Pajiba

I know I risk blasphemy by wondering this aloud (glutton for punishment, I suppose), but am I the only woman under 30 who doesn't find Jensen Ackles all that attractive? He always looks sort of plastic-y in pictures. He's not unattractive at all, but he just doesn't do it for me. I know some ravenous fangirls who swear he's an Adonis, but his looks are reminiscent of most CW/WB young fellas to me. I guess it could be worse - he could be Chad Michael Murray, which.....ew.

In any case, I think he and Jared Padalecki do a decent job with a cheesy TV show, based on the episodes I've seen.

I got drunk one night and watched this show and One Tree Hill. They were both so completely terrible, I couldn't believe they were on television. Sorry Litelysalted, there's no way you can convince me, but I'm glad you get some joy from it. Buffy, The X-Files, and Quantum Leap were all killer shows, so I guess I don't see the point of watching something not quite as good.

I love Supernatural. I am not afraid or embarrased to say that it's my favorite show. And it's way ridic, but I love it.

Also, The Gilmore Girls ruined Jared Padalecki for me. In fact, I think I hate every actor from The Gilmore Girls. Even though I loved the 4th and 5th seasons, the endless whining and the fact that every character talked the exact same way was unbearable.

Ass Dad. Hah!

Welcome to Pajiba, Stacey. Awesome first column, what the the bitchcakes angsty and Ass Dad. Hi-larious.

I love Supernatural, but I kind of like the ANGST that you so obviously hate. (What can I say, I was weaned on Dawson's Creek and Felicity.) I don't think the ANGST is going anywhere either, since Dean is set to die by next May's sweeps.

As a whole, though, I agree that season two was a bit disappointing, especially the second half. At least the three boys (Jensen, Jared, and the Impala) are still pretty.

The phrase is "all in all," not "all and all." I just had to point that out, because I am a grammar fascist.

Now, I've made my case against "Supernatural" in another comments section. I watched five or six weeks of the first season, trying really hard to like it, but eventually gave up. I thought that, while it was a good effort, it was too derivative of earlier, better shows (such as you cited above) and not good enough to be in their league.

But litely, you have nudged me back. Summer is coming and there'll be next to nothing on (except "The 4400"--can't wait!) and, well, Jensen Ackles is teh dreamy, after all.

Matter o' fact, I'm not sure which makes me looser: Dean or the Impala. It's close.

Thanks for the tip -- noted and corrected!

I knew you wouldn't be able to write this without mentioning the werewolf sex.

Ass Dad

lol, love that,Except is is my crush, He is so manly, and yummy

Great stuff Stacey! Keep it up!

"Ass-Dad"...bwah!

Heh, TK... I had to sneak that in if it killed me.

While I'm not a big fan of the Supernatural, I am a huge fan of yours. As long as you are posting here I will read it and comment on it.

"Ass Dad." Love it.

Man, what a crappy review. This is one of my favorite shows on television, I think it's brilliant. Sure, it's got its cheese factor, but the storylines are completely intruiging and Ackles is one HELL of an actor. Honestly, if I didn't already know and love the show, this article would have guaranteed I'd never bother to give it a chance. I expect a lot more from Pajiba.

My fiancee and myself stumbled onto Supernatural last summer during it's break. We caught the 1st episode, and we were hooked. We love the plots and monsters (even if most of them are completely ripped off from past shows and movies). The acting is cheesey, but we love it! Dean (Jensen) always has these great one liners that crack us up. WWBD (What would Buffy do?) I was a little disappointed with Season 2 in general, but I enjoyed the finale. I was extremely grateful to be done with the yellow-eyed demon plot line, it was really starting to bore us. I will netflix season 2 when it comes out, just for fun.

Also, I've recently started reading your blog Litely Salted, and I am your 1 Supernatural fan reader. I agreed with you on all your reviews, and your cliffhanger comments. I do have to say that I also hate "Ass Dad" and am glad he's gone. (Well, now that he's out of hell, he might reincarnate as an angel next season).

I absolutely GORGED myself on season one about a month back, watching the entire thing in one weekend. I'm not embarrassed to admit that it was compulsive viewing for me. It's one of those shows you wish you could forget so you could watch it all over again like it was the first time. Jensen (sigh) is very enjoyable to observe.

