It's the Supernatural midseason hiatus and you know what that means. It's time for fans to make their own fun. Last summer on SpoilerTV, we did the ultimate Supernatural episode poll. It was successful but some people rightly pointed out that it couldn't be considered the ultimate episode if not every episode went head to head. So to rectify the matter this summer all episodes will have a shot at winning the ultimate crown, even Bugs. However, because there will be 149 episodes by the end of season 7 we have to start ranking episodes now.
The plan: We will run the contest to see where episodes will rank over winter hiatus and the early part of summer hiatus. The top 100 episodes will be ranked by how they do in this contest. The bottom 49 episodes will go head to head to see which ones make it into the contest. The reason for this is that the brackets only work with 128 episodes. This will still allow each episode to go head to head to determine the Best Supernatural Episode.
Unlike the actual contest in the summer, preliminaries will be open for at least one week each. Everyone still only gets 1 vote per IP address though. Voting will be in 6 episode batches by order in which they aired and everyone can vote for 3 episodes per batch. Feel free to sound off in the comments about why you chose what you did.
My blog
SPN Asylum
SpoilerTV
Skin, Dead in the Water, and the Pilot for me in the first poll. I love all of them though and would would vote for any of them over a lot of other episodes. This is the hardest of the 4 polls today.
ReplyDeleteAsylum, Scarecrow, and Faith without question in the second poll. For me these may be the three strongest back-to-back episodes the series has ever had. Well these and WiaWSNB followed by both parts of AHBL. However, even if these 3 weren't as strong they would still get my vote. I loathe Hook Man, Bugs, and Home.
Shadow and Hell House get my vote by default, while Something Wicked gets my vote for love. Michael is one of my favorite PiP's of all time. I would love to see if he is a hunter now that he's an adult.
Provenance, Devil's Trap, and In My Time of Dying all rank in my top episodes so this poll was super easy. The other three fall in the low middle for me.
What did you choose?
Wow, this was hard to vote for!
ReplyDeletevoted!
ReplyDeleteAh, season one. Been awhile. I do remember Skin really grossed me out though. :P
ReplyDeleteGroup 1:
ReplyDeleteBloody Mary, Wendigo, Dead in the Water
Good stories and guest stars in all of these. Easy selections.
Group 2:
Hook Man, Asylum, Scarecrow
Hook Man was a fun urban legend story, Asylum is a full-on early classic non-mythology episode, and Scarecrow was Meg's first appearance.
Group 3:
The Benders, Shadow, Something Wicked
The Benders is just a good story, Shadow is more Meg goodness, and Something Wicked is a decent flashback story.
Group 4:
Provenance, Devil's Trap, In My Time Of Dying
Provenance is the most fun Sam story of season 1, Devil's trap is Bobby's first appearance, and ditto for Tessa in IMTOD.
Gosh, this was hard. I love pretty much ALL the episodes of Supernatural (even Bugs and Route 666, which I consider the weakest, have their good points.)
ReplyDeleteFirst poll: Pilot, Phantom Traveler, and Skin. Of those three, Skin is my favorite. I like all of the choices, but those three are the ones I like best.
Second Poll: Faith, Scarecrow, and Home. Faith is my favorite out of those. Chose that one first, heh. I enjoy Asylum too, but it's lower on the list for me than the others. Hook Man is pretty good, but that actress that played the preacher's daughter wasn't very good. :/ Then of course there's Bugs... Do I need to say anything? XD
Third Poll: Nightmare, The Benders and Hell House, though I really enjoy Something Wicked and Shadow as well. And Route 666...hm, yeah, again, do I need to say anything other than RACIST TRUCK? Out of those, my favorite is probably the Benders. I like how it shows that humans can be monsters too.
Fourth Poll: This was probably the hardest... Immediately chose Devil's Trap and In My Time of Dying, because those are two of my favorite episodes (not my all time fave, which is Mystery Spot, but in at least the top...I dunno, twenty?) Choosing the third was difficult, but I decided on Dead Man's Blood eventually. I do like all the others as well, though. My favorite of them is probably In My Time Of Dying. It's certainly the one I've watched the most out of those, although Devil's Trap is a VERY close second. (Hmm, Demon!John, need I say more?)
If you don't mind me asking, how come you aren't doing recaps anymore? I miss those.
ReplyDelete1. Pilot, Bloody Mary, Skin.
ReplyDelete2. Home, Asylum, Faith.
3. The Benders, Hell House, Something Wicked.
4. Provenance, In My Time Of Dying, Everybody Loves A Clown.Not that hard really.
1: Pilot, Skin. I couldn't decide on the 3rd one but I was very close to picking Bloody Mary.
ReplyDelete2: Asylum, Scarecrow, Faith
3: The Benders, Something Wicked
4: Salvation, Devil's Trap, In My Time of Dying
I was going with my guts.
Thanks for the encouragement. I was out of town for 2 of the episodes and it takes forever for me to write them. My policy is that if I can't get them up by Monday, it's too late. Then I usually just post them on my blog or I wait until we are in hellatus to post. Since it is hellatus, I should have the Time for a Wedding recap up later today. The other two episodes should be up within the next 2 weeks.
