fannishliss | Entries tagged with retrospective

S9 was pretty strong, beginning and ending strong, and with a very strong arc and so many antagonists (Metatron, Crowley, Gadreel, Abaddon).
It was a very painful season but a lot of good eps.

:D    •   9.01 I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here -- we are first introduced to "Ezekiel"; Dean makes a deal with the Angel on Castiel's vouch; Sam tries to make sure his death won't hurt anyone -- but Dean's deal supercedes that. I think the spn firest episodes are always so strong!
:D    •   9.02 Devil May Care -- this has the awesome encounter between Dean and Abbaddon.
:D •   9.03 I'm No Angel -- the one where Castiel sleeps with April Kelly - or, the reaper who possessed her.
:D :D :D •   9.04 Slumber Party -- Charlie meets Dorothy! Plus I love when the witch is controlling Sam and Dean. In retrospect, pretty powerful if she could control a guy possessed by an Angel!
:D •   9.05 Dog Dean Afternoon - a wack but fun ep
:D    •   9.06 Heaven Can't Wait -- interesting ep from Castiel's pov
:D    •   9.07 Bad Boys -- well, I really liked it, even tho there were a few plot wobbles.
:D    •   9.08 Rock and a Hard Place -- yay Jody! Not sure about Vesta, but it was pretty good.
:D    •   9.09 Holy Terror -- I liked the biker fight between Angel factions. So sad that Metatron got to Gadreel and tricked him. And sad for Kevin. And sad for Dean. And very sad for Sam. a good ep.
:D    •   9.10 Road Trip -- very tense when Crowley is going to help remove Gadreel!
:D    •   9.11 First Born -- Cain.
:D    •   9.12 Sharp Teeth -- probably one of my favorite Garth eps. Sorry he is a werewolf now tho!
:D :D •   9.13 The Purge -- the fish taco!! great ep
:D :D •   9.14 Captives -- ghost of Kevin plus finding Linda Tran. great ep
:D •   9.15 THINMAN -- I love the ghostfacers and I liked this a lot. Wonder what Edlund thinks?
:D :D :D •   9.16 Blade Runners -- the ep with Magnus is my favorite of the season wow. The scene where Dean is all snarly with the blade in his hand. wo.
:D    •   9.17 Mother's Little Helper -- Josey and Henry yay!!! Want so much more of them. Want Avengers Steed/Peel style Henry/Josey spinoff. Want! Sad that Dean was just hanging around jonesing for the blade.
:D •   9.18 Meta Fiction -- grr, argh, it worked tho because I hate Metatron so much.
:D •   9.19 Alex Annie Alexis Ann -- Yay Jody! I liked this one a lot because of the Stockholm aspect.
:) •   9.20 Bloodlines -- the Chicago spinoff! wow, taken as an ep, it did kind of suck, didn't it? I was all giving it the benefit of the doubt originally. :P
:D •   9.21 King of the Damned -- Crowley's son Gavin! they kill Abaddon! a momentous ep.
:) •   9.22 Stairway to Heaven -- sad that Tessa kills herself in this ep. Also, wow, Dean lunging for Gadreel! Wo.
:)    •   9.23 Do You Believe in Miracles? -- Happy that Gadreel was able to redeem himself, but also, now Dean has demon eyes!! what will happen! a very powerful cliffhanger for s9!!!

AND TOMORROW SPN RETURNS FOR SEASON TEN!!!!!! woot woot!

A bit of an uneven season again. Several good ones, several mediocre ones. Overall, a bumpy arc as it transitions from recovery from Dean's year in Purgatory, to closing the gates of Hell. And then they don't. Hmm.

