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Supernatural – Mid Season 10 Finale – The Gripe Review

Dec 13, 2014

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Well, that was that. Looks like those of you who warned me last week not to count my Dean-centric chickens before they hatch were correct.

Hello and welcome to the last Gripe Review of the year, and the last time I will gripe about my biggest disappointments with this season. I have dubbed them the Mothership Gripes of Season 10, and listed them below, preceding the less predominant gripes of this episode.

The Mothership Gripes of Season 10

A - The transformation of Supernatural from a genre show into a procedural

Think about what a procedural is like. The cops (doctors, nurses, fire fighters, lawyers, paramedics, crime scene investigators,) have a case of the week in which they meet a cast of characters that become the main focus of the episode. The cops only observe and investigate those people, they aren’t a part of their story. Their own stories, if they have any, are in the background and only mentioned in the passing. Those stories advance but at a very sluggish pace.


Now think about this week’s episode and imagine Sam, Dean and Castiel as cops trying to help teenage Claire off the streets. One of them (Castiel) knew her father and was the cause of his disappearance. She resists them, but in the end they manage to rescue her. Another one of them, who had a long history of PTSD, is triggered by an event and loses control. He ends up killing all the perps in cold blood.

This isn’t a bad story for a typical procedural. It's a bit uninspired and cliché , which isn’t unheard of in the two dozen such shows currently on TV. The problem here though is that Supernatural is a genre show.

In a genre show, particularly in the style established by the earlier seasons of Supernatural, the story belongs to the main characters and it dictates everything. The heroes save some people throughout the seasons, but the story is ultimately about their quest. The most important episodes focus on them, and the bit-players only show up for standalone episodes fitted in the season to give the main storyline some breaks. Of course there are genre procedurals out there too. Grimm is an example, but even Grimm keeps the focus on the core cast nearly all the time. The main hero’s special power is what decides the fate of every case not the personal talents of the week's supporting characters.

It’s no mystery that procedurals have a lot of fans and some of them are more popular than genre shows. This could explain why so many still watch and love Supernatural despite the weirdness of the recent seasons, and why the ratings remain high. A lot of people don’t mind this format, some perhaps like it even more than the genre format because it doesn’t require them to constantly follow a plot. Add to them the core fans who watch for the characters and their relationships, and schmucks like me who watch just to see how it all ends, and you get a healthy, hefty viewership for a show that has had the equivalent of a face transplant from its earlier seasons.


B - The single minded pursuit of the anvil-over-the-head themes

Did you get it this week, the “absent parent” motif than ran through the entire episode? How could you not? It was hammered on top of everything, with sirens and flashing lights going off every time it was hinted.

Having a common theme in one's story is a double edged sword. Done right, it could enhance its quality and emotional effect like a dash of spice. Done wrong, it could ruin the whole thing, just as upending an entire bottle of spice would do to a dish.

Aside from the lack of subtlety Supernatural writers have exhibited throughout this whole season while applying their so called 'themes' (taken to the extreme in the Godawful anniversary episode,) they also have bent logic and character in favor of delivering those themes. Take this episode for example. "Abandonment issues" and "Absent Parents" has to apply to every storyline no matter who the players are and what the story is about. So we have Castiel getting hit by paternal instincts bus and suddenly desiring to adopt Claire when he has no home or job. We also have Claire accusing him of taking away her dad when, for all intents and purposes, her first reaction upon seeing him should be, "Oh shi-,it's the angel who possessed my dad!"

For the same purpose Dean's established backstory is altered to serve this theme (Gripe #10 below) and Crowley's stuck in a stranded b-story that sacrifices his well-loved personality and the way we've known him so far to enforce the idea that he too is on the absent parent boohoo train bound for angstville even though it’s unclear how that idea is supposed to help his story in the future.


C - Repeating plots and characters 

I touched on the problem with the uninspired, irritating supporting cast in the last review. But this time I realized the problem was deeper than that, and had to do with the show essentially being put on autopilot. There's literally no imagination put into any of these one-off stories to at least make up for the absence of the main cast. It's like they have a pile of standard plots, attached to a stack of generic character profiles, and they shuffle through them. So we get the "Teen girl is forced to live on the streets and is picked up by a guy with bad intentions,” one week, then the, "Loved one turns into irredeemable monster and has to be killed by character," the next.

In each of these regurgitated plots the set of characters are exactly the same. There isn't much in terms of personality to distinguish Claire from Krissy, or Benny from Bobby, beyond what the actors bring to the table. And when the actors are young and inexperienced there isn’t much even there. In short, it seems like we don't need writers because the way the show is structured right now, a computer program could do their job.



The unloading of episode gripes

I had too many gripes with this episode so I dumped them all in one place without too much sorting or going into detail (this review is already long mind you.) Pick and choose whichever you like to read and discuss. Notice how some are directly related to the Mothership Gripes above.

#1 - Why are all teenage girls carbon copies of each other?

Krissy, Marie, now Claire. All smart-mouthed, brash know-it-alls who show no respect to older and more experienced people who are there to help them, even when they see the results of their bad behavior. I have seen enough teen girls in my life - I have been one myself - and I know they come in all shapes and sizes attitude-wise. So why is it that in Supernatural they are all exactly the same? Could it be part of the "Mothership Gripe C,” and the fact that they are essentially the same character, labeled as “teen girl,” in the character profile pile, and plugged by the writers whenever a female character of that age range is needed?


#2 -Why are we watching Krissy’s story again?

This too is mentioned in MSG -C. Claire is pretty much Krissy 2.0. What really astounds me though, is how closely her story resembled Krissy's, down to the slimy guy who gave her shelter after she lost her dad, then ended up betraying her. The writers aren't even trying anymore.

#3 - Why won’t a social worker release a runaway into the custody of her parent?

I'm just confused about this one. Does this really happen in the US? Last I checked here in Canada, caretakers were too happy to reduce the population of homeless youth under their care. An actual birth parent, who doesn’t look stoned or drunk or anything like a criminal, and who has the approval of the teen herself, should be a sure shot for a release.

#4 - Why can’t Castiel tell the difference between ketchup and tomato?

Is he perpetually dumb even though he's been on earth for more than seven years now, has the wisdom of centuries, and had supposedly the entire human culture history dumped into his head by Metatron last season? Do the writers keep this up just for the comedic effect? Or is his wisdom, like his powers, subject to the whim of the ongoing plot?


#5 - Why is Dean mad at Castiel for calling him and Sam?

