In response to Summer Hellatus Project... YOUR opinions wanted!

I started watching Supernatural the summer before Season 7 premiered. I remember way back in 2005 seeing the advertisement on CW of Season 1 and thinking, “Well that looks like a completely stupid show. I won’t be interested in that at all.” Granted I was eleven years old and not really into the monster shows like I am now. (I also thought the taller one was the older brother while the shorter one was the younger… oh how wrong I was.) Then in 10^th grade, someone in my English class told me that I should try watching it (I didn’t know about Castiel yet). Once summer vacation started, I began my journey through the seasons, starting with Season 1through Season 6.

Season 1:

I remember starting this episode and being hooked right away with the aspect of Mary being burned on the ceiling. The character Sam was interesting to say the least and Dean was very good looking. I like how their relationship was portrayed and Dean completely fascinated me throughout the entire season. The first episode is also when I realized that, no the shorter character is the older and the taller character is the youngest. I remember being shocked about this because of what I interpreted all those years beforehand.

I liked the whole monster of the week plotline with a side of dad searching. This season is also the one to set forth my deep seeded hatred of John Winchester. I realized pretty much right away how much of a dick John was to his sons, mostly to poor Dean. Dean did seem pretty happy in this season (but after reading meta on the season a few years later, I realize how wrong I was to believe he was as happy as I thought.) I absolutely loathed John for bringing his family into that kind of life, I loathed him for not showing himself to his two sons in Home, and I loathed him how he treated Dean (and Sam on some level) in Dead Man’s Blood. I could not stand the guy. Then the season finale blew my motherfucking brains out. It was the best season finale I have ever seen, in my opinion (but that may have something to do with the fact that I didn’t—and don’t—watch much TV to begin with.) The way they ended the episode made me want MORE!

Season Rating: B

Season 2:

The writers begin the season off with a helicopter ride to the hospital. This scene is when I figure out how much of sadistic bitch I am when it comes to fictional characters because, damn, I could watch Dean being rolled to the helicopter over and over and over again (it’s a guilty pleasure). This came as quite a shock at how much I enjoyed that scene (and the one where Dean’s heart stops) because I’m such a pacifist in real life and would never wish harm on anyone [in real life]. I rolled with it though, accepted it, and began to apply it in my writings (I’m not writing fanfiction at this point for Supernatural, just Naruto [that is never going to be seen from anyone except my own eyes because it is AWFUL!])

Overall this season was also amazing to me. I loved it even better than Season 1. I was, I’ll admit, glad John was out of the picture even though it made Dean depressed and I loved Ellen and Ash. Now Jo, Jo I had mixed feelings about. I have high expectations when it comes to actors (I call men and women actors not actresses for the women, just like with waiter vs. waitress. I just hate separating them like that.) and so, me personally, thought Alona Tal is a horrible actor* (I thought the same when she was in Burn Notice Season 7). I think Jo as a character was awesome and strong but Alona’s acting skills kind of ruined it for me. I also didn’t particularly care for the whole psychic!Sam plot. I don’t know, I just thought the whole thing was farfetched and it got worse when they revealed the demon blood being fed to baby Sam. I didn’t like that at all because, just because you were fed demon blood does not mean it’s in you forever. It’ll go through your digestive system just like everything else and why the hell would that give you powers anyways? It bothered me in a whole. I really liked the whole, selling your soul thing, especially when Dean is being the biggest hypocrite that walked the Earth. To say the least, I started watching Season 3 right away (just like with Season 2)

Season Rating: B+

Season 3:

Again, I loved this season even more than Season 2 which in turn is more than Season 1. I don’t know what really made me love this season so much (maybe it was all the Dean whump) but I absolutely adore this season. I loved blonde Ruby and thought Katie Cassidy played her really well. Though I kind of figured Ruby was going to betray them (she was a demon after all) I really, really, really liked her character. She was sassy and I loved it. I sort of, kind of, on a certain level liked Bella. I’m kind of mixed on the feelings with her. I guess I liked her up to the point I realized she made a deal with a demon.

I LOVED the episode Dream a Little Dream of Me. I loved it mostly because of Dean having to face himself. This is also when it is mentioned (just in case you hadn’t realized by now) that Dean follows in John’s footsteps and really isn’t his own person. I ADORED the lines, “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. No, all there is is, ‘Watch out for Sammy. Look after your little brother Boy!’ You can still hear your Dad’s voice in your head, can’t you? Clear as a bell. [Real Dean says, ‘Just shut up.’] When you think about it all he ever did was train you, boss you around. But Sam, Sam he doted on. Sam he loved. [Real Dean says, ‘I mean it. I’m getting angry.’] Dad knew who you really were. A good soldier and nothing else. Daddy’s blunt little instrument. Your own father didn’t care if you lived or died, why should you?” And gosh if that doesn’t make me hate John more. Over all, a very enjoyable season with an awesome ending—Dean being ripped to shreds by Hellhounds—that I could watch over and over again (I’m telling you, when it comes to fictional characters, I’m really sadistic.) Also by this point, I’m a complete Dean!Girl.