ReplyDelete1. Dead in the Water, Phantom Traveler, Skin2. Home, Scarecrow, Faith3. The Benders, Shadow, Something Wicked4. Salvation, Devil's trap, In my time of dyingThanks for the polls;)
ReplyDeleteAgreed. It's still hard for me to watch ShifterDean shed his skin. In everything that has grossed me out in Supernatural since then, and there has been a lot, that scene is still one of the most memorable.
ReplyDeleteMeg, Bobby, and Tessa - nothing wrong with those reasons. Have to disagree about Hook Man though. What could have been a fun urban legend (and they need more of these by the way) became outright annoying due to the Lori character. After repeated viewings, I still can't tell if it was the writing or the acting. In the end I go with a mixture of both. Her character takes me out of the story every time.
ReplyDeleteFaith and Devil's Trap are my favorite in season 1 bar none. I also agree about the Lori character in Hook Man and of course Bugs and Route 666. Not even the best Supernatural writers could have made killer bugs and killer racist truck good. At least the one-liners partially saved Route 666 for me. Not sure what to say about Bugs.
ReplyDeleteAwesome, I look forward to reading them!
ReplyDelete"Not that hard really."
ReplyDeleteAgreed. It gets much harder in the summer when your two favorites are going against each other and you have to choose which one to vote for. Sometimes it feels like your choosing between your children.
Going with your gut is a popular philosophy here. Overthinking it tends to lead to pulling hair and grinding teeth. I was very close to choosing Bloody Mary too but the Pilot just edged it out for me.
ReplyDeleteYeah, someone else who shares my Dead in the Water love. That episode contains the moment I knew for sure that Supernatural would be my obsession. 7 years later it still is.
ReplyDeleteThey're both brilliant episodes! Yeah...Bugs and Route 666...the black sheep of all the episodes...or something like that. The one liners were good. And...well, just, the whole racist truck thing. Of the two, I think Bugs is weaker than R666, and that's really saying something... The whole mistaken for gay thing amuses me. But not enough to rewatch that ep. I've still only seen it once. And I honestly have no desire to rewatch it.
ReplyDeleteYes, Demon!John was fabulous. JDM knocked that one out of the park. I love that scene.
I've seen this episode a handful of times and nothing about the Lori character has stood out to me as of yet. So, I'd have to say that I classify her character as unremarkable. If I had found her annoying, that would have been something I'd remember. Maybe she struck a nerve with you that she didn't with me.
ReplyDeleteSo far, I think I'm the only one to vote for "Route 666." Racist truck was pretty silly, and the contradictions in the story drive me nuts, but the Dean/Cassie affair was adorable. It's the first we see of Dean in a situation where he's absolutely NOT in charge of the romance, where the lady calls the shots. Ackles was fantastic.
ReplyDeleteRoute 666, while being in the bottom 10 episodes for me, did have its pluses. I think it had some of the best one-liners in season 1 and quite frankly season 1 runs circles around all the other seasons as far as snark goes. I liked the idea of Dean having a romance that Sam didn't know about and how we saw him reacting to the news. However, for me the single most awful thing about Route 666 was not the dumb plot. It was the atrocious acting by
ReplyDeleteMegalyn Echikunwoke (Cassie). I understand that she is beautiful but she's one of the most wooden actresses I've ever seen. Not only did she ruin this episode for me, but she made the 4400 unwatchable. I think Route 666 would have been a much better story if they had cast it better. With the snark and a compelling Cassie, Route 666 might have been in the middle of the pack for me as far as rating episodes goes - killer racist truck notwithstanding.
these are great - though I can't believe "Bugs" got as many votes as it did.. 14 at the current count!
ReplyDelete1. Dead in the Water, Pilot, Skin
ReplyDelete2. Asylum, Scarecrow, Faith
3. Something Wicked, Shadow, Nightmare
4. In My Time of Dying, Provenance, Devil's Trap
Thanks for doing this Dahne - I'm already getting antsy we've still got weeks to go. :)
1. Pilot, Dead In The Water, Skin
ReplyDelete2. Home, Scarecrow, Faith
3. Shadow, Hell House, Something Wicked
4. Dead Man's Blood, Devil's Trap, In My Time of Dying
That was fun :)
Poll 1 -
ReplyDeletePilot - it started it all, and for a pilot there was amazing consistency for the rest of season 1. Same costumes, same car, same actors (supporting and other). This doesn't happen (or at least in the past it hasn't) often!
Dead in the Water - Personally I like the exploration of Dean's character in this one. For being the third episode of the show it's very strong.
Phantom Traveler - The first real demon episode. And I loved the supporting characters, especially the woman who played the stewardess. Also; seeing Dean afraid of flying? Priceless.
Poll 2 -
Home - Missouri Moseley. 'Nuff said (gosh I'd love to see her character come back!!!). I also like that Mary saved her boys from the poltergeist. There is real vulnerability with both Sam and Dean in this episode, and those tend to be my favorites by far. I also just find this one immensely rewatchable.
Scarecrow - The first of the many Sam and Dean fights/splits. Dean, being ever obedient to John. Sam not so much. But in the end they are reunited and Sam saves the day. Also, as evil as she becomes, Meg is introduced! I love this actress and she is great in this episode. This episode also has one of my favorite musical moments with "Bad Company" at the end.