Yay! Finally some Pajiba-love for the cheesetastic Supernatural. I watched half of the pilot when it first came out, but decided that it was too scary for me. (yes, I'm a wuss) But the TWOP-ers convinced me to try it again, and I've been hooked ever since. Love the dynamic between the brothers and the way Jensen and Jared connect with eachother. Highly recommended!

Hilarious first column Stacey. I've watched like three episodes but just couldn't get into it. I guess I've been spoiled by Buffy and Angel. Maybe I'll hit it up on the old DVR if I get the chance.

"Man, what a crappy review. ... Honestly, if I didn't already know and love the show, this article would have guaranteed I'd never bother to give it a chance. I expect a lot more from Pajiba."

Welcome to Pajiba, Stacey. It was only a matter of time before the complaints came in. It's how we lose our Pajiblical virginity. Don't let it throw you. I dug the column.

Aww, I think this show is lovely. Agreed that it's more than a little angsty this year, but for a sophomore season, it's done a good job of reconfiguring itself and experimenting and still holding onto the framework of the brotherly relationship.

And the acting is just really great...not perfect, but great. Compelling and layered and nuanced and moving in the right direction. I mean, no, it's not Deadwood (aiee, Jim Beaver-love), but even in the midst of their sometimes inexplicable situations, I always believe in those brothers Winchester.

It's just endearing. And funny and spooky and an all around good time.

Honestly, if I didn't already know and love the show, this article would have guaranteed I'd never bother to give it a chance. I expect a lot more from Pajiba.

Really? The review had the opposite effect on me. I was feeling kind of meh about this show as a possible rental, but said interest has now peaked and I can't wait for Supernatural S1 to hit DVD. I'll give it a whirl.

(Please tell me it's "The OC" cheesy-goodness and not, say, "Bones" cheesy-not-so-goodness...)

Also, The Gilmore Girls ruined Jared Padalecki for me.

For a while I had Gilmore Girl issues with him. I mean, there was Dean (Sam) with a brother named Dean who had Jeffrey Dean Morgan as a dad. It was just a bit too much Dean.

And I don't understand how this show only attracts the female audience. My husband loves it and so does one of our friends who is also male. They watch it for the ass kicking soundtrack, Impala and fantastic arsenal. How is that man repellent?

You've missed one plot point, Ms. Nosek. The point of the psychic children, a la Sam, was to find a leader for the demons who were to be unleashed from hell with the colt/key. The most ruthless pyschic kid, the one who came out alive like Jake--YED's new American Idol--was to play a major role in things to come.

Glad to read that you enjoy the series. It's rather a fun experience, isn't it? I converted from Meredith and that douchebag Dr. McDreamy and I haven't looked back.

I could be wrong, however I interpreted those promises from the demon to be empty, as a transparent attempt to get Jake to open the door. Never trust a bad guy who's trying to manipulate you into doing something. It's the oldest ruse in the book, right? ;) - SN

Great first review Stacey! Personally, I love me some Supernatural, but it was nice to read your perspective... One thing that I noticed and loved about this series is that these guys are not independently wealthy or anything... They commit all kinds of frauds and deceptions to get money to hunt their various bad-guys. It's a small thing, sure, but in the midst of all of the supernatural I like that the writers made sure to include a touch of reality.

Every time Dean does something badass I close my eyes and wish real hard, because someday, someday, it'll work and he'll leap right through the screen and into my living room. I've been a fan of Jensen Ackles since he was on Dark Angel, which come to think of it had a lot of the same fantastic cheese that Supernatural does.

And, by the by, I could not agree with you more about that pair of threes they tried to bluff past us. I was totaly liek OMG, srsly!?!?!

But, then again, pretty boys, in a pretty car, kicking ass and taking names? Yes please.

i feel so VALIDATED. i swear, when the page loaded and i saw a Supernatural review at the top i had to blink a couple of times and make sure my eyes weren't deceiving me.

my boyfriend didn't understand the appeal at first, either - about 4 episodes into season 1 (i always tell people to watch with the caveat that the first few episodes are really pretty cringe-inducing) he asked me when it was supposed to get good. but now? he's totally hooked. there's something about it! for me, it's the characters of Sam & Dean themselves and their angsty, delicious manpain, i'm not gonna lie. i mean, i guess there's other stuff too. HA HA HAHA.

