shinysylver (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
shinysylver) wrote2015-06-27 08:40 pm
shinysylver) wrote2015-06-27 08:40 pm
Supernatural Rewatch - 1.14, 1.15, 1.16, & 1.17
Date watched: Saturday, June 27
Episode: 1.14 Nightmare, 1.15 The Benders, 1.16 Shadow, 1.17 Hell House
Nightmare is extremely important to the overarching plot. It delves more into Sam’s mysterious powers and also introduces us to another one of the chosen kids who has powers and a history with Azazel.
For me personally, what stands out most about this episode is the way Dean tries so hard to put on a brave confident face despite his clear concern about what’s happening to Sam (Jensen does a great job acting here). Dean’s assertion that he’s the thing that Sam has that Max didn’t is actually extremely true. I know that Dean is mostly just trying to reassure Sam, but their brotherly bond and deep concern for each other really is what keeps Sam stable unlike the other chosen kids.
The other thing that this episode really starts to emphasize is the different way Sam and Dean approach hunting. Dean sees things in very clear cut black and white ways which usually leads him to push for killing the monster or in this case the supernaturally enhanced human. Sam on the other hand tries to see the humanity in all the monsters whether they are human or not—largely because he relates and is afraid he’s a monster now. It’s a conflict that recurs on a regular basis.
In every science fiction and fantasy show similar to Supernatural there comes a moment when they have an episode that strips the genre conceits away. For Supernatural that is The Benders an episode without any supernatural elements at all that shows that you don’t have to be inhuman to be a monster.
The episode is mostly a stand alone but it does have some nice character moments. I appreciate seeing Dean clearly articulate the responsibility he feels to keep Sam safe. He tells the deputy sheriff (who by the way was a pretty awesome character herself) that he’s felt that way ever since they were children.
Shadow is another plot heavy episode. Meg returns and reveals herself as a major villain. Her plan to draw John Winchester out by using Sam and Dean works and the audience gets to see the family reunion that the whole season has been building to. The episode also attempts to show that it is too dangerous for the whole family to hunt together, therefore explaining why their Dad keeps his distance.
One of the interesting things about this episode is that our heroes don’t win. Meg and her pet demons keep them on the run and surviving is as good as they manage. I enjoy the occasional episode like this because it really ups the stakes.
This episode also breaks my heart when Dean tries to explain to Sam that he just wants their family back together again. That’s all he wants unlike Sam who has perfectly reasonable goals like school and a career.
Hell House is a really good example of a good stand alone episode from the early part of the series. It has the right balance of humor and horror to really showcase the strengths of the show. The prank war between Sam and Dean is so much fun and the Tulpa is an interesting creature. It’s an all around good episode.
Random thoughts:
-Nightmare is the episode with the infamous priest outfits that end up in all the clip shows and fanvids.
-In Nightmare, Sam actually takes a moment to appreciate his father which is quite a character moment for him. Of course realizing that his father wasn’t as bad as a violent, drunk, child beater isn’t really saying a whole lot.
-In so many episodes Dean practically crams food into his mouth. It’s amazing that Jensen doesn’t make himself sick considering how many takes he probably has.
-The Torchwood episode Countrycide is extremely similar to The Benders, but I will point out that The Benders aired months earlier.
-It’s fun to see all the costumes our boys wear this season. They mostly just stick with feds in later seasons.
-In Shadow, Dean must have magically connected those blood dots because it looked nothing like the symbol he supposedly saw in it.
-Hell House introduced us to the Ghost Facers (under a different name) for the first time and its bizarre to think about how often they’ve recurred since then. Unless I’m mistaken they’re still out there alive somewhere ready to pop up again.
Episode: 1.14 Nightmare, 1.15 The Benders, 1.16 Shadow, 1.17 Hell House
Nightmare is extremely important to the overarching plot. It delves more into Sam’s mysterious powers and also introduces us to another one of the chosen kids who has powers and a history with Azazel.
For me personally, what stands out most about this episode is the way Dean tries so hard to put on a brave confident face despite his clear concern about what’s happening to Sam (Jensen does a great job acting here). Dean’s assertion that he’s the thing that Sam has that Max didn’t is actually extremely true. I know that Dean is mostly just trying to reassure Sam, but their brotherly bond and deep concern for each other really is what keeps Sam stable unlike the other chosen kids.
The other thing that this episode really starts to emphasize is the different way Sam and Dean approach hunting. Dean sees things in very clear cut black and white ways which usually leads him to push for killing the monster or in this case the supernaturally enhanced human. Sam on the other hand tries to see the humanity in all the monsters whether they are human or not—largely because he relates and is afraid he’s a monster now. It’s a conflict that recurs on a regular basis.
In every science fiction and fantasy show similar to Supernatural there comes a moment when they have an episode that strips the genre conceits away. For Supernatural that is The Benders an episode without any supernatural elements at all that shows that you don’t have to be inhuman to be a monster.
The episode is mostly a stand alone but it does have some nice character moments. I appreciate seeing Dean clearly articulate the responsibility he feels to keep Sam safe. He tells the deputy sheriff (who by the way was a pretty awesome character herself) that he’s felt that way ever since they were children.
Shadow is another plot heavy episode. Meg returns and reveals herself as a major villain. Her plan to draw John Winchester out by using Sam and Dean works and the audience gets to see the family reunion that the whole season has been building to. The episode also attempts to show that it is too dangerous for the whole family to hunt together, therefore explaining why their Dad keeps his distance.
One of the interesting things about this episode is that our heroes don’t win. Meg and her pet demons keep them on the run and surviving is as good as they manage. I enjoy the occasional episode like this because it really ups the stakes.
This episode also breaks my heart when Dean tries to explain to Sam that he just wants their family back together again. That’s all he wants unlike Sam who has perfectly reasonable goals like school and a career.
Hell House is a really good example of a good stand alone episode from the early part of the series. It has the right balance of humor and horror to really showcase the strengths of the show. The prank war between Sam and Dean is so much fun and the Tulpa is an interesting creature. It’s an all around good episode.
Random thoughts:
-Nightmare is the episode with the infamous priest outfits that end up in all the clip shows and fanvids.
-In Nightmare, Sam actually takes a moment to appreciate his father which is quite a character moment for him. Of course realizing that his father wasn’t as bad as a violent, drunk, child beater isn’t really saying a whole lot.
-In so many episodes Dean practically crams food into his mouth. It’s amazing that Jensen doesn’t make himself sick considering how many takes he probably has.
-The Torchwood episode Countrycide is extremely similar to The Benders, but I will point out that The Benders aired months earlier.
-It’s fun to see all the costumes our boys wear this season. They mostly just stick with feds in later seasons.
-In Shadow, Dean must have magically connected those blood dots because it looked nothing like the symbol he supposedly saw in it.
-Hell House introduced us to the Ghost Facers (under a different name) for the first time and its bizarre to think about how often they’ve recurred since then. Unless I’m mistaken they’re still out there alive somewhere ready to pop up again.