Faith - This is my favorite season 1 episode of them all. I love everything about it. Dean's easy acceptance of his mortality. Sam's stubborn denial of it. The "healing" hands of Roy. The REAPER! Probably the best use of Blue Oyster Cult music ever. ("NEED MORE COWBELL!"). Dean and Layla (Leila? sp?) at the end. Man. Such a great, fantastic, wonderfully acted episode. Jensen and Jared really hit their stride in this one.
Poll 3 -
Shadow - Ultimately I picked this one because we finally get to see John interact with the boys. Previously we'd only seen them on the phone with each other. We also see the reappearance of Meg, which is always fun. Nikki Aycox plays her part so well!
Hell House - The Hell Hounds/Ghost Facers. Need I say more? Also, brotherly pranking? Sorry. This episode is fabulous for these reasons alone. And, because in the end they don't really solve the case...just put a band aid on it and hope for the best!
Something Wicked - The first flashback episode. We see how John was with the Wee-chesters. We see Dean suffer through disappointing John.
Poll 4 -
Devil's Trap - This is, hands down, the best season finale of any show I've ever watched. And the last minute clinches it. I didn't watch season 1 live, but later on DVD and I had no idea. When the 18-wheeler t-boned the Impala I literally gasped out loud. I was not expecting it (maybe I should have been...) and it was the best kind of season ending moment/cliffhanger. The rest of the episode is amazing too, from Bobby to Meg to YellowEyes!John to everything.
In My Time of Dying - This is my favorite season 2 episode, and battles with another specific s5 ep as my absolute favorite episode of all. So of course I had to pick it. I guess it's probably obvious that I love Dean's character. I didn't think he would really die here, but I also didn't expect John to sacrifice himself. Shocking, again. Tessa is good as a reaper, and I love the way this ep is shot, specifically the "Talking Board" (Ouija) scene.
Everybody Loves a Clown - The boys in pain. And Dean, teasing Sam about clowns. The monster is kind of lame, but the emotional resonance of John's death is most present here, and I feel so badly for Sam that Dean won't talk to him. Par for the course, as we see through the seasons.
I am always astonished. Sometimes I think people who have never watched Supernatural vote in these polls and just pick whatever has the least amount of votes. Probably because no one ever comments how much they love Bugs.
ReplyDeleteUm....Jilly. I'm almost hesitant to point this out, but we voted for almost the same episodes. How did that happen? Must be good taste. :-P As far as hiatus goes, this one is shorter than it's ever been. Hopefully that will help your anxiety. Of course the Bobby cliffhanger doesn't help at all.
ReplyDeleteGlad it's fun. I try to leave the anguishing decisions until summer hiatus. Also glad there's more Dead in the Water love. I always feel that episode is unappreciated.
ReplyDeleteThanks for this,Dahne!We need something to pass the time!
ReplyDeleteOkay..
1.Pilot,Dead in the Water,Skin
While it wasn't a hard choice the other three,and especially Wendigo,were pretty good episodes.Also,I haven't seen it in a long time but Dead in the Water is one of my favorite episodes in season 1!
2.Scarecrow,Asylum,Faith
Amazing episodes in any case,even more so when compared to Hook Man and Bugs..
3.Something Wicked for sure and then..I don't know.I'll go with Hell House and Shadow.Just staying clear from the episode with the killer truck(again after seven years,what the hell was that?!).But my main problem in this episode is Cassie and I can't even put my finger on why she annoys me that much.She's simply a character that I could have done without...
4.Provenance,Devil's Trap,In My Time Of Dying
Easiest poll by far..Simply epic episodes!Devil's Trap is the episode that made me realize that I had to expect absolutely everything from this show!
Thanks so much for all the thought you put in your comment. I love when people share why they love an episode and I have to say that I agree with everything except ELaC and Home. We'll have to agree to disagree about Missouri. I especially agree with you about the music. "Don't Fear the Reaper" was absolute perfection and "Back in Black" only rivals "Carry On Wayward Son" as best Supernatural theme song ever. As for Faith and Devil's Trap, I can't say enough about those two. I think what I loved most about both is that they have a great character flip in each. I love how in Faith it is Sam who saves the day and DemonJohn is such a powerful, intense character that I was absolutely mesmerized the first time I saw it. I don't think I even blinked. As for the car crash....I literally yelled when it aired. And then for the long months of waiting for season 2 to begin, I truly understood what it meant to be Kripked. No wonder that summer was termed hellatus. I have never been gripped so tightly by a season finale in my life, probably due to the utter shock of it.
ReplyDeletePilot, Skin, Dead In the Water....Asylum, Faith, Scarecrow,...Hell House, Nightmare, Something Wicked... and In My Time of Dying, ELAC, and Devils Trap. For all the reasons Dahne said. Except for ELAC, which was great fallout from John`s death - Provenance didnt resonate with me quite so much. Bot were super creepy though.
ReplyDeleteYay poll time!
ReplyDeletePoll 1: Pilot - I wasn't that impressed with the episode the first time I watched it, but objectively speaking it's still the best of the bunch. I could take or leave the case plot and still would watch the rest of the series just for the Winchester family stuff. The opening and closing sequences - perfection.
ReplyDeletePhantom Traveler - the boys in the FBI suits for the first time! Demons! It was just pure fun and I think that was the episode I decided I would stick with SPN.
Skin - I'm bitter that it was the last time we've seen of Sam's college friends (not counting Brady, because I will always consider him a crappy retcon)and the ep was quite uneven. Still, Dean finally became a three-dimensional character - I liked him from the get go, but seeing his darkness for the first time sealed the deal on my never-ending Dean love.
