Exclusive photos: New York Comic Con — Day 2

Scenes from Friday, October 10, at New York Comic Con 2014

“Marvel 75th Anniversary: Crafting the Marvel Event” Panel with Brian Michael Bendis

Former Batman group editor Dennis O’Neil poses with Curiata.com’s Kevin Hillman

O’Neil and Neal Adams autographs

Justice League: Throne of Atlantis Panel with the voice of Aquaman, Matt Lanter

William Shatner signing

Cosplay in full effect

“Once Upon a Time Has Frozen Over!” Panel with Jennifer Morrison

“Playing with Magic” Panel

Photographs by Kevin Hillman and Kaia Schroding. Not for republication without credit.

NYCC Friday: Coulson lives, Librarians preview new show

I arrived at the Javits Center for the second day of New York Comic Con an hour before the show floor opened Friday morning and there were already crazy long lines of people. I immediately got in line to get my wristband for the afternoon’s Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. panel, right next to a girl dress as Melinda May with her own Asgardian staff.

The wait in line was a long one — over an hour — and I know I’ll have to get here even earlier Saturday if I want to have a chance of getting into the Walking Dead panel (though I’m not getting my hopes up).

With my wristband for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. secured, I headed over to the line for the panel for TNT’s upcoming 10-episode run of The Librarians, a continuation of the made-for-television movie series. I love the Librarian movies to begin with, but I’m also a big Leverage fan, so knowing there would be a lot of that crew involved — plus star Christian Kane — I’ve been very excited about this show.

The panel was great. It became apparent early on that the cast is also excited about this project. They all seem to really enjoy their characters and each other and are ready for people to finally see what they’ve been working on. And if the clips we saw at NYCC are any indication, it’s going to be good.

Later in the day, it was time to cash in my wristband to attend the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. panel. The session was monitored by men in black suits with night-vision goggles, so there was no way to take pictures. The majority of the session was on video anyway, so there wasn’t much to photograph. Clark Gregg, the man behind S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Agent Phil Coulson, made an appearance after Marvel’s head of television, Jeph Loeb, revealed the Hydra T-shirt he was wearing. Gregg was greeted with an enthusiastic standing ovation. He told of how he requested to come to NYCC because it was here two years ago that he learned Agent Coulson was indeed alive despite the events in The Avengers movie.

Gregg and Loeb introduced next week’s episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., which includes an undercover operation with Coulson and Agent May. Gregg and Loeb followed that up with an extra surprise for the audience: a clip from the upcoming Agent Carter, which just began filming last week. The clip featured Hayley Atwell as Carter, Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark, and James D’Arcy as Stark’s butler, Edwin Jarvis. The clip was short, but it was enough to whet our appetites for the series, which premieres in January.

Much of today was spent waiting in line, but I surprisingly didn’t mind a minute of it. Everything I’ve had the opportunity to see and do has been entirely worth it.

Look for a more detailed review of The Librarians and Marvel panels next week, and stay tuned for my recap of Saturday, coming soon!

Korra panel solidifies status of Avatar-verse

Being at New York Comic Con has removed any doubt in my mind that Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra will go down in history as tremendous, beloved shows.

After getting into panel after panel with ease on Thursday, I remained convinced that The Legend of Korra’s would be much more difficult to attend. Before the Korra panel was set to begin, the creators of The Walking Dead were using the room to host a Q&A. To avoid missing the panel for which I had my heart set, I entered the hall for The Walking Dead panel, despite never having read a book or watched an episode of the series. It turned out that I was not alone.

Looking around the conference room, one could notice something was a little off. Many of the attendees were otherwise occupied, playing on their iPads and 3DSes rather than listening to the creators of one of the highest-rated shows in the country.

Many of the author’s jokes were met with silence, and a surprising number of people were dressed in Avatar cosplay. When the panel was nearly finished, a mile-long line of Korra fans was standing in the center aisle, waiting for people to leave their seats. The only problem? Almost nobody moved. At least one-third — and likely half — of the attendees in the enormous conference room were only there to wait for Korra.

When the creators and voice actors of The Legend of Korra were introduced, they were treated like rock stars, as men and women, young and old, shrieked in awe.

The panelists wasted no time sharing the next episode of their beloved show with the clamorous crowd. But first, the show runners, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, expressed their feelings about this episode, declaring it the most emotional, powerful, and serious one they’ve ever done across seven seasons of their popular franchise.