When we first see them in the episode Sam and Dean are just sitting around in the bunker looking through books for information on the MOC. It’s not like they were in the middle of an urgent case and Castiel interrupted them. Why was Dean so dismissive of looking for a missing girl? Normally they seek this stuff out by going through police reports and newspaper articles and becoming suspicious of the circumstances. Castiel just gave them a case. And considering Claire is the offspring of a vessel, who herself had been possessed once, doesn't it at least have the looks of a potential supernatural incident?

Expanding the gripe, I must admit I no longer understand the brothers' interactions with Castiel. They don't see each other for weeks, yet when they get together it is as if they've had beer together just last night. Does Castiel disappear for a particular reason like he used to in seasons before, or does he just live separately from the brothers because he likes it? Is there a reason why he can't live in the bunker and help the Winchesters with their problems? And where does he go that he can meet up with them on such short notice?

#6 - Where does Castiel's money come from?

When I saw him reach for his wallet, the first thought that popped into my mind was, "Where did he get all the money?" How does Castiel pay for gas, lodging, or food? The last job he had was more than a year ago, so what's the explanation?


#7 - Why is there no supernatural hunt in this episode?

The show is called Supernatural yet we just sat through an episode about a juvenile delinquent being rescued from a bunch of criminals by someone playing surrogate father along with his buddies. More proof MSG -A exists.

#8 - Why does no one remind Claire her dad died to save humanity?

This really annoyed me. At one point Claire goes off at Castiel for taking her dad from her and causing her life to go down the drain. No one cares to remind her that if Castiel hadn't possessed Jimmy, and saved Sam and Dean multiple times from certain death so they could stop the apocalypse from happening, she would have no life. It's because his dad agreed to sacrifice himself for humanity and became Castiel's vessel that the world still exists and she still has a ground to stand on to accuse the angel of ruining her life. Someone needed to remind her that her parents still being around wasn't more important than the lives of billions of people around the world, but apparently they all forgot because of MSG -B.

#9 - Why does Claire trust a guy who gives her a gun and tells her to rob a store?

As I said before, logic takes a backseat to the forceful assertion of episode themes in these repeated stories. Claire is an idiot who doesn't even suspect foul intention on the part of her stand-in dad when he offers her a gun and tells her to rob a store. We don't even get a hint of why she cares so much about him, other than her explanation that he picked her off the streets. We see no affection from him toward her, nor from her toward him, just a reminder that if she doesn’t do it he will be in a load of trouble. But if she does it and gets caught, then it would be her in a load of trouble, wouldn't it? It's not like he showed up at the home where she was put in solitary confinement to rescue her. Why would she put her own life and freedom in such danger just to help him when he didn't do the same for her?


#10 - Why is child Dean OOC in Dean’s story?

Maybe I've been in fandom for too long, but I remember wee-Dean from the flashbacks and the reminisced stories in the past, and he wasn't a brat. In fact his problem was always the opposite, as thrown in his face time and again by Sam. He was too much of a good little soldier to John and never argued or raised any objections to him, no matter how his dad treated him. Suddenly though, for the sole purpose of this episode, he tells Castiel that he kicked up a fuss when his dad picked him up from a club in New York. That's an insult to the legacy of the character by this current clutch of writers who can’t be even bothered to check the long established profile of one of the main characters, and perhaps, seeing the discrepancy, choose Sam instead of Dean for their parallel-the-rebellious-teen-storyline down the memory lane.

#11 - What exactly are Castiel’s powers?

We see him blow a guy out of the way by raising his hand, yet he still can't teleport, or read minds or smite demons with his palm. Was there an explanation on what his diminishing grace did to his powers? Is it willy nilly and based on whatever suits the current plot?

Speaking of his diminishing grace, how come he no longer coughs, or faints, or shows any of the side effects of the earlier episodes?

#12 - Did I just watch an attempted child sexual assault on prime time TV?

This isn't really a gripe, more like a shocker. We know Claire is underage and we know she was sold to the mob man by her shady caretaker. I expected her to be dragged away immediately. What was the man's intention for locking the door in her room? Was he going to do something unseemly to her? Why was he choking her to death a minute later when he had traded her by letting go of a load of money?


#13 - Is there a point to this storyline other than the blatant absent parent parallel?

I can't be the only one who was bored to death by Crowley's side story. We know they were drawing parallels between his mother abandoning him and Claire's father's disappearance. But there must be another purpose to this for the future, otherwise they wouldn't have spent so much time on the two of them. Why bore us with so much useless chatter and exposition then, instead of moving that story along in an engaging, exciting way? They could have sprinkled Crowley's abandonment issues throughout that action instead of grinding half of the episode into a halt just to let us know how much he hated his mom.

#14 - Pulling the Mark of Cain out of the seat of their pants?

And finally, just to fulfill the cliffhanger requirement for the mid-season finale, they have Dean's mark activate a few minutes before the credits roll. This, and the promo they released for this episode, look like underhanded tactics by the showrunner to pretend they are indeed staying true to the spirit of the show. They release a promo that focuses on the parts about the Mark, even include a Crowley dialogue that looks like he's talking to Dean. Then give us a story about Claire while putting their winning pony at the very end of the line. If they know this is what people want to see why not write the entire episode around it?


#15 - Why bring Charlie back right after the cliffhanger?

My final complaint is based on the promo for the show's return. Apparently Charlie will be back in the first episode of the spring season. My dislike of her is no secret to anyone. She tends to highjack entire storylines and make everything about her whenever she appears on the show, to the point of dumbing down and humiliating everyone. Even though this season that isn't a rare thing I'd still like to think season/mid-season openers and finales are reserved for the main characters because that’s when you create cliffhangers or resolve them. If she shows up in the midst of Dean's storyline she will most likely try to take the spotlight away from him with whatever silly gifts she's brought back from Oz. It’s bad enough she's like a rash that won't go away, it looks like she's now going to take the only chance the Winchesters have to be players in their own show.

Edit: I've been told Charlie is not going to be in episode one, but in episode two, of the second half of the season and that there was a mix up with the numbering of the episodes. Hope that doesn't mean Dean's story will be resolved in one episode.

This review got a bit lengthy. It's because, unlike last year, I'm not planning on writing an overall review for the season so far. I've said all I wanted to say about the bastardization of the show - turning it into something it was not - and I don't like repeating myself. Furthermore, I can't write anything character based since none of the characters have anything important going on with them this season. Therefore this will be my last gripe review for 2014. Feel free to sound off in the comments. Take apart and analyze whichever piece of the review you like, major or minor, regardless if you agree or disagree.

Have a happy holiday season and see you in 2015.


