#spn s1

SPN S1 Review

I honestly have no idea if this post is about to be hella long or moderate, but I feel like a lot of my feelings got aired out when I was reviewing each individual episode, so I’m just gonna dump the rest of my thoughts that I’ve jotted down while watching this season here. This is basically gonna be me saying, “Wow, this was interesting,” or, “This is similar to/different from later seasons because…” These are all coming from notes on my computer, so they’re half-baked. Nothing too fancy or analytical, but I’ll be doing one of these for every season.

Random thoughts:

• I don’t like the monster-of-the-week, episodic format that much, and a lot of those episodes this season felt average in quality for me. However, when you don’t have much else to focus on besides an arbitrary goal of the boys finding John to kill something they know nothing about, it isn’t so bad. Filler episodes suck more later because they’re often completely disconnected from the main story, which isn’t the case for most filler episodes in this season. Plus, the main stories later have more involved goals for the season than this one did, which made the filler episodes later more annoying. For example, if Sam and Dean want to hunt a Tulpa at a haunted house because John is off doing something somewhere, that’s fine. Kill the time. But if Sam and Dean really need to figure out a way to kill God, like, now before Chuck decimates every fleck of existence he’s ever created, maybe don’t waste my time with an episode about a wood nymph, you know? If the stakes are higher, then the quality episodes shouldn’t appear with less frequency. All I’m saying.
• The tone, acting, and writing of these characters is so different. Like, when you know a show intimately, these kinds of differences between one season and the next are natural to you. It’s not like I wasn’t aware that the boys looking for their father feels a lot fucking different than the boys having a kid, but when you actually let yourself be aware of how much the show has changed, it’s kind of crazy. Like, if I just think about it offhand, I’m like, “Yeah, this is Supernatural.” But if I break the fourth wall a bit in my mind, it’s like, “Damn, I really did watch these characters and their actors mature for fifteen years, didn’t I?” Crazy.
  
• There are so many episodes that end with the Impala driving down the road. Like, an aerial shot of it. And if the very last scene isn’t that, then it’s probably the scene right before the last scene. Until the last few episodes, that is.
  
• I don’t know why I’ve written this down, but it’s easier to remember episode titles in season one because you can match it to the creature without having to remember the plot. Like, “Oh, the Wendigo episode.” I’ve also said in this same note that the folklore plots died out later on in the series, which is true.
  
• A quote from my notes: “The show really does feel better with Cas, huh?” Look, I’m not gonna say that the S1 finale didn’t slap, because it did. However, I will say that Cas can brighten any episode up, so, had he been in the series from the beginning, the season finale may not have been the only S1 episode to slap. Not that there weren’t other episodes that were good, but you know. Also, this isn’t to say that Cas should’ve been around the whole time because him coming into Dean’s life when he did was exactly perfect.
  
• They do this later, too, but a handful of episodes in the early seasons will be like, “Here’s a girl. Now, one of you Winchesters, go bond with her this instant.” And it’s weird? You don’t need to bring a girl in just to make googly eyes at one of the boys? You could just give her the story she was supposed to have but minus all the flirting?
  
• So, Sam is meant to be the central character for the first five seasons, right? Yes, Dean is supposed to be his equal; yes, he went to Hell and had that whole storyline; yes, he’s Michael’s vessel, but it was always reallyabout Sam, you know? Sam was the one who had the connection to the biggest, baddest thing imaginable (at the time), that being Lucifer. Sam was the one chosen for Lucifer. Sam was the one with the psychic abilities and the one to drink demon blood and the reason Dean sold his soul. Dean is obviously a main character with his own story, but Sam was meant to be the special one, yeah? But even so, Dean is such a beautifully complex character becausehe wasn’t special. You can see that, even in S1—that his specialness came from his lack of central focus. It’s almost like the plot was saying, “Sam,” and Dean went, “I’m gonna cause problems anyway,” and that’s awesome. I don’t know if that makes sense, but I just feel like Dean is the most interesting character in the entire series, and he wasn’t even the one S1 picked out as special.
  
• Sam’s psychic abilities seemed a lot cooler when you didn’t know as much about them. Like, yes, Sam having those abilities for the purpose of housing Lucifer is cool and all, but it felt so much more mystical when it just seemed like something Sam could do for some reason. Not that that would’ve been a better payoff than what we get—it’d be stupid for the story to say, “I know a demon chose you to be the vessel of Lucifer himself, but the psychic thing you can do? Just a coincidence”—but it’s some food for thought.
  
• John is barely fucking there even though his existence permeates the entire fucking season. I thought he was so much more present than he was in this series. They treated him like they treated Cas. “We said his name a few times, that’s good right?” No. No, it isn’t.
  
• I hate the pattern the episodes have in S1. It goes: location name, bad thing happens in said location, Sam and Dean talk about said thing, they go to said location, they research and maybe flirt with some random girl, they fight, they drive away in the Impala. Like, nearly every episode is like that.
  
• Without demons in the mix that often, the tone of S1 is really different when you compare it to every other season.
  
• Dean is a lot more emotionally vulnerable in this season. I mean, he’s not sitting down with Sam to talk about his feelings all the time, but his emotions are definitely closer to the surface. I think a lot of it has to do with the fact that he hasn’t had to emotionally shut down to protect Sam yet. Obviously, he represses things because of the way he was raised, and because he had to raise Sam; however, he still had John to lean on at this point. So, he hadn’t developed that habit of hiding his feelings and leaning on no one but himself yet as he did when he lost John. Because of that, he was able to be scared and tell Sam that he was afraid of losing his family and stuff like that. He becomes a way darker character in after John dies, and he more or less only leans fully on one other person for the rest of the series, albeit in a different way.
  
• John saying in 1x21 that he wants Dean to have a home after Azazel is killed is the saddest thing I’ve ever heard. For one, because John is aware that he deprived Dean of a real home, and by extension, is aware that Dean is damaged because of that. But also, it’s sad because Dean has lived 26 years of his life up until now without ever having a home he felt safe and loved in.
  
• Dean running from a potential fight with Azazel in 1x22 is super interesting because he’s fighting to be a part of his family rather than simply fighting for them to be saved. Dean doesn’t want to die, isn’t willing to die. That’s something that definitely changes later. Big time.
  

Filler episode rate:

By my count, which admittedly might be wrong, there were 7 episodes that were primarily main story episodes this season and 15 monster-of-the-week/filler episodes. 

Now, in the early seasons, it isn’t as easy to separate the filler from the main story because almost every episode will deal with character conflict that’s tied to what’s going on with the main story. However, I called it a filler if the primary plot was just a random hunt. For example, I called “Scarecrow” a filler because, even though Meg was introduced after Sam and Dean have a big fight, the main plot is hunting a god.

My bottom 5 episodes in order:

These next two sections are based on my ratings of these episodes from my reviews of every episode. I’ve just ordered them, with one being my least favorite/favorite episode this season.

5.) 1x07: Hook Man

4.) 1x03: Dead in the Water

3.) 1x02: Wendigo

2.) 1x13: Route 666

1.) 1x08: Bugs

My top 5 episodes in order:

5.) 1x14: Nightmare

4.) 1x06: Skin

3.) 1x15: The Benders

2.) 1x21: Salvation

1.) 1x22: Devil’s Trap

My top episodes for Sam:

This section and the next will just be me bringing up some good points of development for Sam and Dean throughout this season. I mean, of course they develop almost all the time, but these episodes are some of the best/most interesting. At least, in my opinion. If you want to read more about my reasons, check out my reviews. Just search for “spn s1 reviews” on my blog.

