Say what you want either way about Sam not looking for Dean, but it is so much worse that he basically forgot about Kevin, who he knew was a captive of Crowley
The biggest misstep on the writers was not showing Sam in mourning in flashback! Sam was indeed a wreak after Dean "died" but we don't see that, instead the earliest flashback we get is him meting Amelia and he doesn't look disheveled, unshaven, or broken at all. If you watch the flashback alone you'd have no idea this man lost his only family and best friend. The writers made it look like Sam never mourned Dean and just went about his life like he didn't care, this was straight up character assassination if you ask me
For what it is worth, Robbie Thompson did pitch a flashback episode for episode 4 but Carver chose the aired episode instead. There was a Q&A with Robbie Thompson back in 2015, in which a fan reported that he tried to pitch a story - an episode with a retelling of the time when the boys were apart - Dean during his purgatory stint and Sam before he hit the dog. But Jeremy didn't choose that one and had chosen [spoiler title ep. 4] instead. Let me just copy and paste it here (these were paraphrased and not his exact quotes):- Sam & Dean doing laundry and arguing about who has to watch the dryer b/c they don’t like others handling their clothes. They watch the dryer and they’re flashing back to what happened after Dean was sent to Purgatory-Dean’s POV (very dark) and what Sam was doing before he hit that fucking dog. Dean’s story: It was the story of how Dean used every single bullet in the gun he had when he arrived in Purgatory. (!) Sam’s story: Everything Sam did to find his brother before he hit that fucking dog. He met a hunter who kept telling him it was over. He’s following a dead-end lead and then he hits the dog. Dean uses the last bullet and gets that tomahawk thing. They’d never tell each other but we’d know. /end (sigh) If only we had that story. Robbie is the best. The way he phrased and kept repeating his words - that fucking dog - lol. I am sensing that Robbie too is not enamored with that storyline.
The earliest flashback we get is Sam running into the vet clinic & completely losing his mind over a dog he hit. IMO, we've seen Sam in enough emergency situations to understand that him freaking out at medical staff (yelling & having to be escorted out) isn't the kind of reaction he has on a day-to-day basis when he's just "totally fine." Compare it to how he reacted when Bobby was dying (vs. Dean, especially), and it's clear his composure has gone right out the window - that, after losing Dean, he doesn't have any emotional reserves left. He's completely lost his equilibrium. I guess that was too subtle for most people, though, IDK. Personally, my biggest problem with the writers was that they didn't hammer home the fact that he thought Dean was dead. Like, in-heaven-or-otherwise-at-peace DEAD. Sam says it *once* and then never brings it up again. But it's the perfect answer to "Why didn't you look for me?" You don't "look for" someone after they're dead. It's not like Dean was in a collapsed building & Sam didn't bother to go through the rubble to make sure he wasn't still alive in there somewhere. Sam thought he saw him get *atomized* because of using a weapon made by God Himself. There's nothing to "look for" after that. Sam should've been like, "What did you want? Did you want me to make a demon deal, like I tried to do last time? Did you want me to start practicing black magic? Necromancy? What could I have done that would've made you happy? Last time, your dying wish was for me NOT to seek out the kind of power that could've brought you back. This time, you're mad that I *didn't*?"
My favorite part of this season is how much Dean's accent slips when he's talking to Benny. Hard to hide the Texas when there's someone doing a southern accent right next to you.
The thing that pissed me off about Sam, wasn't purgatory, but what happened to Kevin. Aside from just ditching him he never really looked guilty or hung up about, hell him going with Dean to find him felt more like he just had nothing else to do rather than feel responsible. We've all seen Sam when he's feeling guilty and we've all seen him give heartfelt apologies, I didn't feel any of that here, Sam just felt so cold and distant from Kevin.
I also hate when the boys fight. This season the show switched to its third show runner - Jeremy Carver. Jared has said many times that he felt Sam not looking for Dean was out of character and I agree. He wasn’t happy with the storyline.
Yeah, you are creeping up the half way point, and there are so many things I can't wait to see you react to. I'm not always on Dean's side because he can be rather black and white about many things. But I'm with him on Sam letting Kevin just fend for himself. Like, I get it, Sam didn't want to hunt. But that doesn't mean you turn your back on someone you're supposed to keep safe, and Dean is rightfully angry at Sam for ignoring Kevin.
