Season 2, episodes 20-22
You all told me that the ending of season two was spectacular. Don’t worry, I believed you, but it was so amazing to finally experience it myself. Jensen Ackles just keeps upping the game. Dean has become one of the most three-dimensional, complex, well-acted characters on television. Can’t wait to see what he does in the next two seasons! I’m hoping Supernatural will develop the trusting puppy a bit more as well … er, I mean Sam.
One thing I should have seen coming: “All Hell Breaks Loose” literally. Ah, I should have known! OK, let’s get right to it.
“What Is and What Should Never Be”
Dean gets captured by a Djinn and grants him the wish that his mother was still alive.
“Barbara Eden was hot, wasn’t she? Way hotter than that Bewitched chick.” – Dean, when Sam tells him they are probably dealing with a genie.
Man, I love it when Supernatural does an episode like this, playing with time, alternate realities, living in a dream, what have you. This was poignant and really drove home the sacrifices Dean (and Sam too) have made for the hunt. Sure, they’ve saved countless lives, but at what cost to their own happiness?
Dean is always the one putting on the brave face, and to see him so tender and vulnerable was hard. So I wonder, what was it that gave Dean the strength to pull out of it, when he would have been ecstatic to live out a long, happy life in his dream world?
My guess is that his relationship with Sam had more to do with it than the fact that all those lives weren’t saved. I know Dean cares about the difference he’s made, helping all of those people and creating their happy families. But for Dean, in his real life, Sam is everything. The fact that he didn’t have a good relationship with his brother in his dream life was probably the deciding factor that pulled Dean out of his dream and back into reality — and there was Sam, saving his life.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Dean mowing his mother’s lawn to the cover of “It’s a Wonderful World,” so there — I’ve mentioned it. Oh, and that this episode highlighted Ackles’ acting chops like no other to date (well, my date anyway).
“All Hell Breaks Loose, Part I”
Sam and the other “special kids” wake up in Frontierland, put there by the demon for a final showdown. Only one lives … and it’s not Sam….
This episode was a slow build to the awesomeness of the finale. I wasn’t surprised something was up with Ava, I was sad to see Andy leave us in such a final way (bad Ava!), and I was completely ga-ga for Aldis Hodge in his role as Jake. I’m a big — big! — Leverage fan, and I’d never seen Hodge in anything else (well, until the recent Castle episode “Always Buy Retail,” in which Hodge was brillliant but grossly underutilized) so it was great to see a show I love give him a pivotal role.
Though there wasn’t a lot of humor in this episode, I was amused by a couple of things:
And I was unamused by a couple of things too:
“All Hell Breaks Loose, Part II”
Dean trades his soul for Sam’s life and the Winchester boys’ two-year quest is resolved.
Just a continuation of something from part one: We now know how Sam got his powers — and that they come from a place of evil (ewwww, demon blood). I still fee like there are unanswered questions, though:
Dean’s monologue to dead Sam was some one of the greatest Supernatural moments so far. I wasn’t surprised Dean would go that far to bring back Sam, and not just because I know there’s at least two more seasons to go in Supernatural, but because of the relationship Sam and Dean have, and even because of the sacrifice Dean made in “What Is and What Should Never Be.”
A word about the supporting characters:
Maybe Sam made up for his unfortunate trusting moment in part one, because Dark Sam came out to play and smoked Jake with a whole lot more bullets that was really necessary. There’s nothing wrong with a little balance, Sammy; you haven’t chosen the life of a peaceable monk, you know. It’s OK to shoot someone who’s trying to kill you. And didn’t the demon’s line to Dean make you wonder, just a little bit: “How certain are you that what you brought back is 100% Sam?”
They did a few more magical things in this finale:
I’m looking forward to delving into season three, and hopefully catching up this summer so I can enjoy season five along with all the other Supernatural fans.
I’m glad you liked it. Season 3 is even better. As close to perfect as a season to television can be.
A lot of people will tell you that season 3 is the weakest season, but I think a lot of that was due to the strike. It lost a little bit of continuity when there was a huge gap between episode 13 and the rest of the season. But when you watch it on DVD, that problem disappears.
“We’ve got work to do”
Also of note – this was also the final line of the Supernatural pilot, but spoken by Sam. A nice bookend to two stellar seasons.
I think the writers strike definitely helped the show during its third season, as it did with a lot of shows that year. Season 3 has some brilliant stand along episodes, “Ghostfacers” being one of my all time favorites, but it also goes places, and gets there fast. Season 4 definitely feels dragged out in comparison.
I loved the first two seasons, found the third hugely disappointing (the only ep I’ve rewatched, even though I own the S3 DVDs, is the finale because it was awesome). Frankly, I wasn’t too peeved the writers’ strike cut that season short. It was a blessing in disguise. Season four has been phenomenal, IMO. There have been a couple of clunkers but there have been so many kick ass eps, I can forgive those (the two new writers should have spent some time getting to know the characters before being allowed to pen eps). I love that Dean has finally been brought into the show’s mythology and now is more than simply Sam’s brother/sidekick. That direction has strengthened the show for me. I am totally psyched for the final 3 eps and very happy Supernatural has been given a fifth season. Can’t wait to see where the brothers go from here.
Sam’s mom knew the demon — what the hell?
This will be explained later in what is one of the best episodes of the whole series. So hang in there. :)
“The roadhouse is burned and Ash — Ash! — is dead; loved that guy.”
This is the only misstep I think the series has ever taken for me … that guy was an awesome character! They should have done more with him …
“Bobby — I love this guy”
… but at least we have Bobby! Besides Sam and Dean, this guy just rules. He had better be around till series end or I will real raise hell.