And that was not hyperbole. The episode recounts the last three years of the Avatar’s life, as she struggled to recover from the battle with Zaheer at the end of season 3. Zaheer left Korra poisoned, crippled, and unable to connect to her spiritual half, Rava.

In the run of the show, Korra was only in a wheelchair for a few minutes, and viewers had already seen that the Avatar would regain her mobility. Yet even so, the fans in that conference hall were completely invested in Korra’s journey back, with the hall erupting from Korra finding the strength just to move her big toe. Applause broke out upon seeing Korra walk again. Every single person in that hall wanted to see Korra succeed.

The fans’ investment in the characters was not limited to Korra, with Tenzin drawing a round of applause and the antics of Mako and Bolin bringing the crowd alive with laughter.

Katara made her first appearance in a long time as well, appeasing the Avatar fans in the crowd, but it was another Last Airbender alumnus who truly stole the show.

In the final moments of the episode, with Korra struggling to confront her past, an old friend — and an incredibly popular character — returned to the Avatar world in a touching moment. Toph, the blind, smart-mouthed inventor of metal bending, addressed Korra, smiling, and saying that, in a past life, they were the best of friends.

“Nice to see you again, Twinkletoes.”

I, like the rest of the room, cheered wildly at seeing a character who hasn’t appeared on a new show in years.

The time spent in the packed conference room proved to me once again the strength of the Avatar franchise. The strong characters, historical and political allegory, and incredible animation style make the show stand out above the rest.

Recapping day 1 of New York Comic Con 2014

Day 1 of New York Comic Con has been just about everything any nerd could dream it would be. From the moment I stepped off the train at Penn Station, I could tell who was in the city for NYCC. I walked from my hotel to the Javits Convention Center, essentially following the large crowd of people heading in the direction I was. We all had the same look about us, apparently — that, and most were wearing nerdy t-shirts or, in many cases, full-on cosplay costumes.

The line for NYCC stretched down an entire block and around the side of the building. I met the end of the line about 10 minutes before I found the press entrance to the building. And this was just Thursday, the first day of a four-day event. I can only imagine what Saturday is going to look like.

The creativity of the cosplayers astounds me. There are so many costumes that I wouldn’t have even thought of. Of course, there are the expected characters, but a lot of people have put a lot of effort into their dress. One family was costumed as a group of vikings from How to Train Your Dragon, with the child’s stroller decorated as Toothless. I also passed a woman who was dressed as Barbara Maitland from Beetlejuice — the monster-face version. The person dressed in Sheldon Cooper’s Doppler Effect costume made me laugh. There was also a rather authentic-looking knight from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, sans left arm.

First up for me Thursday morning was the joint panel for Walt Disney’s studios’ upcoming releases Big Hero 6 and Tomorrowland

It’s not going to be easy for Disney to follow up the success of last year’s Frozen, but if the clips they showed Thursday afternoon are any indication, they are certainly making a good effort. Big Hero 6 will definitely attract more of a young male audience than Frozen did, but there’s a lot for girls to love as well. I’ve already fallen in love with Baymax, the personal health robot. He is sweet, adorable, and very eager to help. From what I’ve seen so far, it looks like the story will have a lot of charm and a lot of heart.

I knew little about about Tomorrowland before going into this panel, but then, the rest of the world could say the same thing. Hugh Laurie, best known for his role as the cantankerous Dr. Gregory House, told of receiving a script on black paper to make it more difficult to read. The cast was very guarded and revealed little about the film or its plot.

A brief teaser debuted at NYCC in which we see Britt Robertson’s initial discovery of an alternate world that she is tasked with saving. Following vague descriptions of everyone’s characters, the audience was treated to an extra surprise: George Clooney walked onstage in his first-ever comic-con appearance. Clooney joked that he had been permanently disinvited to these gatherings after his turn as Batman.

Following Clooney’s arrival and a few more teases about the film, an entire scene from the movie was unveiled in which Robertson’s character seeks out Clooney’s character to answer some questions. The clip didn’t give too much away, other than that they are being hunted by some form of robotic creatures — and Clooney’s Frank Walker was really prepared for them.

Much of the middle part of my day was spent wandering the show floor, checking out some of the booths and vendors. Marvel announced its new Marvel Experience, which will tour the country, debuting in Phoenix in December, and allow guests to become a part of the Marvel Universe. The show will also be affordable to everyone, as the highest priced ticket will only be $35.