:D :D    •   8.01 We Need to Talk About Kevin
-- Dean's femur obsidian blade!
-- resurrecting Benny!! Dean hugs a vampire?!?!
--I think it's interesting that the very first scene between Sam and Amelia explicit showed that they were never going to make it. Yet fans STILL hated it. sigh.
--Dean gets bent out of shape with Sam within a minute of seeing him. And Sam clams up. sigh.
-- I still feel there is a likelihood that demons were involved with masking Kevin's calls from Sam. I know there's nothing in canon about that... but it's just a very persistent headcanon for me -- very similar to how Dean's voicemail to Sammy was changed. Demons do that kind of thing, and they did have motive.
-- Dean's feeling that Purgatory was pure gave me the creeps. I began to worry about Dean. So a good start to the season!!

:D •   8.02 What's Up, Tiger Mommy? Linda Tran, and also Samandriel! Crowley was very cruel in this ep.
:) •   8.03 Heartache -- the one about the ancient athlete. I remember liking it at the time.
:D    •   8.04 Bitten -- this is the found footage ep about werewolves. I really liked it! I don't every ep in 200 to focus solely on Samndean.
:D :D •   8.05 Blood Brother -- Ben Edlund's ep about Vampirates. I liked it a lot! When they were in the nest and Dean was sneaking around... when they had to behead Benny's girlfriend... when they met the very creepy maker -- there were a lot of good moments.
o_o    •   8.06 Southern Comfort - -a pretty good ep with Garth. Dean is a little heavy handed with the grudge, but at least he refrains from shooting Sam.
   •   8.07 A Little Slice of Kevin -- torturing Samandriel was horrible. The stuff about Naomi and Castiel was compelling... Linda Tran was amazing in every ep. One thing I notice is that they were trying to balance flashbacks to Purgatory with flashbacks to Amelia. The main effect was to slow and dilute the first half of the season. Especially with Amelia, it didn't work like they wanted it to.
o_o •   8.08 Hunteri Heroici -- an okay ep but strangely inconsequential?
:D •   8.09 Citizen Fang -- I liked this one a lot. I liked Benny's somewhat desperate attempt to rebond with his descendent. And Martin's crazed mission to stop him. I'm fully on Benny's side for this ep.
   •   8.10 Torn and Frayed -- I hated the torture of Samandriel like wow. D: also:
"The brothers have chosen hunting and each other over Benny and Amelia." Yes, that took way too long, and also, it has been my longterm peeve of Sam and Dean believing they need to "choose" between having actual lives and each other. Every so often a friend needs you, you can go to them --epecially if they saved your life!! So I didn't think Dean needed to "give up" Benny -- and then of course -- he needed him again, and Benny made the ultimate sacrifice. Benny was a true friend. With Amelia, I feel like as soon as Don re-entered the picture, Sam should make his polite exit. You know, he could secretly plan to look in on her later just in case it didn't work out ultimately with Don? But you have to let a husband and wife try to rebuild their marriage...
:D :D :D    •   8.11 LARP and the Real Girl -- so happy with the return of Charlie, and the Boys in Moondor.
:D :D :D •   8.12 As Time Goes By   -- I loved the introduction of Josey and Abaddon and Henry. I love Henry so much. The Geekiest Winchester ever. I like pondering the idea that the Winchesters all along were the geeky ones and the Campbells were the serious asskickers (including Mary). Campbells are largely Slytherins, while Winchesters are largely Ravenclaws!!!
:D :D :D :D    •   8.13 Everybody Hates Hitler -- one of my very top all time favorites. the golem! the Nazis! the kid! I loved every minute of it. Hal Linden!!!!! so awesome. thanks, Ben Edlund, you're the best!!! Plus this ep introduces the Bunker, which is pretty awesome.
:D •   8.14 Trial and Error -- the one where Sam kills the hellhound. I liked the crazy family and Ellie in this ep. Probably should write a tag about Ellie...
:D •   8.15 Man's Best Friend with Benefits -- tons of folks hated this ep. I'm not gonna argue, I'll just say, that I remember it very clearly and liked it a lot. It went a ways towards showing witches in a more positive light, or at least that they are not one unified homogenous group, and I always like that. I also liked that the relationship between the witch James and the familiar Portia made the other people in their cohort uncomfortable, and yet they perseverered despite that prejudice. I liked that Portia defended her relationship with James, and refused to let outside perspectives define who they were to each other. ... I also liked that the ep portrayed a kind of dom/sub dynamic in a positive light, with both parties being sympathetic.
o_o    •   8.16 Remember the Titans -- I do not remember this at all.
:)    •   8.17 Goodbye Stranger -- the most memorable thing about this ep was the death of Meg. I still wish they would bring her back. Loved Meg by the end.
:) •   8.18 Freaks and Geeks -- bad Hunter school. A good concept.
:D    •   8.19 Taxi Driver -- I was glad Sam got Bobby out of hell. also I pitied Benny. a good ep.
:D :D    •   8.20 Pac-Man Fever -- a very good ep. I love Charlie.
:)    •   8.21 The Great Escapist -- ugh, Metatron. He was a very hatable villain from the beginning.
:)    •   8.22 Clip Show -- Crowley killed Tommy Collins! and Sarah Blake!!    that is bad.
:) •   8.23 Sacrifice -- then Crowley threatens Jody!! onoz!!
At the church, Dean promises to love Sammy forever.    Sam quits the trial. All the angels fall.