Season Rating: A-

Season 4:

Season 4 is my second favorite season of all the seasons (mostly because of the addition of Castiel.) Also, just for an FYI, at this point, I still don’t know any of the actors’ names and still don’t know Jensen was in Smallville. I loved this season for so many reasons. Being a Christian, I was really excited about the show bringing in angels. Though I soon learned they weren’t going to be portrayed the way I see them in real life. I wasn’t offended or discouraged by this, however, and only made me more drawn into the series. I would say, Season 4 is when I became completely obsessed with this show (and to think back in 2005 I thought it would be stupid—shame on me.) Anyways, I immediately loved the character Castiel. I absolutely adored/loved him the moment he burst through those double doors in a blaze of sparking, blown lights. My gosh, what an entrance. At this point, it was the best entrance ever (until Season 5, but more on that when I get there.)

I know I’m going to be part of the minority with this opinion, but I really did not like Genevieve as Ruby. No offence to her or Jared, but I really didn’t think she could act well. I was really disappointed when I realized blonde Ruby was gone and was replaced with her. Now don’t get me wrong, I love Genevieve herself, she seems like a really nice person, I just really don’t like her acting.* One scene I can watch that I’ll never get tired of, is the scene in I Know What You Did Last Summer when Dean is telling Sam what he did in Hell. This scene is so heartbreaking but I can’t get enough of it. Jensen is just so amazing in this scene.** The episode Wishful Thinking was so very fun to watch. I like that episode a lot, especially the scene where Dean is having the nightmare (and that poor teddy bear.) Lucifer Rising=amazing.

Season Rating: A+

Season 5:

Season 5, oh Season 5, how much I love you. I love this season so very much. Not only is Castiel on the brother’s side but LUCIFER IS FREE!! I remember being so super excited about this fact, and that Mark Pellegrino played him made it that much better. I don’t think anyone else could have played a better Lucifer. Not only that, then we have Crowley. I remember liking Crowley right away. He was cool and awesome and smart and witty and everything I love from a villain. So Season 5 being filled with some episodes of two of the greatest villains so far in the series, bumps it way up my list of favorite seasons. To this day, Season 5 holds number one on the list.

I don’t blame Dean, though a little hypocritical, for not trusting Sam right off. After all, he was drinking Demon blood (which is all kinds of gross). The episode The End is one of my all time favorite episodes in the whole series. I love that episode to pieces. I was glad to see some more of Ellen and Jo and was heartbroken when they died (especially Ellen, I really liked her). This brings me to Death. My goodness, if I thought Castiel’s entrance was amazing, Death is absolutely fabulous! The music, the slow motion accompanied by the fast forward, and the dying man just by touching his shoulder… I mean, talk about epic! I loved all the Cas episodes and about half way through this season I’m starting to lean towards being a Cas!Girl but I was still a Dean!Girl. The season finale was okay in my opinion. I didn’t necessarily see it coming but I think knowing that there was more seasons afterwards, kind of ruined it for me.

Season Rating: A+

Season 6:

Season 6, Season 6… how I have mixed feelings about you. I’ll admit, this season is on the bottom of my list of seasons I liked, I mean like, the very bottom. At this point in time I took a few weeks off from watching because I wanted to watch this season the last week before Season 7 aired so I didn’t have to wait long. In this time period I looked up the actors’ names and only memorized Jensen Ackles (also learning he was in Smallville), Misha Collins, and Jared Padalecki (in that order [I later memorized more]). Also, in this time frame, I looked up my first fanfiction on the show. I was reading a lot of Naruto [slash] fanfiction at the time and wondered if there were any on Supernatural. I started off reading the neutral stuff and then found out about wincest. To tell you the truth, I was disgusted.*** But then, I fell upon Destiel. Oh, wonderful Destiel. I certainly didn’t understand it at first but once I started watching Season 6, a light bulb went on and I saw it. Maybe that’s why Season 6 is so very painful for me to watch. And so, began my shipping of Dean and Castiel.