It was during these wanderings that I happened to run into none other than Chris Hardwick, the man who has become synonymous with nerdom. He was extremely friendly and charming to all the fans requesting photos, and I couldn’t resist asking for a selfie with him. This was definitely a highlight of my day.

Arthur Darvill’s Q&A at the “Doctor Who Comics Panel” was exactly what I would have expected. The man seems so sweet and friendly. Most people asked Doctor Who questions, but there were a few Broadchurch ones sprinkled in there as well. Darvill revealed that he just finished filming season 2 of Broadchurch, which I cannot wait to see.

The last part of my day was at the Warner Bros. Television screening event. It was advertised as a showing of the pilot of Constantine and the second season premiere of The 100, but just before the screenings began, they revealed that, due to the enthusiastic response to The Flash pilot that aired earlier this week on The CW, WB would also be screening episode 2 of that series.

If you enjoyed the pilot of The Flash, you won’t be disappointed with episode 2. It has the same tone and mix of humor and action. I’m really enjoying this show already, which makes me happy since it was the new series I was most excited to see. The second episode also lets you see more of the history and the relationship between Barry Allen and Detective Joe West, which was really well done. Aside from one super-cheesy line that should have been thrown out in the writers’ room (I’ll let you guess which one), it was another great episode.

I had never seen The 100 before, so I’m hesitant to comment too much about a screening of a second series episode.

I was satisfied with the Constantine pilot. Though I know the character, I’ve never read any of the comics, so I had very little in the way of expectations. The tone was dark and creepy, and I literally jumped more than once. It felt like I was watching a horror movie instead of a TV show. The series may have some kinks to work through — the effects during one scene in the psychiatric hospital were a little underwhelming — but, overall, I think they did a good job with it … but again, I have nothing to compare it to.

I would say my first day at my first-ever comic-con went pretty well. I’m looking forward to seeing what the rest of the weekend has in store for us!

Exclusive photos: New York Comic Con — Day 1

Scenes from the first day of New York Comic Con 2014

Around the Javits Center

George Clooney makes a surprise appearance to talk about Tomorrowland at the Walt Disney Studios panel:

Game of Thrones Fan Forum

Creators of The Walking Dead

Arthur Darvill at the Doctor Who Comics Panel

WB Preview Night Screenings: Pilot Episode of Constantine, Season Two Premiere of The 100, and Episode Two of The Flash

Photographs by Kevin Hillman, Charissa Jelliff, and Kaia Schroding. Not for republication without credit.

Exclusive photos: Concept art from Superman Lives

Director/producer Jon Schnepp and producer Holly Payne gave a preview of their upcoming documentary, The Death of ‘Superman Lives’: What Happened?, about the canceled Kevin Smith film from the 1990s (you know, the one with Nicolas Cage as Superman) today at New York Comic Con. Here are our exclusive photos from that panel (click for full size):

Train like a hunter: Original Supernatural workout

With our handsome Winchester brothers, Sam and Dean, returning for the 10th season of Supernatural beginning last night, binge watching the first nine seasons of the monster-killing brothers jumped fairly high on my list of priorities. However, this impulse comes with a downside: sitting for hours makes me feel lazy. And when I don’t accomplish anything, I start beating myself up … then I feel sad, so then I binge watch … and around and around I go.

And as I was sitting there watching Dean Winchester in his tight, bright-red gym teacher shorts, I had an idea — and no, it’s not that kind of idea (well, that idea, too). Why not kick some ass while watching the Winchesters kick some ass? I mean, let’s give my fellow Supernatural fans a reason to move instead of just sitting there, letting Sloth take over their lives. (Although, the Winchesters did take him out, so we should be safe.) So I reflected on the moments that have led the brothers to where they are now and picked out some of the most repeated actions, phrases, and themes and decided to put exercises to them. I wanted to do a body weight workout so that I wouldn’t have to go through finding weights and equipment. Plus, then you can do the workout anytime you have access to Netflix and enough space to move. Without further adieu, here is the Supernatural workout (easily adaptable into a drinking game, if you’re so inclined):

While I may not be able to fight monsters and evil every day to stay in shape, I can find my own way to build some muscle and tone while watching the boys take on the real bad guys. When I did my trial run of one episode, “Everybody Loves a Clown,” from season 2, I immediately regretted my decision. Not because the workout was a flop, but because I could hardly move when the episode was over. My legs and arms burning, and I chugged 4 bottles of water. Then I turned to my screen and said, “Let’s do this.” (To no one in particular, really, because I frequently motivate myself out loud. Yes, it’s normal. No judging.)

