Best/Worst episodes (Spoilers for aired S3 eps)

[ciderdrinker]

So I'm re-watching S1 at the moment and last night I was watching "Bugs" and couldn't help but think that it was a terrible episode. It's like the writers had no real idea what SN was really about - an Indian curse? Not very Supernaturally! Then straight after that is "Home" which is one of my favourite S1 eps.

So what are your favourite from the first 3 seasons?

Give me your choice for best and worst in each season (so far) and the reasons why. I'm gonna exclude season premieres and finales - that includes S2's two parter, because they are designed to make you want to watch the show, and come back for more.

For my part:-

S1
Best - Salvation
Meg, John, the colt, death, possession, exorcisms - good times!

Worst - Bugs
The whole Indian storyline is weak, and they survive without a bee sting on them, because they had ONE can of bug spray and suddenly it's daylight about 10 mins after it's mentioned that it's midnight - grrrr!

S2
Best - What Is And Should Never Be
I always love "what could've been" storylines, but this one had so much angst for Dean, and built onto the 2 part finale perfectly

Worst - Hollywood Babylon
This was sooo hard to choose as the second season is so generally good, but although I enjoy the comedy on this ep, the story just isn't that interesting when it comes so far into the season. Also with Dean struggling so much throughout the whole season, seeing him be a bit goofy doesn't follow.

S3
Best So Far - Fresh Blood
The transformation of Gordon Walker into a vampire is brilliantly done, and the conversations between the two brothers here is both warming and heartbreaking

Worst So Far - Red Sky At Morning
Slow, slow, slow! It has it's funny moments, but the pacing seems very drawn out. The part with the old woman coming onto Sam - urgh (with a side order of cringe)

[Rosely]

Oof... Without the premieres and finals it makes the choice a lot harder! LOL


Okay,
S1:
Best - Something Wicked
Very very hard choice between this one, Bloody Mary, Asylum, Shadow and Salvation... Those are absolute toppers in the season. But I love the flashbacks and the parallels, the character development in Dean and stuff like that.

Worst - The Benders
It's the only episode I've only watched once and don't fancy to watch again... Although Bugs is a VERY VERY close second...

S2:
Best - Born Under a Bad Sign
Sam going evil, Deans dispear (??) and Bobby serving demon!Sam holywater

Worst - Everybody Loves a Clown
Not that it was bad, it's just that I hate clowns!!

S3:
Best so far - Jus in Bello
Maybe cause it's most fresh But I loved this episode!! It was action packed, smart, fun, death, and everything! Totally loved it.

Worst - Bedtime Stories
I think... I'm not too sure. I like them all, but BS and Red Sky at Morning are not as good as the others... not sure.

[galathea]

So I'm re-watching S1 at the moment and last night I was watching "Bugs" and couldn't help but think that it was a terrible episode. It's like the writers had no real idea what SN was really about - an Indian curse? Not very Supernaturally!

Heh, I totally disagree! I think the writers had a really good idea what SN is about in this episode, because the brother's conflict in this episode was excellent. While I agree that bugs, Indian curses and sudden sunrises are lame, the undercurrent plotline of father-son conflicts, reflecting on the Sam-John relationship and Dean telling Sam that John looked out for him at Stanford, prompting Sam to reconsider his opinion on his father was very potent stuff. It always kills me that Sam thinks John considered Dean his perfect son, while we know from 'Something Wicked' that Dean thinks John considered him a failure. So, well I love Bugs. Sorry, couldn't resist!

S1
Best - Devil's Trap
The showdown between possessed!John and his sons is just extremely powerful. I didn't see the twist coming at all. I just love everything about that episode. The Meg exorcism in the beginning, the introduction of Bobby, Sam completely blindsided by the opportunity to get revenge on the YED, only to finally come around to Dean's point of view on family being more important, Dean's remorse about killing and his admission of being scared over how far he would go to protect his family. And the killer cliffhanger .. what's not to love?
I have to say though that 'Something Wicked' runs a close second on this!

Worst - Route666
This is extremely difficult for me since, honestly, there isn't a single S1 episode that I don't love. If we talk about ridiculous casefiles, uhm racist killer trucks?! I heavily disliked Cassie and apart from the fact that Jensen and the actress had zero chemistry, I found it highly unbelievable that Dean would fall in love with her, especially after we've seen the women he dreams about later, who bear no resemblance to Cassie. Still, the episode showed a side of Dean that we didn't see before and Sam's little brother glee of seeing Dean in such a predicament was adorable.