Poll 2: Home - if "Skin" was my "I love Dean" episode, "Home" was "I love Jensen Ackles". Plus, fitting family reunion (Mary! John!), Missouri, and scary, compelling case.
Scarecrow - my top 3 S1 episode. Meg intrigued me even before she cut that guy's throat. If Ruby had been this creepy and mysterious, instead of annoying and boring, I could have liked her just a little bit. Also, I loved cinematography in this one.
Faith - my favourite of the season and IMO one of the best episodes of Supernatural. Beautiful textually and visually, with some truly breathtaking sequences. Fantastic set-up to Dean's and Sam's emotional arcs for the rest of the series.
Poll 3: The Benders - I adored the cop lady and the case was great. Not the deepest episode, but nevertheless immensely enjoyable.
Hell House - just too funny. Ghostfacers: the Origin and The Prank War. Plus, What Would Buffy Do?
Something Wicked - the episode had a great fairy-tale feeling for me, which "Bedtime Stories" tried invoking and failed miserably. Michael was my favourite kid PiP. Also, great family stuff.
Poll 4: Devil's Trap - from the beginning to an end, a thrilling ride. Meg's egzorcism to this day gives me chills. Fantastic season finale.
In My Time of Dying - simply beautiful.
Everybody Loves the Clown - I hate clowns, not because I'm scared of them, but because I find them silly and pointless, so the case mostly bored me. However, I loved Ellen and Ash' introduction (not a Jo girl - I don't hate her, but except for AAH, she left me cold) and the brother's dynamics were just fantastic. Oh, Dean!
"2.Scarecrow,Asylum,Faith
ReplyDeleteAmazing episodes in any case,even more so when compared to Hook Man and Bugs.."
This is precisely what I was trying to say in my long-winded way. Awesome way to put it. In my opinion, Supernatural season 1 had gone through a rough patch after Skin and I was relieved and thrilled when Scarecrow aired. It restored my faith in the show and then to be followed by Asylum, which made me jump more than most episodes, and Faith, the most complex and heartwarming episode of the show that far. Sheer awesomeness! I was riding so high by that point that even Route 666 simply made me roll my eyes instead of throw something at my screen in disgust. I think my fondness for these episodes partly stems from the episodes before it, but even without them they would be some of my favorites in all of Supernatural.
Its funny that you mention Missourri as one of the reasons you picked Home - she was the reason I didnt. :)
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Killer clowns and killer ghost kids with shaving knives rank high on my creepy meter. For me though, Provenance edges it out because I love Sarah more than any other PiP and I felt it had great pacing and an even better story. ELaC on the other hand dragged for me in places and you know how I am with emo. I also was not a fan of the Roadhouse when it first appeared. It took a long time for Ellen and Jo to grow on me. Ash never did. (Yeah I know this is sacrilege in the SPN world.)
ReplyDeleteI love talking about this show and could go on and on...but I will refrain, haha. I do look forward to the next polls! I agree on Faith, seeing Sam take the lead and save the day was great; it's nice to see the characters/story go opposite of expectation, and not in a bad way. I could not imagine sitting on that season 1 finale for the whole summer. Man. I'm very thankful I could simply pop in my season 2 dvd and pick up where we left off. Though, I sometimes wonder if I missed out on some fun theorizing coming into the fandom later. But I digress! As for the agree to disagree eps? Man, there are bound to be more as we all are drawn to different eps for different reasons, so it makes sense. No worries from me. :)
ReplyDeleteI swear I didn't look at any comments before I voted and I voted for the exact same episodes as you did.
ReplyDeleteYeah it's a bit scary huh? I'll go for good taste :P
ReplyDeleteI didn't put the reasons for why I chose the way I did. I'm kinda feeling like I'd just be repeating myself from the last set of polls. And time is short today. But I might just come back and give me reasoning later.
Yay! I loved this competition last summer, should be interesting to see where season 7 falls into all of this!
ReplyDeleteI just didnt like how easily Ellen and Jo overpowered Sam and Dean in ELAC. Jo annoyed the hell out of me in No Exit - but aside from tht, I didnt mind them. And yes, emo doesnt rank high on my list but I thought they handled it well.
ReplyDeleteI loved Ash - or more accurately, the jokes he could bring up. Like in No Exit with his door hanger that says "Dr. Badass" and only answers the knocks to that name.
I thoroughly enjoyed the Pilot when it premiered. It was creepy and the ending shocked me so much I knew I was going to watch the next week to see what left turn they would throw at me next. I hate love triangles and the fact that they killed Jessica made me believe that they would do anything. A fact proven over and over again. However, like you, I think the case was one of the weaker ones and the pilot gets worse on rewatch. Once the initial surprise factor was done, I was left holding tightly to the awesome snark. It still has some of the best lines of all.
ReplyDeletePhantom Traveler is another episode I think tends to be underappreciated. Amanda was awesome like you said and the whole story was unique and appealing. I actually wavered about whether to vote for this one over the pilot too. While Dead in the Water is the episode that hooked me, PT was more fun than the previous episodes and had by far the best plot up to that point.
Jessica Steen! I almost picked The Benders because yes, she was AWESOME in that ep (and she's a favorite of mine from both Homefront and the short-lived Earth 2). Other than that our picks are EXACTLY the same.
