Our Ben Edlund poll ended up being huge with lots of voting and lots of commenting. Today we look at Eric Kripke's episodes. Revered as the creator of Supernatural, he also wrote most of the premieres and finales, which makes for a tough poll today. Comments are as always encouraged, but please remember that SpoilerTV prides itself on discussion. Personal attacks are not allowed. I would hate for anyone to be barred from the party. Today we look at some of the best Supernatural episodes around so tell us why you loved them while groaning over only 2 choices. It wouldn't be a Best of poll without a little difficulty in decision-making. Happy voting everyone!
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Swan Song and Lazarus Rising.
ReplyDeleteIn My Time of Dying and Lazarus Rising. Swan Song, for me, was the worst epidose Kripke wrote.
ReplyDeleteHuh, that's funny. I'd pegged Yellow Eyes as a 1 or 2 season baddie. But I was on a Buffy timeline: new big bad every year.
ReplyDeleteWow, this was much harder than I thought it would be. In the end though, I went with Lazarus Rising and Swan Song - my favorite premiere and what I think is my favorite finale... though it did feel a bit more FINAL than it should have. I get it, Kripke planned his five seasons and he ended his time as showrunner accordingly... but as good as the episode was, I think he made it really difficult for the writers to follow through in the wake of the events that happened.
ReplyDeleteall episode were good but ,,HOME..for me is very special because the boys confront his most deepest fears return to the place that all begin it was emotional episode in deans part & sam meet his mom in that painful way is not easy but both make amends with his past and began a new future
ReplyDeleteThere are a number of good episodes in there. Swan Song for me closed the 5-season arc so well. I guess there could have been more action for a finale, but as far as a story conclusion it was nearly perfect.
ReplyDeleteI liked the Buffy timeline to be honest, but most genre shows I watched had bad guys forever.
ReplyDeleteAgreed. Everything did change in Lazarus Rising. I like how it was pitch-perfect on pacing though the most. Nothing dragged and we got a lot of answers.
ReplyDeleteThat's a really good point. I did try to take it into account when I watched season 6, but I don't think I cut Gamble & Co enough breaks. Swan Song summed up Supernatural for me so maybe it made sense to completely undermine it when they came back. I'm going to keep thinking on that for a while, thanks for the perspective.
ReplyDeleteWelcome to Spoiler TV. I think Swan Song is overrated but good. I was wondering why you think it is Kripke's worst. No judgment, just curious because it isn't an opinion you see very often.
ReplyDeleteWow. Looking at this list is making me realize for the first time that I'm not, in general, a fan of Kripke episodes. There are very few shows on this list that I thoroughly enjoy.
ReplyDeleteMy picks are both of the "rising" episodes - Lazarus Rising and Lucifer Rising.
Swan Song Lucifer Rising
ReplyDeleteSo hard to pick just 2
IMO most "mysteries" aren't interesting enough to string the audience along for too many years. Every year you don't catch the bad guy or explain what is going on or make progress on the mystery exponentially increases the pressure for the answer/take down/etc to be awesome. So I liked Buffy and I didn't like Lost.
ReplyDeleteLazarus Rising is my favorite premiere too and that's hard since there are some great ones to choose from. I agree that Kripke did everyone a disservice leaving the story the way it was, especially showing Sam watching Dean from the street at the end. It made his own story less powerful, created a timeline mess, and limited where to go from that point on. Of course I think going to the Apocalypse in season 4 and 5 was their biggest mistake so I'm a bit biased.
ReplyDeleteI will say that Mary telling Sam sorry in Home was one of the most intriguing plot threads that didn't get answered in season 1. I was really glad when we saw what Mary meant during In the Beginning.
ReplyDeleteI'm just glad it didn't end that way. I would have been all kinds of depressed if Supernatural ended with Sam in the pit.
ReplyDeleteTough choices...again.
ReplyDeleteOne of my votes goes to Lazarus Rising,that's the easy part.My favorite premiere and it also shares the favorite episode title with The End.Forty-something minutes of pure awesomeness.
Dean digging himself out of his own grave,his reunion with Bobby and (of course)Sam,Pamela's introduction.The mystery of what/who raised Dean made up for an insane episode and personally I didn't think we would find out so soon.The built up was great with a couple epic,chilling quotes.
"It's the end.We're dead,we're all dead."
"The sky bleeds,the ground shakes.it's cosmic."
And of course,what I wholeheartedly believe is the best character introduction...ever!
And the ending.I'm so rewatching the episode tomorrow!
After that it gets really tricky.Episodes like Wendigo and It's the Great Pumpkin... are great but with so many season premieres and finales,I'm ruling them out.
Swan Song,which I expect to be first in votes,is terribly slow for my tastes.Apart from the graveyard scene,which was a beautiful,moving scene,the rest is totally forgettable.
In My Time of Dying,No Rest for the Wicked,Lucifer Rising and The Man Who Knew Too Much are ruled out because I have to rule something out.Simple as that.
So that leaves Devil's Trap,All Hell Breaks Loose,Pt 2 and me wondering why do we have to choose only two! ; )
Both are awesome episodes.Devil's Trap has my favorite season 1 scene and a crazy cliffhanger.
AHBL2 on the other hand has YED's death and it gets my vote because that's a huge milestone for the show.
I cannot agree more. The "all questions no answers" format drives me up a wall. It's the reason I stopped watching X-Files (although I watched a whole lot longer than I probably should have to keep enjoying the show) and why I didn't get past season 2 of LOST. For me not answering questions makes it seem like the writers/showrunners don't know where their own show is going and are just making it up as they go. That's annoying in a procedural but deadly in a genre show where you need a lot more mytharc and character continuity. One of the things I love best about Supernatural is that when they give you another question, they usually answer one too so the story doesn't get bogged down by the weight of its own mystery.
ReplyDeleteLazarus Rising for me. Cas's entrance blew me away, and spiked my interest in the show right back up to 11. The bleached-out colors look gorgeous, and the whole opening scene, with its almost complete lack of dialogue, is breathtaking I think... plus, it very subtly sowed the seeds of foreboding wrt Sam; almost as subtly as It's the Great Pumpkin Sam Winchester telegraphed what would happen with Sam ongoing, and that Cas would choose Dean – making it my second-fave on this list. :-)
ReplyDeleteReally? That's shocking to me given that most of the time fans usually really like the premieres and finales but get lost around the middle.
ReplyDeleteI generally like the premieres and finales but Kripke, more often than not, writes episodes that I'm either indifferent to or tend to dislike. The big exceptions to that are my picks for this poll.
ReplyDeleteWe have very similar tastes. I also wanted 3 votes too so I could vote Lazarus Rising, Devil's Trap, and All Hell Breaks Loose2. Only difference is that AHBL2 was my definite and I coin tossed Lazarus Rising over Devil's Trap.
