70 replies to this topic

[TWoP Tennison]

Sam and Dean reconnect with an old hunter friend who suddenly disappears in an abandoned house that is haunted by a powerful ghost.

I'm setting this topic to open automatically, but there have been occasional problems with the forum upgrade. If the topic does not open on time, posters are welcome to open an episode thread.

[Gwonk]

As always, sacrifice means nothing in this show and it's guaranteed a favorite character will come back in some fashion because What's Dead Should Stay Dead, unless you're popular and have a dick.

I like Jim Beaver.

If you ain't going to kill them off permanently, don't damn well kill them off.

[tablemejakeryan]

She got to have both Winchesters? (I'm going to brain bleach the Bobby sex detail and pretend that didn't happen.) Lucky, Lucky....except Sam's Peen of Death rides again.

I got a H.H. Holmes vibe from the villain. He was actually better than that crappy HH Holmes episode in Season 2.

[DesiJ]

I had no sound at all during the entire episode. Bummer.

[awab]

Has this show been renamed into Bobbynatural? And I missed it?
Why to spend the whole episode on the secondary character when it's only 5 episodes left till the finale?

The only good thing there was Dean in the shower.

[doubletwist]

I liked it. Sure, the "kill Bobby and then bring him back in some form" thing is cheap, but I don't mind because there were NO LEVIATHANS!

[Cieley]

They are seriously going to keep Bobby around as their Slimer? Their cute little ghost buddy that helps them hunt? That is so pathetic. And sorry, but I think they are seriously overestimating Jim Beaver’s appeal.

Every time I think that this show can’t become less like the show that I originally fell in love with in the beginning, they prove me wrong.

[lynnea6]

I know this is a minor point, but why would Annie, an experienced hunter, enter a known haunted house at night with no weapon? Bugged me the entire episode.

Edited by lynnea6, Apr 20, 2012 @ 9:15 PM.

[doubletwist]

They are seriously going to keep Bobby around as their Slimer? Their cute little ghost buddy that helps them hunt? That is so pathetic.

Well.. they did hint at the end that it wasn't going to end well. The whole Bobby thing might not be all that cute.

[Lemuria]

With you on this, Gwonk. You'd think by now they'd realize that many viewers really wish for death to get back to meaning something on this show. And I hate that they thought it was clever or a good thing to have viewers (well, those of us who weren't cheering that Bobby was gone) and the Winchesters get all teary-eyed over Bobby's presumed death, only to have the writers and Ms. Gamble turn around and go, "Nyah, nyah, nyah. Made you look!"

Dean is absolutely right, despite Bobby's indignation: This shouldn't end well. But, of course, this being the idea-bankrupt SPN of Gamble's reign, Bobby will prove the exception to the rule and will be able to remain a non-violent ghost. Or be resurrected by Cas (blech!).

And so, we will be stuck forever with Bobby Ex Machina, Cranky Old Man and Champion Whiner ("Ooo, it's so hard to move the curtain."). Because, heck, we can't have the Winchesters actually be competent hunters again and do things all by themselves, now can we?

(Not that Bobby will win any genius awards for taking his flask from Dean.)

"It's not over. It will never be over."

[Bruinsfan]

I suspect Annie was wrong about it being the end when a corpse is burned or one ghost zaps another. Death seemed to imply last season that souls are remarkably durable - I'd imagine if they can withstand decades or centuries of torment in Hell, a bit of lighter fluid and a match woudn't be equal to the task.

[Demian]

She got to have both Winchesters? (I'm going to brain bleach the Bobby sex detail and pretend that didn't happen.) Lucky, Lucky....except Sam's Peen of Death rides again.

My thoughts exactly, and in that exact order, too, though a bit more harsh: "Lucky bitch. And Sam's dick takes out another one."

I think they are seriously overestimating Jim Beaver’s appeal.

I don't. Once you get past all the Ghost bullshit (and the fact that they recycled one of their more memorable locations, one that was used to far better effect the last time it was on the show), this was a really solid episode. Of the sort they used to churn out week after week, though God knows that sort of consistency hasn't been around for years.

[Parcae3]

Well, Bobby was a whiny guy in life, and a whiny guy in death!!!

Really, what did he expect? And belittling the guys like THEY were at fault, just made him even more so. And then acting like they were stupid, just because they didn't have all the answers right away. News flash, Bobby, you were talking with the ghosts, that is the ONLY reason you were ahead of them in anything! I'm so sick of him acting as if they are helpless with out him, and so sick of the show (sometimes) backing that up. Dean and Sam are the lead characters, not Bobby.

