So one of the many reasons that I haven’t been posting too often here is because … well … I’ve been elsewhere in the realm of the internet and I’ve completely forgotten about this blog. There I admitted it – I forgot. It happens. So, if some one is actually trying to follow me (though I have no idea why they would) here is my master list for how to track me down all over the internet!
Tonight was the Opening Night for the Melville Boys production, and I am happy to say that it went really well. The guys were a bit rocky, but otherwise - it was awesome. The only flub up that happened when I was actually on stage was extremely minor. I said my line, the other actor did not say his full line, I gently prompted, he still didn't catch on and then I continued on with the next line and he got back on track. There was none of that awkward silence on stage, and I was careful not to give him the panicked 'Oh my god, you aren't remembering your lines' look. Unfortunately it meant we missed the one time my character says something smart and non-selfish, but it was fine.
All in all? I was really happy with tonights performance. About this happy:
(which is pretty freaking happy)
I joked with one of the actors that I was going to be known as the girl with the many hairdoes. I have it up, then down and soaking wet, and then (after spending all intermission blowing it dry), I have it down but completely messy and 'bed head' as I like to put it, and then I put it back in a ponytail during curtain call. It wouldn't seem like much if there was any other character who also had many hairdoes, but there isn't. It's just Loretta.
That being said, I actually got around to posting a video on the 'Misc. Misses' channel which is shared between one of my best friends Kourtney and I. It's not much, just a clip from InnerSPACE's coverage of the Supernatural cast at Paley Festival. Has little interview clips from Misha Collins, Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. As you can see here:
Let's just get straight down to business shall we?
5. Jar of Hearts- Christina Perri + lyrics on screen by songandlyricss
It's heartbreaking, but I loooove this song. It's been on constant repeat as I write. The close second of this video was the one from So You Think You Can Dance ... but I've definitely watched/listened to this one more often, because it's the full song.
4. "Fuck you" Sign language performance by amrobi314
I just think this is awesome. I hope to goodness that she got an A+ on this, because over a million people agree with me when I say this is just frigging legendary.
3. Tom Cochrane - I Wish You Well by GordonYYZ
This song literally popped into my head one night, and I couldn't think of the name of it. So I wrote it down on the pad of paper I always have beside my bed and then youtube did the rest.
2. Supernatural Saturday Segment: BEST EPISODE EVERRRRR by Racheltastik
I love her reviews. What more can I say?
1. Darren Criss Sings for Ellen! by Ellen
I love Darren Criss, and I am so happy for all the success he's found. I mean, he was on Ellen! ELLEN! And he sang a song about her Disney movie, which is so old school Darren Criss I can't describe in words how psyched that made me.
Hola Mishamigos, I have another one of my favourite fanarts of all time. This one, once again in an attempt at being different from the others one's I have shown before, is digital manipulation at it's best. Don't ask me how they did. Just enjoy the humour of kiles85's great piece, "Dean's Facebook Page". It might make for awkward viewing, because it doesn't fit in the lines ... but it is so worth it.
Where to start, where to start ... this episode was EPIC, AWESOME, and completely LEGENDARY. So let's break it down and take a moment to appreciate all the little things.
Tweeting ... Misha Collins was ... there are no words. The fact that he tweeted what his character tweeted during the show just adds to the awesome-ness. Every single one of those little tweets made me laugh, none harder than his last one "Ever get the feeling someone is in the backseat? Frowny face ..." I also laughed that the come of the "crew" seemed to follow fake-Misha on twitter. Ex. "according to Misha's celebrity-tweets it's a blackmarket organ" (paraphrasing with that one). Misha completely shined in every scene he was in. From snapping pictures of "J2" while they were sitting in their chairs between scenes to mouthing "What the hell?" to the camera. He kept me laughing right up until they killed him off ... which made me unreasonably sad ... and made me want to give Castiel a hug when we saw him alive and well in his dimension.
