Tag: Eric Kripke

New Book on ‘The Boys’!  ‘Supes Ain’t Always Heroes’ Now Available!

New Book on ‘The Boys’!  ‘Supes Ain’t Always Heroes’ Now Available!

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The long wait is finally over – the new book, ‘Supes Ain’t Always Heroes: Inside the Complex Characters and Twisted Psychology of The Boys’ released on December 5! We delayed the release in solidarity with the writers’ and actors’ strikes, but now the book is ready for reading just in time for us to all lose our collective you know what over the teaser trailer for The Boys Season 4, coming in 2024. And tease us it did…

Showdown between Annie and Homelander?

Robert Singer and Victoria Neuman leading in the polls?

Rob Benedict joining the fun – and feeling really “torn” about it?

Karl Urban and Jeffrey Dean Morgan the duo we never knew we absolutely needed onscreen?

Also, I have missed you JDM!

Oh, and was that Black Noir???

Yesssssssssssssssssssssssssssss!

If you haven’t watched the trailer yet, what are you waiting for?

The Boys S4 Teaser Trailer

And now there’s a book that delves deep into all the amazing characters and provocative story lines that make The Boys universe so incredible – just in time for more! (And for holidays, birthdays, etc. if you or someone you love is a fan of The Boys)

Supes Ain’t Always Heroes is the perfect way to catch up on everything that’s happened so far and gain a deeper understanding of all the complicated characters. There are chapters that take deep dives into all your favorites, from Homelander to Soldier Boy, Butcher to Black Noir, Starlight to Stormfront, Hughie to A Train and many more. What makes your favorite character tick? Let psychologists and sociologists help you explore everything you love about them – or everything you love to hate. If you love the show’s biting social commentary, media experts and journalists take an insightful look at the issues the show tackles – from racism to sexism, toxic masculinity to social media, and how it all fits into Hollywood and corporate America.

The book doesn’t forget the brilliance of the show’s actors or the comics creators. Sometimes it’s the cast who bring these complex characters to life that have some of the most fascinating insights into who they are. There are exclusive in-depth interviews with Jensen Ackles (Soldier Boy), Aya Cash (Stormfront),  Nate Mitchell (Black Noir), Jim Beaver (Robert Singer) as well as co-creator Darick Robertson, and additional comments from many of the other cast on this show we’ve all come to love.

I love what Jensen Ackles has to say about Soldier Boy and the decisions he made in portraying him. That’s a Soldier Boy smirk if I ever saw one! And we’re all counting on him being back, right???

Eric Kripke has said that ultimately he sees ‘The Boys’ as hopeful – and we do too. We put this book together because the show sparked so much thought and discussion with the way it reflects things we might wish we didn’t see in the real world around us. We believe in changing the world just like ‘The Boys’ ultimately does, so every copy of Supes Ain’t Always Heroes purchased benefits the Venice Family Clinic and their life saving work in this real world.

We hope you love Supes as much as we all do – Here are some of our awesome contributors celebrating the book’s release!

courtesy Tina Charles
courtesy Kaela Joseph
courtesy Hansi Oppenheimer
courtesy Tanya Cook

If you love ‘The Boys’, don’t be afraid to go deeper (Deeper?). Just be careful not to sneeze!

All the info and links to order here:

https://smartpopbooks.com/book/supes-aint-always-heroes/

(Special appearance by Soldier Boy supporter Mr. Jared Padalecki, who I think was impressed by that impressive bicep…)

Here’s the link for info and to buy, wherever you prefer to get your books – Supes Ain’t Always Heroes

Happy reading!

– Lynn and Matt

 

 

 

Soldier Boy Returns (Sort of) in Gen V – And Inspires A Million Priceless Gifs!

Soldier Boy Returns (Sort of) in Gen V – And Inspires A Million Priceless Gifs!

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With two more episodes to go in its first season, Episode 6 of Gen V is a standout for more reasons than one.

SPOILERS AHEAD FOR EPISODES ONE THROUGH SIX OF GEN V!

We pick up in the sixth episode (“Jumanji”) with a repentant Cate restoring all her friends’ memories. They’re shocked, pissed, betrayed, everything you’d expect. Emma immediately heads out to find Sam, but not without a parting shot.

Emma: Also? You’re a cunt.

Cate insists she thought she was doing the right thing. Andre is especially furious, wondering if Cate’s manipulations were what made Luke kill himself and afraid to even consider that what she did was okay because then he’d just forgive her. His feelings for her make her betrayal a personal one.

They all feel (understandably) mind raped. Marie is the voice of reason though, saying it’s God U who is fucking them over, not Cate – that Cate was fucked over just like the rest of them.

The strain on Cate from restoring their memories and the trauma of realizing how she’s betrayed them makes her collapse, her heart rate slowing dangerously. Marie manages to save her (since apparently none of the others learned CPR at superhero school).  Marie slowly learning to use her formerly horrifically destructive powers for good is a nice little story arc running beneath the surface, though it will certainly not go smoothly. This is The Boys universe, after all.

At times this show reminds me of Buffy (which I loved) as it uses metaphor to tell stories about real life issues, in this case one of the challenges of growing up. We all have to learn how to harness our destructive impulses, how to recognize our own power but not mis-use it. We all have missteps we feel guilty about along the way, that can keep us afraid of speaking up or calling out injustice when we see it. That’s been part of Marie’s journey all along.