S2
Best - What Is and What Should Never Be
This is easily my favourite episode of the whole show so far. I loved the twist on the Djinn mythology and the in depth insight it gave us into Dean's character, his hopes and dreams, his wishes and fears, was stunning. Jensen's acting in this episode was stellar. Dean's reunion with Mary was heart-breaking as was his estrangement from Sam. The subconscious world he build around his family and his own role in it tears me apart every time I watch the episode. It's a classic!

Worst - Hollywood Babylon
The problem with this episode isn't as much plotwise as it is its standing at the end of the season. Sam and Dean's behaviour in this episode is far too jaunty to follow the events of 'Heart' and considering where Sam and Dean stand emotionally at this point of the season the whole episode doesn't fit. Both characters fall unusually flat and instead of being an episode about the Winchesters it is a meta commentary on the film industry. I probably would have enjoyed that episode more if it had come earlier in the season, but as it is, I hated it fiercely.

S3
Best - Fresh Blood
It was the appropriate goodbye to a fabulous recurring character, fast paced, excellently written, superbly acted. A perfect mix of action, casefile and brother angst, my favourite kind. The reconciliation between Sam and Dean after 6 episodes of fighting and frustration was beautiful, their silent truce and reaffirmation of their brotherhood had me in tears.

Worst - Red Sky At Morning
This is the first case where the interaction between the boys and Bela seems contrived, their behaviour taken slightly out of character in order to accomodate her presence and as a whole her appearance in the episode is redundant to me. The pacing of the episode is off and the humour is cringe-worthy.

[ciderdrinker]

Worst - The Benders
It's the only episode I've only watched once and don't fancy to watch again... Although Bugs is a VERY VERY close second...

This episode is possibly the creepiest - mainly due to the fact that there's nothing that couldn't happen in real life - and that makes it far more scary in my book. I don't like to watch this episode because of that but I still think it's a good one.

Worst - Everybody Loves a Clown
Not that it was bad, it's just that I hate clowns!!

Not a clown lover myself (disliked them ever since I read IT, by Stephen King, which is incidently the only book I've ever read which actually made me gag!) but the fallout of John's death and the final act between Sam and Dean is priceless

Heh, I totally disagree! I think the writers had a really good idea what SN is about in this episode, because the brother's conflict in this episode was excellent. While I agree that bugs, Indian curses and sudden sunrises are lame, the undercurrent plotline of father-son conflicts, reflecting on the Sam-John relationship and Dean telling Sam that John looked out for him at Stanford, prompting Sam to reconsider his opinion on his father was very potent stuff. It always kills me that Sam thinks John considered Dean his perfect son, while we know from 'Something Wicked' that Dean thinks John considered him a failure. So, well I love Bugs. Sorry, couldn't resist!

While all this is true and there's a good story in there, the lamness of the fight ruins all of it. It's like everything about rubbish TV all rolled into one.

Best - Devil's Trap
The showdown between possessed!John and his sons is just extremely powerful. I didn't see the twist coming at all. I just love everything about that episode. The Meg exorcism in the beginning, the introduction of Bobby, Sam completely blindsided by the opportunity to get revenge on the YED, only to finally come around to Dean's point of view on family being more important, Dean's remorse about killing and his admission of being scared over how far he would go to protect his family. And the killer cliffhanger .. what's not to love?

Uhmmm? I think this must've been the episode that I meant when I said "Salvation". Oops

Worst - Route666
This is extremely difficult for me since, honestly, there isn't a single S1 episode that I don't love. If we talk about ridiculous casefiles, uhm racist killer trucks?! I heavily disliked Cassie and apart from the fact that Jensen and the actress had zero chemistry, I found it highly unbelievable that Dean would fall in love with her, especially after we've seen the women he dreams about later, who bear no resemblance to Cassie. Still, the episode showed a side of Dean that we didn't see before and Sam's little brother glee of seeing Dean in such a predicament was adorable.

I don't like this episode either, but at least the plotline was a Supernatural one and the race between Dean and the killer truck, Sam's plan to get rid of it and not considering the alternative are classic brotherly traits, so Bugs is still worse IMO!

As for the rest....spookily the exact same. Are we like twins or something?