While I like, on paper, that Sam stops hunting as a result of everything that happens, I really don't enjoy the execution. Both because I find it unbelievable that he wouldn't at least try to find a way to get to Dean, and that he would just forget about Kevin; but also because of the way his fresh start is presented. I think it was a mistake to throw a romance to an unknown character into the story, as we have no investment in their relationship, and we kinda figure it's over from the start, because there is no way that Sam abandons hunting for good while the show is running. So why care? And then Amelia is written as this ridiculously unprofessional veterinarian, who assumes a purebred blue Aussie is an ownerless stray . Even if she checked for ID and called the police about missing dogs, it might just be that the owners haven't reported it missing yet, sometimes people search for a day before calling police. And then she tries to bully someone into adopting the dog on the spot, even though they weren't planning on adopting a dog, and state that their lifestyle isn't suited for that. What the hell lady? This is an easily adoptable dog! And even if it wasn't, why do you want it to go to someone uninterested in having a dog, you think that will turn out well?! The way Sam leaves hunting becomes something annoying and frustrating to watch for me, and it's a shame, because there could be a great tragedy in all this. Personally, I would have loved to have seen Sam TRY to return the his life before getting back into hunting, before everything with the Apocalypse, only to find himself struggling because he's not the same person as he was then. Have Sam find himself in the terrible predicament of feeling like he belongs in neither world, like he can maybe never find a way to comfortably fit in anywhere. That could be a great starting point for Sam to question the binary view of the world he has been raised with, normal and hunter life, and see how impossible and isolating that view is. If you want the normal life, you have to lie and hide parts of yourself, be inauthentic. If you cnose hunting, you deny yourself many parts of life that people enjoy. But why must it be one or the other?
Sad thing is though Amelia could've worked, the problem was with how they presented Sam. I mentioned in a comment that it would've made more sense if in the flashback Sam is clearly broken, disheveled and a wreak mourning Dean. If they had done that then the first encounter with Amelia would've looked differently, her bitchy attitude could be seen more like her giving Sam a wake up call, like maybe the reason he hit the dog was cause he wasn't sleeping or was just too much of an emotional wreak that he got distracted. As for forcing the dog on his that can be seen as a sort of therapy pet, like taking care of the dog in a way helps him take better care of himself, I've heard about this method working before. In fact I'm pretty sure that was the whole point of Sam getting a dog, to help himself grieve over Dean and get his act together. It's clear the writers wanted Amelia to help Sam out of his depression over Dean the way Ruby did, that was the thing that won a lot of us over to her. But it fails because Sam doesn't look disheveled or a wreck, he doesn't even have a beard, he looks perfectly fine with no signs that he's going through personal trauma, he looks like an ordinary guy who hit a dog and brought him to a vet.
@@patrickmcguire7896 If Sam had admitted to running over the dog because he was unfit to be driving, and was visibly a wreck, that would make me more sympathetic to Amelia's antagonistic attitude, sure. But that's not my main problem with Amelia. My problem with Amelia is the same problem that I have with a lot of love interests in SPN; to me, they feel written to make certain things happen to, or be possible for, their love interests, with no or little regard for what that means for them as characters. They are love interests first, characters second. Amelia's actions make no sense for any even remotely reasonable veterinarian, but she has to do it so Sam can reluctantly get a dog. And I don't think how Sam is presented changes anything about that. Amelia is still jumping to conclusions with regards to ownership of the dog, giving an expensive purebred dog in good condition (aside from it's injuries) away before the owners have a chance to claim it. And sure, you could make it part of her character; she believes that if you can't keep your dog safe and contained, then you don't deserve ownership of it, so to hell with the owners of the dog. But that is incompatiable with her forcing it on Sam. Even if Sam is in no way at fault for running over the dog, he is still reluctant to take ownership of the dog, and expresses that it's not very compatiable with his lifestyle to care for a dog. If Amelia cares so much about animals, why force a dog someone who would have a hard time providing good and safe living conditions for it, and who doesn't want it? It maybe could make sense, if the dog had behavioural issues and was less charismatic, and it's condition clearly showed it to be an starved, sick stray, and Amelia believed it would be unadoptable and therefore put down; but we can't have Sam have a dog that isn't super cute, right? Amelia would still be unreasonable towards Sam, way out of line forcing a pet on him, guilting him into something he has no responsibility for, but it could make sense with the right dog, if Amelia is shown to care more about dogs than people. I really agree with what you say about Sam appearing more visibly distraught at losing everyone, it would very much change how Sam's actions are perceived. But I don't think it changes anything about Amelia. If anything, she becomes even more unreasonable, forcing the burden of caring for another creature on a visibly unwell person whose