Supernatural:"I Think I'm Gonna Like It Here" Review

Season eight was a return to form with a strong over-arching story for the year under the direction of a new show-runner in Jeremy Carver. Season eight ended on a high note with the brother's coming together and finally being on the same page sans the usually angst between the two of them. Aside from the relationship between the two of them, it also ended with a gorgeous shot due to the fallout of Castiel being taken advantage of by Metatron and the angels falling from heaven. This sets up a dire situation for the Winchesters as angels will be walking among them, confused, scared and mostly angry. Now, all of that alone would be a good starting point for a new season but add in that Abaddon is still around and Sam is recovering from not going through with the trails and we have ourselves an interesting season. However, after seeing the season premiere, I would say that it went backwards instead of setting up a potentially great season.

The season starts off just where you'd expect, focused on the Winchesters and the fallout of what is wrong with Sam (Jared Padalecki). We see the two of them in the Impala, but immediately as a viewer you expect something is wrong. All of what we see is actually taking place inside Sam's head as he is dying and trying to come to terms with it. Dean's (Jensen Ackles) manifestation inside of his head is the side of himself that does not want to die, whereas Bobby (Jim Beaver) appears as the side that is accepting Death. On the flip side, we have Dean watching his brother fade away in a hospital bed desperate to bring him back from the brink of Death he sends out a prayer to any angels that could possibly help. He doesn't seem to realize that plenty of angels have anger towards the Winchesters and would love to do harm to them. Thus, Dean has to fend off the onslaught of angels that are coming for him and his brother. Surprisingly, he gets help from a friendly angel. No, not Castiel, but a soldier who was under the charge of Castiel named Ezekiel (Tahmoh Penikett). Ezekiel promises to help Sam and Dean, but he is already weak from the fall.

On the other hand, Castiel is learning to adjust to life without wings. Not only that, but now he has an entire army more or less of angels who are after him looking to get revenge for the fall. Some blame him for it, but yet there are still of course some angels that remember their mission and loyal to Castiel. The problem with all of this is the amount of how much the fallen angels remember of their angelhood and the fact that they still seem to have angelic power. In previous seasons, when an angel falls, they lose their power or a majority of it as they are cut off from heaven. Maybe it is different in this instance due to how it had happened but we do not know just yet. After all, this is just a season premiere so it is doubtful that they would touch on everything just in one episode.

Despite some of it's flaws, it is still a solid start to what could be another good season. Some of the flaws however set up what is already familiar territory for fans of the show. We can already see where the story could be going with the big story involving the Winchesters this season considering how, we have been down this road so many times already. Ezekiel, played by Penikitt, was a good new character to add to the show. Penikitt also does a good job in the role as a calm and focused character. The real strengths of the show hinged on the changes involving Castiel, which of course Misha Collins plays perfectly. There is a scene later in the episode that really shows this change as he decides to get his signature trench coat cleaned, but due to monetary constraints he decides to put on new clothes and use his remaining money on food.