Well, I finished watching the whole darned series up to now. It was a pretty exhausting marathon. Okay, not so exhausting, I sat in bed with the lights out and ate snacks most of the time, but still!

I definitely enjoy the series. Beyond the superficial appeal of a show with hot leads and a horror movie cash-in each week, it really does have some merit. Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki have a fun time and display excellent chemistry - even best friends could have a hard time keeping that up that whilst explicating demons and hoo-doo (my favorite word now). The production values are top-notch. Vancouver may never offer up deserts and amber waves of grain, but the small town America the show explores each week is perfectly served. The makeup, editing, lighting - all movie-quality day in and day out.

As some have noted, some episodes are a little formulaic. Too many stories involve the brothers quickly converting a non-believer, trying to sanctify a spirit's corpses only to see the effort fail to bear fruit, leading to an action climax of lots of body throws and gun shots (naturally) and a flashy FX demise for the villain of the week. The show wisely parlays humor to keep viewers interested, but often the dialogue is more than a little hokey.

Still, season 2 adds more angst and brooding to the proceedings as well as more development of the unobtrusive character/story arc mystery, and the stories have been much more memorable as a result. The Linda Blair episode was quite clever, as was the Robert Johnson-inspired story about selling souls to the devil. Hell, I don't even hate Jo, miscast though she might be, although I thought Ava brought a more lively dynamic to the table.

Last week's episode was atmospheric and fun and its cryptic ending worked. The show would do well to offer up more final scenes that don't quite leave everything so done and dusted. It certainly worked for "The Twilight Zone' and 'The X-Files.'

In the end, the most unholy thing about the series is its timslot. I find the show to be scary, funny and rewarding. I like having a PG-13 suspenseful horror movie with great lead actors and obvious behind-the-scenes enthusiasm every week. It's oddly relaxing, especially after the last few weeks of the increasingly overwrought and depressing immediate competition (George's dad died? Seriously?) Anyone who misses Chris Carter and Joss Whedon would enjoy seeing the fare (screw 'Jericho' and 'Lost' -this- is what we mean by 'genre' - unabashedly so!) their heirs are having such a blast creating.

Oh, I believe I owe thanks to WBRocks, Freyja and ByeBuffy for their enthusiastic prodding. It definitely helped get me to watch.

Which episode did you enjoy most in season one and in season two?

Tough one! I guess in season 1, 'Skin' had me on my toes the most. It's got a great twisty opening, some really shocking moments, a clever plot device for character development of Dean and an unexpected climax which gets to be revisited by a later episode. It's certainly the most 'X-Files'-like episode they've done (unless one counts the rather painful 'Bugs'). Very reminiscent of the episode 'Tooms' with the guy who could squeeze into tiny places. Since that one still creeps me out to this day, the similarity is a good thing.

In season 2, probably 'Crossroad Blues.' The character development for Dean was great, the premise was rock solid and the moral ambiguity interesting. Seeing all the "victims'" very different reactions to their impending fates added another level. I actually wish they'd had the painter who'd started the ball rolling meet his end at the end of the episode (and after the climax) rather than offscreen. It'd have been a wonderful cryptic ending if he just patiently finished his last painting, sat down and calm(ish)ly waited as the 'dogs' smashed at his door. The door rips open and... cut to end credits. That'd have been cool. But I still really enjoyed that one!

I've missed I think 3 episodes of season 2, and I've been told I'd like 'Everybody Loves A Clown.' Clowns can certainly be creepy, although none could be scarier than the one Roger Moore dressed up as in 'Octopussy.'

How about you?

It's hard to believe, but you chose my favorite episode of season one as well. There was just something about Skin. I'd been wavering a bit about the series, but seeing Dean's insecurities come out through the shifter....I thought, "Hmmmmmm, something a little more going on here. I'd better stick with this series. Still waters run deep." Plus, I was genuinely impressed with how Jensen individuated the shifter from Dean ever so slightly.

As for season two--it's a dead heat between "In My Time of Dying" and "Bloodlust." John's death really, really got to me, and I remember thinking to myself, "Damn, did Padalecki study with an acting coach over the break?" It struck me just how much Jared had elevated his game. Sam's growth has been amazing. Bloodlust...for the guest starring turn of Amber Benson, the new wrinkle on the vampires, introduction of Gordon, Dean being so f*cked up that he could saw that vampire head right off and hit his baby brother--plus the car was back. What's not to like?

Everybody Loves a Clown had a nice, creepy creepy creepy feel to it. You'll enjoy it.