The workout was worth every second of agony, though — much like the show itself. (ALL THE FEELS!) It was taxing and left me winded, but I just kept reminding myself that the Winchesters aren’t in fangirl-ogling form because they sit on a sofa watching TV all day. They’re killing monsters and fighting to make sure they stay alive and help people. And if that isn’t enough motivation, then there’s always the chance that being incredibly fit will impress Jared and Jensen enough to look your way if they end up single at some point in the future.

Enjoy!

History of The Flash, Part I: Garrick and the Golden Age

This is part 1 of a two-part exploration of the history of The Flash, a comic book character returning to television screens tonight at 8 p.m. EDT/PDT on The CW.

With 74 years of history behind him, The Flash is racing onto television for a new show on The CW. The new series has piqued the interest of many and is sure to score high numbers for the network. The Flash has captured so much attention because it promises to be something unique to television, even though The Flash has already had his own series on the air. While Arrow and Gotham are built around gritty, realistic characters, and Constantine promises to focus on demons and the often-explored supernatural, The Flash will be the first series in the modern era of strong visual effects to focus on a true superhero in the starring role.

Superheroes are already dominant on the big screen, but if The Flash proves to be a success, we will likely see an influx of super-powered heroes on the small screen as well. This would be very much in line with the hero’s legacy: the Fastest Man Alive has always led the way for comic book protagonists, his story often paralleling that of the comic book industry at large, from the escapist days of Jay Garrick, to the high energy days of Barry Allen, to the all-too-real days of Wally West, and beyond.

The Flash was not the first superhero, but he was the first with a specialized power, even if his original design would be unrecognizable to many fans today. In 1938, Superman was introduced to the world by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster in the pages of Action Comics #1. The issue, demonstrating the Man of Steel hoisting a car over his head, sold immensely well, and a new genre was born. What followed was a boom in superhero titles, with every publisher trying to get in on the lucrative action.

Most companies simply tried to copy the Superman formula, with Wonder Man, Flash Lightning, Dynamic Man, and Fawcett Comics’ incredibly popular Captain Marvel all gracing the pages of comic books. Each hero operated in the same way as the Man of Tomorrow, possessing a laundry list of superpowers that made it impossible for any villain to stand up against them. It was All-American Comics, with the writer/artist team of Gardner Fox and Harry Lampert, that eventually bucked the trend by creating a superhero, The Flash, with only one power — and a power that every kid running around a playground could understand. The Flash was the first specialized hero, starting a new trend that persists to this day.

Fox and Lampert likely never believed they would go down in history for creating a beloved superhero. The Great Depression had left many looking for ways to supplement their income. The low-cost medium of the comic book was one of the few business that thrived during the economic downturn. Fox, a lawyer whose business was struggling, saw an opportunity in the new market and began selling scripts for extra money. Fox did work on early Batman stories, even introducing many of the vigilante’s greatest weapons, including the utility belt.

The lack of history and prestige associated with the comic book industry in its infancy meant that no one went into the business thinking they’d attained a dream job. And not everyone’s background was as far removed from entertainment media as Fox’s. The comic book artists of the day had more related professional backgrounds, including Lampert, who worked as a cartoonist and comic book strip artist. He had worked with Max Fleischer on some of Fleischer’s studio’s famous works, including Betty Boop and Popeye. Lampert began working on comics in 1938, including doing touch-up work on the aforementioned Action Comics #1 to get it ready for print.

Lampert enjoyed writing comedic material for the strips and considered himself to be miscast as an artist for superheroes, but his work in the field ultimately made him famous. In 1940, All-American Comics introduced Lampert and Fox’s creation, The Flash, to the world. Inspired by the Roman god Mercury, Jay Garrick, the original Flash, debuted in Flash Comics #1, which despite its name, was not a solo title. The issue told The Flash’s origin story in a tale that would make any modern critic scratch his or her head.

That first issue explained that Garrick gained his powers from inhaling “hard water” in a laboratory, which is as impossible to explain as you would guess. Garrick immediately used his lighting-fast skills as many young men would: by trying to impress a girl on the football field.

Garrick’s Flash was a huge success and would not be limited to his role in Flash Comics. Like Superman and Batman before him, The Flash gained his own solo title, All-Flash, in 1941. The Flash’s success throughout the 1940s was linked directly to World War II, with soldiers loving the books for their escapism and children loving the simple stories of good triumphing over evil in a world where evil seemed to be winning. The Flash’s popularity was also used to help other heroes with notably less prestige.

