(S03E01) Guess who just got back today? Them wild-eyed boys that had been away. Haven't changed... Well, wait a minute. Yes they have, and those changes are a big part of what makes season three of Supernatural so interesting. I think it's very smart what Kripke and his team have done.
The yellow-eyed demon had all the makings of your typical carrot and stick never ending serial plot device. They probably could have gone on for another few seasons with Sam and Dean never quite getting the job done. But in dispatching him, they managed to do a couple of things. First, they paid off a major plot line for viewers that had invested two years in the story. And more importantly, as we move into the third season, they did so in a way that opens up a plethora of new avenues for our story to travel. That is where we find ourselves as we delve into the third season.
We pick things up a week after the big showdown at the devil's gate (and after a fantastic synopsis to the tune of AC/DC's "Hell's Bells") and the boys are wondering why things are so quiet. Of course, we all knew that wouldn't be the case for long. Bringing on Bobby for this first episode was a great addition. I don't know if that portends that we will be getting more Bobby this season, but that is an idea I could get behind. We also were introduced to two new characters, Isaac (Peter Macon) and Tamara (Caroline Chikezie). Isaac's run was rather short lived, and what a horrible way to go, but he did serve an important function.
As big a victory as killing the demon was for Sam and Dean, it didn't come across that way to a lot of other people. Our heroes, in the eyes of other hunters, are the cause of a very big problem. "You brought war down on all of us." It also serves to show just how high the stakes have been raised. It all made for a rough introduction for Tamara, but leaves things open for an interesting return. Her scene with Bobby after they captured Envy was excellent. Take charge Bobby is awesome.
Speaking of new characters, get a load of Ruby (Katie Cassidy, pictured). I actually liked everything about the way they brought her into the episode. From that first mysterious closeup, to when we see her tailing Sam on the street and disappearing behind a box, right up to busting in and saving Sam's hide. I'm very curious about that knife she's packing, and just as curious about the fact that one of the demons (Greed?) said, "You?" right before she was taken out. I'm on board with Ruby, and looking forward to more, but it did leave me wondering about something.
Now, I know that I am in the minority as a fan of Jo (Alona Tal). From reading the thoughts of Supernatural fans here at TV Squad and on other haunts around the net, I get that a lot of people really didn't go for that story. At this point though, isn't Ruby coming across as Jo 2.0? If she had left the bar and went off to be trained by a wise old demon hunter atop some spooky mountain, this could be her. Time will tell, and what the writers do with her will make all the difference, but I'll be very interested to see what the reaction to her is.
As to our first post-gate big bad, the seven deadly sins was an interesting choice. I thought what we got of them was very good. Josh Daugherty as Envy was really well cast, and a nod to the effects from his possession. I also liked how he laid out the situation for the boys. "I am legion, for we are many." His calling them on the carpet for their own sins was also good, even though it was a given just where that was going to get him.
The drawback to the seven sins as our first big bad was that they were a little bigger than the time allotted for this opening installment. We got an excellent look at Envy, quick examples of what Sloth (C. Ernst Harth) and Gluttony (Michael Rogers) can do, and the scenes for Pride (Ben Cotton) and Lust (Katya Virshilas) were both good. Pride's little speech about them all knowing who Sam is was very telling. Greed (Tiara Sorensen) and Wrath (Gardiner Millar) were pretty much afterthoughts though. I really could have gone for a two hour premiere to get a little more from some of those characters, or possibly the escape of one or two so they could return at a later date with a score to settle.
Of course, we also need to talk about Dean and the deal. His reaction was what I would have expected of Dean. It's not exactly denial, because as he explained to Sam, he is well aware of just what the situation is. That being said, he's overcompensating to keep from really dealing with all of its implications. It's something that I thought was shown to great effect early in the episode when Sam and Dean were talking in the car and it felt like both of them were actively trying to talk around the subject. I also expect the fun loving, make the most of life, Dean to be short lived. I imagine we'll see him going through a whole host of reactions to the reality of his surroundings.