She does manage to save Cate, who wakes up and then abruptly bursts through the wall of the house they’re hiding at.

They follow, but when they all go through the break in the wall, what’s outside is…the woods. Well, not THE woods, but actual woods. Suddenly everything has gone surreal, and I love it, not knowing what’s actually happening and what isn’t.

They see a hysterical woman, sobbing and calling for Caleb and realize that’s Cate’s little brother who disappeared – we see young Cate distraught, telling her mother she didn’t mean it, not understanding what’s happening. Her mother looks at Cate not with love or concern but with terror, telling the cop she doesn’t feel safe with her daughter.  Bits and pieces of the landscape start to come apart in some truly eerie special effects…

They’re in Cate’s head, they realize.

The Boys universe excels at finding ways to get into its characters’ heads (often literally) so we can truly understand their back stories in a way that makes them very real and very compelling. We often don’t just hear about it, we see it. It makes all the characters a lot more sympathetic, as the scenes of Cate’s past do in this episode.

*             *             *

And then I admit to gasping out loud, because even though I knew it was coming, seeing Soldier Boy striding out of the woods took my breath away.

I know it’s wrong, but I’ve missed him! Welcome back to my screen, Jensen Ackles!!

And then begins a scene that will go down in history for both The Boys and Gen V fans – and Jensen Ackles and Supernatural fans too. Holy shit, what a scene!

Soldier Boy: What are you greasy sack of fucknuts doing in here?

Yep, that’s our disgusting uncensored murder grampa kitten, being just as gross as ever. Ahhhhh, I’ve missed him!

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Are You Ready for More Gen V? Here’s My Recap of Episodes 1 to 3 – Episode 4 Review Up Soon!

Are You Ready for More Gen V? Here’s My Recap of Episodes 1 to 3 – Episode 4 Review Up Soon!

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A new episode of Gen V drops this Friday (or, as Kripke admitted, let’s be real, probably late Thursday night) and I can’t wait!  If you haven’t been able to watch the first three episodes which were released last week, here’s a little recap of what happened in those episodes – and why I’m so excited about the next ones! (My review of Episode 4 will be up later this week before Episode 5 drops on Friday)

WARNING: SPOILERS FOR EPISODES ONE THROUGH THREE AHEAD

The show takes place at Godolkin University (God U, get it?), where the first generation of superheroes who actually know how they got that way (ie, their parents shot them up with Compound V) is arriving for the start of classes. We’re introduced to the main characters, including Marie Moreau (Jaz Sinclair), whose perspective largely frames these episodes. There’s also Luke, aka Golden Boy (Patrick Schwarzenegger), top ranked and stereotypically attractive, and his girlfriend Cate (Maddie Phillips), who has to wear gloves most of the time because if she touches you she can mind control you.

Andre (Chance Perdomo) is the son of a Supe and in line to be one of the Seven himself if his dad has anything to say about it, Jordan (London Thor and Derek Luh) is the bi-gender child of two highly driven parents, and Emma (Lizze Broadway) is Marie’s roommate, whose superpower is that she can make herself tiny.

Gen V takes the same cynical look at where we are as a society in terms of what we value and how we relate to each other. Social media, crafting an image, and cultivating followers and popularity is a legitimate major at God U, and the vast majority of students are all in. As soon as one of them gains some recognition, they can’t walk across campus without repeated requests for selfies, and most fellow students can’t be trusted with any personal information. Emma learns this the hard way when she’s manipulated by a classmate into talking candidly about herself, only to have that used as fodder for the girl’s viral TikTok.

The adults are corporate power-hungry manipulators too, as we’ve come to expect from Vought. The first episode introduces us to the aptly named Professor Brink Brinkerhoff (Clancy Brown), who’s about as much of a stereotype of a narcissistic full professor as you can get – I admit, as a professor myself, I thoroughly enjoyed the caricature. He’s got the power to decide who gets to be part of the Crimefighting School – similar to the coveted admission to the Business School in a few real life universities – and he’s got his favorites. He summarily rejects Marie before Golden Boy turns on his mentor and takes him out of the picture, opening up an opportunity for her to get in.  Dean Indira Shetty (Shelley Conn) is an enigmatic woman who can seem incredibly warm and nurturing, and then you get a glimpse of her face when the target of her warmth can’t see it and realize she’s as cold as ice.  Andre’s dad, who was the Supe Polaris, is just as icy in his determination to see his son become number one – and maybe one of the Seven.

One of the narratives that The Boys universe has explored in all its versions is parenting, for better or worse (usually for worse…). In the original show we eventually learned what Annie’s mother and other parents had done to their children with Compound V for mostly selfish reasons, and in the animated Diabolical, we saw the costs of that selfishness in brutal detail for the kids. Gen V continues that exploration, and not just with Andre’s father. Emma’s mom is similarly invested in her child’s “success”, essentially telling her to suck it up and do whatever it takes to find some popularity no matter what the personal cost. Jordan’s mom and dad are the “driven Asian parents” who refuse to see their child for who they are and instead want to have a successful son – whether or not they identify as a son or not.