Today, superhero team-ups are so common that you can pick up any Marvel title and expect to see any other Marvel character in it. But in 1940, such an idea was unheard of — until All-Star Comics #3, with the first appearance of the Justice Society of America.

The JSA included many Golden Age heroes from both DC and All-American Comics, such as The Spectre, Hawkman, The Atom, the original Green Lantern, and, of course, The Flash. The team-up concept was very popular, and the group kept its adventures going throughout the decade, though the roster changed many times. The Flash himself left the book after issue #6, due to his new role as star of All-Flash.

Like Superman before him, The Flash, as the first specialized superhero, saw many imitators. Quality Comics had Quicksilver, who is today known as Max Mercury; DC introduced Johnny Quick, in 1941; and Marvel got in the game as well, creating the Whizzer. While these characters still exist in one form or another, none was able to match the success of The Flash.

As the popularity of comics grew, The Flash was one of its strongest victors, but when the medium’s popularity faded as the ’40s drew to a close, so did the marketability of The Fastest Man Alive. All-Flash was cancelled in 1948 after 32 issues, Flash Comics ended in 1949, and All-Star Comics ceased production in 1951, ending the Flash’s Golden-Age run. The character would not appear again for 10 years, but the name “The Flash” would be recognized again soon enough, in the beginning of a new era in the comic books.

The Flash will return next week in “Nerd/Wise: History of The Flash, Part II: The Silver Age and Beyond”!

Supernatural returns for a 10th year: The road so far

“… saving people, hunting things. The family business.”

Looking back on nine seasons of Sam and Dean Winchester’s bad-assery and trying to sum up everything the boys have been through on Supernatural is daunting. The fresh-faced youths from season 1 grew into the hardened men who have died (many times each), bled, and lost much in order to save lives over and over again. And, of course, there’s also the fact that Sam’s hair gets longer with each season. (Seriously, did he stop believing in getting a haircut?) But with the 10th (and final?) season premiering on The CW in just a few hours, I need to look back on the series I’ve loved, even as it dashed salt and lighter fluid on my soul and threw a Zippo on top of it.

Spoilers ahead!

Something that I’ve loved throughout the series, in addition to the brotherly moments and bad-assery, has been that the series builds on itself. Of course, there’s also the gorgeous lead actors, impressive acting, comedic timing, and emotional connection to the characters. And we can’t forget “Carry On My Wayward Son” by Kansas! Every time I hear that song now, I’m filled with dread, because my fellow Supernatural fans and I know that nothing good comes from hearing it.

The “Then/Now” and “The Road So Far” beginnings of each episode give us a glimpse at a moment from the boys’ past that will play a part in the forthcoming days. We’ve been shown monsters and demons they’ve encountered, as well as some dear friends, and we then get to see how they play a part in this new episode. Unfortunately, most of the friends the Winchesters have had are dead (R.I.P. Bobby, Jo, Ellen, and Ash) — except for Sheriff Jody Mills! you go girl! — and the road the boys have traveled has gotten stranger, with higher stakes every day.

Supernatural was originally written as a five-season show, and everything in those first five years built up to the fifth season finale, “Swan Song.” Looking at those first five seasons, the boys faced multitudes of demons and avenged their mother’s and father’s deaths by defeating the Yellow-Eyed Demon, Azazel, who had broken into their home when Sam was a baby and fed Sam demon blood. In their hunt for Azazel for the next two decades, the Winchesters grew into the most formidable and dangerous hunters among the demon-fighting ranks, all according to the big plan of the supernatural world.

Sam was among the children chosen specifically by Azazel to fight it out in a battle to the death that would determine who was worthy of leading the demon army that would pour out of the Devil’s Gate that Azazel opened. Azazel said Sam was always his favorite because of his leadership and experience as a hunter and that the demon blood Azazel fed him was a gift, making Sam stronger than he would have been without it.

In season 2, all hell breaks loose. Sam dies in the destined fight with Azazel, and Dean makes a deal with a Crossroad Demon to bring his brother back: Sam will be restored to life, but Dean will only have one year to live. Dean then kills Azazel with the mystical Colt revolver, but not before the Yellow-Eyed Demon opens Hell’s Gate and releases scores of demons, many that are much more deadly than what the boys had ever faced.