Jamie Luner is looking a little rough, but Annie was fairly innocuous. Felt bad for the caretaker and the other ghosts. It's disappointing that they wasted an episode on a one shot ghost story, focusing on Bobby, when we still have the Leviathans to deal with.

I am glad they continually brought up the fact that Bobby was an idiot for staying and that this ISN'T the way to go. Hell, even Dean was going to move on in the second season, and he was/is way more devoted to John and Sam than Bobby ever was to Dean/Sam. So him staying on is just selfish and egotistical, and I'm glad the show was at least hinting at that. And how unfair to put that burden on the boys' shoulders on what to do with him. Dean was right, this isn't going to end well, and it's cruel and mean of Bobby to do this to them.

All in all, I wish they had kept Bobby dead. If they didn't want to kill him off, they shouldn't have, but now that they did it, they should have left it alone.

[Kimit]

Oh hey house from Playthings!

I really enjoyed this one. I love how Sam and Dean worked so well together and didn't have any angst really until the end. Yay boys! They were really cute when they were trying to say hi to Ghost!Annie.

Also, Dean showered with the door open. Kinda weird.

That's all I got.

Edited by Kimit, Apr 20, 2012 @ 9:23 PM.

[Isabelle417]

Well, we all know how much this stupid show loves its damn ROLE REVERSALS, so Bobby will take Cas' place as the supernatural being who has powers and strength and can zap from place to place (assuming he keeps the flask in his pocket) and Cas will become human and be the new Bobby, a cranky dude with oodles of obscure knowledge packed into his head. Calling it now.

Are we to assume that Bobby sucked up the evil ghost dude's extra power when he died with his hand in Bobby's chest? Is that why Bobby was suddenly visible?

That Annie was one lucky bitch, by the way. Hittin' both Winchesters? Chick should be declared a fangirl legend.

[Blackmantra53]

I am not at all sure what to think of this one. It could have been a solid ghost story but instead I got...
An excellent female character who, as usual, was killed off too quickly. At least she had good taste in most of her men.
A re-cycled location.
An episode that was NOT devoted to the mytharc, and I don't feel this close to the end of the season is a good time to waste an episode on a secondary character that should have never been killed off in the first place. (It does not help that I discovered yesterday that The Vampire Diaries also has a resident helpful ghost which makes Bobby's storyline look like a familial rip-off. Or vice-versa)
Far too much angst over Bobby's predicament when I fully expect to see Jim Beaver in some Bobbyesque capacity next season. Perhaps Bobby has a heretofore unknown and successful twin brother who could take his place amongst the living?
Teased with the promise of a shower scene from Dean then cruelly deprived of it.

Edited by TWoP Tennison, Apr 22, 2012 @ 6:00 AM.
Previews are off-topic

[Kendall95]

I guess Sam & Dean didn't notice that you could see the museum curator's breath; since Bobby was there.

Although I really like Bobby, him in ghost form is a bad idea. I'm glad that Dean and Sam want him to move on instead of hanging around as a ghost.

The "I slept with Annie" exchange between Dean & Sam was pretty funny. Sam's expression was particularly amusing.

Edited by TWoP Tennison, Apr 22, 2012 @ 6:01 AM.
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[Observe]

They seem to have forgotten Bobby has moved things before. The sword. And he drank Dean's beer. And knocked the journal on the floor to help lead Dean to Cas.

I like Jim Beaver but I'm frankly sick of the sight of Bobby at this point. And balls might have been amusing the first few times but now, not so much. So I'm hoping Dean will burn the flask and have done with.

The one surprise for me is that it wasn't Padalecki in the shower scene, in which case we would probably have got the Full Monty knowing Gamble's track record. Assuming she was actually still in charge at the point this was filmed.

And deleting in 3, 2, 1…

Edited by Observe, Apr 20, 2012 @ 9:33 PM.

[Demian]

Oh hey house from Playthings!

And speaking of, I remember that episode mainly for all the references to The Shining. They started this one with a couple of blatant references to The Birds, but did they just drop all that after Annie's initial expository blathering? I was actually taking notes (I know), so I might have missed some visual references.

[yimhappy]

Granted I haven't watch this episode yet, but a friend told me about it.
I'm going on record as liking the Ghost!Bobby premise. It could be a great way to open SPN's world more, and see all sorts of strange characters, and new situations. It's hard to do anything more with weekly monster hunts. Also, it limits Bobby, gives him new challenges. Plus, a good vehicle for seeing past favorite characters again. S7's track record with inventing new characters isn't good.

***prays, "Please no more Garth or Frank, also no more Becky"***

[Tralah]

Wow. I was bored out of my mind. If this episode is good by season 7 standards as other people tell me, I'm so glad I haven't watched most of this season.