ReplyDeleteI couldn't believe we learned about Castiel that early either but I was really glad we did. Suspense for suspense's sake leaves me cold most of the time. It was an awesome way to leave me stunned at the end of the episode and wanting to know more. If I weren't trapped in the far less stellar middle of season 4 doing episode quotes, I'd join you on the rewatch. As for Swan Song, I'm glad I'm not the only one who finds it largely forgettable. The graveyard scene is of course powerful, but that's the only thing I think of when remembering that episode - well also Sam having to drink all that demon blood because the notion of it squicks me out. Basically Swan Song is a lot of talking to me.
I'm confused because Kripke has written every finale except for the last one and every premiere except the last two. He's only written 5 episodes that aren't a premiere or finale. I agree that they aren't all that spectacular compared to the rest.
ReplyDeleteThat would have been a rough end--especially with Dean's happily ever after. I always thought that was why he was under the streetlight. But part of me thinks the boys will die for good at the end of show.
ReplyDeleteThat was Kripke's original plan - to end it like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Who knows what he's thinking now but I don't see happily ever after in the picture.
ReplyDeleteSame page. xD (except I kept watching Lost to my continual resentment)
ReplyDeleteThese writers are hard to choose from. When we get writers who have fewer episodes, I think it will be easier. Of course each poll from this point one will only have 1 vote so maybe not.
ReplyDeleteThe opening scene of Lazarus Rising is a good example of when writers need to shut up. I love how Kripke allowed Jensen Ackles to use his body language and facial expressions to tell the story. Sometimes I think SPN writers overuse exposition when a simple movement by the actors could convey the same thing. Another good example of not needing exposition was when they had Dean toss the amulet away and panned up to Sam's expression. No words needed and it was still an incredibly powerful moment.
ReplyDeleteAll Hell Breaks Loose - Part 2 - Dean's crossroad deal, Sam coming back to life, the door to hell, and the death of YED.
ReplyDeleteLazarus Rising - Dean climbing out of his grave, Dean re-uniting with Bobby, Dean re-uniting with Sam, and the introduction of Castiel!!
I had to vote before I thought about it too much, because there are a few other eps that could easily have had my vote instead: Pilot, Devil's Trap, No Rest For The Wicked, Swan Song.
i choose pilot...because u just gotta chose it. and then Swan Song because it was just too epic not to be chosen
ReplyDeleteLooking over this list I'm realizing that he wrote some episodes that I didn't realize he had written, and that my opinion on a lot of these episodes is strongly colored by the fact that I watched this series out of order. I didn't have to wait three months after the finales to know what happened next. I also saw knew what happened later in the series while watching the earlier seasons. For example, I've heard that a lot of people think the Devil's Trap finale was one of the most suspenseful - but when a car crash follows the Apocalypse, it feels a little anti-climactic.
ReplyDeleteSo for the two favorites, I voted No Rest and Lazarus Rising. Both had one great scene after another. Young Lilith was great, the opening of Lazarus was incredible. Both of these votes are pretty self-explanatory.
So for the longer short-list, I would add the Pilot, Shadow, AHBLII, Magnificent Seven, Great Pumpkin, and Lucifer Rising.
Pilot - it was great seeing a glimpse of Sam in his life before hunting, it was a solid MOTW, and of course it's where it all started.
Shadow - I just really like this one. This one, Magnificent Seven, and Great Pumpkin I don't think of as being in the same category as the finales, but they're all favorites for rewatches when I'm in the mood. They're like comfort food. With Shadow, I liked the Meg interactions, the brother teasing, finally seeing more of John, and seeing how Sam and Dean related to them and their closeness as a family.
With Magnificent Seven, I liked the cicadas hunt scenes, the seven demons, and the intro of Ruby.
With Great Pumpkin, I liked the interactions between Cas and Uriel with Sam and Dean. It was good hearing what they thought of Sam (even if Uriel didn't have very nice things to say), the MOTW case was amusing. the one liners and brother stuff was good, and I think this episode above any other showed why Sam chose to use his powers. On the one hand, if he didn't he and Dean would die. They were outmatched by their enemies. On the other hand, no one was really giving him any good reason not to. Two "righteous" angels were telling him not to - just because they said so. I also liked the Cas/Dean scene at the end where we learn more about what Cas believed.
AHBL and Lucifer Rising were both strong, suspenseful finales.
As for the ones that didn't get on my longer short list:
Wendigo - A good early-series MOTW but I'm pretty sure I watched this on the X-Files.
Home - A decent episode but nothing special.
Devil's Trap - I actually found most of the episode (the part about rescuing John) pretty dull. The strongest part was the cliffhanger, but it wasn't really a cliffhanger for me.
In My Time of Dying - A solid character episode, but I've seen out-of-body episodes like this on so many series. I'm pretty certain Grey's Anatomy has had at least three episodes like this.
Sympathy for the Devil - A solid episode, and I like Mark Pellegrino, but not one I'm drawn to rewatch.
Ghostbusters - An ok, amusing episode, but nothing special.
Swan Song - This is the one I really can't rewatch because it's too damn sad. But it is very powerful, and on another day I probably would have ranked it higher.
MWKTM - I loved all the Sam time, but that whole wall storyline was pretty empty because it didn't lead to much - character-wise or plotwise. I like the Cas scenes but that storyline was so full of holes I have trouble loving it.
I should have gone with that strategy. Overthinking caused me a lot of added stress in this poll. :-) Welcome to SpoilerTV.
ReplyDeleteI'll run it down for you (premieres and finales):
ReplyDeleteS1
Pilot - indifferent
Devil's Trap - pretty good
S2
In My Time of Dying - pretty good
All Hell Breaks Loose - no thank you
S3
The Magnificent Seven - indifferent
No Rest for the Wicked - pretty good
S4
Lazarus Rising - excellent
Lucifer Rising - excellent
S5
Sympathy for the Devil - indifferent
Swan Song - somewhere between indifferent and no thank you
S6
The Man Who Knew Too Much - indifferent
Wow. I don't pay enough attention to who the writers are apparently. This list could be in two columns: episodes I love and episodes I really don't like (I only hate one episode--Ghostfacers). I ended up going with Lazarus Rising and In My Time of Dying but AHBL-2 was an extremely close third. Swan Song (which is winning as I write this) is on my bottom 10 list. It's so depressing I can't stand watching it which I'm sure does not bode well for me when the finale of the show airs!
ReplyDeleteIt makes me sad that he didn't write any episodes for seaosn 7.