True to every Eric Kripke show ever, that’s not all the show has to say about family though. Like Supernatural and The Boys and every other show he’s put his creative touch on, Gen V is also about the importance of family bonds – especially sibling bonds – and what that inspires. Of course, the sibling bonds on this show are fraught and sculpted by trauma, because this is the universe of The Boys after all. Marie is desperate to find her little sister, who was separated from her after she got her first period and her powers manifested as the ability to control blood – which she hadn’t harnessed at all and thus it became a weapon that accidentally killed both her parents and traumatized her younger sister. Luke is desperate to find his little brother (who’s named Sam and has floppy hair so that every Supernatural fan was instantly a million percent invested in that relationship).

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Premiering Friday – Return to the Twisted World of ‘The Boys’ with ‘Gen V’!

Premiering Friday – Return to the Twisted World of ‘The Boys’ with ‘Gen V’!

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I had high expectations for the new spinoff series from the universe of ‘The Boys’ simply because I love the original series so much that it’s a treat to be able to have some more of it. At the same time, I was hesitant. I’m not exactly college age – would I be able to relate to these characters who are in the throes of adolescence?

The official synopsis sets the new show at…

Godolkin University, the prestigious superhero-only college where students train to be the next generation of heroes—preferably with lucrative endorsements. You know what happens when supes go bad, but not all superheroes start out corrupt. Beyond the typical college chaos of finding oneself and partying, these kids are facing explosive situations … literally. As the students vie for popularity and good grades, it’s clear that the stakes are much higher when super powers are involved. When the group of young supes discover that something bigger and sinister is going on at school, they’re put to the test: Will they be the heroes or the villains of their stories?

That’s a familiar question for this universe, but the fact that it focuses on these “kids” was a bigger question for me. Turns out, I didn’t have to worry. Within five minutes of watching Episode 1, I was already on the edge of my seat and forgetting to take notes. It’s the same feeling I had watching Season 1 of ‘The Boys’ – the sensation of being on a roller coaster that’s taking the turns a little too fast and nearly skidding off the track as I hold on for dear life. Sometimes I definitely gasped in surprise, sometimes I laughed out loud, and of course there were some “ewww” exclamations, because this wouldn’t be the same universe if there weren’t. But, surprisingly, there were also moments where I empathized with what the main characters were going through – especially Jaz Sinclair’s Marie Moreau. The first episode is largely following her story, and by the time the episode was drawing to a close, I found myself caring about her already.

Prime Video

I should have expected it after being surprised to find myself caring about some characters on ‘The Boys’ that I probably shouldn’t have, but I thought it might be different with teenagers. I guess good writing is good writing and good acting is good acting! What ‘Gen V’ does that its parent show also does so well is give us just enough backstory to make the characters sympathetic, with tragedy depicted in a visceral (sometimes literal) way that lets you really feel just how tragic that moment is. The show doesn’t shy away from blood and guts, just like ‘The Boys’, but the violence is often used to underline the shock and horror that we all feel when faced with tragedy, even the sterile non-bloody kind.

The other characters who are introduced in the first episode are also memorable, especially the ambivalent-about-being-ambitious Andre, enigmatic Jordan who is sometimes female and sometimes male, the golden boy of the school who is actually called Golden Boy because that’s hilarious, and Marie’s roommate Emma. Emma is already a favorite of mine, with a superpower that isn’t taken seriously or valued highly and an arsenal of defenses covering up a world of hurt. I’ve got a soft spot for her for sure – don’t kill her, show!

‘Gen V’, like the other shows in this universe, manages to be unrealistic and over the top while at the same time making some pointed commentary on the real world. Sometimes it’s subtle, sometimes it’s intentionally hit-you-over-the-head with the parallel, but it’s almost always biting – and I love it.

Prime Video

Special shout out to Episode One’s ability to parody every University’s overly sincere posturing, from motivational posters on the walls (“The Deep was once a kid just like you. He says: Honor is doing the right thing when no one is looking”) to the Dean of Students insisting that they’re a “family” and telling students they appreciate “the unique culturally rich change agent that you are.”   I got stuck between eye rolling and laughing out loud recognizing the familiar rhetoric of every University I’ve taught at over the years.

‘Gen V’ retains the cheeky references that the original series included, with shoutouts to CW stalwarts like Riverdale and Pretty Little Liars and supe students claiming to be “super focused” or “super inclusive” or “super abled”. I might have squealed out loud to see Alex Calvert, Supernatural’s own Jack, as one of those students.  The show can be a heady mix of serious social commentary one second and outrageous sex scenes the next, with some creative super powers constantly going on in the background. There’s also a mystery that’s introduced right from the start, something ominous and dark that is downright scary – like a little touch of Supernatural snuck in to spice things up even more. I like it!

One of the other things I relish about the universe of ‘The Boys’ is the masterful and thoroughly enjoyable social media presence the show has cultivated. It’s been so much fun to watch the Vought account interact with The Boys account, and now Gen V has been added to the mix. Fans have played along and responded to social media posts with in-universe commentary, making the whole experience extra meta (and extra amusing). Oh, and is there anything more appropriate than the official Astroglide account getting in on the fun??

The reality tie-in, it burns…

Today’s Twitter/X back and forth had Vought CEO Ashley and Kimiko disagreeing about whether you should trust Vought – or definitely not trust Vought.

I don’t trust Vought at all, but I do trust Eric Kripke, and once again he hasn’t let me down. I’m already looking forward to more of this wild ride – streaming tomorrow on Prime Video. Stream it yourself and ride along!