• 1x05: Bloody Mary - Sam’s psychic abilities got alluded to for the first time during this episode, but it also told us how much Sam blamed himself for Jessica’s death.
• 1x10: Asylum - Sam’s resentment for Dean is voiced, and though he’s under the influence of a ghost while he talks about Dean, some of it is supported by development in other episodes this season.
• 1x14: Nightmare - Sam bonds with Max over their shared abilities and pasts. We also get to see that Sam initially related his own trauma when growing up to Max’s, even though he acknowledged that Max had it worse at the end. It’s an interesting point of development that Sam saw his upbringing that way.
• 1x19: Provenance - Through Sarah being a part of this episode, Sam reveals that he sees himself as dangerous because the abilities he has has put the people he loves in danger in the past.
• 1x21: Salvation - Sam reveals that he’s willing to die, and by extension, risk his family to get the job of killing Azazel done.
• 1x22: Devil’s Trap - Sam has to choose between losing his family through getting his revenge or losing his chance at revenge to save his family.

My top episodes for Dean:

• 1x06: Skin - Dean’s abandonment issues are touched on for the first time.
• 1x09: Home - Dean shows fear when faced with returning home and dealing with the trauma of what he went through the night Mary died.
• 1x12: Faith - This is the first episode that we see a serious internal conflict in Dean about the worth of his life, which is interesting, because we can see in later episodes that he doesn’t want to die. However, his attitude in this episode seems to suggest that he doesn’t see his life as valuable.
• 1x18: Something Wicked - Honestly, this isn’t my favorite episode in the world, but it’s the first flashback episode of the series; in it, you’ll see the reason behind Dean’s feelings of responsibility regarding Sam.
• 1x21: Salvation - Dean insists that nobody will die to kill Azazel, showing that he wants to be a part of his family rather than just saving them.
• 1x22: Devil’s Trap - Dean shows a darker side of himself in an attempt to get John back, and his fears of being unneeded by his family are revealed as well as his fears of losing his family.

Well, that’s all I’ve got for this season’s review. I’ll rate this season in my series review that I’ll write once all this is over, but my impressions right now are that the first season of Supernaturalwas all right. It didn’t necessarily walk in a straight line, but it still felt like there was a definite destination. And, on top of that, the season ended in one of the most banger ways an SPN season has ever ended. The monster-of-the-week stuff has made most of the episodes this season ones I would probably not revisit, but S1 is definitely still special. 

We’ll see if this changes later, but for now, my rating (and average, based on my ratings in my reviews) for S1 is ★★★☆☆.

1x22: Devil’s Trap
Rating: ★★★★★

Lookhere for my explanations of these reviews.

Written by: Eric Kripke

Directed by: Kim Manners

Y’all, Alpha Dean showed upin this episode! Here I was thinking that this version of Dean didn’t show up until after John died, but I guess it just became permanent then because damn. Also, Bobby’s here, yay!

What I liked: All of it, dog. Can you believe this my first 5 out of 5 in the series? I’ll talk about Dean down below, but holy shit, Jensen? Alpha Dean wasn’t the only thing to come out in this episode; so did Jensen’s Oscar. Actually, fuck that, allthe acting in this episode was so insane? Not the least of which is because Azazel!John is like Negan on crack. I’m just going to end up talking about the characters, so I’m moving on.

What I didn’t like: That Azazel hurt Dean’s feelings? That Dean has to be put through so much shit? That John couldn’t have been a better father before this episode basically sentenced him to death in 2x01? That Sam was forced to lose his chance at revenge because he didn’t want to break up his family? That this episode hurt me?

There’s nothing wrong with this episode, for real. I can’t think of anything at all.

Character work: Where do I begin this essay? Honestly, and this isn’t just me being biased, most of the development was Dean’s. This episode was very much about Dean being absolutely terrified to lose his father, his family. In the beginning, when he was interrogating Meg, the rage he had literally set me back because it was so present in every gesture Dean made and every word he spoke. It’s so fascinating that Dean both ran away from the fight and ran toward it during this episode. Dean wanted to get John back before facing Azazel, but he was ready to walk into Hell to get him. And the tortured expression he has when he’s talking about the lack of remorse he feels for killing a possessed human is such a harrowing foreshadow of what he’ll feel in S4. 

I also loved the acknowledgement that Dean holds his family together because that role kind of gets passed to Sam by the later seasons, even though everyone still gathers around Dean. Maybe it’s just that Sam holds Dean together so Dean can hold everyone else together. That acknowledgement comes during an episode, too, where Sam is compared to John; this mention of Dean protecting his family shows a way in which he’s like Mary. Plus, on top of all that, his greatest fears are exposed by Azazel: that his family doesn’t need him as much as he needs them, that Dean will lose his family, despite all his efforts. The shit they did with Dean this episode is something else. Some of the best development I’ve seen come out of this show.

Favorite scene: I know this is kind of a cop out because the scene was, like, a full six minutes long, but the scene where Azazel is taunting the boys before he leaves John’s body is so good. Jeffrey’s acting is so captivating, plus the pain you see on Dean’s face coupled with the confliction on Sam’s when he’s trying to decide if he should kill John or not is next level. Also, the fearthat Dean has when he thinks he’s going to die? Y’all, Dean rarely ever looks thatscared after this point, so relishing it here is where it’s at.

Favorite moment: Weird, but when the Impala gets run off the road. It’s so impactful. I’ve seen my fair share of surprise crashes in TV shows, but after all the build up during this episode, the crash at the end was timed exactlyright. It also scared the shit out of me, even though I knew it was coming.

Iconic quote: “You know, you fight and you fight for this family, but the truth is they don’t need you. Not like you need them. Sam—he’s clearly John’s favorite. Even when they fight, it’s more concern than he’s ever shown you.” That’s pain right there.

This is up there for one of the best SPN season finales. I’m hyped to continue because I’ve got a lot of stuff I’m gonna be looking out for after this episode. I know there are amazing things in the later seasons, but the story just doesn’t poplike it does in this episode.

If you want to read my season review, check it out on my blog.

1x21: Salvation
Rating: ★★★★☆

Lookhere for my explanations of these reviews.

Written by: Sera Gamble & Raelle Tucker

Directed by: Robert Singer

Y’all, this episode is goodand nothing happened in it. Legit, it went like this: a Winchester pow-wow, a demon threat, a Winchester goodbye, John getting fucked, and Sam and Dean sitting in the Impala… with a fire at the end. That’s all, but the dialogue and the intensity? Awesome. Good penultimate episode.

What I liked:Allthe character work, but obviously, I’ll talk about that below. The tone of it was amazing, which is sort of hard to describe, but it had me hooked. I loved that Sam ran at a woman walking with her baby and used, “Your baby is gorgeous, can you please tell me how old she is?” as an opening remark to gauge whether or not she was Azazel’s next target. I also love how that lady didn’t think to say, “Okay, thank you for the compliments, tall, creepy man, please never come near my home again.”

What I didn’t like: I mean, like nothing happened. I really don’t care because it became an episode about the characters themselves, but also, I can’t talk about the episode that easily because there were like two plot points and that’s all. Okay, I’ll give a better answer: probably more should’ve gone down. I know it all comes down in the season finale, but there weren’t any events to hype up what comes next. It just set up for the finale without doing anything particularly exciting. I’m nitpicking, though, because it doesn’t really read as uneventful when you’re watching it.