ReplyDeleteIn My Time of Dying will always have a special place in myheart because it's the episode that hooked me in. I was off to buy the season 1 DVDs the next day. Swan Song was my second choice--just such a powerfully emotional episode. It was perfect for that point of the story, but I was happy to hear Kripke say at the next Paley conference that that was never how he intended to end the series. He said: "But I will say that there’s been a
ReplyDeletevery specific coda that I’ve always had in mind from the very beginning… at
what point all the characters end up. And we didn’t use that, we didn’t
go near that. So that’s still there and I’m sure at some point when we
get there Sera will — fifteen years from now — [loud cheers] –Sera will go to
the finale." (Or Jeremy now.)
http://eclipsemagazine.com/television/23302/
(it's interesting he always had the end point in mind, but the "five-year plan" was a lie he told the network to coax them into renewing the show for a couple more years when it was on the bubble in season 3. But actually that fits how Jared described it at Nerd HQ at Comic Con last year, that Kripke knew where he wanted to go, he just hadn't mapped it out and had never intended for it to end in five years. He was just trying to stretch the time it was on the air as far as he could, certain they would never give him more than 5 years. Then when Supernatural's ratings went up, he was already committed to the pace and didn't want to drag things out. ICYMI: (it's at the 8:25 mark)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhqjD-V2RJ4
those last words that mary told to her son was so deep and honest forget misouri that’s character mission was create a story line that everybody follow but in the brothers case they discovers things about his dad they never new,and see dean so desperate for answers & sam help him through that wasn’t easy the brothers dynamics shift sometimes acting like children specially dean are the little details that make for me this episode one of my top favorites for the season
ReplyDeleteThis was not as hard for me as the last one, I will always vote for Swan Song and Lazarus Rising is my second choice. I just finished LR again yesterday, love the start of that ep and Dean trying to figure out what was going on, liked when Cas showed up and the "you don't think you deserve to be saved" line. And for me there just has not been anything more powerful than the end of Swan Song when the 3 main characters, Sam, Dean & Baby, all played their part in saving the world. That beating is still so hard for me to watch.
ReplyDeleteThe Man Who Knew Too Much was in the running, mainly for the perfect performance from Jared as 3 different parts of Sam. The one that knew Hell was gut wrenching.
Lucifer Rising got a moment of thought, after all finally Ruby was killed by both the boys..FINALLY.
I liked Missouri, she did not take any gruff from Dean, would have liked to see more of her.
ReplyDeleteWithout a doubt, Swan Song is the episode for me. In my opinion it's the best episode in the entire show and I'm still considering it as my stopping point based on my opinions of Season 6 and 7.
ReplyDeleteI do like the episode right up to where Missouri is introduced. Sam telling Dean about his visions and Dean physical reaction to hearing they need to go back to Lawrence are superb. The telephone call just made me want to slap John.
ReplyDeleteI still think he will write the very last episode, but I doubt he will write anything else.
ReplyDeleteIt should be interesting to see where Swan Song ends up in this list. It appears to be a far more divisive episode than I remember it being when it first aired.
ReplyDeleteYou came in at the right time. In My Time of Dying is definitely a great first episode. I've heard a lot about the 5-year plan and have gone back and forth. I honestly think a lot of what people think of as the 5 year plan was really scrambling after the writer's strike. Originally Kripke said he had no intention of ever having angels or God on the show, but the writer's strike didn't give him enough time to fulfill his plan for season 3. So whatever people think, the 5 year plan is more like the 2 year and a couple months plan. I honestly think the writers' strike backed him into a corner he never expected to be in.
ReplyDeleteRuby ganked may be my favorite scene from the last half of season 4. It gave me hope that the demon blood addiction story line would be over for good and that Supernatural would go back to the brothers together fighting evil. Unfortunately there was still season 5 to get through.
ReplyDeleteWow that was surprisingly easy.
ReplyDeleteLazarus Rising has to be my absolute favorite Kripke episode. Dean back, Bobby and Sam's reactions, the hugs, and of course the really awesome introduction to Castiel. After that kind of entrance I really wanted to like him. XD Glad I wasn't disappointed. (BTW, best surprise ever, the introduction of angels-particulary Cas).
Swan Song was a really great episode too. I loved the drama and the little things we learned like Sam and Dean having craved their names in the Impala, etc. I was heartbroken when everyone was dead except Dean, and so relived when Cas was saved and in turn brought Bobby back. And of course, the ending showed Sam was back too (but not until the next season we knew for sure something was wrong).
Those were my two favs. Also really like Devil's Trap (my first SPN episode), No Rest For The Wicked (love the "Dead or Alive" scene!), Pilot, etc.
Really everything except I found The Magnificent 7 to be a horrible premiere. I hated it at first. It took me watching it again to decide it was somewhat okay.
The Real Ghostbusters is one of those episodes, like Ghostfacers, I thought of as being a waste of 40 minutes. I didn't like it very much. I felt it was a waste, worst than Ghostfacers because at least Ghostfacers made me laugh. The only highlights of this episode for me was Dean and Sam's actions while Chuck was talking to the fans with the finger gun and finger across the throat action. lol And Becky telling them about the Colt, and Becky and Chuck being together (because I was so sure that would be the end of Becky obsessing over Sam and writing slash fics-sadly that was not to be).
And Heaven and Hell was good, not the best mid-season episode.
BTW "It's The Great Pumpkin Sam Winchester" was a Julie Siege episode, and you're missing "Heaven and Hell" which was the Kripke mid-season 4 episode.
In any case I liked both. I'll admit if it wasn't for Cas and Uriel and the park scene with Cas talking to Dean I wouldn't have enjoyed ITGPSW as much as I did. "Heaven and Hell" was similar, except I liked Alastair too, even though Alastair #1 wasn't as scary as Alastair #2.
I never had to deal with that. Lost made me feel...well lost. I was young when the first episode aired and it confused me to no end. I quit after a few episodes. I did recently watch the ending of the show out of curiousity. What an emotional ending! I cried with the dog being there and the after life stuff. Man. I'm emotional, but that is the first time I cried for a character I didn't know/remember. Says a lot.
ReplyDeleteBut I wouldn't go back and watch the episodes. Too many characters and alternate world stuff. Too easy to confuse me with that stuff.
Tough call again. Swan Song is my favourite Kripke episode, I adore how that episode is constructed. I love the narration and the triumphant family theme. I love seeing Sam and Dean between jobs, Some people saw it based around the car but failed to see that the Impala represented the brother's relationship, their bond. That it was their one constant just as they are each other's one constant, it is their home just as they are each other's home and it reflects their journey together to this place they found themselves. I adore this episode to infinity and beyond. The brother's love saved the world for goodness sake. Perfect. My 2nd choice was trickier for me. It was between In My Time Of Dying and Lazarus Rising. Both of these are stand outs of the series. IMTOD just got in there, probably because I literally just watched it, with a more careful eye than usual and was stunned by how brilliant it is in every aspect. But ask me tomorrow and my answer might Lazarus Rising, because that is an amazing hour of television. The only one amongst this list that lets the side down is The Magnificent Seven. A really lack-luster episode especially for a season opener. It was a good idea, poorly cast in my opinion. It falls flat.
ReplyDeleteI agree it felt too final, but at the same time it wasn't satisfying for me because Sam had that weird expression at the end, and I was wondering what/who got him out of Hell.
ReplyDeleteI am still waiting for satisfaction over issues Sera brought up the past 2 seasons. I hope when the Final finale airs that it will be wrapped up really well. Issues and questions all resolved. Closed ending. They keep hunting or something, but the story that was going on in the season is cleaned up. I definitely don't expect happily ever after (that would be naive of me), but I don't want to be left wondering too much.