It sets up quite the dilemma for the two of them. The final scene where they finally discuss the deal and Dean reveals that if they do anything to try and get out of it Sam dies, was excellent. It's something we've seen many times before, the two of them ending an episode with a telling conversation, and it worked here as well as ever. I'm pretty well convinced that in spite of all of those warnings and clauses in the deal, the boys will beat it somehow. How they go about doing that, should be a very interesting ride. I'll just add a note here to keep in mind what the demon said at the end of last season, "Are you sure that what you brought back is 100% Sam?" I'm just sayin...
Finally, we can't end a review with this episode without noting some of the little gems Kripke worked into the script. Among my favorites, Charlene Tilton of Dallas on the TV at the sloth house, Sam telling Bobby that Dean was "polling the electorate," Isaac's Scooby-Doo line, Dean's SE7EN reference, and the line of the night...
Bobby quoting Dean Wormer, "Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life son." Well done, and a great start to the season.
One last thing, "The Magnificent Seven" is available as a free download on iTunes.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-05-2007 @ 1:58AM
Jesse said...
Ruby the Demon Slayer was awesome. The thing that always bothered me about Jo was that she was a bit whiny. It was too much "But I wanna be a demon hunter tooooo!" And Ruby overcame that immediately by barely saying anything at all. Instead, she came in and killed 3 demons all super bad-assed. I'm curious to see how much they are going to play up the fact that she seems to be so much better at this then the Winchester Boys are.
And god I missed that car.
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10-05-2007 @ 3:29AM
AJ MacReady said...
This show came back with a vengeance - I am SO happy that it changed directions some. Don't get me wrong; last year was the better season out of the two, but the serious tone needed some levity. This had that. This is a Supernatural that is fun, quippy, and action packed. Even though we still got the character stuff at the end - the meaningful pieces - that we need as hardcore fans.
Great season opener, and I'm here for the ride all the way.
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10-05-2007 @ 4:39AM
MrC said...
I was a little worried with the immediate cosmetic changes (font, text color, etc) because after a major change like the end of season 2, the show could either rise or fall quickly, but as soon as I saw Kripke had the script credit, I relaxed and enjoyed.
I really like how for both season 2 and 3 the "Road so far" montages were so well done. Every serial drama should do it's audience that favor.
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10-05-2007 @ 5:24AM
Joni said...
I was a little worried after the big finnish last season how this hsow would come back, but man they came back better than ever! I really enjoyed this seasonopener, one of the best so far. And man I missed my boys, the car and of course the music!
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10-05-2007 @ 6:14AM
radwimp said...
Ah, I miss the flame title sequence, but other than that excellent season opening. I'm worried about how Dean is acting... but in a good way.
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10-05-2007 @ 9:31AM
Nora said...
I was so surprised at the season opener. LIke many SN fans, I was worried about a budding cutesy romance budding out of the new girl's appearence. I LOVE how they introduce her and I look forward to seeing her again (not everytime, though; but it seems that the SN team has it under control). The episode was the good ol' kind with snappy lines and the idea of the boys hunting regularly again made me smile.
I second that... I missed that beautiful car.
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10-05-2007 @ 3:12PM
KayDee said...
I guess I have mroe faith in Kripke than most fans, because he's written such good stuff in the past, I wasn't worried about Ruby or the upcoming Bela, thus was actually able to sit back and completely enjoy Joanna Cassidy's entry into the series. And WOW! What a terrific way to introduce this intriguing character! She's a slippery one, and I can't wait to see more of who - and what? - she is.
I like how Bobby stated these were demons that hadn't seen the light of day for centuries, and how hunters now didn't know how to fight them. Then Ruby comes in with a weapon that dispatches them handily. Now we know more weapons are out there, and the boys are going to have to find them!
