Supernatural Season 8
This is the only season I legit was mad at Sam for most of it. It’s a good season, I just wanted to throat-punch Sam for most of it.
EPISODE 150 (S8E1): WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT KEVIN
WATCH – Dean has been in Purgatory for a year and he made a friend. Sam hit a dog. Amelia annoys me to no end.
EPISODE 151 (S8E2): WHAT’S UP, TIGER MOMMY?
WATCH – Kevin’s mom is kind of a badass. Sam can wield Mjölnir. The Demon tablet goes up for monster auction.
Crowley tries to bid Alaska for the tablet.
“Palin? And a bridge to nowhere? No, thanks.”
EPISODE 152 (S8E3): HEARTACHE
Jensen Ackles’ father, Alan Ackles, guest stars in this episode. Not only that, but Jensen directed this episode as well.
Dean is still mad at Sam for not looking for him for the last year, not hunting for the last year, not looking after Kevin for the last year… you get it. Amelia still annoys me.
You can SKIP this episode.
EPISODE 153 (S8E4): BITTEN
SKIP – it’s a one-off episode of characters that haven’t showed up again since.
EPISODE 154 (S8E5): BLOOD BROTHER
WATCH – Benny has some unfinished business now that he’s back from Purgatory. This episode gives you backstory on Benny before Purgatory as well as Dean and Benny’s friendship.
Sam calls Dean while he’s in a vampire nest with Benny. Their conversation is dysfunctional AF and will have you rolling. Sam gets to meet Benny. His reaction is yet another reason why I want to hit him this season.
Also, Sam has flashbacks to his time with Amelia. It’s lame. Their relationship was lame.
EPISODE 155 (S8E6): SOUTHERN COMFORT
WATCH – Garth takes up where Bobby left off and the brothers aren’t handling it gracefully.
Sidenote: This is a passionate fandom who cares A LOT about these characters. The fandom took the death of Bobby singer very hard. And unfortunately for actor DJ Qualls who plays Garth, he took a lot of heat (and hate) from some fans because they couldn’t handle anyone replacing Bobby.
EPISODE 156 (S8E7): A LITTLE SLICE OF KEVIN
WATCH – Dean is seeing Cas everywhere. His guilt about leaving him behind in Purgatory has been eating away at him. We (and Dean) finally get the full story of what happened in Purgatory.
Crowley has been torturing Heaven’s most adorable angel, Samandriel, for the names of the prophets so he can translate the demon tablet. Kevin and his mom have been laying low trying to stay away from the demons on their trail.
A new angel is introduced – Naomi.
Sidenote: This episode raises a curious question, what the hell happened to Chuck?
EPISODE 157 (S8E8): HUNTERI HEROICI
WATCH – Cas wants nothing to do with Heaven anymore. He’s chosen a new career path instead (and let’s be honest, which of us hasn’t wanted to quit our jobs and do the same?). Remember the old school Looney Tunes cartoons? This will bring back some fun memories with a bloody twist.
EPISODE 158 (S8E9): CITIZEN FANG
WATCH – Remember Martin the hunter from the psych hospital? He’s tracking Benny now. And Sam was the one who put him on Benny’s trail! (Stop pissing me off me this season, Sam!!)
Dean pulls a questionable (but I think necessary) stunt to get Sam off of Benny’s trail and it’s going to cause some major trust issues between the brothers. As if there weren’t already enough.
EPISODE 159 (S8E10): TORN AND FRAYED
WATCH – Poor Samandriel is still being tortured by Crowley, he tries to call out to Naomi for help. She dispatches Castiel to help him.
For the love – I really want Dean to throat punch Sam. This episode really made me say, “Fuck you, Sam.”
EPISODE 160 (S8E11): LARP AND THE REAL GIRL
Charlie Bradbury returns. She’s been hiding since the incident with Dick Roman, but when news of his death hit, she re-emerged with a new identity. You can SKIP this one if you want, but Charlie is so endearingly played by Felicia Day, that I would recommend you watch it if you have the time and inclination. Plus, the final scene in this episode is absolutely a classic.
EPISODE 161 (S8E12): AS TIME GOES BY
WATCH – Another time-travel episode, except this time characters jump from the past into present day. The boys get to meet their grandfather, Henry Winchester, and a new demon – Abbadon.
EPISODE 162 (S8E13): EVERYBODY HATES HITLER
The important thing that happens in this episode is that the brothers take the key they got in the previous episode to coordinates they were given and end up at the Men of Letters bunker. Sam gets to live in a library and Dean doesn’t have to live on the road anymore. The rest of the episode is inconsequential to the greater story. You can SKIP this one. The creature in this episode is a golem… and Nazis.
EPISODE 163 (S8E14): TRIAL AND ERROR
WATCH – Kevin has been over-working himself translating the Demon Tablet on Garth’s safe-houseboat; but he’s figured out how to close the gates of hell permanently.
Also, Dean is nesting. He hasn’t had his own room since he was 4 years old and their house caught fire.
EPISODE 164 (S8E15): MAN’S BEST FRIEND WITH BENEFITS
Witches and their familiars, or the animal spirits that guide them. Kevin is working on translating what the Demon Tablet says about the next trial. You can SKIP this one and move on.
EPISODE 165 (S8E16): REMEMBER THE TITANS
The legend of Prometheus – You can SKIP this one.
EPISODE 166 (S8E17): GOODBYE STRANGER
WATCH – Naomi is torturing and brainwashing poor Castiel. Is he strong enough to fight it? Dean still doesn’t feel Castiel came back right from purgatory. Regardless, he has been praying to him.
‘Megstiel’ becomes canon. This is basically as romantic as this show gets.
EPISODE 167 (S8E18): FREAKS AND GEEKS
SKIP – Remember Krissy Chambers? She’s back and she’s hunting.
EPISODE 168 (S8E19): TAXI DRIVER
WATCH – Crowley is looking for Kevin who’s been able to translate the second trial. Sam gets to see what Purgatory was like. A couple of old friends return. I cried and hated on Sam once again during this episode.
EPISODE 169 (S8E20): PAC-MAN FEVER
WATCH – Charlie returns and Dean is teaching her how to become a hunter. The trials are taking a physical toll on Sam. Charlie’s origin story is revealed.
EPISODE 170 (S8E21): THE GREAT ESCAPIST
WATCH – Kevin is still translating the Demon tablet. Sam is still struggling with the physical toll the trials are taking on him; he’s almost drunk-like under the influence of the trials. Sam thinks the trials might be purifying him. They get a lead on the Scribe of God, Metatron.
Castiel is in hiding from everyone.
Naomi to Cas: “You have never done what you were told. Not completely…”
Cas: “In the words of a good friend – Bite me.”
EPISODE 171 (S8E22): CLIP SHOW
WATCH – You’ll have to think back and remember some of the people the boys have saved from previous seasons – the boy they saved from the Wendigo in episode 2, the assistant in Season 7 “Shut Up, Dr. Phil”, and Sarah from episode 19 “Provenance”.
Dean is done forgiving Cas for his mistakes and Sam tries to play mediator between the two. Castiel tries to go shopping and put together an “I’m sorry” gift basket for Dean with all of his favorite things. Sidenote: In the scene at the gas station, Misha was told to scare the cashier when he asked about the pie. Misha improvised grabbing the cashier and you’re seeing that actors genuine fear.
The boys find a dungeon in the bunker – Dean is psyched, Cas is a little concerned. An old enemy returns. We find out that Crowley is the son of a witch.
Sidenote: According to the Men of Letters records, Lizzy Borden and Ichabod Crane were possessed by demons.
EPISODE 172 (S8E23): SACRIFICE
WATCH – Sheriff Jody Mills goes on a date. Naomi captures Metatron. Castiel is a dick to Kevin.
Castiel to Dean: “You really think it’s wise to be drinking on the job?”
Dean: “What show have you been watching?”
Supernatural Season 7
This whole season is one long-running dick joke. It’s quite impressive.
Episode count – Watch 14, Skip 9
EPISODE 127 (S7E1): MEET THE NEW BOSS
WATCH – Castiel is the new God. Sam’s wall is broken. Death is not amused.
A lot has been said about Dean and Cas’s friendship, but Sam and Cas have been developing their friendship throughout the years as well.
Sidenote: The Westboro Baptist Church considers Misha Collins as one of several Antichrists. You almost get the feeling that if Misha had god-like powers, he’d probably go around righting a lot of these same wrongs that Cas did.
EPISODE 128 (S7E2): HELLO, CRUEL WORLD
WATCH – Castiel’s vessel is falling apart with the Leviathan inside him. Sam is having severe hallucinations. Bobby is more than a fellow hunter to the boys (but you’ve figured that out by now, right?) and serves as the father-figure John never was or could be.
Bobby: “How are you?”
Dean: “Who cares? Don’t you think our mailbox is a little full right now? I’m fine. Really.”
Bobby: “Of course. You just lost one of the best friends you ever had, your brother’s in the bell jar, and Purgatory’s most wanted are surfin’ the sewer lines. But yeah, yeah, I get it. You’re fine.”
Sheriff Jody Mills had an appendectomy. Dean breaks his leg and Sam has even more head trauma. The Leviathan are very clever monsters. Bobby’s home is targeted.
Sidenote: When you consider Jared’s own battle with depression and how much he champions mental health awareness, Sam’s struggle this season takes on a whole new level of powerful and meaningful acting.
EPISODE 129 (S7E3): THE GIRL NEXT DOOR
WATCH – While on a supply run, Sam catches on to a case identical to one when he was a kid. [Sidenote: This is the 5th episode Colin Ford stars as young Sam Winchester and once again does an incredible job]. He leaves Dean behind to investigate. The monster in this episode is a Kitsune and the brothers end up arguing about how to handle it (shocking, right?)
Sam: “You don’t trust her. Fine. Trust me.”
Dean: “OK.”
EPISODE 130 (S7E4): DEFENDING YOUR LIFE
WATCH – Dean has to face his past; some old cases and friends come back to haunt his conscience. Sam gets to put his unused lawyer skills to practice. The big bad in this episode is the Egyptian god Osiris, wonderfully played by Faran Tahir.
EPISODE 131 (S7E5): SHUT UP, DR. PHIL
It’s a funny couples therapy for witches episode. If you were a fan of Buffy and/or Angel, you cannot SKIP this episode. If you didn’t care for them, you can safely move on. Either way, it doesn’t do much to move the greater story-arc this season along.
EPISODE 132 (S7E6): SLASH FICTION
WATCH – Leviathans have taken on Sam and Dean’s forms. Bobby introduces the boys to “a jackass and lunatic” named Frank Devereaux while he keeps working on getting information from the Leviathan they captured in the previous episode. Now that Sheriff Jody Mills knows about monsters and that Bobby isn’t just the town drunk, they’re becoming friends. Crowley tries to make a deal.
Dean: “Nobody puts Baby in a corner!”
Sam: “You know that’s a line from…”
Dean: “Swayze movie. Swayze always gets a pass!”
EPISODE 133 (S7E7): THE MENTALISTS
SKIP – it’s a one-off storyline about psychics being killed. This episode picks up one and a half weeks after Sam and Dean separated because of the argument they had over Amy, the Kitsune from episode 3 this season. Ellen Harvelle gave Dean a message from beyond the grave to talk to someone and trust again or she’ll come back and kick his ass. [Guest starring a few actors that were a guest stars on Psych.]
Psychic: “I need a drink.”
Dean: “I support that.”
EPISODE 134 (S7E8): SEASON 7, TIME FOR A WEDDING!
WATCH – Dean has to team up with another hunter, Garth. Remember him from last season, Weekend at Bobby’s? And remember Samgirl, Becky Rosen? OK, that’s all you need to enjoy this episode. Enjoy!
EPISODE 135 (S7E9): HOW TO WIN FRIENDS AND INFLUENCE MONSTERS
WATCH – This episode reinforces how much they’ve learned from Bobby over the years. Part of the Levithan’s plans are revealed.
EPISODE 136 (S7E10): DEATH’S DOOR
WATCH – Bobby is fighting for his life and he enlists an old friend to help him survive.
EPISODE 137 (S7E11): ADVENTURES IN BABYSITTING
SKIP – The daughter of a hunter is looking for her missing hunter father – he went on a hunting trip and hasn’t been home in a few days (Sidenote: The hunter, played by Ian Tracey, comes back as a different character in Season 13). Sam and Dean grieve another friend. Dean wants to kill Dick and goes to Frank to find out the numbers Bobby wrote on his hand were coordinates to a field in Wisconsin.
EPISODE 138 (S7E12): TIME AFTER TIME
SKIP – Chronos, the god of time sends Dean back to 1944 where he meets Elliot Ness. Not only does Dean love westerns, but he’s seen Untouchables 50 times.
Dean on the laptop
Sam: “I can’t believe I’m about to say this but I hope you’re watching cartoon smut because reading Dick Roman crap over and over again is just self-punishment.”
Dean closes his laptop
Dean: “It’s called anime, and it’s an art form.”
Later in the episode, Dean asks to use Sam’s computer
Sam: “Look up more anime, or are you strictly into Dick now?”
EPISODE 139 (S7E13): THE SLICE GIRLS
You can SKIP it, but if you do choose to watch it, DO NOT READ THE FOLLOWING SPOILER: Dean has a one night stand with an Amazon. She gets pregnant, the baby goes through rapid growth and Dean now has a daughter. The Amazons kill the fathers of the daughters, but it’s not the mother who does it, it’s the daughter. Sam kills Dean’s daughter/his own niece. Dean is mad at Sam, said he had it under control. Sam throws what happened at the end of The Girl Next Door back at him.
