Exile on Main Street

Oh, girls. Um. What?! I'm not even sure what I just watched. I'm not saying outright that it sucked. I'm just saying it wasn't that entertaining and it was just really WEIRD. It didn't feel like "Supernatural." I just . . . Know what, I'm gonna have to watch it again before I post a review. Someone else go first.

One thing I can say for now, though, is new Winchesters (especially Sammy; that is NOT my Sammy!)? NO! No, no, no! Also, I just don't know how to take the Campbells. My GOD, that was a rushed intro! It all happened too fast and it was too quickly right on to business and not enough emotion, talk, explanations, etc.

Also, I tried giving Lisa and Ben a chance, but BLEH, they just need to leave. Immediately. Forever.

One more thing, again, Casless episodes just aren't as good. The whole time, I wanted to trade Lisa and Ben and/or the Campbells for Cas. Cas, Cas, CAS, dammit!

The only two things I can think of that I really liked was Sammy teasing Dean for liking golf (way to sneak an inside ribbing to Jensen, Show!) and Sammy calling talking to Cas "prayers." Aww! Some people pray to God, Sammy prays to Cas. It's right and good.

Hey, I feel you. I don't wanna bitch about it, but dammit.... It was weird to say at least.
First half was like really not getting me into the story, plain boring. I know, It's SPN, it might sound cruel, but whole ep was Blah. I don't know what it was, but... Campbells, Samuel, Sammy coming back just like that?! Dean's nightmares?! Dean trying to track those scars?! It all looked kinda cheap.
I see there's more behind Campbells or I think - because the ending was too suspicious. The way they took djinn and Samuels smile. THere's something going on, I guess as it usually is with SPN they were trying to set up for bigger story, BUT they failed. It should have been better and done with more emotionall stuff that we're used to. Brotherly meeting was weird, Bobby meeting was weird, Campbells meeting was weird. No warm moments, really.
Also it annoyed me that parts of the episode were in slow motion. Especially in the beginning it took time before Dean got somewhere. I dunno if they made it on purpose to make it more "exciting" but it was rather bothering me.
I don't have problem with Cas not being there, but they should have done better.
I'm tired, it's the morning, but I have to admit after few mins, I didn't even wanted to watch the episode till the end. I'm sorry to be so hars about SPN, but it's not really all good.
Sam is different, (I know he's been to Hell, but still... we've got enough of that shit after Dean's return), he has own car, even refused Impala ... Then Dean and family stuff....

I agree that one of the great moments was golf scene, it was like our boys. Then maybe Samuel telling Dean he's like his mom. But that was it. Hope that they'll get better It was one weird epi and the weakest season opener they had.... Critics are gonna bitch a lot, I'm sure.

The ep wasn't such a shipwreck like you 2 make it out to be, but I have to admit, much to my chagrin, I wasn't blown away. They better step it up, and soon.

I like the new blue letters. I loved the golf joke. I don't trust the Campbells a bit. I'm not even sure I trust Sam. Is he human? If not, is he evil?
Old Sam wouldn't have rejected the Impala.

Why does everyone hate Lisa so much? I was pretty much neutral about her, but I always accepted that Dean loved her, and I really want Dean to have the apple pie life he deserves and craves. And when Lisa said that it's ok for him to have issues being the guy who saved the world, shouldn't that redeem her in the fangirls' eyes?

Assuming Sam is not evil, what do you think about his desicion to not tell Dean he was alive? I'm kinda torn about it. As I said, I'd like Dean to have a normal, happy life, and if Sam had gone at the end of S5 Dean would have left with him immediately. On the other hand, of course Dean wants to know, and has a right to know, and it's cruel to let him grieve unnecessarily.

Sam is praying to Cas now? Geez!!!!

I'm not even sure that I liked the "Lisa on the ceiling" -thing. They were really into remiscining (spelling?????), with the leather jacket, the journal, etc. And I get that they thing the wanted to absolutely not do is have leave Dean at the end of the first episode, riding away in the Impala with Sam. They wanted to be innovative. But I wouldn't have minded if they hadn't been, I wouldn't even have minded if they had brought YED back for real and let Lisa really burn on the ceiling (not because I don't like her, but because I just want the boys back in the Impala where they belong, all doubt about Sam being good removed for once and all. They promised us a back to the roots in S6, and this is not it!)

BuddyTV review: http://www.buddytv.com/articles/supernatural/supernatural-season-6-premiere-38187.aspx

I watched it twice, and I wouldn't necessarily consider it a shipwreck. Or, at least, if it was, at least there were survivors. It was just very odd and felt very off and seemed like some alternate universe version of "Supernatural," I guess.

It just wasn't very well handled, I think. The ideas could've been good, but they didn't play out well. I understand Sammy being changed but, quite frankly, I wish they'd come up with a different storyline. Dean was in hell longer than Sammy (albeit perhaps in a better section of hell, but hell is hell; it's all horrible agony. It seems strange to me that they're trying to say that some parts are worse than others. How much worse could it have been?) and his basic, core personality was intact, but we're supposed to believe Sammy's isn't? I'm just scared I won't be able to enjoy Sammy this way. Dean broke my heart because he was still his basic self, but had certain changes. If Sammy isn't really Sammy anymore (in essence), then it's like he's dead. If they drag his core personality change out very long, I won't be able to stand it.