[Rosely]

S1
Best - Devil's Trap
The showdown between possessed!John and his sons is just extremely powerful. I didn't see the twist coming at all.

ha... finales are excluded by the thread starter...
So then... second best

[galathea]

This episode is possibly the creepiest - mainly due to the fact that there's nothing that couldn't happen in real life - and that makes it far more scary in my book. I don't like to watch this episode because of that but I still think it's a good one.

I totally agree! While SN has its fair share of spookiness, the 'realness' of The Benders makes it one of the most creepy episodes of SN in my book. 'Demons I get, people are just crazy' .. true words spoken.

Not a clown lover myself (disliked them ever since I read IT, by Stephen King, which is incidently the only book I've ever read which actually made me gag!) but the fallout of John's death and the final act between Sam and Dean is priceless.

Again, I have to agree here. I don't find clowns particularly spooky and the whole Rakshasa plotline is pretty lame for me but the dynamics between the boys is stunning in this episode, plus it has one of the most powerful end scenes of the show. The boys are both hurting so badly in this episode, it's breaking my heart every time.

While all this is true and there's a good story in there, the lamness of the fight ruins all of it. It's like everything about rubbish TV all rolled into one.

Heh, I am rarely fazed by the MotW plotlines, the emotional fallout of the brother's dynamics in this episode really makes me gloss over all the rest.

Uhmmm? I think this must've been the episode that I meant when I said "Salvation". Oops

I figured as much!

I don't like this episode either, but at least the plotline was a Supernatural one and the race between Dean and the killer truck, Sam's plan to get rid of it and not considering the alternative are classic brotherly traits, so Bugs is still worse IMO!

It's not that I don't like that episode, as I said, there isn't a single episode in S1 that I don't love. It has some really great moments, especially Sam teasing Dean all the time, the truck race and Dean's emotional vulnerability. Overall my dislike of Cassie is just my main point to put it at the end of the list. My second choice would be Wendigo though.

As for the rest....spookily the exact same. Are we like twins or something?

We just have good taste! Nah, lol I think there's just classic SN episodes that 90% of fandom would support as the best/worst of their season. I guess most people love Bloody Mary, Faith, Shadow or Devil's Trap ... In My Time of Dying, Born Under A Bad Sign or What Is and What Should Never Be ... Fresh Blood, Jus In Bello, A Very Supernatural Christmas. Episodes that encompass everything we love about the show, intriguing casefiles, fast pacing, emotional fallout for the characters.

Edit:

ha... finales are excluded by the thread starter...

Oops, I totally overlooked that LOL, but since Loraine wanted to vote for Devil's Trap herself, we don't need to take that rule all that serious, huh?

[ciderdrinker]

Edit: Oops, I totally overlooked that LOL, but since Loraine wanted to vote for Devil's Trap herself, we don't need to take that rule all that serious, huh?

Well obviously I'm an idiot! I voted for Salvation because it was my favourite S1 that wasn't the premiere or finale, then read your description and thought oh that's the one I meant (thinking that it was E21), so I can't vote for that one at all if I'm sticking to my own rules!

[galathea]

Well obviously I'm an idiot! I voted for Salvation because it was my favourite S1 that wasn't the premiere or finale, then read your description and thought oh that's the one I meant (thinking that it was E21), so I can't vote for that one at all if I'm sticking to my own rules!

ROFL well, if I am not allowed to vote for 'Devil's Trap' as best of S1 then I have to replace it with 'Something Wicked'. I love that episode because it added a completely new layer to Dean's character and formed my interpretation of the boys like no other. I loved the insight into their childhood, Dean bonding with Michael over protective big brother issues and Sam's whole new appreciation for his brother.

[BlasterBoy]

Mine are actually a lot like Rosely's.

Season 1

Best:

Salvation - This is, IMO, better than "Devil's Trap" (which I can't put down anyways). I love Meg and she's in this SO much. All the father and son interactions, the action, Meg, and Meg are all so amazing!

Worst:

Wendigo - Don't ask me why. I just never liked this episode. At all.

Season 2

Best:

Born Under A Bad Sign - This might be my favorite episode of the whole series! JP as evil!Sam is brilliant and everything in this episode, from the writing to the directing to the editing to the acting, was just fantastic.

Worst:

Everybody Loves A Clown - Ever since I was really, really young I've been terrified of clowns. I hate them and can't watch this episode because of clowns.