Tessa

tessa-marlene.tumblr.com/
twitter.com/tessa_marlene 

64 comments:

  1. This would have been a soso episode near the start of the season, which would have been fine. But as a mid season finale? No thanks. The biggest problem of the past few seasons for me is that the writers don't seem to be able to pace their seasobs. It's just more and more obvious that this show no longer has a writers room, and that they just write the episodes by themselves unlike other tv shows (this has been confirmed and isn't just me making things up, at least I'm pretty sure it's been confirmed). I'm no writer, but I just want to get into that non existent writers room and tell them to talk to each other and get their pacing sorted. Cas' lack of grace storyline? Two seasons of it! Dean as a demon? Three episodes! Done venting. I love this show, and we have some great writers! We just need to cut the dead weight so to speak.

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  2. I share many of your gripes with Season 10. I barely watch it because of how boring and disappointing it is. All I want is for the show to end already. Perhaps an end date can force the show to put its act together.

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  3. It's just more and more obvious that this show no longer has a writers room, and that they just write the episodes by themselvesI believe this, especially in the way they seem to insert their own personal favorite stuff into the stories (Adam mirroring Dean's childhood to his own and modelling Krissy after his niece.) It's Carver's job to oversee the writing and to make sure it's consistent across the board. But I guess since the ratings are good enough he couldn't be bothered.

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  4. I agree (which is not happening to often) with you on many of your gripes for season 10, however I did like more episodes so far then disliked ( I never hate it, if I hate show there is no way I going to continue watching it, life is too short for that), so overall I rate it higher then S7 and especially S8.

    Regarding last episode, just few things I disagree:

    1. Child Dean OOC

    I dint think Deans story was OOC. Dean was always trying to be a macho-guy to mirror his dad's alfa-male attitude and get an approval from him. It was part of being a good little solder. But in this story Dean was a) teenager b) drunk/roofed teenager 3)teenager humiliated in front of many people by his parent. All this can easily cause Dean loosen up and being rude to his dad.

    To me the hole story was just out of place. Its just didn't fit naturally into scene and conversation. But I totally believe that young Dean could once in a while give his dad his piece of mind, I never seen Dean as totally submissive coward.

    2. Charlie is not coming back in the next episode, she comes back in 10.11. The promo contains combination of next 3 eps. Just FYI.

    3." Did I just watch an attempted child sexual assault on prime time TV?"
    Uhm, I guess you don't watch all those procedural TV shows , especially Criminal Minds or so. I didn't see anything unusual about the scene. Yes, seems like mob guy was going to get what he paid for. He locked the door. What exactly is your gripe about? They didn't make assault happened, bad guy was butchered at the end, girl was saved. Happy ending on that side.

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  5. Nothing official here, but coming from cons and tweets looks like Jared intentionally downscaled his involvement in S10 in order to get as much time off as possible to spend time with his 2 little kids and wife. It could be totally wrong assumption, don't kill me for it, but it can explain very little screen time Sam has. Js still getting the same check doesn't matter who spend more hours on set. So why not.
    Other thing I am hearing is that dark Sam story in coming and it will be in tight connection to MoC.
    But I agree: somehow writers can not write equally for both brothers. It either 7 seasons of "what wrong with Sam" with Dean emoting and making sad faces or 2-season long Dean story (kind of, seems like it more support characters story now with some snippets of Dean) with Sam on the background or being knock off.

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  6. I'm sorry but what tweets or cons have you seen or read that imply that Jared intentionally asked to basically not work this year? That is a pretty serious, IMO, allegation you are making against Jared, and I just want to know on what you are basing it.

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  7. Geez, what allegation? Like I said - it just an assumption or simple possibility. It could be totally wrong, read my post. Where am I accusing Jared in not wanting to work at all? I said he may be wanting more time off then usual for family reasons, he has 2 little sons.

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  8. I really want profound changes in the writers room and I really hope Jeremy Carver quits after season 10.

    I didn't hate this episode but I miss the bigger plots and arcs. They did the same thing over at the BBC with Doctor Who and the show isn't as good anymore. Dumbing down tv one show at a time.

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  9. I actually thought his episode was more like some teen soap opera than anything else. I think Supernatural needs to change it's name because it's becoming less and less about supernatural stuff and more and more about teen drama.
    Sad thing is, the more fans say they love crappy episodes like this one, the more of them you're going to see. I hardly watch the show anymore and when I do, I get more enjoyment out of reading what people thought of the episode than the actual show. If Jared and Jensen needed more time off, then one would think the writers could come up with something that is actually about the supernatural and not some more teen crap. If the show had good stories and excellent casting then it wouldn't matter if Jared and Jensen were on less.
    I think if the show goes past season 10, then there are going to be even more and more episodes like this one. I'd rather have the show end, then it continue with Dean as a supporting character and Sam as an extra.

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  10. Gripe #16 - This is what we get for mid-season finale?
    Previous mid-season finales - even after season 5 - were mythology heavy through and through. Sam getting his soul back, Bobby dying, Kevin dying, Gadreel's betrayal - that was the stuff these finales are supposed to be made of. Not running around after a bratty teenage girl.

    Gripe #17 - Where is the fast-forward on this thing?
    The whole episode stretched 20 minutes of story into a 40 minute plot. They could've cut half the scenes and made a few changes without taking anything away from the story itself and hitting their preferred theme just as hard.

    For example, start the episode with Cas calling Sam and Dean to help him find Claire. 2 scenes worth of investigation and introduce Claire about to rob the convenience store. Cut to the parking-lot angry words, Claire running away to 'Randy' who has been her foster-father all along. Keep the Tiki-lounge scene, rescue Claire and then Dean kills everyone. Add 2 scenes for Crowley and his mother and you have the whole episode easily doable in 20 minutes. Spend the rest of the time to actually focus on the MoC, which they've been neglecting for the whole season.

    Gripe #18 - So much for No Man Left Behind
    So the guys make a shock-and-awe entry, rescue Claire and make a strategic retreat to avoid killing anyone - they leave Dean behind and don't even look back to see if he followed. Why in such a hurry? Its not like they had to start the getaway car, given that Sam went for the passenger seat. What if the guy had used a knife or a gun instead of beer bottle? They had these guys beat, at gunpoint and they had an angel on their side - and they weren't exactly facing big-bads in the first place. The least they could've done is tie these people up.

    Gripe #19 - Where are all the good characters and actors?

    I've been watching the first few seasons and I realized this - you are absolutely right about the writers churning out generic characters. But its more than that - take the generic "lippy kid with a smart mouth" - Michael from Something Wicked and Ben gave memorable performances there. Which tells me that even with making Claire a smart-ass, angst-ridden, know-it-all, rebellious teenager it should still be possible to make her an interesting character.