EPISODE 140 (S7E14): PLUCKY PENNYWHISTLE’S MAGIC MENAGERIE
Sam is still afraid of clowns. Dean’s inner child always wanted a rainbow slinky. This episode is adorable but if you want to SKIP it, you can.
Dean to Sam: “You look like you got attacked by some PCP-crazed strippers.”
EPISODE 141 (S7E15): REPO MAN
You can SKIP this one, but it’s a good story, especially if you are fascinated by serial killers.
EPISODE 142 (S7E16): OUT WITH THE OLD
Cursed objects are killing people. You can SKIP this one. What’s important to know in this episode is that Levithan are disguised as realtors in this episode and buying up land to carry out their greater plan – build a research center to cure cancer.
Dean about Frank: “He’s a crazy son-of-a-bitch. You know, having a cranky, total paranoid as your go-to guy, that’s… it’s… I don’t know what it is.”
It’s Bobby, is what it is Dean. It’s Bobby.
EPISODE 143 (S7E17): THE BORN-AGAIN IDENTITY
WATCH – Sam’s hallucinations are getting worse and Dean is desperate to find a way to help him. Dean is tipped off to a healer that can help. Some old friends come back in this episode.
EPISODE 144 (S7E18): PARTY ON, GARTH
Garth returns in this episode and he’s always a fun character to watch. He asks the boys to help him hunt a shojo, a Japanese god of drunkenness. You can SKIP this episode, but something very important happens at the end of this episode. Make sure you watch the recap in the next episode if you skip this one to find out what you missed.
EPISODE 145 (S7E19): OF GRAVE IMPORTANCE
WATCH – Do not skip the recap to this episode! Especially if you skipped the previous episode. An old friend returns, but he’s not the same.
EPISODE 146 (S7E20): THE GIRL WITH THE DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS TATTOO
WATCH – This episode is a great one that ties together what we know of the Leviathan plan so far. Introduces a new character, Charlie Bradbury, played by the effervescent Felicia Day. Dick Roman uses Charlie to decypt some of Frank’s old computer files. The boys have Charlie double-cross Dick and help them instead. Bobby takes advantage of the situation to get some revenge. [The security guard Charlie (and Dean) flirt with was an extra on Psych]
If you look closely at the computer screen when Charlie is reading Dick Roman’s emails, you’ll see that Donald Trump himself is working with Dick! That’ explains SO MUCH!!
Sidenote: Whenever you hear a character say the phrase “kick it in the ass”, that’s a shoutout to the show’s former producer/director Kim Manners who used that phrase often.
EPISODE 147 (S7E21): READING IS FUNDAMENTAL
WATCH – a new prophet is born, and he’s in advanced placement.
Castiel is still recovering from taking on Sam’s damaged soul. Dean is struggling with forgiveness and trust.
EPISODE 148 (S7E22): THERE WILL BE BLOOD
WATCH – Dick has Kevin. The boys debate what to do with Bobby. Dean can’t eat his usual road food.
EPISODE 149 (S7E23): SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST
WATCH – What becomes of Bobby? Does Crowley hold up his end of the deal? With who? What happened to Kevin? Can Dean forgive Cas? Can the boys cockblock Dick?
Supernatural Season 6
For me, this was the hardest season to get into. Not because it was bad but because season 5 was so perfect. Going back, I kinda still feel the same. But knowing the story-arc for this season, it is worth it to see WTAF is going on post-Team-Free-Will-stopped-the-apocalypse.
Episode count – Watch 17, Skip 5
EPISODE 105 (S6E1): EXILE ON MAIN ST.
WATCH – set one year after Sam jumped in the cage. Dean kept his promise to his brother and tried to live a normal life with Lisa and Ben.
EPISODE 106 (S6E2): TWO AND A HALF MEN
Sam needs Dean’s help on another case. Remember the first time Sam died and Dean thought maybe he came back different? Remember that episode when Dean said “What’s dead should stay dead” (actually, I told you to skip that one, but if you read my synopsis of the episode, it should still ring a bell)? Does Sam seem different to you now that he’s back a second time from the dead? Same goes for Samuel – he came back from the dead, too. He was never a lovable cuddly grandpa, but did he come back different? Also, now that Sam is back Lisa has to face the fact that she might lose Dean to hunting. I’m 50/50 on this one, you could probably just SKIP it.
EPISODE 107 (S6E3): THE THIRD MAN
WATCH – introduces a new angel, Balthazar, played by Sebastian Roche who also appeared on 2 other CW shows, Vampire Diaries and The Originals. Raphael returns. Sam works out. This episode tackles some police corruption and revenge… or is it justice?
Some great lines delivered by 2 great angels:
Castiel: “I think we can rule Moses out as a suspect.”
Balthazar: “Hey! Look at my junk.”
EPISODE 108 (S6E4): WEEKEND AT BOBBY’S
WATCH – Great episode to get to know more about Bobby and everything he does to help the brothers and all hunters. Also a great episode to see how the boys (and the audience) forget that Bobby doesn’t belong just to them. He’s not a sidekick, he raised them as much as if not more than John Winchester.
Rufus is hunting and Okami while the boys are on the trail of a Lamia. Prepare to fall in love with Rufus some more in this episode, too. The writers gave his character some great lines and his friendship with Bobby becomes more evident and solidified.
Bobby finds out that Crowley got a promotion from King of the Crossroads to King of Hell. The hunter, Garth, “appears” for the first time in a phone call to Bobby.
EPISODE 109 (S6E5): LIVE FREE OR TWI-HARD
WATCH – The opening scene is as douchey as the Twilight movies were. It’s hilarious to watch – all the angst, all the melodrama, all the why does a hundreds of years old being love a ridiculous 17 year old… Even the douchebag’s name is Robert!
As the boys hunt down vampires, something goes wrong and it has dire consequences for Dean, his relationship with Sam, and his relationships with Lisa and Ben.
EPISODE 110 (S6E6): YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH
WATCH – Sam is the case in this episode. Dean is determined to figure out what is wrong with Sam. Sam eventually comes clean to Dean.
Sam: “It’s a more caring administration,” remember this aired when Obama was president.
EPISODE 111 (S6E7): FAMILY MATTERS
WATCH – Samuel and his motives are now in question.
EPISODE 112 (S6E8): ALL DOGS GO TO HEAVEN
Sam and Dean are forced to work for Crowley who wants them to capture the Alpha Werewolf. Sam comes clean about how he really feels to Dean. SKIP this one but fast forward to 37 minutes in and watch the discussion the boys have at the picnic table.
EPISODE 113 (S6E9): CLAP YOUR HANDS IF YOU BELIEVE
WATCH – Yes, that is how X-Files does their intros. Yes, there is a hint about possible alien abductions. You’ll have to watch, though, if you want to find out if these aliens also make their abductees slow dance with them.
Jared now gets the opportunity to fully play another version of his character – Soulless Sam. Up to this point, Sam has been watching his words and careful with his actions; he’s been a vaguely reminiscent version of the old Sam. This is the first episode he gets to let his soulless flag fly high and it’s hilarious to watch.
Soulless Sam: “If you want to add glitter to that glue you’re sniffing, that’s fine. But don’t dump your wackadoo over us, we’d rather not step in it.”
Soulless Sam isn’t completely different from regular Sam, though… Sam still has questions. “Dean, did you service Oberon?”
Jensen improvised the line in the scene where he was being hauled off by the police; it wasn’t in the script.
EPISODE 114 (S6E10): CAGED HEAT
WATCH – Crowley is still looking for purgatory, and we open with a scene of him interrogating the Alpha shifter. The boys are still reluctantly working for him when they get kidnapped by Meg.
Meg (during the interrogation): “Officially over the foreplay. Satisfy me or I please myself.”
The brothers go on a mission to retrieve Sam’s soul. The boys team up with Meg (with the intention of double-crossing her later) to hunt down Crowley. They enlist Castiel to help them. They also try to enlist Samuel for help but he’s hesitant. Samuel’s motive for helping Crowley is revealed.
Some other fun facts from this episode:
- Meg has a crush.
- Castiel learns it from the pizzaman.
- Crowley bought Dick Cheney’s soul.
- Soulless Sam has his ultimate creepy moment when he gives that bloody smile.
EPISODE 115 (S6E11): APPOINTMENT IN SAMARRA
WATCH – Special guest star Robert Englund (Freddie Kreuger) helps Dean reach out to Death to enlist his help retrieving Sam’s soul. In case anything goes wrong, Dean gives Dr. Robert a letter addressed to Ben. Tessa returns and Dean has to make a deal with Death before he agrees to help.
Sam doesn’t want his soul back and asks Balthazar to help him stop Dean. The spell Balthazar gives him calls for Sam to kill Bobby.
Death tells Dean to keep digging – “It’s about the souls”
EPISODE 116 (S6E12): LIKE A VIRGIN
WATCH – Don’t skip the recap. The song is Aerosmith “Back in the Saddle Again”
Sam is back with his soul intact. Dean is glad, but Bobby doesn’t like keeping the secret of the wall from Sam and all the things Sam has done in the past year and a half from him. And he’s still understandably a little salty about what Sam tried to do to him in the previous episode.
Dean wants to keep the secret because he’s afraid of breaking the wall Death built. Sam calls Castiel and tricks him into telling him what happened in the last year.
Dragons and the legend of King Arthur and the sword in the stone is referenced. A new big bad, the Mother of All, is introduced.
EPISODE 117 (S6E13): UNFORGIVEN
Sam recounts a memory from when he was soulless; which means he’s scratching at the wall Death told him to leave alone. Watch it if you want to see how bad Sam got while he was soulless, but you can SKIP it if you want to move on to the next episode. Also, click here to watch the backstory of this episode’s big bad creature.
EPISODE 118 (S6E14): MANNEQUIN 3: THE RECKONING
You can SKIP this episode. The most important thing that happens in it is Lisa has calling Dean but Dean won’t answer her calls. When he finally does pick up, it’s actually Ben that has been calling Dean to come back. Ben tells Dean there’s something wrong with his mom and begs Dean to come home. When Dean does leave Sam to wrap up the case by himself so he can drive to see Lisa and Ben, he finds that there actually isn’t anything wrong with Lisa. She’s been trying to move on from Dean and about to go on a date with another man and Ben panicked. Lisa asks Dean to leave them alone and they agree that they shouldn’t be together and that Dean shouldn’t come back anymore.
EPISODE 119 (S6E15): THE FRENCH MISTAKE
A classic. A must WATCH. Jensen and Jared play Sam and Dean playing Jensen and Jared playing Sam and Dean. It’ll make sense when you watch it.
FYI, all of the tweets Misha makes in the episode were actually tweeted live when the episode aired at the moment Misha tweeted it on the show! Check it out:
“Ola mishamigos! J2 got me good. Really starting to feel like one of the guys.”
Tweeted as Misha as Misha during east coast airing of the episode
“IMHO j&j had a late one last night. Rotflmfao!”
Tweeted as Misha as Misha during the west coast airing of the episode
“My phone was stolen and apparently cast into a parallel universe devoid of magic. I’ve retrieved it. I promise it won’t happen again.”
Tweeted as Misha after west coast airing was over
Some facts about this episode:
- When approached about this episode, Jensen said he’ll do it as long as he gets to still be Dean.
- When Misha was approached about it, he said he wanted to be the douchey-ist version of himself he could be.
- The jokes about the boys not talking to each other is actually the opposite of how they are in real life. They are close friends who both live in Austin, TX and were even in each others weddings. Their wives are also friends with each other. Genevieve acting like she doesn’t like Jensen and that he’s never been to their house is false.
- Yes, Jared actually did marry fake-Ruby.
- Misha actually gets pranked on arguably more than any other series regular on the show. Jensen has admitted that it’s because they like him best, but this is why Misha makes the joke on the show that he’s starting to feel like one of the guys.
- During a normal day of filming, the cause of the multiple takes of a scene on the show is Jared and Jensen messing with Misha during his close-ups trying to get him to mess up his lines.
- Also, the first time Jensen did a scene with Misha, the mouthing “what the hell?” at the crew was what Jensen did and it was because of the deep voice Misha used for Castiel.
- When Dean is Jensen being Dean and keeps trying (badly) to get through his lines in the scene, his voice goes super-deep in one of the takes. Sam looks at him and confused asks, “What?” Dean answers in his normal voice, “That’s how he [Misha] does it.”
- Robert Singer actually is the executive producer of Supernatural and the character Bobby Singer actually was named after him.
- Sera Gamble on the phone with Robert Singer is the showrunner who took over after Eric Kripke left after season 5.
- This is only the second episode we get to see Castiel’s wings.
EPISODE 120 (S6E16): …AND THEN THERE WERE NONE
WATCH – don’t skip the recap. Bobby and the boys go on a hunting trip together and run into an old friend… and one not so friendly friend. Eve has created a new creature and not everyone comes out of this one alive.
EPISODE 121 (S6E17): MY HEART WILL GO ON
WATCH – The boys have stopped the apocalypse, but they also messed up fate’s plan. Balthazar is back and he hates Titanic. Bobby is dealing with what he did in the previous episode… and not well. An old friend has returned.
Sidenote: when creator, Eric Kripke, originally came up with the concept of the show, he thought he would have the boys drive around in a Ford Mustang. It was his neighbor, a car buff, who told him to change it to an Impala because there’s enough room in the trunk to hide a body.