Finally, someone gives the Supernatural soundtrack the recognition it deserves!

Great job Stacey! Love the review, love the show. Love the boys. Love the car. God do I love the weapons. And for everyone else that loves the soundtrack, this is the best site in the universe. Supernatural Music Guide. If you're like me you already know a good amount of the songs on the show, but this will help you figure out the ones that you just can't pinpoint, by season and episode. It's been a lifesaver for when I find myself humming one of the songs and realize I have no clue who sings it.

I liked season two much better, to be honest. The first one was way too superficial, with that "monster of the week" thing never going deeper. I mean, everything was "solved" way too quickly and too easily, and just about anything on the actual central theme - what does the yellow-eyed bastard want with that family anyway - was revealed without much entertainment and with too much thin diversion. Season was slightly brainier (if we can use the word), in which it developed the characters better, introduced those new ones (yeah, they were no good, but Ash could have been nice) and went deeper in the mythology, like you said.

One main thing I think you got wrong, IMHO. The "really big secret" is not exactly about Sam being one of the chosen, blah, blah. He is, but he has also been the yellow-eyed demon's favorite for a long time - and that is the real "big secret". Ass Dad knew about that and could easily tell that Sam was destined to lead the upcoming stuff from hell. That's what built the second season so well (for me): the angst thing.

Now, the soundtrack is indeed killer, but I believe most of us got over that sort of thing in our teenage years, no? I mean, I keep my brit hard-rock, my Ramones, the whole ass-kickin old school rock and all, but haven't revisited them in a long time now. Nevertheless, it's still a great choice for a TV show when TV shows are filled with payola and "trendy" crap.

Oh, and with the episodes you so correctly pointed, don't forget to mention the "Hollywood-something" episode, filled with meta-refs. And all the great "possessed" ladies they push onto the show. Those people at least have great taste in women.

Gilmore Girls actually made me like Jared Paladacki more than I did before (I've only just started watching GG as I don't think it ever showed over here - I've almost stopped hearing the words "Fuck me Santa" every seven seconds so that's progress). And I've said it before and I'll say it again - I will watch anything with Jensen Ackles in it (except Smallville, that is absolutely where I draw the line) I remember discovering him in Dark Angel... wow, I'm going misty eyed over TV, this is scary.

Great column Stacey, if it gets Supernatural out to people its fine by me, we all need a little more cheese and mullet rock in our lives.

(Also: The werewolves made me so happy! Right from the first episode my flatmates and I would hopefully squeak "Werewolf?!?" every time there was a clawy/bitey monster - I'm impressed that they held out on us for so long.)

stacey nosek?

and THIS is precisely why you're no fit for pajiba.get the f out of here.

Supernatural is my guiltiest pleasure. It is the only TV show for which I clear my calendar. No TIVOing for the Winchester boys. They deserve a realtime experience.

Clever stories, great acting, superb directing, beautiful men, killer car, weapons and soundtrack, AND monsters/demons. All leavened with a cheesy veneer encapsulated by Jensen Ackles' to-die-for smirk. (Yeah, he topped my fantasy five in that previous column.) What's not to love?

I agree, however, with the previous comment by the existing SN enthusiast that this review would have made me less willing to watch were I not already a fan. I have long wondered why no Pajiba love for SN and this review certainly did not fill the void created by that noticeable absence.

I have always enjoyed your comments Lightlysalted but feel let down by this debut review. You led me to expect much more from you. Oh well, consider this your Pajibian de-flowering a la Carlsen.

As for the initial audience of females and gay men, I think that is due in large measusre to the advertising. In the adverts, the Winchester brothers come off more as lovers than brothers. Once straight men watch the show, however, they become equally entranced (well, perhaps not by the gorgeous men but by the other elements).

Keep pitching Lightlysalted. Pajiba reviews are like sex: there is no such thing as a bad example, only good, terrific, and let me catch my breath and go again.

The part that I love most about Supernatural is the self-awareness of the show. They know they're cheesy and they revel in it.

I also agree that there was more to the
Sam thing than you let on here. The episode Croatoan still stands out in my mind as being unresolved demony angst. I still feel like there's more to the big Sam secret - like why on earth his mother knew the demon.