Jared and Jensen ... are such good sports to make fun of their fake-selves. To be fair, I don't think Jared and Jensen are too much like fake-Jared and Jensen. It seems like the writers took everyone's personalities and then magnified them x100 and just went over the top. And it worked. I just have to say ... Jared and Jensen are such great actors at protraying bad actors. I don't know what that says about them ... but I love it.
Angels anyone? ... So the angel plotline ... we still don't know too much about it yet, so I don't have an opinion as of yet. However, I did really enjoy Balthazar in this episode, more so than I have. I'm still feeling the absence of Castiel, who never sticks around for longer than five minutes of screentime it seems. Which is fine, at least we have the five minutes of screen time ... and I decided to count fake-Misha 'acting' as 'Castiel' screentime ... I think I just confused myself. ANYWAYS, I enjoyed the hitman angel, and all of that ... but I just wish we knew more about the civil war in Heaven.
Overall ... LOVED IT. I am a sucker for meta-episodes and an even larger sucker for comedy-driven episodes. Therefore, this episode was as near perfection as a show can get. I can always tell when an episode is really good when I watch it a second time and love it even more. As other people have mentioned, this was a big 'thank you' to fans of the show. There were so many easter eggs hidden in the background and inside jokes ... it's going to take me a few watches to catch everything.
Rating ... 10/10
PS. This blog post was also written on a new blog I started up that is solely Supernatural based. Check out my profile to find the link. Also, just a heads up, Surviving February is now up and running. You can find it on Fanfiction.net. ~Ella
Greetings to another wonderful Fanart Thursdays. Today I decided to go for one that when I first saw it, I thought it was a photo. This person is scary talented! I mean, look at that! It's just ... no words. And anything that leaves me speechless is well worth my fanart of the week.
Okay, I just watched the longer promo for next weeks episode about ten times … so I hope it won’t affect my review for the one I just watched last night. Between possessed mannequins, Dean’s past and not ignoring Sam’s seizure, this episode was all over the place … but it worked.
Opening Sequence … Oh right, Lisa and Ben. What Sam’s soul was trapped in hell? Sigh. There is a reason you can turn off these little segments on the DVD set.
Follow-Up … The episode picks up within seconds of where the one last week ended. I was kind of happy about that, because it would have been such a let down if it was a week later or something ridiculous. We get to see what I like to refer to as FIRE EYES, and they quickly leave and get greasy food – the only solution to memories of hell. Did anyone else do a double-take when Dean was suddenly Mr. Pharmaceutical? When the hell was Dean all, “here, take these special, yet slightly suspicious, pills that I refuse to give a name to”? By the way, I was so right about Dean being a thousand times stricter about the scratching of the wall. It’s Sam’s life on the line, and Dean won’t let him just toss it away after he went through everything to get it back. They decide to follow the old Winchester motto – Bury Yourself in Work until What You Are Running from Kicks You in the Ass. And so we get the case …
The Case … Because I don’t have a lot of time to write this review, I am going to go over this pretty quickly. So a loner-girl was killed after a mean practical joke where a bunch of guys pretended she had a secret admirer. They set up a place for them to meet, but all she found there was a mannequin and a bunch of a-wholes who, when she tried to leave grabbed her to stay, causing her to fall, hit her head and die. Now, I thought it was a bit unreasonable for her to then go on a ghostly murdering spree after that – but my friend told me in no uncertain terms that was not the case and she would have done something much worse to them. I will never play a practical joke on that friend. Anyways, Sam ends up taking the lead in this case, and it was great. I am still in the ‘honeymoon’ phase of having Sammy back. Every time he shows emotion I just want to hug him. Also, it was so NICE to have a ghost-related case. I don’t mind the monsters, but it feels like it has been such a long time since it was a haunting.
Problems on the Home Front … Dean is forced by Sam to answer his cell after Lisa calls for the umpteenth time. Did anyone else find a bit of humour in the fact Sam with a soul keeps pushing Dean towards Lisa and Ben, but Sam without a soul kind of broke them up? I did. So the call is actually Ben who makes some BS story about his mom being ill to get Dean to come home and stop his mom from going on a third date with a guy (who, let’s face it, could not be as cool as Dean). I laughed when Sam was pushing Dean into the call and said something along the lines of ‘I had to deal with my past year, now you do too’. I felt like it was the writers’ checklist for the second half of the season. Get Sam’s soul back? Check. Deal with Soulless Sam’s past year? Check. Deal with Dean’s past year? Check. Alright, onto craziness!
