Supernatural: The many hair styles of Sam

You always can tell when it's a new season of Supernatural because Sam has a new do. His hair has changed a lot through the years and has been a major cause for debate for many fans. Are you a purist and like the shaggy mop of seasons 1-3 or the more cleaned up coif of the later seasons?

The topic has come up on chat boards, blogs and even at conventions. Sam, Dean, the producers and anyone else involved with the show have weighed in on the many hairstyles of Sam Winchester. The first three seasons the hair slowly became shaggier and shaggier. I guess going from a university student to professional monster hunter will keep you from regular check-ins with the barber.

The hair covered his ears and his forehead, which many claim is actually a five head, but once season three started, suddenly the hair was much more manicured. His ears were visible and so was his massive forehead.

This could have been a way to show a more mature look or to possible make him look more evil as he dealt with his new powers. The audience that originally started watching four years ago was older and they wanted Sam to stop being that naive college student and look like a real man. The season six hair was much more cleaner. Season five was practically a mullet, so they toned it down a a bit. I can only imagine that they have for the next season.

 

 

 

 

 

Supernatural: The funny episodes

While they always introduce a little bit of humor in every episode, every know and then they throw in one that's totally off the wall. Any ones with the trickster were awesome and you can't forget the one about the Chinese wishing well and the cursed coin.

The image of that giant depressed Teddy Bear complaining about the world was completely unexpected. These episodes are great to release a little tension that has been building up throughout the season. Supernatural is a pretty heavy show and tackles some pretty big issues. Dean spawns a daughter and she has to die. The brothers lose their father. Death and destruction is a part of the Supernatural universe.

The humor episodes are pretty common every now in then almost every television show. The last season of Supernatural was pretty heavy and depressing. The brothers were at odds and depressed as they faced off against an seemingly unbeatable enemy. The leviathans wants nothing less than total world domination and even the episodes that were meant to be funny were weighed down by it.

I think that last season will go down in history as the series' worst...at least I hope future ones aren't that bad. They need to make things fun again every now and then. The clown one was funny, but it just couldn't shake the off the season's woes. I hope the next season sees a shift away from the more painful and depressing to more fun and lighthearted like the first few seasons.

I now know that Season 8 will not be its last, so I hope the writers take the hint and create a new storyline that gives everyone a little hope.

What to do with ourselves?

The problem with the ending of a season is that you're left with a void while they play reruns. That would be fine for most seasons, but this one was lackluster at best. So what's there to do with ourselves while we wait the long months for the season premiere?

If you can't go without your Supernatural fix and are tired of trolling gossip websites trying to gleam a few nuggets of info about the next season, then you might want to try reading some fan fiction. Fan fiction is stories written by the fans that take place in the Supernatural universe.

They are 100 percent amateur and usually placed on websites for people to read for free. These stories aren't approved by the producers of the show, but as long as people are not trying to sell them, they let them go. They are not licensed, so they can't legally be sold.

Anyone that watches Supernatural is familiar with the idea of fan fiction as it was an important part of Chuck's storyline. The stories can be about the brothers themselves or even peripheral characters. It's nice to read stories about Chuck, Crowley and other characters that aren't regularly expanded upon in the show.

The stories aren't canon, so don't be disappointed when the show deviates from what you read. The quality of the stories is dependent on the abilities of the writer. Since many are simply fans of the show with little writing ability, the quality can be hit or miss. Fan fiction is a fun and important part of any show, so look it up and check it out.  

The next big bad?

Every season, the folks at Supernatural bring us a big bad that the brothers usually defeat by the end of the season. First it was the Yellow Eyes Demon, then Sam and his powers, the devil, Bad Castiel and finally Dick Roman.

With Dean being stuck in purgatory with every type of demon that ever existed, it leaves the writers open to pick a doozy. My guess is when Dean and Cas find their way back that something's going to come through with them. It may even be IN Dean.

Crowley could be the big bad this season as well. The lead in hell just took the prophet and who knows what his plans are for that. I know it can't be good. Crowley has an agenda, but where do you go when you're the leader of hell? Will he try to take over the Earth or heaven? That doesn't seem like his style.

