Supernatural 1:9-10

1:9 HOME

Directed by Ken Girotti. Original Airdate: November 15, 2005.

Watched and Reviewed on May 27, 2011.

Synopsis: After 22 years, Sam and Dean return to their childhood home. Now another beautiful young mother lives there - and, if Sam's nightmares are correct, she may be threatened by the same evil that killed Mary Winchester.

As much as I like the show's recurring theme (for obvious reasons) of some random hot chick somehow getting involved in each episode, I liked the casting of Loretta Devine here as the obligatory guest star. It's a nice change to have an older character on the show, and also to have a black actor involved since SUPERNATURAL has been primarily caucasian thus far. Story-wise, I had high hopes for this episode simply because it shares the same name as what is arguably the best X-FILES episode ever, and while it didn't deliver what I was hoping, it was still a decent, albeit cliche'd, haunted house story. There was one particular incident that kinda bothered me, and it's something that's been popping up all throughout the season so far: in some instances, something significant will happen (usually a turn in the story or a dilemma of some sort), only to be completely disregarded as if it never happened. I won't get into details, but hopefully people who are familiar with the show will know what I'm talking about. As much as I can overlook a lot of the show's flaws, the lazy writing is really starting to get to me, and only because I'm viewing the show with critical eyes.

Overall, an OK episode that doesn't really add anything new to the running storyline, but at the same time it doesn't seem as random as most of the other episodes that preceded it. However, it should be noted that after nine episodes, we finally get a cliffhanger ending.

Score: 6

1:10 ASYLUM

Directed by Guy Bee. Original Airdate: November 22, 2005.

Watched and Reviewed on May 27, 2011.

Synopsis: If these walls could talk. The brothers investigate a long-shuttered mental asylum that has the power to drive intruders mad... and murderous.

This is a pretty simple and slow-moving episode, which is understandable since a good portion of it takes place in the abandoned asylum and consists of the brothers walking around with flashlights and peeking around corners, but at the same time it's notable for being the creepiest episode yet, by far. I'm not sure if they shot the interiors on a set or in an actual abandoned building, but, whatever the case, the location is pretty terrifying, and as far as television shows broadcast on network television, they pulled no punches when it came to including scenes (and characters) that will scare the bejeezus out of people who don't normally gravitate towards the horror genre (ie. children).

Certain aspects of the episode were solid, like the atmosphere and the creep factor, and other aspects of it, like the script and the plot, were OK at best. The result is an entertaining but forgettable mini ghost story. And, just like in the previous episode, we get yet another cliffhanger ending; I hope this is a trend that continues as we approach the half-way point of the season.

Score: 7