Character work:IknowJohn is a dick, but this episode is so good for seeing how much he’s willing to change at this point in the story. Is it enough to redeem him? Hell no, not after all he did to the boys and what they had to do to survive. However, would he have tried to change if he’d had enough time? Yeah, and that’s pretty evident in this episode. I love that kind of shit. Also, he said, “I want Dean to have a home,” when he was talking about why he wanted to end things with Azazel so badly, and isn’t that the saddest line you’ve ever heard? Sam’s character bits were all very fatalistic and angry. He thanked Dean for being there for him because he was preparing himself to die to kill the thing that killed Jess because he had so much rage in his heart over what happened to her. That’s tight. 

AndDean, oh my goodness. He is the only one in this entire equation who will not accept that anyone might die to kill this demon. That is so fascinatingto me. It’s not like Dean will ever, in future seasons, be okay with Sam dying. Sure, he’ll let Sam take a swan dive into the Cage with Lucifer, but he’s damn well still going to try to get Sam back. Sure, he’ll let Sam get beat to shit to close the gates of Hell, but not if it’s going to kill him. Sure, he’ll let Sam die so they can escape prison, but only if he’s the one who fulfills Billie’s deal of a dead Winchester afterward. But what’s so different with this episode is that he doesn’t even want himselfto die. That’s so anti-Dean Winchester. Sometimes Dean wants to die, sure, but even when he doesn’t, he’s always willingto die if he has to. This time, though, he wants family, and he’s not gonna let it be anything but all three of them.

Favorite scene: There’s a lot of good Winchester scenes, but I’d say my favorite for this episode was the scene at the end where Sam slams Dean up against the wall after Dean says no one is dying for revenge. It’s very emotional, and it’s got loads of all that good, good character development we see for the boys throughout the entire episode.

Favorite moment: There isn’t really a single moment I can think of since it was a lot of good scenes in their entirety, but if I’m gonna say one, I’ll say the moment when Dean lifts the baby out of her crib and it immediately catches on fire. A pretty close shave, if you ask me.

Iconic quote: “That evil son of a bitch ain’t getting any older than tonight, you understand me?” Again, there’s not really a lot of standalone quotes to pick from in this episode because the script itself is really good, but this one has mid-late seasons Dean energy.

Anyway, I realize I’ve made this episode mostly about Dean with my analysis, and I apologize, but what can I say? I’ve imprinted. I’m ready to finish this season for like the billionth time.

1x20: Dead Man’s Blood
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Lookhere for my explanations of these reviews.

Written by: Cathryn Humphris & John Shiban

Directed by: Tony Wharmby

Nowwe’re getting the real shit going. Actually, everything surrounding the actual plot in this episode was sort of bland unless you’re a first-time-viewer, and then I’m sure the Colt stuff sounded super cool. I mean, it iscool, but not for the third time (which it is, for me).

What I liked: I like that John wasn’t a dick the entire time. I loved that Dean stood up to him and Sam came to understand him a bit better. The vampire getting whacked by the Colt looked cool. That’s all I’m saying here, more below.

What I didn’t like: I get that the boys’ relationship with John is strained, but a couple of the scenes in this episode just felt awkward. Like, to the point that watching it was slightly uncomfortable. Also, the scenes with the vampires in their hideout were completely unnecessary and super boring.

Character notes: I think John’s development this episode is what I enjoyed the most, even though Dean standing up to John was amazing for more than one reason. I know the entire fandom collectively hates John Winchester because of his abusive style of raising his children, and I’m not saying that’s wrong, but this episode did show us that he is aware of it. He knows he did wrong by his boys. How much that matters is up for debate considering he still tried to strongarm them out of helping with Azazel afterward, but I still think this episode had interesting implications for John. Sam understanding his pain and anger, as well, was a step in the right direction. We didn’t get a lot of time with John, so who knows if he really would’ve changed after Azazel was put down or because his boys needed a father, but seeing Sam bond with him through trauma was good.

Favorite scene: It’s probably obvious at this point, but Sam and John’s conversation about Mary’s death and how John raised Sam and Dean.

Favorite moment: I love, love, love the moment right after Dean calls John out on his bullshit of wanting them to stay out of the final fight. It’s toward the end while they’re waiting to trade Kate for the Colt. Both John andSam give Dean this look of surprise that’s so vindicating because neither of them expected Dean to have the bravery to say what he did, and Dean proved them wrong.

Iconic quote: “We’re stronger as a family, Dad. We just are.” This has major try-me-bitch energy coming from Dean, and I stan.

Can I keep it a buck and say that this episode was kind of crap for the 20th episode out of 22? SPN does this later, too, but for them to serve me an average episode right before the season finale in the first season is rude. The character work was good, though, and that’s what matters. At least John is finally here and we can get down to business.

1x19: Provenance
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Lookhere for my explanations of these reviews.

Written by: David Ehrman

Directed by: Phil Sgriccia

This episode has so many little moments I love, honestly. Like Sam slashing through the ghost with a fire poker or Dean trying to break glass with the butt of his gun before realizing he could shoot it. The flirting between Sarah and Sam is super cringy, but we can forgive that.

What I liked: I like that this episode specifically addressed the issue of how Sam is moving on from Jess. Honestly, plot points like that just get dropped in later seasons a lot of the time, so it’s nice that this first season hints at this episode coming up and then tells us throughthis episode what all that’s been about. Dean playing the role of supportive big brother was adorable as well.

What I didn’t like: I didn’t like that it felt as though Sam’s reason for not wanting to start something with Sarah was forced. The whole people-die-around-me thing doesn’t really work when it’s literally only been your mom and your girlfriend. It felt kind of weak, and they could’ve played up his lingering feelings for Jessica instead by saying Sam couldn’t move on from Jess until the demon that killed her was dead. Like, no offense Sam, but come back when you’re Dean Winchester in season 8, hearing from Crowley that the people around you—Cas, Bobby, John, Ellen, Jo, you—end up dead, and then you can tell me that you’re worried for this girl because she might get hurt.

Character work: All that aside, Sam’s development was interesting because it’s development that tells us that Sam sees himself as dangerous at this point. Even though the reason was a bit convoluted, it’s still there. It seems like the beginnings of him hating himself later on due to his abilities, and eventually, his connection to Lucifer. Also, just as an aside, Dean saying, “I don’t know what it’s like to lose somebody like that,” is intriguing because… you’ll learn, buddy. You’ll learn.

No, I am not sorry for making that about Destiel; you should’ve read the rules of these reviews.

Favorite scene: That scene where Dean is gently coaxing an explanation out of Sam for why he’s so resistant to starting something with Sarah is a good scene, and I can’t really explain why except that Dean supporting Sam in this very specific way doesn’t happen all that often. So, it was nice.

Favorite moment: Oh boy, did I have a few, but I think Sam seeing the painting that he and Dean thought they’d destroyed and saying, “Oh my God,” in response is one of the funniest things I’ve seen Sam do.

Iconic quote: “What kind of house doesn’t have salt? Low-sodium freaks.” We love a sassy Sam Winchester.

Honestly, the episode wasn’t phenomenal, but it had a lot of cute or funny moments that made it fun to watch. Even if the flirting was cringy as hell.

1x18: Something Wicked
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Lookhere for my explanations of these reviews.

Written by: Daniel Knauf

Directed by: Whitney Ransick

This is the first flashback episode of the series, boys. It’s also, I think, the only flashback with Jeffrey in it. I’m sure someone is going to tell me that’s wrong, but I remember all the other flashbacks with John in them being some random arm thrown across the back of the front seat of the Impala and nothing else because why would you get Jeffrey Dean Morgan in just to pick up the boys from school or whatever. Anyway.

