Commentary with a Co-Ed: Supernatural recap

Photo: courtesy of the CW

by Ashley Gouveia

When I first heard rumblings about a possible third Winchester brother on Supernatural, I immediately thought that it couldn’t be true. There was no way that the writers would introduce another brother on an already established show. It had Cousin Oliver potential written all over it. However, this show has never let me down, so I just waited to see how this was all going to unfold. I have to say, I am a little confused.

I really enjoyed the episode. I loved that it brought up a lot of stuff from the past seasons, like John and his relationship with Sam. But I guess it’s just a hard pill to swallow that John Winchester had another kid out there. Not only that, but that he was able to spend quality time with him and actually be a normal father. There are a lot of fans who dislike John Winchester because of the way he raised and treated his boys. I was always part of the group who believed that he did the best he could. Plus, who couldn’t love Jeffrey Dean Morgan? This episode changed how I see John Winchester.

In the beginning of the episode, a random kid called John’s phone and told Dean that he was John’s son. Much like Dean, I was already thinking that this was some sort of trap. Maybe it was a trickster or some kind of angel test that they wanted to put the brothers through. When it was revealed that Adam, the new Winchester brother, didn’t have a negative reaction to silver or holy water, it wasn’t looking good for any of my theories. It seemed as if the boy was legit.

What was the most interesting was how Dean and Sam reacted to this news. Dean was completely against letting Adam into the fold of hunting, while Sam was rolling out the welcome mat. Sam’s reasoning was that he believed Adam would be better off if they taught him how to defend himself. I felt like Sam was really dark in this episode. His motivations and his reasoning are a little off. I guess that’s all the demon blood that he’s been slurping on.

Why didn’t Dean push the issue further about how easily swayed Adam was to the whole “demons are real” story? That moment had me thinking again that there was something weird about this kid. As it turns out, I was right. It was revealed that Adam was a ghoul, playing them the whole time. The ghoul killed the real Adam and his mother. The twist was that Adam really was John’s son. I think that was when my jaw dropped to the floor.

What does this say about Papa Winchester? Has this episode forever tainted the way you look at his character? Did it reaffirm your hatred?

Sound off in the comments.

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Commentary with a Co-Ed: Favorite musical moments on TV

by Ashley Gouveia


Has there ever been a time when you’re watching your favorite television show and then an amazing song starts playing during a crucial and pivotal scene and suddenly you are clamoring, trying to find out who sings it and how fast you can get it on your iPod? I have been there and done that so many times that I’ve lost count. Before the iPod was invented a big part of my CD collection had songs that had once been played behind some of my beloved and most memorable moments. These are my picks for my favorite “musical” moments on television.

Dawson’s Creek, Season one finale - “I’ll Be” by Edwin McCain: How could anyone forget the moment when Joey finally decided that she was going to fess up about her feelings towards her best friend, Dawson? She climbed up the ladder to his room and saw Dawson lying in bed with Jen. It was the moment that had been building the entire season. Was Dawson going to go after Joey or stay with Jen? Edwin McCain’s song was perfect for this scene. I remember hearing it and immediately falling in love with it. To this day when I hear “I’ll Be” I still think of that episode.

Smallville, Season one, “Obscura” and “Crush” – “No Such Thing” by John Mayer and “Time after Time” by Eva Cassidy: I think one of the reasons why I fell in love with Smallville in the beginning of the series was because of all the fantastic music they featured in each episode. Yeah, whatever happened to that? These two episodes in season one were two of my favorites. The Cyndi Lauper classic covered by Eva Cassidy was the perfect backdrop for setting the scene as Lana stared at Clark standing in the rain waiting for her, while a heartbroken Chloe watched on. A wet Tom Welling was only the icing on the cake. The song made it even more amazing. And John Mayer’s hit still brings me back to when Clark asked Chloe to the Spring Formal. It completely captured the mood of two people taking the next step in their relationship.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season one, “Angel”- “I’ll Remember You” by Sophie Zelmani: Buffy and Angel’s long-awaited first kiss couldn’t have had a better song to accompany it. The Bronze always had some great music playing but this one topped my list. I loved that the whole song was played and the last shot we saw was Angel’s chest where Buffy’s cross burned him after they kissed. It was the beginning of a great love story.

