Best One-Shot Antagonist or Monster (Season One)
Our nominations are in and now it's time to vote for the best one-shot antagonist or monster. Today we start with season 1 and I will add a new poll every day until we've finished all 5 seasons. Voting will be for roughly 2 days each season. Vote, pass the word to other Supernatural fans, and please comment on your choices below. Doughnuts may not be love, but comments surely are.
Note: If you nominated a group of people instead of one person, I tried to pick the 2 most important for people to vote on. If there was a different person you wanted to represent your group, let me know and if it isn't too late I will fix it. Examples: for changelings I chose Katie and the realtor; for those infected with the Croatoan virus I chose Pamela, Mrs. Tanner, and Duane Tanner.
Also if you have additional ideas for weekly questions, please add them. We may have enough to get through the winter hiatus but we sure need more to get through the summer one. 16 weeks give or take will require a lot of comment-able ideas to get through.
There is so much good in today's polls. Constance started it off right with one of the scarier episodes of season one, back when it was more straight up horror show and less epic mytharc. Bloody Mary is iconic, while the Wendigo moved me into new-to-me folklore. No monster was as scary looking as the Scarecrow, but Melanie Merchant slaughtered her entire family - both of them. She gets bonus points on the evil scale. Of course, if her family were the Benders or the Jorgesons I would say she did us all a favor. The shtriga was evil incarnate for the Winchesters twice, almost killing wee Sammy and adult Sam.
ReplyDeleteStill right now I am leaning towards Shapeshifter Dean who spooked me more than the rest of them combined (who doesn't want to know what he said to Rebecca?) and the reaper, because let's face it, before they ret-conned the whole thing, they were the only creatures who were unstoppable. Oh man, I forgot Dr, Ellicott, who rearranged Sam's brain and caused that phenomenal scene between the brothers. He was awesome too! This is the hardest poll of them all this week.
I guess it's rock, paper, scissors, lizard, Spock time for me. Scarecrow, Melanie, Shapeshifter, Reaper, Dr.
I don't know who I'm voting for yet either....kinda leaning toward the shtriga......nasty thing went after kids...and reminded me of dementors......and provided Dean with another opportunity to empathise with the youngsters (sorry but that always makes me gooey......)
ReplyDeleteThe scarecrow was incredibly scary (nice tat).....
And shifterDean was deliciously evil (nauseating I have to say - stripping off his skin.......urgh)
So.... once again no instant decision.....all I can say is thank you Dahne and SpoilerTV ....otherwise the time between Christmas and New Year's is just.....well.......blah
I picked the Shapeshifter, mostly because they continue to be recurring monsters. It also gave us a look into Dean's psyche, which is always good.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to go for the shape shifter because it had so many incarnations and they were elusive, tantalizing
ReplyDelete(mmm - shirtless Dean) and dangerous.
Asylum is a close second. It's an early indication of how Sam's suppressed anger could be so destructive and foreshadows his other possessions.
'(mmm - shirtless Dean)'.... that WAS yummy :) .....till he started peeling his skin off......
ReplyDelete(what's text language for 'puking my guts out'? :P
so many great choices, i hate only being able to pick one.
ReplyDeletein the end i went with bloody mary, she was really creepy, especially when she came out of the painting, did not see that one coming.
second choice would have been the shtriga
you detailing all of that so well has just made this choice arounda thousand times harder!!!
ReplyDeleteoh, why oh why did season 1 have to be so epicly monster and evil heavy??
I can totally see why the shapeshifter was great. Just the concept of it turning into nearly everybody and tripping (and confusing) everybody else. And poor Dean in the end getting blame for all that shapeshifters horrid deeds. That was no fun. I didn't vote for the shapeshifter, but I still recognize it as a very complicated antagonist. I picked scarecrow just because I remember watching it from between the covers. lol I was so scared of it just moving! And the fact they really didn't show it that much just made the suspense nerve wrecking for me. Heck, there were a lot of scary things in season one, but those two were my top.
ReplyDeleteSo hard to pick just one, but in the end I had to go with Melanie Merchant from Provenance. There was just something about that image of a creepy little girl wandering around, with a doll trailing from one hand and a straight razor in the other that creeps me out like nothing else.