What I liked: Dean’s character development was pretty nice. It’s one of those things that, as someone who has seen the entire show more than once—I mean, really, the show at all—I know that Dean feels extremely responsible for Sam, so it wasn’t as emotional for me as it probably was the first time. It was nice, though. Sam’s section of this episode was interesting, too, but I’m done talking about character stuff until later.

What I didn’t like: It didn’t really interest me that much, is that bad? Flashback episodes are never interesting to me. Also, the doctor was outed as the Shtriga and then he was never brought up again. Like, it’s kind of weird that they wouldn’t have Hydeker in a more central role, but instead just had him as a weird witch.

Character work: I think what interested me this episode wasn’t entirely Dean’s development but Sam’s. I did find myself pulled in by Dean trying to console Michael by telling him Asher didn’t get sick because of him since that’s not something Dean thought about himself when Sam got attacked by the Shtriga. Plus, it was aggravating to watch him get berated by John in the flashback. Mostly, though, I was watching how Sam received the information that Dean really would do anything for him. I think, as brothers that are constantly putting their lives at risk, Sam knows that Dean has his back, but in actually hearing words about Dean’s willingness to do anything for Sam and a story about him feeling guilty for nearly getting Sam killed, I think it allowed Sam to look at Dean in a different way. 

And, strangely enough, this episode is one of the few so far this season that I see a real division between big brother and little brother. Usually, Sam pulls Dean along, they’re working a case together as equals, or they’re having their own personal conflicts involving their upbringings with John or some other part of their past; this episode, though, felt like a little brother looking up to his big brother for one of the only times since the series began.

Favorite scene: Branching off of what I just said, my favorite scene is this short scene right before the Shtriga attacks Michael where Sam apologizes to Dean for not understanding all that Dean is willing to sacrifice for him.

Favorite moment: Right after Dean shoots the Shtriga to save Sam at the end, he says, “You okay, little brother?” It’s a good bookend to their first flashback episode.

Iconic quote: SAM: “I wish I could have that kind of innocence.” DEAN: “If it means anything, sometimes I wish you could too.” I like this exchange a lot, even though it isn’t a very poetic quote.

I wish I could like this episode more, but it reads the same as most of the other episodes this season. It didn’t give me the feels I wanted from it, but it kept me engaged at least.

1x17: Hell House
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Lookhere for my explanations of these reviews.

Written by: Trey Callaway

Directed by: Chris Long

Well, this is the first Ghostfacers episode, though they don’t use the term “Ghostfacers” in this episode at all. It’s a filler episode in the style of let’s-work-a-case-to-prolong-the-main-story. And it’s the infamous prank war episode. There weren’t as many pranks as I remember, which was disappointing, but what we did get was adorable and funny.

What I liked: Besides the prank war? No, honestly, this episode is fun. It’s an easy watch compared to some of the other S1 filler episodes. Also, I remember distinctly that I hatedthe Ghostfacers when I was first introduced to them. I don’t know if it was because they felt like they were wasting an episode when I wanted to know about the main story or what, but regardless, this time I found myself enjoying them being around. Plus, I kind of wish there’d been more Ghostfacers content? I don’t entirely understand it, myself.

What I didn’t like: I didn’t dislikeanything in this episode. Like I said, more pranks would’ve been good. Leaning into the Tulpa thing more would’ve been good. But it’s one of those episodes you just space out and watch, so criticism is kind of incongruous with the expectations for the episode.

Character work: There’s none. I mean… no, there’s none. That’s not a bad thing; this episode wasn’t meant for that, but it isthe first episode in the series that doesn’t mention somethingfrom the main story. Before this, the filler episodes would at least have a scene at the beginning or end that addressed the boys’ emotional states or John or whatever. I mean, Sam did say letting John go was a mistake, but that’s literally all. I think that’s because this is the first time they aren’t looking for John/working a case for John, so they just found a hunt to kill the time. Which, considering the fact that Sam said the episode before that he didn’t want to hunt forever, is sort of interesting. Technically, he could’ve just waited for word from John, or he and Dean could’ve gone after Azazel themselves. Anyway, no character work in this episode; just funnies.

Favorite scene: When Sam superglues the beer bottle to Dean’s hand, his sassy laugh is one of the cutest things I’ve seen Sam do to this day. The scene in general is adorable, but Sam is extra adorable.

Favorite moment: It’s Sam’s distressed face when he wakes up with a plastic spoon in his mouth for me.

Iconic quote: “Kinda makes you wonder—of all the things we hunted, how many existed just ‘cause people believed in them.”

It’s a fun episode if you like the Ghostfacers, an annoying one if you don’t, and regardless, Sam is super cute—that’s your take away.

1x16: Shadow
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Lookhere for my explanations of these reviews.

Written by: Eric Kripke

Directed by: Kim Manners

Is it weird that, even though this is a major story episode, it was kind of boring until the end? Not boring, but not thrilling either. Anyway, at least John finally showed up, am I right? I used to think John was such a big part of the show when I watched it originally, but on my first rewatch, I realized he’s, like, barely ever there. I’m having the same feelings during this rewatch.

What I liked: This is gonna sound weird, but the wounds the boys and John get from the Daeva look super cool. Especially the marks on Dean’s face. Also, even though John is barely in the show, him being in this episode made it feel like somethingwas about to happen. It pulled me in, even though nothing ultimately ended up happening in this episode.

What I didn’t like: I mean, this is just an episode of the boys being all, “What’s up with Meg?” So, until dear ol’ dad showed up, it was just the boys moving about Chicago and then getting talked at by Meg while she creepily sat on Sam’s lap for, like, a third of the conversation. I guess this episode is more intriguing for new viewers since it does present new information that’s pretty important down the line.

Character work: The only real character work I can find in this episode is Dean since he more or less confided in Sam about wanting to be a family again with their father. I mean, you can totally tell at the end that Sam really misses his dad alongside his seething rage and lust for revenge because of Jessica’s death, so that’s nice. Honestly, though, Dean’s vulnerability in this episode was nice to see because it pokes at his abandonment issues; he’s saddened by the fact that Sam wants to go back to Stanford after killing Azazel (who’s name they don’t know by this episode) because he has and will be terrified of people leaving him. Basically, I just love when Dean is scared because it’s so unusual for him even though we know he gets scared more often than he shows it. There’s also a good moment for Dean at the end, when he tells John to leave so the boys can’t be used as his weakness again, where you can see how much it pains Dean that he’s a burden on his father. Good stuff.

Favorite scene: I mean, as much as I want to say the scene where Dean is confiding in Sam, I think my favorite scene for this episode is the scene where the boys see John again. I know the fandom collectively hates John, but Jeffrey is awesome, and this scene felt really emotional to watch. Not necessarily emotional in a way that would make you cry, but emotional in an overwhelming way. I thought the unsaid words in this scene were really amazing.

Favorite moment: When John is about to get in his truck and looks back at his boys. Not only is it a nice moment, but the way it’s shot looks gorgeous, too.

Iconic quote: “Maybe you’re thinkin’ a little too much with your upstairs brain, huh?” Here’s the thing with emotional episodes: sometimes the goods come with the acting and not with the writing; this is one of those episodes. Not a lot of quotable moments.

Anyway, this basically feels like John’s first episode despite him being in some before this, and it was pretty good for the last ten minutes or so. The rest of it was kind of standard, so it is what it is. It seemed like this episode was mostly used to a.) tell us Meg is an antagonist, b.) inform us that a new big bad is coming, and c.) reassure us that the plot hasn’t forgotten about John. I don’t want to say it was a lot of exposition per se, but… sort of.

