Fantastical Musings

Okay, so I’m not going to spend too much time reviewing this episode because it was BAD. I mean, really, really not good. “Bugs” may have been better, and most people agree that that’s THE worst episode of the series. I mean, did I miss something here? Is there some deeper meaning to this episode that I’m not aware of? There was nothing that was meaningful or impactful in this episode in any way. NOTHING. It all just felt deeply irrelevant. Like, I don’t understand why I’m supposed to care about these random characters. I watch the show for Sam and Dean. I don’t care about the point of view of randos in this show. So, basically, this episode is a home video made by a group of college kids about becoming werewolves. The only problem is that the home video lasts for literally the entire episode. Like, I think it would have been a cool effect if the video was like five minutes, but I could note STAND forty minutes of these people’s idiocy. Seriously! Why was everyone in this episode unb...

Mayan corn god, huh? Well, THAT’S a new one. I give them points for creativity in coming up with the “monster” for this episode. However, I gotta be honest, I didn’t really like this episode. It just felt kind of weird, ya know? I’m not sure what it was, but something was off with this episode. There was no emotional resonance, and it didn’t seem to fit in with the arc of the season. Actually, it was really a let down after the first two episodes. Also, was it really necessary to tie this episode in with Mayan culture? As far as I can tell (based on my Wikipedia research), the god they referenced isn’t even really part of the Mayan pantheon. Plus, if Brick Holmes really was an ancient Mayan athlete, why does he look like a stereotypical white guy? All I’m saying is that it seems like this episode was in bad taste. Plus, it centered around sports, which is always the quickest way to bore me. Anyway, in general, I’m just going to say that the show could have done without this episode. It...

So, this was another really solid, entertaining episode that moved the plot along. After seasons and seven being somewhat mediocre (no shade to Supernatural ; I wouldn’t be spending all this time reviewing the show if I didn’t like it), I have to say that I’m really digging the direction that season eight is taking. I’m really looking forward to seeing where it goes. Anyway, the main focus of this episode was Kevin Tran, his mother, and the demon tablet. Naturally, the Winchesters are trying to help Kevin secure the tablet so that he can tell them how to banish all the demons from the world. We learn in this episode that the tablet has been stolen, so Kevin, his mom, and the Winchesters travel to some sort of magical auction of the weird and wacky to try to get it back. Obviously, they don’t get it back because that would be way too easy. However, I assume that tracking down this tablet is going to be a main focus this season. I have to say that I am really enjoying Kevin’s mom; she wa...

Now this is what I call a season premiere! Seriously, there is sooooo much to talk about in this episode. I don’t know where to begin! Scratch that. I lied. I know where to begin. Before we talk about all the serious stuff that happened, I feel the need to address Sam’s hair. WHY DOESN’T HE BELIEVE IN HAIRCUTS??? Like, I don’t know who is responsible for Sam’s hair, but that person has a lot to answer for. I mean, is it the producers who are insisting that he have long hair? I find it difficult to believe that Jared likes having his hair like that. But, hey, stranger things have happened, right? Seriously though, it looks like he has a lion’s mane! And Sam would be so attractive with short hair. It just breaks my heart. Dean, on the other hand, is looking incredibly good. When he turned up in the beginning of the episode with dirt on his face, I was like “is it just me, or did Dean get hotter?” I mean, I don’t even know how that’s possible, but somehow it happened! Anyway, back to ser...

I have mixed thoughts on this season finale. In some ways, I’m satisfied with the way the episode wrapped things up, but I also feel like things were a bit rushed. Like, for example, I feel like it was way too easy to kill Dick Roman. Like, don’t get me wrong, I’m glad the stuff with the leviathans is over, but they crammed way too much stuff into this episode. I mean, we had demon contract negotiation, the creation of a mystical weapon, Bobby’s death, and the destruction of the leviathans all in one episode. TOO MUCH. I feel like we needed an entire episode just to say goodbye to Bobby. I know that he’s going full vengeful spirit and all that, but I wasn’t quite ready to let go of him. Not yet. Although, I am SUPER disappointed that he decided to possess that maid. That was shameful behavior, Bobby. Shameful. Still, it’s tough for me to accept that Bobby is dead and gone forever. It really hurts me, you know? However, aside from Bobby’s death, the rest of the episode was a bit boring...

This might make me a bad Supernatural fan, but I think I’ve had it with vampires. Seriously, every time they’re on the show things get weighed down and tedious. I just don’t want to deal with them anymore; I can’t be bothered to follow all those plot points. Like, take this episode for instance, I couldn’t care less about all the vampire politics happening in the alpha’s palace. I think I absorbed enough of that when I was reading Twilight at age twelve. (Although, I do like that the alpha vampire told Sam and Dean that he’d see them next season. You have to admit that that was cute.) There! I said it. And now I wash my hands of vampires. So, let’s see, what else is going on in this episode? Well, obviously, we have to be concerned about Bobby. I appreciate that he’s still around in the show, but the fact that he possessed the maid was very disturbing. I’m very disappointed that Bobby is going over to the dark side, but I guess I can’t be too surprised. I mean, if I died the way that ...