    Gripe #20 - What's the point of half of the scenes?
    Like Cas talking about how much he has grown since season 4. Or Dean watching Three Stooges (extremely crappy trick btw - when I saw Dean laughing in the promo, I was excited at the possibility of seeing Demon Dean even if it was just a flashback). Or the meandering Cas and Dean talks.

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  11. The problem is, even with the J's wanting time off, it should still be possible for them come up with a decent story. They could try experimenting with alternative story forms to keep things novel and exciting.



    For example, they could've had 1 episode focusing on Sam's flashback on things he did while trying to find Dean and give Jensen some time off.



    Next they could've had Dean's flashback and given Jared time off.



    They could've done an age-regression episode and brought back the child actors playing Sam and Dean instead of bringing them back just for obligatory flashbacks. A lot of fanfic writers seem to love that.


    They could've done a vignette-style episode focusing on 2-3 different hunters and the Winchesters in an advisory capacity like Bobby. And ofcourse, I mean serious, dedicated, badass hunters we used to get - like Sam and Dean in early seasons or Jo or Ash or Gordon or Tamara - not amateur/comic-relief, joke hunters like Krissy or Charlie or Garth. A few badass hunters like that should be able to carry the episode and it would give the writers a chance to show how far the Winchesters have come as hunters.



    Or they could've done a "post-mortem of the case" episode - with the real FBI rolling into the town after the Winchesters have left to figure out what the hell happened there and trying to piece things together from the evidence left behind. You could have wildy different versions of Sam and Dean from each individual witnesses' POV (something like in Leverage's Rashomon Job) - they could even be played by different actors.



    Sure, episodes with minimal J&J usually fall flat - on the other hand, we've had some good ones like that like "In the Beginning" and "Curious Case..." and "Weekend at Bobby's". Actors wanting time-off is no excuse for substandard story-telling.

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  12. Your post implied that Jared intentionally asked for time off so he could be w/his wife and kids. You made no mention of Jensen asking for time off; you only spoke about Jared. That makes it seem like Jared is some sort of diva/jerk - IMO - who is unwilling to do his job.

    From what I've read, BOTH Jared AND Jensen want as much time off as humanly possible. They are unwilling to work the schedules they did in the past. They don't want to carry the show anymore, so they probably negotiated reduced work schedules and the inclusion of other regulars so the work load is not just carried by them.

    That, however, is the problem w/the Carver years so far. Supernatural is NOT an ensemble show. It never was, and trying to force it to be is what's ruining the show, IMO. If we had good writers, they might be able to pull it off, but the team we have is incapable of quality writing.

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  13. They have started to underestimate the viewers' ability to see subtle parallels. I think it started with that horrible Ghostfacers episode where we were supposed to suddenly realize that Ed and Harry's relationship was somehow similar to Sam and Dean's... I hate it when they force-feed us obvious parallels.

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  14. SPN problem is they don't have a legit one two three punch on writers. Most time you don't know what you will get out of them. The situation you want to have is kinda like baseball when you have your 1,2,3 best pitcher starters to go out there in give their best, in you know they will knock it out the park. But in SPN case they just have a bunch of inconstant relievers from the bull pin just trying to feel in space. When the show lost writers in the past they should of did a better job with retooling.

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  15. That, however, is the problem w/the Carver years so far. Supernatural is
    NOT an ensemble show. It never was, and trying to force it to be is
    what's ruining the show, IMO. If we had good writers, they might be
    able to pull it off, but the team we have is incapable of quality
    writing.


    Actually, I've always thought that with the right cast additions, Supernatural could work as a great ensemble show. I liked the episodes in season 2 where Ellen, Jo, Ash and Bobby were helping them out. Pamela was a good addition and so was Rufus. In the recent years, Kevin was shaping up to be a nice addition. At this point in their lives, I can easily imagine Sam and Dean taking on a Bobby-like role and helping relatively new, raw hunters. That could be their ensemble cast.



    The problem with current storyline is that neither Cas nor Crowley can be regular additions to the Team Winchester. They are simply too powerful to feature in MotW episodes, so they have to be given their own storylines. Which makes the show appear disjointed and haphazard as if it is trying to meld three shows in one. What it needs is an ensemble cast that supports Sam and Dean without stealing focus.

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  16. Carver said he is going to do GoT-like format, few parallel storylines. Problem is he is not G. Martin.

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  17. I don't get that, because the show has had the same seasonal structure from season 4 on, nothings really changed pacing wise.

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  18. But would you go to your boss and demand time off so you can be w/your family as if you are special or deserving of something others aren't? I'm sure Jensen wants time off to be w/his wife and daughter, right? What about the key grip, the producer, or the lighting guy? Those people probably have families they would likely rather be with than on set for hours setting up for the show. It is a team effort so I'm not sure why Jared would think he gets the privilege of doing no work but still collecting a check?!?!

    My point is we all have to work in this world. Jared has a job. He seems to be prof'l so I highly doubt he went to his bosses and demanded time off to be w/his family even if that is ultimately what he wanted (and got). That description of what may have happened does not, IMO, paint Jared in a very positive light. As I said, it makes him seem like a diva or an entitled, obnoxious celebrity, IMO, and I don't think he is that way.

    Negotiating a new contract that may lighten your workload through your agent is not obnoxious to me. I believe that IS something Jared AND Jensen did. They probably asked for other regulars (i.e., Misha and Mark) so they don't have to be on set so much. I have my own issues w/their request, but that is for another post. But going to your boss and saying, "Look, I want to be w/my family so you need to write Sam out of as many scripts as you can" is beyond obnoxious, IMO.

    **** And for the record, I do NOT believe Jared said anything like I posted in the above sentence. I think he and Jensen got their agents to renegotiate their contracts, which included the perks of them getting a lighter workload. But I'm just speculating w/everyone else. ****

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  19. There is a part of me that truly believes this show simply doesn't work as an ensemble feature. But then I also recognized that a talented, invested writer can work wonders so I think the show could have been an ensemble when Rufus and Bobby were around. I always felt Henrickson was killed too quickly. He would have made a good FBI ally for the boys. I am one of the few (I believe) who like the Campbells . . . . not crazy Samuel but the rest were cool. Honestly, Samuel shouldn't have been so crazy and then we could have had the Campbells as allies. Right now, there are no secondary/guest characters on the show I care enough about to want to watch their solo episodes.

    For instance, I hate Charlie. I don't want to see any episodes about her. I liked Garth, but he is a werewolf now, and i wouldn't want to watch an episode all about his werewolf life. I hated last year's 4A and thought this year's Jodi episode was just okay. I have no burning desire to see Jodi or Donna again. I never liked Kate. Castiel and Crowley are in horrible stories this year. Just horrible. They have fallen victim to the same problem plaguing Sam and Dean: the writers are clueless as to what to do w/them. There is just no direction this year, IMO.