[MadCaps]

Jensen Ackles' shower head was adorable.

Don't really have much else to say beyond that since I mostly find Bobby tedious these days. He is hands-down, the whiniest and most arrogant character this show has ever produced, and that is saying something all things considered.

Edited by MadCaps, Apr 20, 2012 @ 11:41 PM.

[Belley]

Where did the whole "ghosts must be close to the physical object they're bound to" rule come from? There have been tons of episodes where a ghost's hair or kidney or silver candle stick have been on one side of town while a ghost has been busy slaughtering over on the other side of town.

I would've liked Annie more if she wasn't such a dumb ass. Walking into a haunted house with no weapons? Sure, the boys did the same thing, but we know they're idiots. Also, I loved this line. "He must've planted something on the boys! I know this because I SAW it! With my EYES!"

[ster1]

I thought the premise of the ghost story was pretty solid and felt much more like old school Show. Although they were barely in the episode, the brothers did a good job on the hunt and worked well as a team. The actors all did a nice job and I liked Annie.

As for the rest.....oy. Why is this season so Bobbycentric anyways? Much of the thematic undertones revolve around him, he's had the only real cohesive storyline of all the characters, and now we have yet another Bobbycentric episode. Dude's a supporting character. He shouldn't be getting more focus than the actual leads. Two years after Swan Song and I'm still waiting for Dean to get a real storyline of his own.

I remember how much I loved Bobby when he was first introduced. Like other recurrent characters, he'd pop by every few episodes, provide some obscure information and maybe some emotional support, and that'd be it. That eventually evolved to Bobby becoming the show's ultimate hunting deus ex machina. The brothers didn't need to find their own intel, form their own contacts, solve the cases on their own.....Super Bobby was there to do it for them! I can't describe how much I've hated watching Dean and Sam defer to Bobby on hunts. And now that ghost Bobby's visible, I'm sure he'll be back to taking charge and bossing the brothers around. Aren't the brothers too old for that kind of nonsense?

And to top it all off, I think it's a pretty sure bet Bobby will get some kind of magical free pass for his ill advised decision. Which is too bad because Bobby the Vengeful Spirit might actually have actually interested me, especially if it were told from the brothers' POV and not Bobby's. The show's supposed to be their story, after all.

Edited by ster1, Apr 21, 2012 @ 2:11 AM.

[stealthyone]

It was an OK episode, but the pacing was slooooooooooow. I'm not sure if it was the writing or my lack of interest in seeing Bobby ever again that made me feel that way.

Overall, this season is still better than last season, but I'm starting to wonder if I'm going to spend the last few eps in a very "Meh" mood, given how much screen time is going to characters I'm long past enjoying.

[Prospero]

Why do all Bobby-centered episodes seem like they are taken from a different show? A show with much better writing? A show much like Supernatural had been about 3 years ago?

I really don't get the complaints about too much Bobby. I would if the main story would've been any good, but it's not like Sam and Dean got anything to do this year other than to drool over Leviathan Dick. Kill the angsty pricks and make it all about Bobby for all I care.

Please no more Garth or Frank, also no more Becky

Amen. I cringed when Garth appeared in the previouslies. Please, show, let's just forget he ever existed. Pretty fucking please.

S7's track record with inventing new characters isn't good.

I kinda liked Annie though. Maybe it's the actress.

[MadCaps]

Kill the angsty pricks and make it all about Bobby for all I care.

Bobby "I wanna kill myself 'cuz I'm in a wheelchair" Singer is just as angsty as any Winchester. He basically whined and complained his way through the entire episode. His huffing off was hilarious when Dean pointed out, in a rather gentle tone I might add, that Bobby was being a dumbass for sticking around to eventually become the thing he always hunted. Guess Mr. Boo Hoo Suck It Up Princess can dish it out, but he can't take it.

One thing -- why could Dean and Sam suddenly see him after they killed the other ghost. I think that needed some kind of explanation.

Also if that kid Cole in Death Takes a Holiday could figure out how to be a ghost in a few days, how come Bobby couldn't figure it out? Heck, even Dean and Sam picked up how to move things with their minds in a few hours. Maybe it's like my parents and computers or something.

Edited by MadCaps, Apr 21, 2012 @ 2:28 AM.

[vesper19]

Where did the whole "ghosts must be close to the physical object they're bound to" rule come from? There have been tons of episodes where a ghost's hair or kidney or silver candle stick have been on one side of town while a ghost has been busy slaughtering over on the other side of town.