As A Train says, I hope you survive the experience…

The Gen V cast includes Jaz Sinclair, Chance Perdomo, Lizze Broadway, Shelley Conn, Maddie Phillips, London Thor, Derek Luh, Asa Germann, Patrick Schwarzenegger, Sean Patrick Thomas, and Marco Pigossi. Gen V also features guest stars Clancy Brown and Jason Ritter, as well as appearances from Jessie T. Usher, Colby Minifie, Claudia Doumit and P.J. Byrne, reprising their roles from The Boys.

Michele Fazekas and Tara Butters serve as showrunners and executive producers. Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg, James Weaver, Neal H. Moritz, Ori Marmur, Pavun Shetty, Ken Levin, Jason Netter, Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson, Craig Rosenberg, Nelson Cragg, Zak Schwartz, Erica Rosbe, and Michaela Starr also serve as executive producers on the spinoff series. Serving as co-executive producers are Brant Englestein, Sarah Carbiener, Lisa Kussner, Gabriel Garcia, Aisha Porter-Christie, Judalina Neira, and Loreli Alanís. The series is produced by Sony Pictures Television and Amazon Studios, in association with Kripke Enterprises, Point Grey Pictures, and Original Film.

– Lynn

You can pre-order ‘Supes Ain’t Always

Heroes: Inside the Complex Characters

And Twisted Psychology of The Boys’,

the new book that takes a deep dive into

the world of The Boys, at

Supes Ain’t Always Heroes

 

 

“Home Con” 2023 – Creation Supernatural and Friends NJ

“Home Con” 2023 – Creation Supernatural and Friends NJ

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There are only a few cons that I can drive to, and the one in northern New Jersey is one of them. I hate driving, so this is both a blessing and a curse – but I also hate paying for airfare, so of course I drove to this one in scenic Whippany. (I don’t actually know if Whippany is scenic, tbh).  It’s a familiar drive from many trips to Rutgers, and this hotel was conveniently right off the NJ Turnpike, so I got there with less stress than last year – and last year’s parking lot debacle had left me with the coveted knowledge of where the extra parking spaces were too. What last year’s debacle did not tell me was that somehow this parking lot does not have an elevator from the lower floors – so I ended up dragging suitcases full of books up multiple flights of stairs and just about had a heart attack by the time I actually got to the hotel. ARGH.

Sweaty and exhausted but a few dollars richer at least from not flying, I got there on Friday afternoon and managed to catch some of the Friday people onstage, so there’s that.  Jared Padalecki was unable to be at this con because he was at Matt Barr’s wedding in Cancun – we missed him ALOT but I’m so glad he could be there with all the Walker Independence cast celebrating such a joyous occasion.

David Haydn Jones and Gil McKinney were onstage when I finally got to the ballroom.

The two were contemplating the possible impact of AI on acting when I arrived. (More ARGH). (Not Gil and David).

David: My favorite episode was when Ketch and Dean were on the mountain. Jensen and I tried to add to the scene.

And apparently it snowed just long enough for them to film – the snow melted right after their scenes were done!

I love that David always tries to dress the part of wherever the con is, looking kinda Bruce Springsteen for Jersey. And love Gil’s stylish hat!

David: When I got the role of Ketch, I watched the Supernatural top 20 episodes, and I was like whoa, they’re really leaning into the absurd comedy.

(Mystery Spot and The French Mistake cases in point!)

Gil pledged to go back and watch all of David’s episodes. David pledged to do the same.

Gil: I only have two!

Gil told the story of finding out that Henry Winchester’s name was in the pilot of The Winchesters, and then getting the call from Jensen to ask if he wanted to play Henry again.

(You can read the whole story in our exclusive interview with Gil here on Fangasm last month)

David: At the wrap party (that they were finally able to have in Vancouver years later), Jensen and I were spitballing about Ketch’s granddad in The Winchesters.

He then proceeded to do an Austin Powers Ketch imitation lol

What weapon would David have taken from SPN?

David: The grenade launcher! It actually had a quarter charge  in it, and that was a practical explosion with real fire and glass!

Gil reminisced about having to break Baby’s window on SPN.

Gil: That was really fun, but I didn’t know how much that would upset people. I nailed it on one take, like F yeah!

Another memorable scene was when Henry and Dean took that drive in the Impala.

Gil: Jensen and I got into the Impala, and he did a full 180 in the middle of the street – I didn’t know it was closed off! Jensen was like, do you need new shorts?

(Yes lol)

David said that Ketch was originally supposed to sound more like Billy Butcher on The Boys.

He also reminisced about some pranks, like trying to say his lines while someone was holding the mic like this and “fondling the balls in my hand” which I can imagine was… challenging…

As actors with experience on lots of other shows, they both had heartfelt positive things to say about working on Supernatural.

Gil: I’ve never worked on a show so nice and professional as Supernatural, and that’s because of Jared and Jensen. The Winchesters felt like a continuation of that.

We finally had Richard Speight, Jr. back as emcee for this con – he’s been so busy directing that it’s been a while – and he joked when he introduced Kim Rhodes and Briana Buckmaster and Kim was like ‘who are you?’

Richard: Hi, I’m the new guy.

Lol

A fan asked about the Wayward Podcast, which they now record live at cons with some fans joining them. So you never know what you’re gonna get.