Conversations with the Fam … Dean is forced to actually deal with his problems. First with Lisa and then Ben, Dean is put into a situation where he can’t ignore what is going on. I loved when he told Lisa to ask something from him, because by that time I wanted her to demand something, anything. I also liked Ben telling Dean he was walking out on his family. It makes sense that to Ben, Dean is the closest thing he has ever had to a father and Dean’s just walking away. It would hurt, and at that age, you lash out however you can. You could see how it hurt Dean and I am kind of happy it did. I don’t want Dean to stay with them, I want him on the road with Sam, but those boys have blinders on when it comes to other people who love them and they always have. The one thing that bugged the hell out of me about these conversations was the fact they cut out what Dean said! AGH! I want to know how he reacted to these conversations! What did he say? Why did you not tell me? It’s going to drive me crazy. They better be extended scenes on the season 6 DVD set.
Not the Impala! … Dean leaves Lisa and Ben, and meets up with Sam. In an interesting and cool twist of events, the haunted object is actually a girl’s kidney. This is awkward because they can’t exactly salt and burn it. So they go through their options, before being cut off by the ghost possessing the Impala. Best line of the night was definitely “No, no, no, no, no. She possesses sex dolls. This isn't a sex doll.” Because let’s face it, the Impala kind of is. The case ends when kidney-girl does the stupid thing and runs TOWARDS the possessed car and ends up getting a large piece of glass in the kidney. Oh irony. If I was her, I would have been trying to steal Sam’s (stolen?) car and getting the hell out of there.
The end conversation … So Sam and Dean have their road-side, wait, no, their fixing the Impala chat. We get to see Sam try to cheer his older brother up by reminding him of the good things, and it was nice and warm fuzzies. Also, I loved the fact they mirrored the same conversation from earlier this season. Back when Sam was soulless Dean made a comment about (and I am paraphrasing here) ‘I can always trust you to have my back, right Sam?’ and Soulless Sam was like ‘of course’ and the audience was like ‘oh hell no you can’t trust him!’. Now though, Sam is the one who says he has Dean’s back and Dean agrees and the audience fully believes them. It’s such a nice switch.
Overall … This was another great episode. A few nit-picking things would be that some of the music cues seemed off and a few shots seemed to drag a bit. They could have been edited a bit shorter, but other than that. It was an enjoyable, classic case, it dealt with issues which needed to be dealt with, and we can now all wait with baited breath for next weeks ultra-awesome meta episode!
Favourite moments –
Mostly One-liners are coming to mind such as:
Dean: Maybe we should call Dr. Robert. He might have some leads on non-haunted black market kidneys.
Sam: He works out of a butcher shop.
Dean: It's pretty clean -- you'd be surprised.
Dean: We've been parent trapped.
Sam: That anatomy dummy you were molesting at the lab.
Dean: Excuse me?
Sam: What if that's what this is about?
Dean: What exactly are you accusing me of?
And so many more … This episode had a great season one feel to it. Now that the writers have finished their to-do checklist, I am looking forward to some craziness!
The first thought when the show ended …
Awwwwe. That was such a nice …. META EPISODE?!
The preview for next week …
Oh man, this looks waaaay too good. I plan to curl up with popcorn and laugh the entire time. I know some people don't like meta-episodes or the comedy-centric episodes (and this one is both so that means a lot of people probably won't like it), but I am a comedy addict. So I am looking forward to this SO MUCH!
Rating: 8.5/10
Written while …
Listening to: Simple Man by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Watching: Supernatural 6.14 online to refresh my memory
Eating/Drinking: Nothing ... I am actally starving ...
Located: In the study, curled up on my favourite chair with my cat on my lap.