1x15: The Benders
Rating: ★★★★☆

Lookhere for my explanations of these reviews.

Written by: John Shiban

Directed by: Peter Ellis

Y’all they should’ve figured out a way to work this type of thing into the show more often; this shit was tight. I got Resident Evil 7 vibes. Jensen was right, man, this is probably the creepiest episode of SPN. I mean, I wouldn’t call it scary, but it’s definitely unsettling. Speaking of creepy, I saw on the Wiki page for this episode that people think Missy is the creepiest thing in SPN, and that is true.

What I liked: The tone of this was so cool; like I said, it came off very Resident Evil 7, and that’s got one of the coolest atmospheres I’ve seen in a video game. Kathleen, too, was kind of a badass. I actually found myself wishing she’d been in more episodes while watching this. Of course, the fact that this episode had human beings as the thing that goes bump in the night is why it works so well. I mean, we have human antagonists later, obviously. The British Men of Letters, the Styne family, etc. But the fact that these guys had zero connection to the supernatural world was awesome, and on top of that, were completely psychotic.

What I didn’t like: I can’t really think of anything concretely negative, so I’m just gonna say that Jenkins was annoying. And it’s dumb that the magic of this episode was never found again within the series.

Character work: I mean, there’s not really a lot in this episode. It’s basically just Dean being freaked out over losing Sam and telling Kathleen why he feels responsible for Sam. That’s all well and good, but it’s kind of basic SPN stuff, so it’s not anything much to talk about. I mean, Jensen’s acting when he was telling Kathleen about Sam was really good because you could see how scared he was, but yeah. This isn’t really an episode that’s meant for character development.

Favorite scene: It’s gotta be that scene where the Benders have Dean tied up and are telling him all about the hunting they do. It’s, like, maximum creepiness hearing them talk about it.

Favorite moment: When Pa Bender holds up the fire poker to Dean’s eye, it looks mad cool and also super unsettling.

Iconic quote: “Oh, eat me. No, no, no, wait, wait, wait—you actually might.” I guess I’m really on that one scene, huh?

For an episode that has nothing to do with the main story, this episode slaps, and I think it’s partially because this isn’t a filler episode in the traditional sense of Sam and Dean finding a case. It’s just the boys getting caught up in normal—albeit not common for most of the population to actually experience themselves—bullshit. It’s badass, and I’m so mad there’s not more of this.

1x14: Nightmare
Rating: ★★★★☆

Lookhere for my explanations of these reviews.

Written by: Sera Gamble & Raelle Tucker

Directed by: Phil Sgriccia

Now we’re getting into some flavor. Really, not a whole lot actually happened in this episode except a couple deaths and a lot of drama, but I feel like you walk away from this episode with a ton of information, even if you don’t know exactly what that information is.

What I liked: I loved the story that was told through Max; it’s such a terrible, tragic story, but good stories are supposed to evoke emotion, and Max’s story did. Also, the parallels this episode decided to make between Max’s family and John were really interesting, especially considering Sam’s part in it. Of course, the plot leading into Sam’s psychic abilities and the secret behind Mary’s death was tops, though I’d argue that Dean’s contribution to that plot is very interesting.

What I didn’t like: I do think that the parallels to John should’ve been played up just a bit more since we’ve already had some comments from Sam about he and Dean’s upbringing so far. Having just a bit more explicit mention of it beyond what we get at the end between Sam and Dean would’ve been nice.

Character work: It’s interesting to see Sam relate to Max on such a profound level in this episode. You can see him latch onto Max when he learns what Max has been doing with his powers (and in one other way that I’ll talk about below). It’s fascinating that Sam was almost unconsciously relieved to find an outlet for his resentment toward John, which sort of hints that he felt—at least, in part—abused by John. However, that gets turned on its head when Sam truly understands what it is Max had to live through, and he comes out of the episode being grateful for John. It’s two extremes in one episode, and it’s intriguing that John wasn’t talked about in more of a well-he-was-bad-just-not-that-bad way. Dean, though he wasn’t really involved in this episode, began to show those freaked-out-by-Sam reactions that we know he has in great degrees later. What was cool, though, was seeing him try and ignore it/be less freaked out by it in this episode.

Favorite scene: I love, love, love the scene where Max is telling Sam his story and Sam realizes that Max’s mother died like Mary did. Sam’s eyes absolutely light up; this is the other way that Sam latched onto Max—by realizing that his abilities might actually have a purpose, that Mary and Jess’s deaths weren’t meaningless. Though, Sam does say that the two of them were chosen in a not-so-negative way, which is interesting. The rest of the scene is brilliant because of Brendan Fletcher’s (Max’s) acting. So, so good, him telling that story.

Favorite moment: The moment we see Dean get shot in the head in Sam’s vision. The way the blood sprays on the wall, the angle of the shot when we see Dean lying dead on the floor—absolutely haunting. Good job, director Sgriccia.

Iconic quote: “As long as I’m around, nothing bad is gonna happen to you.” This is good because it’s a.) wrong and b.) Dean’s attempt to not be bothered by the impending doom hanging over the Winchesters.

Sam’s abilities being explored pre-Lucifer has this really cool tone to it, and this episode is a prime example of that. It’s got a great story, good structure, amazing acting, and I like it a lot. I’m excited to keep going with the dark and moody Supernatural before the lamp comes and brightens everything up.

1x13: Route 666
Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Lookhere for my explanations of these reviews.

Written by: Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming

Directed by: Paul Shapiro

Oh, boy; here we go with the first Buckleming episode. And, what’s this? It isn’t good? No way, bro. No way.

Saltiness aside, this episode is really weird. The tone of it just… off, and Dean’s story is forced. Not to mention the actual story which feels very awkward. There were a couple of things I liked, which is why this got a 2 out of 5 rather than a 1 out of 5.

What I liked: My favorite scene, which I’ll talk about below, was really intriguing. Sam being a little shit toward Dean about Cassie was adorable. That’s sort of it.

What I didn’t like: Everything else, for real. I’ll talk about Dean’s side of things below, but the fact that they gave him a girl he was supposed to be so in love with just to never bring her up again? I was getting 15x19 and 15x20 feels all over again (keep in mind, I’m watching these with the viewpoint of someone who has seen the entire show; I’m not cutting it any slack because they didn’t know they wouldn’t use Cassie again at the time). The actual plot felt kind of thrown together, too, like Buckleming went to writingprompts.com and got “racist truck” and just built a shitty story around that. Plus—and I know this was a Dean-centric episode, but—where the hell was Sam the whole time? He’s just there to make quippy remarks and scare the shit out of Dean? What a rude way to treat Sam.

Character work: Okay. Here’s the thing: you can’t just scream in my face that Dean is reallyin love with this girl and expect me to feelthat. Just dropping this girl in an episode with that much meaning attached to her felt stupid and weird and forced as all hell. And, on top of that, you have Dean reconcile with her and basically date her for the whole episode only for her to say, “Thanks, but no thanks,” at the end while Dean says, “Oh, we’ll be a thing again soon, but actually not really.” Like? Thanks for making me sit through an episode where Dean seems like he’s going to develop only for him to go right back to where he was at the beginning? This was definitely a we-need-a-smexy-sex-scene-for-the-views ploy rather than a let’s-give-Dean-some-substance thing.