Briana: When we think of something we want to talk about on the Podcast, we usually do!

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Supernatural’s Powerful Season 2 Finale: All Hell Breaks Loose Part 2

Supernatural’s Powerful Season 2 Finale: All Hell Breaks Loose Part 2

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We have finally made it through the second season of the best show of all time (imho) in our Supernatural rewatch! Settle in as we revisit one of the most emotional episodes of the entire series – and one that stands up remarkably well to the test of time. As in, it still made me cry and I still think it’s one of the best hours of television ever as I write this almost exactly sixteen years later. Buckle up!

The season finale of the second season of Supernatural was a two parter that almost destroyed me.

Being uncertain whether Sam Winchester would survive – and whether the brothers and the show I’d fallen in love with would survive too – was excruciating. The level of emotionality I felt watching this episode broadcast live back in May of 2007 was off the charts. Remembering it today, and rewatching it all these years later, I still found myself tearing up. I bet you will too.

The Road So Far recap is a surprise to anyone watching now, who would expect Kansas’ ‘Carry On Wayward Son’ to be played for the penultimate episode instead of the finale, but in Season 2 it first graced our screens in this season finale. The voiceover reminds us that back in 1835, Samuel Colt made a special gun… and then there is such a badass recap OHMYGOD. The Impala screeching, a reminder of the crossroads and what desperate people do there, the Yellow Eyed Demon trying to recruit Sam. Andy’s bloody horrifying death, Jake and Sam’s fight, and then Dean screaming “Sam, look out!”

We see once again Sam fall, Dean holding him as the lyrics reach “Don’t you cry no more” and Dean yells out desperately, “SAM!”

And then, it’s NOW.

Sam lying dead on an old mattress, the camera slowly spinning to show us Dean staring at his brother, his face flat, almost frozen. As lifeless as Sam’s body.

Bobby comes in with food, encouraging Dean to eat something, but it’s clear Dean could care less about nourishment – or living.

Dean: I said I’m fine.

It’s striking how he can barely tear himself way from staring at Sam’s body, perhaps a little Ackles added touch that makes it crystal clear how far away Dean is from acceptance or letting go.

It’s also striking how otherwordly beautiful both Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki are in this episode. It quite literally takes my breath away.

Bobby: Dean, I hate to bring this up, I really do. But don’t you think maybe it’s time we bury Sam?

Dean is so full of rage at that suggestion that he looks like he could kill Bobby on the spot.

Dean: No.

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When Dean Winchester Breaks Your Heart: Supernatural What Is And What Should Never Be

When Dean Winchester Breaks Your Heart: Supernatural What Is And What Should Never Be

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As Season 2 neared its end, Supernatural aired one of its most innovative episodes, ‘What Is And What Should Never Be’. Written by Raelle Tucker, who I wish we’d had longer on Supernatural, and directed by Eric Kripke himself, this 20th episode of the season was a brilliantly done episode that asked the provocative question, what if the Winchesters were never hunters and lived a “normal life”? But of course, because this is Supernatural, it’s a dark and twisted version of that question and its surprising answer.

The ‘THEN’ sequence is a flashback to the very beginning, John and Mary and four year old Dean living a happy “normal” life, then the fires, Mary and Jessica, with a reminder that Sam was headed to law school once upon a time. Then a reminder of Dean’s headspace at the time, as he and Sam argue.

Sam: I’m not gonna just ditch the job!

Dean: Screw the job, man, we don’t get paid, we don’t get thanked, only thing we get is bad luck!

He’s not wrong, especially with what they’ve gone through recently, in prison and with Agent Henriksen on their tail. As this episode aired, Dean was questioning everything, including the job that has been his identity, that he’s sacrificed so much for. Inevitably, there had to be times when he wanted out, even if he felt guilty about that desire, as though he was letting his father down. But Dean is only human, and this episode is a brilliant reminder of that, and of the hopes and dreams and wishes beneath the often stoic surface.

Needless to say, Jensen Ackles portrays all that so vividly that this episode is both painful as hell and impossible to look away from. He has talked about how hard this one was for him, because it took away what Jared and Jensen had relied on for two seasons – the bond between Sam and Dean. Jensen felt destabilized not having Sam’s partnership for Dean to count on, and couldn’t wait to finish filming – just like he would later feel about the Soulless Sam arc which also took “our” Sam away from Dean. That destabilized feeling totally works, though, as Dean himself is thrown by the  sudden changes in his world and in his relationship with his brother.

NOW

Dean driving down the road in the Impala – which has a new license plate! I remember at the time grieving for the original Kansas plate KAZ2Y5. It seems like a little thing, but the Impala was already vastly beloved by the fandom, so it hurt us almost as much as it probably hurt her boys to change the plate. CNK80Q3 Ohio it was, until the end of the show.

Sam is back at the motel, worried that a cop car outside is coming for them, even though they changed the plate and ditched the credit cards they were using. That’s a toll that their newfound visibility took on them, constantly worrying more than they ever had about being caught by law enforcement as they tried to do their job of ‘saving people, hunting things’. It’s another reason for Dean’s discontent, as everything that they’re trying to do – to help people – is getting harder.

The cop car eventually drives away and Sam breathes a sigh of relief.

Dean, as always, keeps his game face on, saying nothing to worry about.

Sam: Yeah, being fugitives? Friggen’ dance party.