I have Heaven and Hell as written by Trevor Sands. It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester has writing credit given to both Julie Siege and Eric Kripke. The way I am doing the polls is if a writer's credit is given to more than one person then it goes in both people's polls.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the ending with Sam in Swan Song was a disservice, but as you know, I don't believe the overall Apocalypse stuff was a mistake as most of my favorite episodes happened during the Apocalypse. Maybe it was too early, but I was not bothered by that. Just basking in the action-packed and dark episodes. lol
ReplyDeleteAnd despite the way Kripke ended it I don't really blame him for how Season 6 happened except for the soulless thing. The Campbells didn't have to be involved (they ruined Grandpa Samuel!) :( , the Eve story could have been lengthened, Castiel's story could have been more spread out...and the episodes were mostly average. I enjoyed the season more re-watching it this summer, but still not one of the better seasons, imo.
I picked the episode that started it all and ended it all (Kripke's involvement that is) aka the pilot and Swan Song. I love Swan Song to pieces. I actually tear up every single time.
ReplyDeleteI never heard of the five year plan, I didn't get into spoilers until season 6, I liked the surprises for the most part but then the anticipation started to kick in and I HAD to know. I came in during mid season 3 and I really do notice the difference between season 5 and 6 and not nearly as big a super fan as some you guys/gals on the boards. But I am a stickler for consistency and season 6 seemed to lack that and have weird pacing and very choppy in terms of storytelling.
ReplyDeleteSwan Song was an easy choice for me. I loved the way the episode was written. Of course the most notable is the ending, which was, and for me still is, very powerful. Being narrated by "Chuck" was perhaps the second best part for me. The back story about the Impala was great. It showed all of us how much that car was involved in the Winchesters' lives, and how much it meant to the whole story of their lives.
ReplyDeleteMy second choice was much more difficult.
I did choose In My Time of Dying, but Lazarus Rising was a close third.
There is so much that happened in this episode that it's hard to only mention one notable thing about it. Of course, John selling his soul to Azazel was probably the most shocking of all.
I'm sure I could say much more, but I'm tired so I'm sure it will all seem like nonsense if I continue lol.
It's the first I hear of Trevor Sands. Always have seen the episode listed as a Kripke episode wherever I go. Weird.
ReplyDeleteIf we get lucky, he might do the last season's premiere and two part finale (fingers crossed). I've been thinking that they might get a 10th season if the actors want to do it and writers/ show runners think their is enough story to tell, the ratings stay strong and they find the core demographic (which in this economy should be 45-66, their the only ones with expendable income right now, really) but I want SPN to go out with a bang and not a whimper. I hate when a show just fizzles out and all the fans get reminiscent about the good old days (in our case we'll be longing for a good old salt and burn).
ReplyDeleteOh I think season 6 had its share of mistakes too and not all of them were because of how season 5 ended. As for season 5, the reason I call it the LameApocalypse is because for me there was very little action. I would expect the Apocalypse to be the heaviest action season of them all but it was mostly brooding and emoangsting and manipulation and "woe is me" discussions and despair. It was series of dark, depressing episodes interspersed with the occasional comedy episode that followed the mostly depressing season 4. For me, RoboSam in season 6 was a welcome relief from the guilt-laden baggage of season 5. My grand Apocalypse turned into Lucifer rising and whining about his daddy issues while not being remotely scary for all but maybe an episode and a half. (He was scarier in season 7.) Then some dead people rose (ho hum), some people got sick, and a few towns had bad weather off screen. By the time season 5 ended, I was ready for earth to go down in flames via exploding sun and take all sides with it.
ReplyDeleteCas finally deciding to help Dean was my highlight of Lucifer Rising. Ruby was a bonus. I was definitely glad to see her go.
ReplyDeleteThe summer between season 4 and 5 nearly rivaled season 3 to season 4 summer in the crazy endings. Season 3 I worried about Dean (though I should have known he'd come back of course I was also worried as to how). And between Season 4 and 5 I was worried about Sam and Dean being there with Lucifer and then also was worried for Cas. Did not want him to die just as he was finally siding with the brothers.
I thoroughly expect a season 9 and if the ratings don't completely implode and Jensen and Jared sign their contracts, I would think a season 10. I wouldn't expect anything after that. But just for the record, I was lamenting here about the lack of a good salt and burn last season only to have Garth perform it. He was so not the one I wanted to be looking at by firelight. :-)
ReplyDeleteI know, I thought the same thing when that happened. One of my favorite salt and burns is actually in one of my least favorite episodes (Swap Meet). It makes me giggle a little every time. Shrugs.
ReplyDeleteThe background on the Impala is one of my favorite things about Swan Song. I never thought I would be as interested in a car before I started watching Supernatural. Now I find myself checking out cars as I drive and in every TV show I watch. The Burn Notice Charger comes a distant second but nothing will ever beat Baby.
ReplyDeleteYeah there were a lot of good episodes i mean i like almost every episode but this list was a hard choice.
ReplyDeleteThat's what I've been hearing all across the boards. Fans that were not into online discussion by season 5 rarely notice this huge storytelling jump that online fans always point to. The story just seamlessly flows from season 5 to 6. Now a lot of people had issues with season 6 whether they were online fans or not (I happened to find it a relief from the overall doom and gloom for the most part) but it wasn't because one book closed and an entirely different one began.
ReplyDeleteThe next writers to come up are Dabb and Loflin and since they are my least favorite SPN writers of all, it's going to be very easy for me. However, I just recounted and they have 15 episodes to their name (grrr) so people will be able to vote for 2 of their episodes also. Anyone under 15 episodes gets 1 vote.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to SPN watching out of order does affect view point very much. Like you said, after Apocalypse, car crash is almost like a piece of cake.
ReplyDeletei see should be very interesting then.
ReplyDeleteI feel the same with everything you liked. I needed something to spike my interest again after Season 3 -a very hit or miss season. Dean's death put me on edge anxious for the premiere, and Castiel's entrance got me really looking forward to seeing more of him.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that episode was filmed very well.
ITGPSW isn't at the top of my Kripke list, but I too loved how we started to see Cas siding with Dean and his "I'm not a hammer" speech. Plus, I found it really sweet when he said people were like works of art.
Yeah, sometimes there are no words necessary.
ReplyDeleteI don't like a lot of the other writers all that much so maybe it'll be easy, maybe it'll be hard. It's probably going to be bad vs. worst episodes or okay vs. bad, or okay vs. okay for me.
ReplyDeleteI don't see happily ever after either. In a way it wouldn't be bad if they died in the end but at the same time my heart is screaming "No!" lol I like bittersweet stuff but also would love a drive off to next job thing. The best case scenario of a bittersweet death would be seeing Sam and Dean back in Heaven with everyone they knew.
ReplyDeleteMaybe Ash teaching them how to wonder around Heaven and that.
If they're going to just die and then nothing, it would be a little too heartbreaking for me, and I'd prefer a drive-off ending (with epic classic rock music). With a drive-off ending I could write fanfics even after the show ended which would be nice. ;)
All right. I needed at least five and that wouldn't be enough. I chose Swan Song and AHBL2 but there are so many I dearly loved.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, yes. Since this poll had mostly finales and season premieres I found my opinions were more affected than with other writers. With episodes that don't have series-changing developments that people are still talking about five years later, I was still able to enjoy the episodes without knowing the little details in advance. And it's mostly the details that make or break an episode.