issues she has no knowledge of, who is making unsafe decisions already by driving when unfit. She has no way of knowing if a therapy pet would be beneficial for someone with Sam's issues, or if it would make things worse for him, if the dog would even be safe with him, and her insisting would make her look even more deranged. She also doesn't know if the dog would be a good fit for being a therapy dog. It mighy make sense for someonewho doesn't know much about dogs, and about caring for one, to buy a struggling family member a dog to "help them", because they heard about therapy dogs or emotional support dogs, but it doesn't fit well with Amelia being a veterinarian. Maybe Sam doesn't need to have a dog forced upon him. Just have Sam hand over the dog, pop back in some time later to ask about the dog, did it make it, have the owners been found? Amelia can tell him yeah it's okay, it's at the local shelter now, they are looking for the owners. Have them chat a little, Sam is new in town, looking for work, Amelia could mention that until he finds a job, the shelther is looking for volunteers. Sam volunteers at the shelter, and then eithers bonds with that dog or another, and decides on his own to adopt - maybe after talking to Amelia about it, who could point out that she thinks he'd make a fine owner, and that it might be good for him. Maybe Amelia mentions that working with the animals really helped her survive grieving her husband, and have Sam tell her about losing his brother recently, and how much he is not okay, but trying to be, and Amelia gets that. I think something like that would be much more organic, and making the decision to adopt Sam's could serve to show how Sam is actively deciding to try to start a new life, and do something he wants to do, something that is good for him, despite his fears about being okay enough to have something like that in his life, maybe mirroring how he could also feel about Amelia as their story progresses. It would tie into Sam's feelings of having something wrong with him that might be a danger to others, the fear that he might cause misery or hurt, but also his desire for autonomy and making the life that he wants for himself.
For me Sam not looking for Dean was out of character, extremely out of character. However i do like he got out of the hunter’s life for a second time. It would have been better though if he had spent like a month or half a year searching, it is the Winchesters we are talking about. Add in looking for Kevin, and if nothing came up then fine quit the life. A lot of fans were pissed off as hell by the writers choice for Sam. Dean-oh that boy is in need of a lifetime of therapy. Shall be interesting see how you react to his Purgatory experience.
I actually think it was out of character for Dean to be mad at Sam getting out and having a normal life. Both Sam and Bobby were happy for Dean when he gave up the life and went to live with Lisa. Unless it was just the extreme trauma that caused anger against Sam not finding Dean, usually all Dean wants is for Sam to be happy and for them to stop sacrificing themselves for each other. Dean was just gone in an explosion. Sam had no reason to think he was alive. The unfortunate thing was Sam not helping Kevin but even that could be explained by Sam’s trauma and grief and him thinking that they have saved the world so many times and just for once it didn’t have to be him.
I have mixed feelings about the whole "not looking for Dean" thing. First you have to admit there was no way for Sam to know/find out Dean was alive or in purgatory much less how to get him out. Even if he researched what little he knew about Leviathans or the weapon they used to kill Roman or even try to contact Dean's ghost if he was still stuck in this plain. On the other hand, that also means there wasn't much to check, but Sam and the writers claim Sam never did any of these small bare minimal things. Now the common defense is Sam didn't want to go overboard like the end of season 3 but Sam only went that far because he knew Dean was in Hell, he had no reason to assume that here and there was no harm in double checking, if he couldn't contact Dean's ghost then he clearly moved on. Dean pretty much assumed Sam would figure he was dead, after coming up with nothing, he knew the odds were next to zero that Sam would figure out where Dean was or how to get him out, but if he at least tried Dean would've been ok with it. As for the normal life stuff, yeah Dean was upset about it but it wasn't his main gripe, especially since Sam wasn't having a normal life at the moment it clearly meant it didn't go well.
I absolutely hate what they did to Sam and Dean at the start of this season. We know how much it broke Sam when Dean went to hell, there is no way he would have just shrugged off Dean disappearing. Plus there is no way he would have abandoned Kevin. And they totally made Dean into a complete asshole.
Yes! That's my problem with it to! I get the writers wanting to have the brother in a feud but they should've at least have it make sense and be in character.
Well first off Angels are dicks on this show, and second after the civil war they're not as organized. I still don't see though why Sam would have any faith in them given their history
I agree with you that I enjoy this show more when Sam and Dean are on the same page. It's one of the reasons I like season 6; the arguments between the brothers were almost completely gone. Watching this for the first time along with you, I think the show's writers want me to hate Dean. Are we supposed to forget that Dean went to live a normal life with Lisa and Ben? Hypocrisy aside, Sam has every right to give up hunting if he wants to and Dean trying to make him feel guilty for getting out of it reminds me of John. The WORST parts of John. Dean is just as controlling as his dad was.