INTRIGUING - Is there more to Sam's destiny than simply as a gate-opener? You're not recognized as the "heir apparent" by demons without something more going on.
TELLING - Dean's reaction to his perdicament and his revealing how tired he is, so tired than even hellfire is some sort of signal his unending darkness will eventually be over. How sad.
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10-05-2007 @ 3:16PM
KayDee said...
Oh, and I didn't think Ruby was "Jo 2.0" - never occured to me - hey're too different. But I'm still wondering whether Jo survived last seasons Road House disaster. I'm assuming she did, but think its weird Ellen never said anything like, "Thank god Jo's all right."
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10-05-2007 @ 4:24PM
Diana said...
We are all of the same mindset here. That's what I love about this show. Good stories, great characters, great levity when needed, lots of kick ass scenes. And most importantly, those boys (esp. Dean!!!) and that car!!!! What is it about that car? It's become an actual character for a lot of us. Oh, and the music too. :) After all, the music is always part of the car. Oh, and those one-liners Jensen Ackles delivers soooooo perfectly.
I'm kinda pleased I wasn't the only one who missed the old title sequence.
I believe my "outlouds" last night were:
"What happened to the fire?" (Those of you with HD can attest that the fire title sequence was JUST AWESOME.)
"DEAN!"
"THE CAR! God, I missed that car."
"MR. ELLSWORTH! I MEAN, BOBBY!"
"What kind of knife is THAT?"
"Hey, I like that Ruby chick! I hope the other new chick is just as good."
"Fantastic opener!".
My husband just replied "You are SUCH a geek."
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10-05-2007 @ 6:17PM
Daniel said...
We are all of the same mindset here.
Well not quite all.
I agree with most of what is said here. Though I really hope they tone Dean down. Yes, I realize why he's acting the way he is but it still went a little too overboard. I'd also like to see some of the darkness come back, it was a little too bright. While it's nice to see the characters a little more clearly every once in awhile, I like the darker mood and it being so bright for so much of it feels a bit too much like what they mocked the network for asking in Hollywood Babylon.
As for Ruby, I do think she's Jo 2.0 in the sense that this is the kind of female hunter they wanted Jo to be but didn't manage to get there. Her looks even reminded me of Jo though her hair is even more magical than Jo's because it didn't get messed up at all despite the fighting she was doing. I wasn't impressed so far with Ruby. This might change once we learn more about her but I really hated the first real line that she had to say which doesn't help since she only had about two altogether. I hated the slo-mo they used for her fighting and I thought it made it look stupid, not cool. The only thing I thought was cool about that scene was the knife, not the girl using it.
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10-05-2007 @ 8:09PM
Preach said...
My guess: Ruby's an angel, most probably an archangel. That would answer why a demon who's been trapped in hell for more than 500 years would recognize her. It's most probably that angels can also take over the bodies of mortals, and that they carry some sort of ethereal aura that demons can recognize at the first look. Though angels are mostly believed to be male, most depictions show them as having rather female features, and being of pale complexion and having long blonde hair (and Ruby would fit into this category).
That would also explain the knife, as in the orthodox church the Archangel Michael (also known as "The Soultaker") is being portrayed as carrying a bloody knife (a sword in works originating from roman catholic domains), which he uses to measure the human's sins, before sending them either to heaven or hell.
I guess some people will say "Angels? That's too much!". Well, i don't think so. We have demons, we have holy water, we had a glimpse at hell and we had John Winchester stepping into the light - so why not a heavenly force for once in a while?
If it's armageddon, like the demons claim, wouldn't it be time for the other side to get active in the fight? After all, the Archangel Michael is the one who's supposed to lead the armies of heaven at Kingdom Come...
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10-06-2007 @ 1:02AM
Erin said...
This episode had everything I wanted, and a little bit more. I got a great lines from Sam and Dean, I got Bobby acting as a kinder gentler father figure, I got a new female hunter out of Tamara who I really hope we see again, and I got a heart to heart between the guys.