ReplyDeleteSometimes knowing the overall outline of the story lets me relax and enjoy the details more than if I'm watching something first time and singularly focused on discovering how one plot development will end.
It's amazing how controversial characters can be. I have a friend who loves Missouri (I think she was okay) and a friend who loves John so much (I did like him- I think more I felt bad for him and think him trying was better than nothing and I love young John. And I do get melancholy when I watch Season 1 and 2 - I'm a sucker for people who are dealing with tragic events).
ReplyDeleteWell if they do go Butch Cassidy then we will never see their death, it will just be implied. That would leave fan fic writers plenty of options to continue on the story.
ReplyDeleteLazarus Rising = Game changer - perfect description for it!
ReplyDeleteI'm kind of surprised that the pilot is not getting more love.
ReplyDeleteI found Missouri decent. I liked her for trying to get John to call Dean and Sam and yeah, she was funny with Dean.
ReplyDeleteI think most people realize that the Impala is the brothers' home and that she is a symbol of their bond as well as a character in her own right. I often flip flop between which episode is better. For instance depending on my mood either Devil's Trap or All Hell Breaks Loose 2 is the best finale. At this time it is AHBL2 for me. If I've just watched Devil's Trap, it wins hands down.
ReplyDeleteKripke definitely has the episodes people still talk about about years later. I guess if you're the creator you want to write the episodes that change everything.
ReplyDeleteSeeing something like The End is almost tempting.
ReplyDeleteSee I found Lucifer creepy at times and found Season 5 had more action than some other seasons, so I guess it's all in the view point.
Maybe I just consider action and myth-arc one and the same-could be. lol I am a heart to heart people as much as I like action. Sentimental person I am, I'm such a sucker for the painful stuff.
I've actually had conversations with people who loathe Swan Song because they think it's about the car and belittles Sam and Dean place in the history of the show. I say, seriously? Devil's Trap for me over AHBL2. I think that's a corker of a finale and what I love about IMTOD is that it picks right up where Devil's Trap left off.
ReplyDeletegeez that was hard, and i was expecting it knowing he made most of the finales and openers which are generally the best.
ReplyDeletestill difficult but i went with in my time of dying and all hell breaks loose 2. both classic and brilliant episodes, even though there were a lot i also could have gone for, i thought these were my fave
Really? I've heard a lot of way out there things from the Supernatural fandom but that one shocks me. Sometimes I wonder if I'm seeing the same thing on my screen that other fans see on theirs. :-)
ReplyDeleteme too!!! i always look out for those big black cars. i saw a chevrolet impala today and got very excited but it was the wrong year. still, even my friends now know the make and model of the car.
ReplyDeleteI thought this poll would be harder...or maybe I'm just too tired to think about it too hard. I had to pick, what are my #1 episode, and #4 episode, of all time.
ReplyDelete1 - In My Time of Dying: This is my absolute favorite SPN episode of all time, and that will never, ever change. I love every single damn moment of this episode. Every character moment is right on, every moment is earned, and, IMO, every single thing that came after this episode was directly the result of John's deal. I just adore this episode, and I feel like it's near perfectly-written.
2 - Lazarus Rising: This episode slays me. The opening of Dean crawling out of his grave, to his scenes in the gas station, to his reunion with Bobby, to the epic, epic brother reunion, to Pamela...I just can't get enough of this episode. As a season opener, it's among the best.
Close runners-up are Swan Song (I cry every time, the entire time); All Hell Breaks Loose pt2; and No Rest for the Wicked
Honestly I love all Kripke's episodes, even the only mediocre ones (The Magnificent Seven), because I feel like Kripke was the one who could best write the brothers in specific moments. Other writers can do it so, so well, but Kripke was the creator.
great choices, both of which would have been my next picks after the season 2 opener and finale for me.
ReplyDeleteOh I think that a lot! I think, what show are you watching, because it's sure not the show I'm watching!
ReplyDeleteThis was by far the hardest poll for me because so many of these episodes are in my top 15 list. I expect everything except the Carver and Shiban polls to be easier from this point on.
ReplyDeleteThere is something to having the creator write the most pivotal moments of the show. You know you can trust that those episodes are true to his vision of the characters and where they are going. We are very lucky that Kripke wrote as many episodes as he did in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteHaha. Yeah me too. I started watching SPN around a critical age so I so got into cars. I love certain classic cars and sports cars. The Impala is number one probably out of more sentimental reasons than anything else, but of course, I love the look too- and black is great on that kind of car. I believe I saw a classic Impala in my hometown, but it was like baby-blue color. Not a fan of light colors like that on a car.
ReplyDeleteOther cars I love are Mustangs (depending on the year), top or no top. My Aunt got a red Mustang with a top and though I prefer convertible red Mustangs, I love getting in that car with her when I get the chance though it's not often. (Mustangs are the only sports/classic cars I like as convertibles.)
I also love Chargers, particularly in black. I am a fangirl of The Fast and The Furious Charger. If that car disappears from future movies I will be disappointed.
I also love the yellow Camaros seen in the Transformer movies. I saw one in the parking lot at a hotel once - I could see it from the hotel room window and passed it whenever going in and out of the hotel. It had the transformer symbol on it and I was aching looking at it. lol Wanted it so bad.
I liked the Grand Torino in The Grand Torino too. It looked good on screen anyways.
http://www.e-carpictures.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/Supernatural_Impala-2.jpg
http://travel.madeinscotland.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/red-mustang.jpg
http://coolmaterial.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/fast-furious-charger.jpg
http://www.davidcrutchfield.com/images/camaro_yellow.jpg
http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2792/4165872862_20410267e8_z.jpg
I know nothing about cars except driving and gasing it up but they're the most beautiful thing the industrial world has ever created. *sighs* lol ;)
Totally agreed about Sam's quote in TMWKTM. One of the best lines he's ever spoken in the show. On par with his line/monologue to Dean in Fresh Blood.
ReplyDeleteI once tried to explain to my kiddo how I knew what year the Impala was based on the taillight shape and he looked at me like I had grown another head. It was hilarious. I also once turned the car around and drove past a car from the 60's again (not an Impala unfortunately) to prove that I knew what kind of car it was. They were less stoked about that. Or maybe they were less stoked because I was right. Let's just say that my ability to talk classic cars with my uncle comes solely from research I've done thanks to one black Impala.
ReplyDeleteThat's also on my Sam quote list. In fact, once I finally, finally get through season 4 and 5 for quotes, I'm going to compile my favorite quotes by character. It's up there with finalizing my episode ranking list.