Season 3

Best:

Fresh Blood/Jus In Bello - I really can't choose right now. I'd have to rewatch them both back to back and I don't want to right now. But, both episodes were fantastic 10/10 episodes

Worst:

Bedtime Stories - This is the only one that disappointed me this season so far. Unlike most, I enjoyed "Red Sky At Morning" a lot *shrugs* I was really not interested in the story for this one.

[Cori]

Yay for this thread, I love it! Thanks for starting it, Loraine!

Okay so here are mine:

Season 1

Best:

Faith - I honestly couldn't choose for a long time between Faith, Shadow or Something Wicked, I love all three episodes to death. I ended up choosing Faith because it's the one episode that really made me fall in love with SN. I love everything about this episode, Dean being vulnerable and Sam trying to save him, Dean's interactions with Layla (and seeing Julie Benz on the show), the way the Reaper scenes were filmed, the use of Blue Oyster Cult's "Don't Fear The Reaper" during the one scene in the woods, Dean's guilt over having been healed etc. etc. This episode is deliciously Dean-centric and it really made me fall in love with show and the character of Dean!

Worst:

Bugs - This was a no-brainer for me. I deeply dislike the insects storyline, plus bugs creep me out. There are some good things in this ep of course, the brotherly interactions are lovely at times and how Sam identified with the young kid (what was his name? I can't remember the last time I watched this ep) because of his father issues was great.

A quick word on Route 666: While I agree that the racist monster truck storyline was lame and that Jensen and the actress who played Cassie had no chemistry, I still love this episode because we see a new side of Dean. It was the first time that we learned that Dean has had a relationship with a woman that was more than a one-night-stand or an affair. I loved his playful bantering with Cassie and Sam's teasing of his older brother was just incredibly cute. Plus this episode has one of my favourite last scenes ever with Dean smiling that beautiful bittersweet smile before he settles down to sleep in the car! I squee over that scene every time I watch it!

Season 2

Best:

Born Under A Bad Sign - This was very hard again but then I just thought which s2 ep I rewatched the most since I got my DVDs and it was definitely BUABS. I loved seeing evil Sam (even if it is not really Sam but Meg possessing him) and Jared's performance absolutely blew me away! I loved all the Dean/Jo scenes (especially the patching up scene, that was hot! ) and Jo eventually realising where she stands with Dean. Dean not wanting to believe that Sam really committed all those horrible deeds and refusing to kill him was heartbreaking! "Heart" and "WIANSB" are close seconds though.

Worst:

Tall Tales - I wasn't sure whether to go with Playthings or Tall Tales because I don't really like either episode. In the end I chose Tall Tales because even though the MOTW of Playthings bored me, it has at least drunk Sammy and some intense brotherly conversations while Tall Tales just has humour that is so completely not my cup of tea. I still cringe when I see that dancing alien scene!

Season 3

Best:

Fresh Blood - This episode just has it all: the most intense and heartbreaking brotherly interactions of s3 so far which make me cry every time I watch the episode, the action, the drama, the excitement of seeing a recurring character again who then turns into my favourite kind of monster (aka a vampire), new layers added to the demonlogy of the show (how SN sees vampires) and one of the loveliest last scenes of an SN episode with Dean trying to teach Sam about his car! As much as I love Jus In Bello, Fresh Blood is even better IMO because it moves and touches me like no other s3 episode does (so far).

Worst:

Bedtime Stories - The MOTW utterly bored me and I did not find it original at all. I honestly cannot say much about this episode, it left me feeling kinda blah.

[galathea]

A quick word on Route 666: While I agree that the racist monster truck storyline was lame and that Jensen and the actress who played Cassie had no chemistry, I still love this episode because we see a new side of Dean. It was the first time that we learned that Dean has had a relationship with a woman that was more than a one-night-stand or an affair. I loved his playful bantering with Cassie and Sam's teasing of his older brother was just incredibly cute. Plus this episode has one of my favourite last scenes ever with Dean smiling that beautiful bittersweet smile before he settles down to sleep in the car! I squee over that scene every time I watch it!

I totally agree with this! If I could get away with it, I would simply state 'none' under worst S1 episodes, but Cassie annoys me so much sometimes, that it spoils the episode for me. I do love all brother scenes in the episode though and it has one of my fav S1 Sam quotes: "I miss conversations that didn't start with 'that killer truck...'"