ReplyDeletewell, with the amount of criticism it gets, maybe people just don't want to admit to it? this tends to be a very.. vocal.. fandom haha
ReplyDeleteSo very true. I think one of the reasons why Supernatural has sustained into its seventh season is because there is something for everyone. Even if this show wasn't my favorite, I think it would still be my favorite show to talk about simply because everyone approaches it from a different angle. There are so many shows that really don't have good discussion because everyone likes and dislikes the same things. Not even close for Supernatural. While that sometimes leads to fandom wars (ugh!), it also leads to deep discussion that often leads me to thinking about things in different ways. I love that about this show.
ReplyDeleteHa! I think we approach Supernatural from a similar set of tastes since we often vote the same way. Always good to have an ally! We can rally for those episodes that tend to get dismissed in the larger scheme of things. :-)
ReplyDelete:-) I to worry that these polls will get too stale since we had such great discussion last summer in the comments. I can't wait until we get new episodes involved so we can hash those out together. As for time, I completely understand. I wavered between holding these until after Christmas but I was afraid we would run into the SpoilerTV 2011 Awards and I hate to put Supernatural polls on at the same time as the site ones.
ReplyDeleteabsolutely! The best part is when the discussion is civilized and both sides listen and are respectful of people for having the opinions they do. I will only talk this show with those types of fans because sometimes I learn something new, or change my perspective on certain episodes. And that's just plain fun!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad we all don't agree on everything because that would make for boring discussions, and I refuse to take part in any "wars". That just detracts from the fact that we all love the show. And the show is what we should celebrate as fans :D
I have to say that I am most looking forward to seeing how the season 7 episodes fall in the rankings. I think there have been some really high quality episodes this year and some downright clunkers. Should make voting in this part of the poll easy but the head-to-head will be more complicated. I definitely can't wait to hear people's reasons behind why they voted the way they did.
ReplyDeleteIt wouldnt be fair to the site ones. All of a sudden no voters would go there.
ReplyDeleteI think my favorite episode out of all of these is in my time of dying.
ReplyDeleteThat opening scene in the Roadhouse always gave me pause too. It's unlike the Winchesters to go in so unguarded. That might be one of the reasons why I had a hard time warming up to Ellen and Jo. As for No exit, well that one hits the bottom 20 episodes for me. The Jo in my head was so much more awesome than the one on the screen. It was a shame because she could have been a powerful female force. Instead she came off like a little kid needing someone to lie to her Mommy for her. Jo deserved better. I will say that Ash did make me laugh more than once even if I'm not a fan of the character.
ReplyDeleteI was rolling my eyes all through the "Your Dad Killed my Dad" speech. It was so stereotypical and just didnt make sense. She was the one who wanted to go on the hunt.
ReplyDeleteEarth 2 - ah, that brings back good memories. I thought Kathleen was one of the best developed one-shot PiPs in the series. She was extremely well-written and well-acted. I didn't realize Jessica Steen was on Homefront. Just another reason to watch it when I get a chance. I like her in almost everything I see her in. She was awesome in NCIS too.
ReplyDeleteBWAH! So very true. Sometimes I run for a table after voicing an unpopular opinion with Supernatural fans. However, for all those who voted for Bugs, I promise I will not think badly of you for it. I am truly curious about what people saw in that episode that would make them vote for it. Maybe they will help me see it in a different light a bit.
ReplyDeleteShe was in NCIS? I've never been a big fan of these procedural shows so I had no idea! Homefront was one of my favorite shows in the early 90's! It's not on DVD but there's a youtube user who graciously posted the whole series up. I think it's still on there...(also, a young Kyle Chandler!) :D I think it's under the abbrev. "HF"?
ReplyDeleteHer character in The Benders was definitely one of the most fleshed out they've had!
I really don't think they'll ever get stale. For one thing, we have new people coming on board here all the time,
ReplyDeleteAnother thing - if I (and I guess a LOT of other fans) can rewatch episodes over and over and not get tired of them, then I guess it follows that we'll never get tired of sharing our opinions about them. And luckily here on Spoiler there are very few people who can't agree to disagree when their opinion differs from others.
I also suspect you and I will probably agree less about particular episodes the further through the seasons we get. ;)
That speech was terrible. It was like the writers threw up a bunch of bad phrases and pieced the ones that landed on the table together. In the end all I thought was good riddance. I know that storyline was supposed to go somewhere but even if they had developed it, I doubt it would keep my interest back then. especially since we had just gotten rid of John. Now I am curious about it, but nothing would have saved that speech. Just groan worthy and nonsensical.
ReplyDeleteOriginally I had mixed feelings about IMToD. I think I came into it with such high expectations that it would have been hard to top all the discussion over the summer. On the plus side, I didn't care for John so his death had me doing my happy dance in my living room and of course, it didn't hurt that the episode ended the worst hellatus known to man. However, I found I liked this episode better once I watched it again after the season ended. Now it is one of my favorites too. I really love how they brought Tessa back and made her an interesting character.