ReplyDeleteI went with the shtriga, as has been said in the nominations, although Bloody Mary and girl in the painting were close too. I guess I didn't consider shapeshifter, cause there were already many of them in the show and I kind of got used to :P I guess I prefer monsters who are more one of the kind in the series ;)
ReplyDeleteI can't decide between Missy and her Pa because the entire family was so wonderfully scary. I love this episode so much, it's truly a little horror movie, the kitchen scene when Pa Benders is hacking or slashing a body into smaller bits is one of my fav Supernatural moments of the entire show, so I will vote for him. The Woman in White, the Scarecrow, Shrtiga and the reaper were all great monsters as well. I'm sorry, but the Bloody Mary Ghost was too much of a Ring fangirl and the Wendigo looked simply ridiculous. I really dislike them.
ReplyDeleteBecause season 1 didn't have enough plot on its own, so the writers filled the storyline with monsters. ;D
ReplyDeleteI went with the reaper. Unless you got Death's scythe, they would kill you. Also, I loved Faith as a whole and the episode probably hadd a hand in my choice. Oh, and did I mention "Don't Fear the Reaper"?
ReplyDeleteDementors were exactly what I was thinking of too. The scene on the window reminded me so much of the scene on the train. And the animus sucking bit...
ReplyDeleteOkaiy this was really difficult. I weighed the pro and cons of each contender. The poll says BEST so I tried not to focus on MY FAVORITE....which would have been the Scarecrow. I think the BEST was the SHRTIGA. The reason I chose this one is the impact it had on the episode. It was the one that got away and the bone of continention for Dean. The writing in that epi was just amazing. I mean we got to see young sam and dean...and a look at how long Dean had been looking out for his brother. The shapeshifter would be my second choice b/c of the impact it had on Dean (wanted by the law), but you guys would have to admit that the Shrtiga had the most impact. That episode encompassed so many different emotions and point of views. Please vote for this one to win :)
ReplyDeleteSorry wanted to add that I believe Bloddy Mary was awesome too....espcially considering the fact that we find out that Sam had been dreaming about Jess dying.
ReplyDeleteAt the moment I am leaning towards the Shrtiga for many of the reasons you mentioned. I loved the flashbacks to young Sam and Dean where we learn why killing this thing was SO important to Dean.
ReplyDeleteJohn Winchester was a miserable father in my opinion.... who does this to their kids?
But to be fair to the other contestants, I am re-watching all the nominated episodes **the lengths that I will go to for this show**. TNT showed Skin and Hookman today... and I watched Pilot and Wendigo yesteraday...so three down.. seven shows to go.
but reapers and shapeshifters have been seen many times? if you define one-shot by not the type of creature but the individual ones - then every single ghost and spirit that the boys face, or every single demon, should be on here too. i think if we are voting on a type of monster/creature/spirit/demon that is in more than one episode (i.e. reapers/demons/shapeshifters), than we are just voting our favorite antagonist, not our favorite one - shot monster.
ReplyDeleteThat's one of the difficulties of running polls for SPN - everything overlaps or coincides or just doesn't have clear cut boundaries......I think Dahne's doing really well at trying to do this as fairly as possible....
ReplyDeleteAgree. I was thinking the same thing. I like how you were able to put my jumbled thoughts into words.
ReplyDeleteMaybe there should be a different poll for favorite shapeshifter, favorite reaper, and favorite demon? Reapers and shapeshifters aren't really "one-shot" creatures to me... just my opinion.
I love season 1 partly because we got to see so many different forms of monsters and folklore. I liked that the mytharc did not overrun the standalone episodes. Later on it started to get too mytharc heavy.
ReplyDeleteSorry! Season 1 is jsut such a hard choice. Today's vote will be much easier for me so I have no debate.
ReplyDeleteThank you and everybody else for commenting. It makes the hiatus pass by faster for me. Although ti still seems to be going by too slowly.
ReplyDeleteSome of the best episodes do seem to involve shapeshifters. Skin is now classic to the show and it was the first episode that showed the consequences of hunting with Dean wanted as a serial killer. Nightshifter is also one of my favorite episodes. Mandriods - have to love that.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. I think the stuff they don't show on Supernatural creeps me out far more than the things they do. My brother and sister-in-law moved out to the suburb "country" after I watched this one. Having to drive past the cornfields to get to their house made me jumpy.
ReplyDeleteShe is the epitome of evil in my opinion. She murders one family and then murders her adopted family. Plus she manages to get by scott-free for both. It wouldn't surprise me if she were being tutored by Alastair to take over his place. That straight razor was wicked. It amps my heart rate every time I see it.
ReplyDeleteAgree. I think Dahne is doing a fantastic job with these polls and didn't mean to imply otherwise.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. I decided against Shapeshifter Dean, who was truly scary because it was the first time we saw shapeshifters. I loved them in Skin and Nightshifter, although I guess I really loved Ronald in that one, but by the time they starred in this season I was blase about them. I hope we start get more unique monsters this season.