In season 3, the boys are charged with tracking down all the demons that were set free, as well as fighting the Seven Deadly Sins and a Santa Claus who kills people, all while trying to find a way to save Dean’s soul from an eternity in hell. The boys also begin hiding things from each other and lying instead of talking to each other — which gives them so many problems for the remaining seasons that you just want to punch those perfect faces over and over again until they stop being douchebags to each other. They team up with a demon named Ruby, who seems to be fighting on the good side against a more powerful demon, Lilith, who usually chooses to possess little girls, which makes her 1,000 times creepier.

Also in season 3, we see more of The Trickster. He lures the boys to “The Mystery Spot,” where it’s perpetually Tuesday, in order to teach Sam a lesson by killing Dean over and over again; it’s a kind of demented Groundhog Day in which, no matter how hard Sam tries, he will never be able to save Dean. And The Trickster’s lesson proves true. Lilith catches up with the boys, takes over Ruby’s body, and sends her Hellhounds after Dean, who dies, and his soul is transported to Hell. However, when Lilith attacks Sam, her powers are ineffective. He’s stronger than her powers because of the demon blood in his body, and Lilith retreats.

Season 4 opens with Dean being rescued from Hell by an angel, Castiel (because if you’re going to have demons, you have to have angels). We find out that Ruby has returned and has been coaching Sam, telling him to drink demon blood in order to be more powerful so he can defeat Lilith. The angels visit the boys, telling them that Lilith is working to break the seals to Lucifer’s Cage, and if she breaks 66 of them, the Devil walks free. By this point, you can see how it goes: the seals are broken — the first by Dean when he was in Hell, the last by Sam after Ruby betrayed him; Ruby had been working for Lilith all along, and the last seal to be broken was Lilith herself. (Ruby dies, too, which is good, because she was a bitch.)

Once Lucifer goes free, the boys find out their real purpose in life. They were born to be the human embodiments, or vessels, of Lucifer and Michael, so that the two brothers, the devoted and the rebellious, would have their final battle: The Apocalypse. A lot of archangels make appearances in this fifth season, with the best reveal being that The Trickster is actually Archangel Gabriel. Even though Lucifer allegedly kills him (I refuse to accept that he’s actually dead), he was awesome from the start.

Anyway, in order to stop the Apocalypse from occurring, the boys collect the rings of the Four Horsemen (no easy task) in order to recreate Lucifer’s Cage and throw the Devil back into it, which can only happen if Sam allows Lucifer to be his vessel. Sam says “yes” in “Swan Song” and throws himself into the pit, ending season 5.

(Sidenote: The Winchesters have a half-brother, Adam, who is chosen to be Michael’s vessel after Dean takes too long to accept. Everyone forgets about him though. But if we think about it, he’s still in that cage … Yikes.)

After that, Supernatural didn’t have much else to build to. That’s not to say the last four seasons haven’t been good, but the creator of the show, Eric Kripke, left after season 5 and had pretty much wrapped everything up nicely. So the new heads of the show had to find a new end goal.

In the subsequent seasons, the demon Crowley, who is now King of Hell with Lucifer gone, brings Sam back without his soul because it’s too damaged from the Michael-versus-Lucifer cage match. Death returns Sam’s soul but puts up a wall in order to protect Sam, blocking his memories of Hell, and tells him, “Don’t scratch the wall.” (Yes, he scratches it and ends up in a psych ward with hallucinations of Lucifer tormenting him; Sam pretty much loses his mind.)

Castiel and the other angels are at war for control of Heaven. Cas looks like he may lose to Archangel Raphael (who is a huge dick but, then again, all the angels are), so he teams up with Crowley and taps into the souls in Purgatory. It’s a seemingly win-win situation: Cas gets control of the souls to win the war and becomes incredibly powerful, and then Crowley gets control of the souls and Purgatory, so he cements his place on top.

Things are never that simple, though. Cas fashions himself the new God, but the souls tear him apart. And he doesn’t just let loose souls from Purgatory; he lets out the Leviathan, an ancient species of monsters. Basically, season 7 is about Leviathan eating people, and that’s what they want: to eat everyone — not overly ambitious considering the Winchesters’ previous battles, but oh well. The Leviathan are pretty much impossible to kill, and their leader’s name is Dick Roman. The boys’ eventually find out how to kill the Leviathan with the help of a prophet, Kevin, who can read The Word of God, which is written on stone tablets that had been discovered by Dick (and, eventually, Crowley and Cas). Dean kills Dick in the season 7 finale with the Bone of a Righteous Mortal Washed in the Three Bloods of the Fallen (yes, those were really the instructions), and he and Cas get sent straight to Purgatory.

