Supernatural

Sam and Dean coming to the aid of Bobby Singer was awesome. He's the closest thing they have to a father — Dean admitted as much — so it was refreshing to see them rescue him for a change. I mean, it's usually the Winchesters that are calling him up whenever they need an exorcism ritual, some expert information, a case or a way to save their asses. It was different seeing Bobby act so scared in his dreams. His screaming out "help me" just wasn't him. He's the stoic, in control one. He's the scruffy, kind of cranky demon hunter who knows everything about everything and can keep the brothers in line and on the right track. Sam and Dean dreamwalking to save their friend was a beautiful thing. Plus, it helped us learn more about Bobby. He was forced to kill his wife who happened to be possessed at the time. You can tell Bobby felt this tremendous amount of guilt. This was the act that propelled him into the demon hunting business. He didn't know what he knew now. He didn't know there were ways he maybe could have saved her. Kudos to Jim Beaver for getting more to do this time around. Plus, we didn't see him with a hat for a good portion of the episode.

My favorite part of the episode had to be when a dreamwalking Dean met his evil twin, black eyes and all. I know we've seen his insecurities thrown back in his face time after time. But seriously, it doesn't get old for me. Especially when it finally helps him come to the realization that he doesn't want to go to hell. It was difficult to watch some of the double-Dean stuff. The Evil One was talking about how worthless Dean is. He was basically expanding on what the Yellow-Eyed Demon said in "Devil's Trap." He went way past the "your family doesn't need you as much as you need them" bit the Demon said while in Big Daddy Winchester's meat suit. This time, his own nasty self hit some pretty angst-inducing territory and confirmed some of the things I knew he thought about himself:

"You've got nothing outside of Sam."
"Do you even have an original thought?"

And he revealed a couple things I didn't realize he was thinking:

"He's the one who couldn't protect his family."
"He's the one who let mom die!"

I think the scenes between evil Dean and our Dean were seamless, yet painful to watch. Jensen, once again, did an amazing job. The two Deans looked different, acted different and carried themselves differently. And once again, just like in "Skin", Dean shot himself. That has to mean something in a dream sense as well. I liked to hear that Dean had issues with BDW. He wasn't just a mindless soldier. He really thought he was doing the best for his family.

Things I want to know:
Last week, we got to see Ruby and Dean interact. This week, we saw Sam and Bela interact in a whole different way. I was kind of shocked when Sam fantasized about Bela without having taken any of that African dream root yet. What does this mean? Is he simply horny? Or does a drooling Sam really have a thing for Bela? I mean, the girl shot him once upon a time. And all it took was for Dean to mention her name and presto, he's fantasizing about her while he's sleeping. While I was confused by this occurrence, I have to admit I thought it was funny when Sam needed a second before he could go over to help Dean. And when he saw her in person, he was such a geek, it was kinda funny. Jared did a good job with that scene.

What can we interpret from Lisa being in Dean's dream? She mentioned Ben and had a picnic set up for him. And she said: "Dean, I love you." Is that what Dean wants from life? Does he just want some woman he loves to love him back? Does this mean that he loves Lisa? Or is she just a representation of the kind of life he wants? Does he want a family of his own? Sammy got to see Lisa too. I was kind of disappointed that that was all Sammy got to see while dreamwalking through Dean's mind.

Other thoughts:
• I know a lot of Supernatural fans are wondering where the classic rock went. I know it hasn't been the fourth character that it has been in the past two seasons. But we did get a Doobie Brothers song ("Long Train Runnin'") when Sam was drinking at the bar. By the way, we got some drunk Sammy again — that hasn't happened since "Playthings." He was all broody and lamenting the fact he doesn't think he can save Dean. His helplessness over not being able to rescue his brother caused him to get inebriated to the tune of whiskey. Poor Sammy.

• Speaking of the music, I do have to say I totally miss the classic rock recaps at the beginning of the episode. We're due another one. I hope they make a comeback eventually.

• I'm feeling a couple different things about Bela stealing the Colt. Let me preface this by saying, I'm not as much of a Bela-detractor as a lot of other Supernatural fans are. I didn't even mind Sammy having that fantasy about her (that) much. But I do get tired of her stealing crap from Sam and Dean. It makes them look ridiculous. On the other hand, I really never liked the Colt being back in action. I thought it was too easy. For me, the Colt was always this larger than life weapon that the demons were afraid of. I wish the Colt had stayed gone after John sold it along with his soul to the Demon in order to save Dean's life. Now, demons can stop the bullets mid-air, it doesn't have the same mystique. Having Ruby resurrect the gun isn't one of my favorite aspects of this season. I hope the thing stays gone. I'm really into Ruby's demon-killing knife. Sam and Dean need to make that knife their own. After all, Dean just killed Tammi the suburban demon with it in last week's episode.

• Loved caffeine-freak Dean. Kind of like I loved a whiskey-fied Sam. Loved Dean being Bobby's emergency contact.

• That messed up test subject that turned out to be the dreamwalking, bat-wielding bad guy really beat up on Sam, at least until Sammy conjured up the guy's abusive dad. Why do you think Bobby asked Sam if he were able to manipulate things in Dean's dream because of his psychic abilities? Is this alluding to something in the future? Sam hasn't been exhibiting any of his psychic-ness for a while. So why mention it now? Could the visions and telekinesis and whatever else possibly make a comeback sometime soon?

• Having to drink Bobby's hair along with the African dream root = gross!

• I watched next week's preview, and I have to say that it just about broke my heart. I can't wait until next Thursday!

Favorite Lines:
"Dude, it's Bobby." "Yeah, you're right."
"Crap." "What?" "Bela." "Bela? Crap."
"Who were you dreaming about?" "What? No one. Nothing." "Come on, you can tell me. Angelina Jolie?" "No." "Brad Pitt?" "No! No!"
"Nice to see you. Bela."
"You're not gonna die. I'm not gonna let you die. You're like a father to me."
"Dean you didn't." "I was thirsty."
"Thanks for the news flash, Edison."
"I mean your car, that's dad's. Your favorite leather jacket? Dad's. Your music? Dad's. Do you even have an original thought? No."
"My father was an obsessed bastard! All that crap he dumped on me about protecting Sam. That was his crap!"
"I didn't deserve what he put on me. And I didn't deserve to go to hell."
"I don't want to die. I don't want to go to hell." "All right, yeah. We'll find a way to save you."

All right, let's have it. What did you think about Sam and Bela?
Did you like learning more about Bobby?
How about Dean - what did you think about his confrontation with himself?

Until next week, catch some Supernatural in our Online Video Guide.

"There's no saving me from the pit, is there?" "No."

That one line was pretty devastating to hear. It makes me wonder if Dean will have to at least make a temporary trip down to hell before Sam figures out a way to save him. I don't know about you guys, but I'm really happy our show is back, even if it is for four episodes. It felt good to be able to watch a brand spankin' new Supernatural after almost seven weeks off the air. At times "Malleus Maleficarum" reminded me of a horror movie, a bizarro episode of Charmed with a little Desperate Housewives thrown in for good measure; a sort of demonic Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood if you will.

First of all, I've said this before, I've got to say it again. This season is more bloody and more violent than it's ever been before. Janet pulling out her teeth; Amanda's wrists getting slashed; necks being broken; maggot sandwiches; Winchesters getting slammed against walls; Dean spitting up blood on the floor of his motel room...TPTB have really upped the ante on the horror portion of the show. Normally, I'd be running the other way, but I'm seriously enjoying how sick this show gets when killing off the victims-of-the-week. Does that make me a bad person? At this point I'm wondering how much fake blood the crew goes through on any given episode.