EPISODE 122 (S6E18): FRONTIERLAND
The boys have a lead on a way to kill the Mother of All. Dean loves westerns and everything about the wild west. It’s a good episode, but you can SKIP it. If you do skip this, remember to watch the episode recap for the next episode.
Sidenote: When Bobby says he can’t leave those idjits stranded in Deadwood, that’s a reference to when Jim Beaver himself starred in the show Deadwood.
EPISODE 123 (S6E19): MOMMY DEAREST
WATCH – The Mother of All is busy creating more. She reveals a secret to the team that has them second-guessing their loyalties.
Sidenote: Misha forgot his line that was supposed to come after Dean calling him a baby in a trenchcoat, so Jared improvised the line “I think you hurt his feelings” and they decided to keep it that way.
EPISODE 124 (S6E20): THE MAN WHO WOULD BE KING
WATCH – This episode, for me, made the season worth it. There have been some great episodes this season, but as far as an over-arching storyline, this is the episode that helps it all make sense. Castiel reveals everything and Dean refers to him as a brother for the first time.
Sidenote: Kenneth Lay was the founder and CEO of the Enron Corporation. Enron reached a peak value of more than $60 billion, but filed for bankruptcy in 2001 causing more than 20,000 employees to lose not only their jobs but their savings and retirement funds.
EPISODE 125 (S6E21): LET IT BLEED
WATCH and don’t skip the recap – Horror writer, H.P. Lovecraft, opened a door to purgatory and a creature came out. Dean has a Liam Neeson from Taken moment.
EPISODE 126 (S6E22): THE MAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
WATCH and don’t skip the recap – Castiel will do whatever it takes to defeat his brother, Raphael. That has severe consequences for Sam and possibly unforgivable consequences to his relationship with Dean.
Season 6 is over! Well done! The final 3 episodes should’ve brought everything from the first episode full circle. Season 7 is gonna be crazy!!
Supernatural Season 5
Creator Eric Kripke had a 5 year plan for Supernatural; he needed 5 seasons to tell the story he wanted to tell. This season answers a lot of the questions that have been building up since the very first episode. Kripke left the show for other projects (he’s still acts as Executive Consultant, sometimes writer and producer for the show) after this season.
EPISODE 83 (S5E1): SYMPATHY FOR THE DEVIL
WATCH – the aftermath of breaking the final seal. First time Dean refers to Cas as “my friend” and Dean learns his role in the fight against Lucifer. Bobby Singer and Chuck Shurley return in this episode and we’re introduced to fangirl Becky Rosen and vessel Nick.
EPISODE 84 (S5E2): GOOD GOD, Y’ALL!
WATCH – The apocalypse has begun and old friends/hunters return to the show to help fight – Rufus Turner and Ellen and Jo Harvelle. Dean is struggling to trust Sam again. Castiel is struggling to trust Dean.
Castiel: “I killed two angels this week. My brothers. I’m hunted. I rebelled. And I did it, all of it, for you. And you failed. You and your brother destroyed the world. And I lost everything, for nothing. So you keep your opinions to yourself.”
EPISODE 85 (S5E3): FREE TO BE YOU AND ME
WATCH – The episode opens with Lynard Skynard’s “Simple Man” playing while showing the brothers living separate lives as simple men. Sidenote: Supernatural Conventions have rock concerts on Saturday nights and they will play songs like “Simple Man”. Check out Jensen Ackles singing “Simple Man” at a convention in Vancouver – yes, that is Chuck on guitar next to him, and Crowley on drums behind him (he’s introduced as a character in the episode “Abandon All Hope” later this season), and Gabriel on bass. Because why the fuck not?! Why wouldn’t these men be some of the most talented mofos on the damn planet?
A new angel is introduced in this episode – Raphael. Sam has a co-worker who thoroughly annoyed me the whole episode, and probably will annoy you as well. Dean and Cas become friends this episode, not just 2 guys who bond because they’re in war together. They work a case together and actually hang out and have a laugh. Castiel is still very naive about humans and human nature.
Some great and classic lines came out of this episode:
- Castiel: “Hello, Dean”
Dean: “Cas, we’ve talked about this – personal space?” - Dean: “Last time you zapped me someplace, I didn’t poop for a week.”
- Castiel: “Today, you’re my little bitch.”
EPISODE 86 (S5E4): THE END
WATCH – Zachariah zaps Dean to the future 5 years to 2014 (this episode originally aired on Oct 1, 2009). The Croatoan virus has infected humans and Sarah Palin is president. It’s definitely a post-apocalyptic world.
Misha has, at this point in the show, essentially played 3 different characters – Castiel, Jimmy Novak, and now Future Cas. This is the first time we get to see Jared play a new character in the show.
Post-waterboarding (and torture for information) controversy commentary:
Dean: “Oh, so we’re torturing again? No, that’s good. Classy.”
EPISODE 87 (S5E5): FALLEN IDOLS
Three weeks after the brothers get together again, they find their first case together. The whole purpose of this episode is to hash out how they will work together again and if Dean can bring himself to trust Sam again. You can SKIP this one. Nothing happens here that affects the overall story-arc. However, if you want to see Dean get beat up by Paris Hilton (yes, she totally guest starred on the show), then definitely watch this one.
EPISODE 88 (S5E6): I BELIEVE THE CHILDREN ARE OUR FUTURE
This is a really good episode with a really cool new character, a little kid named Jesse. He’s adorable and he’s powerful. Like, he turned Castiel into a toy, powerful. But ultimately, someone (writer, producer, whoever) decided they didn’t like this storyline and decided to drop it after this episode. Watch it if you have time, but let’s just say the fandom is still curious what ever became of this kid. You can SKIP this one.
EPISODE 89 (S5E7): THE CURIOUS CASE OF DEAN WINCHESTER
Another really good episode. If you just want to stick to the episodes that move along the greater story-arc (which is how I’m basing my “watch” or “skip” recommendations), then you can SKIP this one. But if you want a good story, this is one to watch.
Sidenote: Actor Jim Beaver is a former marine who served in Vietnam. Keep that in mind while you watch this episode which tackles Bobby’s feelings of how he can be useful in the fight to stop the apocalypse
EPISODE 90 (S5E8): CHANGING CHANNELS
This episode is a classic. WATCH it twice! A familiar favorite character returns.
Also, you’ve heard of that doctor show, Grey’s Anatomy? It’s basically beautiful people who are surgeons and their relationships with each other, and sometimes their patients. Anyway, there was a storyline a while back where one of the female doctors fell in love with one of her patients. He eventually died and his ghost haunted her. They ended up having ghost sex in one of the rooms the doctors occasionally have sex in. It was a whole weird thing. Well, the patient she fell in love with is the same actor that plays John Winchester. The reason I’m telling you this will make sense when you watch this brilliant episode. It’s not only an opportunity to poke fun at another show but to poke fun at their friend and former co-star, Jeffrey Dean Morgan.
EPISODE 91 (S5E9): THE REAL GHOST BUSTERS
WATCH – Chuck and Becky are back in this episode which is another one of the show’s nods to its fandom.
EPISODE 92 (S5E10): ABANDON ALL HOPE
WATCH – a new crossroads demon is introduced, Crowley, played by the vastly under-rated actor, Mark Sheppard. Ellen and Jo Harvelle also return in this episode as well as another familiar demon, Meg. Lucifer confronts his brother, Castiel, and tries to get him to join his side since they have both rebelled. Meg meets Castiel for the first time in this episode.
Historic significance and social commentary: In the opening sequence you see Crowley making a deal with Mr. Pendleton, a rich banker, who’s looking to get a bailout for his bank. Remember this episode aired a little after the US government bailed out the banks for causing the housing market crash in 2007-2008.
Ellen saying “Kick it in the ass” is an homage to former producer/director Kim Manners who passed away during season 4 of the show. It’s a common phrase he used, even when he worked on X-Files. In fact, they had their own tribute to him using that phrase in Season 10 Episode 3 by putting it on a gravestone.
EPISODE 93 (S5E11): SAM, INTERRUPTED
Martin, a hunter who used to work with the boys’ dad, is now a patient in a psychiatric hospital and asks the boys for help fighting a monster killing the patients. While there, the boys will have to confront their own psychology. Also, pudding will have a new meaning after this episode. It’s a good episode and I’d recommend you watch it if you have time, but you can SKIP it if you just want to stick with the episodes that move the greater story along.
EPISODE 94 (S5E12): SWAP MEAT
This is a cute Freaky Friday type episode and has some great lines in it. It also guest stars April from Grey’s Anatomy. Similar to the episode when they were hunting a Siren, Dean gets a taste of working with a brother more like him. I feel like I don’t have to say “it’s a good episode” anymore, you can just assume it, but you can SKIP this one if you want.
EPISODE 95 (S5E13): THE SONG REMAINS THE SAME
WATCH – Anna returns, but after being captured by the angels, can she be trusted? Can Cas? Remember when Cas tried to get a message to Dean but the angels took him away and by the end of the episode Dean tried to ask Cas what message he was trying to give him and Cas replied, “I serve heaven, I don’t serve Man. And I certainly don’t serve you”?
Young Mary and Young John return in this episode. There’s also a Young Uriel (puzzling inconsistency because didn’t the writers establish that angel vessels don’t age when Castiel was talking to Jimmy about the consequences of becoming his vessel?). Sam gets some closure with his parents, Mary tells baby Dean that “Angels are watching over you” (how right she is!), and Castiel is still struggling with humans.
EPISODE 96 (S5E14): MY BLOODY VALENTINE
WATCH – Another of the horsemen comes to town. Castiel’s vessel loves hamburgers – “These make me [takes a bite of hamburger]… very happy”. Sam falls off the wagon.
EPISODE 97 (S5E15): DEAD MEN DON’T WEAR PLAID
WATCH – This is the first episode Sheriff Jody Mills appears in. You learn that Death has a message for Bobby Singer. And below is an actual conversation that happens on the show (are you surprised?).
EPISODE 98 (S5E16): DARK SIDE OF THE MOON
WATCH this episode! The brothers go to heaven and try to find God. On the way, they see each other’s best/favorite memories… none of which they share. Sam playing in the fireworks while Bob Dylan’s “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” plays captures the emotion behind that memory perfectly.
EPISODE 99 (S5E17): 99 PROBLEMS
WATCH – A small town of people find out about the apocalypse and are fighting back. Dean and Castiel are still reeling from the disappointment in God’s message in the previous episode.
Sam: “No drinking, no gambling, no premartial sex? Dean, they basically just outlawed 90% of your personality.”
After more fundamentalist rules are enforced in the town, Sam and Dean argue about “at what point does this go too far for you?”
EPISODE 100 (S5E18): POINT OF NO RETURN
WATCH – Dean is trying to start his “farewell tour” resigning himself to saying yes to Michael. Sam, Bobby, and Castiel are doing what they can to stop him. Dean has his most dickish moment when he tells Bobby he’s not his father and Bobby rightfully tears him a new one for it. Dean later tells Sam the most heart-breaking thing he could say to him and it hurts Sam so much, he has to walk away. Castiel goes to rip Dean a new one for this, but Dean was ready for him. Castiel eventually catches up to him and beats the crap out of him. Dean: “Don’t piss off the nerd angels.”
The angels have brought someone back from the dead – remember the scene around Dean’s grave when Castiel “gripped [him] tight and raised [him] from perdition”? This gravesite is just as destroyed. Zachariah returns and is an even bigger dick than Dean has been this episode so far.
Castiel has lost his faith in Dean, but Sam still believes in him and the 3 of them go to save the person who was brought back from the dead.
Dean: “You’re going to take on 5 angels?”
Castiel: “Yes.”
Dean: “Isn’t that suicide?”
Castiel: “Maybe it is. But then I won’t have to watch you fail. I’m sorry, Dean. I don’t have the same faith in you that Sam does.”
Ultimately, can Dean let down his little brother?
EPISODE 101 (S5E19): HAMMER OF THE GODS
WATCH – Some of the most powerful mythical gods come together in this episode to stop the apocalypse.
- Kali is the Hindu goddess death and destruction. She has 4 arms, typically one hand holding a weapon while another holds a severed head.
- Ganesh is the Hindu god of wisdom, good luck, and remover of obstacles; typically depicted with the head of an elephant.
- Baldur is one of the son’s of Odin, a handsome god of joy and purity. In Norse mythology, Loki is responsible for his death.
- Odin in Norse mythology is the father/ruler of the gods and the god of war and wisdom.
- Mercury is the Roman god of finance and trade. His Greek equivalent (and the more accurate god that was actually portrayed in this episode) is Hermes, messenger god in Greek mythology, known for his speed.
- Zao Shen is the most important of the domestic gods in Chinese mythology, he is the kitchen god. Probably the one that prepared and cooked the captured humans to the rest of the gods in the episode.
- Baron Samedi is the Haitian god of the dead.
The episode is set at the Elysian Fields Hotel, a reference to the final resting place of heroes and gods according to Greek mythology.
Ghostfacers make a random appearance in this episode. If you haven’t watched any of their episodes yet (17, 57, & 77), don’t worry, it’s inconsequential to the plot.
EPISODE 102 (S5E20): THE DEVIL YOU KNOW
WATCH – Crowley helps the team find the horseman, Pestilence. Sam is confronted with someone from his past.
Mark Sheppard gives us an amazing performance, as always, as Crowley.
EPISODE 103 (S5E21): TWO MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT
WATCH – Crowley pitches in one more time to help the team find the fourth horseman, Death. Remember how epic Castiel’s entrance was in season 4? Death’s entrance is arguably just as good, if not better. Speaking of, Cas shows up again and apologizes to Dean for no believing in him.