Dean (grinning): Hey man, chicks dig the danger vibe.

Half of Dean’s game face is to bolster his little brother, the other half he tries to believe himself.

They’ve been trying to figure out where a bunch of victims disappeared to, Dean driving around and Sam researching. Back at the motel, Sam says that he’s figured out what they’re hunting – a djinn.

Dean: A freaking genie? You think these suckers can really grant wishes?

Sam says they’re powerful enough, they’ve been feeding off people for centuries and are all over the Koran.

Sam: But not exactly like Barbara Eden in harem pants.

Dean (with a wistful look on his face): My God, Barbara Eden was hot, wasn’t she? Way hotter than that Bewitched chick…

Sam (annoyed): Are you even listening to me?

The whole conversation is priceless brotherly banter, with early seasons Dean constantly distracted by his libido and early seasons Sam constantly trying to get him back to concentrating on the job. It was 2007, and we all knew that Dean never actually sacrificed any part of doing the job – and Sam knew that too.

The conversation is also amusing to revisit in 2023 because does anyone watching on Netflix now actually know who Barbara Eden was or that Bewitched was a show that also had a hot woman with powers? I am old enough to know, but Sam and Dean were going back a ways even in 2007 to bring up television shows from the 1960s before they were born! (I imagine they watched a lot of reruns while left in motel rooms as kids though).

Dean decides keep driving and searching for the djinn’s lair, saying he saw a place that fits its MO a couple miles back. Sam is instantly worried – it’s never a good idea for the Winchesters to split up, as we all well know!

Sam: Wait no no no no, come pick me up first!

Should have listened to Sam, Dean!

But Dean goes on alone. The Impala pulls into a dark alley, full of the “atmo” smoke that they used so often in the early seasons. (The first time we visited the Supernatural set, they had gotten a little carried away with it and it took our transport van a bit longer to come pick us up while they cleared it out – there were alarms going off as we talked to the PA on the phone!)

He walks into an abandoned office building or storage warehouse, past an old fashioned typewriter.

His spidey senses tingle and he grips his knife as he goes, flashlight searching the room.

Then we see him walk by the Djinn’s bald head and it is CREEPY and SCARY as hell omg. This scene was so well done, the cinematography gorgeous, the barely visible figure of the djinn looming in the background where Dean doesn’t seem him – but we do. Well done, Kripke!

Suddenly the djinn attacks, grabbing Dean by the throat, forcing his blue hand onto his forehead as Dean’s eyes roll back. Ackles is so good at scenes like this; you can see the moment that Dean loses the battle, his expression going blank and his eyes vacant as the djinn puts him under.

It’s horrifying and terrifying in its realness.

 

 

 

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Supernatural Rewatch: Supernatural Goes Meta with Hollywood Bablylon

Supernatural Rewatch: Supernatural Goes Meta with Hollywood Bablylon

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As my friends and I make our way through a Supernatural series rewatch, I am so struck by the quality of these first few seasons. Season 2 is one of my favorite seasons – maybe my favorite of all. There are very few episodes that don’t feel like classics now, and this is certainly one that fits that description. Hollywood Babylon is extra special because it’s the first “meta” episode of Supernatural – something that the show would become known for over its 15 year run.  I LOVED its wink wink nudge nudge making fun of itself and the industry when I saw this episode then and I loved this episode just as much rewatching it now.

Written by the brilliant Ben Edlund, also the mind behind ‘The Tick’, and directed by the venerable Phil Sgriccia, of course Hollywood Babylon was going to be both entertaining and creepy and just plain weird. Which is ALL good in my book!

The opening teaser is a stereotypical horror film, so dimly lit it’s almost black and white, a young woman (Elizabeth Whitmere) with a flashlight searching for her friends in the woods in front of a creepy looking house, the porch swing swaying, scary music playing.

And pretty terrible acting as the woman (searching for her sister, because Supernatural) is deserted by her cowardly male friend and then hears a twig snap behind her. Slowly she turns….and unleashes a bloodcurdling scream into the camera.

That…fades out.

We hear a rather annoyed “cut” and realize we’re on a film set as the camera pans out. She’s been screaming at a suspended tennis ball, which at least partly explains the lack of conviction in her scream.

The meta kicks in instantly, as we meet the director, named McG after the very real producer of Supernatural and many genre shows. He’s as insincere as can be, critical behind her back and then fake oh that was great but let’s do it again and dial up that scream to Tara Benchley’s face. He assures her that the tennis ball will be replaced by a monster and look great “once Ivan and the FX guys are done with it” – an in-group reference to Supernatural’s real life VFX supervisor Ivan Hayden.

For fans who were paying attention, the episode was already leaving us grinning – and I have no doubt it did the same for the cast and crew who were also in on the jokes. Showrunner and creator Eric Kripke has loved playing with meta and in-jokes from the start, and he’s still enjoying doing that on his new show The Boys – and I’m still enjoying it too.

A long-haired crew member named Frank wanders around the set spreading suspicion that there’s some kind of real haunting going on, adding to the fun. At least it’s fun until poor Tara is walking through the fake woods trying to master that scream and is confronted with a dead and bloody Frank up in the scaffolding.

She screams for real, and on the other end of the set, McG happily announces “now that’s what I’m talkin’ about!”