    Anyway, I think better writing and an invested, interested showrunner with knowledge of the show's history and characters would resolve many of our issues.

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  20. Well when I tell my boss I want to quit becouse of reasons but he really wants me to stay becouse of reasons we agree on part time. There is that. But I think our discussion here is pointless becouse we both don't know and will never know.

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  21. I still see how people don't get that Metatron's spell clipped all the angel's wings in addition to locking up Heaven. Meaning no angel can teleport, and access to and from Earth is done through portal which is guarded by an angel sentry on Earth. Angel's still have most of their powers to varying levels, telekinesis/healing/etc...


    Cas isn't coughing or weak because he was given Adina's grace by Crowley in "Soul Survivor," Cas is essentially at "full power" with the borrowed grace. For someone that nitpicks, you really don't pay much attention to what is going on.

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  22. So basically, when Ksana said "there is a possibility Jared intentionally downscaled his involvement in S10 in order to get as much time off", you interpreted it as "he went to his bosses and demanded time off to be w/his family"? I think you are reading a lot of implications that simply aren't there.

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  23. Not really - seasons 4 & 5 followed the seasonal structure of previous seasons - they had 1 big mytharc for whole seasons and a consistent direction for character development.



    Since then, we've more or less had "2 arcs in 1 season" format. Season 6 had Soulless Sam as focus of the first and actual mythology took off after that. Similarly, Crazy!Sam if season 7 lasted about half a season. Season 8 had Amelia-and-Benny drama for half and trials and MoL for the rest. Season 9 had Gadreel as Sam drama for half and Metatron and MoC for the rest.



    Here, as of this episode, I can't see any specific theme development or plot advancement. Dean could've had his current state of mind as soon as he was cured and that would make sense. Cas is pretty much the same guy he was last season - I'm not seeing much of character development there. Cole had no impact whatsoever.
    The only theme being consistently developed this year so far seems to be Crowley's workplace difficulties and his abandonment issues - and frankly, both of them make the once magnificent King of Hell look pathetic.

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  24. Hopefully, it doesn't become like The Simpson's and go on for almost thirty years! These guys are clearly running out of ideas, this show was fun and exciting at one point, but this season is just dull and boring! They didn't have demon dean there long enough, character story arcs were closed way too early. Not even worth watching anymore sadly :(

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  25. I loved your gripe review for this episode, which in my opinion was the worst Supernatural episode ever! I came to watch Sam and Dean kick some monster ass, and what do we get instead???? Some boring plots about abandonment issues! I can see what the point was with Crowley and Rowena, it gave both of them a little bit of development and also seeing how manipulative Rowena could be.(She is going to have him wrapped around her finger, I can feel it!) I hope they are leading somewhere with her character. She seems like she will be a great villain and will hopefully save season 10. As far as Claire goes.... I really hope she either becomes a main character, who helps, or joins the boys on cases, or is a plot device to move the story forward(I have a feeling that she has Cas's grace inside of her still because he did posses her). Other than those two things, she really does not serve a purpose. There was no need for them to centre an entire episode around her, let alone the mid-season finale! Talk about false advertising! They really need to get back to having the story focus on Sam and Dean saving the day, not all these side characters and their issues! Cas really hasn't had a purpose since at least season 6!

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  26. Actually, I'd say the season finales prove that the writers can still have great ideas - they just do a piss-poor job of executing them. Trials to close the gates of hell was an awesome development - but then they chickened out last minute and made up and excuse about how it'd kill Sam. Angels falling and bringing the heavenly disputes to earth also had a lot of potential - but then all the factions simply fizzled out without any significant screentime. Dean turning into a demon was another shocker and it brought a lot of people back for season 10 - and we all know how that turned out.

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  27. I think the problem is that writers don't really care. Ratings are good, they don't need to fight for five more seasons, cause it's already season ten, so they are acting like Hey i don'tneed to come up with anything clever or interesting. All we need is someone with ambitions, not Carver, who clearly doesnt have any and who is so long on SPN that he doesn't feel like trying anymore. I really hope they are going to change a showrunner. I had nothing against sera gamble, I think that even though show was a little different, she understood the way it supposed to be and she did really good job. But who they supposed to pick now? Andrew dabb? Oh God please no. Maybe someone new should come, but it has to be a preson that is actually willing to make something good out of it and will watch previous seasons to avoid breaking canon. Or... If only Edlund come back...

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  28. i m completely disappointed with this season.no real danger or motive like apocalypse or closing the gates of hell.i m beginning to think its time for them to close the shop. this is coming from a hardcore fan.i thought demon dean will be entertaining but it was exactly opposite.

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  29. doctor who this season finale was disappointing.
    many old shows r losing their flair clearly

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  30. I was responding to this:


    but coming from cons and tweets there is a possibility Jared intentionally downscaled his involvement in S10 in order to get as much time off as possible to spend time with his 2 little kids and wife.


    When I read that, I think "obnoxious, entitled celebrity." But that's just me.

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  31. THANK YOU!


    I'm not sure why people think Jared and Jensen are entitled to all this time off and to basically do no work but still collect their expensive paychecks while the show goes in the toilet?!?!?!


    They are the ones who signed up to be on a two-lead show. Both had been in the business before and knew what being on a two-lead show meant. FF 10 years, and now they don't want to be on set all the time and do all the work, which is understandable but the show shouldn't suffer for it.


    I know this is getting subjective, but I don't think the show is as good when they are not dominate in the episodes. I think it's been too long to make this a real ensemble show at this point. So, if J2 are sick of being on the show, then the writers should be thinking of how they are going to end the show. If the boys knew S11 was the last, they might re-commit to the show and be more willing to give it their all so the last season is explosive and memorable instead of mediocre and bad.


    JMO though.

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  32. That's what I said.

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  33. They entitled for whatever the heck they put in their contract. This is what contract negotiation is: you can negotiate and get what you want. Not just actors - any kind of contract.
    They signed for 6 years (standard), then resigned for 6-8,then 9-10. I bet last contract was much different then first.
    And I am not sure why people think that actors (or whoever) is obligated to do whatever fans think they have to. Kripke walked away 5 years ago - his rights. Many writers and cast-crew members moved on.
    And their "fat" paycheck is not that fat comparing to how much tv leads on other channels make. Being on assemble cast shows.
    Anyway, JMO: they entitled to work as much as they want (or retire) as much as all of us entitled to be unhappy about the show and stop watching.
    And this is my last post for that matter.

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  34. First off, I don't nitpick. I write a sprawling review which, I assure you,is much more butt flattening and labor intensive than simple nitpicking.


