Top Ten Kim Manners Episodes
#10 – Shadow
The Sad: I get choked up at the reunion with John, especially by Sam’s reaction. And Dean just wants his family back together hunting again! Oh!
The Funny: “You mind doing a little thinking with your upstairs brain, Dean?” “Hey, Sam, next time you want to get laid, find a girl that’s not so buckets of crazy, huh?”
#9 – Children Shouldn’t Play With Dead Things
The Good: Zombie! Sam is so worried about his brother in this episode. Zombie! The scissors in the chest thing was awesome. Zombie!
The Sad: Dean has so much guilt about the fact that his father made a deal to bring him back to life. Maybe you’ll remember that for later in the season, Dean? No? Okay, then.
The Funny: “Neil…It’s your grief counselors. We’ve come to hug!” “Nah, I think she went out to rent ‘Beaches.'”
#8 – Fresh Blood
The Sad: Sam’s whole speech about knowing when Dean’s terrified because he’s been looking up to him since he was 4 is really sad. Just be his brother again, Dean. Just ’cause.
The Funny: “Can you think of a worse hell?” “Well, there’s hell.” “What rhymes with ‘shut up, Sam?'”
#7 – All Hell Breaks Loose Part II
The Sad: Dean’s breakdown over his brother’s corpse is devastating. What a brilliant job by Jensen. Dean selling his soul to bring his brother back is so hard to watch.
The Funny: “Well, check that off the to-do list.”
#6 – Heart
The Sad: Gee, I don’t know. Maybe it’s the entire last five minutes of the episode? They should just rename this episode “Heartbreaking” and be done with it.
The Funny: “Dean, always with the scissors.” “Shut up. Shut up. Two out of three.” *Dean throws scissors* “God!” “Bundle up out there, all right?”
#5 – Devil’s Trap
The Sad: Did they just kill the Impala? Wait, did they kill all four of them? Dean figuring out his dad isn’t his dad because he was being nice to him is so rough. John! Be nice to your boys!
The Funny: “What is this, holy water?” “That one is. This is whiskey.” “I got a Yorkie upstairs, and he pees when he’s nervous.”
#4 – No Rest for the Wicked
The Sad: Dean’s death. Watching him get ripped apart was horrible, but I think the worst part for me was the fact that he died thinking Lilith was going to kill Sam. Dean on meathooks was also very, very bad.
The Funny: “Ain’t you just bringing down the room?” “Yeah, well, it’s a gift.” “And I wish you’d shut your pie hole, but we don’t always get what we want.”
#3 – In My Time of Dying
The Sad: Even though I frequently cursed him for not being a better father, I was still upset when John died. Dean getting shocked by the crash cart is so hard for me to watch, even worse than watching him get ripped apart by hellhounds.
The Funny: “I full-on Swayzed that mother!”
#2 – Lazarus Rising
The Sad: When Dean accuses Sam of making a deal to bring him back and Sam tells him he tried but the demons wouldn’t deal is really sad to me. Sam is so upset that he couldn’t save his brother, then couldn’t bring him back. And Dean’s startled reaction, where he sort of starts to realize what the whole ordeal did to Sam is nicely understated but still quite emotional.
The Funny: “I said take care of her not douche her up.” “You’re invited, too, grumpy.” “You are not invited!”
#1 – Mystery Spot
The Sad: Sam’s OCD reaction to Dean’s multiple deaths. Man, he goes so far into the deep end it’s scary. Even Sam’s eventual reprise was sad because while Dean came back this time, Hell still loomed.
The Funny: So much funny in this one. All of Dean’s deaths, but especially the tacos, the shower, and the axing by Sam. “Rise and shine, Sammy!” “Sammy, I get all tingly when you take control like that.” “Sam Winchester wears makeup. Sam Winchester cries his way through sex. Sam Winchester keeps a ruler by his bed, and every morning when he wakes up — all right, enough!”
Ardeospina, this was awesome!! I like the way you pointed out, in such a few words, what are the best qualities in each ep. Sometimes you don’t need so many words to express your love *heart*
I have to say that AHBL2 would be in my top3. That ep is SO hard for me, Jensen OWNS my soul with his performance. The first minutes, hell, the ‘first half’ of the ep is so made of awesome that I don’t have the words. Team that with the last minutes of AHBL1 first and I’m a withering pudding (Not the Dean-way though, hee!) on the floor. I havehavehave to watch the beginning with rewind every single time for several times, it’s that heartbreaking. Oh, Dean. Oh Sam.
All these chosen eppies are the best of the best, allthough when I went back to remind myself of the eppies he’d directed, I’d say every single one of them (exc. Bugs naturally) are really strong ones, truly fine moments of TV.
I’m really sad that he’s gone but he’s left such a legacy behind and his touch is seen everywhere.
Wonderful, just wonderful, Ardeospina! Maybe Eastwood should consider you for writing his movies’ summaries for their press kits…
It’s hard to point to a favourite here, and I just realized that all those episodes are among my all-time-favourites, with some of the best acting we’ve seen throughout this show. And, I agree, Kim Manners was making not only episodes, he made mini-movies, and fim students will study his art, I’m sure, to learn how to make tv-episodes work to enthral the entire attention of an audience.
Watched an entirely different film yesterday and learned that, during the Napoleonic Wars, when the Brits wished to honour a man, they called him ‘a proper bastard’. So, inspired by that – if there was a proper bastard in recent tv history, it was Mr Kim Manners.
Thank you, Ardeospina! Love, Jas
Nope, no good episodes here. (though *I* would slide Shadow up a few notches, varying mileage and all that).
What’s funny is that when I think of my favorite visual shots of this show, Kim’s behind a majority of them. The guy was a master.
Hi Ardeospina
Wonderful tribute. I liked your picks and the way you had set up with the good, sad and funny.
One of mine is still Metamorphosis. The confrontational scenes between Sam and Dean at the warehouse, the hotel and at the side of the road really moved me.
Kim Manners abilities to bring these emotions and moments out from the actors, was amazing.
Loved you top ten picks. Great choices