Enter Sam and Dean and our title card. The meta picks right up again, Sam and Dean on the Warner Brothers studio lot taking the trolley tour that many of us have taken in real life, myself included. Dean is in excited fanboy mode, telling the unimpressed kid next to him that ‘Creepshow’ was filmed over there.

The camera pans up to Sam as the tour guide announces that Stars Hollow is to the right, the setting for the TV show, Gilmore Girls.

Tour guide: And if we’re lucky, we might even catch one of the show’s stars.

Close on Sam, who looks suddenly wary and hops right off the trolley.

The joke, of course, is that Jared also played Dean on Gilmore Girls, so he could have been that star she was mentioning. Poor Dean is upset not to be able to finish the tour, but reluctantly follows his brother. He’s convinced he sees Matt Damon on the lot, undeterred when “Matt” is pushing a broom and insisting he’s probably researching a role while Sam rolls his eyes.  Sam’s trying to work the case while Dean just wants to have fun, saying he wanted to come to LA for a vacation, swimming pools, movie stars.

Sam: Does this seem like pool weather to you, Dean? It’s practically Canadian!

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Fathers, Sons and The Power of Choice – The Boys Explosive Season 3 Finale

Fathers, Sons and The Power of Choice – The Boys Explosive Season 3 Finale

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The season finale of Season 3 of The Boys has been one of the most anticipated ever. It’s honestly been so much fun watching the excitement ramp up each week for each episode – it was a brilliant decision on Eric Kripke and Prime Video’s part to release the episodes over five weeks instead of all at once, especially with the insane promotion we were treated to each week. I watched the whole season before it streamed in the press screeners, but I still felt entirely swept up in the anticipation and excitement (and, let’s face it, dread!) each week.

The cast traveled to Brazil for four wild days of promotion, which only served to amp up the anticipation even more. We were treated to interviews and red carpets and the cast all having a bloody good time. And Jensen Ackles looking like this.

Now that everyone has had a chance to watch it, this is the spoilery recap and review of the season finale, so SPOILERS ahead. LOTS OF THEM!

I’ve been watching this show since its beginning and have loved it since then, but Season 3 has been a whole different ballgame. As a passionate Supernatural fan, the addition of Jensen Ackles as Soldier Boy meant that I was even more excited about this season, but even I wasn’t prepared for just how much I’d be drawn in by the character or just how complicated my feelings about Soldier Boy would be. He’s an asshole and a bigot and a bully, but Ackles also portrays him with vulnerability and humor and at times he’s almost charming. I feel like I should not have been hoping for any kind of redemption arc for Soldier Boy, and yet I found myself nervous as hell going into the finale, hoping that a) he wouldn’t be killed off and b) he might find at least a little bit of redemption. Help save the day, maybe?

Well… I should know Eric Kripke better than that by now!

I’ve been writing a lot about this season of The Boys being all about choice, and the season finale sees every main character have to make some difficult ones.

Passing It On From Father To Son – Or Not

This season is also about the intergenerational transmission of trauma, and the toxic masculinity messages that are passed down from fathers to sons. One of those messages is about strength and power. All the men whose fathers were abusive, with either physical or verbal violence or both, have a hard time not repeating the cycle.

Butcher’s father was both, and those toxic messages are ever-present in his head, bleeding out of him in eruptions of physical violence and caustic, cruel barbs thrown at enemies and friends alike.

In this episode, he vacillates wildly between giving into those violent impulses, laser focused (heh heh) on taking down Homelander and willing to use anyone as a weapon to do that, and trying to hang onto the caring part of him that wanted to protect Lenny and now wants to protect Hughie.  He never does tell Hughie about the Temp V being fatal, but he unceremoniously knocks him out with a punch and shoves him in a convenience store bathroom to keep him from taking it again. So, a few points at least in his favor?

On the other hand, he’s been fine with using Frenchie and Kimiko and now Soldier Boy to get the revenge he wants, and he’s as manipulative as ever in this episode, as he repeatedly tells Soldier Boy that Homelander is not really his son. We see Soldier Boy’s ambivalence several times, hesitating to kill his own son and emotional about having a child – but Butcher knows to play to the rage he feels at being tossed aside and replaced, focusing that rage on Homelander by telling Soldier Boy that he is his replacement and the reason he was tortured. Well played, Butcher, but chillingly cruel.

Homelander was not just abused but neglected, deprived of not just a father but a mother too. A sensitive boy like Butcher seems to have been, he too had that knocked out of him with cruelty, absorbing the same message that to be “a man” you must not only be strong and powerful but unfeeling too. Showing vulnerability is weakness, unmanly. Both men struggle to have any kind of healthy relationships – even Butcher’s with his wife was doomed once Ryan existed – and both have been increasingly isolated and alone as this season progressed.

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Jensen Ackles on Finding the Nuance in Soldier Boy – Exclusive Interview

Jensen Ackles on Finding the Nuance in Soldier Boy – Exclusive Interview

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The season 3 finale of The Boys was a tour de force for the entire cast and crew, from the writing to the directing to the effects to the score, and certainly the performances from every single actor. I’ve been a Jensen Ackles fan since Supernatural premiered way back in 2005, so I know how powerful his acting is, but to see him bring to life an entirely different character in this season, who is so very not Dean Winchester, has been eye opening nevertheless. He brings to Soldier Boy not just the toxic masculinity we were expecting, but a vulnerability that is unexpected, with subtle expressions and gestures and tone of voice, showing us so much more than we would have understood from the dialogue alone.

SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVEN’T WATCHED THE SEASON FINALE!

In the finale, Soldier Boy opens up to Butcher as the two drink together, perhaps sensing that they share some big time daddy issues.  As a manufactured superhero who’s had to hold up a fake persona for literally a century, Soldier Boy seems relieved to tell the truth – the Soldier Boy Story movie was BS. He wasn’t a poor kid with a heart of gold on the streets of South Philly who woke up with abilities; his father owned half the steel mills in the state.

Soldier Boy: I went to boarding school. Got kicked out of boarding school. Because I was a fuck up. But he made sure I knew it.

This Butcher can relate to, intimately, asking if he used a belt (like Butcher’s father did).

Soldier Boy: Never laid a hand on me. He couldn’t be bothered. Said I was a disappointment. Not good enough to carry his name. So I went to his golf buddies in the War Department and they got me into Dr. Vought’s Compound V trials.  I became a superhero. Strongest man alive, fuckin’ ticker tape parades when I came home.

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He says it all with bravado, trying to keep the persona up even as he’s finally telling the truth. What did the old man say then, Butcher wonders.

Soldier Boy: Ah. He said I took a short cut. That a real man wouldn’t have cheated.

That toxic masculinity that Soldier Boy has been embodying all season laid out in his father’s brutal, intentionally cruel accusation, fueled with misogyny and homophobia, cut deep. That disgust that his son wasn’t a ‘real man’ and that complete rejection, even after Ben had transformed himself completely into what he was certain his father wanted him to be, must have been devastating. He must have thought that his father would surely love him then, only to be rejected once more.

The pain he still carries from that rejection is clear on Soldier Boys’ face, the way he hangs his head, suddenly feeling vulnerable.

I spoke to Jensen Ackles in an exclusive one on one interview about that scene in the finale, which is one of my favorites of the entire season. In typical Jensen fashion, he gave credit to all the talented people who collaborate to make the show so special.

Lynn: Hearing the backstory of how his father treated him, I felt like I started to “get it” a little. Not that it excuses his behavior, but it starts to explain it. And you made the decision to play the character with a lot of nuance, vacillating between vulnerability and trying to connect to others, and then just erupting in rage. It’s dizzying to watch all that happen within the space of seconds, but the best part of the character is that you really pulled that nuance off. Was that an explicit note to make that nuance part of the character or something you inferred?

Jensen: A lot of that is in the script, it’s just really good writing. Kripke is such a vivid storyteller with his words, and he does it in such a precise, almost surgical way, that in reading it – not just Kripke but his whole writing staff is so talented – that a lot of that nuance is either right there on the page or certainly implied. And they allow us to kinda navigate it and find it. So I definitely was looking for that, and that’s a note that he’s been giving me since the beginning of Supernatural.

Lynn: It was so much a part of Supernatural also, yes. A big part of why I fell for Dean Winchester so hard.

Jensen:  It’s nice to know he’s still encouraging us to find the nuances of the scenes and make those moments in between the moments count.

Lynn: Well, you did. I was a little angry at you, like damn it, I knew he was gonna put just enough vulnerability in there that I was not gonna be able to just outright hate this character. And the entire fandom has been flailing along with me with the same quandary, so good job, good job.

Jensen: It was fun to play those colors, to be just such an outwardly gross character, but to play him in a way that you do feel bad, you feel bad for this big guy’s journey even though you shouldn’t.

Lynn: I think that’s exactly it. I felt bad even though I kept saying, what are you doing? It got to the point when I thought he might die and I was yelling at the screen no no no no don’t die don’t die!

Jensen: (laughing)

Lynn: This episode was painful to watch because of all my conflicting feelings. But Supernatural was also painful, so I guess maybe that’s just me…. Don’t judge.

Jensen: (laughing) Maybe that’s what we should be delving into, Lynn. What does this say about you?

Lynn: Oh no, let’s not go there…

Luckily, he let me off the hook.

In the end, Soldier Boy can’t accept what his son is offering, even though he has wanted a chance to raise a child and “do it better”. But Soldier Boy is confronted with a son who personifies all the things he hates most about himself – all the things his father accused him of. It’s tragic that, in the final moment, Soldier Boy can’t shake loose of his father’s brutal definition of what it is to be a man. All he can see is Homelander looking weak. A disappointment. All those things that his father called him, and that he constantly fears in himself, and so he can’t bear to see that in his own son. So he lashes out, recapitulating his own father’s rejection and cruelty.

But he does it with no joy; his face reflects the pain he too is feeling, his inescapable disappointment in himself. And of course, there are tragic consequences.

At least he’s not dead – Eric Kripke has said that Soldier Boy will definitely be back at some point and Jensen has said that if Kripke asks, he’ll come running. I  swear, I could hear the sigh of relief from the entire fandom from all over the globe at that moment. Thanks for making us care so much, Jensen and Eric. I think.

Stay tuned for my deep dive on The Boys season finale – coming later today!

Caps: javkles

– Lynn

You can read Jensen Ackles’ thoughts on fandom,

Dean Winchester and Supernatural in his chapters

in Family Don’t End With Blood and There’ll Be

Peace When You Are Done – links here or at: