Supernatural Trailer – Win or Lose

The Vampire Diaries Trailer – Squeamish

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Air Date: November 19 on The CW

SAM AND DEAN FACE OFF AGAINST LUCIFER

Sam (Jared Padalecki), Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Castiel (Misha Collins) track down the Colt and head off to find Lucifer (guest star Mark Pelligreno) to send him back to Hell.  It’s a hunters’ reunion when the crew joins forces with Bobby (Jim Beaver), Ellen (guest star Samantha Ferris) and Jo (guest star Alona Tal) for what could be their last night on Earth.  Phil Sgriccia directed the episode written by Ben Edlund (#510).

“Abandon All Hope” – Samantha Ferris as Ellen, Jensen Ackles as Dean, Jared Padalecki as Sam, Alona Tal as Jo Beth in SUPERNATURAL on The CW. Photo: David Gray/The CW ©2009 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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(Sound is a little fuzzy — sorry.)

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But before they go, here’s a quick look at where I stand with the current crop of futuristic, non-realistic, ghostly, ghastly, makes-you-wonder, shows on TV.

V: The Series

We’re only a few episodes in but I’m into V for the long haul (which means waiting until Spring of 2010 for the second half of the season.) I’m enjoying the pace of the reveals, I like the characters a lot and I see Visitors everywhere I look. I think this show is so fitting for the climate we live in today, even more so than when the original was made. The idea of sleeper agents among us, living next door, ready to turn on us at any moment. No one is safe and I really feel that from Elizabeth Mitchell’s character. I’m also very intrigued by the idea of a priest as one of the story’s main heroes. Religion keeps cropping up in all of my favorite shows and that, I believe, is also a sign of the times. (ABC/JEFF PETRY) JOEL GRETSCH, ELIZABETH MITCHELL)

V gets an A

The Vampire Diaries

Damon Salvatore is the coolest, hottest villain on TV right now. His patented mixture of snark and smarm keeps me coming back week after week. It’s kind of like a modern, teen version of Dark Shadows, with Elena as Victoria Winters. I’m glad that Elena learned the truth this early in the run. She’s a bright girl and to drag it out any further would have been unbelievable. Now, how they’re going to keep a vampire story going in one town for a whole season without it getting ridiculous — that’s the big question.

The downside of this series is the teen angst portion. I can barely sit through another one of Jeremy’s pout-fests or the all-girl gossip sessions. I do like the town vampire hunting council and the fact that they’ve taken Damon under their wing. Last week’s unexpected murder of the visiting vamp was a solid stamp that this show is prepared to go for the jugular anytime they want to. (Photo: Guy D’Alema/The CW ©2009 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.)

The Vampire Diaries gets a B

Warehouse 13

Currently on hiatus, but renewed for a second season, this series was an early favorite. Yes, I know there are plot problems and it is formulaic, but the characters make up for the flaws. Pete and Myka have that perfect relationship where they compliment each other, filling in where the other lacks. Eddie McClintock gives Pete that goofy smile and that childlike sense of wonder — he’s a character I’d love to spend the day with. . . and can we spend it in the warehouse? Like a softer version of Friday the 13: The Series which cursed objects running amuck, there’s no end to the stories that could be written. Saul Rubinek steals the show each week as Artie and paired with Allison Scagliotti’s Claudia, he’s even better.

What would I like to see in the new season? A little more danger. We got some of that near the end of last season and it helps balance out the more humorous tone of the show. I also hope they stick with objects from actual historical characters. Poe was a great one. Now let’s see H.P. Lovecraft left behind.(Photo: Syfy)

Warehouse 13 gets a B

Come back later this week as I deliver grades to Supernatural, Fringe, Stargate Universe and more.

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You may know Mark from his recurring role as Sterling, Nate’s biggest foil on Leverage, which is already a six-degrees-of-Supernatural because of Aldis Hodge and Chris Kane. Mark also played Romo Lampkin on Battlestar Galactica and we love, love, love seeing him on TV.

Now for the bad news: this will be the last new episode of Supernatural until January 14 2010. It’s true. Got it straight from The CW and I’m not happy about it either. We usually get one or two new episodes between now and the holiday break but I guess since they premiered the show so early this year, they have no choice but to break early.

Forget the bad news for now and enjoy this clip from Supernatural: Abandon All Hope which comes to you from The CW.

Photo: Jack Rowand/The CW ©2009 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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Air Date: November 12 on The CW

IT’S A SUPERNATURAL CONVENTION! — Super fan Becky (guest star Emily Perkins) uses Chuck’s (guest star Chuck Benedict) phone to trick Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) into attending a Supernatural fan convention, complete with fans dressed up as Sam and Dean. One of the activities is a live action role playing game, but things quickly turn sour after a real ghost appears on the scene. Jim Conway directed the episode with teleplay by Eric Kripke and story by Nancy Weiner (#509).

Click here to watch a clip from tonight’s episode.