Before I get to the awesomeness that is Sam and Dean, I've got to talk about Ruby. I really thought the character was a plausible addition to this particular episode. Other than me being annoyed with her for nicknaming Dean "short bus" (because apparently the entire demon universe can all agree on one thing: Dean's knowledge-challenged. Whatever.), learning about Ruby was cool, because of what it meant for Dean. It opened up the possibilities of what's ahead should Dean actually have to hit "the pit." It turns out Ruby was human during the days of the plague. She sold her soul to a demon. And it also turns out that once you go to hell, you usually end up becoming a demon. So all the demons she's known? Were once human. Dean needs to find out a way to have that not happen to him, thank you very much. Dean finally meeting Ruby was handled well. The two have an interesting dynamic.

The Winchester bros ruled of course. Who cares if they were arguing in the Impala or almost coming to blows over Ruby. They always have each other's back in the end. When Dean starts doubling over from a massive amount of stomach pain (poor Dean!), it was Sam to the rescue. When he couldn't find the hex bag, he grabbed the Colt and took off to track down those rhymes-with-witches. Did you catch Sammy break down that door? Loved it. Dean's worried about Sam's current black-and-white outlook on life. Sam's all of a sudden subscribing to Dean's point of view that evil is evil and needs to be put down even if it comes in a human package. But there was a reason for his change of tune.

"I'm worried because you're not acting like yourself." "Yeah, you're right. I don't have a choice!" "What do you mean?" "Look, Dean you're leaving, right? And I've got to stay here in this crap hole of a world alone. So the way I see it, if I'm going to make it. If I'm going to fight this war after you're gone, then I gotta change." "Change into what?" "Into you. I've gotta be more like you."

So I'm trying to figure out how I feel about Sam accepting that after Dean's gone he's going to continue to fight the good fight. We've seen this attitude change gradually developing, but to actually hear him finally talk about the future and fighting the war, that's huge. I mean, remember back in Season 1's "Shadow" where he told Dean after the YED was killed he was going back to having a life? Wow. Poor Sammy. If he's going to become more like Dean, he's got lots of really cocky and severely insecure days ahead of him. Although, he'll find a lot of time for the ladies.

Back to Ruby and Dean: She wants Dean to help her get Sam ready to fight the war once he's gone. Ruby seems to be on their side of things, doesn't mind turning on her fellow demons. Why? Because she's one of the few that hasn't forgotten her humanity. Usually hell burns away your humanity and makes you forget who you are. I really hope she's making Dean think about what's going to happen to him. And then maybe he'll muster up the energy to help save himself. Just a thought: do you think Dean's destined to die in order for Sam to fulfill his destiny? Maybe Sam's destiny isn't to be the boy king, but to be the one who brings down the demons looking to destroy humanity on Earth.

Other thoughts:
• I've been waiting for that knife of doom to make a return — glad Dean's the one that got to use it on the big bad demon.

• Dean seemed to enjoy the two chick demons facing off a little too much. Hilarious.

• Sam and Dean find Amanda's dead body. Good for Dean for not leaving any fingerprints at the scene of a crime.

• Marisa Ramirez played Tammi the demon. She was appropriately devilish and catty. If you think you've seen her before you're right. She played "Gia" on ABC's General Hospital; "Carmen" on Young and the Restless; and was in the short-lived supernatural series Miracles that also starred Skeet Ulrich.

• The use of Poison's "Every Rose has its Thorn" totally rocked. Let's just say I may have attended a Poison concert back in the day. I'll leave it at that.

• Speaking of rock 'n roll: Sam and Dean's fake detective names were Bachman and Turner. As in Overdrive. The classic rock references keep on coming.

• The book club fronting for a covern was hilarious as well.

• After Dean yelled at Sam for trusting Ruby, I love that Sam gave it right back to him. All he had to do was mention Dean's sympathy for demon Casey in "Sin City."

• A new demon boss is replacing old Yellow Eyes. Don't think Tammi's the only one that'll be trying to off the YED's chosen one.

Favorite Lines:
"I hate witches. They're always spewing their bodily fluids everywhere. It's creepy. It's downright unsanitary."
"Why does the rabbit always get screwed in the deal." "Poor little guy."
"We're pretty sure she was using the wrong bible."
"Mrs. Renee Van Allen."
"Maybe because he's my brother you black-eyed skank."
"That's a curveball."
"Kill her with what? the gun she fixed for us?"
"Are you feeling okay?" "Why are you always asking me that?"
'You really telling me you threw your chips in with Abbott and Costello here?"
"I saw Hellraiser. I get the gist."
"We're supposed to drive in the freakin' car. And friggin' argue about this stuff. And you know you go on about the sanctity of life and all that crap."

What did you guys think of the episode?
What was your reaction to Ruby?
What are your theories on Dean going to hell? Will he or won't he?
How about Sam's new attitude?

Watch clips of Supernatural in our Online Video Guide.

By Ileane Rudolph

There are only four episodes of Supernatural to go before the writers' strike puts the demon-hunting Winchester brothers on hiatus. But fans of the CW spookfest will get to enjoy the show in an alternative format this spring when WildStorm, an imprint of DC Comics, launches Supernatural: Rising Son, a six-issue miniseries. Following up on last year's well-received Supernatural: Origins, this new arc debuts April 23. Set a few years after Origins, the story.... See Interviews & Features for the complete story, then come back here to talk about it!

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been waiting for Supernatural to do a Christmas-themed episode and in Season 3 we finally got one. Thank you Eric Kripke and crew for this wonderful holiday treat. Or should I say this wonderfully creepy, bloody and often sad and funny treat. The MOTW that featured a couple of pagan gods doing their best to ruin all the good tidings were great. Although, the lady reminded me a little too much of the old knife-wielding grandma from "Bedtime Stories." I loved how they looked like Ozzie and Harriet but acted like Hannibal Lecter. Their house was perfectly decorated on the outside and the inside; their Christmas tree was Christmas special perfect; and instead of cursing they said words like "fudge." But in actuality, the dangerous duo got their jollies by nabbing those that have been naughty or have the last name of Winchester and torturing them. Merry freakin’ Christmas y’all!

But, really, it was the boys present and past that really had me hooked. Dean knew it was going to be his last Christmas so he wanted to celebrate it. Sam, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with marking the occasion. After all, Sam said Dean hadn’t thought about Christmas in years. And you just knew some of Sam’s issues stemmed from their messed up childhood. So, we were treated to some amazing flashbacks to when the Winchester brothers were kids holed up in a hotel room with Big Daddy Winchester away on a hunt for Christmas. The kid they got to play Sam was just perfect casting. He was so good, and he really had Sam down. Of course, we’d already seen the kid who played mini-Dean in "Something Wicked." Nice continuity using him again, but this time around he was so much better. The flashbacks of Sam finding out dad's true profession were beyond sad, weren’t they? I hadn’t realized that John and mini-Dean kept the truth from Sammy. But the kid was smart — he kept putting two and two together and then connected all the dots when he read BDW’s journal. I’m not sure what was sadder: watching a kid’s world come crashing down as Sammy found out that monsters were real and his dad was some sort of superhero hunting them down; or the fact mini-Dean was privy to this bit of information for a long time; there was never a chance to preserve his innocence. You could already see how jaded the kid was. But you could also see he wanted Sam’s innocence to last a little bit longer. My heart broke along with Sammy's when he discovered his dad wasn’t going to be there with them for Christmas and that his dad’s been lying to him. This realization led to Sammy giving Dean the gift meant for BDW: the necklace Dean still wears to this day. I loved the scene going from mini-Dean putting on the necklace to present-Dean walking in the door to yet another hotel room with said necklace on.