Also if that kid Cole in Death Takes a Holiday could figure out how to be a ghost in a few days, how come Bobby couldn't figure it out? Heck, even Dean and Sam picked up how to move things with their minds in a few hours.

No kidding. Sacrificing years of canon to make one episode "work" is the laziest form of storytelling. Sadly, I'm not surprised at this point. But you would think someone, maybe a producer, actor, hell, crew member, would notice that none of this jives. Before it was some type of DNA that allowed the ghost to survive after a good bone-burning. Now it's any object they might have what, touched? I would think Dean has washed that flask, so no Bobby saliva should be present. If this is now the case, then there would be ghosts everywhere.

I can't believe there are only a handful of episodes left and yet they give us more pointless filler (oh wait, yes I can). This season has been so all over the map it seems like ages since The Mentalists and Slash Fiction. The biggest thing missing, especially the 2nd half of S7 (beside logic and continuity), is the chemistry between Sam & Dean. Even with their beloved Bobby coming back the brother scenes were totally flat. And hey, maybe spend 10 seconds on a Cas update to give the illusion of a storyline.

[Aeryn13]

Well, the underlying story was interesting. A haunted house with a ghost trapping other ghosts in it and feeding off them? Not too bad.

Why don't they write filler episodes like that focusing on Dean and Sam just being hunters and solving the case? If you take the angst and just put them on a good old-fashioned case like this, they can be perfectly good characters and perfectly capable hunters. There is no need to focus such stories on supporting cast and only give the shit to the lead characters. Yet that is what they have been doing for the last couple years.

Unfortunately for me it doesn't work with a Bobby-centered ep anymore for several reasons. One, he has become a lazy crutch and know it all, functioning in lieu of the brothers brains and hunting for too long and secondly, he only has two modes: being a crotchety old guy or whine. And it has become tedious.

The whole "comedic" number on acting all indignant that Dean and Sam "ignored" him? Puh-leaze, he is a ghost, he knows how it works so why getting huffy-puffy about it. And then this whole acting like they need him to tie their own shows when during this case, he only got the info by talking to the ghosts and actually put his own ghost-ass in danger.

Granted, the Winchesters are usually written like they do need Bobby to tie their own shoes when he is around but on the rare cases he isn't, they seem to gain IQ points and skills and competence they already had right back. So, at this point, I believe he is holding them back. And doing it on purpose, too.

Then in the end, flouncing off in a huff because he wasn't met with sunshine and puppies. If the situation had been reversed Bobby would have broken into a crotchety old man rant on how stupid staying behind as a ghost was, mentioning the term "idjits" ten million times in the span of two minutes. But once he is on the other side of the equation, he takes his ghost toys and goes home. And Dean (and Sam) weren't even mean about it.

However, that's the thing with Bobby. He always acts this way. He can dish it out but never once take it.

Annie was okay and I was glad the "joke" of her having banged boh Winchesters wasn't run into the ground. Though adding Bobby into the mix? Come on, that seemed like shoehorning him into everything because the ep was all.about.him.

Boo for only having a little look behind that shower curtain.

So yeah, write good old-fashioned cases like this for Dean and Sam, drop the angst and I really see no need for Bobby the flouncy ghost taking center-stage.

[Ferrari]

Did Dean really pull out that "Natural order of things" line? And Sam agreed? This coming from two guys who have cheated death I don't know how many times. "It just isn't right". Really, Dean? He continues to be self righteous hypocrite. We're way past annoying on that front.

Another funny one was "Everything is supposed to end", again this coming from the guy who has gone to hell and back, AND has gone to heaven and back. If he felt really strong about that, maybe he shouldn't have brought Sam back to life. Everything apparently wasn't supposed to end then, was it?

Here's an idea - that Angel that you know can bring people back from the death, get him to bring Bobby back instead of having thoughts of tossing that flask in a fire behind his back.

If Bobby wants to stay and help bring down the Leviathans, shut up and go along with it. There's really no reason for Dean to be opposed to this, but we've seen this before haven't we? We've seen Dean's clairvoyance before. When something doesn't seem like it's going to be a problem, or maybe if it's a tossup, get Dean's take on it and that'll pretty much tell you how it's going to end. This is leading to another segment of "Dean is Always Right".

<Edited>

It's not the act of him being right that is the problem, it's the fact that he knows with 100% certainty that it will end up being bad before a good reason for it being bad is even presented. Bobby being a ghost and helping them take down the Leviathans, that's a good thing! But oh look, darn it, Dean is against it for some reason. So at this time, we know it'll end bad, we just don't know how. Maybe Bobby will go dark side.

Edited by TWoP Tennison, Apr 22, 2012 @ 6:08 AM.
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