I’ve watched about 11 episodes of this, and frankly I’m getting bored. So far the plot has all been the standard Monster-of-the-Week. The boys hear about some trouble in a town, they go to the town, they defeat the monster. There’s almost no doubt about them being able to defeat the monster, and it’s lacking the real scariness of X-Files*.
X-Files may have run screaming into a wall eventually but the overarching plot did help keep you involved. So far the big plot here of Mom and Dad has been dribbled out so slowly I grow impatient.
I’ve been watching so long mainly because Dean is so pretty and it’s nice to watch a show where the protagonists are prepared, but last night I abruptly up and quit during a sex scene. Just what I wanted, a prolonged scene in bed, completely derailing the plot and story.
So? I’d heard all kinds of things about Castiel, and demons, and this and that…is it worth going on?
Well… it’s pretty much generally Monster of the Week, but it’s a solid format. There is a coherent story arc that gets trotted out around, what, the middle of season three maybe? I like it. It’s a good popcorn series but if you’ve seen 11 episodes and you’re not into it, probably best to put it down and find something else.
It does get into a more over-arching plot if that’s what you mean. At least as quickly as X-Files did - which also started as Monster of the Week for a couple of seasons.
I think you may forget how out of its sorts the show was in the early 11 episodes. Seriously, it changes massively for the better in late season 1 and season 2. My wife and I re-watched it recently and we had forgotten how much of a quality swing it goes through.
Ditto, it is a popcorn series so if you have higher expectations forget it(its fun not thought provoking but there is the occasional episode that is surprisingly decent).
One thing I was impressed with is the plot laid down in the first seasons does end up being important and making sense, the final er “battle” makes perfect sense and is apparent from the first episode basically.
Possibly. For what it’s worth I liked the show from episode 1 precisely because it reminded me of the MotW from the X-Files and I was nostalgic for that format. I discovered it before my life got a bit topsy turvey, and I haven’t had a chance to pick the series back up, but IIRC I’d finished at the point where
the Colt opened the gateway to Hell. I know it’s before the main arc really, really got going, but it was a fun series throughout.
Oh, and, I didn’t mind the racist truck episode. Wasn’t any sillier than the Hollywood episode.
I think it’s quite a lot of fun. It does take some time to get going but I was certainly into it by midway through S1. S2 starts off really strong though, so I’d recommend going at least to the first ep of that if you find it palatable.
The main story ran through five seasons and the plan was to end it there, but The CW prevailed upon them to keep going. The two later seasons have been scattershot. Although still entertaining for the most part, it’s not as good as it once was.
I quit at about Episode 11 myself - until people here in CS started raving about it a few years later, at which point I started again from the beginning of Season 2. By the time I got to Season 4, it was one of my favorite shows on TV.
You can’t take it seriously. My favorite bits are where they make fun of themselves and shout out to their fans. It’s also the only series I know of that has
‘Official’ slash fanfiction written by the creators.
It’s funny how Mahaloth knew it was the racist truck episode. Mayhap I’ll just skip that episode and go to the next one.
kimera, I am totally not reading that spoiler…unless you tell me it is innocent.
What is the “CW” that made the show keep going?
Oh, and I never did list my * in the OP! So here it is. For whatever reason, the show doesn’t scare me remotely as much as X-Files. Maybe because the boys know what they are doing, and they accept that there are these things in the world. Maybe because they’re both young men, and I found it easier to identify with Scully, a woman. Maybe because you see the monster a lot. Maybe because the boys always win. Not sure, but whatever it is, only the “jump scares” really get me.
Supernatural, after it found its groove, never really tried to be scary like X-Files. It’s more of an action-adventure-comedy show in the *Buffy/Angel *mode. If you want the X-Files experience, watch Fringe.
I miss the format of the earlier seasons. It starts to take itself a little too seriously in the later seasons plus I was not a fan of some of the plot turns that it took. Although Castiel is without a doubt my favorite character. I miss Sam and Dean kicking in doors and killing monsters then drinking a beer in a local dive. The music, the car, the one liners…that’s Supernatural to me. Plus those two lovely faces don’t hurt. I just wish they didn’t have such a crappy time slot. I always forget it’s on until it’s too late then I end up having to pay $2.99 an episode so I can catch up. Grrr.
The show is probably never going to really *scare *you. If you want something to watch through your fingers, this show isn’t it. The fun of this show is in the characters, if you don’t love them you won’t care what happens to them. That’s not to say the storylines aren’t fun (they are, IMO) and individual episodes are often hilarious as well.
Having seen as much as you have, I’d say you could skip the rest of season one EXCEPT the last two episodes, which feature heavily in the plot of season two, and are pretty good. For that matter, if you find yourself not loving season two you can skip right to season four, when it essentially becomes a whole new show.
For the record, seasons four and five are my favorites, but seasons two and three are damned good, far better than a show on the CW featuring those kids from Gilmore Girls and Days of Our Lives has any right to be.
I think maybe before you proceed any further you should watch the season 3 episode “Mystery Spot”. I don’t think it contains any major spoilers, and if you don’t like that episode, give up, because it pretty much encompasses the best and worst of this show.
For me, Supernatural started out as one of the strongest season one’s I had seen in a long time. It did the MotW format before they knew if they had a full season, then delved into that mythology right away as soon as they could. Since then, they haven’t looked back and just kept going.
I won’t get spoiler-y here. Overall, I have liked the past two seasons. My wife and I have kept watching it, as our watch list whittles down to very few. We are quite excited for the next episode! I can certainly see why people might not like them, though.
As others have said, they have done a good job of being able to poke fun at themselves and still keep advancing the plot, a la Buffy/Angel. Lots of fun!
Didn’t we have this same thread (with the same title) just a few months ago? I swear, I opened this thinking it was a zombie.
I am a bit odd of a fan, since I think Seasons 1-3 were great, and it went downhill from there (with some notable high spots - “The Monster at the End of this Book,” “Changing Channels,” “The French Mistake,” etc.), but Castiel is still my favorite character.
I liked it better as a fun, goofy show with lots of eye candy.