ReplyDeleteMy uncle had a '68 yellow Mustang convertible when is was in my early teens. I so wanted that car when I turned 16 but he had already sold it. That was actually when I got into cars but strictly Mustangs. Over the years, cars waned in my interest until the Impala brought back that love. Actually my interest in classic rock followed the same arc. It waned but then boom, Supernatural airs on my TV and within the first couple of episodes I'm back searching for music from my youth. It also reconnected me with a love of writing I'd dropped. Supernatural has expanded my world tremendously from rekindling old loves to finding new friends to trying totally new experiences. No wonder I love this show.
ReplyDeleteI wasn't into classic rock except the songs I'd hear at weddings and stuff because the music was before my time, but SPN expanded on those dance songs like "Shook Me All Night Long" and now I like all kinds of classic rock.
ReplyDeleteso true. I kind of miss his voice in the SPN-verse.
ReplyDeleteMy family didn't have any classic/sports cars, only one of my Aunts have one and that was after SPN started airing. My mom got me into Mustangs but until SPN and action movies I wasn't super crazy about cars. Before she bought her Mustang, my Aunt took a convertible Mustang out for a test drive (she was friends with the owner of the Ford dealership in town so he let her take it for a little bit by herself). She came by my house and drove mom and I in it. We had so much fun just driving through town.
ReplyDeleteI went to my 8th grade prom in my Aunt's hard-top Mustang. She took my friend and I to the school. It was awesome to drive up in the thing. :D
oh that sounds fun! I haven't been compiling quotes as I watch, just making note of my favorites as I go through. But doing a best of Sam, and a best of Dean, quotes list might be another good hellatus timesuck! :)
ReplyDeleteHa. Yeah, I've learned a lot about cars in just the last few years. It's much easier for me to tell between cars after seeing Supernatural. I pay attention more, and have looked up cars on the internet. I'll see a car from a distance and say "Hey, that looks like a Dodge Charger." It'll get closer and if I'm lucky enough I may get to see the back end and usually if I'm confident about my identification, I'm right. I'm still learning, but I've come a long way over the years.
ReplyDeleteDabb and Loflin are very mixed for me. I think they make decent episodes but don't necessarily quite understand Dean and Sam sometimes (like in "Yellow Fever" though I found that episode really funny). Don't know if it's just me that feels this way, but that's the downside to them for me. I don't think they quite hit the spot for me characterization wise.
ReplyDeleteI won't be pulling any punches with my Dabb & Loflin dislike int eh next round. They couldn't write Dean, Sam, and Bobby in character and likable for 42 minutes straight if a gun was pointed to their head.
ReplyDeleteGod, I didn't know what the Butch Cassidy death was. That would suck for me. My pet peeve is not knowing all the answers. It ruins my day. lol
ReplyDeleteAnd no fanfiction could help with that kind of ending. Not closed ended enough. No "implied", I need "yes" or "no".
It sucks sometimes (it has ruined a few shows for me because they ended too open), but I'm a facts kind of person. Can't help myself.
At least it should be less controversial than a lot of things are bound to be in August and September when hellatus blues flare and get everyone on edge.
ReplyDeleteShocked AHBL2 doesn't have more votes. I think it's his best.
ReplyDeleteQuite frankly I am too. I expected Swan Song to win by a slight margin, and In My Time of Dying, AHBL2 and Lazarus Rising all to be neck and neck for second.
ReplyDeleteThis one was slightly easier than yesterday's, but not by much. I picked In My Time Of Dying right away because it's pretty much my all time favorite episode of SPN ever. Just everything about it is 100% perfect. Jensen and Jared and JDM were all amazing with their performances and the directorial choices and cinematography were pitch perfect as well.
ReplyDeleteThe second choice was harder but I ended up going for Lazarus Rising. Incredible episode. The opening scene was incredible and the whole episode was great. The reunion between Sam and Dean, the seance, and then the last scene where we met Castiel for the first time. Best intro for a new character ever. I loved how weird and otherworldly Misha played Castiel, and his line about Dean not believing he deserved to be saved. And Jensen was great too. All his emotions about hell and his disbelief about being saved were so beautifully portrayed.
I like a lot of Kripke's episodes so I won't bore people with my thoughts on all the other eps, but I will say that my third runner up is Swan Song. It's not quite as perfect as IMTOD and Lazarus, mainly because I think they should have left out the revelation of Sam being alive until the next season. I think it would have left more of an emotional punch that way. And there were a couple scenes that were kind of clunky. But I loved Chuck narrating the whole thing, and the stuff with the Impala, and the ending scene with Lucifer!Sam beating Dean almost to Death, but at the last minute real Sam breaking through and saving his brother and the world was one of the most heartbreaking things I've ever seen on TV.
I don't know. I think they did a decent job with Bobby, Crowley, and Rufus in "Weekend At Bobby's". It's more Sam and Dean writing that I find shaky.
ReplyDeleteIn WaB, it was Dean who was out of character, pouring his feelings out/whining to Bobby on the phone and unlikable in that everyone I know wanted to smack him for his selfish comment, which didn't sound like Dean to me at all either.
ReplyDeleteI don't feel confident in voting so I don't think I will... trouble is I don't remember the very early episodes all that well. Lazarus Rising and Lucifer Rising were both good episodes but that's biased because they're newer.
ReplyDeleteI know what happened in the pilot but It's been so long... plus it's colored by fanfiction rehashing the story...
But I certainly wouldn't vote for any Ghostbusters stuff, I've always found that fanstuff annoying and unfunny. Could've done without Becky, the ghostbusting dudes whose names I don't remember and even Chuck.
I'm not a fan of Becky, Chuck, meta, or the Ghostfacers either. If you have Netflix, seasons 1-6 are now on streaming if you want to rewatch old episodes.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip. First thing that came up when I googled Netflix was how to trick it into thinking I'm in the US ...
ReplyDeleteThen again considering SPN season 6 and 7 still haven't aired here, I already have a pretty good idea how to get what I want ;-) TV here sucks. Back in the day (when BSG2003 was first out), I wanted to pay, but couldn't. It's been years and I still wouldn't be able to - but I don't really want to anymore either. But I shouldn't complain... don't want to look the gift horse in the mouth. Oh, how I love the Internet. Maybe it is time to rewatch some old episodes.
The internet has been my friend when Hollywood hasn't several times for me too. People need to get with the program. What's the point in making people wait for years for a show that has already aired years before? If I lived in another country, I'd be demanding they show new episodes every week until we were caught up. US production companies also ought to start broadcasting internationally on the same day as their American counterparts. What's the point? All they are doing is ensuring people will find ways to circumvent the system.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. And I wonder how are they going to get people to pay again after not paying for years? But it doesn't seem like they're very interested in trying. Maybe it's not such a big problem, I don't know. Not everybody here speaks English so maybe the losses are not relevant, who knows.
ReplyDeleteI find other ways to spend my money, I ordered two pairs of shoes on the internet last month! From another country without having to pay for postage.... it works but the entertainment industry (TV mostly) still doesn't want our money.
Yep. I agree with that.
ReplyDeleteI voted The Pilot. A wonderful episode and the first one I had ever seen of Supernatural. It pulled me in right from the first moment.
ReplyDeleteThen All hell Breaks loose Part 2.gets the second vote.