Wasn't particularly convinced by this piece either - "Trust me, it was cooler than it sounds" is not really a persuasive argument.

I love this show. There were a couple shakey episodes in the first season. The one with the bugs in the housing development was as bad as the X-Files episode where it was reveled NASA apparently runs shuttle missions out of a basement in Canada with two Desktop computers and a staff of 3 bad actors. But overall it's a fun show, that's no where near as cheesy as some of you folks are making it out to be.

I don't understand the hate for this show, really. It kind of feels like an arbitrary pretension. I think people just sometimes decide to not like some shows sight unseen.

And yet, morons gobble up horseshit like Grey Anatomy and every soul-fucking, humiliating reality show television excretes into their living rooms, so what the fuck do I know?

Others beat me to it, but I too have been crushing on Jensen Ackles since "Dark Angel". I have also been a supernatural-genre fan for ages so those two things were certainly enough to get me to watch this show. Throw in a classic-rock soundtrack and some car-porn? You've got a fan for life. At 31 I'm probably the oldest Deangirl in the world, but I don't really give a shit.

I watched a few eps of Supernatural back at the beginning of season 2, then I lost my cable. Enjoyed the eps I did see, and I've been reading the TWOP recaps for entertainment. So I gotta ask, are you Drunken Bee?

Heh, nope... Not me. - SN

At 31 I'm probably the oldest Deangirl in the world...

Uh...no. No, you're not. Not by a depressing number of years. So put your mind at ease on that.

At 31 I'm probably the oldest Deangirl in the world...

Not hardly the oldest Deangirl or the oldest Deaniac. And Jerce, if you are depressed I am well into rigor mortis.

If Kripke was really taking viewer feedback to heart, then those boys would have been shirtless waaaaay more than only once each this season. I'm just sayin'.

Y'all can have Dean. I'll take Sammy any day. Yum.

Dude, I'll watch anything if it has Jensen. I watched a lot of very boring Dawson's Creek episodes for him. And I've also been crushing him since Dark Angel... MmmmmAlec was the best thing in that show and I have no idea why Max would want to be with Logan instead. I just wish there were more shots if his pretty ass than there already is (S2, ep 1 was FILLED with them. So awsome).

And please, Denny (aka AssDad aka Shut Up Daddy) has nothing on the boys. NOTHING! And I really hope Jo rots in hell. I don't even know if that's her name.

And yet, I still don't watch Supernatural every week, mostly because I don't have the time anymore and it's just not that great. Some episodes are awsome, some are really bad. Like that one with the dead priest. Gack. I don't know if the episode with the werewolf sex has aired here yet (I live in Brazil), but I hope I get to see it. And the one with Dean and the crazy dream/coma/fantasy/demon induced hallucination.

Also, I probably don't watch it as often as I could because Sam annoys the hell out of me. Just shut up, take off your shirt and listen to your brother, dude. He's just not as annoying as he was in Gilmore Girls.

My God, loads of random coments from me. Sorry. And nice review. =)

"bitchcakes"

Excellent Newsradio reference!

As enjoyable as it was, the bulk of Season 2 came off as an experiment in shameless pandering to its own core audience, in a "let them have angst" way. Wonder how they're gonna keep that up in Season 3 without the benefit of some they-were-switched-at-birth uber-drama-generating tricks.

(Not that I'll stop watching if they do, of course)

I have to say that I have loved Jensen since his early days as Eric Brady on 'Days of Our Lives'. He's come a long way and I can watch him anytime.

I have to agree that it took me a long time to overlook the fact that Jared was not on Gilmore Girls anymore. I couldn't stand him on that show but I love him on Supernatural.

My husband and I both watch the show and love it! The one-liners are awesome, the cheese-factor is great and we'll keep watching until its time is up!

I love Supernatural!!! Best show on T.V...I also don't understand the people who hate this show. My whole family is hooked, and I mean the whole family. My Grandmother is 87 and she Loves it. My neices who are 7 and 10, Love it. It is a Thursday night party at our house for this show. Jensen is not only sexy he can act too. Jared is getting there but not bad to look at. The writting is good. I love the family aspect and the way it has progressed. I just hope it stays for a while. If Smallville can last what, 7 seasons, this should have no problem. Oh and by the way I am also a Jensen fan at 31 and 1/2!!