ReplyDeleteThat was a classic match of action and song. Almost as good as Renegade in Nightshifter. Now I need to listen to some BOC.
ReplyDeleteI hate that they ret-conned the reapers as able to die. There was something cool about knowing that there was at least one thing out there that no one could stop. Now they are like everything else.
AW! Doing these polls makes me realize how awesome the show is LOL!
ReplyDeletehey....I didn't think you were implying otherwise :) - I agree it is difficult to separate them all out - we'd probably end up having lots of small polls and everyone would end up totally confused I think.....
ReplyDeleteYou are dedicated! I loved the shtriga too, mostly because of the episode. I loved how it tied in their life as a whole, solidified my hatred of John, starred the original mini-Dean in Michael, and gave us insight into Dean's life. However, the more I thought about it the more I realized that the monster was less important due to all the other stuff going on in the episode. Yes, it did target kids which gives it evil points, but I was so focused on everything else in the episode that in the end the monster did not matter to me.
ReplyDeleteCompare that to the Scarecrow. Yes, Dean and Sam split up for the first time and we did get Meg Masters. Still when I think of this episode the very first thing that comes to mind is Dean climbing the ladder to get a closer look at the Scarecrow. I felt sure that the wind was going to blow and make it move the first time I saw it. It was so creepy. The fact that the scarecrow is my focus in this episode and not that the Cigarette-Smoking Man from The X-Files was wasted here gives it the edge for me.
I had to vote for the Shtriga. For me (a Kindergarten teacher) anything that goes after children is the worst kind of monster. My second place vote would have been Melanie Merchant, a child who kills 2 families.
ReplyDeleteHave we got favorite insult on the list for hiatus?
ReplyDeleteI nominate mouthbreathing dickmonkeys........
That's one reason why I changed the title to best one-shot antagonist or monster. You have a valid point. However some one-shot characters stand alone despite of the kind of monster they are and therefore seem like viable candidates. For example, the shapeshifter in Skin and the shapeshifter in Monster Movie are vastly different from each other. Faux Dean was evil and vindictive and loved torture. It was so twisted that I could not feel any sympathy for him at all. However, Dracula shapeshifter was more pathetic and goofy. Yes, he did kill people but it was because he was wrapped so far into his lonely delusions that it was completely different from the one in Skin. These two do not fit in the same category as each other even if they are both shapeshifters.
ReplyDeletePlus if we were going to knock off the reapers and shapeshifters for being on the show more than once, then we would have to get rid of all of these with the possible exception of the shtriga. Humans (the Jorgesons and Benders), ghosts (Bloody Mary, Constance, Dr. Ellicott, and Melanie), and pagan gods (scarecrow) have all been on the show before.
We will have a time to vote on our favorite type of monster later and that might be more what you were thinking. However, I think these antagonists/monsters have enough personality to stand apart from others of their species to make this a good contest. Besides, it's just fun to think about all of those creatures that made our skin crawl through the years.
Thanks for adding your input. I truly value what you guys have to say.
Oooo.... I like. We probably couldn't nominate that insult (it's Season 6) but I'm sure there are lots of great choices from Seasons 1 - 5. Oh No.... more re-watching (um, research)...
ReplyDeleteThat research is sooo difficult.... ;P
ReplyDeletewe could do insults up to 6.11? Then I could have mouthbreathing dickmonkeys......oh go on.......
The Shtriga - because I will hate anything that harms cute little kids!
ReplyDeleteExcept Missy- She was my second choice! Missy is just plain creepy!
Ok I've made my choice....I'm going with shifterDean.....and not just because I'm a fangirl :P
ReplyDeleteWell....that might be a teeny tiny part of it...
Skin was the first episode where I saw a truly terrifying Dean, and realised how vulnerable their business made them.......
The gross out factor also kicks in here.....that really was the first time I felt nauseous....Oh the SPN milestones we remember.......
Shifters have remained my favorite monster since then - loved Nightshifter and Monster Movie and even the baby shifter in TAAHM - oh and the alphashifterCrowley...two Crowleys :)
I voted for Pa Bender...because monsters do as they are programmed (Vapires have to drink blood, Bloody Mary has to appear when summond etc.).
ReplyDeleteBut the Benders did it just for fun! For me humans make the biggest monsters
Demons I get, people are crazy!
ReplyDeleteUgh, how am I supposed to choose!?