A perfectly paced episode with all the emotion amd drama one could wish for.
I enjoyed all of Kripke's early episodes up toAHBL. No Rest For The Wicked wa terrific too and I loved Lazarus Rising for the wonderful, marvellous hug the boys had, and of Sam wearing Dean's Amulet himself while Dean was in Hell.
The scene with Pamela was so funny but the whole thing was spoiled by the Ruby infiltration on the one hand and the Castiel intervention on the other, although I must give the grand entrance he made its due.
Then I loved the Man Who Knew Too Much. A great finale.
All his other episode were rather mediocre. The Real Ghostbusters was painful cringing to watch and Swan Song the most depressing and out of character episodes of all the depressing episodes of SPN.
It's been very interesting seeing the episodes penned by the various writers, and of the three Sera Gamble has written the best ones in my opinion.
Huh. How to choose how to choose.
ReplyDeleteAll Hell Breaks Loose Part 2. No episode has knocked that ep out of first place.
I'm tempted to pick Home because in the teaser I realized the creepiness of my sound system. There's a moment when you hear something running through my house....and I was really freaked out. But can I really pick an ep for 3 seconds in the teaser?
Wow, I only JUST realized that Lazarus Rising and Lucifer Rising were book end titles for season 4. cool.
I had to stop my madness. Picked No Rest For te Wicked. ... I finally hit a point where there was just no order to the other eps I really liked on this list.
I agree...and I really wish the writers at Supernatural and Vampire Diarieswould let characters go when their stories are finished. I think it would but just fine and hunkydory if Cas and Crowley had been allowed to leave the canvas when their stories were finished. At this point with both characters feel like they're being forced back onto the canvas to me.
ReplyDeleteSo hard to vote! I went with "Devil's Trap", though. Still not over that cliffhanger! Listening to "Bad Moon Rising" in the car makes me all twitchy still.
ReplyDeleteI did not watch Lost until it was over and I found out Ian Somerhalder was in it, bought season 1 and got hooked. It was nice not having to wait, just made it a fast marathon. Ended up buying the whole series and loved it.
ReplyDeleteI don't understand why it seems that hardly anybody is in love with Heaven and Hell as much as I am. It's an incredible episode.
ReplyDeleteAnyone that has the season 4 companion book can see Eric's thinking about the no Angel rule and why he changed his mind. It is on page 8 and I for one am very glad he brought Angels in. It was a rebirth of the show and when I thought it could not get any better..it did. I loved the dynamics of the evil/good stories, even thought most of the Angels were not much better than the Demons. lol I was not a fan of the third brother, but they could not have Dean killing Sam, even if it was Lucifer in there, that would have been so bad. I only got the companion books this year and am having fun reading the book before I watch the season..again. Am finding a lot of AH-Ha moments. ;)
ReplyDeletePilot and All Hell Breaks Loose - Part 2.
ReplyDeleteI miss you, Kripke.
I am very impatient waiting for this season DVD to come out, will have my marathon without commercials. lol
ReplyDeleteI buy a lot of SPN books and one I was looking to buy listed Baby as a 1968 Impala and I commented if they don't even get the car correct, I'm betting the rest of the book was junk also. ;)
ReplyDeleteWhen my boys were growing up we had a 70 black Charger, 67 Hemi orange Roadrunner, 67 plum crazy purple Cuda, love the Fast & Furious shows and Fast Five has been my favorite, just stupid fun movie.
ReplyDeleteI also want a yes or no, I hated the ending of Angel because it was left open. I don't want to have to guess.
ReplyDeleteWOW, awesome comment.
ReplyDeleteIn My Time of Dying and Swan Song...
ReplyDeleteI do love me som Missouri... :P
ReplyDeleteAfter careful consideration... Pilot and Lazarus Rising. The Pilot because it introduced me to Dean and Sam and started my obsession with these two characters. It was one of the few shows I was excited about that year and it hooked me from the start. it was a scifi/horror show that had two main characters that were layered, complex and made me want to know more about them, not just their world. Lazarus rising because it was the first time I'd spent an entire summer anticipating an hour of TV and I was completely enthralled with what was happening. I'd watched shows with cliffhangers before, but never had waited with such anticipation to see what would happen in a season premiere. From Dean's first moments waking up in the coffin, to his reunions with bobby and Sam, to the mystery of who pulled him out, to the introduction of Castiel -- the entire hour flew by and set the season up brilliantly. It's no wonder season 4 is considered one of the best.
ReplyDeleteHaha true, y's such an important detail for so many fans, if they can't get that right I couldn't imagine what else would be wrong in there
ReplyDeletePilot, and Lazarus rising - after a very long deliberation. I chose the Pilot because it had everything - good humor, was sufficiently scary, believable characters, the lot. Lazarus rising was also very strong episode, in my top 5.
ReplyDeleteI could not agree more (about Cas and Crowley). It's kind of frustrating in a sense. :-\
ReplyDeletelol - lets hope. :)
ReplyDeleteI adore the episode, but it doesn't rank higher than a few others Kripke has written that got my vote. But Heaven and Hell is among my favorite Season 4 episodes, and in my Top 20. :)
ReplyDeleteYouTube is driving me crazy too. I wish the music business would learn that taking the music off of fan videos will lose them business. I can't count how many times I have watched a fan vid and then went to iTunes to buy the song that is playing. Usually I have never heard of the band so I end up checking out their whole collection and buy a few more songs too.
ReplyDeleteI'm tied between Gamble and Kripke for my favorite. Both have so many episodes I adore and a few I could leave. However, no doubt they wrote the most interesting and pivotal moments of the show. For me Lazarus Rising is just the tiniest better paced than AHBL2, but AHBL2 has more huge moments and does an awesome just of combining drama and action in a way few other episodes do.
ReplyDeleteHa! I never thought of 3 seconds being so important before. That's pretty cool and a bit startling I'm sure. I agree that when episodes are this good, it's very hard to rank them against each other.
ReplyDeleteTo this day if I am in the car and Bad Moon Rising comes on, I look nervously around me for a semi. I can't help it. It's precaution. During the first hellatus, I actually would turn that song off.
ReplyDeletePart of it may be that I added the episode later after the poll had already started. I had writer's credit going to Trevor Sands for that one until someone pointed out that Kripke also has writing credit on it. I added it once I confirmed that. However, I think the real reason it doesn't have as many votes is simply the competition it has. Heaven and Hell had enough votes to make it into our Best Episode poll and to make it past round one, so there's definitely some love for it in general polls.
ReplyDeleteI also think that much of the strength of the pilot was that it was scary and it had twists you didn't see coming. Without those I'm not sure this show would have grabbed my attention as much as it did. However after seeing the pilot, I knew I would be watching the next episode.