As for Ruby; lovely entrance, great knife, wonderful fight scene, all around interesting character introduction. I can't wait to see more of her.
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10-07-2007 @ 4:19AM
MOUSITSA said...
Magnificent Seven was a great start to Season 3!!
I was a full-fledged member of the summer freak-out brigade fearing the worst with Ruby because of the early insinuations of her being hunter-girlfriend. She isn't Jo.2. The difference is that Jo was literally shoved down our throats as the best thing next to the invention of sliced bread who would be the perfect girlfriend for Dean. Never mind that Dean was a man of almost-30 and Jo looked like she just turned 16 (that visual alone... ewww!) Kripke & Co. learned a valuable lesson about how NOT to introduce a character into the Supernatural family through the JoGate fiasco. Since I'm spoiled to extremes for upcoming episodes all I will say out of respect to the spoiler-phobes is that Ruby is no Jo. Far from it. And for that reason, this member of the freak-out brigade can now rest easy and enjoy without worry. Knowing some of the twists and turns coming up, all I can say is this is going to be a magnificent season!!
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10-07-2007 @ 4:10PM
Mel said...
I really liked the idea of fighting physical embodiments of the Seven Deadly Sins, but I wished they didn't kill them all. It would've been really cool if they could fight the seven throught the whole season, slowly getting them one by one. Like, here's our Sloth episode, here's our Gluttony episode, here's our Lust episode. (Hee.) They started the season off with the SEVEN DEADLY SINS, people. I agree with Sam, what can they go to next?
I was sad when Issac died. Probably because taking the husband out of the butt-kicking husband and wife team broke out my Wash trauma. :'(
Whoa, Bobby yelling at Tamera was INTENSE. I didn't so much think that Bobby was awesome for that, but that he may have some personal issues making him react like that. Maybe he's lost someone close to him? (Other than his dog. And John.)
There were a lot of movie references in this one. Other then Dean's line from Seven, there was Tamera and Issac doing Star Wars, Bobby doing Animal House, and one of the seven doing The Shining.
And, of course, our boys. *sigh* I'm just really happy to have them back. And I know that things will be stressful here in Dean's last year, but they love each other so much that they'll make the most of their final time together.
Oh, and I love the new credits. Awesome. :D
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10-07-2007 @ 8:09PM
nattyff said...
best season opener ever!!! rise a lot of cool questions, great new caracters and a lot of expectation of what to come. Love the idea of ruby been an angel, that woud be so cool!!!. I also love the new credits!!!, im so happy that we got the boys back, and with interest!!!
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10-08-2007 @ 11:53PM
Jodie said...
I just wanted to tell you that I totally agree with your article.I am a Jo fan too and I'm really hoping that after some training,demon hunting and shooting practice,Kripke will bring her back!(hey,dreams are for free,right?)I also liked the way they brought Ruby in,contrary to most of the comments I read, I think that the way she helped Sam was really cool cause,let's face it,not even John Winchester himself could beat three demons at the same time,let's not say exorcise them.
I'm also curious about that mysterious knife,must be made with the same material that the Colt or something.But the thing that took most of my attention was that one of the Sins recognized her!!!Mmm,maybe somebody else scaped from hell too... we'll see.
I also think that the Sins were a little too much for just one episode,and I would have loved to see more of them in other episodes too.
I also loved Dean,he's behaving exactly as I expected him to,but I think that even though Dean asked Sam not to,he will still look for a way to save his brother.
I'm also hoping to see how "Brought Back Sammy" will react in other episodes,see how changed he really is.
The only thing I miss is the old "Saving people,hunting things,the familly business",but I think the new one is okay.
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10-09-2007 @ 1:51AM
Dennis said...
i laughed so hard when Dean made the SE7EN reference, "whats in the box,whats in the box!!!!"
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10-09-2007 @ 6:15PM
cathie said...
Bobby quoting Dean Wromer was the line of the night!
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