Now this is what I call an EPISODE. Honestly, it was soooo good. It had basically everything: humor, drama, emotional moments, and it really contributed to the plot too! Plus, there were just so many good LINES. “I'm in advanced placement. Please don't kill me” is going to be my new catchphrase (just in case you’re wondering, I was in advanced placement in high school, but I was nowhere near as bright and motivated as our dude Kevin). Not to mention that everything Cas said was hilarious. I love him calling Meg to tell her that he’s surrounded by angry dogs. The random weirdness of it all is just perfection. Speaking of Meg and Cas, their relationship has taken a somewhat adorable turn. I like Meg as the reluctant care taker, even though I am 100% confident that she’s just trying to use Castiel. But still, who would have thought that a muddled, mentally ill angel and a snarky demon could be so cute together? We should take a few minutes to talk about Cas, I suppose. I think thi...

Edward really is an idiot isn't he? Seriously! I'm amazed he's managed to survive as king as long as he has. He has no sense; and he certainly doesn't have fashion sense either. Charging the walls of Winchester like an angry toddler was the absolute height of foolishness. I continue to be disappointed by him in this season. How did Alfred's son get to be so stupid?  On the other hand, almost everyone else is impressing me.  My girl Eadith was AMAZING in this episode. Have I mentioned before how much I like her? The way she killed that Dane and freed Uhtred and the guys was so incredibly brave. I could never have done that;  come to think of it, I don't think I would even have thought of that. I'm not good with ideas under pressure. Eadith did let herself down a little bit because she revealed who she was, but that was a difficult moment for her, so I'll forgive it. I imagine she's going to get through this alive because she NEEDS to reunite with Fina...

My friends, I think Supernatural may have reached its pinnacle. I simply cannot imagine how any episode could be better than this one. I mean, come on, it has everything! There’s suspense, mystery, action, humor, and fun new characters. I LOVED it. Speaking of things I loved, I have to give the writers mad props for creating Charlie’s character. She is AMAZING. Felicia Day was a great choice for the character, she really hit it out of the park. I know that Charlie told the Winchesters never to contact her again, but I really hope they do because she’s just such a great character, and she has mad skills. Like, she beat Frank in coding. That’s impressive. And, like, she’s practically a hunter already! Okay. Now that I’ve GUSHED, we should talk about the actual episode. In this episode, the Winchesters discover that someone is trying to hack into Frank’s hard drive. They track it back to Charlie, who is a programmer for Dick Roman’s company. Dean and Sam manage to convince her that levi...

Every time I watch this show, I'm reminded of how tough life used to be for humans. Don't get me wrong, life is still tough for many humans around the world, but you don't get bands of marauding Danes with fire arrows anymore, do you? I know that we've had almost four whole seasons of violence on this show, but I still find that I can be amazed by the level of brutality that characters produce. It's simply jaw-dropping, isn't it? Like, that river of fire almost made me want to cry, and I'm not even rooting for the Welsh in this show!  Plus, Brida was just a SAVAGE in this episode. Don't get me wrong, I sort of love that about her. If we've learned anything, it's that women have to find ways to defend themselves on this show. But, her execution of that Welsh nobleman was a masterpiece of cruelty. I mean, he definitely deserved it, but I shudder to think what will happen to Uhtred if Brida ever finds him again.  The feud between Uhtred and Brida is...

Oh my goodness, BOBBY! BOBBY! Bobby is breaking my heart in this episode! Like, I can’t even deal with all these feelings. I am both really happy that Bobby is still with them and heartbroken that he is a ghost and will eventually deteriorate and become a monster. Plus, I’m angry at Dean and Sam for not accepting ghost Bobby, but, at the same time, I do agree that he’s violating the natural order of things. Like I said, I don’t know how to feel about it. This episode was also kind of disturbing as a whole. In case you need a recap, Sam and Dean begin investigating some sort of ghost mansion where another hunter—Annie—has gone missing. It turns out that the former owner of the mansion, a ghost, kills anyone who comes into the mansion and holds on to their ghost in order to fuel himself with ghostly energy. This murderer ghost has a secret room where he stores the bodies so that no one will be able to set the ghosts free. It turns out that Annie is now a ghost in the house, and she work...

