Seed" - Directed by Action Ackles!


-by sweetondean



Yes, we had another Action Ackles episode! And one that was chocked full of arc exposition! Seriously, Jensen must have needed a little lie down after this one! Maybe like this. Heh.



Anyhooo!

There was a lot going on in “The Bad Seed”, and I got the feeling it's job was to tick a few boxes as sorted, advance the mytharc, and start to set the stage for what’s to come. We sorted out the Cas thing, discovered what Rowena has been up to, talked about Metatron - suggesting his presence in this season is going to be important, brought up the secrets issue - hopefully opening the door to some honesty around the information each brother has and has been holding on to, and we found out quite a bit more about The Darkness, via a pretty creepy kid and her way creepy Uncle. Plus we had an extremely interesting meeting between an angel and a demon. Oh, and it was funny! I found I laughed a lot!

Friday, 23 October 2015

SUPERNATURAL THINK TANK - Theories and Thinky Thoughts on Episode 11x03 "The Bad Seed"

-by Anna




Here we go with some thinky thoughts on what happened in this week's episode of Supernatural!

I always enjoy Rowena.  I've liked her from the start, even when she seemed over the top, I knew there was more to her ...she's darker than she seems. I think she's even worse than Crowley. Crowley...now there's a BAD SEED right there. I know that Rowena wants to create her own Grand, oh wait, Mega Coven.  I can only imagine if she succeeds in that,  how truly powerful she will become and I find that notion a bit on the scary side, which I totally dig. I got a kick out of her when she was in the back seat, egging the boys on, wanting to have a wee sing song...karaoke anyone? LOL  But what stuck out for me regarding Rowena in this particular episode was her mentioning the deal she had with Sam regarding Crowley and Dean's annoyance at Sam for keeping it a secret.  It led me to ponder this.

SPOILERS SWEETIES! Promo Pics from Supernatural 11x04 "Baby" ❤




 Baby Baby Baby b b Baby, Baby Baby Baby b b b b b b, Baby Baby Baby...


I can't help it! This episode makes me want to sing! And the promo pics make me want to sing so much, they deserve their very own special post!

So here are the promo pics for next week's very special episode, about a very special girl
BABY


I could make so many jokes here...but I won't. But oh man...so many. Stop it! *slaps side of head like Jensen does when he has a thought he can't say at a con*

In other news, those chicks are fully checking the boys out there in the background. We get it, ladies. We get it.



Baby is always shiny. Which makes me long for the car wash scene. 
WHERE ARE THE PROMO PICS FROM THE CAR WASH SCENE! WHEREEEEEE!
*pouts*

In other news, they must have trouble not catching crew reflections in Baby. Wonder if VFX have to get rid of unwanted reflections. Hmmm.



LADY: IS THAT THE GREEN COOLER. OH MY GOSH I'M FANGIRLING! IT'S TOO MUCH! 
DEAN: Um, I was just going to offer you a beer. Geesh.

Wednesday, 21 October 2015

The Light on Spoilers, Heavy on Squee Preview of Supernatural 11x03 "The Bad Seed"



ACTION ACKLES!

It's that time of the season again, where Jensen steps behind the camera! Yep, this week's episode is directed by Action Ackles! 

This will be Jensen's 5th episode he's directed, having directed, 6x04 "A Weekend At Bobby's", 7x03 "The Girl Next Door",  8x03 "Heartache" and 10x03 "Soul Survivor" He didn't direct an episode in season 9 as he had just become a daddy and chose to spend longer at home with his family, rather than head back to work a couple of week's early to prep, which is what he has to do when he directs. 

A point of interest, 2 of Jensen's episodes were written by Andrew Dabb and Daniel Loflin (Dan is no longer with the show) and 3 of his episodes, including this latest one, were written by Brad Buckner and Eugenie Ross-Leming.

Anyhooo...enough about the hottest director ever! How about we do a preview!



SUPERNATURAL THINK TANK - Theories and Thinky Thoughts on 11x02 "Form and Void"



Hi guys, welcome to the Think Tank, our brand new Thinky Thoughts article! Here we will look at ideas and theories that have sprung out of the latest episode, and dissect them and discuss them in a fun and positive way! The comments are open for you to join in and we're hoping that you'll add your awesome ideas and get a discussion going!

