Let me be clear: I have been a die-hard Supernatural groupie ever since a friend introduced me to those beautiful Winchester brothers, 6 years ago. I was only visiting LA for the weekend, but I spent most of it on her couch, inhaling the first season on DVD. I did manage to make it down to the Writers’ Strike for a bit (I saw Marti Noxon!), and put my toes in the ocean. But mostly, the brothers. That weekend holds a special place in my memory, not because of my first In N’ Out burger, and certainly not because of Cloverfield at the Chinese Theater, but because it was the beginning of my fangirl journey into the Supernatural realm.
I say all this mush in order to preface my next statement, without incurring the wrath of my friends and fellow fans: I hated the first episode of season 9 and I’m starting to wonder if I want to continue watching the show. *ducks* *peers over back of couch* *returns to seat* Yup, not even Dean’s cheekbones could distract me from the nagging sense of disappointment that I felt. And that, I think, is the worst part. Not the cheekbones, those are the best. I mean the disappointment. I couldn’t even muster up enough emotion to hate what they’d done to Sam or empathize with sad-sack Castiel. It was just so tired. Once again, one of the brothers is kinda dead and the other one doesn’t want him to be. There’s a monologue about fighting for life, or the world, or whatever. None of it tickled my imagination, or made me yearn for the next episode like the first season did (even with its campy, monster-of-the-week format). Despite all of the outlandish things the brothers, and their fans, have faced, this episode felt the least real.
Remember Chuck? He was fun. Or those funny Ghostblaster guys. Weren’t they getting a spin-off? The Gay LARPers. The intern – Todd? Even the girl from that stupid episode with the boat. These people were always the reason the brothers fought. And maybe if we brought back some of the good old fashioned adventuring, these characters could help the brothers to remember why they fight evil. Those moments would drive the point home to the boys, and the viewers, far better than Dean’s fist in Sam’s face.
Emily Soule 