Speaking of the necklace, I like that it was a gift from Sammy, but for 2 ½ seasons now, I’ve been envisioning bigger reasons behind Dean’s necklace. Thought it might come in handy with the war they’re fighting. But, you know, I kinda dig it being a gift from Sammy too. It was touching and it just made me feel good to know it came from him. The brotherly love was abundant in this episode:

• Dean still wears the necklace Sammy gave him all those years ago.

• Despite Sam not wanting to celebrate Dean’s last Christmas, he did, complete with tree, gifts and egg nog with just the right kick.

• They were teasing each other all episode; well, Dean teased Sam pretty much the entire episode.

• They even had a bit of a chick-flick moment that again threatened to break my heart. It wasn’t long, but it was a good one. It revolved around Dean and Sam’s reasons for either wanting to celebrate or ignore Christmas: "This is my last year." "I know. That’s why I can’t." "What do you mean?" "I mean, I can’t just sit around drinking egg nog pretending everything’s okay when I know next Christmas you’ll be dead."

Kudos to Jeremy Carver, the writer of "A Very Supernatural Christmas." He also wrote "Sin City." He gave what every Supernatural fan thrives on: tons of brotherly moments, some laughs, some angst, some gore, even some mentions of Bobby and the Impala. This was a very satisfying episode.

Other Thoughts:
• It kinda makes me sad that Dean knows what The O.C. is but he doesn’t know who Mary Poppins is. That means he was too busy not being able to be a kid. Boo BDW! (And I love BDW. So much, but still I give him a boo!)

• Call me twisted, but I love how that evil Santa dragged the dad out of bed and killed him but also found time to eat one of the cookies the kid left for him. And of course the kid was watching the evilness unfold the entire time. Poor kid.

• Loved the retro "Special Presentation" title page as well as the "A Very Supernatural Christmas" title page. Both were nice touches. What I loved even more were Ozzie and Harriet calling Sam and Dean the Hardy Boys. This show does such a great job with the little things.

• Jared’s doing a really nice job with bringing a somber tone to his performance — it’s carrying through from episode to episode. Meanwhile, Jensen continues to break my heart with just one look. It’s often fleeting, but registers just enough to make me want to tear up. We’re getting great performances from both guys this season.

• The pot-smoking Santa was hilarious. And as much as I wanted Sam and Dean butchering "Silent Night" to be hilarious, it was also really sad that they didn’t know the words.

• Mini-Dean having faith in BDW was expected, but damn was it sad to have to hear him make excuses to Sammy pretending their father just blew in with a tree and some Christmas gifts and then blew right back out of town again.

• And speaking of an MIA John, I hope the next time they have flashbacks Jeffrey Dean Morgan’s available.

• Poor Sam and Dean — what they got for Christmas was a lot of pain courtesy of Ozzie and Harriet. Sam losing that nail was extremely uncomfortable to watch.

We’re in hiatus time again. And if I’m to believe what I’m reading out there, Supernatural has four episodes left before they run out due to the writers strike. I seriously hope this whole thing gets resolved fairly and quickly so we’ll get more than twelve episodes in Season 3.

To get you through this lengthy hiatus, check out TVGuide.com's Online Video Guide devoted to our show.

Favorite lines:

"We only came here to watch." "Eww!"

"Hey Sam. Why are you the boy that hates Christmas?"

"What’s up with St. Nicotine?"

"Mr. Gung Ho Christmas might have to blow away Santa."

"What did Bobby say?" "That we’re morons."

"Don’t they look just darling?" "Good enough to eat."

"Tell me you didn’t smell that. That was candy." "That was ripple, I think."

"Monsters are real. Dad fights them."

"All righty roo, step number 2."

"You fudgin’ touch me again, I’ll fudgin’ kill you."

"Somebody gonna get that? You should get that."

"Have a seat. Let’s do Christmas or whatever."

"Where’d you get these?" "Some place special. Gas Mart down the street."

"Fuel for me and fuel for my baby!"

"Merry Christmas, bro!"

And I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday season...

After a couple of so-so Supernaturals, it was really nice to get an enjoyable episode high on intensity, brotherly interaction, blood and gore. Gordon’s gone, courtesy of one seriously badass Sam Winchester. Kubrick’s gone, too. Sam called Dean on his recent behavior and told his big brother some of the things I’ve been wanting to say to Dean myself these past few weeks. And then there was the last scene: Sam, Dean, the Impala, a few beers and a Bad Company serenade. Awesome.

Let’s start things off with Gordon Walker. I really believe he had to go. I was growing a tad bit weary of his whole "Sam Winchester is the most evil being in the universe and he must die" shtick. But I love me some Sterling K. Brown something fierce. The fact that Gordon was turned into the very thing he had been hunting since vamps got his sister was such a good twist. And the fact that his black-and-white beliefs didn’t change even though he was now sporting fangs was even better. He knew Kubrick’s instincts to kill him were right. And if Sam hadn’t done the deed for him, he would have killed his own self right after he had killed Sam first. The guy had some twisted logic, but he was so smart and scary. I’m really sorry to see Sterling and Gordy go, even though it seemed like it had to happen.

The brotherly interaction was front and center. Dean was being reckless and not wanting to stay still for more than two seconds. Sam was just biding his time trying to let his brother do his thing. You could tell he just wanted things to be the way they used to be. I’m beyond happy Sam just told Dean how it was. Of course, Dean at first responded with sarcasm, his favorite defense mechanism.

"What do you want me to do, Sam, huh? Sit around all day and write poems about how I’m going to die? You know, I got one. Let's see. What rhymes with 'Shut up, Sam'?"

Then Sam took the reins and got even more serious. He knows Dean will never admit it, but he’s afraid. Was it "Sin City" where he told Casey he wasn’t terrified? And we could all tell he was beyond terrified. Sam knew it was true, too.

"You’re scared Dean. You’re scared because your year is running out and you’re still going to hell and you’re freaked."
"And how do you know that?"
"Because I know you."
"Really?"
"Yeah, because I’ve been following you around my entire life. I’ve been looking up to you since I was 4, Dean! Studying you, trying to be just like my big brother. So yeah, I know you. Better than anyone else in the entire world. And this is exactly how you act when you’re terrified. And I can’t blame you. It’s just…"
"What?"
"It’s just… I wish you would drop the show and be my brother again. Just cause…"

And Dean listened to Sam. He listened to Sam. He didn’t respond with another sarcastic barb, he took his little brother seriously and listened to him. That was a nice moment. It was a moment that I've been waiting for all season long.

Other thoughts:
• Loved all the boys-with-guns action going on
• "Fresh Blood" definitely felt different from Supernatural’s previous vampisodes "Dead Man’s Blood" and "Bloodlust." The beginning of the episode was kinda sad when Buffy’s Harmony (Mercedes McNab) learned she was a vampire simply by ingesting some of the tainted blood.
• As for Mercedes McNab, I really wish we had gotten to see more of her. Her role was a good one, however, and her ending was really sad. Sam and Dean had to off Lucy even though she didn’t even realize she was a vampire. And she had been roofied into becoming a vamp.
• Guess Bela’s quality time with the Winchester boys last week didn’t change her at all. She eyes Gordon’s mojo bag and sells Sam and Dean out big-time. Loved Dean telling her he was going to kill her the next time he saw her. I hope he gives her a scare anyway, even if she let the boys know where Gordon was located.
• Reminders of Season 1: 1) Hearing Bad Company’s "Crazy Circles." I admit I didn’t know much about Bad Company before the "Route 666" episode, but I’ve loved every time the show has used one of their tunes. 2) "That’s right! Come on! I smell good, don’t I? And I taste even better!" Dean trying to get Lucy’s attention reminded me of some of the dialogue from "Wendigo." You know the part where he was all "I taste good!"
• Seeing what a former human goes through once they’ve been turned was really interesting. We saw Gordon’s POV: his sudden super-hearing; his sensitivity to light; the appearance of the fangs; and saw his first kill. Later we saw his blood-red vision as well. Nice touches.
• What’s with the message Bela gave the boys regarding the spirit she had contacted to find out where Gordon was? The spirit had said to get out of town and not to go after Gordon. Not sure what to make of that.
• Dean looking under the hood of the Impala was so cool. But when he started giving Sam pointers on Impala Maintenance 101, well, that was just heartbreaking, wasn’t it?

