TV episodes review
US airdate 1 October 2010; 8 October 2010; 15 October 2010; 22 October 2010 (The CW)

baby shapeshifter, a moody Castiel, a grumpy Bobby Singer and Twilight fans all trouble Sam and Dean Winchester…

Oh dear, this season of Supernatural is a bit of a chore to watch so far (with the notable exception of the brilliant ‘Weekend at Bobby’s’).

‘Two and a Half Men’ is a lighter episode, featuring as it does a shapeshifter baby and the Winchester Boys as hopeless babysitters. The addition of Samuel (Mitch Pileggi) and his hunters seems to be an alternative support network to Bobby, but they’ve failed to impress so far.

The return of Castiel (Misha Collins) in ‘The Third Man’ is also a bit of a damp squib, given the past sparky nature of that character. Samuel’s hunt for the ‘Alpha’ links to the vampire enclave in ‘Live Free or TwiHard’ and presumably is also connected to the non-American vampires who seem to be gathering in ‘Weekend at Bobby’s’, so there is something building in the background.

‘Weekend at Bobby’s’ — focusing on Jim Beaver’s Bobby Singer — is a brilliant exploration of a character other than Sam and Dean, and it’s damn funny while still advancing the overall arc plot. Beaver’s gruff, deadpan approach is perfect, though it is worrying that the best episode so far hardly features Sam and Dean. Helping to make this episode sing are Steven Williams as on-the-run hunter Rufus and the ubiquitous Mark Sheppard as Crowley, seemingly now the king of hell (where there’s trouble, so that might also be part of the building arc).

The idea of vamps preying on Twilight vampire fans is an easy win for the series, while Sam’s hesitation over rescuing Dean is an interesting moment. Here’s hoping this and the arc plot will build this season of Supernatural into something worthwhile, as so far it’s treading water. Brian J. Robb

VERDICT
Episode 2: Two and a Half Men 4/10
Episode 3: The Third Man 5/10
Episode 4: Weekend at Bobby’s 9/10
Episode 5: Live Free or TwiHard 6/10