Bedtime Stories - The MOTW utterly bored me and I did not find it original at all. I honestly cannot say much about this episode, it left me feeling kinda blah.

Funny, I don't get all that distaste for Bedtime Stories. I liked how they transported the Grimm fairytales into a modern context and the undercurrent theme of 'letting go' played nicely into where the brothers stood at that moment. Certainly not the most exciting episode ever, but it had a nice standalone touch, I quite enjoyed it.

[Cori]

I totally agree with this! If I could get away with it, I would simply state 'none' under worst S1 episodes, but Cassie annoys me so much sometimes, that it spoils the episode for me. I do love all brother scenes in the episode though and it has one of my fav S1 Sam quotes: "I miss conversations that didn't start with 'that killer truck...'"

Cassie annoys me too at times but I love what she brings out in Dean, making him admit that he was hurt when she broke up with him. I'm a sucker for stuff like that! And yeah, that was definitely one of the best Sam lines! I also love how surprised Sam is that Dean can actually have a meaningful relationship with a woman.

Funny, I don't get all that distaste for Bedtime Stories. I liked how they transported the Grimm fairytales into a modern context and the undercurrent theme of 'letting go' played nicely into where the brothers stood at that moment. Certainly not the most exciting episode ever, but it had a nice standalone touch, I quite enjoyed it.

I just could not get into that episode at all, it did not interest me. The episode relied heavily on the MOTW and since I was not gripped by that, there was not all that much else for me to enjoy. I'm not a huge fan of Red Sky At Morning either but at least it had some pretty visual effects, some funny lines and the boys in tuxedos. Plus on the whole, I found it way more entertaining than Bedtime Stories.

[Rosely]

Again, I have to agree here. I don't find clowns particularly spooky and the whole Rakshasa plotline is pretty lame for me but the dynamics between the boys is stunning in this episode, plus it has one of the most powerful end scenes of the show. The boys are both hurting so badly in this episode, it's breaking my heart every time.

True.... And even though I hate clowns and the plot was dull and lame, I have seen this episode again a few times and the dynamics are good indeed, very true.

Worst:

Tall Tales - I wasn't sure whether to go with Playthings or Tall Tales because I don't really like either episode.

Ha, funny! I had forgotten all about Playthings! I skipped the episode the other day when I was watching season 2 with my boyfriend. Cause it wasn't too interesting and I rather showed him Hunted, Nightshifter, Houses of the Holy and BUaBS.

I'm probably the only one that likes Tall Tales! I still find it funny and the slowdancing alien might be too much, yet it is really funny. It's very much over the top, and it fits nicely in with the whole 'Trickster' storyline.
The scenes with Dean and the girl from both perspectives are great! So over exaggerated, really funny

[galathea]

Ha, funny! I had forgotten all about Playthings! I skipped the episode the other day when I was watching season 2 with my boyfriend. Cause it wasn't too interesting and I rather showed him Hunted, Nightshifter, Houses of the Holy and BUaBS.

Heh, how could you show him BUABS without showing him Sammy ripping the damn promise out of Dean in 'Playthings' before, he would miss out an important plot point in BUABS, not knowing about the promise. As weak as Playthings is, the drunk!Sammy scene is kind of crucial for the drama in the 2nd part of the season .. not to mention the adorable brotherly teasing of hungover Sam.

I'm probably the only one that likes Tall Tales! I still find it funny and the slowdancing alien might be too much, yet it is really funny. It's very much over the top, and it fits nicely in with the whole 'Trickster' storyline.
The scenes with Dean and the girl from both perspectives are great! So over exaggerated, really funny

I find it more and more that while drama hits the most of us in similar ways, humour really doesn't. Humor really doesn't translate universally as drama does, it's way more limited in appeal. It's not rare that I have problems with humour in the show, especially if it's crude, juvenile or exaggerating, Tall Tales being an example of all of the above. What I find most 'funny' about the episode is how it mashes the IMO really funny stuff (the domestic brotherly ribbings) with the not so funny but supposed to be funny stuff (slow dancing aliens, nut stuffing Dean etc), showing how humour works in the show and how it doesn't work in the show for me in the same episode.