I loved Soulless!Sam and think Jared did an excellent job playing him. It was nice seeing the other ways Jared can play a character (since we’ve already seen Jensen and Misha do the same in The End). Now Lisa, I’m sorry, but again I really did not like Cindy Sampson’s acting (and my mom even agrees on me on this one).* Plus, I didn’t like the character at all. Not because she was with Dean (because at this point, I’m rooting for Destiel because of all the fanfiction I read) but because I just found her to be completely annoying. To be fair, I didn’t like Ben either (he was annoying too). I do have to give Lisa credit, though, for not really tolerating Dean shoving her son and calling him out on it. Once she is out of the picture for a while, then things start to get better. Cas is in this season enough to quench my thirst for him (because, also, by this time I’ve fully transitioned from a Dean!Girl to a Cas!Girl) and things are actually pretty interesting with the storyline. But then, BAM, we find out Cas is working with Crowley (which doesn’t bother me as much as the next statement I’m about to make because Dean has done it, Sam has done it, why not Castiel as well), then Dean begins to be an ass to Cas, and then Dean tries to kill Cas, then Dean says, ‘that you WERE like a brother to me’ (WERE?? WTF!), and just UGH! It fucking pissed me off man! The unthinkable began to happen, I literally started to hate Dean. Castiel becoming God at the end was cool (something I can admit now but I was still fuming at Dean when I first saw it so I couldn’t really appreciate that fact until later).

Season Rating: C+

Season 7:

At this point I’m all caught up and watching it live. It’s an unpopular season but I actually liked this season better than Season 6. I HATED that they killed Cas off, absolutely hated it. I felt like crying when it happened. Also, if I couldn’t be any madder at Dean, I was proven wrong when he had little to no reaction to Cas “dying”. I was seething at him and knew I wouldn’t be forgiving him very easily.****

The leviathan storyline (and again I’m part of a minority) was really enjoyable to watch. I wish there were more episodes focused on them but alas, there isn’t. Frank was awesome. He was cool. Like everyone else, I didn’t like the show killing Bobby off. I actually did cry at this (and more when they burned the flask) because not only was Cas gone but then Bobby too. The flask part just made it all so final and that’s why I cried there. Though I understand why Dean and Sam left Cas at the psychiatric ward in the hospital, doesn’t mean I liked it. I hated it. I really did understand, but I just felt as if there was a better way of handling the situation and that there must have been (even though I’m sure there wasn’t) a way to bring him with them. I also didn’t like the fact they left Meg to take care of him. I liked her character a lot (and really liked Rachel Miner’s acting), and I know she was the only one really left to do it, but I didn’t like. Not one bit. Kevin, I liked Kevin right away. The finale was interesting, to say the least (though I still don’t understand why killing Dick—whom James Patrick Stuart did an excellent job playing him—would send Dean and Cas to Purgatory as well).

Season Rating: B-

Season 8:

Once again, I’m probably the minority. But Season 8 was REALLY enjoyable to me. I really didn’t mind the jaded pacing or the plot holes (except that stupid one in Taxi Driver where there was such an easy way to get to Purgatory—after a whole season of searching for the damn thing—and then it having a door to Hell… WTF?) All the other problems that some people complain about, I really didn’t mind so much. I really liked Season 8 and in fact it makes number three on my list of favorite seasons.

I loved (like any other Destiel shipper) all the subtext of Dean and Cas’ relationship. One thing I didn’t like about the season, however, is the fact that Sam didn’t even try to find Dean and especially Kevin. I don’t really give a rat’s ass if he’s “all alone at the end of Season 7”. Yeah, so what? He can still FIND KEVIN FOR GOODNESS SAKE! Not looking for Dean I understand to a point, but not Kevin? COME ON SHOW! Anyways, I’m glad Kevin survived this long, Abbadon was awesome, Dean and his PTSD (though I wish a little more fleshed out) was awesome, Naomi was awesome (Amanda Tapping being an awesome actor), and glad to see Charlie some more. No offense to Liane Balaban who played Amelia, but she couldn’t act.* I hated that Sam got to do the trials instead of Dean (mostly because Dean should have been able to kill a Hellhound since HE’S THE ONE THAT GOT TORN TO SHREDS BY ONE!), and Metatron was very predictable. I really liked the finale though, and they did an amazing job portraying the angels falling from the sky (though I’ll admit, the church scene with Dean talking Sam down, I couldn’t help but think, “not again…” and sigh).

 

Season Rating: A-

Overall Grade For Show: A

 

Now, I’m completely obsessed with the show and maybe that’s why I’m so lenient and forgiving when it comes to the writers’ mistakes, because I just love the show too much to stay angry or annoyed with it. Anyways, that’s a summary of my journey through the world of Supernatural. I got sucked in never to be let out… and I’m glad I did… :)

XXX

*These are just my personal opinions so please don’t hate on me. Everyone has a right to their opinions so if you love their acting, then great, I just don’t.

 

**He’s amazing in every scene.

 

***Not hating on wincesters, they have a right to ship whoever they want just as much as I do. It’s their opinion and whatever makes them happy, then so be it. As long as they don’t try to push it onto me (because I’ll never try to push Destiel onto them).

 

****After reading Flutiebear’s The Great Season 7 Rewatch I now realize that my reaction is wrong and that Dean did show that he was hurting from Cas’ “demise” but in a less dramatic and more subtle way.