Castiel: “You are not the burnt and broken shell of a man that I believed you to be.”
Dean (in full Dean bitchness): “Thank you. I appreciate that.”
Bobby made a deal with Crowley in the previous episode and Sam has questions. FYI, that picture was actually taken on Mark Sheppard’s phone. As far as I’ve been able to research, he may still have that picture on his phone.
EPISODE 104 (S5E22): SWAN SONG
WATCH – Remember this was originally intended as a 5 season show. So this episode feels perfectly like a series finale episode more so than a season finale episode. It is so well-written that you’ll wish all shows ended this beautifully. But the show didn’t end here, so the writers had to write a twist at the end so the show can go on.
This season had some of the best insults:
Supernatural Season 4
This is the season where Jared Padalecki met his wife, Genevieve Cortese, on the show. It’s also the season Jensen met Misha…
Episode Count – Skip 6, Watch 16
EPISODE 61 (S4E1): LAZARUS RISING
WATCH – This episode picks up 4 months after Dean got dragged to hell. It introduces psychic Pamela Barnes as well as another new character who has arguably one of the best character entrances of any show.
Sidenote: Wedge Antilles is a Star Wars character who kept saying no to joining the Rebel Alliance because he didn’t want to be a soldier. He left home and when he came back, his girlfriend was killed by the dark side. That’s when he finally agreed to joined the fight with the Rebels.
EPISODE 62 (S4E2): ARE YOU THERE, GOD? IT’S ME, DEAN WINCHESTER
WATCH – Castiel visits Dean in his dream to tell him about the “work” that Heaven has for him. The brothers have faced a lot of scary creatures in their lives, but Castiel has so far has been the only supernatural being that Dean’s (outwardly, at least) a little scared of. While he’s talking to Castiel in the dream, you can see how Dean flinches and can’t quite make eye contact with Cas.
EPISODE 63 (S4E3): IN THE BEGINNING
WATCH – Gives a lot of backstory on Sam and Dean’s parents.
Castiel: “Stop it. Or we will.”
EPISODE 64 (S4E4): METAMORPHOSIS
WATCH – Dean goes to the address Castiel gave him at the end of the previous episode and sees what it is he has to stop. The brothers argue about this the whole episode and Sam comes to a decision at the end.
EPISODE 65 (S4E5): MONSTER MOVIE
Reminiscent of the X-files black and white episode, Post-Modern Prometheus, in it’s look and quirky feel; and if you analyze it enough, similar plot points as well. This episode doesn’t have anything to do with the overall story-arc happening in Supernatural, so you can feel free to SKIP it.
EPISODE 66 (S4E6): YELLOW FEVER
WATCH – This episode is a damn classic. Two scenes in particular:
Jared was supposed to interrupt Jensen playing air drums in the car during “Eye of the Tiger”. During one of the takes, Jared decided to see what Jensen would do if he didn’t interrupt. The answer comes during the end credits of the episode.- Jensen was told to scream. A really loud, really high pitched, and really long scream. What he did was epic.
Also, there are a handful of episodes when Sam has to step up and take a leadership role because for various reasons throughout the show, Dean cannot. This is one of those episodes.
Dean complaining about Sam’s gassiness (“You eat half a burrito and you get toxic!”) is Jensen complaining about Jared’s gassiness (refers to Jared as “The gassiest man I know!”)
Jim Beaver can read and speak Japanese. The big bad in this episode is a Japanese Buruburu.
You find out that while Dean was gone for 4 months, in Hell time is relative and that was 40 years for him. Dean hallucinates all his worst fears – Sam possessed by Azazel, hellhounds, Lilith – but when Sam asks him what he saw (pay attention to Sam’s eyes here), Dean wouldn’t answer him truthfully.
EPISODE 67 (S4E7): IT’S THE GREAT PUMPKIN, SAM WINCHESTER
WATCH – Sam gets to finally meet Castiel and a new angel is introduced – Uriel, played by Robert Wisdom. The creature this week is Sam Hain, and like many of the monsters, legends, myths, etc that the show explores, a lot of it is based on the real mythology with some alterations, of course, to move our story along.
The character of Castiel was initially only intended to appear in 3 episodes, but the show kept upping the number of episodes he should appear in – 3, then 6, then 10, etc… Misha Collins has said on a few occasions that had he known his character would go beyond the original 3 episode story-arc, he might not have chosen such a difficult voice to do. Also, because now that Castiel is going to appear in more episodes, the writers start developing his character a little more.
So far, Castiel has been written and portrayed as an obedient and tough soldier. In this episode, you start learning that there’s more to him. Dean still thinks the angels are dicks, but he decides that he prefers to work with Castiel. Cas and Dean reach a turning point in their relationship and how they interact with each other when Cas reveals a secret to him. It’s the first episode you see Cas crack a smile.
Some social commentary:
Sam: (about the angels) “I thought they’d be righteous”
Dean: “Well, they are righteous. I mean, that’s kind of the problem… there’s nothing more dangerous than some a-hole who thinks he’s on a holy mission.”
Other things that happen in this episode:
- Angels are not omniscient
- Uriel threatens Sam to not use his powers
- Uriel tells Sam to ask Dean what he remembers from Hell
EPISODE 68 (S4E8): WISHFUL THINKING
This is a cute episode, but it has nothing to do with the greater story. You can SKIP this one.
EPISODE 69 (S4E9): I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST SUMMER
WATCH – another new character, Anna Milton, is introduced. Remember when Castiel was first introduced he said some special humans can hear an angels true voice? Anna can hear the angels, but why?
Therapist: “The Apocalyse, like in the Bible?”
Anna: “Kind of. I mean, same bottom line.”
This short little conversation is great because really, the way that the show introduced angels, demons, Heaven, and Hell could ring true for any of the Abrahamic religions. This is not a one-sided religious story and because they do still use supernatural beings from pagan beliefs, non-western cultures, etc, it’s not a religious story at all even though those elements are present.
This episode is great because you finally get an understanding of why Sam trusts Ruby so much. You get to see what happened to Sam while Dean was in Hell (pay attention to the reason the crossroads demon gives as to why he won’t deal with Sam).
And finally, speaking of Dean’s time in Hell, this episode introduces you to another important demon, Alastair.
EPISODE 70 (S4E10): HEAVEN AND HELL
WATCH – Pamela Barnes returns in this episode to help find out who Anna really is. And we see the true gravity of disobedience for an angel.
Uriel visits Dean in his dream
Dean: “I don’t normally see you off-leash. Where’s your boss?”
Uriel: “Castiel? He’s not here. See, he has this weakness – he likes you.”
Also, is Bobby really at Hedonism?? This comment got brought up one too many times for me to not consider it….
The final scene was a highly emotional one for Jensen Ackles, who has said that even after the director yelled cut, the tears were still going and he had to walk it off.
EPISODE 71 (S4E11): FAMILY REMAINS
Another throwback to the X-Files – this time to one of its more disturbing episodes. Remember the Peacock family? This one will similarly make you throw up in your mouth a little bit. It’s a stand-alone episode which doesn’t move the greater story-arc, so you can SKIP it and move on…
EPISODE 72 (S4E12): CRISS ANGEL IS A DOUCHEBAG
Were you a fan of the show Psych? Supernatural and Psych were both filmed in Vancouver and the shows sometimes shared actors and extras. See if you can spot lawyer, Adam Hornstock, in this episode (assuming you don’t decide to SKIP it).
EPISODE 73 (S4E13): AFTER SCHOOL SPECIAL
WATCH (don’t even skip the recap on this one) – the casting on this show is out of this world accurate when it comes to young Dean and young Sam. Prepare to fall in love with the brothers even more than you already are.
EPISODE 74 (S4E14): SEX AND VIOLENCE
The boys are forced to hash out their issues with each other when they face this episode’s big bad. It also shows you (if you haven’t figured it out by now) one of the many ways Bobby Singer helps out hunters. You can SKIP it, but it’s really good to watch
EPISODE 75 (S4E15): DEATH TAKES A HOLIDAY
WATCH – Pamela Barnes, Tessa the Reaper (remember from S2E1?), and Alastair return in this episode.
Dean: “If you want our help, why the hell didn’t you just ask?”
Castiel: “Because whatever I ask, you seem to do the exact opposite.”
EPISODE 76 (S4E16): ON THE HEAD OF A PIN
WATCH – with Alastair captured by the angels, Castiel has to ask Dean for his help again. Only this time, his reluctance is for a different reason than what it was in the previous episode.
Castiel takes a backseat to Uriel in this episode, but Dean still prefers to work with and address Cas directly. Again, the character development of a character who is supposed to be an unquestioning soldier:
Dean: “What’s going on, Cas? Since when does Uriel put a leash on you?”
Castiel: “My superiors have begun to question my sympathies.”
Dean: “Your sympathies?”
Castiel: “I was getting too close to the humans in my charge – you.”
Alastair reveals information about John Winchester’s time in Hell and how the first seal got broken.
Castiel has admitted to having doubts about his orders in previous episodes and Anna is trying to get him to think for himself. (Also, as an aside, the idea of Castiel laying siege to Hell is sexy af.)
Sam’s abilities are growing stronger.
EPISODE 77 (S4E17): IT’S A TERRIBLE LIFE
WATCH – After what was revealed to Dean in the last episode, he doubts his own ability and willingness to continue in this fight to stop the apocalypse. To this end, another new character is introduced – Zachariah (You might recognize him as Woody the coroner from Psych.)
Sidenote: the Ghostfacers make a small cameo in this episode. It’s not necessary, but you can go back and watch those episodes – 17 & 57 – to get the full effect on why their cameo is funny.
EPISODE 78 (S4E18): THE MONSTER AT THE END OF THIS BOOK
WATCH – Introduction of Chuck Shurley (played by another Psych alum) and a nod to the real-world Supernatural fans. It’s also the first time Dean prays.
Sidenote: Chuck’s penname, Carver Edlund, is the combination of show writers/producers Jeremy Carver and Ben Edlund’s names.
EPISODE 79 (S4E19): JUMP THE SHARK
Introduction of Adam Milligan and how he knows John Winchester. I’d recommend you watch this one, but if you need to, you can SKIP to the next episode.
If you do skip this episode, read this spoiler: Adam is John’s other son. After Mary died, while on a job, he got a woman pregnant and she had Adam. The Adam in this episode is a ghoul, however. The ghoul has already killed the real Adam and took on Adam’s form (and memories).
Dean to Sam: “You two [Sam and John] were practically the same person. I mean, I worshiped the guy, you know? I dressed like him, I acted like him, I listen to the same music. But you were more like him than I will ever be.”
EPISODE 80 (S4E20): THE RAPTURE
WATCH – Backstory on Castiel’s vessel, Jimmy Novak. Sidenote: Misha Collins does such a good job distinguishing when he’s playing Castiel versus when he’s playing Jimmy that you as the audience watching don’t need him to blatantly tell us which character he’s giving us.
Bobby and Dean devise a plan to deal with Sam.
EPISODE 81 (S4E21): WHEN THE LEVEE BREAKS
WATCH – Sam is detoxing from the demon blood and Bobby steps into his father-figure role with the brothers again trying to mend their relationship. Dean gives Sam an ultimatum.
EPISODE 82 (S4E22): LUCIFER RISING
WATCH – The fight for the final seal. Dean and Sam are at odds and Castiel has to make a decision about his allegiance.
Sidenote: The scene toward the end of this episode is one of the reasons why Jared and Genevieve won’t let their children watch the show (yet).
Supernatural Season 3
This season of Supernatural aired in October 2007. During this time, the Writers Guild of America went on strike and as a result, this is the shortest season of the show with only 16 episodes. Seasons 4-13 have 22-23 episodes each, also because of the strike as the show was trying to play catch-up. Season 14 will only have 20 episodes, but don’t panic, it’s not because they’re slowing down, it’s because they’ve caught up.
EPISODE 45 (S3E1): THE MAGNIFICENT SEVEN
WATCH – Hunters are dealing with the aftermath of the Devil’s Gate opening. A new mysterious character is introduced and she has a weapon that can kill demons.
Minor sidenote: one of the characters makes a Scooby-Doo reference. There will be more references throughout the series and if you stick with it long enough, there will be a most epic crossover!
EPISODE 46 (S3E2): THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT
WATCH – Dean finds a case in a town with an old flame, Lisa Braeden. Sam finds out more information about the mystery woman from the previous episode.
EPISODE 47 (S3E3): BAD DAY AT BLACK ROCK
A new character, Bela Talbot, is introduced. While still in prison, Gordon enlists the help of another hunter to track and kill Sam. It’s a good episode with a few great scenes, but if you need to SKIP this one for time, you can.
EPISODE 48 (S3E4): SIN CITY
Bobby is trying to fix the Colt and gets some unexpected help from Ruby. Also, you find out that, similar to humans, demons believe in higher powers too… their higher power is the devil, though. You find out that the yellow-eyed demon’s name was Azazel and his plan was to have Sam lead a demon army. Now demons are fighting amongst each other for the power to lead. And, this amazing conversation happened between Dean and a demon:
Demon: “Is my kind really all that different than yours?”
Dean: “Well, except that demons are evil”
Demon: “And humans are such a lovable bunch? Dick Cheney.”
Dean: “He one of yours?”
Demon: “Not yet. Let’s just say he’s got a parking spot reserved for him downstairs.”
Those are the highlights of this one – feel free to SKIP it now if you’d like.