Supernatural, Season one, “Carry on my Wayward Son” by Kansas: Okay, I was tempted to put every Supernatural “previously on” on this list but I narrowed it down to this one. Not only is this an amazing song but it completely fits Supernatural to a tee. The lyrics only rang truer coming after the episode when Sam was stabbed and killed. This song has really become a Supernatural anthem.

Those are my some of my picks for my favorite musical moments. There are so many that I can’t fit it into one column. Let me know some of your faves in the comments!

Commentary with a Co-Ed is a weekly column at Tube Talk new every Friday.

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Commentary with a Co-Ed: Christmas gifts for the TV fan

by Ashley Gouveia

If you’re like me and wait to the very last minute to complete your holiday shopping, then don’t fret fellow Tube Talk readers. I have a list of great gift ideas that is sure to satisfy the TV-obsessed member in your family. Some of these items are even on my own personal list, so Santa if you’re reading this, I would take some notes.

The first item that any TV fan would be extremely grateful for would be their very own TiVo. This year I was lucky enough to purchase my own, and I can’t express to you how much I love this inanimate object. I was one of those people who could never keep up with all the shows that they watched. I couldn’t record two shows at the same time even if I wanted to. VCR’s were not my friend. Then I got TiVo and all my tube troubles were a distant memory. I guarantee that if you get this for your TV fan they will be forever grateful.

For the family members that love TV and board games I would suggest Scene It, the Friends, Seinfeld and TV editions. I own multiple editions of this DVD game because I love it so much. If the person you’re buying for is a die-hard fan of Friends or Seinfeld, then I definitely recommend these games. Let me tell you from experience that you could play these games for hours. All the clips and trivia questions are awesome, and they sell extra packs of trivia questions and a new DVD, once you start repeating questions.

A person can’t go wrong with buying a DVD set for the holidays. My suggestions for the best DVD sets are probably not going to surprise many of you, since they consist of two of my favorite television shows. Even if they are not fans of these shows, do them a service and introduce them to Ugly Betty and Supernatural on DVD. For the person who loves comedy and a dash of drama, get Ugly Betty seasons one and two. While you’re at it, get Supernatural, seasons one through three for the person who loves to be spooked, and appreciates great stories and fantastic acting. At this time you can probably find these sets for a reasonable price. I hope to be getting some of these sets to add to my own collection.

Those are my suggestions for all you TV fans this holiday season. I hope everyone has a safe and happy one. Let me know in the comments what all of you are asking for? Happy Holidays!

Commentary with a Co-Ed is a weekly column at Tube Talk new every Friday.

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Commentary with a Co-Ed: Time to give thanks

by Ashley Gouveia

Every Thanksgiving I make it a priority to take a moment and remember the things that I’m thankful for this year. It mostly consists of good health, my family and my friends. Yesterday, while I was gobbling down some turkey, I was thinking about some other things that truly make my year more enjoyable. Maybe a few of my choices would appear on your own list.

My TiVo: Yes, I have finally moved into the year 2008 and bought myself a TiVo. Now I wonder how I ever lived without it. No more VHS tapes for this girl. I have gone high-tech and I’m lovin' it. I’m thankful for not having to choose which TV show I’m going to tape and which ones to watch on my little 19 inch television. It can record multiple shows at that same time, which is fantastic. It probably hates me on Monday and Thursday nights, but I say take it up with the networks. In short, it’s the best invention ever for this TV addict!

