An encyclopedia of weirdness

The Girl Next Door, written by Andew Dabb and Daniel Loflin and directed by one Jensen Ackles, is not quite as well drafted as the episodes that preceded it, and it takes the characters – well, mostly Dean – into a darker territory than I anticipated after last week’s episode, but it is still in keeping with the characterisation that has been set up for the season so far. The episode continues to explore Sam and Dean’s current psychological damage first and foremost, but it also further cements that, on a larger scale, the brothers are in a very precarious situation at the moment. And then there are the flashbacks, of course, which are always a sure-fire way for the show to make me happy. Overall, The Girl Next Door may not leave me with quite the same joyous contentment as Hello, Cruel World did, but there is still a lot to enjoy about the episode.

( Eventually the other shoe will drop. It always does. )

Sera Gamble’s S7 opener Meet The New Boss is a fast paced, exposition heavy episode, and while it is more plot driven than I usually like, I felt entertained throughout. The episode picks up where the S6 finale left off and resolves some of the open plot strands from last season, while opening a whole new can of worms at the same time. As was to be expected, the episode mainly addresses Castiel’s situation, but it also sets up Sam and Dean’s storylines and introduces the new Big Bad (presumably) of the season. And to top it all off, there are a lot familiar faces in the episode that nicely add to the diversity of character interactions. Overall, Meet The New Boss may not be my favourite season opener ever – I doubt that anything will ever trump In My Time Of Dying for me – but I enjoyed the episode a lot. So far the new season is off to a good start!

( Look at our lives. How many more hits can we take? )