EPISODE 49 (S3E5): BEDTIME STORIES
This episode’s creature(s) is based on the Grimm Brothers bloody version of fairy tales. Also, now that the Colt is fixed, Sam wants to use it to get Dean out of his demon deal. Dean fights him on this because… well, that’s just what they do now… and also because Sam will die if Dean gets out of the deal.
This is a good episode, but it’s ok to SKIP this one and move on to the next…
EPISODE 50 (S3E6): RED SKY AT MORNING
WATCH – This episode is based off the legend of the Flying Dutchman. Bela returns in this episode and we find out a little more about her past. Don’t skip the recap on this one so you can catch up to what you missed in Bad Day at Black Rock (S3E3).
EPISODE 51 (S3E7): FRESH BLOOD
Both Gordon and Bela are back in this episode. There’s a lot that’s important in this one. Just WATCH it.
EPISODE 52 (S3E8): A VERY SUPERNATURAL CHRISTMAS
WATCH – Dean wants to celebrate Christmas this year with Sam because it will be his last. Sam doesn’t want to celebrate for the same reason. This episode has some great flashbacks to when the brothers were little kids.
Sidenote: when Sam gives Dean the eggnog, Jensen is expecting it to be regular eggnog. Jared actually spiked the eggnog with a lot of rum. A lot. So in the scene when you’re seeing Dean take a sip and a pause then Sam smile, that’s actually them breaking character for a second and it’s Jensen’s actual reaction and Jared’s actual joy at his own mischief.
EPISODE 53 (S3E9): Malleus Maleficarum
WATCH – Dean hates witches and a rabbit always gets the screwed in the deal. Also, Dean and Ruby are fighting for Sam’s loyalty and you get some insights into Ruby’s past; finding this out has an impact on how Dean feels about going to hell. All the while, Sam is trying to figure out how to live and hunt when Dean is gone.
EPISODE 54 (S3E10): DREAM A LITTLE DREAM
WATCH – You learn how Bobby got into hunting. Bela is back and she’s making Sam awkward; also true to her character, she steals something valuable. Dean dreams of Lisa but he also has nightmares about what he’ll become when he goes to hell.
EPISODE 55 (S3E11): MYSTERY SPOT
WATCH – Too many classic scenes here to mention! Another goofy, hilarious episode but with a very specific purpose directly related to the greater story-arc.
EPISODE 56 (S3E12): JUS IN BELLO
WATCH – When looking for Bela, the boys get caught by local law enforcement and Agent Henrikson catches up to them again.
For those wondering what the title of the episode means, it refers to the regulations on the conduct of parties involved in war.
And have you been paying attention to how protective they boys are, not only of each other, but their family in general? When Henrikson tries to insult their father, even Sam, who was trying to stay calm the whole time, sat up ready to fight.
EPISODE 57 (S3E13): GHOSTFACERS!
You can SKIP it, but it’s a good episode. Maybe dedicate a day where you watch all the Ghostfacers episodes together.
EPISODE 58 (S3E14): LONG-DISTANCE CALL
Based on the Crocotta mythology from India and Ethiopia. Dean’s desperate to get out of his deal and when it looks like there is a way to do it, he jumps on the possibility. Dean finally admits to Sam that he’s scared to go to hell.
Dean: “I’m scared, Sam. I’m really scared.”
Sam: “I know.”
Dean: “I guess I was willing to believe anything. You know, last act of a desperate man.”
Sam: “There’s nothing wrong with having hope, you know.”
Dean: “Hope doesn’t get you jack squat. I can’t expect dad to show up with some miracle at the last minute. I can’t expect anybody to, you know? The only person that can get me out of this thing is me.”
Sam: “And me.”
This conversation is really reflective on their different outlooks on hunting. Sam tends to go in with hope, where Dean sees what’s in front of him. This difference is at the core of how their paths diverge at times. Sam sees a bigger picture and allows his hope to guide him (and allows him to have some faith in a helpful demon). Because Dean is so laser-focused on the monster in front of him, his sense of right and wrong is more black and white and his decisions tend to be more definitive and immediate. Dean also has a hard time staying so serious for too long. It’s his coping defense mechanism, as you see here in how the conversation above ends.
Dean: “And me?”
Sam: “What?”
Dean: “Deep Revelation. Having a real moment here, and that’s what you come back with, ‘And me’?”
Sam: “Do you want a poem?”
Dean: “Moment’s gone. Unbelievable,” as he hands Sam a beer.
OK, now you can SKIP this one.
EPISODE 59 (S3E15): TIME IS ON MY SIDE
Sam thinks he’s found a loop-hole to get Dean out of his demon deal, but Dean doesn’t agree with the sacrifice that would have to be made to do it. Sam pursues the loop-hole, while Dean thinks their best shot is retrieving the Colt back. Bela’s past (and ultimate end) is fully revealed. This episode introduces Bobby’s sometimes hunting partner, Rufus Turner. If you have to, you can SKIP this one, but I’d really recommend you watch it.
EPISODE 60 (S3E16): NO REST FOR THE WICKED
WATCH – Dean has 30 hours left until the hellhounds come to collect his soul. He’s starting to have hallucinations and can see the real faces of demons. Also, Bobby delivers one of the wisest and most far-reaching lines of the show. A line that applies not only to the characters on the show, but it’s the central idea that brings the actors and fandom together in the real world, too.
He also said this amazing line: “Do I look like a ditchable prom date to you?”
Supernatural Season 2
RECOMMENDATION: Don’t skip any episode recaps.
Season 2 episode count – Watch 14, Skip 8
(Also, when I say you can skip an episode, it doesn’t mean you have to. If you can watch the series all the way through, do it!)
EPISODE 23 (S2E1): IN MY TIME OF DYING
WATCH this episode – it picks up right where the season finale left off.
EPISODE 24 (S2E2): EVERYBODY LOVES A CLOWN
WATCH this one – Sam asks Dean if their dad said anything to him before he died. You are introduced to Ellen, Jo, and Ash and learn what Sam’s biggest fear in life is. This episode goes a little into the history of “freak shows”. Also, and more importantly, it shows you how the boys are dealing with the loss of their father.
EPISODE 25 (S2E3): BLOODLUST
WATCH this episode – You get introduced to vampire hunter, Gordon Walker (Yes, that is the one and only Sterling K. Brown). The Impala is repaired and AC/DC’s “Back in Black” plays, the lyrics perfectly fitting this comeback. The episode explores the ethics of hunting supernatural beings – is there a grey area or do you kill anything supernatural?
EPISODE 26 (S2E4): CHILDREN SHOULDN’T PLAY WITH DEAD THINGS
Sam wants to visit their mom’s grave. The creature they’re hunting this episode is someone who came back from the dead and Dean’s grief bleeds into the job – “What’s dead should stay dead!”
You can SKIP this episode, but it’s worth it to start this episode at the 38 minute mark for the conversation the boys have when Dean pulls the Impala over on the side of the road.
EPISODE 27 (S2E5): SIMON SAID
WATCH this episode – you meet another human character with supernatural abilities.
EPISODE 28 (S2E6): NO EXIT
WATCH this one – it delves a little further into Ellen and Jo’s relationship as well as their history with John Winchester.
EPISODE 29 (S2E7): THE USUAL SUSPECTS
You can SKIP it, but it’s a pretty good episode. The brothers are in trouble with the law again and in an epic nod to one of the scariest movies ever made about the supernatural, Linda Blair (The Exorcist) guest stars.
Sam: “Did she look familiar to you?”
Dean: “No. Why?”
Sam: “I don’t know. It’s nothing.”
Dean: “Hey, you hungry? For some reason, I could really go for some pea soup.”
EPISODE 30 (S2E8): CROSSROAD BLUES
WATCH this one – Introduces the idea of crossroads demons and hellhounds. Based off several myths that crossroads are where the natural and supernatural worlds meet and pacts are made. This episode specifically delves into the legend that blues musician, Robert Johnson, sold his soul to play the blues. The episode goes as far as showing you Robert Johnson going to the crossroads to make his deal.
Dean to Sam about Johnson: “There’s occult references all over his lyrics”
Robert Johnson “Crossroad Blues”
Robert Johnson “Me and the Devil Blues”
Robert Johnson “Hellhound on my trail”
EPISODE 31 (S2E9): CROATOAN
WATCH – A mysterious virus is affecting the people in a small town. This episode taps into the legend of the lost colony in Roanoke, VA.
Sam: “Dean, did you pay any attention to history class?”
Dean: “Yeah. The shot heard around the world. How bills become laws.”
Sam: “That’s not school. That’s ‘Schoolhouse Rock’.”
This episode takes another look at the ethics of hunting as well as what Dean will do to protect his little brother. And it poses another question about what the full extent of Sam’s abilities are.
Sidenote: When asked what was one of the hardest scenes to film, Jared’s answer was one of the final scenes in this episode when he was begging Dean to let him go because he wasn’t worth saving. Jared has been open about his own battles with depression and for this scene, he got too emotional and channeled too much of himself into it. They re-filmed the scene after Jared was able to gather himself up again.
EPISODE 32 (S2E10): HUNTED
WATCH – Dean finally tells Sam what their father told him before he died. Another person, Ava, with supernatural abilities is introduced and Gordon Walker returns. This is another episode where Dean questions everything he was taught about supernatural beings.
EPISODE 33 (S2E11): PLAYTHINGS
Sam gets drunk, the boys get mistaken for a gay couple. There are some hilarious lines in this episode, but you can SKIP it. Nothing happens here that affects the greater story-arc.
Dean: “Why do these people assume we’re gay?”
Sam: “You are kind of butch. Probably think you’re over-compensating.”
(This scene is even more hilarious in a few seasons. You’ll figure out why.)
EPISODE 34 (S2E12): NIGHT SHIFTER
WATCH – This episode introduces Victor Henrikson to the show. Also, one word – “Mandroid”. The final scene of the episode features the song by Styx called “Renegade”. The lyrics are perfect –
“Oh, mama, I’m in fear for my life from the long arm of the law
Lawman has put an end to my running and I’m so far from my home
Oh, mama, I can hear you a-crying, you’re so scared and all alone
Hangman is coming down from the gallows and I don’t have very long”
Dean (during the break in the song): “We are so screwed.”
“The jig is up, the news is out, they finally found me
The renegade who had it made retrieved for a bounty
Never more to go astray, the judge will have revenge today
On the wanted man”
EPISODE 35 (S2E13): HOUSES OF THE HOLY
WATCH – This is the first episode that introduces the idea of angels to the series. Pay attention to how angels are described by the priest when the boys talk to him at the church. You find out that when Dean was little, his mother used to tell him every night when she tucked him into bed that angels were watching over him.
EPISODE 36 (S2E14): BORN UNDER A BAD SIGN
Sam goes missing for a week and when Dean finally finds him, Sam can’t remember anything from the past week. It’s a good episode and I’d actually recommend watching it but it’s ok to SKIP this one if you’re on a time crunch.
Spoiler warning for those who want to watch the episode: Turns out, Sam was possessed by a demon and going around trying to kill hunters. Before realizing that, Sam again lets himself think the worst about himself while Dean refuses to believe Sam can’t be saved.
EPISODE 37 (S2E15): TALL TALES
WATCH THIS EPISODE. It introduces one of the fandom’s most favorite characters. The series likes to sprinkle in a goofy episode here and there and while there were episodes with hilarious lines so far, this is the first of a different kind of episode.
Also, for the X-Files fans out there, you may remember a very similar episode called Bad Blood in which Mulder and Scully have to report to Agent Skinner the events of a case they were on. Each tell very different versions of the same case from their own perspectives. That was a pretty hilarious episode as well and I would totally recommend watching it too!
EPISODE 38 (S2E16): ROADKILL
It’s a good episode with a good plot (and a familiar guest star for the fans of the show Lucifer on Fox), but nothing to do with the overall story-arc. You can SKIP this episode.
EPISODE 39 (S2E17): HEART
It’s a pretty lame episode, in my opinion, but a necessary one. Despite this, the final 5 minutes of the episode make the whole thing worth watching. Sam is finally able to open himself up to getting involved with another woman. But in the show’s constant attempt to prove that the boys can’t ever have anything normal or good, this ends tragically.
If you have time, watch the whole episode. If you don’t, SKIP it, read the spoiler below and watch the scene here on YouTube instead.
Spoiler: Madison is the love interest and she gets turned into a werewolf. She asks Sam to kill her so she doesn’t hurt anyone else and Sam, of course, is struggling with this. (Sidenote: When asked about the scene, Jared Padalecki said he had to think back to a time when he had to put down his own dog to get the right emotions to come out for this scene.) What makes the final scene great is while Sam goes into the room to kill Madison, the cameras stay on Dean who is outside of the room. Dean’s heartbreak over his brother’s heartbreak is… heartbreaking and the performance of both men is outstanding!
EPISODE 40 (S2E18): HOLLYWOOD BABYLON
This episode is one of several that will poke fun of the genre of scary movies as well as breaking the fourth wall of Supernatural itself. A reference is made from when Jared starred in Gilmore Girls as well as to Supernatural being filmed in Canada. It’s a fun episode to watch, but it’s ok to SKIP it.
EPISODE 41 (S2E19): FOLSOM PRISON BLUES
The brothers help a friend of their father’s from his time in the military. Another moment of breaking the fourth wall occurs when Dean says, “You’re from Texas all of a sudden?” Both actors actually are from Texas.