The vampire Alpha is still alive and there is still a ton of mythology out there they haven't even touched on. If you want to be honest, I hope they go in a completely different direction. The first season, as we were getting to know the brothers, was a creature-of-the-week year.

I think we and the brothers have lost touch with who they really are, and it's time to get back to basics. I would rather have a season where we see the brother get closer again and play off each other. The show used to be funny and have some heart, but that's all changed. Everyone is so angry and disillusioned after everything that has happened.

Whatever happened to the Colt?

When the Colt was first introduced, it was a fun and novel concept. The idea that a gun created by Samuel Colt could kill anything as long as it was shot using one of the original 13 bullets was cool. It played a prominent role in the early seasons and was the catalyst for the demons being released from hell.

The final bullet was used to kill the yellow eyed demon and then the gun was supposed to be useless. I personally would have loved if they would have left it with that. Having a all-killing firearm on hand just seemed like Deus Ex Maquina at its worst. When the writers brought out the Lucifer storyline in season five, they decided to bring out the Colt again.

In a way, I can understand. They are trying to do everything they can to beat Satan, so trying to work on the Colt seemed like a natural decision. They end up getting it working, but it doesn't work on Lucifer. Apparently, there are only five things it can't kill and he's one of them. What happens to the Colt after that is unknown. There hasn't been any conclusion on the fate of the Colt.

Do Sam and Dean still have it? Do the demons have it? Do the angels? This is one of the most powerful supernatural weapons in existence and it was just dropped. It could have been used to kill the Alphas or any number of big bads. Would it have killed Dick Roman? It's funny they never tried to get the Colt after him.  

Sorry Charlie, no more Chuck

 

When we first saw Chuck the Prophet on Supernatural, we loved his odd geekiness. The man who chronicled the lives of the Winchester brothers through Divine intervention was a fan favorite. On the final episode of the fifth season, Chuck helped narrate the battle between the Winchesters and the forces of heaven and hell.

 

At the end of the episode, he simply smiled and vanished, and it has led many to believe that Chuck was actually God in disguise. In the original scheme of things, season five was supposed to be the end of the show and Chuck, the final reveal. The popularity has kept the show going for several seasons and many have anxiously awaited the return of Chuck.

 

We've wanted finality and conclusion to our assumptions that he was God all the time or simply a tool of the deity. Rob Benedict, the actor that played Chuck, has said that he envisioned Chuck to return in season six or seven, but that never happened. Recently, producers were again asked about the return of Chuck, and they said that they were happy where things ended.

While they had said that should a great storyline with Chuck come about, they would have no problem bringing back the character, but Chuck's story is over. Regardless of if he was God or just a man, he swan song was as it should be. I doubt they will be bringing him back in the foreseeable future. Chuck was part of a storyline that is fully concluded.

 

That means us fans are going to have to get used to a Supernatural world without Chuck and his neurotic mannerisms.  

In honor of those we lost in Supernatural...

Supernatural is not afraid to kill off characters for the sake of moving along the plot or the sheer shock value. Some...almost all...of the characters we have grown to love are now either enjoying the pearly gates of heaven or the fires of hell.

 

The first person we all lost was the amazing John Winchester played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan. The boys' dad gave up his life for his son and was trapped in hell, but never broke. It wasn't until the gates of hell were opened and souls poured out that he was finally free to be with his wife in heaven. The Yellow Eyed Demon was dead, and he got to say one last goodbye to his boys.

Ellen and Jo were always there for the boys and each other. Like any mother and daughter, they fought like cats and dogs, but as Jo lie dying with the hounds of hell knocking at their door, Ellen refused to leave her side. The explosion the pair created allowed the Winchesters the opportunity to escape. While Ellen hasn't been seen since, Jo was brought back for one episode.

Rufus was an incorrigible old fart, but the only real friend Bobby had. It was refreshing to see him back when Bobby died as his guide through his head. The Trickster/ Gabriel may have been a jerk, but he was always fun and died doing the right thing, trying to take down Satan.