Favorite lines (in addition to the ones already mentioned in my column):

"You know, man? I’m sick and tired of your stupid kamikaze tricks."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, kamikaze tricks? I’m more like a ninja."
"That’s not funny."
"It’s a little funny."
"No, it’s not."

"He was old, like 30!" (OK, I admit this was humorous, yet annoying at the same time.)

"There you are." "Sorry, I stopped for a slice."

"Nice move you pulled back there Dean, running right at the weapons!" "Well, what can I say? I’m a badass."

"Daughters? Try fang whores!"

"Can you think of a worse hell?" "Well, there’s hell."

"Dean, quit turning everything into a punchline. And you know something else? Stop trying to act like you’re not afraid."
"I’m not."
"You’re lying."

"It’s my job right? Show my little brother the ropes?"

"Put your shoulder into it."

Here’s some positive news about Supernatural. Some not-so-positive news? I believe we’re in a little bit of a hiatus for a while. To get you through the break, why not check out our Online Video Guide.

So I liked this episode. I wasn't completely wowed by it, but I liked it. Although there's one thing I have to say to Bela: "Don't mess with the Impala. Ever. Don't touch it, don't look at it, don't even think about it." The fact that she had it towed was just cruel. Does she know Dean's time here on Earth is limited? Because if she did, she never would have messed with the awesomeness that is Dean's Impala; especially after shooting Sam recently. The girl has messed with the two beings (one human, one car) that mean the most to Dean. Yup, I didn't appreciate that part at all and I'm only halfway kidding. But it was almost worth it, just to see Dean freaking out and then hyperventilating. Hilarious.

Memo to the CW: If you want to up your viewership for Supernatural, the preview teasing this episode needed to have as much of Sam and Dean in their tuxes as possible. I'm going to have to go back and watch the previews from last week. I don't think I saw a single shot of them in their tuxes. Just. Wow. Sammy sported the slicked-back hair once again and Dean's She's All That moment coming down the stairs revealing himself in his penguin suit was awesome. But even better was when he folded his arms and told Bela not to objectify him after she stood there gawking at him in awe. And if I sound like I've been objectifying the Winchester boys in any way, it's purely accidental. That's the story I'm sticking to.

And about Sammy, I don't know why he was so offended by Mrs. Haversham's... I mean Ms. Case's... advances, but that was funny, too. Especially her stroking his arm after they first met. I'm sorry, it was hilarious. I thought Sam liked being all touchy-feely! However, I love the actress who played the Cougar. Ellen Geer has been in everything under the sun, including playing the elderly Piper in an episode of Charmed. I totally remember her appearance on that show.

We are getting lots of Sam and Dean arguing in the Impala aren't we? At the beginning of "Red Sky at Morning," Dean confronted Sam about the missing Colt bullet. He puts two and two together and comes up with Sam blowing away the Crossroads Demon. Sam isn't apologizing for going after her, but he does let Dean know that there's something else holding the contract for Dean's soul. I was actually a little bit surprised that Sam told his big brother this bit of a news. Bookending the episode, the Winchester boys are back in the Impala and Dean's now apologizing to Sam. He admits he would have blown the old girl away if he were in that position. He even goes as far as to tell his little brother that he's stronger than Dean; Dean feels Sam will be able to move on once he's gone. I knew those words would come out of his mouth at some point. Love how Sam pretty much tells Dean to stop worrying about him, that he can take care of himself. And from the way Sam's been acting this season, he really can take care of himself.

Other Thoughts:
• I'm still in wait-and-see mode with Bela. I enjoyed her in some of this episode, but there were times I thought the show was trying too hard with the character. She's always one step ahead of Sam and Dean — we get it. I'm wondering how many times they're going to have to come up with a way to introduce her into the action. Unless they figure out a more seamless way to connect her to the boys, the reasons may start getting super-flimsy. However, whose blood did she spill? Every victim in one way or another was responsible for spilling someone's blood in their family. I am curious enough to want to know what Bela's big sin is.
• This week I'm going light on the MOTW; it was just OK for me. While the ghost ship didn't approach killer ghost truck territory (again I love the episode "Route 666," just not the MOTW), my favorite parts of the episode were the car scenes and the episode's humor.
• I'm curious to know what would happen if Dean went to hell? I wish Supernatural would show us. It could be some nightmare of Sammy's that ends up being what's really supposed to happen in the future. I know Sam's not getting visions and nightmares lately, but still I'd love to see some sort of "what if" episode, or a couple scenes where Sam sees just what's supposed to happen to Dean.
• Did you check out how sunny Vancouver was in the scene where Sam and Dean were walking and talking and discussing the case? That scene also reminded me of "Route 666." Sam and Dean were in their suits, walking and talking about the case. In fact, they also mentioned the whole Flying Dutchman urban legend in that scene from "Route 666."
• And conversely, how about that scene where it actually rained. Did they actually have to use fake rain for a change? I keep hearing these stories about how much it rains in Vancouver, so it's great that when they actually needed the wet stuff, they had to fake the funk.
• Bela keeps saying hunters are hunting down the evil things because of vengeance. Well, that may be the excuse for a lot of the hunters, but not for Dean.
• Sammy's getting funnier. Jared's definitely being given better lines this season.

Favorite lines:
"Happy Purim?"

"You shot her." "She was a smartass."

"Look at you sticking up for your girlfriend, you Cougar hound."

"Wow. Crap."

"Can I shoot her?" "Not in public."

"Sorry you had to deal with that. They're like roaches."

"You really want to come near me when I got a loaded gun in my hands?"

"You're just firm all over."

"You know, when this is over, we should really have angry sex."

"Don't objectify me." (I loved Dean's smirk as he walked off.)

"I think the three of us should have a heart-to-heart." "That's assuming you have a heart."

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The vibe on "Bedtime Stories" seemed way different than the previous episodes of this season, and last season for that matter. It seemed less intense and in-your-face than what we've been getting this season. It actually sort of felt very Season 1 to me. Maybe because we were dealing with a simple spirit and not the celebrity demons that have been running rampant in Season 3. Maybe because Sam and Dean were together almost the entire hour. Maybe because the brothers donned suits and faked being detectives (using Led Zeppelin aliases Plant and Page) to get to the bottom of the MOTW. Maybe because the Winchesters were angsting, but I wasn't overwhelmed by it all. Maybe because the music seemed straight out of Something Wicked. Or maybe because there was an actual shot of Dean sleeping in their motel room. I don't know.

I enjoyed seeing the dark side of these fairy tales played out in human form. The Big Bad Wolf is a muscled thug with a tattoo of Wile E. Coyote on his arm. The main little girl turned out to be the angry spirit that couldn't let go. Years ago her stepmom cruelly poisoned her with bleach and ever since she remained comatose. Her doctor dad sat by her side reading her fairy tales done the Brothers Grimm way. (Brothers, how appropriate for this show.)