Also, throughout the seasons, Supernatural has been subtle but consistent in putting in references to political or social issues like this. The question refers to the fact that Texas has had some of the highest rates in the country of carrying out capital punishment and it was posed in the first place to make you think about the “innocence” of prisoners.
Henrikson shows up again in this episode to try once again to catch the boys. It’s a pretty good episode, but it’s ok to SKIP this one since it doesn’t move the larger story-arc along.
EPISODE 42 (S2E20): WHAT IS AND WHAT SHOULD NEVER BE
WATCH – This one closely mimics another X-Files episode directed by Kim Manners called “Field Trip.” In Supernatural, this is our first look at the djinn (better know as genie in the West).
This is another episode which illustrates why a “normal” life isn’t in the cards for the brothers. Dean’s conversation with his father at his grave is incredibly poignant. Also, the scene where Dean sneaks into his mom’s house and Sam thinks it’s an intruder mirrors what happened in the very first episode.
EPISODE 43 (S2E21): ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE: PART 1
This episode brings all the children with abilities together and the yellow-eyed demon reveals (part of) his plan. WATCH this episode.
EPISODE 44 (S2E22): ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE: PART 2
WATCH – In fact, do not even skip the recap on this one – “Carry on my wayward son” by Kansas plays and quickly becomes the unofficial theme song of the show.
Dean is struggling with the aftermath of what happened to Sam in the Part 1 and he makes a sacrifice that will have long-lasting repercussions.
Dean: “I had one job. And I screwed it up… What am I supposed to do?!”
And that’s a wrap on Season 2!
Supernatural Season 1
NOTE: If you’re watching on Netflix (as opposed to borrowing a friend’s DVDs), just know that due to licensing issues, some of the music for the first season has been changed. Supernatural is so old that it premiered on the WB network, not its current home of the CW. So, songs that aired in the first season episodes were licensed to the WB, not CW. When it’s relevant, I’ll let you know what the original song was. The music on this show is as much of a character as the actors are and they tell as much of the story as the writers do. It’s important.
Season 1 episode count – Watch 10 episodes, Skip 12 episodes
EPISODE 1: PILOT
WATCH THE WHOLE EPISODE. PAY ATTENTION TO THE DETAILS. As far as pilots go, this one sets up the characters and the show as perfectly as any show can.
- Dean is established as Sam’s protector from a very young age
John Winchester: “Take your brother outside as fast as you can! Now Dean! Go!” - Sam is established as the nerd who wants out of the family business
- Classic rock is established as the soundtrack of the show (Sidenote: creator, Eric Kripke, put in this scene at the gas station because at the time shows like Dawson’s Creek were on the WB and he didn’t want that genre of music anywhere near the Winchesters. Thank you, Eric!)
- Explains the way the boys grew up
- Establishes that Dean doesn’t want to hunt alone, even though he can
- Explains how they make money
- Establishes how they find out about supernatural events and how they use aliases to lie their way onto crime scenes and talk to witnesses (Sidenote: Their aliases are almost always going to be references to classic rock musicians)
- Illustrates the difficulty of having a “normal” relationship/life when you’re a hunter
Memorable quote of this episode: “Dad’s on a hunting trip, and he hasn’t been home in a few days.”
Dean: “No chick flick moments.”
Sam: “Alright, jerk.”
Dean: “Bitch.”
(Thank you to Eric Kripke for establishing the type of relationship we’ll see between the brothers and for the show overall from the jump. The audience for this show watched season 1 for various reasons – they like scary shows/movies, they like myths, folklore, and urban legends, or they just wanted to see 2 hot guys starring in a show. But we stayed because of this relationship right here.)
Music change: in the gas station when Sam goes through Dean’s cassette tapes, the original song is AC/DC’s “Back in Black”
A major question that a lot of fans have had through the years is how Dean knew to come back (you’ll know what scene I’m talking about when you watch this episode). There was a scene that was cut where you see the car radio and Dean’s watch go crazy – like Sam’s baby monitor and the clock in the house. He knew something was about to go very wrong.
Random sidenote that really has nothing to do with anything:
If you’re a fan of The Walking Dead, yes Negan is their father.
If you’re a fan of Grey’s Anatomy, yes Denny is their father.
The show will reference this in future episodes, because they’re awesome like that.
EPISODE 2: WENDIGO
Sam is still grieving for Jessica. The boys are still searching for their father. Dean is obedient to his dad’s orders (remember, John was a Marine), while Sam is the rebellious one just looking for revenge (which actually makes him more like his father than he’s willing to admit).
Memorable quote of the episode: “I think he [John Winchester] wants us to pick up where he left off. You know, saving people, hunting things. The family business.”
(this quote has been so popular, the actor who delivered it, Jensen Ackles, opened up a brewery in Austin, TX and named it Family Business Beer Company.)
OK, now you know everything important about this episode. You can SKIP it and move on…
EPISODE 3: DEAD IN THE WATER
The trail for their dad is getting colder. This episode briefly delves a little further into Dean’s trauma over losing his mom and that Sam never really knew how affected his brother was by it. Also, Dean is good with kids and he loves Led Zeppelin.
That’s all this episode established. If you liked the show Angel, you’ll get a kick out of the special guest star. Ok, now SKIP this episode and move on again…
EPISODE 4: PHANTOM TRAVELER
The sole purpose of this episode is to explain why Dean drives all across the country.
Sam: “Are you ok?”
Dean: …
Sam: …
Dean: “No, not really”
Sam: “What? What’s wrong?”
Dean: “Well, I kind of have this problem with, uh…”
Sam: “Flying?”
Dean: “It’s never really been an issue until now”
Sam: “You’re joking right?”
Dean: “Do I look like I’m joking? Why do you think I drive everywhere, Sam?”
Some other small details about this episode –
- God’s name in Latin, “Cristo”, makes a demon flinch. They have yet to use this trick again on this show. This is a joke in the fandom.
- Demon’s possess people who have a chink in their armor – addiction, emotional distress, etc. But like the point above, this isn’t really brought up again.
- The demon in this episode claimed to know about Jessica.
OK, now SKIP this episode and move on…
EPISODE 5: BLOODY MARY
Sam is still having nightmares about Jessica and he hasn’t been completely honest with Dean about Jessica’s death. He’s not ready to tell Dean the whole truth yet.
The guest actors in this episode are pretty bad, but the plot is a pretty cool take on the Bloody Mary urban legend. Circle back around to this episode if you get curious, but you can SKIP it and move on to the next episode now…
EPISODE 6: SHAPESHIFTER
The brothers are on law enforcement’s radar. Sam reconnects with someone from Stanford, but realizes by the end of the episode that he will have to cut his ties with any friends because of hunting.
If you’re an X-Files fan, you’ll notice a similarity in how shapeshifters on both shows shed their skin. It’s disgusting on both shows. Sidenote: both shows were produced and directed by Kim Manners. He worked on Supernatural until season 4 when he passed away from lung cancer. There are a handful of Supernatural episodes during his tenure that mirror X-Files episodes.
OK, that’s all to know about this episode. SKIP this one and move on…
EPISODE 7: HOOKMAN
This episode introduces Dean showing Sam how to fill up shotgun shells with rock salt to shoot at ghosts. That’s all that’s important about this episode. SKIP it and move on…
EPISODE 8: BUGS
Sam and Dean are projecting their daddy issues on the rebellious boy and his father who they are helping in this episode. That’s the whole episode. SKIP it and move on…
EPISODE 9: HOME
Now you can START WATCHING AGAIN. The boys go back to where it all began – their childhood home in Lawrence, Kansas. This is the episode where Sam finds out that it was Dean who carried him to safety when he was a baby. Also, Sam finally reveals his secret to Dean.
EPISODE 10: ASYLUM
This episode is the first time you see them use a camera to find ghosts. Their dad finally reaches out – but only to text the coordinates of the next job he wants them to go to. More daddy issues come to the fore when Sam gets possessed by the ghost they’re hunting.
That’s it. You can now SKIP this one and move on to the next…
EPISODE 11: SCARECROW
WATCH this episode. John finally talks to his boys; tells Sam he knows about Jessica. He also gives the boys orders for a new job. Again, we see rebellious Sam and obedient Dean. After a lot of arguing the boys split up.
Meg is introduced as a character and for the X-Files fans, Cancer Man makes a small guest appearance.
EPISODE 12: FAITH
WATCH this episode. This is the first real time you see what the brothers will do for each other.
Music change: Blue Oyster Cult “Don’t Fear the Reaper”
EPISODE 13: Route 666
The spirit of a racist asshole is tied to a truck killing people who either killed him or helped to cover up his murder. I wish it was a good episode, but it really isn’t. SKIP it.
EPISODE 14: NIGHTMARE
WATCH this episode. There will be clues regarding Sam’s ability and their mom’s death.
EPISODE 15: THE BENDERS
It’s a good plot, but it has nothing to do with the overall story-arc. You can SKIP it but you may want to circle back around and watch it one day.
EPISODE 16: SHADOW
WATCH this episode; it’s important to the main story-arc of the series. Also, it delves a little into demons from the Zoroastrian faith.
EPISODE 17: HELL HOUSE
Introduces the Harry Spangler and Ed Zeddmore, later to become the Ghost Facers (If you’re an X-Files fan, the characters are oddly reminiscent of the Lone Gunmen, but not quite).
This is also the first episode where you see the brothers prank each other, then gang up and prank a third party. This is a tamer version of how they are in real life and how they treat their fellow co-stars.
You can SKIP this episode because it has nothing to do with the larger story-arc, but it’s worth it to circle back around to it later. Sam is shirtless if that helps.
EPISODE 18: SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES
WATCH this episode. It flashes back to the brothers childhood and shows you a glimpse of John as a father and Dean as a big brother (but when he was little).
EPISODE 19: PROVENANCE
Dean tries to push Sam to flirt a little and go on a date with the damsel in distress in this episode. It’s still too soon for Sammy. That’s it. That’s all that’s important in this episode. SKIP it.
EPISODE 20: DEAD MAN’S BLOOD
WATCH this episode. John finally agrees that he and the boys should hunt the demon together. Also, how to kill vampires and what’s the story behind the Colt?
EPISODE 21: SALVATION
WATCH THIS EPISODE
EPISODE 22: DEVIL’S TRAP
WATCH THIS EPISODE – Introduction of Bobby Singer, played by the amazing Jim Beaver!
BOOM! SEASON 1 COMPLETED! BE PROUD OF YOURSELF, KID!
Beginner’s guide to catching up on 13+ seasons of Supernatural
Have you been watching Supernatural since it premiered on September 13, 2005? CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve grown up with the boys from Lawrence, KS who have managed to break then save the world more times than you’ve gone back and forth over whether you love or hate Lucifer. And I bet you’re looking forward to the season 14 premier on Thursday, October 11.
If you are only recently getting curious about the show because maybe you know someone who participated in the Greatest International Scavenger Hunt (GISH), or you’ve seen one too many memes with any of the characters referencing something you don’t quite understand
, or you have that one friend who is a fan of the show and they’ve been trying to get you to watch it for the last 13 seasons, but you’re overwhelmed by the thought of catching up on 13 years worth of any show – this is the blog you deserve.
WELCOME to our fandom! We’re a little emotionally damaged from all the feels of the last 13 years, but we’re friendly and we’re loyal. How else does a show with a cult following last this long? Maybe because Supernatural is the only thing that Republicans and Democrats can agree on. Seriously.
In a nutshell, the main reason this show has lasted as long as it has can be summed up in the following YouTube video (Yes, that really is one of the stars singing the song and some of the co-stars singing and playing in the band). Some of these scenes have spoilers, so be warned, but I’m also banking on the fact that you’ll forget a lot of this as you’re going through all the seasons. Jensen Ackles covers “Brother” by NEEDTOBREATHE
This show has been around so long, that’s it’s acted as the lead-in for most of the CW’s shows in their first season. It’s served as the lead-in for a few of the Arrowverse shows in their pilot seasons, and this summer it’s acting as the lead-in to CW’s newest DC show, Black Lightning. Most recently, it was the lead-in for Riverdale and this upcoming year will be the lead in to 3 of CW’s newest shows. Pretty much, if you want a new show to thrive on CW, schedule it after Supernatural.
As your guide, I’m going to go through each episode, season by season, and let you know which episodes you should watch, which you can skip, what to pay attention to, and what you missed. Depending on how much time you have and how addicted you get, you may be all caught up by the season 14 premier!
Each Season will be a separate blog post and I wrote it in a way that, while you’re watching it on Netflix or DVD, you can read the synopsis episode-by-episode to figure out which to watch and which to skip. You can go ahead and read the whole seasons worth of episode synopsis at once, but just know you’ll be getting spoilers that way.
Hope you’re ready to ride this crazy Impala filled with dynamic characters – Buckle up! Before you start Season 1 with my next blog post, check out this YouTube video from Entertainment Weekly where the actors themselves are giving you tips about starting this show when they’re already 13 seasons in…
5 Years Today
Five years ago today, my father died. I’m haunted by his spirit everyday. He is alive in my memories. He is alive in my everlasting love of his soul. Sometimes it’s an absolutely beautiful feeling. Sometimes it’s unbelievably painful. It is all worth it to have been loved by him.
U2 – Tomorrow (click here to watch the video)
This isn’t the original music video for the song. I don’t think there actually is an official music video for ‘Tomorrow’. I just picked a video I thought was interesting. This song is not about war, despite this video. Although you can interpret it to be so. Bono wrote this about his mother, who he loved, who died at her own father’s funeral. The black car outside in the lyrics is a hearse. He just keeps begging her to come back to him tomorrow throughout the whole song. You can hear his heartbreak.