These are the videos which I currently can NOT stop watching. My top five of this week are:
5. Supernatural Season 1 Music Guideby stargatemouse
Stargatemouse's music guide for Supernatural has all the songs from season one to season four. I keep hoping she (or he) will continue with seasons five and six. This video single handedly helped create more than one playlist on my Ipod.
4. SPIRIT OF THE WEST - Home For A Rest by kurdtss
I just recently stumbled across the music video for this song (which is probably my favourite song of all time!). It's not much, but I was pretty excited by it. I knew the song had been around for (what seemed to me to be forever) but it was a lot of fun to see this 'retro' video of it.
3. Winchesters as Pinky and the Brain. by lizzylizzy1
Hehehe ... it makes me giggle. I actually owe Shaula over at SFO forums for introducing me to this one. It's epic.
2. SN LA Con Js Panel part 1 by JensAngel1
Other than sometimes covering up the mic, JensAngel1 wins the award for most videos of the Supernatural LA Convention which happened just this past weekend. Wish I could go to one of these awesome events, but that is extremely unlikely. Especially since for the price of one, I could also spend the same amount on a full week at some resort somewhere warm.
1. The Fables - Heave Away by The NewfoundlandMusic
I was feeling all nostalgic and found this! The ultimate "if you went to school in the Maritimes you know this song" song! Oh Halifax, I can't wait to go back. <3
So those are my top five for this week. I'll be back on tomorrow with my Supernatural Review! So exciting I know. Haha, okay, I need to get back to work.
Tune in next week for my newest top five youtube videos ...
Written while …
Listening to: Heave Away by The Fables
Watching: The videos listed above ...
Eating/Drinking: My fav juiceboxes and a granola bar
My newest blog-related idea ... Fanart Thursdays! Because let's face it, the only thing I love more than youtube videos, fanfiction and certain television series - it is fanart. I have a DeviantArt account and everything, not because I can draw, but because I love viewing other peoples drawings. I'll just post one (or multiple if it is a series) a week of one which has caught my attention. This week, it is by my all-time favourite artist/cartoonist blackbirdrose.
This one is actually part of my signature over on the SFO forum boards. I just love it. Especially the little kid shovel. Makes me laugh.
Another admission before we start this week's review for Supernatural's 'Unforgiven' ... I am easily pleased. I am probably the worst person to do reviews because I am usually happy with whatever a television show does. I love stories. As long as they are building towards an end point I am happy. This could refer to a seasonal arch, or even just a episodic story arch. Anyways, just thought I should clarify that one point. On with the review …
Opening Sequence … It felt a bit dragged on, but maybe I was just too excited for the episode to start.
Bam, Bam, Bam … Soulless Sam … our resident psychopathic killer. When Samuel Campbell is unsettled, well, let’s just say my stomach dropped a bit with each gunshot because I had already figured that Sam was going to remember that. After that, we see the “sneak peek” footage of Sam beating the crap out the policeman to knock him out and then drive away. Well … at least he didn’t kill him …
Father References … It starts with the coordinates, but there felt to be an overwhelming presence of John Winchester in this episode. Mysterious coordinates like their father used to send. Also, when they were both quoting their dad when trying to decide whether they should stay or go, it was very … odd.
Following the mystery text … Sam starts to have flashbacks as soon as they arrive at Bristol. He tries to hide it from Dean for all of two minutes, before he is recognised in a diner and Dean sees him in the picture (though I was kind of hoping he would have been in the silly hat … but the background makes more sense …). And actually, it’s a restaurant. When was the last time they ate an actual restaurant? And was that a lime in Sam’s drink? Sorry, not important. All that matters is that at this restaurant we meet girl number 1000 that Soulless Sam slept with … and her husband (awkward). Obviously she was going to die. She was introduced but not really developed – making her perfect canon fodder for the show.