So, I think the important takeaway from this episode is….BOBBY IS BACK! (!!!!!!!!) I mean, I kind of suspected that he was a ghost based on some other things that happened over the course of the past few episodes, but STILL! I almost can’t believe it. It was kind of shocking to see ghost Bobby just chilling out in their motel room. It gave my heart a bit of a jolt. I feel bad that he’s not able to talk to them or tell them that he’s still around. However, it might be for the best because I’m not sure how Sam and Dean would react to seeing Bobby in the flesh again. My assumption is that he’s attached to the flask, so Dean had better hold on tight to that thing! Anyway. I imagine they’re going to address the whole “Bobby is a ghost” situation in greater detail later on, so let me actually discuss what happened in the episode. In case you missed it, this episode revolves around a series of mysterious deaths perpetrated by a Japanese alcohol spirit. It seems that the owners of a brewery ch...

Alert the presses! CAS IS BACK! Guys, I cannot describe how much this excites me. I suspected that Cas wasn’t permanently dead (because he’s died and come back so many times), but I was still thrilled to see him back on the show. I know the last time we saw him he was a vengeful god, but I’ve already forgiven him everything. No one can stay angry with Castiel. I mean, he’s CAS. The minute they started talking about Emmanuel the healer, I was like “that’s going to be Cas, amiright?” And, I was right! And, I gotta say, amnesia Castiel was ADORABLE. He’s like a sweet little baby who just wants to help people! INFANT CAS. I kind of wish he could have stayed like that. Plus, I think this is the only time we’ve seen him wearing something besides a trenchcoat. He’s rocking that sweater. Anyway, I’m feeling some kind of way about this episode. It was just so EMOTIONAL! First of all, you had Sam in a psychiatric ward, almost DYING because of Lucifer! I mean, that was pretty horrifying. (Althoug...

Well, things move fast in Mercia, don't they? To be honest, I had a hard time following all the coming and goings from Aegelesburg and who was ploting against whom, but I think the end result is that everyone is more-or-less back where they were a few episode. The notable exception is that Edward has finally decided to behave with *some* degree of logic (although his hair and clothes still look dumb, if you ask me) and Uhtred is on his way to becoming Lord of Mercia, which doesn't really seem to be his style. Don't get me wrong, I think he would be a great ruler, but there's nothing that really binds Uhtred to Mercia, except Æthelflæd. Speaking of Æthelflæd, I really felt for her in this episode. She's had a tough couple of weeks! I hope she has some time to hang out with her daughter and relax. Although, the Danes seem to be invading again, so she'll probably have to be on the battlefield again in an hour or so.  Talking about the Danes, I am glad that Brida FI...

Man, those real estate agents were brutal. I mean, I’ve had bad bosses in my life, but I’ve never wanted to eat one of them! On the other hand, the cannibalistic impulse of leviathans is probably the only reason Sam and Dean are alive right now. Plus, Joyce and George were VASTLY entertaining; I love their forays in office politics while trying to take over the world, one shady property deal at a time. They are hilariously incompetent. In case you need a recap, in this episode Sam and Dean investigate a series of cursed objects that have all come from the same shop. Fortunately, Sam and Dean are able to round up all the items before the carnage becomes too bad (although there is one BRUTAL ballet slipper murder). In the process, however, they learn that there are some suspicious real estate deals going on. All the stores on the street are being sold to one particular agent (Joyce, she of the obnoxious coffee order). After some investigating—with the help of Fran—Sam and Dean learn that...

I’ve tolerated a lot of creepy and disturbing stuff from Supernatural , but this episode crossed a line for me. THEY KILLED THE DOG! If there is one thing I can’t tolerate from movies or TV shows, it’s killing the pets. Now, THAT is going too far. That’s not to say that the rest of the episode wasn’t disturbing because it absolutely was. In case you need a recap, this episode centers around a case that Dean and Sam worked four years previously. They encountered a demon-possessed man who was killing women in horrifying ways. They were able to rid him of the demon, but years later the deaths started again, leading Sam and Dean to believe that the demon was back. It turns out that that wasn’t the case though. Instead, the man who the demon had possessed decided to start killing women on his own. So...THAT’S DISTURBING. The man, Jeffrey, captures Dean and reveals that he always wanted to kill women, but didn’t have the confidence to do it until he became possessed. He decides to summon the...

 Well, that was STRESSFUL! Let me count all the opportunities for disaster we had in this episode. 1) The literal plague, 2) a succession crisis, 3) near misses and failed meet ups, and 4) THE DANES ARE BACK.  I don't know about you, but I think the plot and the political drama have really been heating up in the past couple of episodes.  This episode really focused on the political crisis that is developing in Mercia. Edward's choice for king has fallen through, the aldermen are beginning to resent his interference, and the heir to the throne might be dying of the plague. Meanwhile, the king's widow is in the wind, and it's just been revealed that the old king was actually murdered. Not looking too promising, is it? Most of this episode switched back and forth between Uhtred traveling with his warriors and a gaggle of royal children and Edward trying and failing to come to term with the disaster brewing in Mercia.  Watching Uhtred and his team stomp through the ...