No the writers are trying to make you hate Sam. First of all I'm sick of the Lisa & Ben comparison, that was a last request from Sam, and even if your discard that Dean was still a wreck over losing Sam, but at no point did the writers show Sam in the same or worse state over Dean, we don't even get a flashback of him mourning his brother. Also as for the guilt trip Sam deserves it over Kevin, Sam just abandoned him which is completely out of character, not that it worked Sam seems to show no signs of guilt over what happened to Kevin, he only tagged along cause he had nothing else to do. Look yes Sam deserves a normal life, but adding in the thing with Kevin and not showing any scenes of grief over Dean or even being emotionally affected by his supposed passing doesn't paint Sam in the best of lights.
I completely agree with you this show is better when the brothers aren't constantly at each other's throats. The only time it was enjoyable was season 4 but only because it was well written and put both brothers in the right and wrong. But after that the fights that lasted multiple episodes just felt forced and out of character and often times well dragged out. Like last season with the whole Amy arc, that should've been a 1-3 episode thing but lasted 5 and was resolved relatively quickly and in an episode/case that didn't resemble the Amy situation at all, the whole thing felt like a waste of time only there for drama. Then here, Sam would've normally made at least an attempt to see if Dean was still alive and would definitely look after Kevin or at least make sure he was ok before starting a normal life and Dean wouldn't be that blinded by anger not to realize that since Sam isn't living a normal life at the moment it clearly means things didn't work out. And without giving away spoilers they make Dean seriously uncharacteristically stupid in the first episodes of season 9. Basically I don't like the brothers fighting but if they have to, I'd prefer it to make sense and stay in character and not be dragged out for so long.
you ignorant! Sam wanting to get out is no excuse for him to abandon his brother and Kevin and not feeling a damn thing about it, which is exactly what Dean was angry about and had every right to. Lisa and Ben are far from this! in that scenario, it was Sam's suggestion and his idea of what Dean might wish for himself out of hunting(which next season proves otherwise, meaning Sam always thought everyone have his view of normal life which is narcissistic) and he literally forced Dean to chose it and keep him in the dark for entire year! in this scenario, Sam wasn't forced to do anything. he even didn't think about second of third scenarios about maybe something worse than death has happened to his brother or Kevin! he just chose to abandon all of this withotu second thought, and that's no where excusable
What are you talking about? Dean tried like hell to get Sam out, he tried for months! Sam did absolutely nothing. Not to mention, it was Sam's dying wish that Dean go be with Lisa, and Dean promised. So, how is this a comparison? It's actually Sam that most of the Fandom couldn't stand in the beginning of season 8, but that's not on Sam, it's on bad writing.
Yes, there are 15 seasons total for Supernatural, 327 episodes. Anyhow, a good season premiere episode. Much of the fun of Season 8 is now that Dick Roman and his leviathans have been defeated, is to figure out what the big threat will be and who will be The Big Bad. Poor, Kevin, the enormous burden that he's been forced to bear. From this season onward, Supernatural is a girls' show and remains that way.
Say what you want either way about Sam not looking for Dean, but it is so much worse that he basically forgot about Kevin, who he knew was a captive of Crowley
He didn't forget, he said "Crowley shipped Meg and Kevin" etc. Sam knew Crowley had Kevin and did nothing.
The biggest misstep on the writers was not showing Sam in mourning in flashback! Sam was indeed a wreak after Dean "died" but we don't see that, instead the earliest flashback we get is him meting Amelia and he doesn't look disheveled, unshaven, or broken at all. If you watch the flashback alone you'd have no idea this man lost his only family and best friend. The writers made it look like Sam never mourned Dean and just went about his life like he didn't care, this was straight up character assassination if you ask me
For what it is worth, Robbie Thompson did pitch a flashback episode for episode 4 but Carver chose the aired episode instead.
There was a Q&A with Robbie Thompson back in 2015, in which a fan reported that he tried to pitch a story - an episode with a retelling of the time when the boys were apart - Dean during his purgatory stint and Sam before he hit the dog. But Jeremy didn't choose that one and had chosen [spoiler title ep. 4] instead.