Brotherly Arguments … So Dean wants to leave town as soon as they realise Sam had worked a case with Samuel there, and he has some very good reasons. Firstly, ‘leaving messes behind’ is putting it lightly for the amount of damage hunters leave. Secondly, he doesn’t want Sam to remember anything because he doesn’t want the wall to fall. Sam however, feels the need to atone for whatever his ‘body’ did and convinces Dean to stay. After what happens at the end of the episode, I doubt Dean will be convinced to stay so easily ever again.
The Intrepid Detective … I don’t know why, but I loved when Dean was investigating. When he went to describe Sam and went ‘Yay high?’ while holding his hand way up high, I giggled uncontrollably. Dean eventually puts together the one thing the girls all had in common – they had all slept with Sam (which adds to the theory that a woman should never sleep with Sam because they all end up dead … or turned into monsters … no wonder these boys have issues).
Sam is arrested … in the jail we meet Brenna Dobbs the Sheriff’s wife. After Sam lays the soul-charm on her, she is finally convinced to help him escape his cell. She wants to know what happened to her husband and Sam just wants to know what happened.
Fugitive again … side note: I loved the ‘I told you so’ dialogue. And while on the side note ... when was the last time we saw so much snow on the show?Anyways ... he so obviously was NOT going to just stay there. Dean figures out that it is a trap for Sam, and Sam gets the case files from Brenna. I thought for sure that she was going to call the police when she went upstairs to get the files and was slightly disappointed when she didn’t. I mean, from her perspective it REALLY looks like Sam is the guilty partner.
A year ago … In his flashbacks we eventually piece together what happened. There was this spider creature which was taking guys, and Sam, without letting Samuel on in the plan, let’s the Sheriff get taken by the creature. When they then track the Sheriff and creature back to
Random Abandoned Place, a fight goes down and Sam ends up beheading the spider-girl. Then he systematically kills the men there because he THEORISES that the venom will kill them.
Present … Dean’s spider senses are tingling, as they meet up with Brenna in the
Random Abandoned Place. There we learn that the Sheriff was actually not killed when soulless Sam shot him point blank in his head, because the spider-chick (like all the other monsters this year) was actually turning the men she kidnapped. Sam ends up beheading the Sheriff-spider-monster and Sam tries to apologize to Brenna, who understandably wants nothing to do with him (he did kill her husband … twice).
The end conversation … Dean and Sam have their typical end-of-episode conversation. I keep thinking that Dean might have an easier time convincing Sam that his soulless-self was a different person if he maybe mentioned that soulless Sam actually referred to himself as another person. Maybe say ‘Dude, soulless you even told me he wasn’t you, so stop it’. I’m thinking this is the end and then …
Wham … Sam is convulsing on the floor because his WALL IS CRUMBLING! As he remembers being burned alive, I am left gaping at the screen unable to form a coherent thought.
Overall … I really enjoyed this episode. I liked the different style of mystery to it, with the flashbacks and a creature which didn’t just look human. I mean, it still looked like a disfigured human, but not like the average Joe. It was not my favourite episode of the season, but it’s definitely one I look forward to watching again.
Favourite moments –
I really enjoyed the fact that Sammy echoed some of the same wording as Soulless Sam. The most obvious being ‘he died a hero’. It shows that Soulless Sam is really Sam, just … not. Okay, that was as clear as mud … it showed that as vastly different as the two types of Sam are, there if still something fundamentally the same, which is why Sam feels so much guilt and why Dean was able to go back on the road with Soulless Sam even though he had his doubts.
Dean’s one-liners … from spidey-senses to cougar eyes, you can tell Dean is still in the ‘honeymoon’ phase of having got his brother back. Still chipper and upbeat, Dean is cracking out the jokes and … well, just behaving a bit more like he always has, which is nice.
The first thought when the show ended …
WHA-?!
The preview for next week …
Hey look! Sam's up and walking around! Yay! I almost feel sorry for this ghost-thingy ... messing with the Impala? Dean is going to kill it ... brutally.
Rating: 8/10
Written while …
Listening to: Fucking Perfect by Pink
Watching: Supernatural 6.13 online to refresh my memory
Eating/Drinking: Nothing!
