For the last two seasons, Supernatural has danced around the notion of Purgatory. True to form, the show takes the notion of the oft neglected realm in a different direction. Rather than being the place where souls are purged—hence the name—of sins as found in Catholic tradition, we learned through the Alpha Vampire that this…
Deals on Supernatural never end well. John’s deal with Azazel to save Dean came at the cost of his life. Dean’s deal with the Crossroads Demon (eventually held by Lilith) yielded Sam’s life—at the cost of Dean’s own. Castiel’s deal with Crowley to defeat Raphael lead to the release of the Leviathan. So, it isn’t…
Death told Sam and Dean that God had built Purgatory especially for the Leviathan after Castiel had released and absorbed them. He explained that they were the creatures created before the angels and man. God had locked them away because they were so ambitious, so hungry that they would eliminate anything else in creation. God…
“Nothing is safe.” “The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo” proved this in spades. Both sides of this fight have high stakes and a lot to lose. We start with the brothers back at the cabin, piecing together what Dick Roman is really up to. Frank’s intelligence dug up data about a location…
Everything in Supernatural has a consequence. At the end of “Death’s Door,” we were left to wonder Bobby’s choice. At the end of “Party on Garth,” we saw that he had chosen to stay. In “Of Grave Importance, we—and Bobby—learn what those consequences might be. The boys receive a call from a fellow hunter named…
In the last writer’s profile, we looked at the back half of “Carver Edlund.” Let’s examine the front half of that duo. On the writing team for only three seasons, Jeremy Carver’s impact can still be felt now. He is the writer for beloved episodes such as “Mystery Spot,” “A Very Supernatural Christmas,” and “Changing…
The dead rarely stay dead on “Supernatural,” and “Party On, Garth,” proved this. Before we get to the big moment, let’s look at the wackiness and silliness that is Garth. From the moment the song “Poison” starts to play, we know that Garth is bringing his own quirky brand to hunting. He approaches the witnesses…
“Good morning, Vietnam!” The recap takes us straight into the episode, thrusting Sam into the after effects of his sacrifice in “Repo Man.” He is running, plagued by his hallucinations of Lucifer, and has not slept in days. Those he encounters are unsympathetic and chase him away. As he stumbles, Sam bumps into a man,…
Dean wondered in “Repo Man” when they would arrive on a case and end up running into some “big mouths.” Well, here it is. The case starts off simple. A ballerina dances herself to death, and the brothers pick up on it in a news story. They arrive in town and discover that it…
(Photo of Ben Edlund by Alice Jester, Comic Con 2011) A lot of attention, (and rightly so), is given to Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles for bringing Sam and Dean Winchester to life on screen each week. But, before actors ever utter words from a script, a writer has to produce them. Supernatural draws from a stable…
Sacrifice, especially self-sacrifice, is the Winchester Way. In order that Dean may live and either “save or kill” Sam, John sacrificed himself to Azazel. In order for Sam to live, Dean sold his soul to bring back Sam. In order for the world to avert the Apocalypse, Sam sacrificed himself both to Lucifer and to…
Vamptopuses. Leprechauns. A pizza chain for kids. Unicorns that shoot rainbows out of its ass. Clowns. “Plucky’s Pennywhistle’s Magical Menagerie” is a whimsical episode breaking up the darkness that has comprised much of season 7. And yet, underneath its fun airiness, a tragic but hopeful undertone lurks inside the episode. We start with Sam…