I do not remember s7 well, I didn't rewatch it with the fervor I had for previous seasons. My overall feeling was that things were just too dire, the boys were losing everything, and their situation was too awful for me.
Looking over these titles, I don't even recognize them! But I will go to superwiki and figure it out. Prepare for meh faces....
:)    •   7.01 Meet the New Boss -- I don't remember this very clearly at all, except when Cas goes on his Wrathful God rampage. and I like the stained glass window of him.

:D :D :D    •   7.02 Hello, Cruel World -- oh, I liked this one quite a lot, thanks Edlund! First of all, tons of Hallucifer! It was really quite upsetting and scary to have Lucifer kidnap Sam like that.    Second, the awesome way that Dean says "I'm stone one." Oh yeah. Third, Cas dissolving in the lake and Dean being all broken hearted about his trench coat. PLUS, JODY MILLS being super badass in the hospital!!! The great quotes:
Dean: Whoa! Sam! This discussion does not require a weapons discharge! -- this made me howl. :D
Dean: I am your flesh-and-blood brother, okay? I'm the only one who can legitimately kick your ass in real time. ...You gotta believe me. You've gotta make it stone number one and build on it.

:D    •   7.03 The Girl Next Door -- I liked this a lot. Bonus Jewel Staite!!! I was very disappointed with Dean for killing her.
o_o •   7.04 Defending Your Life -- even tho Jo was in this, I hardly remember it.
:D    •   7.05 Shut Up, Dr. Phil -- I kind of liked this, if only for Spike and Cordelia. I liked the way Sam and Dean were outclassed by the witches. I feel like SPN can't get their story straight on what witches are or why they have powers. It's like some have made a deal and some have innate powers, which Bothers me.
:D    •   7.06 Slash Fiction -- I like Jody working with Bobby in this one, and Frank, and the fake Leviathan samndeans.
o_o •   7.07 The Mentalists -- nope, nothing.
D: •   7.08 Season Seven, Time for a Wedding! -- actively hate what they did to Becky in this story. I like that she repents and does the right thing in the end, but it was very wrong to make her so desperate and stupid. DID NOT LIKE. My least favorite ep of all time. Boo, Dabb and Loflin. They sometimes annoy me very much.
:D •   7.09 How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters -- this has the excellent moment with the Turducken sandwich at Biggerson's and the horrible moment when Bobby was shot. I was on the edge of my seat. Wah!
:D :D •   7.10 Death's Door -- Sera Gamble's amazing backstory for Bobby. win.
:D •   7.11 Adventures in Babysitting -- liked Krissy a lot. Also like Frank.
:D :D :D •   7.12 Time After Time -- you could hear my squee for MILES. I had a huge crush on Alex Krycek. Plus, bonus Jason Dohring, (the adorable Bad Boy Logan Echolls who knew Jo when she was Meg. :P) This flipped my flipper way more than the one in the old west, which actually Bothered me because they killed the Phoenix for no good reason. Also, Sam and Jody get to work together! Good job, Robbie Thompson.
o_o •   7.13 The Slice Girls -- didn't work for me.
o_o •   7.14 Plucky Pennywhistle's Magical Menagerie -- Dabb and Loflin's particular brand of meh.
:D    •   7.15 Repo Man -- Edlund. I found this one really chilling, and I liked the Wiccan woman. The mystery of what was going on actually worked for me ( I usually figure that sort of thing out pretty quick).
o_o    •   7.16 Out with the Old -- no memory.
:D :D :D •   7.17 The Born-Again Identity -- the triumphant return of Meg, and Cas, and poor Sam going mad but still being an awesome Hunter. Loved it. Good job, Sera.
0_0 •   7.18 Party On, Garth -- I like Garth, and Mr Fizzles, but this didn't do a lot for me.
0_0    •   7.19 Of Grave Importance -- I can almost remember this one.
:D :D :D    •   7.20 The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo CHARLIEEEEEE!!! yay , Robbie Thompson!
:D •   7.21 Reading Is Fundamental -- not my most favorite Meg and Cas ep, but yay Kevin!