Let me just copy and paste it here (these were paraphrased and not his exact quotes):-
Sam & Dean doing laundry and arguing about who has to watch the dryer b/c they don’t like others handling their clothes. They watch the dryer and they’re flashing back to what happened after Dean was sent to Purgatory-Dean’s POV (very dark) and what Sam was doing before he hit that fucking dog. Dean’s story: It was the story of how Dean used every single bullet in the gun he had when he arrived in Purgatory. (!) Sam’s story: Everything Sam did to find his brother before he hit that fucking dog. He met a hunter who kept telling him it was over. He’s following a dead-end lead and then he hits the dog. Dean uses the last bullet and gets that tomahawk thing. They’d never tell each other but we’d know. /end
(sigh) If only we had that story. Robbie is the best. The way he phrased and kept repeating his words - that fucking dog - lol. I am sensing that Robbie too is not enamored with that storyline.
The earliest flashback we get is Sam running into the vet clinic & completely losing his mind over a dog he hit. IMO, we've seen Sam in enough emergency situations to understand that him freaking out at medical staff (yelling & having to be escorted out) isn't the kind of reaction he has on a day-to-day basis when he's just "totally fine." Compare it to how he reacted when Bobby was dying (vs. Dean, especially), and it's clear his composure has gone right out the window - that, after losing Dean, he doesn't have any emotional reserves left. He's completely lost his equilibrium.
I guess that was too subtle for most people, though, IDK. Personally, my biggest problem with the writers was that they didn't hammer home the fact that he thought Dean was dead. Like, in-heaven-or-otherwise-at-peace DEAD. Sam says it *once* and then never brings it up again. But it's the perfect answer to "Why didn't you look for me?" You don't "look for" someone after they're dead.
It's not like Dean was in a collapsed building & Sam didn't bother to go through the rubble to make sure he wasn't still alive in there somewhere. Sam thought he saw him get *atomized* because of using a weapon made by God Himself. There's nothing to "look for" after that.
Sam should've been like, "What did you want? Did you want me to make a demon deal, like I tried to do last time? Did you want me to start practicing black magic? Necromancy? What could I have done that would've made you happy? Last time, your dying wish was for me NOT to seek out the kind of power that could've brought you back. This time, you're mad that I *didn't*?"
My favorite part of this season is how much Dean's accent slips when he's talking to Benny. Hard to hide the Texas when there's someone doing a southern accent right next to you.
Kevin is great. I loved how he fought back when he learned how to deal with demons.
This show has so many good recurring characters!
Agreed.
The thing that pissed me off about Sam, wasn't purgatory, but what happened to Kevin. Aside from just ditching him he never really looked guilty or hung up about, hell him going with Dean to find him felt more like he just had nothing else to do rather than feel responsible. We've all seen Sam when he's feeling guilty and we've all seen him give heartfelt apologies, I didn't feel any of that here, Sam just felt so cold and distant from Kevin.
"That's who you came out with!" Perfect way to put it honestly. 😂
I also hate when the boys fight. This season the show switched to its third show runner - Jeremy Carver. Jared has said many times that he felt Sam not looking for Dean was out of character and I agree. He wasn’t happy with the storyline.
Your loving and investing in the dog's storyline is definitely in the running for being the sweetest thing in any of your reactions, Jess.
the dog was the best thing to come out of the flashback storyline
If only it didn't have Amelia along with it 😕
I swear, I always look forward to Wednesday JUST because I know it's Supernatural reaction day on your channel.
i know we all still have to wait a while but next season (9 and 10) are my favorite stretches of the entire series
aww kevin
Yeah, you are creeping up the half way point, and there are so many things I can't wait to see you react to.
I'm not always on Dean's side because he can be rather black and white about many things. But I'm with him on Sam letting Kevin just fend for himself. Like, I get it, Sam didn't want to hunt. But that doesn't mean you turn your back on someone you're supposed to keep safe, and Dean is rightfully angry at Sam for ignoring Kevin.
I hope your operation went okay, Sesska. 🙏🏻❤️
This is my favorite season so I'm really excited!
You could have said Richard Roman
While I like, on paper, that Sam stops hunting as a result of everything that happens, I really don't enjoy the execution. Both because I find it unbelievable that he wouldn't at least try to find a way to get to Dean, and that he would just forget about Kevin; but also because of the way his fresh start is presented. I think it was a mistake to throw a romance to an unknown character into the story, as we have no investment in their relationship, and we kinda figure it's over from the start, because there is no way that Sam abandons hunting for good while the show is running. So why care? And then Amelia is written as this ridiculously unprofessional veterinarian, who assumes a purebred blue Aussie is an ownerless stray . Even if she checked for ID and called the police about missing dogs, it might just be that the owners haven't reported it missing yet, sometimes people search for a day before calling police.