Dean escapes from Purgatory in the next season with a vampire pal, Benny, who’s not like the other vampires. They have a cute bromance, so, of course, Benny has to die a few episodes later. Cas is rescued by other angels, including Naomi, who is using prophets to try to seal off Hell so demons can never return. Castiel is controlled by Naomi, and he nearly beats Dean to death, but the De-stiel love keeps them strong, and when Cas touches the angel tablet in Dean’s possession, he’s back to his normal self. Cas teams up with Metatron, the Scribe of God, who then betrays Cas (big surprise) and throws all the angels out of Heaven. (I’ll say it again: angels are dicks.)

Things with Sam and Dean are rough in the later seasons, mostly because they always lie to each other and are growing into different people. Sam thinks about himself most of the time and doesn’t act like much of a brother to Dean. Dean is more vicious after his time in Purgatory. Dean just wants to get things done so he can and Sam can be a happy family again, especially after his time-traveling grandfather, Henry Winchester, makes an unexpected appearance in the present day.

Henry wasn’t a hunter like his grandsons, but one of the Men of Letters, an order devoted to the study of anything supernatural and magical, allowing them to use magic to fight demons — like the one who followed Henry into the present day: Abaddon, a Knight of Hell. The Winchesters defeat Abaddon (momentarily, because they don’t have the equipment to kill a Knight of Hell yet) but at the cost of their grandfather’s life. In the process, however, the boys find a new home: the “Bat Cave” of the Men of Letters, home to stores of knowledge and, now, the Winchester boys.

The boys try to shut Hell off forever in season 8 by having Sam undergo three trials from the demon tablet, the last of which is curing a demon — that is, making him human again. They choose Crowley, but the final trial would cost Sam his life. Dean doesn’t want to let his brother go, so he stops Sam before he can complete the trail, right before the angels fall. However, it’s not in time to stop Sam from dying (again), so in the season 9, Dean allows an angel to possess Sam in order to heal him. Dean thinks it’s the angel Ezekiel, supposedly a good angel. However, we find out later that Ezekiel died in the fall, and it was really Gadreel, the angel who let the snake into the Garden of Eden, who possessed Sam.

The boys fight each other all throughout pretty much the entirety of season 9, while trying to figure out how to get the angels back in heaven and also fight Abaddon, who has come back from the “dead.” Dean and Crowley find the First Blade, the only known weapon that can kill a King of Hell. Dean takes possession of it and the power that comes with it by receiving the Mark of Cain (from the First Demon himself, Cain). However, the Mark is slowly killing Dean and changing him into something angry and violent. Dean kills Abaddon and then moves on to try to take out Metatron, but Sam, who’s been pulling away for the past few seasons — and saying that he would be OK if Dean died, because he has dealt with it before — nonetheless fears for his brother’s life.

Dean is killed in the fight with Metatron, and Sam is a wreck. (I’m actually tearing up right now as I think back on this story arc, so I need to end this quickly.) Sam gathers what he needs to summon Crowley to make a deal and get his brother back. You see, Sam lied: he’s not okay, he needs his brother. But Crowley knows something everyone else doesn’t (per usual). Crowley speaks to the “dead” Dean on the bed at the end the season 9 finale, and we see what the last few seasons have been building to. Both brothers have died many times and have seen Heaven, Hell, and Purgatory. They’ve been possessed, by both angels and demons, but this is a new frontier for the boys, and now we’ll see how their story ends.

Crowley: “Your brother, bless his soul, is summoning me, as I speak. Make a deal. Bring you back. It’s exactly what I was talking about, isn’t it? It’s all become so … expected. You have to believe me. When I suggested you take on the Mark of Cain, I didn’t know that this was going to happen. Not really. I mean, I might not have told you the entire truth. But I never lied. I never lied, Dean. That’s important. It’s fundamental. But … there is one story about Cain that I might have … forgotten to tell you. Apparently, he, too, was willing to accept death rather than become the killer the Mark wanted him to be. So he took his own life with the Blade. He died. Except, as rumor has it, the Mark never quite let go. You can understand why I never spoke of this. Why set hearts aflutter at mere speculation? It wasn’t until you summoned me … no it wasn’t truly until you left that cheeseburger uneaten, that I began to let myself believe maybe miracles do come true. Listen to me, Dean Winchester. What you’re feeling right now — it’s not death. It’s life — a new kind of life. Open your eyes, Dean. See what I see. Feel what I feel. And let’s go take a howl at that moon.”