The Campbells are a big to me. I can't say I liked them or necessarily disliked them. They're obviously shady, but we don't know for sure if they're shady for a bad reason. I didn't like Grandpa's brag about knowing so much more than John. Yes, he's been in the business his whole life, YES (if he's telling the truth and I assume he is) he comes from a long line of hunters. However, the one thing they really left us with with John is that he was THE most legendary hunter around. Even those who hated him respected his skills. The one positive thing they left us with, and they scrub it? Do. Not. Like. That. I'd always imagined John being awesome partly because he--WITHOUT the benefit of prior knowledge/a family background in hunting--managed to do the legwork himself and doggedly LEARN so much stuff. So, even though his remark is certainly believable, they didn't HAVE to play it that way and they shouldn't have. I don't know what happened that made this show take a character they originally presented to us as damaged, yes; mistake-making (but who isn't?), yes; but awesome, legendary, did the best he could and, in the process, managed to raise two amazing heroes and turn him into some dirtbag asshole who, as it turns out, wasn't even that great a hunter and everyone is better off without, but it sucks giant donkey balls and I'll never forgive them for it if they don't rectify it.

Back to Sammy, his lack of character development is disappointing. He doesn't learn. He is the king of doing bad things with good intentions. All along, this show has shown us that he really knows Dean; in some ways, maybe even better than he knows himself. The Sammy I know and love would've known good and well that Dean was only obeying his brother's wish by going to Lisa. That he only did that as the next best thing to having his dad and brother. He'd know that, even though Dean would--in theory, at least--love to have a family and normal life, what would be most important to him is his biological family and being treated like an adult and given the OPTION to pick what he wanted. So what if Dean DID run right off with Sammy? If he did, it would be what he WANTED! I do understand that Sammy meant well. I get that. I know his thinking that Dean wants a normal life and has never had it and the idea of Dean dying a bitter, lonely, broken, used-up hunter has always torn at his heart. But he should GET that Dean's biological family is more important even than his dream of normalcy. EDITED TO ADD: Dean's fantasy of a normal life never included having his biological family die; to have that be the price of that life. His fantasy--as we saw in "What is and What Should Never Be"--of a normal life INCLUDED his biological family! Yes, John was dead in it (had to be cuz they couldn't get Jeff, of course), but I interpret that as Dean feeling so bad for his dad for all he'd been through that it's easier for him to imagine him at peace than anything else. Bobby should've gotten that (even better than Sammy, since he's been grieving his wife all these years!), too and never, ever stopped trying to talk Sammy out of letting Dean know he's alive. I'd thought that after the whole Ruby fiasco, our smart Sammy would've never made such a big wrong-for-the-sake-of-right mistake again.

It's not that I hate Lisa or Ben. As people, they're fine. It's just that it's not a logical situation. Dean couldn't have been more right to berate himself for going to them when he should've known something would come to him. DUH! The Dean I know and love wouldn't have made that mistake. I've said it before: I'm NOT against either of our guys having a girlfriend/wife, but it has to be in a logical, intelligent context. Fact is, they should only choose huntresses or women similar to huntresses. Tough, strong, clever, roll-with-the-punches, self-defense trained women who are used to danger & tragedy, know full-well what they're getting into, and DON'T HAVE KIDS! Otherwise, they're just supernatural chow, if the writers are being logical. Them being in Dean's life is just stupid! Lisa's statement of the past year being the best in her life is questionable, too. Really? The year spent with some emotionally disturbed, semi-(at least) alcoholic, nightmare-having dude, trying to play house with him & normalize him was the best year of her LIFE?! No worries about his possible negative influence upon her kid, no exhaustion with the struggles and uncertainties? It'd make more sense if she said, "In some ways, it was the best year of my life."

I hated how Dean's face fell when Sammy rejected the Impala.

I don't think Sammy is evil. I think that either his core essence has been burnt away (so to speak) or that he's got it all walled off because of the damage he's sustained; the pain. I'm hoping like hell for the latter option. If he's never again actually Sammy, then--as I said--it's like he's dead. I'll grieve, and the show will lose about half of it's goodness.

I didn't care much for Dean's hallucination. *Shrug* I don't know. It makes sense that he'd have it, but it just wasn't that cool.

I'm hoping next week's episode will be much better and I absolutely cannot wait to see Cas again! 2 more weeks.

Haven't read more than the first 2 paragraphs, but Dodger Winslow is not happy with the season premiere, either:
http://dodger-winslow.livejournal.com/248598.html

Gosh. Some of her points were a bit nit-picky, but, mostly, I agree with all of that. I, also, didn't think it made any sense whatsoever that Dean had survived. We're to assume that Sammy or a Campbell got to him in time, but how? Weren't they all busy with the djinns? Also, something I've thought of: how did that djinn's family know who killed him, anyway?! What possible way could they have of figuring that out?! That djinn was all alone in an abandoned building that the Winchesters just showed up at. They left no clue or trail, surely, so how the holy fuck could they've figured that out?! I don't think there could be any writing fancy enough to explain that! I GUESS they could find some long, rambling explanation of them somehow learning about the existence of hunters, which led to them learning of the existence of Sam and Dean which led them to learning they were the most likely culprits somehow, some way, but, come on! And why are their tattoos an inborn part of them that they can turn on and off now? That's supposed to be another way that they've changed? Whatever.

I'm really shocked she didn't mention the jab against John, since she's such a John fan! I'm not all upset about it the way many people are. It was the first ep. of the season, they're obviously establishing things. I can forgive getting off to a shaky start. It doesn't mean things won't smooth out later. It's true that if they don't, this season will suck, but I have hope that it will.