[Rosely]

Heh, how could you show him BUABS without showing him Sammy ripping the damn promise out of Dean in 'Playthings' before, he would miss out an important plot point in BUABS, not knowing about the promise. As weak as Playthings is, the drunk!Sammy scene is kind of crucial for the drama in the 2nd part of the season .. not to mention the adorable brotherly teasing of hungover Sam.

I know! LOL I realised that in BUABS, so I told him about it. But I might show him the episode after all...
Next on the list is Heart... maybe I'll show him Playthings first... lol kinda a-sync, but I didn't feel like Playthings, and very much like the other eps... lol

I find it more and more that while drama hits the most of us in similar ways, humour really doesn't. Humor really doesn't translate universally as drama does, it's way more limited in appeal. It's not rare that I have problems with humour in the show, especially if it's crude, juvenile or exaggerating, Tall Tales being an example of all of the above. What I find most 'funny' about the episode is how it mashes the IMO really funny stuff (the domestic brotherly ribbings) with the not so funny but supposed to be funny stuff (slow dancing aliens, nut stuffing Dean etc), showing how humour works in the show and how it doesn't work in the show for me in the same episode.

yeah, that's true. I do appreciate nut stuffing Dean and the slow dancing alien, even if they are too much. But I agree that the brotherly tention is much funier. I loved that scene and how Dean said that Sam was talking... with "Dean WHAT are you DOING??" tooo annoyed college boy-ish

But the nut stuffing Dean is funny cause it's Sammy's PoV and making him hilarious from that PoV. Which is why I like it. Over the top, but still funny.

[Ehlwyen]

I love Tall Tales! It's one of my faves of the season. As is Everybody Loves a Clown.

It's so hard to pick best ofs! The worsts are so much easier.

Worst Season 1: Route 666. Bugs is actually really good until the last 8 minutes when they trap themselves in the house. So I usually watch up until there and just stop. It's a stellar that way. (though still 2nd worst)

Route 666 drives me nuts with the age timeline. The murder happens in the sixties, but she has a 20 something daughter in 2006? wth? they waited 20 years to have a kid? Plus the whole story thing usually lulls me to sleep.

Worst Season 2: Playthings. I thought it was silly having so much emphasis on creepy playthings and hoodoo and it basically just being a run of the mill ghost story. It could have been so much better. Also infinitely annoyed at Dean/Sam jokes and how personally deflated Dean was at it. This episode irritates and frustrates me to no end.

I might also add the Usual Suspects was pretty boring. But they mentioned Rockford, so major squee props for that!

Worst Season 3: Bedtime Stories. Once again built up for something interesting and ended up a mishmash that didn't work. And the crossroad scene was not nearly as thrilling and titillating as it could have been. *sigh*

[Heather]

Ok, my best/worst episode list will be very controversial and that's not intentional at all - it's my honest opinion. So...now that the disclaimer's out of the way, here it goes...

Season 1
BEST: "Salvation" because of the amazing action, great plot, phenomenal acting, and Meg.
WORST: "Route 666" was truly only worth watching for the sex scene.

Season 2
BEST: Three-way tie between "Croatoan," "Nightshifter," and "Heart." All amazing episodes. Flawlessy scripted, perfectly acted, and down-right suspenseful and entertaining.
WORST: Three-way tie between "Everybody Loves a Clown," "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things," and "Playthings." This, I know, is heavily controversial but these episodes just bored me to death. I didn't find any of the brotherly issues very gripping and I honestly feel like Jared Padalecki over-acted the drama/brotherly scenes to the point where they didn't feel like brothers anymore but instead like lovers. Especially in "Playthings." Padalecki really made me cringe in these episodes.

Season 3
BEST: It's a toss up between "Sin City" and "Jus in Bello." I honestly can't decide. "Sin City" was pretty much all talk, no action, but it was a thrillingly insightful episode and, again, the acting was amazing. "Jus in Bello" was action-packed, twisty and turny, perfectly acted, and just down-right entertaining. Definitely had me on the edge of my seat and screaming at the TV.
WORST: Another toss up between "Bedtime Stories" and "Fresh Blood." I think "BS" was weaker overall, but "FB" just bored me for the most part.

[galathea]

ROFL, well, you know Heather, it would make me a lot more nervous if we would actually agree on the episodes!