    Secondly, if according to your analysis the only power the angels lost is their ability to teleport and go back to Heaven, then why didn't Castiel read Claire's mind before she could lift his wallet? Why didn't he simply put her to sleep by doing the forehead touch thingie he did with Bobby and spare himself and Sam and Dean a gun in their faces? And why, when they stormed the bad guy's lair, didn't he do the same thing with all those thugs, instead of leaving Dean to get beat up by them? The thing that bothers me is that everything with the angels seems so random. He blows the one guy who opens the door out of the doorway, but he doesn't do the same with the rest of them, or anyone else who threatened him so far for that matter. He gets beaten up and tied to a chair by a second tier reaper, yet this season we see him go after angels with Hannah.


    The same goes for the stolen grace thing. I still can't wrap my head around the mechanics of that. If grace is just the battery juice that powers the angels then what was that white substance that escaped Hannah when she left Caroline's body? Was that just her battery juice or her core persona as well? I'm guessing it's the latter because after it was gone, Hannah was gone too and Cas was left with Caroline. So is the angel personality attached to the grace? Then how many personalities does Castiel have in him now and where is his own if his grace is missing?


    Also I could clearly remember them saying the reason Castiel was feeling ill was that the borrowed grace was incompatible with him. That's why Hannah went to Metatron to get Cas' own grace back, right? Then how come the new grace isn't incompatible anymore and Castiel can walk around with it blowing people out of doorways?

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  35. I had trouble getting the comments section to show, but finally made it, and I don't know how I got the poster name "Lyla," since I am Ginger, but whatever. I think I'm just going to give a few points, because there is just so much wrong with the show now (and this episode, which I think you covered well) there is really beginning point. So here is my super duper Gripe:

    I am livid that they used the promo and the sneak peak to viewer bait that this would be an episode about the MoC just to get high numbers for the winter finale. That is unethical business practices and shows a huge amount of disrespect for a long-term loyal fanbase who have kept this show on the air all these years.

    Dabb is notorious for disrespecting the previous history, the entire premise of this show. He changed Dean's backstory in Bad Boys and did it again here. Never, never, would the Dean we saw in S1-5 have mouthed off to John, and never, ever in front of Sam. It would have given Sam too much ammunition to use against John. I believe this little story was written only because JDM is going to the Las Vegas convention, so a little plug there -- much like we got a 42 minute commercial for the SPN Clue game.

    Of course, Dabb is writing an upcoming 'love letter' to Sam (About a Boy) -- the same old tit for tat, what one brother gets, the other gets, so we'll see how much he trashes Sam's backstory. It should be interesting, because Dabb doesn't write Sam well at all anyway.

    I have to wonder if all of the writers are developing spec scripts they hope to sell to a network and are just throwing something together to hand in as a SPN script while their focus is elsewhere.

    Yeah, Charlie's episode will be the second one (Jan 27th) airing after the show comes back. The clip was of two or three (two, I think) upcoming episodes. It was filmed out of order to accommodate Felicia Day's schedule -- and isn't that just lovely. I don't know why they bothered to bump it, though, since every episode is dedicated to some one-off or recurring character that nobody cares about.

    I can sum up this season quite easily: Cas/Hannah = Boring. Cas/Claire = Boring. Cole = Pointless. Crowley/Rowena = Boring (I can't believe how they have ruined Crowley's character, but they did it with Bobby, so it shouldn't have been a surprise). Sam/Dean = Who? Oh, yeah, those other two guys that make cameos once in a while.

    Since the writers no longer care and the two leads are no longer essential, it is time to wrap this show up.

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  36. My thing with the Js light work load is that they did not have to buy homes in Texas right now and be away from their families. Both of them could have rented houses in Vancouver and had their families near. None of the kids are in school and both wives have put their careers on hold. I can do with a few light Winchester episodes in a season, but every one of them for half a season is too much. Also, if they brought Misha and Mark onboard to lighten the load, then at least give them a story that somehow fits into one overall mytharc. As it stands right now, we have one with mommy issues and one with daddy issues and the Winchesters with no story. Yeah, we have been promised a MoC arc sometime down the line, but with the way the showrunner and writers lie, who knows if there will be -- or maybe we will get the two final episodes of the season with that story.


    In other words, the Winchesters are the show in this series. They renewed their contracts; that was their choice, and I want to see a show about them -- not teenage girls and other one-off characters I have no interest in.

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  37. Actually, it's up to $175K per episode.

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  38. Already said it in another thread. I'm just commenting on the things that were mentioned in this review.

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  39. First dead weight I would like to see go is Carver.

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  40. #8. I was upset with Claire when she did not get that her dad saved her life and took Cas back so she would not have to. I am so tired of bratty kids on this show.

    I wish they would never bring Charlie back, she has to "save" the guys in every ep and treat them like idiots.

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  41. You have this completely right, Tessa. Neither of the Winchesters had a story this season and that is the problem.


    Like you, I am enjoying Sam for the first time in five years. I hope they don't mess around with him again. I have great worries for Dean's character, though. What we have got so far is a poorly done poached demon-blood Sam story.

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  42. Great review, Tessa! I always look forward to your reviews and thoughts.


    I agree w/much of what you have said. This has been a very disappointing season of Supernatural. IMO, each Carver season has gotten progressively worse than the one before it. I love that the brothers are not in some manufactured, contrived angst this year, but them being happy together is not enough to make me a happy viewer. I still need a good story. I still need good writing. I still need engaging, interesting episodes, and sadly, we don't have any of that this year, IMO.


    As far as this episode is concerned, surprisingly, I did not hate it. I didn't even find it boring except for the Crowley/Rowena scenes. Those were boring to me, but the Claire stuff wasn't awful. I felt bad for Claire. She wasn't too obnoxious or annoying to me. I feel she has a right to be upset w/Castiel since he basically blew apart her family.


    That said, this story was not one I ever expected to see on Supernatural since it had NO supernatural elements. The stepfather/foster dad wasn't a demon. The thugs weren't demons or monsters. It was just very strange. It didn't have the same feel as "The Benders" or "Family Matters" where the monsters turned out to be humans; this felt more than a soap opera or a primetime drama. So, while I didn't hate the story, I felt it was out of place on Supernatural.


    I would like to add a gripe about Sam. I didn't think it made any sense for Sam to NOT stay w/Dean. It was a clunky, badly executed way to get him out of the house. Sam should have immediately known Dean was not behind him and should have gone back for his brother. To see Sam waiting in the car like everything was cool brought back memories of the horrible (IMO) "Bad Boys." There was no need to write Sam in such a stupid way when Sam could have been dealing w/some thugs upstairs or on the outside of the house while Dean was going all MOC-crazy inside the house.