ReplyDeleteYikes! I was mixing it up with Homeland which is on Showtime right now. As for Homefront, that show rocked! It was one of my first TV disappointments when it was cancelled. It's a pity you can't get the DVDs because I would definitely buy them. Thanks for the info about YouTube. I think I fell a bit in love with Kyle Chandler with this one and maybe even baseball a little bit because of his character.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to what people new to Spoiler think. Especially because you're right, people here usually remember that a difference in opinion is not a personal attack on someone's values. It's refreshing. As for future polls, we will be wildly different when it comes to season 4 and 5 especially. Given that you actually like most of those episodes whereas I merely tolerate the majority. :-)
ReplyDeletefirst off, thanks so much dahne for putting this all together. reading through how this will all work, i have no clue how you're managing it all but i take my hat off to you. this is gonna be fun.
ReplyDeleteon to the polls. some were easy and some were hard. i often found choosing the first two were easy and choosing the last one was harder.
i'm not gonna put in every episode i voted for coz there were a lot and i already don't remember but i'll give my favourites from this bunch
pilot: i've always loved the pilot. even if i watched after seeing seasons 3 and 4 to me it still embodies everythiing that is classic supernatural. and they both look so young and cute in it which just makes it more awesome.
scarecrow: i always just fiund this an awesome episode. it showed how there were monsters but the people were evil too. and we got "dude, you fugly"
hell house: i know certain people here really dislike this episode but i love it. its one of the first comedy episodes with all the pranks the boys pull on each other. onenof my fave moments in this show is when sam glues deans hand to his beer. and i love the ghostfacers. i just think they're really funny.
in my time of dying: one of my all all time faourite episodes, this one is probably in my top five. there's just something about it that i love. i didn't really care for john but seeing dean try to communicate with sam ("dude, i full on swazeyed that mother!") and meeting tessa and everything else that happened, i just love it.
inalso want to mention that one of my favourite scenes ever is in everybody loves a clown (i also voted for this one) where at the end of the episode, dean starts smashing the impala. i just think its a really epic and emotional scene and i love it.
can't wait for the rest of this competition, its gonna help time oass so much of this brake
we have very similar picks.
ReplyDeleteagreed on the evil clown. that thing is evil! those scenes with the clown i find are some of supernaturals most scary moments
LOL-no worries. I agree, the cancellation of Homefront was also my first TV disappointment; yep, I would totally buy the DVDs too! We can hope.
ReplyDeleteOh Kyle. Love him! One of my first ships was he and Ginger on Homefront. :)
haha, supernatural polls and discussions can never get stale. unless people stop me, i could talk about supernatural forever and i love reading everyone elses comments and thoughts. these polls are the best thing about the hiatus.
ReplyDeletei remember our summer polls. some of those choices were so hard that i sat at my computer for over two ours just trying to decide. but it's still amazing that this show is so awesome that i feel that way about so many episodes
ReplyDeleteLooks like my planning was for naught. Site awards just went up. I think we will put the rest of the Supernatural polls on hiatus for a bit until the STV 2011 awards are completed.
ReplyDeleteyeah, i miss your recaps too!
ReplyDeleteThe third choice will be my hardest too. I think it's because there are usually two that stand out for me while the third one is more in the grey area. One of my favorite things about Scarecrow is that it showed early on that often the humans are worse than the monsters. While the Scarecrow was downright frightening, the fact that the aunt and uncle were ready to sacrifice their niece was utterly diabolical. In the end they were the true monsters. I love that Supernatural can be taken at two different levels. You enjoy the show at face value for the sheer entertainment of it and it excels at this level. However, it can also make you think deeply about the nature of good and evil, debate morality in the face of crushing pressure, and so much more. Depending on my mood, I can go as surface or deep as I want and still find pleasure in the series.
ReplyDeleteIt sucks to be incapable of following directions. I hit vote before making my second and third selections on the first poll. Would have been Skin (which I clicked), Bloody Mary and the Pilot. After that:
ReplyDeleteHome, Asylum, and Faith
Hell House, Benders and Something Wicked
Dead Man's Blood, Salvation and Devil's Trap
Sorry! If it makes you feel better, Bloody Mary and the Pilot are likely shoo-ins for the top 100. You'll have plenty of time to vote for them this summer.
ReplyDeleteSome tough decisions in there, but ultimately I went for:
ReplyDelete1. Pilot, Phantom Traveller, Skin
2. Asylum, Scarecrow, Faith (the easiest poll of the bunch for me!)
3. Nightmare, Hellhouse, Something Wicked
4. Provenance, Devil's Trap, In My Time of Dying (definitely the toughest of the the four)
I'm already looking forward to this summer's ultimate episode competition, so this is making me all excited! As an added bonus, it's putting me in the right mood for the S1 marathon I have planned for tomorrow. :)
Lucky you. I love doing season 1 marathons. Jensen and Jared look so young in those. Unfortunately I have to work so I'm holding off until the holidays. Glad you've finished with school for the time being and are getting a much needed rest.
ReplyDeleteI miss the "old days" when this site strictly had spoilers and articles, Not made up fan polls.
ReplyDeleteI used not to like Skin so much, but in a recent rewatch I realized how this episode 'deconstructs' Dean completely, ripping him off of everything until he finally 'dies' to the world, so that the skin scene is a great (although gross) metaphor. So I have voted for it.
ReplyDeleteIn the rest of polls I have voted for my usual favorites: Faith, Something Wicked, In My Time of Dying, and then some second or third favorites in each poll: as Pilot, Scarecrow, Hell House, Nightmare, Salvation, Provenance.