For sometime now - from way back when I was writing for The Winchester Family Business - Anna has been a regular commenter on my articles, offering some wonderful insight into different aspects of the story, as well as, well thought out theories. You may have read some of her amazing comments.

I love Anna's thinky thoughts, they always get my brain going too, so I invited her to become sweetondean's first regular contributing writer, and yay for us, she agreed! Anna will be writing regular articles looking at various aspects of the unfolding mythology and offering up some food for thought for us all to discuss.

So please join me in welcoming Anna, and let us know you're amazing thinky thoughts in the comments!

Now without any further adoo doo, welcome. to the first sweetondean, SUPERNATURAL THINK TANK!
-sweetondean



Thinky Thoughts on Supernatural 11x02 "Form and Void"

Amy has honoured me with the privilege of writing down my thinky thoughts and sharing them all with you. Thank you Amy for this opportunity.  She's given it quite a catchy name and declared it an open forum for discussion of the topic at hand.  I thought I might start with "Form and Void" if that's ok.....so here goes my thinky thoughts for last week.

I've always believed that from the moment we found out the boys had to be born, it was because God had wanted it.  Supernatural seemingly gives the impression, as declared by the angels and archangels, as well as Metatron, that God has seemingly left the planet.  These angels then took it upon themselves to run things, including throwing themselves a little Apocalypse.   In watching "Free to be You and Me" last night, it occurred to me, ....Sam asked Lucifer...why me? And Lucifer replied..."It had to be you Sam".  But it seemed to me that Lucifer couldn't provide a specific answer to Sam's question.  He simply noted, for no other reason that it had to be Sam.  It's as though Lucifer couldn't give a reason, he just knew.  Same could be said of Zach and his insistence and belief that Dean was the Michael Sword; "You are the chosen one" Zach told Dean...And yet he could never provide an answer as to why.  It leads me to believe that the angel's belief that the boys should be the vessels has been ingrained in them by God...because God knew, as he chose them, that it would be Sam and Dean that would prevent the Apocalypse. Any other vessel, any other psychic child would've failed...but Sam & Dean, chosen by God, didn't.

We find out in "Dark Side of the Moon" that God is in fact  ever present.  Joshua told the boys that God was on Earth. He noted that God didn't think that the Apocalypse was his problem. Yet he saved the boys from the church and put them on the plane. He brought Cas back...So perhaps if we delve deeper behind Joshua's words...God thinking the Apocalypse wasn't his problem was in fact true, because he knew all along that the boys were going to stop it...therefore, the Apocalypse wasn't a problem... and to say God didn't help along the way...I don't believe that to be so. I always found it very interesting that the character of Chuck was in the episode "The End"...the episode which helped Dean realise that he was wrong in thinking that he and Sam were weaker together, that in fact the opposite was true.  I highly doubt that Chuck's role was simply to inform Dean to treasure toilet paper....given in "Swan Song", we find out that  Chuck is in fact God....this leads me to believe that God is in fact present in the supernatural world and has been there to help the boys...especially given how many times they've come back from the dead.

The reason I mention this is because, I do in fact believe that there was more to this episode in regards to faith and hope than it might seem.  I do lean towards the fact that Billie wasn't only there to simply reap that soul and scare the pants off of Sam Winchester. It was all in what she said and the fact that she said what she did. She told Sam he was unclean in the Biblical sense...pretty on the nose choice of words to insult Sam with. That insult didn't even directly have anything to do with why she was angry with him, which was because he supposedly helped in offing her boss. So the whole, you're unclean was kind of out of left field, which is why I don't believe it to be merely an insult, but a clue. She seemed quite calm and though menacing, she didn't seem to give off the impression of hostility or rage at the "supposed loss" of her boss.  She also told Sam that Death thought his and Dean's returns were amusing, which seemed odd given that Death had mentioned how Dean's messing around with the natural order was actually quite irksome. Death did mention having to clean up his mess did he not? He even went so far as to teach Dean a lesson by making him wear his ring and be Death for a day. That remark kind of threw me...but I kind of hand waved it, as I believe that God is the one who keeps bringing the boys back, and I feel Death is keen on the boys being the ones chosen by God, so he simply just deals with it.  He's even helped once or twice himself.  A kind of a well, if I can't reap em, join em, attitude. :D Billie threatened Sam by noting that this resurrection business has come to its end and she threatened to throw them both into the 'Empty"....a place no one can ever come back from. That threat alone didn't seem right to me. First off,  I don't believe Reapers decide where souls go, their job is simply to reap them and send them to where God chooses the souls to go.  Billie's threat, though scary feels like an empty one to me. Even if she went rogue, I still believe that God trumps rogue Reaper, I even believe God could trump the Empty. I'm therefore leaning very strongly towards the threat wasn't actually meant to be a threat...she gave Sam very important information...nothing can come back from the Empty....so if the Darkness cannot be killed, as it wasn't able to be killed the first time, then it stands to reason that it needs to be re-contained.....and the only place that the Darkness wouldn't be able to escape from would be the Empty. So basically Billie has given Sam the solution to the boy's problem, I just don't think he understands and realises it just yet.