So we get versions of The Three Little Pigs, Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel and Snow White. Before this, I didn't have much knowledge of the Grimm versions of these tales, just the sanitized versions that we've all grown up with. After watching this, I'm going to rectify that little matter. My friend and fellow blogger Kara Howland said she'll lend me her copy. It's only fair since I got her hooked on Supernatural. The scary old lady in the Hansel and Gretel house cracked me up. The way she went about stabbing Ken was hilarious. I'm sorry, but it was. And the frog's multiple appearances was funny, too. However, I couldn't help thinking that it was all very sad — Dr. Garrison not only found out that his late wife and his daughter's stepmom was psycho, but he had to let go of his daughter, too. Poor guy.

It was nice seeing Sam and Dean plow through an investigation together. But, of course, it was not without angst and yelling and Sam sneaking out on Dean. Sam's just frustrated. He knows if the situation were reversed, Dean would do everything he could to stop Sam from dying (in fact he did). So why can't he let Sam do this for him? Sam wants to do everything he can to fight this but the whole time he's got his brother trying to talk him out of it. Dean has to know that Sam does what he wants to do when he wants to, right? To me, Sam's got no choice but to go behind Dean's back to try and save him. Period.

Fast-forward to Sam's confrontation with the Crossroads Demon (CD). First of all, it's about time Sam met up with the girl. I wonder if Jared had a lot of fun with the moment where Sam blows the demon away or if it was really challenging to play. After all, she was played by his real-life girlfriend Sandra McCoy. Sam finds out there's no way to get Dean out of the deal and that even if he offed CD, she wasn't the boss. Her boss is the keeper of this deal and he wants Dean's soul! I want to know if there's a reason other than Dean's a thorn in every demon's side. When are we going to find that out? I loved, loved, loved when Sam used the Colt on CD — he had that "I'm not quite right" look on his face that we've been seeing all season long after he makes mincemeat out of another possessed human.

Other thoughts:
• Something else that's sad: You can already feel Dean starting to disconnect from his life. He's not quite a hundred percent Dean either. Take that scene where the doctor tells the brothers he should have let his daughter go a long time ago. Dean tells Sam he should take his advice. Did you catch the look on Sammy's face? Heartbreaking. But then we see Dean walking down the hall, by himself. Further disconnecting himself from what's going on. Crushing.
• There was that other scene in the hospital when Detectives Plant and Page were questioning one of the Three Little Pig dudes. He'd just lost his brothers and asked them how they would feel. Sam said: "I can't imagine anything worse." I really wanted Dean to say that he didn't have to imagine it. He knew exactly how it felt.
• Sam's drawing of the Big Bad Wolf perp was hilarious. Although, I seem to remember him not doing that poor a job when he drew their old house in Lawrence after he had that nightmare in "Home." For some reason I thought Sam would be a better artist.
• If I recall, Dean got to kiss both CDs he met up with. Sure, Sam didn't actually make a deal with this version, but you'd think TPTB would have worked some sort of kissing scene in.
• Figures CD would know about Ruby, but how does she/it know Ruby? Can't wait to find out the mystery. I loved all the speculating you guys did about who she really is in last week's blog. When are we going to find out? And how delayed is the answer going to be with the writers' strike coming our way?
• What did you think about what the CD had to say to Sam about being sick of cleaning up Dean's messes? Is Sam going through the motions? Would he be relieved? What did you think of that whole exchange? Was all of what she said lies?

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Jared's two-part interview continues. Part 1 was posted yesterday.

What I like about Supernatural is that every season feels completely different from the last. Call it tweaking the formula in order to up the show's game or a natural evolution into something bigger and better, I have no idea. It's enjoyable and refreshing and I can't get enough of this show.

This week Sam and Dean roll into series-creator Eric Kripke's home state of Ohio, where citizens of a small town are acting completely OOC (out of character). The people are all about killing, gambling, drinking and, of course, s-e-x. There was nothing natural about the change in behavior, so enter Sam and Dean. This totally seemed like Dean's kind of town, by the way. He's been doing a lot of all of the above ever since making that deal. And who knew that "Sin City" would be so informative? What we learned:

Azazel = Yellow-Eyes. We finally learned his name!

With Azazel no longer around, demons have no leader. There's total chaos, which, of course, cannot mean anything good for Sam and Dean. Speaking of Sam...

He was the one that was hand-picked by Azazel himself to lead the evil masses. I believe the demon chick called him the "Grand Poo-bah." I seriously want to know how this all happened, how did everything all boil down to Sammy? It had to have begun with Mary. I believe I comment on this every week, but I'm in dire need of finding out what in the world Mary had to do with all of this. My inquiring mind wants to know. And I want to know during November sweeps. Pretty please?

Demons believe in a higher power just like humans do. His name is Lucifer, a name we associate with the Devil. Casey tells Dean that to them Lucifer is a god. And they have faith in him. She also points out that their faith in something they can't see makes them very similar to humans.

The demons not only discuss Sam, they discuss Dean. Is this fact important? I'm not sure. But they don't talk about him nicely. Leave it to Dean to get on the good side of Casey, however. She didn't want her "man" to kill Dean, she really seemed to end up liking him.

The Colt can be rebuilt. Again, who knew? But Bobby did it with Ruby's help, which brings me to a whole list of questions I have after watching this episode. Usually I get frustrated when there are a million questions with no answers in sight, but we know better on Supernatural. The questions will be answered. It's just a matter of when.

OK, how in the world were Bobby and Ruby able to rebuild the Colt? What did Ruby bring to the table — are they ever going to tell us? How many bullets do they have now? An unlimited amount, so they can get rid of all these demons that were unleashed in AHBL II?

Why are all the demons that were unleashed gunning for Sam if Sam wants nothing to do with being the Grand Poo-bah?

Father Gil told Sam: "It's a good thing he [Dean] has you. His brother's keeper." What does that mean? Anyone have any speculation?

Is Dean starting to believe in God? He seems to be wavering. This time around, he said he wanted to, and I believed him.

What is going on with Sam? Remember last season he avoided killing possessed humans? Now he's offing them like it's nothing. Well, almost nothing. I was glad he mentioned to Ruby that they were human and lamented the two that he had to kill. Of course, she pointed out that he was going to have to do things that were against his gentle nature. To which I (again) say, what does that mean?

Other thoughts:
• No classic rock song during the recap that showcased the Colt, Sam not coming back a hundred percent and Ruby. But when Sam and Dean went to that rowdy bar, did you catch the CCR song? Loved hearing "Run through the Jungle."
• We met Richie, someone Dean met while Sam was in school. He didn't seem like the typical hunter type, which was probably why I wasn't shocked when Casey snapped his neck. Gross, by the way.
• Even when Dean is hitting on girls or ogling them, he never really lets it interfere with his job. He was on to that demon chick but good.
•Dean couldn't remember his Latin for the exorcism ritual — the guy needs to study up. Love how he always sneaks in a Devil's Trap, however.
•My heart kind of broke when Dean said he wasn't scared of dying. He's so scared, I don't care what he says. He about broke my heart again later when he asked Bobby if something's wrong with his brother. I'm so ready for a big talk between Sam and Dean. I know the chick-flick moments can't happen all that often, but we haven't had one yet this season. Dean keeps opening up a little bit here or a little bit there, but it's usually to someone other than his brother.
• I really like how the show uses Ruby a little bit here, a little bit there. There's no taking over the show by new characters. Things are still Sam-and-Dean-centric.
• These demons are getting more and more powerful. They're able to destroy devil's traps as well as use their powers within those little suckers.
• Did Dean find a motel room that came complete with magic fingers again? Awesome.

Favorite lines:
"Bringing satin back."

"You drink Hurricanes?" "I do now."

"Have a nice day?"

"What are you laughing at, bitch, you're still trapped." "So are you, bitch."

