Noooooo!!! To be continued?? Damn you… oh, forget it. I’ve cursed Kripke’s name so many times it’s lost all meaning now.
Dean was pulled out of Hell to stop Sam! Mary was a hunter! Mary sold Sam’s soul in exchange for John’s life! Dean and Sam’s grandpa rocks! There I go with those damn exclamation points again!
Deep breath everybody … in … out …better? Hold on. Ahhhhhh!!! Okay, better.
I know when I’ve seen a great episode that affects me forever. It’s not the jaw-dropping intensity of the drama, the out-of-this-stratosphere acting that makes you wonder why genre shows like this are never recognized by the Emmy panel, the superior writing that makes me rush to my laptop to tweak yet again my own manuscript, or the fact that when the episode is over I’m so stunned I’m holding the remote and staring at the screen in disbelief for over an hour.
No, an episode for me is deemed great after the sleepless night. When the events of what I just witnessed play in my head over and over again and I can’t shut it off. When I wake up the next morning an emotional and exhausted wreck, so profoundly affected by what I saw that I struggle with basic function... then yes, I’ve watched the episode of a lifetime. It happened to me numerous times during the second season of The West Wing. It happened after “Mystery Spot.” It happened after “No Rest For The Wicked” and “Lazarus Rising.” Now here we are again, only two weeks later with “In The Beginning.” Mr. Kripke, you’re killing me!
Not just Eric Kripke, but everyone. To think, one of the two leads wasn’t even in this one (except for a brief glimpse) and they still pulled off a classic with the best guest casting of the series, or of all television. Mitch Pileggi MUST get some sort of award for this one. Misha Collins continues to blow our minds, again giving us a chilling closing line that we can’t shake. The young Mary (Amy Gumenick) and John (Matthew Cohen) are two unknowns that we may be seeing a lot of in the future in other places after this one. They made a huge impression.
I did miss Sam, even though this story was for his benefit. His absence served its point, so I’ll let it pass. The only thing I won’t let pass is why was Dean driving a 1979 Ford Pinto in 1973. My family drove Pintos while I was growing up so I know. There, nitpicks over. Time for the pages of gushing now.
Who Needs Classic Rock?
This is a packed full episode, so no time for musical montages. There’s a great recap of season one for those of us who don’t remember all those unanswered questions that we’re still over-speculating about. They even showed Mary apologizing to Sam in “Home.” It’s about time that one was cleared up!
Article comments
1 - Erin
Awesome review! LOL, I was wondering about the year on that Pinto. Kripke underestimated us again .... ;-)
Per the distance Dean drove to fetch the Colt, though, I looked on Mapquest, and if we presume Dan Elkins lived near Boulder, CO, it's about an 18 hour round trip drive from Lawrence to Boulder and back. Judging by the lighting in the scenes, Dean left at night after their visit to the Whitshire farm, drove all night and was gone all day, and got back in time to deal with Liddy Walsh the following afternoon. So he *did* have time to do it, and I think most of the terrain would have been relatively un-challenging to that Pinto ... ;-)
Thanks for the awesome review! :-)
2 - Mary
Hi, Alice!
I loved this episode, and just got my review up; I'm dying to read the rest of yours, because I was chuckling all the way through so far! I shared your laugh at Dean in the Pinto, because my very first car was a gold 1973 Pinto; I knew the year was off, but not what the year was, so thanks for that!
I would say, though, that Mary didn't actually sell Sam's soul. Me, I think that Sam's soul is still his own, and keeping it that way is going to be Dean's ultimate task. Azazel bought the opportunity to taint him, even though Mary didn't realize that at the time, but I don't think that taint is irresistible. At any rate, I certainly hope not!
3 - Elle
Hi Alice,
I've already posted over at the Part 2 review - but I had to stop in and tell you, since you mentioned it's one of your goals now, that I was able to use "got their hands on some Deloreans" in conversation this week! "Angels" wasn't the pro-noun, but the rest was all there.
Anyways, just wanted to share.
4 - Alice Jester
Elle - You're much farther than me then! I suppose telling it to the dog doesn't count, does it? Thanks for sharing that, and I hope it didn't result in too many strange looks.
5 - Gadfly
The episode was fantastic. However, I disagree on one major point: Dean was pulled out of Hell to help stop Azazel's endgame and to help stop Lilith from breaking the 66 seals. Sam, as the last of this generation's psychic Romper Room, is now part of the endgame (as Ava or Jake would be if they had been the last).
I think Castiel could smash Sam right now, but I also think he's giving Dean a chance to save his brother, not so much for Sam's sake--because Castiel doesn't seem to care very much if Sam goes good, so long as he doesn't play his pawn's role in the endgame; Castiel never talks about Sam joining the side of the angels if Sam doesn't fall all the way--but because God has work for Dean, and I think Dean would walk away if they took out Sam before it was absolutely necessary.
6 - tiffany
I love watching Supernatural also you and Jared aka Sam are very funny. Also u are really cute Dan aka Jensen Ankles.