This is very well-written, and you managed to voice some of the things I've been thinking about since the finale. I liked the second season, but I liked the first season stand alone episodes much better. I miss the good days when they researched and then went and shot the MOTW with rock salt.

"Ass Dad" That's great.

I love how you described the Big Damn Secret and it's effects on season 2:
"Right before Ass Dad drops dead, per deal, he whispers a Super Big Secret about Sam to Dean, which we are to believe is the cause of Dean's major bug up his ass for the following 10 episodes."
AND
"Which, really, wasn't so much a secret per se, as a reason for Sam to go all bitchcakes angsty for the next 10 episodes."
Well put.

I heard the YED referred to as "Big Bad" somewhere and it stuck with me. I've also heard "Celine Demon" (a combo of Ceiling Demon and Celine Dion) and "Daddy Demon".
Thank you for dedicating your first Pajiba column to "Supernatural".

Daphne- No

I gotta say that Supernatural is one of the only shows I look forward to now that GG is gone and Veronica Mars was canceled (so very mad about that).
However, I think it is way off that anyone compares it to Buffy. I was a huge Buffy fan and the two never entered my mind together until "WWBD" line.
I think season 2 is better than season 1 although both have had not so great episodes (bugs, crotoan--yes, i am one of the very few who thought it was okay but not that gripping).

The elements that Kripke has put together work really well. Classic rock and demons? If someone had described the show to me with those caveats, I would have snorted/laughed/chortled and never watched. But I came across it one night while desperately looking for an hour of entertainment and I'm hooked.

Whomever hoped that it would be cheesy like The O.C.---please don't ever compare it to that show, in any way, shape or form or else I'm gonna have to sick Bloody Mary on your ass (that ep freaked the hell out of me. When I got the dvd's I did NOT watch that one again--skipped right past it.eek!).
Thanks for the review and bringing attention to one of the few decent shows left on TV. Winchester boys all the way, baby!

Aww some Supernatural love at last.

I liked the second season more than the first. I felt the writing was stronger. Everyone seemed to fond thier stride.

However, I do feel there was a huge amount of pandering to the fangirls. I mean Dean fucking cried in the last three episodes. (I think he cried in a total of six episodes this season. WTF?) Every single one. This from the guy that doesn't do 'chick-flick moments'. Call him Sam and have done with.

I like the mythology but would like a little more kick ass-ery from them again.

There were some seriously freaky, scary moments in the second season too. More than the first I thought. The whole rotting people thing in 'Crossroad Blues' completely freaked me the first time I watched it. Same with the ghost in 'Folsom Prison Blues' (Perhaps my fav episode of the season.)

Oh and I am a deangirl...oh yes! PAJIBA!

Great review, Stacey! Like you, Supernatural started out as a guilty pleasure of mine, but quickly it became a show not to be missed. My favourite X-Files eps (for the most part) are the stand alones, and I like that Superatural followed suit in the beginning.

Also, your '"yellow-eyed demon"-related fatality' comment made me laugh out loud, so thank you for that.

I don't get the general hate for this show or the fans' dislike of Season 2. S2 was much stronger than S1 in my opinion. But that's because I'm a fan of the angst and of the mythology. Stand alone eps do nothing for me since I don't scare easily; the freaks of the week are mostly meh for me. But Sam and Dean and even AssDad are all excellent characters. Sure AssDad is an ass but he's interesting and compelling as is the entire Winchester family dynamic.
And how can you not show some love for What is and What Should Never Be? Any show that can have me laughing uproariously one minute and crying the next is tops in my books. I don't see the cheese everyone points to, I just see an excellent show with a good mytharc and excellent actors (not so much JPad but JAckles and JDM and the guest stars such as Samantha Ferris and Jim Beaver)

"but am I the only woman under 30 who doesn't find Jensen Ackles all that attractive? He always looks sort of plastic-y in pictures. He's not unattractive at all, but he just doesn't do it for me."

No, you are not, but 1. I love him anyway, just in a platonic way (saving my lust for the Padalecki) and 2. I'm not under 30, just a bit over. Which makes the second part of my first statement kind of embarrassing.

If I wanted to watch men talk about their feelings I'd flip to the Lifetime channel -- I signed onto "Supernatural" for badassey hunks killing things, hot cars and mullet rock.