"Like it or not, you go where your flock is."

"Nice try, but I think you just ordered a pizza."

I'm curious to find out what you guys thought of this episode. What did you think of Sam offing the "humans?" How about Dean's conversation with Casey while trapped with her in the cave-in? How about Ruby and Bobby rebuilding the Colt? Love Bobby being there for the boys.

For more Supernatural, check out our Online Video Guide.

And remember there's a Jensen Ackles interview currently on TVGuide.com (Part 2 goes up today). Find out about next week's episode, "Bedtime Stories," in the current issue of TV Guide magazine. And be sure to check out TV Guide Network on Sunday at 8 pm/ET and Pacific. We're airing a special called 25 Things You Didn't Know About Supernatural TV. It's all new and definitely features Supernatural.

OK, that was just too much fun to watch. I loved the lighter vibe of "Bad Day at Black Rock." There was Sam tripping every which way he could; Bela was introduced; there was a Gordon sighting; and Sam and Dean were working the case together for almost the entire hour. The only time they were apart was when Dean parked Sam's bad luck-having butt at the motel in order to go off and snag the cursed rabbit's foot back from sneaky Bela. Plus, Dean got to whip out this one-liner: "I'm Batman."

The recap featured Gordon, which means we were treated to a surprise appearance (at least for me) from Army Wives star Sterling K. Brown. It was good to see Gordon again, especially behind those bars. He's still heavy on the crazy talk — he's preaching the bad word that Sam Winchester "must die," and someone actually listens to him.

We were introduced to Bela in a great way. She was so smooth when she dressed up like a waitress and swiped the rabbit's foot from Sam's coat pocket. The scene at her apartment with Dean was great as well. It was fun, light, and both Bela and Dean were devilish with their smirks and their conversation all while training guns on each other. And Dean smoothly got away with the cursed object. It was funny how he dangled it in front of her before getting the hell out of there.

While Dean was rockin' the one-liners, how adorably whiny was Sammy as his good luck quickly turned into bad luck? He went from finding gold watches and winning lottery tickets to spilling his coffee and causing some minor mayhem in a diner. Jared did such a good job being the klutziest hunter to ever live and the expressions on his face were priceless. Jensen/Dean's reaction to everything that was happening was just all sorts of goodness as well. However, Sammy better figure out how to quickly get his hands on a rabbit's foot that's not cursed. Gordon's rallying his fellow hunters and they're after Sam. Demons are after him and so are the feds. Poor guy.

Other thoughts:
• The opening death scene of the victim of the week is getting gorier and gorier. Bring it on.
• Sam let Dean in on some of what Ruby said, some being the key word. I'm wondering how long we're going to have to wait until Sam tells Dean everything he's learning about Mama Winchester. I can't wait until that happens.
• Dean keeps BDW's cell phone charged. I love that — it doesn't matter what reason he gives.
• Gordon's "disciple" who tracked Sam down was appropriately off his rocker. Never seemed like a real threat to me. It was funny how he and his partner didn't have to do anything to capture Sam. Bad luck had already taken care of it and delivered Sam all nice and unconscious for him.
• I Googled the fake name John used for the storage unit. What I came up with is that Edgar Cayce (pronounced Casey) was a psychic who was once called the "Sleeping Prophet." Bad Day at Black Rock was a classic movie starring Spencer Tracy. And the name Bela uses is "Lugosi" as in Bela Lugosi, the actor who played Count Dracula in the movies.
• Searching through John's storage unit became an impromptu trip down memory lane. We found out Sammy was on a division championship soccer team back in the day. I believe that's the first reference to Sam playing soccer since "Bugs" in Season 1. But I could be wrong.
• Bela says a lot of the amulets hunters wear are valuable. Once again, it makes me curious about Dean's amulet.
• Bela shot Sam. She actually shot Sam! And why did Dean make Sammy carry the shovel at the end? The man had just been shot!
• Poor Sam and Dean. They don’t even get the money they won. That Bela made sure she got paid and the Winchesters got played.

What else I loved:
• Loved everything Sam and Dean were experiencing when Sam still had the rabbit's foot (the winning lottery tickets; the big check giving them free food for a year; checking out the "waitress" that checked out Sam while she was pouring coffee for him). By the way, what was that look on Sam’s face when their picture was taken with the big check? And Dean got brain freeze. So funny!
• When Sam was on the phone telling Bobby about the rabbit's foot, Dean was behind him calculating their winnings. That and Dean mouthing "awesome" when Sam showed him the gold watch he found was simply hilarious.
• Kudos to Robert Singer, who directed this episode — loved the shot of Sam catching a lucky break when he caught that gun in midair.
• The brothers stayed in another quirky motel room.
• Sam's pratfalls and mishaps were just hilarious. He set fire to himself!
• Dean getting the lucky break and throwing that pen exactly where he needed to, then easily taking the two idiots out was a thing of beauty.

Favorite lines (Kudos to Ben Edlund):
"She knows what your weakness is — it's me!"

"This must be his toxic waste dump."

"Come on, Sam, scratch and win."

"Until then, I say we hit Vegas, pull a little Rain Man. You can be Rain Man."

"Sam, you OK?" "Yeah, I'm good."

"I lost my shoe."

"I'm Batman." "Yeah, you're Batman."

"Say goodbye, wascally wabbit."

"Now, what do you say we destroy that ugly-ass piece of dead thing."


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Here's the thing: I really liked this episode. No, I loved this episode. But I'm not sure if I'm going to be watching it again any time soon, at least not for a long, long time. Those evil kids were creepy. As in, I might even see those beastie brats in my dreams. They kidnapped neighborhood tykes, fed off the moms until they died, and killed anyone who got in the way. It all started with that dad being offed by the power saw and it just got creepier from there. The changeling children formed an "unhealthy attachment" to these moms. When that one mother locked herself in the bathroom, the scene reminded me of "Crossroad Blues," as well as every time one of those Stepford changelings got anywhere near a mirror. She also locked her fake child in the car and proceeded to rig the car so it would drown the kid in the lake. When the mom got back home and saw Not Katie sitting in that chair dripping wet, the kid turned to her mom and said, "I'll have that ice cream, now." That last shot before break featuring her demented smile was scary times a thousand.

Kudos to Sera Gamble, who wrote "The Kids Are Alright." She brought the scares, the laughs and the angst for both Dean and Sam. We also learned more about Ruby. She's a demon and she wants to help Sam find out about himself. I'm kind of nervous for Sam. Why does Ruby want to help him so bad? Where did his visions go and will they come back? Ruby confirms what the Demon said last season: This whole situation is about him. What that really means I have no idea. Ruby tells Sam to check Mama Winchester's friends for clues. Problem is, everyone who knew Mary or tried to protect her secret died, in all sorts of ways. Sam also appears to be collecting secrets. Thanks to the season finale, we know that he hasn't told Dean he has demon blood coursing through his veins and that Mary recognized Yellow Eyes. Now we can add the presence of Ruby, and you can bet Dean probably won't be hearing about Mary's dead friends (including her uncle), either. Ruby dangles a little incentive in front of Sam to ensure he lets her help him every once in a while; she insists she can help him save Dean. Don't know whether to believe her, but I do have to say that I'm intrigued. Katie Cassidy's doing a good job so far, I definitely want to see what Ruby's up to next.