    I also want to gripe about not actually seeing Dean going crazy. Why deny us that scene? I would have rather cut all the Crowley/Rowena scenes for a scene of Dean killing all those guys.


    I will miss your "Road So Far" gripe, but I understand why you don't feel it's necessary. So far, for me, this season has been pretty awful. There is not one episode I would gladly watch again. I can only hope the 2nd half of the season is much better!

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  43. Again, this is subjective, but in MY opinion, the show does not work as well when they are not dominate in the episodes. I don't care to see Jared and Jensen guest starring in their own freakin' show. I can't speak for anyone else, but I watch to see Sam and Dean. I'm not watching to see if Jodi and her adopted daughter make up or if Claire gets a new foster home or if Crowley makes up w/his mom. I'm watching for Sam and Dean. That's it.


    And, of course, they can negotiate whatever they want in their contracts. I never stated otherwise. I simply said doing so has had a negative impact on the overall show in MY opinion.


    That said, I refuse to feel sorry for them re: long work hours, etc. They are paid quite well, and this is job they signed up for so . . . . . .


    JMO though. YMMV.

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  44. I wish that I could like this a load more times.

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  45. Once again, I wish that I could like this a bunch of times! The season finales always get me really excited for the show next season! Then nothing ever happens.

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  46. No idea if you know but maybe you will. What happened to the ghosts? They couldn't cross over because of Metatrons spell. We haven't had that mentioned to my knowledge since Kevin walked away with his mother.

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  47. Great post! I couldn't agree more w/every word you've written. You actually stated my feelings on the whole "light workload" thing much better than I have been doing.

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  48. Borrowed grace eventually burns away, which is why it was killing him. The more he uses any of his angelic powers the weaker it will make him. In season 9 he was at full power when he stole the grace, by the end of the season, beginning of 10 the grace was burning away and killing him. He gets another dose of grace, and is back to full power, but it will eventually burn away. Also, April was able to take him prisoner in season 9 because he was human.


    Grace is just a battery, what we saw leave Caroline was the angel. It just looks the same because they needed/wanted a better visual for angel's vacating a body then a flash of light.

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  49. But the pacing of episodes has not changed. They are still, first 3 or 5 mythology, then next 3 or 4 MotW, and then alternating mythology MotW episodes. That's how the show has been structured since season 4.

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  50. My complaint is fanfic sex scene. They write a sex scene between fav characters and throw fluff to give meaning to the scene. They wrote the ep to give them a story around the Dean going wacko on the bad guys. That should of been the but from the beginning. I could of cared less for screechy annoying Claire.

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  51. Pacing is more than just about what an individual episode is focused on. Earlier, even the MotW episodes used to either move the story forward a bit or provide some character development. For example, consider these MotW episodes:

    4x04 - Metamorphosis - Sam becoming a monster.
    4x06 - Yellow Fever - Dean's fears about Sam.
    4x08 - Wishful Thinking - Dean's PTSD from hell.
    5x05 - Fallen Idols - Side-effects of Apocalyopse
    5x09 - Real Ghostbusters - Location of the Colt
    6x05 - Live Free or Twihard - Revelation about Sam.

    And so on.

    Earlier, even the MotW episodes often played an important role in arc development. Missing one would often result in missing critical plot points. However, from this season, the only MotW episode of any relevance would be "Ask Jeeves" - and even that wasn't a very significant development. Having multiple MotW episodes completely divorced from the main arc is a feature of recent seasons.

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  52. Dabb is notorious for disrespecting the previous history, the entire
    premise of this show. He changed Dean's backstory in Bad Boys and did
    it again here. Never, never, would the Dean we saw in S1-5 have mouthed
    off to John, and never, ever in front of Sam. It would have given Sam
    too much ammunition to use against John.


    Actually, this part didn't bother me much. First of all, Dean was a teenager and I doubt that he was a perfect little obedient son with absolutely no lapses through all of it. Second, Dean's obedience is more apparent during the hunts and it is likely that John would turn a blind eye towards his other activities like not studying or sneaking around with girls - so its likely that Dean didn't expect his dad to care about him getting drunk. Third, he had always had a bad boy image to maintain and most certainly would not appreciate his dad ruining it by dragging him home - so, him being angry makes sense. Fourth, he was drunk at the time - so his normal attitude towards his dad might be a bit compromised. Fifth, I don't think Sam was there with John - a more likely scenario is John left Sam back at the motel and Sam heard the whole thing second-hand.

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  53. if according to your analysis the only power the angels lost is their
    ability to teleport and go back to Heaven, then why didn't Castiel read
    Claire's mind before she could lift his wallet?

    Because the dynamics of mind-reading aren't that simple - angels don't automatically read every mind they come across and it is unclear how deep they can go - otherwise they'd be using this ability in every fight and would never be caught by surprise attacks, as they often are. Further, I'm guessing intruding on minds is considered rude even among them.

    Why didn't he simply put her to sleep by doing the forehead touch
    thingie he did with Bobby and spare himself and Sam and Dean a gun in
    their faces?

    Because at that point he wanted her to come with them of her own free will - not kidnap her forcefully.

    And why, when they stormed the bad guy's lair, didn't he do the same
    thing with all those thugs, instead of leaving Dean to get beat up by
    them?

    Because he already had Claire and the bad guys were cornered and not a current threat - so he didn't feel the need to waste any time on them.

    The thing that bothers me is that everything with the angels seems so
    random. He blows the one guy who opens the door out of the doorway, but
    he doesn't do the same with the rest of them, or anyone else who
    threatened him so far for that matter.

    The other guys were being held at gunpoint and didn't need blowing away. Just because he has the power doesn't mean he goes around using it willy-nilly.

    He gets beaten up and tied to a chair by a second tier reaper, yet this season we see him go after angels with Hannah.

    He wasn't an angel at that point.

    If grace is just the battery juice that powers the angels then what was
    that white substance that escaped Hannah when she left Caroline's body?
    Was that just her battery juice or her core persona as well? I'm
    guessing it's the latter because after it was gone, Hannah was gone too
    and Cas was left with Caroline. So is the angel personality attached to
    the grace? Then how many personalities does Castiel have in him now and
    where is his own if his grace is missing?

    Yes, angel personality is attached to the grace - so they normally move together when the angel is shifting bodies. But I'm guessing it a detachable battery and can be forcefully detached - like Anna when she fell or Cas with Metatron or Cas with the other angels whose grace he took.