Time doesn’t really take away pain. Time allows you to figure out how to manage it.
My father was a cop
You may know already that my father was a police officer in Afghanistan. What you might not know is that the Police Academy there took 3 years to graduate from, the equivalent of getting a Bachelors degree. That time was spent learning law, criminology, and judo, among many other subjects like the video that ATTN: released this summer on Facebook points out. In his time on the force, he fired his gun only once (during a fire fight with a drug cartel) and he got shot only once (during the war with the Soviet Union).
When I was about 6 years old, I remember asking him why he didn’t become a cop in America. He said he looked into it but he didn’t think the training was good enough for how dangerous it is here. Let me repeat in case you missed that, a man that fled a war said America was too dangerous of a country to be an ill-trained cop.
When I got old enough to really understand what that meant, I realized how true his statement was. For everything we expect cops to do, for every potentially dangerous situation we throw them in, we owe them the proper training to handle those situations without having what seems to be the default answer of “draw my gun and kill him” be their first instinct.
I understand a lot of police fear that the next call they get sent out on could be their last. No one wants that. I don’t want that. But I honestly believe that an officer who is properly AND CONTINUOUSLY trained has more than one weapon at their disposal for most of the situations they find themselves in.
We find ourselves in a situation today where the public is losing or has already lost trust in the police. That’s causing a lot of police to distrust and in turn, fear the community they’re charged to serve. And thus begins a cycle of distrust, fear, and ultimately, violence. Again, I think training is a huge step in breaking that cycle.
I don’t get patriotism
Calm your patriotic ass down. Let me explain.
As a refugee who has made America her home for pretty much my whole life, I do love and appreciate this county. So much so that I became a citizen when I was 18. But as a person who was born in another country, and grew up in a household where we spoke the language of that country, and ate the food of that country, and followed a lot of the customs of that country, I love my birth country too.
Growing up with a foot in both worlds, I never fully felt or understood patriotism for either of my countries. And by that I mean the kind of patriotism that compels people to enlist in their military after a terrorist attack (nothing innately wrong with that; in fact a lot of naturalized citizens do end up serving in the military), or the kind of patriotism where people get upset over someone peacefully protesting during the national anthem. Did we forget that America was founded on protest and rebellion? (Also the genocide of Native Americans, but history is multi-faceted bitch and I don’t have the time to get into that now).
Patriotism has always been just a little bit odd to me. Growing up, I was never “offended” by having to stand for the national anthem or having to recite the pledge of allegiance every morning at school. But I always found it awkward. Am I really pledging allegiance to a flag? Why not to my fellow man? Why not for the grand ideals that America was founded on (even if it did fall way short of the mark, depending on the minority group you belong to).
People are reacting very emotionally about Colin Kaepernick‘s decision to not stand during the national anthem at football games. And a lot of this emotion has to do with one’s sense of patriotism. Many football players and even whole teams have since shown their support for Kaepernick and/or America during the national anthem before their games now.
Miami Dolphins players Arian Foster, Michael Thomas, Kenny Stills, and Jelani Jenkins kneel during the National Anthem prior to Sunday’s game. CREDIT: AP Photo/Stephen Brashear
Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Lauren Hernandez, Madison Kocian and Aly Raisman stand for their national anthem during the medal ceremony for the artistic gymnastics women’s team at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro on August 9, 2016. Credit: AP Photo/Julio Cortez
A similar controversy happened when American Olympic gymnast, Gabby Douglas didn’t place her hand on her heart during the medals ceremony. Douglas wasn’t trying to make a political or social statement; she thought she was being appropriately respectful. Regardless, some peoples sense of patriotism was entirely offended.
Again, I don’t get what all the fuss is about. It seems to me, the same people who are quick to comment on how “sensitive” and overly P.C. we’re getting as a society are the same people who are upset over football players kneeling or sitting during the national anthem because they have, what in their experiences and opinions are, legitimate grievances with the anthem itself, police brutality, and how minorities in general are treated in this country.
America is not a perfect country, nor is it the “best” or the “greatest” one. Those are relative terms that, depending on what you’re measuring, can be any country at any point in time. But America is and can continue to be a great country if we as its people can have an open dialogue, regardless of our differences, and make meaningful changes accordingly.
My outlook on patriotism is pretty simple: If you live someplace where you cannot thrive, whatever the reason, move to someplace you can. And for the people you are leaving, hopefully you are staying because you are thriving and not because you are inhibited to leave. And for the people in the places where you are moving to, be kind to your new neighbor. Give them time to learn your language and your customs. Most people do not make the decision to leave their homelands easily. The patriotism you feel for America is the patriotism they feel for their country. And you both have equal ground to stand on when it comes to taking pride in where you’re from. Or if you’re like me, pride in all the places you are from and all the places you still hope to go.
My dad loved to tell stories…
…and like most good fathers out there, he liked to tell you the same ones over and over again. I’m not sure when it began, but I at some point in my life, I realized I may never hear his stories again. So, I made a conscious effort to ask him for a story whenever I could. Here is my top 10 list of how his most favorite stories began:
1) “In my country, I was Chief of Police…” (this was a good one that scared a lot of boys)
2) “I came to this country [America] with one suitcase!”
3) “In the police academy, my teacher wrote the word “trust” on the board and then quickly crossed it out…”
4) “When I was your age…” (these were typically stories intended on teaching me respect)
5) “Sit down, let me tell you a story…” (these were typically about Afghan history)
6) “Did I ever tell you about the time…” (these stories were typically about his or his family’s athletic prowess)
7) “OK, tell me if you’ve heard this Mullah Nasruddin story already…” (stories of a wise fool – always good for a laugh)
8) “Fart it out.” (not really a story, just some advice to a little kid with an upset tummy)
9) “This one time, at band camp…” Oh, wait. That’s a different storyteller…
Here’s a good one: Instead of simply answering, “Of course I think you’re pretty!” to his insecure little girl when she asked him if he thought she was pretty, he told me the story of a little baby porcupine who asked his momma if she thought his fur was soft. So the momma porcupine took her paw and ran it over the quills of her child, scratching herself up and said, “You have the softest fur I’ve ever felt!” I was never really sure how to take that story, but I appreciated the attempt. Thanks, dad.
10) “You can achieve anything with hard work in this country…” That was probably his truest story. He had everything – wealth, material possessions, job prestige, etc – and gave it all up to start over in a new country with his wife and daughter. He put his ego aside and worked manual labor jobs the rest of his life so that we could all be safe and together. We were never as rich as we were in Afghanistan again, but we were certainly wealthy.
I was almost a “Feelings Hooker” …
Therapists are “Feelings Hookers”
When I was in high school, I remember telling my mom and some of my extended family that I wanted to go into psychiatry. My family laughed and thought it was cute in their usual condescending way and my mom thought it was a lousy idea. But I remember taking a few psychology classes my freshman and sophomore years at Emory and it was as interesting a field as I thought it would be, albeit much harder than I thought it would be, too. I was en route to becoming a Feelings Hooker. But I kept getting pressure from my family to be “a real doctor”, as if a psychiatrist didn’t have to go through medical school and have an “MD” at the end of their name also. Eventually, I got fed up with everyone telling me it was a shitty idea. So, I came up with a shittier one – Sociology, society’s Feelings Hooker. I guess I showed them… 
Happy Mother’s Day, Dad!
My mother and I had a wonderful Mother’s Day yesterday. We spent the day together, went shopping, had a nice dinner, and I gave her the 3-month membership I bought her to LA fitness so she could use the pool for the summer. She has always loved the water and her arthritis and diabetes affect her knees and feet to a point where she has trouble performing basic tasks, let alone working out. So the pool allows her to stay active and get out of the house.
At dinner, I was telling her about a friend who has 2 small children and whose husband neglected to do something for her on Mother’s Day. My mom got angry for her. “It’s the husband’s job to take care of Mother’s Day while the children are young!,” she would’ve said if her English were better. Then she told me about how dad always came through for her on Mother’s Day, no matter how old I got.
“One Mother’s Day, when we were still living in California,” she said, “you were maybe 4 years old and your dad was working as a janitor at a local theater. He came home after a long shift and he literally opened the door to the apartment, looked in, said hello, and then walked right back out. I was so confused! ‘What’s going on?,’ I asked myself. I bet he has a little harlot on the side!!”
Like I said before, my mother’s English isn’t this good, so this is how she would’ve told it if she were fluent. At this point in her life, she’s lived half her life in Afghanistan and half in America. Not only is her English broken, but so is her Persian! It’s cute. But it makes communication tricky. Anyway, on with the story…
“So I grabbed you and we followed your dad to see where he was going. We didn’t have a car then, so we walked everywhere. We walked down the street, making sure your father didn’t see us behind him. We walked for a couple minutes when I realized that he was walking to the local grocery store. ‘Oh, maybe he just went to pickup some food!’
I felt silly and decided we had to go straight back home to make sure I got back before him. Ten minutes after we got home, he came back. He walks in the door and I saw what he went to the grocery store for: he had a bouquet of flowers in his hand for me! He must have forgotten it was Mother’s Day until the last minute and he wanted to make sure I had a gift!”
She told this story with the most beautiful smile on her face. She looked radiant. And it is always wonderful to hear her happy memories of her life with my father. We both miss him dearly.
My dad always told me that he loved me. But he always made sure to remind me that my mother loved me more.
Stop calling it “Entitlement”!
The “Amercian Dream”. What does that even mean anymore? When my dad brought my mother and myself here from Afghanistan, it meant that anyone who worked hard and saved his/her money could make a good, honest life for him/herself. Not anymore. The media and government would have you believe there is a new class category in today’s America called “the working poor.” I would argue that there has always been a working poor, however, there are more of them today than there was yesterday. But we can get into that another time.
When working class people and people living below the poverty line receive money from Social Security, healthcare from Medicare, nutrition from food stamps, and other social welfare benefits, the conservatives and the rich would would have you believe that they are receiving so-called “entitlements”. As in, “How dare those dirty poor people think they are entitled to MY tax dollars??” Let’s be clear, Richie Rich, poor people are responsible for paying Uncle Sam from their meager little check, too.
Define: “Entitlement”?
In the latest race to snatch away the entitlements of the working poor, the House Subcommittee on Workforce Protections (which probably should be renamed the “House Subcommittee on CEO profit-share Protections”) introduced the Working Families Flexibility Act of 2013. Theoretically, it would allow workers to choose between getting overtime pay or being comped with additional time off. Seems like a totally non-evil scheme on the surface, sure. But let’s look at how this plays out in practice:
I get paid on an hourly basis. If you ask me to work 45 hours this week, not only are you legally required to pay me my regular salary, but now you have to add 5 hours of time-and-a-half to my paycheck. You needed the work to get done, but now you’re stuck paying me more money. Money I really needed. Boo-hoo for you.
Now, you’re presented with this option of not having to pay me for that extra 5 hours of work. You still have to pay me my regular salary, because let’s face it, this isn’t a garment factory in Bangladesh, but whatever, you’ll figure a way around that another day. But now you can just say, “Hey, do me this solid and stay another 5 hours and I promise, one day, I’ll let you have 5 hours off of work. Deal?”
I propose that politicians get paid hourly.
It’s a month down the line and your dog is sick. You need to take him to the vet, so you ask your boss, “Remember that extra 5 hours I worked a month ago?”
Boss, “Kind of…”
You, “I need to take my dog to the vet today, so I’ll probably need to use 2 hours of that time today. I’ll be in around 11am.”
Boss, “Actually, today I have to leave early to go to the chiropractor and I need to make sure there is coverage at the front desk. Can it wait until another day?”
You, “Well, I think he got into my secret chocolate stash last night and today he’s been throwing up, he’s lethargic, I really don’t think this can wait…”
Boss, “Yeah, it’s just chocolate. He probably just has a tummy ache. Rub his belly and tell him to walk it off. I’ll see you as usual at 9am. I left a pile of work for you on your desk. Thanks.”
Ok, maybe it doesn’t go down exactly like that, but you get the point. There are a lot of questions surrounding H.R. 1406: whether it is the employer or the employee who gets to decide when that extra time is taken off, under what circumstances, and whether the employee really will get the right to choose between overtime pay or overtime time off.
With the economy the way it is, a lot of employees feel the pressure of keeping the jobs they do have. They are constantly reminded, whether explicitly or not, by their bosses that there are literally hundreds of people lined up for your job if you’re not satisfied with it.
I’m just going to put it out there: Yes, employees are entitled to receive proper compensation for their time, skills, and labor. And yes, I do think taxes are the cost of living in a civilized society. And yes, I do think that when you fall on hard times, one of the benefits of citizenship is that your government helps you out a bit. I’m not talking about buying you a mansion to live in and a Mercedes to drive you there. But I’m talking about providing you with healthcare, food, and safety. Have you been to the projects in any city? If you want to call that an “entitlement”… I don’t know, maybe you just need a new dictionary or something.
Maybe you’re finding it hard to sympathize with me here. I get it. Even the media are having a hard time sympathizing with the poor… although, I’ve got to hand it to them, they sure are trying. Check out all of these sad sacks all bummed out about their taxes going up. How will they ever survive on their meager salaries???
Graphic is from The Wall Street Journal in an article that ran on January 4, 2013.