Billie's threat/insult to Sam while intending to or not, did lead Sam to the church to pray.  Sam praying for everyone but himself doesn't surprise me in the least...his owning up to his mistakes and dealing with them also, typical Sam Winchester SOP. Sam asked for a sign, some direction, and I do believe as some others do that his prayer was in fact answered by God.  It wasn't a direct answer, it was subtle and Sam will eventually figure it out, which leads me to believe he will have more of these visions.  His sign was of his time in the Cage, and while it's too early for Carver to show us anyone in the Cage, he did provide us with subtle hints that it won't be too long now before we do get back to Lucifer/Michael. Sam may not have seen his torturer but he saw his torture...and we all know who did that to Sam. I believe God was sending Sam visions of  the Cage, because the help the boys need, might just start there...with Michael/and or Lucifer.  Carver also made mention of unrest in the Cage as well. I don't believe that Sam's visions a mere coincidence, given that his prayer was answered within, like two minutes after asking for a sign from God. I also don't believe those visions can come from the Cage...if that was a possibility, why bother putting Lucifer in the Cage in the first place? I think as others noted it would've happened already.

"Form and Void"....the Darkness had no form according to lore. When Rowena cast the spell she removed the curse from Dean, but she didn't destroy the mark. To me it seems, she transferred it onto the first child born at the time the mark was removed....and when the Darkness was freed, she entered the vessel with the mark? Does that seem plausible? The Darkness is now form. But as a form it needs to feed, so what does the Darkness need to grow stronger?  Apparently so, and by eating souls.. Death foretold how powerful souls are...how it's all about the souls. Will the Darkness always need to consume souls?  Does Crowley want to get in good with the Darkness so she can consume souls for him...since he cannot have Purgatory?  Or does the Darkness simply eat souls to create a world that is void....that is dark....after all, without a soul, one is evil, cold, empty, without sympathy or empathy...they might even kill..depending on the vessel....in essence, without a soul, the vessel is void...dark. Is that what the Darkness ultimately wants? Ultimately needs? To live in a dark world...a world without light...a world without hope? As it once was when before she was imprisoned by God....the creator of light.

Seems to me this all goes back to Sam and Dean Winchester.  Sam has always represented the light. The light of knowledge...the light of empathy. He is sympathetic and patient. He has unwavering faith in his brother, and I believe he's still has unwavering faith in God or at the very most God's goodness. Praying is symbolic of that. Sam had promised once to show Dean the light because he believes in it. It's this faith and his belief in the light that will help in the fight against the Darkness. It's his light that has always helped Dean make it through his own darkness....The Winchester's ....the chosen ones....their, always keep fighting attitude, their never ending love for each other and their unending desire and need to save others....that's what will allow them to beat the Darkness.

I don't foresee the boys being punished in the end...when all is said and done, I believe there's only light in the boys future.... ;)

What do you think?

See you again soon for the next eppy's thinky thoughts.  :)
-Anna



Saturday, 17 October 2015

Review - Supernatural 11x02 "Form and Void"



That was one hell of an episode! Wasn’t it? I was so stressed. Like super stressed. TENSE! I didn’t even realise until how freaked out I was until the episode ended and my shoulders seemed to be up around my neck and I was clutching a pillow to my heart! OMG! OUR SHOW IS AMAZING!

“Form and Void” left me a little formless, like a jittery, melty, puddle of anxious! I loved it. It was scary…like I was spooked out! Creepy kids do that to me…creepy babies even more so! It was like watching a horror movie! Every little beat of drama was right on the money, and the pace kept ratcheting up. It was unrelenting and really damn awesome.