And then she tries to bully someone into adopting the dog on the spot, even though they weren't planning on adopting a dog, and state that their lifestyle isn't suited for that. What the hell lady? This is an easily adoptable dog! And even if it wasn't, why do you want it to go to someone uninterested in having a dog, you think that will turn out well?!
The way Sam leaves hunting becomes something annoying and frustrating to watch for me, and it's a shame, because there could be a great tragedy in all this. Personally, I would have loved to have seen Sam TRY to return the his life before getting back into hunting, before everything with the Apocalypse, only to find himself struggling because he's not the same person as he was then. Have Sam find himself in the terrible predicament of feeling like he belongs in neither world, like he can maybe never find a way to comfortably fit in anywhere. That could be a great starting point for Sam to question the binary view of the world he has been raised with, normal and hunter life, and see how impossible and isolating that view is. If you want the normal life, you have to lie and hide parts of yourself, be inauthentic. If you cnose hunting, you deny yourself many parts of life that people enjoy. But why must it be one or the other?
Sad thing is though Amelia could've worked, the problem was with how they presented Sam. I mentioned in a comment that it would've made more sense if in the flashback Sam is clearly broken, disheveled and a wreak mourning Dean. If they had done that then the first encounter with Amelia would've looked differently, her bitchy attitude could be seen more like her giving Sam a wake up call, like maybe the reason he hit the dog was cause he wasn't sleeping or was just too much of an emotional wreak that he got distracted. As for forcing the dog on his that can be seen as a sort of therapy pet, like taking care of the dog in a way helps him take better care of himself, I've heard about this method working before. In fact I'm pretty sure that was the whole point of Sam getting a dog, to help himself grieve over Dean and get his act together. It's clear the writers wanted Amelia to help Sam out of his depression over Dean the way Ruby did, that was the thing that won a lot of us over to her. But it fails because Sam doesn't look disheveled or a wreck, he doesn't even have a beard, he looks perfectly fine with no signs that he's going through personal trauma, he looks like an ordinary guy who hit a dog and brought him to a vet.
@@patrickmcguire7896 If Sam had admitted to running over the dog because he was unfit to be driving, and was visibly a wreck, that would make me more sympathetic to Amelia's antagonistic attitude, sure. But that's not my main problem with Amelia. My problem with Amelia is the same problem that I have with a lot of love interests in SPN; to me, they feel written to make certain things happen to, or be possible for, their love interests, with no or little regard for what that means for them as characters. They are love interests first, characters second.
Amelia's actions make no sense for any even remotely reasonable veterinarian, but she has to do it so Sam can reluctantly get a dog. And I don't think how Sam is presented changes anything about that. Amelia is still jumping to conclusions with regards to ownership of the dog, giving an expensive purebred dog in good condition (aside from it's injuries) away before the owners have a chance to claim it. And sure, you could make it part of her character; she believes that if you can't keep your dog safe and contained, then you don't deserve ownership of it, so to hell with the owners of the dog. But that is incompatiable with her forcing it on Sam. Even if Sam is in no way at fault for running over the dog, he is still reluctant to take ownership of the dog, and expresses that it's not very compatiable with his lifestyle to care for a dog. If Amelia cares so much about animals, why force a dog someone who would have a hard time providing good and safe living conditions for it, and who doesn't want it? It maybe could make sense, if the dog had behavioural issues and was less charismatic, and it's condition clearly showed it to be an starved, sick stray, and Amelia believed it would be unadoptable and therefore put down; but we can't have Sam have a dog that isn't super cute, right? Amelia would still be unreasonable towards Sam, way out of line forcing a pet on him, guilting him into something he has no responsibility for, but it could make sense with the right dog, if Amelia is shown to care more about dogs than people.
I really agree with what you say about Sam appearing more visibly distraught at losing everyone, it would very much change how Sam's actions are perceived. But I don't think it changes anything about Amelia. If anything, she becomes even more unreasonable, forcing the burden of caring for another creature on a visibly unwell person whose issues she has no knowledge of, who is making unsafe decisions already by driving when unfit. She has no way of knowing if a therapy pet would be beneficial for someone with Sam's issues, or if it would make things worse for him, if the dog would even be safe with him, and her insisting would make her look even more deranged. She also doesn't know if the dog would be a good fit for being a therapy dog.
It mighy make sense for someonewho doesn't know much about dogs, and about caring for one, to buy a struggling family member a dog to "help them", because they heard about therapy dogs or emotional support dogs, but it doesn't fit well with Amelia being a veterinarian.