(Dean’s eyes open, and they’re black.)

It’s all been building up to this. The mighty Winchesters are now split by more than growing apart. One is now demon, one human. Can family really triumph over distances that great? We’ll have to find out if the brothers can truly bring each other back from any hell they face.

Now let’s see what Demon Dean and the next chapter of Supernatural have in store for us! Make sure you watch the season 10 premiere at 9 p.m. EDT/PDT, tonight on The CW.

Reinstating Friday night dinners with the Gilmores

October is my favorite month of the year. With it comes everything I love about fall: pumpkins, colorful leaves, warm sweatshirts, and hot apple cider. As I’ve discussed previously, fall also brings a new television season with many returning favorites and new shows to check out. However, this fall brings an extra special treat: fan*s can now visit the quaint New England town of Stars Hollow whenever they want because Gilmore Girls has finally come to Netflix.

My family first discovered Gilmore Girls about halfway through its original run and became hooked almost immediately. My mom, brother, and I had busy lives that often took us in different directions, but we spent nearly every night having dinner with the Gilmores, thanks to ABC Family. If we weren’t going to be home to watch the episode as it aired, we would record it on videotape (you know those things you actually had to rewind when you were finished with them?) and later watch several episodes at a time.

One of the best aspects of the show was how it appealed to a wide audience. My brother doesn’t watch a lot of television, and what he does watch are the shows one would expect a guy to be interested in, like Sleepy Hollow, Castle, Bones, and The Big Bang Theory, but he loved Gilmore Girls just as much as my mom and I did. The writing was smart and the dialogue was clever; I still often find myself wishing I were as witty as Lorelai Gilmore — she had a comeback for everything!

The show also had a rich tapestry of secondary characters that strengthened the show’s storylines; even though the show was about the Gilmore girls, the rest of the characters in the town really helped make the story what it was. More than once, I’ve wished I could live in Stars Hollow and gossip with Miss Patty and Babbette, guess what Job Kirk would have next, argue with Taylor at a town meeting, have Gypsy work on my car, or listen to Lane and Zac’s band.

I was initially drawn to the show because I identified with Rory a lot. She spent much more time on her schoolwork in high school than I did, but she was the type of person who would rather sit at home with a book or enjoy a movie marathon with her mother than go to a party on a Saturday night; she was shy and often awkward in social situations.

Lorelai and Rory were the type of fictional characters you wish were real so they could be your best friends (because, obviously, if they were real, we would totally be best friends). They had great taste in movies, television, music, and fashion — exactly the qualities any girl wants in a best friend. Also? They made binge-watching television and movies while eating massive amounts of junk food (and never working out) look cool.

Aside from feeling a kinship with Rory, I also loved that she was simply a good female role model to have on television. Sure, she made her share of mistakes — sleeping with her married ex-boyfriend, stealing a yacht and getting arrested, to name a few — but, overall, she set a great example for young women.

There are a lot of TV characters, celebrities, and media personalities that are having a negative impact on young girls. Google “media and female body image” and you’ll find thousands of results to substantiate the negative relationship between the two. And it’s not only body image — girls see eating disorders, destructive behavior, substance abuse, and any number of issues being portrayed on their favorite shows with increasing frequency. Gilmore Girls was a show popular with all ages that showed women it’s “cool” to be who you are without trying to impress everyone around you.

Rory was a strong, independent woman who worked hard to achieve her goals. She wasn’t the type of person to define herself by her relationships, and she didn’t bow to peer pressure. Even her fashion sense was practical and much better than what you see on a lot of teenagers on television lately. When she did make a mistake, she faced the consequences of her actions and accepted responsibility. A girl could learn a lot from Rory Gilmore.

Gilmore Girls was, simply, a genuinely good show. It was the perfect blend of comedy and drama, coming of age, and family comedy. No matter where you were in your walk in life, you could identify with someone on that show — or just wish you were someone on that show. It’s also one of those shows that never gets old; I’m pretty sure I’ve seen every episode at least three times and could never get tired of it. And now that it’s available on Netflix, perhaps a whole new generation of young women will learn how to be comfortable with themselves from Rory Gilmore.

If you’re looking for the perfect fall binge show, look no further. Brew a nice cup of tea (or coffee, as Lorelai would prefer) and curl up on the couch with the Gilmore Girls.

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