Favorite scene: Okay, one of the few things I did like in this episode was this scene where Audrey, Cassie’s mom, is telling the story of Cyrus Dorian. Not only does she tell it over some flashbacks that feel very Holes(2003), but Kathleen Noone’s (Audrey’s) acting in this scene is, like, really good? She went in, y’all. She came into this single episode of SPN and said, “I’m going to weep like I’ve been traumatized by this shit for real,” and honestly, go off, queen. Legit, it’s not like the story was anything phenomenal, but her acting had me like, “Damn, okay.”

Favorite moment: When the dumb stupid truck was driving at Dean and then poofed.

Iconic quote: “I miss conversations that didn’t start with ‘this killer truck.'” I gotta say, Sam asking Dean how he was supposed to burn a truck is close second because what do you mean, how are you supposed to burn a truck? You just burn it,Sam.

Sam was 100% my highlight reel for this episode, and he deserved better than his quippy lines. They should’ve filled all the time they had filled with bullshit with Sam fucking Winchester.

1x12: Faith
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Lookhere for my explanations of these reviews.

Written by: Sera Gamble & Raelle Tucker

Directed by: Allan Kroeker

First angel of the series, lads. I was pleasantly surprised by this episode because I hadn’t noticed before that it starts hinting at Dean’s role in the apocalypse. There’s other interesting Dean stuff in here as well, but let’s talk about other stuff first.

What I liked: Mostly what I liked came in the form Dean’s development, though the actual plot was fairly interesting. I think it came across so unique to me because Reapers, from this point onward, read more as angels rather than creatures (which may seem obvious because they areangels, but remember, Tessa comes in in 2x01, when the audience doesn’t know yet that angels exist, and she still reads as an angel to me); in this one, it felt like the opposite.

What I didn’t like: I don’t think there was anything that I didn’t like necessarily, but the tone of this episode was sort of weird. I don’t want it to sound like it was bad necessarily, but it wasn’t my favorite thing in the world.

Character work: One of my favorite topics to discuss: Dean. Like I said, this episode hints at his role in the upcoming apocalypse, and that’s so cool to realize in a rewatch. Not only does Roy say that Dean has a job and a great purpose to fulfill, but Mrs. Rourke asked Dean why he deserved to live more than her daughter. It’s not as though the Reaper healed Dean because he was set to be Michael’s vessel, but when you listen to the scene again, that fact does get brought to mind. 

Another interesting thing that happened in this episode was Dean suggesting that he and Sam kill Roy since Dean thinks Roy traded somebody else’s life for his. Since Cas’s dialogue in 10x22 is burned into my brain, we know that Dean wouldn’t normally kill a human being, at least by the later seasons. I mean, he has suggested it since this episode, but he seemed really clear-headed about killing Roy here. It’s interesting that he suggests it, and I think it has to do with him exhibiting a characteristic in this episode that will become very fundamental to his character as the seasons go on: the belief that his life isn’t worth that much. So, yeah, lots of great Dean stuff in this episode. Plus, of course, we see the first threads of the unhealthy habit Sam and Dean have with trying to save each other as Sam strives to save Dean.

Favorite scene: This is kind of difficult because “scene” means… a whole scene, and there aren’t a lot of entire scenes in this episode that stand out—it’s mostly dialogue that stands out. The scene at the end where Dean is talking to Layla is probably what I’d choose because she talks about faith, which is a theme Dean will be confronted with a lot throughout the series, and you can see a bit of how he struggles with it during this scene.

Favorite moment: There’s a bit at the beginning of the episode where Dean comes back to the motel room because he doesn’t want to stay at a hospital where “the nurses aren’t even hot,” and Sam smiles when he opens the door and finds him, despite having just been distraught on the phone with John. It’s a nice little moment because you can see that, even though Sam is scared to lose his brother, he’s still happy to be with him.

Iconic quote: “I guess if you’re gonna have faith… you can’t just have it when the miracles happen. You have to have it when they don’t.”

I’d also like to point out that Dean says you can’t kill Death in this episode, which is obviously not true, and very funny in its irony. I don’t know that I’d rewatch this one without doing a full rewatch, but it’s still a fairly solid episode.

1x11: Scarecrow
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Lookhere for my explanations of these reviews.

Written by: John Shiban & Patrick Sean Smith

Directed by: Kim Manners

I feel conflicted about rating this episode because, in actuality, it’s just a normal episode, but it also introduces some plot points that’ll be super important later. It’s also the first time Sam and Dean have a brother-breakup, so yay for milestones.

What I liked: I liked seeing Dean work a case on his own because I don’t feel like the fact that he’s actually really smart gets used enough in the series. The introduction of Meg was also fun, but only because I know how cool she is later. Branching off of that, the end scene with Meg did good things to allude to what’s to come. The conversation with John at the beginning of the episode was interesting, but I’ll talk about that later.

What I didn’t like: I mean, this is just another monster-of-the-week episode, so… it’s kind of boring. Even the conversations with Meg and Sam didn’t excite me all that much.

Character work: Bringing it back to John—and I know I’m gonna get shit for this—seeing him be a little saddened by not being with his boys was really cool. I feel like John is normally portrayed terribly, and rightfully so based on how he treated Sam and Dean, but when there’s moments like in this episode where we see a father that just loves his sons, it’s nice. Sam and Dean’s development this episode, honestly, wasn’t all that much for me to get excited about, even though they had a fight. This episode, more or less, just continued the character work of Sam wanting to find John right away to get revenge for Jess and Dean wanting to follow John’s orders while saying Sam should do so more often. The scene in the beginning had a nice moment for Sam because, so far, we’ve only had negative reactions from Sam concerning John; the scene in the beginning, though, showed some evidence that he just misses his father. A similar moment for Dean happens while he’s on the phone with Sam where he alludes to the fact that he wishes he could have more autonomy over his life.

Favorite scene: It’s that scene I just mentioned where the boys are on the phone, more or less apologizing to each other. Dean doesn’t let go of his pride that often, but that scene was one of those times. He also nearlyconfided in Sam, which he also doesn’t do that often. For Sam, he really read like a little brother for the first time so far; while Dean was telling Sam how proud of him he was, Sam’s face told the story of how much he looks up to his brother.

Favorite moment: I’d say Meg stirring the bowl of blood at the end. Kind of looks mesmerizing.

Iconic quote: “I hope your apple pie is freakin’ worth it!” A very classic, frequently mentioned Dean quote.

I guess I had more to say about this episode than I thought I did. It was cool to see Dean be a bit vulnerable and independent and to get those first indications that something dark was beginning behind all the odd hunting jobs Sam and Dean were doing, but it still reads mostly as a filler episode to me.

1x10: Asylum
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Lookhere for my explanations of these reviews.

Written by: Richard Hatem

Directed by: Guy Bee

I was gonna say this episode felt very “found footage” because of the haunted asylum thing, but then I remembered that SPN has at least 2 actual found footage episodes, so maybe not. I don’t usually remember this episode fondly, but there was some cool stuff in here.

What I liked: Even though it’s veryoverused, I usually like stuff that’s written around asylums because there’s a lot of great potential there for really crazy stories. This episode didn’t necessarily do anything crazy, but the dark history many asylums have was brought up, and that’s always cool. I also loved the stuff touched on with Sam and Dean in this episode.

What I didn’t like: The two characters they drug around during this episode were totally unnecessary and kind of got in the way. They have a couple quippy lines between them, but not enough for me to think they added anything to the episode.