I'm very sorry I won't participate in any more of these polls, because I like them so much that I would spend lots of time here everyday and can't afford all that time now. So, I'm officially forbidden to enter any of these posts. I might read them later on, when I have more time. Have great fun with the task, Supernatural fans.
I voted Dead in the Water, Phantom Traveler and Skin for the first one. Dean's fear of flying was so much fun to watch, Dead in the Water is where all of us, as well as Jensen, discovered who Dean was. Skin was just awesome.
ReplyDeleteThe second group had more then I was allowed to vote for. I chose Home because we got in depth look at the house and how the boys were affected by what happened. I had no idea Dean was avoiding the town and the house. Asylum was one of my picks because it really showed just up tight Sam was with Dean. Faith was my third pick. It w is probably one of my favorite episodes.
I chose Shadow, Hell House, and Something Wicked. I love Shadow and Something Wicked. Hell House was enjoyable if for no other reason the laugh Sam had when said, "I did."
The last one was a problem again because there were too many I liked. Provenance because I still think Sam should marry Sarah Blake (lol), Devil's Trap because I still think John did not love his son as much as he let on he did. Demon's will use the truth to hurt. There just too much coming out of John. Then getting so close to Dean, in his personal space. That's a fighting stance. In My Time of Dying was a good over all story. Again, John may have sold his soul for his son't life, but then tells him he may have to kill the brother been indoctrinated into watching over with his entire being. What John did set up a cascade effect. Dean was more angry at John then emotional over the loos. his attitude in season 2 is far different then season 7 and Bobby. John was father. Bobby is Dad
Glad you had time to participate today. I know the holiday season is terribly hard to schedule down time in. It looks like we will be postponing these for about a week or two until the Spoiler TV 2011 Awards are finished. I hope that will be a better time for you. We love having your participation.
ReplyDeleteInteresting thought about Skin. I found the shapeshifter motif most compelling here. Partly because it was new but also because there was something evil about a monster particularly targeting happy couples. Turning someone's love into fear and hate because you have not been loved is both tragic and diabolical. I always thought Skin would be a great twisted Valentine episode for Supernatural.
Thanks, I might be able to enter here in a couple weeks. Now I have to officially forbid myself to enter the Spoiler TV 2011 Awards, although those are not so addictive for me as these polls are.
ReplyDeleteI also like the Shapeshifters, but I really never enjoyed the one in Skin so much. I liked better the one in Monster Movie (which reminded me so much of Fringe ep 3.4). I have always focused in the situation the Skin shapeshifter puts Dean and Sam in, I hadn't thought about the couples, but what you say it's interesting. You see, I could really ponder again all SPN episodes and discuss them with everybody here, but it would take too much time. It's great that you can do it, though. It's so damn interesting...
Truly. It is a standout for me as well.
ReplyDeletewhats wrong with fan polls? they're a fun way to pass the time
ReplyDeleteIf you don't like them, please by all means don't click on the link. You are making the choice to be on this thread.
ReplyDeleteFor the most part, I agree about John. First off his sacrifice for Dean was just as selfish as people find Dean's sacrifice for Sam. John didn't want to deal with Sam's "destiny" so he pawned it off on Dean just like he did everything in Sam's life. It was grossly unfair and even then he didn't bother to give Dean any details to help him understand the situation. By that time no sacrifice John made could ever make up for his utter mistreatment of the brothers during their childhood but learning that he burdened Dean with his secret incensed beyond measure. I'm glad the brothers had Bobby and people like Pastor Jim in their lives.
ReplyDeleteI'm obviously too easily pleased :)
ReplyDeleteSeriously though, there are very few episodes that I actively dislike. I think Supernatural is turning me into one of those obnoxious people who find the good in everything. :P
I just get such a kick out of this show, I see the flaws, but I really don't care. If that makes me just a mindless fangirl then so be it.
Skin, Wendigo and the Pilot were my first picks. I love Skin and the Pilot and Wendigo are both sentimental favourites....but I hesitated over Dead In The Water.
ReplyDeleteFaith, Home and Scarecrow were my next picks. Faith is possibly my favourite episode ever. I love Home, the foreshadowing is amazing, The fact that Mary says sorry and it takes to season 4 to find out why is gold. I tood and froed between Asylum and Scarecrow but ended up going Scarecrow, more because I really like the feel of that ep and it was the first time we really saw the boys split, also it introduced Meg.
Next was Shadow, Hell House and Something Wicked. Something Wicked is such a wonderful episode with the flashbacks to the Winchesters as children. I love everything about this ep. Hell House is just a lot of fun and Shadow, well we see John with the boys and of course we find out more about Meg. It's a really tight and tense ep.
Lastly I went In My Time Of Dying, Salvation and Devil's Trap. All three of these episodes are amazing. In My Time Of Dying really starts the whole ugly journey, we meet Yellow Eyes, we meet Tessa, the final moment with John on the table and "time of death, 1041am" just stunning episode. Salvation brings us Bobby and Devil's Trap is my second favourite finale after Swan Song.
Damn...now I want to go home and watch all these eps!
I'm sorry. I just have to mention...when I started reading your comment I saw "I voted Dean in the water" and I was expecting to see "Dean in an airplane" then I realized....I may have had too much wine this evening. :-)
ReplyDeleteLove your take on John in those episodes. That family dynamic was one of the things that made the first 2 seasons great for me.