:D •   7.22 There Will Be Blood - Dabb and Loflin write a good line: Dean: I can't do this, man. I can't live on rabbit food. I'm a warrior!   ... I liked going to the Alpha Vampire, and how Bobby started to show signs of vengeance.
:D :D •   7.23 Survival of the Fittest -- I really loved how this ep ended, with Sam just confused and bereft. I will never understand how people didn't get what that did to him. Sera went out with a bang.

:D :D •   6.01 Exile on Main St. - I liked this a whole lot. Because on the one hand, I totally ship Dean/Lisa. but on the other hand, Dean is so miserable. I like the symmetry with the Djinn ep, because this is the life that the original djinn thought Dean wanted. And then of course Sam is alive! but off! and there are Campbells! including Gwen! and Parker Lewis and Assistant Director Skinner! much was to love about this ep.
o_o •   6.02 Two and a Half Men -- even tho this had Dean and Sam taking care of a baby, it didn't stick with me.
:) •   6.03 The Third Man -- here is the introduction of Balthazar and the Heavenly weapons. I like Balthazar a lot. Amoral Angel is good.
:D :D •   6.04 Weekend at Bobby's -- I like this ep with Bobby and Jody, and the peach cobbler lady. I esp. like that Jensen directed -- good job Mr. Ackles!
:D •   6.05 Live Free or Twihard -- Watching Sam watch Dean get turned was ouch! and then Dean went to Lisa, and then couldn't bear it. So much amazing stuff in this ep.
:) •   6.06 You Can't Handle the Truth -- the Veritas ep, which I liked.
:) •   6.07 Family Matters -- lot of great arc moments in this one, with the Vampire Alpha, who I really liked, and Crowley, and Christian.
:)    •   6.08 All Dogs Go to Heaven -- I feel sorry for dog Lucky.
:D :D •   6.09 Clap Your Hands If You Believe... -=- I really liked the wacky tone of this one, with Dean fighting the fairies and Soulless Sam being so blunt.
:D •   6.10 Caged Heat -- this is good because it is when Meg begins to become an ally. What a wild transformation, of a purely evil villain from way back, who becomes both sympathetic and an ally. Pretty cool.
:D :D •   6.11 Appointment in Samarra -- An excellent ep with Dean who is not cool with being Death. Also, he does try to save his half brother Adam... plus there is bonus Tessa!
:D •   6.12 Like a Virgin -- the good part is Dr. Visyak, and the dragon is cool, but I never liked "the mother" urgh, ancient plot device
:) •   6.13 Unforgiven -- this is when Sam remembers what he did while soulless. It was pretty effective ep.
:) •   6.14 Mannequin 3: The Reckoning -- one of the talks between Dean and Lisa that shows they respect each other as adults -- one of the best things about their relationship --even tho Ben tricked Dean into showing up. Also I think Mannequins are super scary.
:D :D :D •   6.15 The French Mistake -- crazy and awesome. I love the idea of the pocket universes that Angels can create, and the weird characteristics that everyone takes on in the crazy world. I like that sort of thing.
:)    •   6.16 ...And Then There Were None -- more about Eve, which I don't care, but also, Rufus, which I do.
:D    •   6.17 My Heart Will Go On -- I loved this one, with Ellen being brought back, and Atropos, who I really liked. Great concept, and tied into the whole Souls deal.
:D •   6.18 Frontierland -- I liked their escapade in the Old West, but didn't really approve of them killing the phoenix just for the ashes. So, plus and minus!
:)    •   6.19 Mommy Dearest -- still don't care about Eve, but kind of like the Jefferson Starships.
:) •   6.20 The Man Who Would Be King -- the Castiel centric ep, which I thought was pretty good.
:)    •   6.21 Let It Bleed -- this is the one where Dean makes the Terrible Mistake of wiping Lisa's memory. I hardly remember anything else about the ep, but it is too sad.
:)    •   6.22 The Man Who Knew Too Much -- I really like the "Jacob's Ladder" aspect of this ep for Sam... the way he is running through his fate in his dreams. But one thing I must admit -- when Castiel made his dramatic revelation about being God? I just laughed out loud and didn't care for the rest of the summer. Something about the tone was off for me...