Supernatural: How could I not be thankful for a television show that brings me Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki every week? It may not be on one of the big three, (CBS, NBC or ABC) but it’s the best acted and written show on television. Thank you to all the people involved with Supernatural for having a clear beginning, middle and an end to your series. It’s much appreciated and I can’t wait to see what’s in store next year.

The Annual Dog Show on NBC: Thank you for giving me an excuse to dig out my It’s a Wonderful Life DVD.

Project Runway: Thanks for proving to me that it’s possible to actually have real, talented people on a reality show. Tim Gunn, you are amazing! Keep making it work.

Commentary with a Co-Ed/Tube Talk: Last, but certainly not least, I’m extremely thankful for this column. It has helped me in a major way with my writing. I love writing about what I love and sharing it with all the readers here at Tube Talk. A big thanks to Jennifer, a.k.a. Tube Talk Girl for the opportunity and the continued support. This former co-ed, now college graduate, couldn’t do it without you. Also, to the visitors of Tube Talk, thanks for listening to my ramblings.

What are you all thankful for? Tell me in the comments!

Commentary with a Co-Ed is a weekly column at Tube Talk new every Friday.

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Commentary with a Co-Ed: Supernatural is Super Good

Photo: Courtesy of the CW; Do not duplicate.

by Ashley Gouveia

After watching the season four premiere of Supernatural last night, it confirmed two things for me. First, Eric Kripke, the creative mastermind behind this show, is a genius. Two, I love this show! I didn’t think it was possible to love it anymore, but it just keeps on surprising me.

My Winchester boys are back. Even Dean, who definitely doesn’t look like a “Thriller video reject” after escaping from the depths of Hell. He was actually looking good for a guy who’s been dead for four months. How did he make his resurrection? My first guess was that Sam must have done something. From the looks of all the dead trees next to his grave, someone was working some serious mojo.

I laughed out loud at Dean and Bobby’s reunion. Hey, I don’t blame Bobby for wanting to be too careful. In the world they live in, Dean could have been anything, like a shape shifter or some kind of demon. But I wasn’t counting on the face full of holy water. That was awesome, and Dean’s reaction was priceless.

The moment that I was looking forward to the most was, of course, the brothers’ reunion. It was hard to guess what Sam’s reaction was going to be to his newly undead brother. Much like Bobby, he didn’t believe it was really him either. There was shock and then relief, when he realized he had his brother back. Plus, Sam had Dean’s necklace with him. Oh, the brotherly love! So there goes my prediction that Sam pulled a Willow; kudos if you get the reference.

So at this point, I’m thinking that some nasty demon must have dragged Dean out. Especially after Pamela the psychic got her eyes burned out trying to see it. That was extremely creepy and gross. The fact that other demons were incredibly scared of whatever it was made me think twice. What were your thoughts?

It was an interesting twist that Sam knew that Ruby was still alive but in another form. It turned out that she was the girl from the motel. Dean’s not back for a whole day and Sam is already keeping secrets. Not only is he in contact with Ruby, but he has a hold on his psychic mind abilities, enough to get a demon out of a person’s body. I’m not too crazy about this new actress playing Ruby. If Sam hadn’t said her name, I wouldn’t have thought it was her. The way the actress played her, it seemed like Ruby got a personality transplant along with the new skin.

The most shocking reveal of them all came in the last fifteen minutes. The audience learned what exactly pulled Dean out. First off, thank you Eric Kripke for not dragging that out for more than one episode. When Bobby and Dean were preparing to fight the demon head on, it turned out to be not a demon at all; It was Castiel, an angel of the Lord. Whoa!

The last scene with Dean and Castiel was one of my favorites. The music, the dialogue, the performances were all fantastic. Can I just say that Castiel is one good lookin’ angel? So God demanded that Dean be released from the fiery pit. I didn’t see that one coming at all.

This is going to be an interesting season. Sam working with a demon, while Dean is making plans with God. This had to have been my second favorite season premiere after “In My Time of Dying.” I can’t wait to see what happens next with the Winchester brothers.

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