Character notes: This episode had one point for Sam and one point for Dean in its story, and those were defying John’s wishes and following them respectively. Within that, we got to see a little bit of Sam’s resentment toward Dean for never questioning John’s orders and Dean getting hurt because he realized that’s how Sam felt. That kind of storyline is my bread-and-butter, man. I guess you can’t say too much about Sam’s part in it since he was being compelled to say harsh things by the ghost of Ellicott—though, he probably did mean it to some degree—but seeing Dean’s pain bloom as he realized that Sam thinks of him as a mindless soldier while Sam threatened to kill him was so good. There’s a moment where Sam tries to shoot Dean with a pistol that isn’t loaded, and you can see the flash of anguish in Dean’s eyes that Sam actually would’ve killed him in that moment. Love that jazz.

Favorite scene: I basically said it already, but the scene where Sam is being compelled by Ellicott to say that Dean is pathetic and John’s soldier while Dean asks if Sam hates him that much. The drama is top-tier.

Favorite moment: When Dean’s getting the little electroshock therapy thing from Ellicott toward the end before he burns Ellicott’s bones. At least, that’s the best I can think of.

Iconic quote: “Hey Sam, who do you think is the hotter psychic: Patricia Arquette, Jennifer Love Hewitt, or you?” I know the Dean-commenting-on-Sam-being-psychic thing gets pretty dark pretty quickly, but for now, this is funny.

Anyway, it’s a decent episode when you consider Sam and Dean themselves, but it’s pretty average otherwise. Better than I remembered, though.

1x09: Home
Rating: ★★★★☆

Lookhere for my explanations of these reviews.

Written by: Eric Kripke

Directed by: Ken Girotti

They really should’ve found more reasons to bring back Missouri, huh? What a waste. Well, I’ve got to say, this episode is better than I remember it being. I think a lot of that can be attributed to this being an episode where stuff feels like it’s finally starting to go down, but regardless, I enjoyed it a lot.

What I liked: Dean, for one thing, but I’ll save that for later. I think it’s really good that SPN didn’t neglect its own rules with this episode; spirits stick around when they’ve had violent deaths, and Mary’s was as violent as it gets. I mean, I guess that didn’t happen with Jess, but let’s just ignore that. The overall plot for this episode was good hype-up material for what’s coming next. John coming back, mysteries about Sam’s abilities being addressed, information on Mary’s death—all of these actually managed to get me excited to continue my rewatch despite knowing, not only what happens next, but how it all ends.

What I didn’t like: I know it probably wasn’t that feasible to do since the circumstances surrounding Mary’s death were set to come up later, but it still would’ve been nice if the boys could’ve had a moment to breathe with their mother before she destroyed herself. Not, like, talking with her or anything, but drawing that moment out a little bit would’ve been nice. Or, at least, having a conversation between the boys at the end about it.

Character work: I know this episode focused on Sam a little bit more than it did Dean because of Sam’s psychic abilities, but I lovedwhat we saw from Dean in this episode. I actually don’t remember this getting addressed enough in the series, but it’s really intriguing to see/hear how Mary’s death affected Dean so much more than it did Sam because Sam was only a baby when it happened. I’ll talk about this scene a bit more in the next section, but you can really feel it when Dean calls John and asks for him to come help them. It’s also in Dean’s expression when they see Mary at the end—Sam is emotional when he sees her, but Dean is shocked. Some of that may have to do with the fact that Sam had realized who she was already, but I think it also has to do with the fact that Dean has been pushing away any memory of Mary’s death since it happened, and seeing her shook him.

Favorite scene: So, my favorite scene, despite the fact that the boys seeing their mother was beautiful—and maybe it’s because Dean is my favorite character, I don’t know—was when Dean called John at the gas station, about a third of the way through the episode. The fear in Dean’s voice during that scene is phenomenal—hats off to Jensen for that one. Not only are you seeing the trauma Mary’s death put him through, but you’re seeing how much Dean leans on his father. It’s an interesting scene because, for most of the series, Dean fights tooth-and-nail againstleaning on people. This scene was a good reminder that he wasn’t always that guy—that, even though he was looking after Sam, he still needed someone to look after him and wantedsomeone to look after him.

Favorite moment: Both because it was an important reveal and because it looked awesome, my favorite moment this episode was when Mary shifted from being a silhouette of fire to looking like herself.

Iconic quote: “Boy, you put your foot on my coffee table, I’m ‘a whack you with a spoon!”

It’s episodes like this that remind me why SPN can be plain ol’ goodsometimes—not something that’s only good to long-time fans, but just good. Gotta say, I’m excited to keep watching.

1x08: Bugs
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Lookhere for my explanations of these reviews.

Written by: Rachel Nave & Bill Coakley

Directed by: Kim Manners

This is the definition of a hard-to-get-through episode. I felt like I was watching it for 3 hours. I don’t even know where to start with how bad this episode is… but there is something this episode has that the series finale doesn’t, which is kind of tragic. That would be: character development.

What I liked: The character development. That’s it; I’ll talk about that later.

What I didn’t like: The editing, the dialogue, the plot, the scenes, the fact that Jared and Jensen had to be in a room full of bees when they didn’t even show up on camera—everything. We love a sunrise, but not a sunrise that changes the scene from night to day like Chuck flipped a light switch. The scenes all felt stupid and useless, but that was probably because the plot felt stupid and useless. It was basically like, “We just want bugs everywhere, but I guess if we have to explain it, here. But really, we just want bugs everywhere.” I feel like shitting on it is dumb at this stage, 15 years later, because we all been knew, but I wasn’t here in 2005, so now’s my time to shine.

Character work: So, actually, this episode does have some interesting character developments for Sam, Dean, and John. I, surprisingly, enjoyed watching Sam discuss his resentment toward John while also seeing Dean defend John. It gives the audience a good idea of why Sam left while also showing us that Dean is blindly loyal to his father. On top of that, you get to know John a little more, for better or for worse—actually, both are sort of true in this episode.

Favorite scene: There’s a scene where Sam and Dean are talking about John, about halfway through, that’s probably the sole good moment in the entire episode. That’s where most of the character development I talked about comes from.

Favorite moment: I mean, there’s that bit where Sam and Dean are standing outside Larry’s house and the swarm comes over the horizon; it looks kind of apocalypse-like, so that’s cool, I guess.

Iconic quote: “You know who starts sentences with ‘truth is’? Liars.”

Thankfully, I’ll never have to watch this episode again. Genuinely, the fact that there’s character development at all kind of makes it, at least in part, better than the series finale. But that’ll be a review for another time.

1x07: Hook Man
Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Lookhere for my explanations of these reviews.

Written by: John Shiban

Directed by: David Jackson

Well, I don’t want to say that this episode was boring but… it sort of was. This is one of those episodes where nothing much is really going on, so you kind of just sit there and watch until it’s over.

What I liked: “Like” is a strong word to use, but the way Taylor died looked sort of cool, especially the writing on the wall. I guess the concept of Hook Man was a little bit interesting?

What I didn’t like: The whole preacher’s-daughter-can’t-handle-a-little-debauchery thing felt very dull and boring and horror tropey. Also, I realized while rewatching this that the character point of Sam having gone to college is kind of beat to death in all the wrong ways. Like, this episode and the last one had mentions of Sam’s past in college in a sort of “don’t you miss it” tone, which doesn’t really make sense to talk about. I mean, it would make sense if Sam actually missed college, but literally all of his character traits at this point center around revenge for Jess, so?

Character work: I’ve talked about Sam enough already, I think, and the only other point of character development happening in this episode was that Sam still hasn’t moved on from Jess. So, essentially, not a lot of character work happens in this episode.