Photo: David Gray/The CW ©2009 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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Supernatural: Changing Channels

Air Date: November 5 at 9:00 on The CW

SAM AND DEAN GET STUCK IN TV HELL

(more photos here)

The Trickster (guest star Richard Speight Jr.) throws Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) into an alternate universe where they are characters in different television series, including a sexy medical show, a Japanese game show, a forensics show and a sitcom. The brothers realize the only way to get out of this world is to play along and become the characters in the shows. However, Castiel (Misha Collins) appears and warns them this universe is dangerous and they must get out before they become trapped. Charles Beeson directed the episode with teleplay by Jeremy Carver (#508).

“Changing Channels” – Jared Padalecki as Sam, Jensen Ackles as Dean, Richard Speight Jr. as Trickster in SUPERNATURAL on The CW. Photo: Jack Rowand/The CW ©2009 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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Supernatural: “The Real Ghostbusters”

Air Date: November 12 on The CW

IT’S A SUPERNATURAL CONVENTION! — Super fan Becky (guest star Emily Perkins) uses Chuck’s (guest star Chuck Benedict) phone to trick Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) into attending a Supernatural fan convention, complete with fans dressed up as Sam and Dean. One of the activities is a live action role playing game, but things quickly turn sour after a real ghost appears on the scene. Jim Conway directed the episode with teleplay by Eric Kripke and story by Nancy Weiner (#509).

“The Real Ghostbusters” -Picture (L-R) Jensen Ackles as Dean and Jared Padalecki as Sam in SUPERNATURAL on The CW. Photo: David Gray/The CW ©2009 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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SPOILERS AHEAD

Over the years, Supernatural has done an amazing job with their parody episodes. They recreated the world of the Universal monsters in Monster Movie, complete with black and white photography and fake-looking sets. One year they pulled out the hand-held cameras and took out the crew for a perfect recreation of a ghost hunting reality show.

This season it’s personal, as Supernatural pokes fun at some classic TV shows in an episode called “Changing Channels.”

When I heard rumors of Supernatural as a sitcom complete with laugh track and a visit to Dr. McDreamy, I was worried. I should have remembered the motto — In Kripke We Trust.

“Changing Channels” is mostly brilliant. It’s loaded with sharp dialouge, double-layers of meaning and terrific performances by the Supernatural crew. Oh, Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles are good, too but they really aren’t the stars of this episode. It’s the camera man, the lighting guy, the director and the editors that get the kudos for this little gem.

The show opens as a typical 70’s sitcom complete with bright lighting, playing to the studio audience and very broad jokes. We know Dean likes to eat, but in the sitcom world his sandwich is three feet tall.

“I’m going to need a bigger mouth!” he exclaims, then offers a patented sitcom smirk directly into camera. As they often do with these parodies, the typical Supernatural logo card is pulled out and replaced with an appropriate piece, in this case a full sitcom theme that tells the story of two ghost hunting brothers. It’s your basic humorous montage that includes (fangirls get ready) riding a tandem bike together, playing football, and racing mini-scooters.

It’s so spot on, it’s scary.

From there, we do spend a little time in the real world as the boys begin investigating a very unusual “bear” attack. Then it’s on to the next show, an excellent Grey’s Anatomy spoof complete with overly dramatic nurses, a face-transplant, Dr. McSexy and a ghost.

As Dean explains to Sam, the actor on the real show plays a ghost who can only be seen by one of the doctors who was in love with him. (Sound familiar?) To which Sam replies, THIS show has ghosts? Go figure.

With Supernatural fighting the ratings race against Grey’s Anatomy for so many years, and then losing Jeffrey Dean Morgan to the show, the barbs are well deserved and well placed.

By this point in the show, I began to realize how much the lighting, camera angles and the music contributed to the feel of what I was watching. It might be Sam and Dean on screen, but that sappy Norah Jones-esque music screams nighttime soap.

But don’t think it’s all about the laughs. The nurse in the piece may be talking about her imagined love affair with Sam’s Dr. Brilliant, but everything she says has a double meaning and then it takes a turn for worse.

Like all good Supernatural parodies, this one gets serious and none too soon. The Japanese game show NutCrackers (yes, it’s exactly what you’re thinking) was pushing the joke a little too far but I did love the spoof commercial that fell in where the real one should be.

Next, we cue the slowmo, dim the lights and slap on the sunglasses — the boys are pushed into CSI Miami and that’s where Kripke takes a moment to really shove home his opinions about the lack of original programming on TV. The funny thing, there’s a moment where Dean is completely into the CSI character of it all and he fits. Or, I guess more accurately, Jensen does. It’s a fantastic parody inside a parody.

I don’t want to give it all away but I know the fangirls are going to love Sam’s “uncomfortable” reaction to Dean digging around in the trunk, Castiel being referred to as a “Pretty boy, angel,” and several mentions of brotherly love.

For me, “Changing Channels” hits the spot, but then I’m a diehard TV junkie and have been since I was little. I got all the jokes. Younger viewers, and international viewers aren’t going to pick up on the nuances and I’m sure some people will put the episode on the bottom of their favorites list.

I say, go in watching for what it’s meant to be — another great Supernatural homage that also happens to be one of the big pieces of the puzzle.

“300 channels and nothing on,” says the Trickster.

I beg to differ.

Watch Supernatural: Changing Channels, next Thursday at 9:00 on The CW.

Photo: Jack Rowand/The CW ©2009 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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