    Also I could clearly remember them saying the reason Castiel was feeling
    ill was that the borrowed grace was incompatible with him. That's why
    Hannah went to Metatron to get Cas' own grace back, right? Then how come
    the new grace isn't incompatible anymore and Castiel can walk around
    with it blowing people out of doorways?


    He will - if you give him long enough. It was the same last season - he got his power back in episode 10 - the grace lasted him without any ill-effectss for half a season plus 3/4 months of hiatus - and then he started showing signs of illness.

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  54. Two things:


    You keep saying "all this time off" and "basically do no work" - except, reduced workload is not the same thing as "doing no work" and it doesn't mean that they are "collecting checks for free". You seem to be the only one who interprets it that way.



    Secondly, the show isn't suffering due to their reduced work hours, it is suffering due to poor writing. It is quite possible for Sam and Dean to dominate the episode even without having the J's in every possible scene. Reduced work hours mean less scenes requiring their presence - not less involvement in the storyline.

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  55. I know Dabb just wrote The Things We Left Behind. I think that Adam Glass wrote About a Boy. There was talk of it on Twitter.

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  56. I couldn't agree with you more that Dean/MoC story is a lame rehash of Sam's demon blood story. I am happy seeing what we are getting with Sam but I do want them to start to really get Sam's POV going. I want to see how Sam is being effected by Dean having the MoC and his struggles to find a way to save his big brother.

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  57. It is like the writers deliberately want Sam out of the important scenes. I still can't understand why.

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  58. I am a little weary on this as well especially since he thought that Mothers Little Helper last season was full of Sam POV. That episode just had Sam doing a hunt on his own while Dean "looking" for answers on the mark.

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  59. The problem is that this is the first season where we are NOT seeing things from Dean's perspective. Dean has been set back from the audience, but not one character has replaced him. I think that is because the episodes have been about other characters and their stories. The result is that we don't see how Sam is being affected by Dean, but we don't know what Dean is thinking either. We don't know how he felt about being a demon. "It's embarrassing" just doesn't cut it for a guy that carries guilt around by the bucket loads. We don't know how he feels about Sam now. Is all the hurtful things Sam said last year over and forgotten? Did it have no effect on Dean whatsoever? We don't know how he feels about what Sam did to find him.
    What the writers have done, for fear of upsetting any fan faction is watered everything done until it is nothing, and we are left with 'bro moments.' And can I just say that those heartfelt BM's have amounted to one scene of Sam teasing Dean about online dating and one quick scene of them watching The Tree Stooges. Absolutely nothing else has gone on between them. Personally, I am not feeling it. I need more depth and heart...and we are not going to get it until the writers get some interest in their craft and this show.

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  60. I would love to know what that is about too. It's so strange and awkward the way Sam leaves scenes so Dean can have private moments w/the guest/recurring stars. Are they incapable of giving Sam lines w/those people? Could Sam possibly be the one who has the "final" conversation for once?



    It is never done in a natural way like when Dean left so Sam and that college girl could chat back in S1 or when Sam left so Dean and Cassie could chat. Those times did not feel awkward, but Sam exiting the scene so Dean can privately chat w/Charlie, Krissy, and Garth is just weird when Sam is just as connected (at least I thought he was) to those people as Dean is.


    As usual, Sam was completely unnecessary to that bar scene w/Castiel. He was so unnecessary and didn't contribute anything other than awkward chiming in that I feel he should have just been given that weird John story to tell. Sam comes way off as way more rebellious and more likely to shout "I hate you" than Dean. Plus, at least then, Sam would have contributed something to the scene.

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  61. I completely agree w/you about many of your statements wondering how the brothers as well get their money not just Cass and was bothered that Cass never said to Claire her father was willing to make the sacrifice and honored to give up his life.for God and it was discussed with him he could've said no but my issue is I saw this episode already anyone else view episodes in the NEW season they previously saw

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  62. Yes, Yes! YES!!

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  63. Why do you write Gripe Reviews? Unless someone has a line directly to the show runner and the writers it seems a bit negative to ALWAYS focus on the short comings. The show should have ended in S5, Sam should have died saving the Earth, Dean was supposed to go on with his life but instead they continued it. No amount of complaints will EVER bring the old show back the way people loved it. So why complain?

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  64. I feel that we currently have too many secondary characters with storylines that are completely independent of each other and, at this point in time, don't appear to intersect or have a common demnominator to create a cohesive story that unfolds to show a relationship to the greater arc. Now, that being said, everything could change in one episode and we could start to understand how all of these characters and their stories are really part of a bigger story that is being told in a very subtle way.

    I am concerned that Cass lost his GRACE at the beginning of Season 9 and here we are in Season 10 and that story has not moved forward with the exception of Crowley's intervention. This is a general concern that I have with the season is the writers don't seem to be moving the ball forward towards a clear goal or end. This could all be intentional and I am hopeful and optimistic that all will come together and intersect in a climactic moment or episode where we will be like "OMG" I didn't see that coming and that was awesome. I just don't want to have to waddle through an entire season to see resolution to problems that have been around for well over a season now.

    I am hopeful that there will be a meaningful point to the Claire storyline other than it was created to fill time in epsidoes. I'm sure the writers have a clear plan here - it's just hard to see what they may have in store for us. Rowena seemed interesting to me, at first, but has become tedious to watch and not very entertaining. Again, I hope this will all be amped up so that Rowena's purpose and role will have meaning to the story and to the viewers. Crowley is amazing and I am hopeful he will be given more substance to work with and not portrayed as a mama's boy who couldn't see what was right in front of him.

    Season 10 was promoted as being about DEANMON but it's hard to tell if that was just promotional or real. The pacing this season and the way the episodes have been organized (or presented) don't seem logical and don't seem to carry a lot from one episode to the next save a last minute Dean does something dark just for the sake of the DEANMON story or Rowena manipulates Crowley for just a few minutes and then the scene cuts to Claire with no resolution to what Rowena was up to and no linear script to anticipate when, where and why Rowena will be back other than screen time needed to be filled. I think Season 10 has a lot of good ideas but lacks strong execution on any idea and just throws way too much at the viewer. As a viewer I am confused - am I invested in any character's story? Do I know more about Sam or Dean or their relationship because Dean was turned into a demon and what the impact of that was on the two of them? The writers have given me a little here and a little there but not enough to draw me in and make me care. There are so many wonderful opportunities for Season 10 and I hope that all will be realized with a little more time. I do get the feeling that the writers wrote Dean as a demon at the end of Season 9 for dramatic effect and then didn't really know what to do with the story in Season 10 so I feel a little short changed not allowing Dean to explore that darkness. I also would like a lot more back story on what Sam has done to save Dean or find Dean because he has a lot of making up to do for not looking for Dean for an entire year when he was in purgagtory.

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