Preach it, sister! I fell hard for Supernatural (after being totally devoted to nearly all the shows it draws inspiration/steals plots from) and after the ass-kicking first season, I spent most of Season 2 yelling "Stop making Dean cry every episode...NO! Not make him cry twice. STOP!" at my tv.

Glad there are other women who wish they'd dial back the angst and get on with more pretty boys with guns shootin' stuff. And - of course - the Metallicar. She rocks.

Are you kidding me? The second season was absolutely perfect! There was not one episode that i didn't like. I loved the whole story arc and the finale was AMAZING!

I have to say, some of my favorite episodes were In My Time of Dying, Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things, Crossroad Blues, Croatoan, Born Under a Bad Sign, Heart, What Is And What Should Never Be, and All Hell Breaks Loose Parts 1 and 2

The angsty, brother episodes are the best and that's what I love about this show...the brothers' relationship :)

Are you kidding me? The second season was absolutely perfect! There was not one episode that i didn't like. I loved the whole story arc and the finale was AMAZING!

I have to say, some of my favorite episodes were In My Time of Dying, Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things, Crossroad Blues, Croatoan, Born Under a Bad Sign, Heart, What Is And What Should Never Be, and All Hell Breaks Loose Parts 1 and 2

The angsty, brother episodes are the best and that's what I love about this show...the brothers' relationship :)

Are you kidding me? The second season was absolutely perfect! There was not one episode that i didn't like. I loved the whole story arc and the finale was AMAZING!

I have to say, some of my favorite episodes were In My Time of Dying, Children Shouldn't Play With Dead Things, Crossroad Blues, Croatoan, Born Under a Bad Sign, Heart, What Is And What Should Never Be, and All Hell Breaks Loose Parts 1 and 2

The angsty, brother episodes are the best and that's what I love about this show...the brothers' relationship :)

Hope your Supernatural is going to be a regular feature on Pajiba. Love the review, but you didn't hit on any of the shaking strange undercurrents between the two brothers. Maybe next time?

After reading this review, I decided that I should try watching Supernatural. Stacey, I am indebted to you forever. I have never encountered such angst-y, cheesy glory; I have also never seen a television show with two hotter lead characters! You're right in that the second season contains a lot more sap than the first, but for the most part I am satisfied (mainly because I felt like the second season was less formulaic than the first). Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles are both very good actors and I think that is what puts the show in a different category than other cheesy dramas. It's been a long time since I have enjoyed a television show so much! And I feel your pain... all my friends make fun of me for obsessing over anything that is on the WB/CW. But they don't understand!

I like Supernatural, but I don't love it. The storylines are a little too simplistic. I still watch it, though; it's decent enough for a Thursday night. (What am I gonna watch, Grey's Anatomy?)

But I can't believe no one else has mentioned "Hollywood Babylon." That has got to be the funniest episode of a horror show I've ever seen! I loved how into his PA job Dean got!

i think that this article was one of the most brutal that i have ever seen about my favorite show,supernatural...not only did you brutalize a man that sacrificed everything for his children and which you call quite shamelessly assdad,given the same circumstances,must be nice to know that you would do better than he did,all i can say about that is walk a mile in his shoes and then judge him, but then you also massacred the depth and emotional bond of two brothers...that is what the series is about after all,and i would have walked if the brothers had been less emotional or less passionate towards the other...their passion,their bond and their sacrifices are the drive behind the series...supernatural is brillant,it is wellwritten and wellconcieved....and if anyone doesn't like it,don't let your door hit your ass on the way,cause our series needs true fans and devotion,not someone that slaughters the entire basis of the series and obviously doesnot get it!!!!!

I'm quite surprised that so many people didn't like John aka "Ass Dad" ... John and Dean are both my fav characters and I was really sad when he gave his life for his son. Think about the events that have shaped him and it's not so hard to imagine how he ended up that way.

I really like Jeffrey Dean Morgan too - he's a great actor.

I love Supernatural! :P Dean and Bobby are my favorite characters they are awesome and the secound season is the best, "Tall Tails" was sooooo funny (Dean we don't have time for blabla blabla...). Sammy, Bella, and Ruby rock!

John R.I.P.

phorrrrr!!! how hot is jenson!!!
got 2 luv supernatural.