I never like it when the bros are apart and aren’t fighting shoulder to shoulder, but I do like it when they’re apart, yet still feel very totally together. There was never a time where I was pining for them to be physically in the same space, because, well I couldn’t really breathe for an hour, and when they are emotionally connected, as they are now, I don’t notice the physical distance between them. They still feel like one unit. I love it when they are together, even when apart...it's so them!



Sam, oh Sam. SamFuckinMacGyverWinchester. I think we all have a bit of a kink for the boys being highly capable. Smart Winchesters are my favourite kind of Winchesters. Or maybe it’s funny Winchesters. Or badass Winchesters. Or emotional Winchesters. DO NOT MAKE ME CHOOSE BECAUSE I LOVE THEM ALL! But Sam, in the hardware store, grabbing bits and pieces to battle the Rabids. SO COOOOL. That makeshift cattle proddish device he concocted was brilliant. As was bucket speaker! And working out the Holy Oil thing was Sam at his brainiac best. The Holy Oil toasted marshmallow (okay, gauze bandage)! I loved it! So glad Dean decided to slip that ancient urn into the duffle!

Oh and Sam's prayer in the chapel *sniffle* praying for his brother because he deserves a life…oh Sammy, you both do…but how I loved that he was thinking of Dean in that moment. I thought it was because he wasn’t sure right then and there if he’d ever see Dean again…so he prayed for him to be okay. Oh I’m going to make myself cry! The weight of the guilt Sam’s obviously feeling over releasing the Darkness on the world is obviously heavy, but as he said last week, he’d do it again to save Dean and I’m sure the fact that he knows that, also weighs on him…

Sam has always had a connection to God, outside of the obvious vessel status! He surprised Dean way back in season 2’s Houses of the Holy, when he said he prayed every day. Even though the brothers both know that God has not always been there for, well anyone, Sam still has faith and hope and that's something so beautiful and Sam Winchestery, and I dearly hope that he will never ever change.



Running into Billie the Reaper, as he did, felt super troubling. I think I winced when she talked about how Sam and Dean can die now. It felt like a point was being made by the show. All bets are off and the stakes are back up to eleven. The Winchesters can die again…not that I expect them to…but the risks have been elevated, if not for us, certainly for the boys. They've always had that get out of dead free card, but not anymore, and that'll make them even more protective of each other's back!

I liked Billie a lot. I liked hearing her to sing O Death. I found that super powerful. Like humming while she worked – a song that we know so well and is deeply rooted in the show’s mythology around Death and the Reapers. The shadowy hand reaching for the dead Rabid. Her anger at Sam and Dean. Her threat to let them drift off into the Empty…which does not sound good! And then telling Sam that he was unclean, in the biblical sense. Of all the things to say to Sam! The boy with demon blood, the boy born to be the Devil’s vessel in the Apocalyptic war; I don’t know that I could think of anything worse.

Billie was creepy and scary and sexy and powerful and I hope she is a reaper we see again. I’ve always loved the reapers. I love their place in the Supernatural Universe and I love the relationship we and the Winchesters have developed with them. They are shadowy. Not good. Not bad. Pragmatic. Frightening. I’m sure Sam was well wigged out by what Billie said. I hope he fills Dean in. Pretty sure he’s not going to tell his brother about being infected – though I see that as Sam proving to himself as much as anything, that he can do this, and do it without putting Dean at threat. How could he know that he wouldn’t be so far gone, he’d turn on his brother? I saw this as Sam in protection mode as much as anything. I wonder if he’ll tell Dean about his freaky visions, or like Dean and his Darkness visions, maybe he’s keeping that little nugget close until he can work out what they are. They had to be cage visions though right?? Cage memories - he looked like he was being hung on hooks, like Dean was in Hell. Or were the visions being sent to Sam from the cage? I mean, the whole mention of the cage is a big deal. Now Sam’s having these visions. Sam is right to yell out, “What the hell does that mean?!” I loved that scene though, as mysterious as it was, because the whole cage thing being back in play has me salivating.


Deaaaannnnnnnnn OMG. This character. He was soft and badassed and sassy and heroic and all the things I love. Plus he’s so damn handsome, I can’t even. Him walking down the hallway, all bowlegs and fury, GUH. Holy cow.



The whole chicks dig me. Then the spin around back to rescue Jenna. All so Dean. How I've missed him. I loved that he was snacking in the car on his way back to Sam! And that he rang Sam to get his thoughts on the Rosemary’s Baby thing going on back at Jenna’s grandmas. The way Dean can just roll with his situation has always been one of my favourite traits of his. Not much fazes him. He just gets on with it. He already feels in a much better place, emotionally speaking, and though you know he’s wigged out by all the Darkness stuff, and harbouring his own level of guilt over the Darkness and Mark of Cain stuff, the shift in him is palatable. I love it. I was worried when we got back to the bunker and he saw the pile of books he’d be all…oh God the things I did…but he was, WE NEED A MAID (I offer myself as Tribute!). Bless Dean Winchester. I love this move back to a less dark Dean, and Jensen plays the subtle shift magnificently. Not enough to be jarring, but enough to notice and feel right.

His post breakup banter with Crowley was super fun. Those two can out eye roll and snark the world! Dean’s face when he saw Crowley…and his ebbing tolerance as Crowley made him wait while he finished his tea. Every single conversation between them was magic. Velma. Gold!


Having Crowley almost back to his evil bastard self is great. I say almost, because he didn’t kill Dean and I’m pretty sure he wasn’t bored when soulless Jenna had Dean pinned. I don’t think Crowley is ready to kill the elder Winchester, at least not just yet. Their breakup is still fresh after all! Same goes for Dean not killing Crowley. Though I also think Dean knows that at least with Crowley, they have a pretty good idea what they’re getting, and getting into. Better the devil you know, and all that jazz.


Then finishing the episode with Crowley luring the creepy, now a little more grow’d up, Darkness child into the van with the promise of treats ­– being souls – was all kinds of wrong, and yet so right. Ewww. I think Crowley may have bitten off more than he can chew.


I was sad that we lost Jenna, I liked her and already had visions of her joining forces with Jody and Donna! I was also sad that we lost Hannah…though not those other angels.


How did dickheads like these guys become angels anyway? I mean, surely you have to have a trace of decency to be an angel! They were total tools. And sure I know they have a slanted opinion of Cas due to his patchy history of late with Heaven, and killing all the angels, then the whole Metatron thing...but still... DICKS! 

I’m so glad Cas lost his shit and killed the pair of them, because badassed Cas rocks, and dick angels need to DIE! And they killed Hannah, and there was obviously still a connection between our trench coat wearing friend and his old sidekick, even if she did betray Cas here. The actor who played Hannah the last two times we saw her, was wonderful. I'm sad to lose the angel and both the actors associated with her.

And thank goodness Cas bee lined it to the Bunker – which he either has a key to or Sam left unlocked when he went to meet Dean - or the door is still busted after the Stynes. Yeah, probably that. He still can’t zap without the tattered wings, so he must have driven to the Bunker and then let himself in! Maybe there’s a key in a fake rock in the garden out front! Heh. Anyhooo…glad he’s safe with the boys and hopefully, hopefully, they can help him sort out this attack dog spell business. 




This was a chock-a-block, action packed,  roller-coaster of an episode. A show delivering its A game. It looked gorgeous and sounded amazing. How was that music? Especially at the backend of the ep! That was a very different music choice, but worked so well and increased the tension...like we needed it. There was an amazing sense of flow from one scene to the next, via a sharp edit that often had the audio from the incoming or outgoing shot, playing under the surrounding shot. You'd hear Crowley start talking under the outgoing shot of Cas, for example. This made it feel like the action was all happening at the same time, in the same time period. The scenes also got shorter and shorter, giving a sense of increased urgency. Nice job. Sorry, for the technical, but as well as producing, I also edit my promos! 

I remember at the start of season 10, we had Carver and Dabb episodes leading off the season, and we’ve had this once again and what a treat. Andrew Dabb’s “Reichenbach” was one of my favourite season 10 episodes, and his “Form and Void” feels like it’s going to be a favourite too. So much happened, but it felt cohesive and beautifully paced. Such good storytelling. We have a terrifying Big Bad in a creepy little body! We have the King of Hell feeling like a threat again. We have a new Reaper that is pissed with the Winchesters and feels otherworldly and scary. We have Cas being all stabby, but in a good way, even though he’s in a really bad way. And we have the Winchesters, on solid footing with each other and being pretty damn smart and awesome (if a little secretive – change can’t happen overnight!). It’s a truly epic start to season 11.

-sweetondean