It wasn't that I didn't like this ep... but I wasn't super in love with it either. Still, there were some great eps too!

I have to say I am really enjoying this exercise -- by the time I'm done I'll have a complete rating of the whole show! woot woot!!! thanks for all your comments, I am so glad people are enjoying this. :D

:D :D :D    5.01 Sympathy for the Devil -- lucifer, Nick, Becky -- wow what an intro!! I love Becky btw, and Nick was so heartbreaking.
:D :D   •   5.02 Good God, Y'All -- this has one of my favorite scenes -- where Dean and Ellen sit down to strategize. Awesome scene.
:D   •   5.03 Free to Be You and Me -- the part that hit me the hardest was when they force ged Sam the blood. how horrifying!
:D :D : D: D   •   5.04 The End -- one of the best eps ever. Jensen should have gotten an Emmy for that. Also, Misha rocked, and kind of revealed his true colors. Plus, Samifer!!! So much awesome.
:)   •   5.05 Fallen Idols -- it was a silly ep.
:D   •   5.06 I Believe the Children Are Our Future - possibly the biggest pothole ever left open by SPN, Jesse the cambion.    Loved the Cas figure (I would totally buy a Cas figure even if it didn't turn back into Cas) and the extremely creepy tooth fairy.
:)   •   5.07 The Curious Case of Dean Winchester -- I totally have this mixed up in my mind with Kriss Angel. Hm.
:D :D :D :D   •   5.08 Changing Channels -- one of my top ten eps. I love the funny ones.
:D :D   •   5.09 The Real Ghostbusters - this ep was not perfect but there was much to love. I enjoyed that the two guys were partners. I enjoyed Chuck at the con. Becky was a little whack, but I've always liked her, so I don't mind as much.
:D :D :D   •   5.10 Abandon All Hope... can anyone watch this ep without crying their eyes out???? a crazy strong ep. Thank you once again Edlund.
:D   •   5.11 Sam, Interrupted -- Martin was interesting, and also the Pudding moment, but the overall story also worked for me.
:)   •   5.12 Swap Meat -- I've heard a lot of hate for this ep, but I liked it okay.
:D   •   5.13 The Song Remains the Same -- I loved meeting young Mary and John again... but sad that Michael killed Anna
:D   •   5.14 My Bloody Valentine -- another horseman -- plus Cupid -- which I primarily liked because it shows that John and Mary were intentionally thrown together by the Angels. o_O
:D :D   •   5.15 Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid -- bobby's wife!! Sheriff Jody!!! few
:D :D :D   •   5.16 Dark Side of the Moon -- top favorite for too many reasons
o_o   •   5.17 99 Problems -- this I did not care for. But it does have Lisa. ...
:D   •   5.18 Point of No Return -- very much about the arc, but with some great moments.
:D :D   •   5.19 Hammer of the Gods -- I like this because of Gabriel. I wonder what Richard Speight thinks of having played a character who was pretending to be Loki?? does anyone think that Gabriel actually did become Tricksters, like Loki?? how would that work?
o_O   •   5.20 The Devil You Know -- surprised to learn that this is the Edlund ep I remember nothing about. ha!
:D   •   5.21 Two Minutes to Midnight -- this has the amazing first appearance of Death, and has to rule for that reason alone.
:D :D :D   •   5.22 Swan Song -- Kripke's magnum opus. An ep of amazing perfection.