Located: In the study, curled up on my favourite chair and my favourite blanket wrapped around me
It is official ... I am writing a sequel to my Supernatural fanfiction Surviving December. The first chapter will be posted February 26th. Right after the Supernatural episode "The French Mistake". I don't want to spoil anyone so that is all I will really say about the episode. If you WOULD like to be spoiled, email me at ellamnite@hotmail.ca and I will be happy to spoil away!
In preparation, I have already started to plan out a few things for the sequel (I'm at stage one for anyone who read my 'Writing Sam's Hell' blog post). To give you a little "snap shot", I took ... well ... a snapshot to show you all! Enjoy.
Written while ...
Listening to: Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison
Watching: The Listener Season 2 Episode 1 (I was SO excited when I learned it was back on! HAPPY DANCE!)
These are the videos which I currently can NOT stop watching. My top five of this week are:
5. Brett Dennen - The One Who Loves You the Most by luckynacho
Not much to look at, but this song has been on constant repeat as I work on things. I blame my friend, Katie, for this. She was the one who started me on it.
4. The Ultimate Gag Reel REDONE - Part 1 by WillMakarIsMyIdol99
Who doesn't love bloopers? This person was kind enough to put together bloopers from tons of different shows and break them into different themes. There are ten parts of this awesome-ness.
3. Pepsi MAX -- Display King (feat. Snoop Dogg) by Pepsi
I don't really drink Pepsi or Coke, but for all those Supernatural fans out there ... you will understand when I say 'OMG IT'S GABE!'. I mean, they even did the finger snap! THE FINGER SNAP!
2. All About Halifax by picnicface
I've officially decided to finish my degree by returning to the wonderful city that stole my heart ... Halifax. In September I will be back under the creepy stare of the Dreadhawk. To celebrate this decision, the number two spot goes to the Halifax comedy group picnicface and their awesome video about Halifax.
1. misha collins asylum 5 Jared or Jensen? by mtumale610
What list of my most obsessed youtube videos wouldn't include at least one clip from some Supernatural panel? This time, I'm showing some love to Misha (especially since last week's episode Cas was denied his hug ... poor little angel). Though one thing is for sure, after hearing the whole 'inner monologue' thing at the end, I can not look at Castiel's serious face without cracking up.
Written while ...
Listening to: Cover of the Rolling Stone by Dr. Hook
Watching: Um ... The videos listed above?
Eating/Drinking: Strawberry Toaster Strudels and an Apple/Grape juicebox!
Located: At work, whenever a costumer walks into the store I quickly close these tabs and look innocent.
I am currently in a community theatre production of The Melville Boys. Playing the younger sister 'Loretta' who is described as self-centered and promiscous by other characters, I personally see her as someone who lives in her own world but greatly cares about her family. In my own self-inflicted homework to myself I have decided to come up with the three top characteristics which I think defines Loretta.
1 - Loretta lives in her own world.
I have a friend ... actually a couple friends ... who are like this. It's hard because for people who don't know them, it can come across as airheads or selfishness. While you need a level of selfishness to be so focused on your own little world it is not intentional. Loretta is always too busy thinking about her plans and her future to really focus on the little things around her.
2 - Loretta puts family first.
It's never said outright in the play, but she moved in with her sister after her brother-in-law left. She helps out with the store even though she hates it. When Lee tells Mary that he is dying, Loretta immediately gets defensive of her sister - thinking Lee is trying to trick her into sleeping with him. Loretta also worries that her older sister Mary is wasting away, and is trying to get her back on track after her husband leaves.
3 - Loretta likes to have fun.
When things get serious, Loretta feels the need to find the humour. She uses wit and comedy to distance herself to uncomfortable situations. It's also the way she prefers to live without regrets. She does what she wants because she, as long as it doesn't harm her family, lives in her own world. It's her abandoned sense of freedom that really attracks Owen, the younger brother, to her.