That moment in the most recent ep when John is on the phone yelling at Bobby for playing catch with Dean underlined what you're describing.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you Laruie. I liked Route 666. The mechanism (i.e. the truck itself) wasn't very scary but there was so much about that story that resonated for me. The first time I saw it I was really struck by the honesty of the story and the fact that they didn't shy away from the truth. I did NOT expect that from this show. And it contains one of my favorite moments (again because it felt so real to me) is Cassie's Mom's reaction to Dean asking why they didn't call the police. Aside from that...I am apparently in a significant minority in not having a problem with the performance of the actress that played Cassie. :-)
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, that ep was surrounded by eps that, for various reasons, were higher on my list.
The choices in all the segments were difficult but being forced to pick, I'll go with the folowing:-
ReplyDelete.
The Pilot .....which is gradually becoming my all time favourite, for some reason unknown even to myself.
Wendigo....I loved the forest adventure and it was the first time we really saw the brothers' courage and ability.
Phantom Traveller.....It's the first time we see them in a suit.......Dean's fear of flying and the whole 'plane scene.
Home-------we got a bit of back story and finally a look at John and Mary too!
Scarecrow----I just thought it was an interesting story- a whole town willing to sacrifice people to keep their perks--then Sam stomps off, but his worry for his brother calls him back just iin time, -------and we get to meet the wonderfully evil Meg!
Faith was just a great episode, just too much in it to summarise.
The Benders- --Dean's howl that anyone who touched his brother would die was worth the whole episode and Sam's saving of Dean was so enthusiastic.
Shadow was a great episode too----finally Meg shows her true face, and the brother's working in synch to free one another when captured, was great.
Something Wicked----just loved it for tthe brotherly love.:-)
Provenance---simply a cute episode---the first time Sam makes a girlie move after Jess. Then I loved Sarah.
Devil's Trap-- Sam choosing to believe Dean over his father and the car crash............!
In My Time of Dying --------wonderful brotherly moments and we meet Tessa.
LOL, gosh even this was hard, glad it will be narrowed down some.
ReplyDeletewow, it's time for polls again? time flies.
ReplyDeleteand yet one more wow - season 1. to think how far our boys have gone since then...
anyway, I voted:
1. Wendigo, Phantom Traveler, Bloody Mary (with BM being my first choice)
2. Home, Asylum, Faith (with Faith being my first choice)
3. Nightmare, Shadow, Something Wicked (SW was the first choice)
4. Provenance, Devil's Trap, In My Time of Dying (and IMTOD obviously was the first choice - would take it over all season 1 episodes)
I have to agree with In My Time of Dying, but I will be hard pressed to vote for any ep over Swan Song, Death's Door is the closest to it so far.
ReplyDeleteBTW if you want to watch some excellent SPN videos check out http://wolfpupsden.us/
I love the polls, brings back good memories of excellent eps and kills time until Jan.
ReplyDeleteI can only think of 3 series that hooked me with the first ep and they are SPN(the guys seemed like they had been doing this for years), Veronica Mars and Roswell. I was going to start season 4, but discovered my grown son had taken it with him on the road. He drives a big rig and his satellite is out. lol
ReplyDeleteNah, you're not a mindless fan girl. You're a fan with a positive outlook. I like that about you. There are very few episodes that I think are so bad I can't find anything good to say about them. For the most part a "bad" episode of Supernatural is better than a "good" episode of a lot of TV.
ReplyDeleteDo you mean the Bad Moon Rising song right before the Impala got T-boned? If so, I heartily agree. Still to this day when that song comes on the radio, I look out for demon-possessed truck drivers. The song always made me squirm but now it puts me completely on edge. I blame Kripke.
ReplyDeleteDean: "I will kiiiiillllllll you AAAALLLLLL!" One of my favorite lines in season 1. No one messes with their brother if either Winchester is around to stop them. I too think Wendigo is under appreciated. I know people think the wendigo was cheesy but I really liked "that Haley girl" and the parallel between her life and the Winchesters'. Besides, we got "saving people, hunting things - the family business" You have to love an episode that comes with the series tagline. And on a personal note, Roy's "magic circle" comment and "No one likes a skeptic Roy" make me laugh every time. It's a dumb choice for a favorite quote but I love it.
ReplyDeleteHa! It will be a much shorter time for polls this go-around. Mostly because it is a much shorter hiatus. However, if anyone wants to suggest poll ideas, I would be happy to put them together.
ReplyDeleteI do mean Bad Moon Rising. It's such a brilliant use of music and it's so haunting in the silence of the car crash as we pan up the truck grill to see the black eyes!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe it is time for the polls again. Can't wait to see which episode takes the title this time
ReplyDeleteMy choices...
ReplyDelete1. Pilot, Dead in the Water, Phantom Traveler
2. Home, Asylum, Faith
3. Shadow, Hellhouse, Something Wicked
4. Provenance, Devil's Trap, In My Time of Dying
I agree with you but sometimes it can get a bit too dramatic on the forums. Allow me to clarify my comment. I like most fans get excited when I see actual news about the show, sometimes you click on the link and for lack of anything else to read you see the polls. Which I do agree allow the fandom to participate in ways they could not years ago. Not trying to be a downer, I just miss the "old days" on this site without the vitriol when you could read news about the show and not some cat fight about which brother has the best storyline etc. Pardon me for being maudlin.
ReplyDelete