ReplyDeleteI was cautiously optimistic about Supernatural in the summer before it aired. They kept comparing it to Buffy and The X-Files, two shows that had completely enthralled me to the point of obsession and yet also two shows that disappointed more than any others. All I knew was that with those credentials I had to give it a shot. While I wasn't obsessed with the show after the pilot (that would be episode 3 for me), I was hooked and made it a point to watch the second episode without distractions. What got me was the combination of it being actually scary, killing off what I just knew would end up a love triangle with Jess, and the immortal "No chick flick moments" line. At that point I knew this was something I could potentially really get into. When you add in the delicious snark of the pilot, I knew they had a winner.
ReplyDeleteI do the same thing, have many CDs with music I first heard on youtube.
ReplyDeleteI take comfort I'm not the only one. lol
ReplyDeleteNice. Lucky you having the 70 black Charger. Would so love that car.
ReplyDeleteI'm invested in the cars nearly as much as the people in those movies. I'm probably way more invested in the characters of the Fast and Furious movies than most other watchers are. Fast Five was my favorite too, but I kind of missed the street racing cars. The cop cars weren't as cool.
I'm hoping to re-watch all of Season 7 before Season 8 as well since I already watched Season 4-6 this summer.
ReplyDeleteOh damn, I missed it. And Swan Song, really? I will never understand all the love this episode is getting, especially that in this poll there were many much better ones!
ReplyDeletethe absolute top league out of the Kripke episodes for me includes Devil's Trap, In My Time of Dying, All Hell Breaks Loose 2 and Lazarus Rising. I probably would have voted for IMToD and AHBL2, trying to deal with the pain of not voting for Lazarus Rising.
I got into drifting after Tokyo Drift F&F movie and watch it on TV. The cars made now all look the same.
ReplyDeleteI am on my second go around with season 4-6 this summer and have also done 1-3. I may break down and watch 7 and FF thru commercials. How do you like the Ford Mustang ad with the car changing colors and the little girl Angel/Demon. I stop and back up for that one and the one with the possum I think is so funny.
ReplyDeleteYour 4 are my four also. If it makes you feel better Swan Song seems to be more divisive as the years pass. I remember feeling completely alone in my blase attitude toward Swan Song when it first came out. Now there seems to be a small minority that have issues with it.
ReplyDeleteI agree. I used to think the same about cars, but now I've actually fallen in love with mine. In fact, saw a 66 Caprice the other day and it looked so much like Baby, I wanted it badly! Too bad mine is a 93 Caprice lol.
ReplyDeleteJust wanted to say I'm in total agreement with not liking Missouri. Dean never said or did a bad thing to her and she started out with threatening him. Then she insults him. All the while being nicey-nice to Sam. I'll get off my soap box now. But I really can't stand her.
ReplyDeleteExactly!
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you about the preconceived notions. I noticed the exact same thing with my RL friends who watched the show. None of them are part of the fandom, so they knew nothing about supposed five-year plans or showrunners or whatnot. And they didn't notice any gap or difference between seasons 5 and 6 either. They just went on enjoying the show as much as ever.
ReplyDeleteA good example of how preconceived notions can influence us is Sam's soullessness at the beginning of season 6. A lot of fans who were concerned about the so-called five-year plan and Kripke being executive producer instead of showrunner went "That's it, they don't know how to write Sam anymore!" Whereas my RL friends all went "Something is going on with Sam, I can't wait to find out what it is!"
On another note, isn't it great we're picking up so many new fans through Netflix, TNT, etc.?
That's the perfect example. Sometimes I really enjoy talking to SPN fans who are not in the online fandom. They have a much healthier view of Supernatural usually because they are not bombarded by this frenzy of little nothings that tornado into doom and gloom. They also remain blissfully unaware of fandom fights and all the prejudging that goes on over snippets and spoilers.
ReplyDeleteI am so excited by the influx of new fans who are enjoying SPN for the first time. I love seeing the episodes I've watch a hundred times through their perspective, to hear their enthusiasm. It's been amazing!
Time for another poll, it is just to long between 2012 series polls.
ReplyDeleteThere are more mini-hiatuses than usual. Kind of like season 7. I'm guessing Adam's job is keeping him pretty busy. Still we are getting all kinds of spoilers and behind the scenes pictures to talk about and Comic-Con starts tomorrow so there will be all sorts of things to talk about this weekend.
ReplyDeleteWhen is our next writer poll??
ReplyDeleteReally Swan Song?..ugh!!!
ReplyDeleteWell if it makes you feel any better, the more years pass the more people seem to find issues with Swan Song. If this were season 6, it would have had half the votes instead of 25%.
ReplyDeleteSince this was not a season poll, but a writer poll, I don't think what season we are in would make any difference. At some point an ep may knock it from my number one spot, but it is going to have to be a very strong ep. On The Head Of comes very close. I am still working on my favorite list.
ReplyDeleteTypically fans are all gung ho over an episode when they have just seen it. If we were going into season 6, Swan Song would be fresh on people's minds. it would have the typical finale inflate, and people would still be talking about it. Take Survival of the Fittest for instance. It won the season 7 poll. If we held that same poll during next year's hellatus there is no way it would win.
ReplyDeleteWhen Swan Song came out, everyone was gushing over it. It was everyone's new favorite and people rewatched it over and over again. It decimated every contest it was in. If you weren't all glowing praise about it, people thought you were nuts. It was the fan-declared most perfect episode of any TV show anywhere. Now 2 years later, people still praise Swan Song but a lot of the gushing has died down. Most people no longer see it as perfect even if it is still their favorite. Some people who enthusiastically gushed about it in season 5 are now a bit burned out by it and once the emotional high wore off, they started seeing things they didn't like in the episode. Believe me, season matters. For some episodes, passing seasons make devotion to it stronger. In My Time of Dying is a perfect example of that. It is far more loved now than I remember it being when it first aired. Not that people didn't love it then or that people don't love Swan Song now, because they do. It's just that overall perception changes over time.
When our favorite episode poll ends, I do not expect Swan Song to come out on top. It wouldn't have even been a question 2 years ago. Barring a massive influx of Castiel fans, it may not make it past round 4. While still hugely popular with a lot of people, Swan Song is more controversial than a lot of finales. However on a plus side for you, if it makes it past round four it's a shoe-in for the semi-finals.
Top five are Swan Song, Lazarus Rising,, In My Time of Dying, All Hell Breaks Loose 2 and the Pilot
ReplyDeleteInteresting.
Swan Song I think wins mostly for the Impala story and the fan montage, both of which I liked too but the rest was forgettable. Could anyone have been really happy with poor Sam suffering in Hell for eternity and Dean eternally in pain for his brother, even living with Lisa.
However.
Lazarus Rising and Swan Song, the beginning and the end of the angel/apocalypse arc with none of the in between episodes getting anything.
IMTOFD and AHBL2, two great apisodes in third and fourth place although I thought the Pilot would get more votes as it was the beginning of the story.
All in all, the older episodes beat the newer, ones aside from SS.
Ha, I'm with you on the painful stuff, if they get me to shed a tear, I'm a happy camper. How weird is that???
ReplyDeleteI am a huge Dodge/Plymouth muscle car fan, so yeah, I love the Charger in Burn Notice, BUT none will ever beat Baby for me. After all how many shows have eps that feature their cars back story?
ReplyDelete