Favorite scene: I don’t really have one? This episode was a lot of exposition, so not much was going on by way of actually good scenes. I guess the final scene where Dean tells Sam they could stay for Lori is nice since Sam shakes his head and you can really see in his eyes that he’s still in pain over Jess. So, that one.

Favorite moment: It’s Dean burning bones for the first time in the show for me.

Iconic quote: “That’s it. Next time, I get to watch the cute girl’s house.” Not every episode has a banger of a quote, okay.

Yeah, I mean, not the best episode in the world. It’s one of those ones that you can space out while watching because it’s bland. It isn’t hard to get through like some episodes are, but you know. Wouldn’t bother rewatching if I just wanna hit the SPN highlights.

1x06: Skin
Rating: ★★★★☆

Lookhere for my explanations of these reviews.

Written by: John Shiban

Directed by: Robert Duncan McNeill

Now,thisis an episode, huh? I gotta say, I’m always gonna be a sucker for a Dean-centric episode (well, most of the time), but this one had style. This has got to be one of the best episodes of S1.

What I liked: Oh, man, where do I begin? The gross shapeshifter shedding its skin thing, the creepy serial killer feel of it all, the opening scene, which was so cool. I mean, it’s all awesome. Granted a lot of the opening scene’s awesomeness was attributed to the music, but hey. 

What I didn’t like: I mean, honestly, I gotta say that the subplot of Sam hiding “who he is” (as though he’sa supernatural creature himself or something) was kind of lame. I guess it makes sense to address since Sam walked away from that life, but Sam still felt so disconnected from the college thing to begin with that dedicating his half of an episode to worrying about his friends finding out about the supernatural seems dumb.

Character work: I already kind of said what I think about Sam’s character work in this episode, but Shapeshifter!Dean highlighted Dean’s abandonment issues for the first time, and I lovethat. Those moments also touched on his insecurities a bit and the fact that he really wants to be loved; the little we got to see of Dean’s emotions in this episode was really fascinating—especially considering Dean would never voice those fears of abandonment aloud himself in later seasons.

Favorite scene: The scene where Shapeshifter!Dean shed his skin is fucking gross, and I love it to bits.

Favorite moment: I’m so sorry, but there’s a part where Shapeshifter!Dean walks over to Sam, considers him for a moment, and then backhands him, and it absolutely sends me.

Iconic quote: “How many chances am I gonna have to see my own funeral?” So true. Go off, king.

We love a Dean episode, especially since the early seasons were very Sam-centric. This is probably the first episode of the first season that I would rewatch just because I’d enjoy it rather than rewatching it because I feel like I have to.

1x05: Bloody Mary
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Lookhere for my explanations of these reviews.

Written by: Eric Kripke, Ron Milbauer, & Terri Hughes Burton

Directed by: Peter Ellis

An episode with a pretty interesting take on the legend of Bloody Mary. I feel like, at some point, my way of rating these episodes is going to start to skew, but for now, I think 3 out of 5 suits this episode fairly well.

What I liked: Like I said, the take on Bloody Mary this episode has is super interesting. I feel like the idea of someone killing someone else/being responsible for someone’s death is overused a lot in cult classic shows, so adding in the Bloody Mary aspect was really cool. A lot of what was stellar about this episode, though, was Sam. Since I’ve got a section for character work, I’ll leave this section here.

What I didn’t like: I feel like this episode would have benefited from another story for the character the boys were trying to save. Charlie’s story was kind of bland and didn’t leave a whole lot of room for the boys to dig into what her secret was and why Bloody Mary was trying to kill her. Also, even though Sam’s story was awesome in this episode, I wish there was just a bit more of a reference to his psychological damage beyond feeling responsible for Jessica’s death.

Character work: Here’s where I get to talk about what didhappen with Sam’s character. This episode is the first episode we get that alludes to Sam’s psychic abilities. The way that was revealed in the plot was socool. It’s good bait, if you will, leading into the actual reveal that Sam is psychic. Also, using nightmares and hallucinations to convey Sam’s trauma was a good choice because, even though Sam isn’t voicing this trauma aloud, we get to see it anyway.

Favorite scene: I’d say my favorite scene was when Sam’s reflection was blaming him for killing Jessica because he’d been dreaming about her death since before it happened. Jared’s acting and the dialogue there was so captivating, mirroring the dream version of Dean telling Dean that he was going to become a monster in 3x10. Plus, that scene felt hauntingin the way it told us about Sam’s dreams; it leaves the viewer feeling just a touch of shock.

Favorite moment: Oh my Jack, when Bloody Mary crawls out of the mirror at the end? Nothing like it. Creepy as hell, but so awesome.

Iconic quote: “This has got to be like…what? 600 years of bad luck?”

I wouldn’t necessarily choose to watch this one again if I was watching the best episodes of SPN, however, this is a must if I want to take in the story of SPN without watching every episode. It’s got some solid creepiness, which is something later seasons lack, and some damn good Sam scenes… which the later seasons often also lack. This episode is classic SPN.

1x04: Phantom Traveler
Rating: ★★★☆☆

Lookhere for my explanations of these reviews.

Written by: Richard Hatem

Directed by: Robert Singer

This is what I’m talking about when I’m talking about a good S1 episode. No extra characters to complicate things, just Sam, Dean, and a case. Obviously, my definition of good will change as time goes on, and eventually, filler episodes that meet the standards I’ve just said won’t cut it anymore, but for now, this is good. Then again, maybe that’s just because the filler episodes early on were way better than later on.

What I liked: I enjoyed almost everything in this episode. It’s the first time the boys encounter a demon, and watching it back while knowing demons are so inconsequential later is really fun because I still felt that oh-a-demon-is-a-big-deal feeling even though I know I won’t feel like that during most episodes. It probably also has to do with the fact that they couldn’t actually kill demons yet, so it felt more high-stakes. The humor in this one, given Dean’s fear of flying, was also awesome, but we knew that. The set during the scene where Sam and Dean check out the plane wreckage looked bomb, too.

What I didn’t like: For the first time we see Sam and Dean in suits, the suits were pretty ugly, not gonna lie. That’s sort of the only bad thing I can say about the episode. I mean, there are scenes with the pilot that are boring and unnecessary, but you gotta get those 42 minutes somehow.

Character work: There wasn’t a whole lot going on in this episode for character development, but SPN has never been the type of show to have serious character development in every episode. There’s some stuff in the beginning and at the end with Sam that highlights the fact that a.) Jessica’s death still follows him everywhere, b.) hunting again is taking a toll on him since he hasn’t taken to the life yet, and c.) the failure to find John upsets him. Just some good continuity of character there.

Favorite scene: I’d probably say the final scene of the epilogue where Sam and Dean listen to John’s voicemail. In context, during a full rewatch, it still feels like a weighted scene since it’s the first time you really get any acknowledgement that John is out there somewhere beyond the boys guessing where he is. Looking at Sam and Dean’s reactions—especially Sam’s—to hearing their father’s voice, as well, tells a story all on its own.

Favorite moment: I know I should probably say the moment the plane starts going down in Act Four and Dean is screaming and panicking, but there’s this one moment in Act Three where Dean is walking to the back of the plane that’s so funny to me because, the plane shakes, and Dean stops to hit the seat next to him because he’s scared. For some reason, that moment had me rolling.

Iconic quote: “Dude, stow the touchy-feely, self-help yoga crap, it’s not helping.” Not the best quote in the world, but very Dean.

As far as filler episodes go, this one is pretty good. The humor is mostly on point, and who doesn’t love a spastic Dean? It’s one of those episodes where I don’t miss the main story because it’s fun to watch. Plus, you know, demons.