Let’s bring this discussion full circle: My dad was making less than $35,000/year when he retired. That was the peak of his salary. The peak. But somehow, he and my mom, who made even less than him, managed to pay their taxes every year, buy a house, buy themselves cars, buy me a car, and pay for my education on their salaries. I never remember them looking as sad as the assholes in this picture who are making between 3 and 10 times what they made!! If you are making $650,000/year and you can’t figure out how to make ends meet, YOU, my friend, are the entitled asshole. Wow, it looks like I may be lacking in some sympathy too…
I figured out the purpose of writing this blog
When my father passed away, I dove into a severe depression, which I’m still struggling to crawl my way out of. My world went spiraling out of control and I had no idea how to stop it. I tried seeing a counselor, I tried anti-depressants. I moved away from my closest friends to be with my mother so that I could help support her. However, I lost my own support system in the process. I would’ve liked to have kept training jiu jitsu. The exercise and the support of teammates would’ve made a world of difference, I’m sure. But I didn’t have a job and jiu jitsu is an expensive lover.
I’ve also been struggling with what to do with my blog. I like being creative and writing can be a good form of therapy. So, for the time-being, that’s what this blog will morph into. My personal therapy session. But rather than bore you with my feelings and what happened to me today, I’m going to share stories my father told me and lessons I learned from him. He was my favorite teacher.
For those of you lucky enough to never have suffered a bout of depression, I’m going to provide you a link to a wonderful blog post about what depression is like. For me personally, some of the things it describes happened in another order, but that’s not really the point. This is quite clever and completely worth the time to check out: Hyperbole and a Half
Hyperbole and a Half: Depression Part Two
Do-overs, part 2
It’s been a little over a year now since my father passed away. It’s been the toughest year of my life. I had to pack up and leave my life behind, all of my friends, all of my belongings, all at a moment’s notice. I don’t necessarily regret it, I did what I thought I had to do, but I wish (for so many reasons) that I didn’t have to.
My last post was about how I would do things differently if I had a second chance. Knowing what I know now and having gone through what I’ve gone through, and seeing what both of my parents have gone through in the last few years, I’ve come to the conclusion that I just want a complete do-over. At some point, I assume everyone has wanted to start over and go through their life again, but this time with the knowledge that they have accumulated so far. Me, I’d like my new starting point to be freshman year of undergrad. At best, assuming there is such thing as heaven and I get to go there, that’s only something you get to do when life is over and maybe that gets to be your version of your personal heaven.
For now, the best I can hope for is that I can pick up the remaining pieces of my heart and my life and build up from here. Learn what I can, adapt, and rebuild. With that in mind, one of my new projects will be to rebuild and revamp my blog. I haven’t quite figured out what I want my blog to focus on. But hopefully you’ll stick with me on my journey and we can figure that out together…
Until then, look for some changes on here: most likely a new title, maybe a new look, definitely some new entries.
Do-overs!
If I could do grad school over again, I would:
1) Decide sooner that I wanted to do a dual degree program. It’s taken forever finishing one then starting another and now I’m broke and ready to start a job so that I can get PAID for my time… you know, instead of me paying the university to work me to death.
2) Make better financial decisions. First of all, this means living in grad housing only ONE year, not two! I loved my little apartment in La Aldea, but honestly, it boils down to laziness on my part not trying to find a cheaper place to live after that first year. Second, this means being more careful with my money – buying less clothes, not eating at expensive (and by “expensive” I mean anything more than $6) restaurants, and not caving in to so-called friends who insist on eating at expensive restaurants and have no consideration for your financial situation like texting you constantly when you told her you do not have unlimited texting or making you go snowboarding after you told her you can’t afford the lift or rental costs, etc.
3) Not being active enough. I have a gym that I love and close group of friends that train with me there, but because of school, I’m too sporadic with my training. I have spurts when I go all the time, but then school kicks in and I’m not in the gym again for months. Then things slow down or I catch up and I can start training again, but that’s temporary and I stop again. I think it may come down to bad time management. Which brings me to my fourth point,
4) Better time management. I don’t really think this needs much elaboration. I think anybody that does anything more than sit on the couch all day in front of the TV can understand and relate to this problem.
5) Learning multimedia earlier and more thoroughly. It’s such a pain in the ass to lug around a camera, mic, and tripod, but it sure does add life to your stories. And while Final Cut was an even bigger pain, every time I use it, I learn about a new feature. My latest discovery is the master template. In the menu, choose Sequence > Add Master Template. So cool if you want to add an extra flare to your projects.
6) Learn photography and videography. Learning the software to put your pieces together is important, but if all you have are a bunch of blurry pictures and even worse video, there’s no real project to put together.
7) No regrets. I wish I had done a lot of things differently, but eventually I got around to most of the things I wanted to do and tried my best to correct the things that I messed up. And I’m sure one day I’ll have a job where I can put everything I’ve learned to use and build even more upon that.
Some of the BEST decisions I’ve made:
1) Looking at departments other than my own to take classes in. Some of my favorite classes have resulted from this – Grant Writing, History of India-Pakistan, and Media Coverage of International Crisis (that last one was what made me decide to do the dual degree program with Near Eastern Studies and Journalism).
2) Being social. I went dancing with my friends. We had dinners at each others apartments. We took trips to Mexico, California, and Las Vegas together. Most of the time, we’d just hang out and talk. And now I have lifelong, wonderful friends. Grad school is crazy stressful. I would’ve never survived if I didn’t occasionally play hooky with my buddies, or spent a day doing nothing with the people I feel so close to now.
3) Being active. Not only does this keep you healthy, but it kept my stress levels down and I found a whole new circle of friends that have my back no matter what. Not a lot of people train jiujitsu and just the sheer nature of what we do, you form intimate relationships with your teammates real quick. More than a few very close friends of mine are from this group of fighters and being part of this close-knit community means that even when you visit another gym in another city, you have an instant set of new friends.
When I was an undergrad, I lived at home. I didn’t make that many friends. I don’t remember going to any parties. I certainly didn’t workout much. When I started the grad program, I corrected some of these mistakes but made others. For my next degree (maybe something in the sciences???), I plan on correcting those mistakes. One day, probably after my fifth degree, I’ll get it right…
Environmental (non)Protection?
Last week, Gov. Jan Brewer took Arizona out of the Western Climate Initiative set up to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in several US states and Canadian provinces. In a move that really shouldn’t have surprise her opponents nor her supporters, Brewer’s move put business and monetary concerns before the environment.
Former AZ Gov. Janet Napolitano enlisted Arizona’s participation in the initiative in 2008. The initiative calls on states to “identify, evaluate, and implement emissions trading policies to tackle climate change at a regional level”.
In an article for the Arizona Daily Star, Henry Darwin, director of the Department of Environmental Quality, explained AZ pulled out of the initiative because of the cap and trade system. The “cap” is the limit of greenhouse gas emissions a company can emit. “Trade” is the option to trade the excess gas your company emits for the the credits earned by companies that are below their caps. This way, the maximum amount of gas set for the region remains at or below that limit.
The Grill has been a Tucson staple since the 1920s. They closed their doors for the last time tonight. (Image courtesy of the TucsonSentinel.com)
IN OTHER NEWS:
Some of the best memories I have in Tucson are at The Grill on Congress. I’ve spent the semester talking about the loss of and dangers to our natural environment, but what about the unnatural environment we make for ourselves?
One of my late night adventures here was the Halloween I was a scientist, another time when I met up with my friend that came home from Jordan to tell her that I was no longer friends with the girl she hated, and another night when my friends from school went out for my gym friend’s birthday. And I’m pretty sure that each of these times, I had tator tots with The Grill’s awesome pesto dipping sauce!
Just for the hell of it, I decided to drive by the restaurant on Congress Street… I shouldn’t have. It was a long night at the library and I didn’t get to go by until 1am. It was a dark and sad memory of fun times in the past…
Local (endangered) wildlife
Maybe most of us can agree that it is tragic to lose a whole species forever due to human carelessness and lack of compassion. A lack of vision toward the future and the indirect consequences our of political grand-standing is leading to the endangerment of many local wildlife across the border.
Much of this is as a result of the border fence that runs along the US-Mexico border which is inhibiting the migratory patterns of many animal species. Congress gave the Department of Homeland Security the authority in 2005 to waive 36 laws protecting the environment in order to hasten border wall construction.
The US-Mexico border hosts a multitude of “threatened, endangered, and rare species,” according to an article published by the Center for Biological Diversity. Some of these borderland animals include the Mexican gray wolf, Sonoran pronghorn, lesser long-nosed bat, cactus ferruginous pygmy owl, and jaguar.
These animals live along the US-Mexico border where there are several national parks and wildlife refuges — Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge, Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, Big Bend National Park, Coronado National Forest, and Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge.
The Sonoran Desert covers approximately 120,000 square miles of biodiverse land in Arizona, California, and Mexico. It is home to more than 100 reptiles, 60 mammals, and 350 birds that are all in danger because of issues involving the border fence as well as mining, over-grazing, and off-road vehicle use, according to the Center for Biological Diversity.
To check out some amazing environmental photography, take a look at the International League of Conservation Photographers, specifically their work in Baja California.
Days of the Dead
This past week has been filled with events leading up to the 22nd annual All Souls Procession. The procession started off as a performance piece by a local artist to commemorate the passing of her father, but has now grown to include more than 20,000 participants.
The procession is inspired by Day of the Dead, an ritual originally celebrated by the indigenous people of Mexico and passed down for thousands of years. Today, it is celebrated by people all over the Catholic world. Day of the Dead coincides with the Catholic All Souls day and All Saints day.
Alter at Mercado San Agustin
Ornate alters, or ofrendas, are created to commemorate dead loved ones. They are decorated with candles, marigolds, pictures, and even bread and tequila.
Sugar skulls
Pan de Muerto – a traditional sweet bread made to celebrate the Day of the Dead
Some people leave bread and other food for those who have passed away.
On Wednesday, November 2, people set up ofrendas at Mercado San Agustin. The alter was set up on the courtyard and people brought all kinds of keepsakes, sugar skulls, and pictures for their loved ones. There was even a small urn set up in front of the alter for people to fill with messages and offerings to those who have passed away.
Before that, on Saturday, October 29, the organizers of the All Souls Procession held a Photography competition and exhibition at Studio 455, a quiant art studio tucked away in an alley street on Ferro Ave, just south of 6th St. The exhibit featured photographs taken at previous years All Souls Processions. After the winner of the competition was announced, Paul Weir and Nadia Hagen, board members of Many Mouths One Stomach, the organization that puts the procession together, made speeches thanking everyone for their contributions to the exhibit and answered questions about the procession.
This past weekend, the Procession of Little Angels took place at Armory Park [this was made possible when Occupy Tucson protesters voted to move their tents from Armory Park to Veinte de Agosto Park]. Parents and children flocked to the park to design and decorate angel wings and stars. Tables were set up for face-painting, paper flower making, and sugar skull decorating. At sundown, a mini-parade around the park occured and ended at the stage where children’s short stories, poems, and performances were held.
7 billion people!!!
Today, the 7 billionth person was born! Incredible!! In a world that’s overcrowded, has mass poverty, and rampant hunger, we’re still having babies and living longer than ever before.
So what does this mean for environmental sustainability? According to an article in the Christian Science Monitor, a two-pronged approach needs to be taken to address the challenges of supporting 7 billion people. First, the education and empowerment of women to make their own decisions when it comes to reproduction. Second, reduction in the consumption of natural resources.
According to Population Action International: “Nearly half the world’s population—some 3 billion people—is under the age of 25 and entering their childbearing years. Their childbearing choices, and the information and services available to them, will determine whether human numbers climb to anywhere from 8 billion to 11 billion by mid-century.”
In 1804, the world’s population was 1 billion; 123 years later, another billion people were added. It took less than 100 years to pass the next four billion people!! What happened?? Several factors: populations in developing countries are growing, people are living longer, high fertility rates, and so on.
But despite the growing numbers, the rate of growth is slowing down. Access to reproductive health services is getting better, however there are still many countries where women have limited, if any, access to reproductive health education, services, and contraception. For example, in Yemen, Afghanistan, and much of sub-Saharan Africa, women have an average of more than 5 children.
So you weren’t the 7 billionth person born, so what? It’s probably a good thing, actually. But you can still find out what your number is by inputting your birthday on Population Action International’s website. My number is 4,403,273,991.
And what about the border area? According to an article published by the Migration Information Source in 2006, 11.8 million people live along the US-Mexico border. Approximately a quarter of those living along the US side live at or below the poverty line. This is double the rate of the national average. Unemployment is also higher along the border compared to the rest of the country.
Population projection for US-Mexico border region (from Southwest Center for Environmental Research and Policy)
Locally grown, organic deliciousness
Sunday morning, my friend invited me to go with her to the farmer’s market at St. Philip’s Plaza, a bit of an upscale shopping plaza known for its nice restaurants, beautiful landscaping, and even a trendy nightclub – Level.
Lots of people show up every Sunday to try all sorts of samples from the vendors and of course to buy locally grown and organic fruits, vegetables, cheeses, and seeds among many many other things.
One organization in particular stood out for me – Native Seeds. They are a non-profit regional seed bank that 350 varieties of seeds unique to the southwest region. Native Seeds works with native tribes to continue their long agricultural traditions. The organization promotes the conservation of heirloom seeds, which are seeds that have adapted to the growing conditions in a certain area. This promotes sustainable agriculture and agricultural biodiversity, according to their website. One of the biggest issues Native Seeds is concerned about is what they describe as “the loss of ecological relationships” between humans and plants. Please visit their website to learn more about Native Seeds’ current projects.
Map to St. Philip’s Farmer’s Market:
Let me tell you a story... 