ReplyDeleteI guess I'll go with the shifter. Best shifter of the series...
uhm, fairies? dragons? ;)
ReplyDeleteYes, but that's only 2 out of 11 episodes. We've done shapeshifters (as well as essentially animal shapeshifters) and vampires to death this season. The okami doesn't really count because it was in it for what 3 minutes? We did get Veritas though so that's something. I guess when they said that they were going back to the monsters similar to season 1 I expected to get a lot more variety in those monsters. Plus, the verdict's still out on the dragon since we haven't seen it yet. I hope they delves deeper into world folklore because there is a lot to tap into.
ReplyDeleteMissy Bender, the scariest girl besides Lilith possessing one...
ReplyDeleteMissy Bender, the scariest girl besides Lilith possessing one...
ReplyDeleteMissy, the scariest girl just after Lilith possessing one...
ReplyDeleteOh god, I could only imagine! I hate the idea of a deserted cornfield anyway, let alone having the knowledge that a scarecrow was going to come at you. lol This is the reason why I can't watch Supernatural in the dark sometimes. I'd be awake for hours trying to get all those scary images out of my head. lol
ReplyDeleteI could totally see that. There are sooo many for the previous 5 seasons. Okay researching....but I know there was a lot. Oooooh, a ligitimate reason to watch all 5 seasons. Thanks :)
ReplyDeleteI get what you are saying :) I was just putting into a perspective that the Shrtiga pulled more out of the episode than just a hunt for the MOTW. You know find the monster and kill it. The Shrtiga kind of had a YED feel to it and I just thought that was an awesome job by the writers to pull that much out of just one episode :) But yeah totally the freakin Scarecrow scared the crap out of me along with Bloody Mary. I don't like things climbing out of mirrors or tv screens *Shivers* . I know I am a wimp, but I loved to be scared. The benders was just an awesome episode b/c we get to see how the brothers view human behavior. I am sorry that the epi made you loose focus on the Shrtiga but honestly to see Dean finally kill the monster after all of this time and to hear him say "You okay little brother?" Oh just made my heart melt :) I believe that is the point I truly feel in love with my boys and the show :)
ReplyDeleteI hear you. You're absolutely right about vampires and shapeshifters - enough is enough and we got more we asked for already (although I reeeally loved Dean as a vampire, also loved the alpha vamp). We also got djinn the sequel and it was waaay weaker than the original one. It would be great if we could go back to urban legends and explore some more ghosts and folklore monsters. Also, I still keep repeating it, I miss a good old demon hunt, without all the Apocalypse or king of hell drama. I'm also dying to hear the boys exorcise in latin again...
ReplyDeleteLol. I always start with the lights out, pillow at the ready. A few times though, the lights come back on during a commercial break. Those are the episodes that I know I'm going to watch over and over again.
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right. I love Something Wicked. It's in my top 25 Supernatural episodes of all time. What I love most is how it tied the the brothers' past life to their current one. I also loved the full circle of Dean finally getting to kill the monster that was the pivotal moment in his life, well after the one that killed Mary. I didn't mean to imply that the episode was flawed because I really love it. I think it is because there is so much I adore about this episode that the monster itself gets lumped in with all the other great stuff. Perhaps it is more clear to say that I would have loved Something Wicked no matter what the monster was. I don't think Scarecrow would have been a favorite episode of mine if it had been a different monster.
ReplyDeleteI chose Shapeshifter even though there were a few others I could have chosen. I liked Bloody Mary as well as the Shtriga. Shapeshifter was a great episode and the fact that he ended up looking like Dean was really cool. It was a little added twist that he shaped into one of the brothers. The fight scene between Shapeshifter Dean and Sam was just great. Dean getting to kill himself was an interesting ending for that episode. So I do feel that the Shapeshifter turned out to be one of the best antagonist/monster in Season 1.
ReplyDeleteThey were all good choices. I had to go with Missy Bender because Jensen said she actually scared him while filming.
ReplyDeleteSeason One had just the right amount of plot and Monster of the Week.
ReplyDeleteAssbutt.
ReplyDeleteNot if there's a ten foot tall monster.
ReplyDeleteI voted Wendigo.
ReplyDeleteI have absolutely no reason why, other than it seems to have resonated with me.
I know right. The Scarecrow was just wicked. Great job by the SPN props and effects department. I believe that has to be one of the top 10 monsters so far ;) Oh why can't others jump on our band wagon and see how great this show is? Loved your thoughts about the epi :)
ReplyDelete