Can't forget about Dean — he had a busy, busy episode as well. He looked up an old hookup in the town where the changelings were running rampant. He "spent time" with her roughly eight years ago and when he shows up on her doorstep, he finds out she has an 8-year-old son. The kid is just so Dean. Mini Dean gets excited over an AC/DC disc he got for his birthday; he digs the hot chicks; and he uses words like "epic." Dean guesses that he’s Ben's biological dad. I seriously love any story where Dean has to interact with a child, because he's such a pro at it. He teaches Ben how to stick up for himself and get his video game back from a bully. Sure, it involves violence, but it does the job. When the mom disagrees with Dean's tactics and leads her son away, Ben runs and gives Dean a hug first. That was such a cute moment. I wanted Dean to be the kid's dad, and you could tell he wanted to be Ben's dad, too. He's thinking about his legacy in the face of death, which is so incredibly sad. He knows a wife, kids and a house isn't in the cards for him, but, like Lisa, I saw disappointment on his face when he found out he wasn't a father. Where there was still some of that "I'm going to do whatever I want because I'm dying" attitude at the beginning of the episode, his nostalgic trip coupled with his brief brush with fatherhood resulted in a more reflective Dean. This was sad to me.

Other thoughts:
• One "kid" was named Dakota and I defy anyone to tell me that they didn't start thinkin' about Dakota Fanning at that point. Hope that wasn't just me.
• So glad Ruby wasn't lurking in the shadows like last week.
• Sam's a really bad liar. He was ordering a pizza?
• Dean drops Sam off at the Cicero Pines Motel. I just love that shot of Sam standing in front of the motel. Don't know why, but I do.
• The two ladies gossiping about Dean and Lisa at the party was just hilarious, especially when Dean tried to get away from them.
• It was so creepy when those three "kids" on the playground turned to Dean and stared at him.
• Dean and Ben helping the rest of the kids and the real-estate lady out of their cages and to freedom was classic. How can Dean not be his dad?
• Loved when Sam got all tough with Ruby and told her to tell him who she was.
• I really want Sam to tell Dean about Mary.
• Mama Changeling kicked some Winchester butt.
• Sam drove the Impala!
• I would've liked to see more Winchester-brother moments. The brothers in this episode seemed to be in two different places emotionally as well as physically a lot of the time.

Favorite Lines:
"OK, Weirdy McWeird-ison."
"She was a yoga teacher. It was the bendiest weekend of my life."
"Gumby girl. Does that make me Pokey?"
"You don't know about Dean? The Dean? Best-night-of-my-life Dean?"
"Because you're tall. I love a tall man."
"Celebrity Deathmatch ensues? You're the sole Survivor!"
"I hear Six Flags is great this time of year. Go now. Avoid the traffic."
"I would have been proud to be his dad."

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A little AC/DC setting the stage in the "Road So Far" recap; some flickering lights letting us know evil’s just around the corner; stormy black clouds of doom zeroing in on poor, unsuspecting fools; Sam and Dean driving down the highway in their '67 Chevy Impala; a three-for-one salt-and-burn; Dean and his inappropriate humor…How excited are we that Season 3 has started?

What’s new? The show’s title pages, that’s what’s new. The flaming titles of fury have been phased out in favor of raging storm clouds. After all, a war has begun and a couple hundred demons have been unleashed. Ruby’s also new. I’m going to reserve judgment until we are shown more of her, but I liked the whole bursting in to help save Sam and kill three of the demons with that superpowered knife. What was the deal with that knife anyway?

Dean’s got a year to live and right off the bat, we saw how he’s dealing with it: He’s hooking up with the "Doublemint twins" and wearing a mighty fine white tank T-shirt. Sam tried his best to be nonjudgmental and let Dean have his fun. Easier said than done. Big brother kind of seemed like an amped-up version of Season 1 Dean. It seemed like there was a load off his shoulders and that with this death sentence, he’s decided to go all out in the hunts and in life, damn the consequences. Sam, meanwhile, has turned to what he knows best: He’s hit the books, hoping to find some way to save his brother.

Seven demons representing the Seven Deadly Sins have been wreaking havoc: A woman kills another woman over a pair of shoes (envy); three people died of dehydration and starvation on the couch while watching TV (sloth). I totally loved this monster-of-the-week. And I loved how because of these demons, we were introduced to a couple of new hunters — the husband-and-wife team of Isaac and Tamara. Of course, poor Isaac was a victim of gluttony — he was forced to down drain cleaner as his wife was forced to watch. Have I mentioned that there was a lot of gore in this episode? Very cool.

Other stuff that was cool:

• Isaac and Tamara got trapped in what I consider the anti-Roadhouse — it was a bar full of demons instead of hunters.
• Bobby smashed his car through the anti-Roadhouse.
• A cleaned-up Bobby pretended to work for the DA’s office.
• Ruby’s demon-killing knife
• Sam scared Dean and Bobby, then smashed Dean in while attempting to get in the backseat.
• The use of BTO's "You Ain’t Seen Nothing Yet"
• Did you happen to catch the show that was airing on the TV in the room with the decomposed bodies? It was a rerun of Dallas.
• That last showdown with the remaining six demons was awesome. I felt bad Tamara had to deal with her possessed hubby but Bobby trapping the gluttonous one, Dean drowning the lustful one in the tub of holy water, and, of course, Sam and Ruby dealing with pride and two others — it was all a lot of fun to watch.
• While Isaac went bye-bye, there’s always a chance we haven't seen the last of Tamara.
• That scene between Sam and Pride was too cool for words. We already knew that Dean was "a walking billboard for gluttony and lust." And even though we didn’t really find out what Sam was guilty of, it was great to hear Pride confront Sam about his place in the grand scheme of things now that their "yellow-eyed friend" was dead: "We’ve all heard of you. The prodigy. The boy king. Lookin’ at you now, I gotta tell ya. Don’t believe the hype."

Pride also said that Sam was fair game now. Yikes.

I didn’t appreciate it when Isaac accused Sam and Dean of letting the demons out, but I guess that’s how everyone’s going to see it. I did love the end conversation between Sam and Dean when it was just the two of them by the Impala and Sam was venting his frustration over Dean’s attitude. Sam spouted words like "reckless," "selfish" and "hypocrite" and said that after Dean found out BDW (Big Daddy Winchester) sold his soul for him, Dean was "twisted" and "broken." I loved that Dean’s response to all this was pretty much: "Deal with it. I’m entitled, now let’s go hunt."

All in all, there was lots of humor, action, a bit of angst and a kick-butt MOW. It was thoroughly enjoyable and a good start to Season 3.

Questions:
• What did you guys think about the episode?
• What did you guys think about the scene where it was just Sam and Dean getting their weapons ready for the fight? There were no words spoken, just glances exchanged. What did you read into this brief scene?
• What did you think of the new title pages?
• Dean kissed yet another demon. How many does that make now?
• What did you think about the last scene? Was Dean telling his little brother he was tired and that there’s no way to get out of the deal, or Sam dies because he really wants to die? Or does he just not want Sam to get hurt trying to save him? How’s Sam going to get around this?
• Does Ruby have abilities? Or does she just have cool weapons?

A few favorite lines:
"Hello. Bleeding here."

"This ain’t Scooby-Doo. And we don’t play well with others."

"See? I’m working."

"Who the hell are you?" "I’m the girl that just saved your ass." "I saved yours, too."

"What’s in the box? Brad Pitt. Se7En…" (I admit to never having seen Se7En, my sister had to explain this reference to me.)

There were tons of other great lines, feel free to add. Plus, show some more love for Supernatural and check out our Online Video Guide.

Hey guys! Just want to say "Happy Supernatural Day!" We finally get to concentrate on new episodes again. I can't believe it's been four months. I have to admit that I broke out the DVD and had a Season 2 marathon this week in preparation for tonight's premiere. Just watched the "Making of 'All Hell Breaks Loose: Part 2'" featurette for the first time — loved it so much! And I can't get enough of that gag reel.