Well ... this was probably a crap post, but whatever. I'm just happy to write down some of my thoughts on the character. I should also put a diclaimer ... all thoughts/opinions are my own. The character Loretta comes from the famous Canadian playwright Norm Foster's The Melville Boys. It's a great play, and an easy read, since his writing is so natural. The words just roll so nicely because it's written like how we talk. Anyways, we are halfway through rehearsal and I am really pleased with how its going. If you would like to know more about the play ... Google magic!
Written while …
Listening to: We No Speak Americano by Yolanda Be Cool
Watching: Hockey
Eating/Drinking: Water … this blog is making me look like I drink water all the time ...
Located: In the study, curled up on my favourite chair. <3
So, this is my first attempt at reviewing a show … ever. So let’s clear a few things up before we get started. I have no area of expertise on filmmaking or television. Technically, I am in no way, shape or form qualified to be making judgement calls on shows and I’m not going to pretend I do. I am just a viewer who loves the show. The thoughts and opinions I have are my own, and are not meant to offend.
Okay, now that that is cleared up. Let’s get started …
Opening Sequence … it’s great to have a road so far for this episode. It’s such a turning point and it has been so long since we had new episodes, we really needed the refresher. Plus, let’s face it – any Supernatural episode which begins with classic rock is sure to be epic.
Airplane of doom … I love flying. Flying in rough weather doesn’t really bother me.(On a side-note I hate landing, because my ears feel like they are being stabbed with an ice-pick). So I always find it hard to relate to shows where someone is terrified of flying. However, if my pilot was snatched and the plane was nose-diving to the ground … that is when I would start to panic. My first thought when the window was broken was, wouldn’t the pressure have changed when that happened? But never mind that, because something so much more important is happening over at Bobby’s …
Sam awakes … it is amazing how one little “Dean” is enough to convey to the audience that Sammy is back. With the return of the soul, it’s like a light switch was turned on for the boys. Dean has a huge weight lifted off his shoulders. This is highlighted in the episode with a lot more humour and smiles from Dean than we have seen all season. Actually, just compare the first scene of Dean anxiously waiting for Sam to wake up to the scene at the kitchen table where they learn Sam remembers nothing of the past year and a half. The change in Dean is amazing. As for Sam … the difference is a complete one-eighty. Now would be a good time to also mention that I loved, especially now that Soul!Sam is back, that I loved how Sam without his soul was still very Sam-like. It’s like Sam without his soul was only a little bit different, just enough that Bobby has a hard time adjusting.
Bobby’s grudge … I was a bit nervous about how that would be handled. I had been spoiled by early reviews which hinted that Bobby wasn’t about to forgive and forget. So I was extremely happy to see that it was handled in such a way that was very true to Bobby’s character. He still loves Sam, he’s just trying to deal with everything and he needs time. Dean and Bobby’s little argument about what to tell Sam was wonderful – it really showed the valid points of both sides of the argument. You don’t want to do anything that might crack the wall, but at the same time it is inevitable that Sam would eventually be told he had been back for over a year walking around soulless.
Riding around in the car … I cringed for Dean when Sam mentioned Lisa and Ben.
Dragons … So the monster of the week was dragons. They were taking virgins, gathering them up to eventually sacrifice them to open the door of purgatory and let out the alpha-mother (who I think it is safe to assume is the new big bad for this season). I liked Supernatural’s take on dragons. The people-bat-dragon things were interesting, especially since both Bobby and Sam thought they were not real and it was something we had never done before.
Dean and the sword … was pretty funny. It felt a tiny bit dragged out, but overall I liked it. It was nice that Dean, as much as he is a great guy, is not exactly chivalrous and was denied by the sword. The highlight of that part for me was definitely the explosives and when he turned back to the lady with the broken sword and asked if she had insurance.
Sam and Castiel … as soon as Castiel arrived I knew Sam was about to find out he had been soulless. It was also believable that Castiel would arrive as soon as Sam started to pray for him. After all, Castiel had left earlier thinking Sam might never wake up. Though I could have slapped Sam over the head for denying Castiel a hug – if Castiel actually wants to hug you, you let him hug you. This is the first time (I think) Castiel actually tries to hug someone and he gets denied. Also, when Sam realises he was soulless was heartbreaking. After months of no emotions, to see Sam so vulnerable was heartbreaking.