'Bloodlust' is one of those I've not seen. I thought they were a little too familiar with Gordon the first time I saw him! 'In the Time of Dying' was excellent. I loved the peek into spirits' out of body existences. No matter how many times shows and movies do it, there's always something more to explore with the idea. The dad's death definitely was well-handled and surprising (even though unfortunately I had seen all those Jeffrey Dean Morgan articles at the start of the fall lamenting the untimely demises of both the recurring characters he played on TV). I'd be surprised if he wasn't seen again in some form. The mess he left on Dean's shoulders is pretty darned heavy.

I'm definitely interested to know any other fans' favorites too!

My Favorite Episodes of Season one

Ian I am glad you are enjoying Supernatural and I am glad we convinced you to watch it.

Skin, Faith and Shadow all three episodes pulled, back layers of Dean that I don’t think we would have normally seen.

In Skin- We got to understand a little bit about Dean’s commitment and loyalty to his family. And how he feels abandoned and betrayed by them at the same time. With his father just leaving him; and Sam going off to college trying to live a normal life, Dean never had that chance and in some ways he feels cheated. Plus the whole shedding of the skin was quite nasty and gross, which is always an added plus.

In Faith- We got to see a sensitive side to Dean, in which he feels he doesn’t deserve to live. How he cared for Layla and really wanted her to live. Dean may not believe good can exist however by the end of the episode he was starting to understand.

In Shadow- We understood more of Dean and how he just wants to be a family and that nothing else matters to him. He loves his family…

Season 2- In my Time of Dying, Crossroad Blues, and Hunted

IMTOD- Dean must deal with dying and the fact he was not going to be around to protect his family. The scene with Tessa at the end broke my heart. Where she told him he must chose either to go with her, or stay and turn into the things they hunt. I do believe he was ready to go with her, when the Demon came in and changed that.

Crossroad Blues- Showed more of a character development in Dean, everything he feared was true. His father sacrificed himself to save Dean, and Dean just can’t live with that. He doesn’t think he is worth that sacrifice. What Deal was actually made at the end? Because when the demon sealed the Deal with the kiss, they never said which deal.. It left it open to bring John back…

Hunted- In Hunted we saw Ava, my favorite female character to date next to Ellen. Ava was perfectly written, she was smart, funny and sarcastic. The Pop Rocks and Coke line had me laughing so hard.. If she is not going to be a romantic interest for Sam I want her with Dean. Dean’s greatest fear of Sammy being killed come to light in this episode when Gordon hunts Sam, because he is different.

Gordon Kidnaps Dean and were lead to believe Sam is blown up, and the face Dean shows is one of pure pain, hurt and fear his brother is dead. However Sam is very well alive and knocks Gordon out, then rescues Dean. The brotherly moment after Dean is untied was fantastic. (I thought they would hug)
At the end of the episode, Ava is missing and her fiancé has been murdered, the Demon has been there and Sam finds her ring. This leaves the door open for Ava to come back. I think she left the ring for Sam to find and I think the Demon kidnapped her in effort to lure Sam into his trap later on.

What I like about Supernatural is not only the spooky element of the show, but the acting and chemistry between Jared and Jensen. I do believe that Jensen is one of the most underrated actors of his generation. Jensen conveys so much into Dean, you feel when Dean is upset, you cry when Dean cries. Jensen says so much with his eyes and facial expressions that it just pulls you in.

It also feels my Buffy, Angel and X-Files Void those shows left behind..

I'm so glad you liked the show, Ian! It's definitly become one of my Top 3 favorite shows.

This season has been so awesome. Great episode after another. I have to say this past week's episode was amazing as was the Linda Blair episode (a personal favorite of mine). Oh and In Season 1, one of my favorites was "Home". It was so well done and I loved the Poltergeist-theme in it. Plus it took away from the typical "ghost of the week" thing and it added to the plotline instead of just having them kill a creature each week. This season has become better with that, there is more storyline and I love how they do not really "creature" episodes but just scary and creepy episodes like this week's Hotel one. It was like a mini-scary movie! I loved it!

The writers and directors clearly have a well-honed understanding of what is scary. A CGI monster or elaborate makeup effect can easily look cheesy (if not right away, then years later once technology pushes forward). Simple things like possessed people with black or white eyes, hooded figures, creatures seen mostly in shadow... Old tricks that still work better than anything else and keep things terrifying on repeat viewings. Combine that with top-notch editing, production values and well-judged FX and you have some really effective product every week.
Seriously, it looks like one of the most fun shows anyone could work on today.