TVGuide.com has posted its Q&A with a guy you may have heard of: Eric Kripke. Watch out for spoilers, of course....

And I'll see you guys back here tonight or early tomorrow morning, OK?

Happy Supernatural watching!

Don't know if any of you guys are still out there, but in honor of the Supernatural Season 2 DVD being released today, I promised you a blog. I just wanted to get everybody's opinion on this season's essential episodes. These are the ones you think are must-see episodes. So if you were trying to convert someone into a Supernatural fan, these are the episodes you think would do it. You get five choices, here are mine:

"In My Time of Dying"
This was the best follow-up to the "Devil's Trap" season finale. Even though Dean was in limbo, so to speak, it still had some great brother scenes. That Ouija-board scene is one of my favorite scenes of Season 2 to this day. Plus, BDW was a part of the action. He sacrificed himself for his son, which was incredibly sad. BDW and Dean had a bit of closure, but of course, he started a whole new level of angst for Dean by letting loose a secret about Sam, one we wouldn't find out until "Hunted."

"Nightshifter"
The whole episode was great. And I loved the introduction of Ronald (and was terribly saddened by his death). A new layer of hell was added to the boys' life as we were also introduced to federal agent Henricksen, who quickly developed quite an obsession with the Winchester brothers. But if I really had to describe why I loved this episode so much, all I would have to say is, "Renegade." In my opinion, "Carry On my Wayward Son" was the best use of music in Season 1 (I know, it was only in recap, but I still loved it lots); using Styx's "Renegade" at the end of "Nightshifter" takes the title for Season 2.

"Born Under a Bad Sign"
Evil Sam, evil Sam, evil Sam. Need I say more? A great performance by Jared — in fact, I think this was his best episode of the entire series. I even liked seeing Jo, and I felt so bad for Dean. Poor Dean. But seriously, all that needs to be said is, evil Sam.

"Tall Tales"
I really didn't expect to laugh all that much during this episode, but I did. It was a great surprise. I loved seeing Sam and Dean from the other's perspective. There was a little WWE going on and I loved that troublemaking trickster. Also, Bobby was back helping the boys out. He's seriously my favorite non-Winchester.

"What Is and What Should Never Be"
This was probably my favorite Dean episode. Along with the usual angst, we got to see him adapt to this life that could have been. It was beyond sad that even though this Djinn gave Dean his wish that his mom never died, he turned out to not be that great a person, and even worse, he turned out not to have a good relationship with Sam. It was great seeing Sam with Jess; Momma Winchester was a welcome presence and I just loved that Dean had such a supportive girlfriend in Carmen. The lawn-mowing scene was really funny, too. This was Jensen's strongest episode, but he did an amazing job.

Honorable mention goes to the two-part season finale "All Hell Breaks Loose." I know people had their problems with it, but I actually liked what it set up for this season. So what are your essential episodes?

So, we're getting closer to the season premiere. That'll be my next post. Can't wait, I know we're all anticipating what kind of season this is going to be. I won't talk more about it, because I know some of you guys out there aren't into spoilers. For those who are, you might want to check out TV Guide Network's 2007 Fall TV Preview. It is a little bit spoilery for those of you trying to stay away from everything. But we were recently on the set and got the chance to talk to Jared and Jensen. No, I didn't get to go to the set, since the show films in Vancouver and I'm in L.A. But there's footage of an upcoming episode that you won't see anywhere else (well, almost anywhere else). And I know you guys watch tons of other shows as well. This preview is a pretty comprehensive guide; we tried to fit in a lot so try to catch it if you can. It airs through the end of September — check your local listings. It's a two-parter, so Supernatural's only in one of the two parts.

OK, I'll talk to you guys on Oct. 5. Later! Happy DVD watching!

Hey there guys!

Hope all is well. Welcome to the August Hiatus Blog.

At this very moment I'm rewatching "Route 666" from Season 1 and for the most part I'm really enjoying it. I haven't watched any of the Season 1 episodes in a long, long time. I have to say, it's almost like it was a different show from what we got in Season 2. There's definitely a different feel to it. I still wasn't totally wild about the killer truck MOTW, but I loved Sam and Dean in this episode. I loved Sam seeing a different side of Dean and learning that his brother not only dated a girl for more than one night, but also that he loved her. I know that this is one of the episodes that was widely debated and discussed (and even despised), but I have to say a year and a half later, I really enjoyed it more than I even did the first time around. Plus, I loved the killer tunes in the episode, especially Blind Faith's "Can't Find My Way Home." I think I've asked this before, but I'll ask again: Is there an episode that you liked a little bit or didn't like the first time around but loved when you watched it again on DVD or TiVo?

Also, have you guys noticed that some Superntaural guest stars are popping up elsewhere on the tube?

— Adrianne Palicki (Jess): Friday Night Lights
I'm so glad she came back this season and was in the "What Is and What Should Never Be" episode.

— Jim Beaver (Bobby): John from Cincinnati and Big Love
HBO seems to love him. Even before Supernatural, he was on Deadwood.

— Sterling K. Brown (Gordon): Army Wives
Even though Sterling's doing a great job on Lifetime's newest hit show, I'm hoping we'll be seeing him again on Supernatural. I love Gordon and his evil ways.

— Gina Holden (Haley)
First I saw Gina in Lifetime's recent hit series Blood Ties. But wouldn't you know it, she's also turned up in Sci Fi's new show Flash Gordon. I got the chance to interview her recently about this show and she was so excited about it, she's got me excited about it. It premieres on August 10th — check out tvguide.com for times.

Any other guest stars from Supernatural popping up on television that you know about? I think someone on the last blog posted that Samantha Smith (Mary Winchester) was on the big screen in the blockbuster hit movie The Transformers. And, well, we all know what became of Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

OK, next post will be in mid-September when the Season 2 DVD comes out. If you check last year's post when the Season 1 DVDs were released, you'll figure out what to expect. Have a great August you guys, and I'm off to watch "The Benders."

OK, it's finally time to knock one month off the calendar. July's here. That means Supernatural resumes filming in Vancouver, congratulations should go to Jared on his Teen Choice Awards nomination, and apparently Eric Kripke and others will be present and accounted for at Comic-Con at the end of this month.

So, I surveyed you guys on the June blog for help coming up with new assignments. One of the ideas was along the lines of your summer viewing habits. So, aside from Supernatural repeats, what TV shows are you watching this summer? To answer the question, I've been watching: Top Chef, Hell's Kitchen, So You Think You Can Dance, and a dash of Hey Paula, Pirate Master and Last Comic Standing. And believe it or not, I'm still trying to catch up on the last few episodes of Lost. Love the DVR. I also just got SoapNet, so One Tree Hill and The O.C. reruns are on my TV-watching slate. And I actually can't wait for General Hospital: Night Shift and I Wanna Be a Soap Star to begin. Anyway, I admit it, I'm mostly about reality during the summer months. What are you guys watching?

And, of course, I've been trying to come up with some Supernatural-related topics. I really do feel we've debated and analyzed everything on this blog but here's what I came up with: stand-alone vs mythology episodes (I may have asked this before, but now that there's been two seasons, it's worth asking again). Which do you prefer watching and why? And I'm going to pit a Season 1 episode against a Season 2 episode. Which one do you prefer and why?

- "Hell House" vs "Tall Tales"
- "Salvation" vs "All Hell Breaks Loose, Part 1"
- "Something Wicked" vs "What Is and What Should Never Be"
- "Devil's Trap" vs "All Hell Breaks Loose, Part 2"

If you're like me you love all of the above but there may be one you prefer more than the other. Tell us why. This is all just to help us get through these summer months. Again, you can either answer, ponder or ignore. Ready? Set? Go.