Bobby died and came back again. He was on the verge of becoming a vengeful ghost and told the boys to let him go. Death has always been an important part of the Supernatural universe and with varying degrees of severity.

Retrospective: A reflection on season 7

I think it can be argued that season 7 was the worst of all the Supernatural seasons. We had a horrible dynamic between the brothers, a complete change-up in modus operandi and a big-bad that was more cerebral than any before.

We've come to realize that the supernatural elements in the show are rather primal. Even the angels killed without abandon and violence was always their endgame. The leviathans were just the opposite. The writers wanted to give the brothers a new challenge, something they had never encountered before, but the end result was just boring.

Bobby died and the show suffered. They brought him back briefly, but he just wasn't the same as a ghost. It almost felt contrived like they did it just to give the fans what they wanted. I think Frank was supposed to replace Bobby, but he just never took off.

They took away the Metallicar and using the rock stars as aliases, and all the color left the Supernatural world. The whole season seemed about putting the Winchesters off balance and see how they reacted, but it's not what people want. People don't watch Supernatural because it's a cerebral show. They watch it because it's got fairy tale creatures and a boatload of sarcasm and humor.

Season 7 was a disappointment to Supernatural fans everywhere. We watched as our beloved Winchesters were put through the ringer and our favorite characters were lost, returned and then taken away again.

I wish I had high hopes for season 8, but I don't. The writers need to get back to basics and create something that gets back to what Supernatural is all about. The Winchesters against the world.

 

Will season eight be the last for Supernatural?

 

 

When the developers of Supernatural began, they only wanted the show to run five seasons. They had a well developed storyline that led to the defeat of Satan and the tragic fate of the Winchesters. Sam gave his life to save the world and Dean got to have a family and a normal life.

Once it was past season five, writers have been shooting from the hip and it shows. The plots have been a little too haphazard and season seven looked like it was put together with a spit and bailing wire. The big bad was mediocre at best and I think the writer's knew it. They focused on other issues and settled everything quickly in the end. Even the big fight was wasn't so big.

So, now were left wondering about season eight. The CW doesn't have a lot of hit shows, but Supernatural is one of them. They'll try and wring every last cent out of it before finally wrapping it up. When Supernatural debuted in 2005, the pilot was watched by more than five million people. It was these ratings that led to its pickup.

The season seven finale was watched by a paltry 1.5 million people. It's lead in, Nikita, was also watched about the same amount. It's going up against Grimm on NBC, which is another show about creatures. Things aren't boding well for the Winchesters. My guess is that season eight will be the last, but we'll see if the CW will let it die out or slowly degrade.

 

 

 

Ding dong, the Dick (Roman) is dead

The season finale of Supernatural was a bit disappointing, but we had a good send off for Bobby and the Metallicar made an appearance, if only briefly.

Dick Roman calls Crowley and offers him a deal. Give the Winchesters fake blood and demons can have Canada as their feeding ground. Crowley agrees and offers Roman a standard contract. The two spend hours going over every aspect until Roman thinks he’s safe.

Crowley has a loophole and double crosses Dick. Sam, Dean, Cas and Meg go on the assault. They grab the Metallicar and Meg drives it into the Sucrocorp sign and starts chopping off Leviathan heads. Dick has guessed Crowley has double crossed him and made the other Leviathans double as him, so there are literally dozens of him walking around.

Bobby nearly kills Sam and the innocent women he possessed as he goes all vengeful spirit on them. He regains control and decides it’s time for him move on. There’s a quaint goodbye and then they burn the flask sending Bobby off into the great unknown.

Cas is able to sniff out the real Dick Roman and they are able to finally kill him, but it has consequences. Killing Roman sent out a shockwave that landed Dean and Cas in purgatory surrounded by countless monsters that have died.

Sam’s left dumbfounded and Crowley says goodbye taking the prophet with him. Two demons grab Meg and we assume take her to Crowley. The season ends with monsters circling around Dean and Cas has disappeared. It looks like we’ll know more in six months. See you then.

 

Pages