WORST: Three-way tie between "Everybody Loves a Clown," "Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things," and "Playthings." This, I know, is heavily controversial but these episodes just bored me to death. I didn't find any of the brotherly issues very gripping and I honestly feel like Jared Padalecki over-acted the drama/brotherly scenes to the point where they didn't feel like brothers anymore but instead like lovers. Especially in "Playthings." Padalecki really made me cringe in these episodes.

Well, while being gripped by the brother's immediate struggle with John's death might be a matter of personal taste, I don't get the accusation against Jared's acting. I mean, I can see where you are coming from in 'Playthings', the face grab can be considered a tad slashy, but Sam was completely wasted so I didn't really mind it that much, but in ELAC or CSPWDT there isn't even a hint of slashiness in their scenes together. Sam is intense and worried sick about his brother, but I have to wonder where you can see 'lovers' instead of 'brothers' anywhere in there.

[Heather]

ROFL, well, you know Heather, it would make me a lot more nervous if we would actually agree on the episodes!

Oh, sugar, hell would've frozen over by now! I think that we share the same opinions about the majority of the episode this season, but in the long run we're worlds apart. Universes apart.

I look at "Supernatural" as an entertaining show (well...I do for seasons 1-2, but with season 3 I'm starting to look at the writing and all that jazzy stuff and getting involved in the mytharc), while you really look at everything indepth and process all of it and really look at the bigger picture. I'm totally lame compared to you.

But it's because of how we view the show that leads to our majorly opposite opinions on the actual episodes.

Well, while being gripped by the brother's immediate struggle with John's death might be a matter of personal taste, I don't get the accusation against Jared's acting. I mean, I can see where you are coming from in 'Playthings', the face grab can be considered a tad slashy, but Sam was completely wasted so I didn't really mind it that much, but in ELAC or CSPWDT there isn't even a hint of slashiness in their scenes together. Sam is intense and worried sick about his brother, but I have to wonder where you can see 'lovers' instead of 'brothers' anywhere in there.

Yeah, the lovers comment was directed towards "Playthings." Sorry about the confusion. But I still feel like Jared Padalecki was over-acting in the first 4 or 5 episodes of the season. Everything he did felt too forced for my liking. With Jensen, it seemed to flow naturally and it worked really well. But with Jared? To me, it was the complete opposite.

I did like how they struggled with John's death - for the most part - but in those first 4 episodes, it felt forced to me. I couldn't enjoy the episodes. It was far too dark for me to really be entertained by - not to mention my dislike for the MOTW in the first 4 episodes.

Then again, I felt very similarly about Angel season 3 but, upon rewatching it, I've grown to really appreciate the season as a whole. Perhaps I should cave and spend the money on SN season 2 so I can rewatch it and give things a whirl again? Especially now that the show's officially drawn me in as a true fan (and all credit for that goes to season 3, honestly)?

[galathea]

Oh, sugar, hell would've frozen over by now! I think that we share the same opinions about the majority of the episode this season, but in the long run we're worlds apart. Universes apart.

I look at "Supernatural" as an entertaining show (well...I do for seasons 1-2, but with season 3 I'm starting to look at the writing and all that jazzy stuff and getting involved in the mytharc), while you really look at everything indepth and process all of it and really look at the bigger picture. I'm totally lame compared to you.

But it's because of how we view the show that leads to our majorly opposite opinions on the actual episodes.

I guess I can't really argue with that! I fully appreciate the entertaining value of SN though and Salvation, Nightshifter, Heart, Jus In Bello or Sin City are high on my lists as well. SN can do fast paced action extremely well and still keep up telling stories about the Winchesters and I love that, especially in Nightshifter!

I did like how they struggled with John's death - for the most part - but in those first 4 episodes, it felt forced to me. I couldn't enjoy the episodes. It was far too dark for me to really be entertained by - not to mention my dislike for the MOTW in the first 4 episodes.

Heh, I just felt the absolute opposite, I think the progression of the first stages of grief in the first 4 episodes could hardly have been handled any better or concised. Dean's progression from inability to express his feelings to expressing it via physical violence to verbal aggression and finally breaking down was awesome. Sam's growing desperation, going from trying to support his brother, to get him to talk, while he tries at the same time to do what he thinks his father expected of him, coming to terms with John's death on his own, was just heart-wrenching to watch for me. And the MotW's played nicely into the brother's issues all along, especially in CSPWDT. It was dark at times, but I didn't really mind that because it felt appropriate given the huge importance John has for his boys.