The rescue … Virgins? Safe. Gold? Now belongs to Dean (and he wonders why the sword wouldn’t budge for him). Dragons? Slayed … well … one was. The other met up with other creepy dragon-bat-man to open a door to purgatory and let their mother out. By the way, did anyone else keep yelling at Bobby and Sam to stop touching the freaking human-skin paper?I think THAT was the most disturbing thing of the whole episode. I mean, even after they knew – they still kept touching it. Urgh!
Sam apologizes … That dialogue shared between Sam and Dean was amazing. I think Sam will have a heard time trying to make amends for the things his body did. He really has no idea how bad things got … but then again, neither do we. I also loved Dean flat out telling him about the wall. If there is any way to prevent Sam from scratching at it – honesty is probably the best deterrent. It’s safe to assume it’ll crack eventually, but it is nice to see characters make smart moves and this was one of them. Plus, it’s refreshing to see the two brothers so close and honest with each other.
Things I didn’t like –
This is a bit nit-picking on my part, but there were a couple of ‘over-view shots’ which confused me. Like when Bobby answers the phone and we (the audience) are looking down at him. Then again later in the show. Maybe it’s just me, but it was really jarring and it brought me out of the story and thinking – why the hell am I looking down at this?But that was it really, I liked or loved everything else.
Favourite moments –
The brotherly hug … the stark difference between this one and the one from the season premiere go to show the amazing talent of Jared and Jensen. Plus, after everything those two had been through, they needed a hug.
Castiel letting it slip. I kept freaking out at everything Sam did, thinking that he was going to suddenly remember being soulless. When he opened his cell phone to call Bobby I thought for sure he was going to find Samuel Campbell’s phone number. When he was on the computer I thought he would – I don’t know – stumble onto an article or something. So when Castiel let the cat out of the bag, I breathed a sigh or relief, because at least Castiel cares about him and would let him in on the secret a lot more gently then it could have been.
The little moments between the brothers are finally back. The humour and pop-culture references, and one-liners, and quirky comments, and side-smirks … it’s all back and I LOVE it.
The first thought when the show ended …
What the hell are they going to do to the girls in the van?
The preview for next week …
Poor Sammy … this is not going to go well.
Rating: 10/10
Written while …
Listening to: Bad Company by Bad Company
Watching: Supernatural 6.12 online to refresh my memory
Eating/Drinking: Water … wow, that’s boring.
Located: In the study, curled up on my favourite chair.
I recently finished a little Supernatural fanfiction project called "Sam's Hell". A bit different from my usual writing style, this comedy was a series of flashback's which explained how Sam spent 180 years in the pit with Lucifer, Michael and Adam. While writing it I got ... a bit bored, shall we say? I decided to take pictures showing the different stages of writing. So, here they are ... the behind the scenes look at making Sam's Hell.
Stage One - Brainstorming
Trying to figure out the pacing and which chapters would cover which rules. This is the first draft to give me a general outline for how the story would progress. These pages are filled with random rules, character notes and timelines.
While figuring out the plot, it was important to plot out a rough schedule for myself to follow. How many chapter's I could write in x amount of days. Once I knew how many chapters I was going to write, I could focus on plot.
Stage Two - Plot Development
Typing out all the rules allowed me to see which ones I was missing and which years I had overlooked. I would make notes beside each one for story ideas and plot points.
Stage Three - Rough Draft
First draft is written out by hand. Columns usually filled with side-notes for myself.
Stage Four - Typing/Editing the Story
Once everything is typed up and read through, it is ready to be posted.
Stage Five - Posting the Chapter
Each chapter is individually uploaded as a document. During this time formatting is done, as is a final edit.
Then I post it as a chapter with my story!
Stage Six - Let the World Know
I always send out a tweet when I post anything.
Read reviews and hope people liked it. This is always my favourite part.
