Supernatural: S08E18 - Freaks and Geeks.

Last weeks episode of Supernatural was mediocre at best and I'd only stretch that far because Meg is such a great character, so let's see if this week, things get any better...


Despite being on the final leg of the season we get another filler episode however it's a filler episode that addresses one of my most major problems with the series (albeit not in a positive fashion like I would have liked) as a whole, which elevated a filler episode from pissing me off to just annoying me.

If you've been with me since the beginning of my reviews of this season you'll know I've often been annoyed by how small Supernatural feels. The actual concept of hunting has been one that always really annoys me, it works in the show because it has too but I don't know how hunters aren't tripping over one another's feet. Sure they had a Bobby and then a Garth but we never see Sam or Dean communicating with other hunters, so it's hardly a well oiled machine, so where the fuck is everyone? It's worse still when Sam and Dean end up facing a monster that threatens the entire planet and no others hunters turn up, what exactly the fuck are the other hunters doing? We're supposed to believe hunting is this endless war against things that go bump in the night that is raging around us at every moment but the show does a very poor job of convincing us there is ever a world outside of the four walls Sam and Dean are currently positioned in.

And so as said, this filler episode functions largely as a critique of that very problem.Yes none of the teenagers were particularly interesting or well acted and yes by the end the whole thing turns out to be evil and it all comes crashing down but it at least gave a sense that there is a world beyond that of Sam and Dean. The Next Generation of Hunters.

However I praise the concept and that is largely where my praise ends. What the fuck are you doing giving us a filler episode this close to the season finale? We have two trials left and a whole other bunch of crap that has been left completely open and it's becoming very clear that they are planning to milk this as far as they can and either way, it can't end well. If they try and cram everything they haven't answered or finished yet into the next few episodes then it's gonna be rushed as all hell, if they just filler it up right until the last minute so we have to wait a year for basically the second half of a story that was introduced months ago, then I'm gonna be fucking pissed as fuck.

Honestly with so much happening last week and so little mention of it this week, I can't help but wonder if this episode was supposed to have happened way earlier in the season and they just added a short scene on either end of the episode to give it a vague sense of continuity and context so it could fit this late on.

You didn't even mention Meg? What the actual fuck, shame on your Supernatural. You learnt there was a fucking angel tablet, Cas almost fucking killed Dean then vanished, the trials are killing Sam in a way that a celestial being can't fix...fucking react! Yes the constant angst is annoying as hell but when things are actually happening, I want them to fucking react to it. What is the point of making the brothers miserable all the fucking time when nothing is happening and fucking emotionless when something has happened? For fucks sake. How is it possible that a show that has lasted this long is still so inconsistent, poorly plotted and weakly written?

Normally I get annoyed by the little summaries at the beginning of the episode that basically spoil what the episode will be about but I needed it this week. I had honestly completely forgotten about Krissy and the episode she featured in, so I was grateful for the reminder.

As is always with odd dichotomy of Supernatural, despite the monster of the week 'only' being a vampire it has some of the most intense and scary sequences from recent Supernatural memory. There is lots of great vampire slaying action and some really great, tense build up sequences like the mysterious shadows around the teenage couple (and the cool way this is tipped on its head) and a scene with Dean poking around a dark cabin.

Overall I like that Supernatural is at least addressing and admitting its problems, even if it technically goes back on itself at the end but when we're this close to the end of the season an episode like this is frankly insulting. If you had put this episode earlier in the season or at least recognised just how much happened last week I could be more forgiving but just what the fuck guys?

Pros;

• At least there was some hint that there is a world outside of Sam and Dean.
• There were some scary moments.
• Some good action.

Cons;

• It's pretty ironic that an episode that tries to make the Supernatural world feel larger doesn't even bother to recognise the fucking episode that came before it. Seriously, fuck you guys. 
• The Next Generation couldn't act.
• None of their characters were interesting.
• A fucking filler episode, really?!
• Did you really need to bring the whole thing crashing down by the end? The episode had some very good points to make.
• Did anyone even care about Krissy? Was there really that much of a desire for a continuation of her story? I didn't even remember who she was.

Think About It!

-Locke

What would you rate, 'Freaks and Geeks'?