Maybe Sam doesn't need to have a dog forced upon him. Just have Sam hand over the dog, pop back in some time later to ask about the dog, did it make it, have the owners been found? Amelia can tell him yeah it's okay, it's at the local shelter now, they are looking for the owners. Have them chat a little, Sam is new in town, looking for work, Amelia could mention that until he finds a job, the shelther is looking for volunteers. Sam volunteers at the shelter, and then eithers bonds with that dog or another, and decides on his own to adopt - maybe after talking to Amelia about it, who could point out that she thinks he'd make a fine owner, and that it might be good for him. Maybe Amelia mentions that working with the animals really helped her survive grieving her husband, and have Sam tell her about losing his brother recently, and how much he is not okay, but trying to be, and Amelia gets that. I think something like that would be much more organic, and making the decision to adopt Sam's could serve to show how Sam is actively deciding to try to start a new life, and do something he wants to do, something that is good for him, despite his fears about being okay enough to have something like that in his life, maybe mirroring how he could also feel about Amelia as their story progresses. It would tie into Sam's feelings of having something wrong with him that might be a danger to others, the fear that he might cause misery or hurt, but also his desire for autonomy and making the life that he wants for himself.
I love dogs don't get me wrong, but i'm more of a cat person because it's easier for me to take care of cats.
I love season 8. Very excited for these reactions 😁
I'm looking forward to the Bitten reaction, the found footage episode!
I absolutely despise the writing for Sam at the beginning of this season it genuinely makes me want to forget about this season lol
Me too it was so stupid! Who the hell would think Sam would act like that??
For me Sam not looking for Dean was out of character, extremely out of character. However i do like he got out of the hunter’s life for a second time. It would have been better though if he had spent like a month or half a year searching, it is the Winchesters we are talking about. Add in looking for Kevin, and if nothing came up then fine quit the life. A lot of fans were pissed off as hell by the writers choice for Sam.
Dean-oh that boy is in need of a lifetime of therapy. Shall be interesting see how you react to his Purgatory experience.
Yay! I’ve been waiting all day!
Same!!!!!!!!
All good things come to those who wait.
i'm loving Sam's hair in this seasonnnnnn legit the best hair length and style in the whole show (in my opinion)
I actually think it was out of character for Dean to be mad at Sam getting out and having a normal life. Both Sam and Bobby were happy for Dean when he gave up the life and went to live with Lisa. Unless it was just the extreme trauma that caused anger against Sam not finding Dean, usually all Dean wants is for Sam to be happy and for them to stop sacrificing themselves for each other. Dean was just gone in an explosion. Sam had no reason to think he was alive. The unfortunate thing was Sam not helping Kevin but even that could be explained by Sam’s trauma and grief and him thinking that they have saved the world so many times and just for once it didn’t have to be him.
I have mixed feelings about the whole "not looking for Dean" thing. First you have to admit there was no way for Sam to know/find out Dean was alive or in purgatory much less how to get him out. Even if he researched what little he knew about Leviathans or the weapon they used to kill Roman or even try to contact Dean's ghost if he was still stuck in this plain. On the other hand, that also means there wasn't much to check, but Sam and the writers claim Sam never did any of these small bare minimal things. Now the common defense is Sam didn't want to go overboard like the end of season 3 but Sam only went that far because he knew Dean was in Hell, he had no reason to assume that here and there was no harm in double checking, if he couldn't contact Dean's ghost then he clearly moved on. Dean pretty much assumed Sam would figure he was dead, after coming up with nothing, he knew the odds were next to zero that Sam would figure out where Dean was or how to get him out, but if he at least tried Dean would've been ok with it. As for the normal life stuff, yeah Dean was upset about it but it wasn't his main gripe, especially since Sam wasn't having a normal life at the moment it clearly meant it didn't go well.
Certainly my favorite season of the show tbh.
My issue with Sam abandoning Dean in Purgatory is my because of how my country was betrayed by the Western Allies at Yalta so I was on Dean's side
Season 8 already
I feel like you just started it
Brace yourself, season 8 finale will be MAJOR
Yep. You're just over half there. Couple more seasons to go!
🔥❤
Concerned about dean and Castiel and like every people 0:12
who ever likes sams flashbacks
i need to watch!
Am I the only one who was mostly worried about Baby in this episode?
I absolutely hate what they did to Sam and Dean at the start of this season. We know how much it broke Sam when Dean went to hell, there is no way he would have just shrugged off Dean disappearing. Plus there is no way he would have abandoned Kevin. And they totally made Dean into a complete asshole.
Yes! That's my problem with it to! I get the writers wanting to have the brother in a feud but they should've at least have it make sense and be in character.