Season Three was one of my favorite seasons, probably because it was the first one I was watching live. According to my somewhat faulty memory, I came in on SPN at some time during the summer after s2, and bought the DVDs, and started up with s3. I'm not sure, but that's what I think. It took me a long time before I started with an LJ, and that was in November 2007, so that matches up. :)

:) •   3.01 The Magnificent Seven -- I kind of liked this because of Tamara and Isaac being married Hunters. I also had the impression that the show was harsher beginning with this ep, but I'm not sure why.
:D •   3.02 The Kids Are Alright -- LISA BRAEDEN. Also I liked the changeling. Freaky kids are freaky.
:D    •   3.03 Bad Day at Black Rock -- Love the bad luck. So much fun in this ep.
:)    •   3.04 Sin City -- I liked learning the demons' perspective on Lucifer for the first time. Casey the bartender and Dean trapped together was pretty awesome.
o_o    •   3.05 Bedtime Stories: I think I found this one a little clunky even tho overall I liked it.
:) •   3.06 Red Sky at Morning: I actually like Bela and the awkward dinner party
:)    •   3.07 Fresh Blood -- Gordon! and Kubrick! this was a very scary ep in a lot of ways, not least because Sam is so afraid he'd not going to be able to save Dean.
:D    •   3.08 A Very Supernatural Christmas -- um yes, I liked this one a lot. The samulet!!!!! the eggnog! the skanky Santa! The old gods! the Krampus!
:)    •   3.09 Malleus Maleficarum -- I was one of the one who didn't mind this.
:) •   3.10 Dream a Little Dream of Me -- I liked this. I like having to fight inside dreams. And LISA.
:D :D :D •   3.11 Mystery Spot -- Of course, one of the best eps of all time.
:D :D :D •   3.12 Jus in Bello -- I loved this. It has one of my favorite moments, when Sam looms to protect Dean. It took me so long to warm up to Sam, and that's the moment I loved him and became bi-Bro. :D Plus, I shot the sheriff!!! best Dean joke ever.
:D :D •   3.13 Ghostfacers -- Yeah, I love the Ghostfacers. I've watched this many times.
o_o •   3.14 Long-Distance Call -- weirdly enough this one didn't grab me.
:) •   3.15 Time Is on My Side -- ever since Brisco County Jr., that guy Billy Drago has been the voice of creepy in my head. He was also a Creepy West Virginian on the XFiles ): So this one was a win for me.
:D :D •   3.16 No Rest for the Wicked -- creepy little girl Lilith! so creepy!! just like a twilight zone!! and then Dean was on MEATHOOKS. Of all the season finales, this is the one that tried to destroy me. Wah! I can still hear poor Dean crying out, SAM!!!
oh my broken heart!!