T❤ry
The angels were responsible for Kevin. No more leviathans to kill them, they can kill Crowley, why didnt they
Well first off Angels are dicks on this show, and second after the civil war they're not as organized. I still don't see though why Sam would have any faith in them given their history
The writers did Sam dirty here. Made him a bit unlikeable. And honestly Sam is my favorite character so that's saying a lot
You need to watch Spider-Man into the Spider-Verse, Venom 1&2 before No Way Home.
No Way Home has been out on Patreon for a while now, and Jess watched the others on Patreon some time ago.
I agree with you that I enjoy this show more when Sam and Dean are on the same page. It's one of the reasons I like season 6; the arguments between the brothers were almost completely gone.
Watching this for the first time along with you, I think the show's writers want me to hate Dean. Are we supposed to forget that Dean went to live a normal life with Lisa and Ben? Hypocrisy aside, Sam has every right to give up hunting if he wants to and Dean trying to make him feel guilty for getting out of it reminds me of John. The WORST parts of John. Dean is just as controlling as his dad was.
No the writers are trying to make you hate Sam. First of all I'm sick of the Lisa & Ben comparison, that was a last request from Sam, and even if your discard that Dean was still a wreck over losing Sam, but at no point did the writers show Sam in the same or worse state over Dean, we don't even get a flashback of him mourning his brother. Also as for the guilt trip Sam deserves it over Kevin, Sam just abandoned him which is completely out of character, not that it worked Sam seems to show no signs of guilt over what happened to Kevin, he only tagged along cause he had nothing else to do. Look yes Sam deserves a normal life, but adding in the thing with Kevin and not showing any scenes of grief over Dean or even being emotionally affected by his supposed passing doesn't paint Sam in the best of lights.
I completely agree with you this show is better when the brothers aren't constantly at each other's throats. The only time it was enjoyable was season 4 but only because it was well written and put both brothers in the right and wrong. But after that the fights that lasted multiple episodes just felt forced and out of character and often times well dragged out. Like last season with the whole Amy arc, that should've been a 1-3 episode thing but lasted 5 and was resolved relatively quickly and in an episode/case that didn't resemble the Amy situation at all, the whole thing felt like a waste of time only there for drama. Then here, Sam would've normally made at least an attempt to see if Dean was still alive and would definitely look after Kevin or at least make sure he was ok before starting a normal life and Dean wouldn't be that blinded by anger not to realize that since Sam isn't living a normal life at the moment it clearly means things didn't work out. And without giving away spoilers they make Dean seriously uncharacteristically stupid in the first episodes of season 9. Basically I don't like the brothers fighting but if they have to, I'd prefer it to make sense and stay in character and not be dragged out for so long.
you ignorant!
Sam wanting to get out is no excuse for him to abandon his brother and Kevin and not feeling a damn thing about it, which is exactly what Dean was angry about and had every right to.
Lisa and Ben are far from this! in that scenario, it was Sam's suggestion and his idea of what Dean might wish for himself out of hunting(which next season proves otherwise, meaning Sam always thought everyone have his view of normal life which is narcissistic) and he literally forced Dean to chose it and keep him in the dark for entire year! in this scenario, Sam wasn't forced to do anything. he even didn't think about second of third scenarios about maybe something worse than death has happened to his brother or Kevin! he just chose to abandon all of this withotu second thought, and that's no where excusable
He literally collected hundreds of books trying to find a way to get Sam out, Sam did nothing.
What are you talking about? Dean tried like hell to get Sam out, he tried for months! Sam did absolutely nothing. Not to mention, it was Sam's dying wish that Dean go be with Lisa, and Dean promised. So, how is this a comparison?
It's actually Sam that most of the Fandom couldn't stand in the beginning of season 8, but that's not on Sam, it's on bad writing.
Yes, there are 15 seasons total for Supernatural, 327 episodes. Anyhow, a good season premiere episode. Much of the fun of Season 8 is now that Dick Roman and his leviathans have been defeated, is to figure out what the big threat will be and who will be The Big Bad. Poor, Kevin, the enormous burden that he's been forced to bear.
From this season onward, Supernatural is a girls' show and remains that way.
It was just as much a girls' (and boys') show in Seasons 1-7 as it is after. And we shouldn't be discussing future episodes here.
And what happened in that year is *exactly* why I prefer Dean a *whole* lot more.....
Which doesn't mean I don't like Sam, he's great
Sam is so out of character in this episode, the change in showrunner really shows.
I can't stand Amelia 😒