Supernatural 13x03 "Patience"

Well, for everyone clamoring for Missouri to come back to Supernatural, your wish has finally been granted. It only took, oh, twelve years. No big! And also resulted in a very short-lived appearance too, I might add. So let's get down to it...

The boys have managed to get Jack to the bunker, but soon after get a call from Missouri asking for help. A psychic friend of hers was killed by a wraith. Sam sends Jody to check on it, but Dean decides he'd rather be dealing with that than dealing with what's going on there, namely Jack, so he heads off on his own.

He and Jody meet up with Missouri, who has some visions of the wraith. Apparently said wraith has decided that psychic minds are his special brand of perfect brain juice and is now hunting them down. Missouri tries warning her son over the phone that he and his daughter are in danger, but he's not having it, so Missouri sends Dean and Jody off to keep them safe. Not sure why they didn't make more of a fuss about her going with them, but okay then.

Also why would she just have decided to go with them too? Because that evening, the wraith comes after her, and she just basically...lets it, since she saw it happen in the vision. Now, we know from the rest of the episode that the visions aren't things that have to happen, so I don't particularly understand, but fine, probably Loretta couldn't come back for multiple episodes or something.

Dean and Jody hear about Missouri's untimely death, but keep heading on toward her son's place, which is good because the wraith has already managed to track down Patience, who, it seems, has inherited her grandmother's psychic ability. That manages to save her from getting head-gutted by the wraith right away thanks to having seen a vision of it earlier. Her dad wants them to run until the wraith thing is taken care of, but of course that's put on hold when the wraith manages to take Patience straight from her bedroom without anyone noticing until it was too late.

So basically Missouri used to go off hunting and left her son alone to worry about her, then later in life told him that his sick wife would be fine, so he then believed she had been lying about her psychic gift all through the years or something, even though I'm sure he saw it on display at some point growing up, but okay we need some reason for their estrangement. Yada yada, they track down Patience using magic, she saves them from all getting gutted by the wraith thanks to a vision, and all can go back to normal.

Except, you know, she's going to be part of Wayward Sisters, so we know her normal will eventually lead her back to Jody and using her psychic gift. The good news is, I like her more than the other girls that are already going to be on there, so yay.

Meanwhile, Sam has been trying to train Jack to use his powers. Jack isn't into it, and confesses that he thinks he might be evil, even though he saw a video from Kelly earlier on saying it was his choice what to be. However, since Dean keeps basically telling him that he is evil, it's been a bit hard for him to think any differently. But, Sam can relate to feeling like he might be bad, and even confronts Dean with that when he comes back to the bunker. And honestly why isn't Dean seeing shades of gray at this point, we've been down this road many a time here on Supernatural and you'd think he would have grown at bit by now.

Unfortunately, Jack overhears this whole argument between Sam and Dean, which is made worse when Dean accuses Sam of basically using Jack to get the interdimensional rift over again rather than actually caring about him, and brings up Castiel and--- oh! Jack is like oh gosh Castiel, and we see ole Cas waking up in some completely black space. So, yep, he's coming back soon. What a surprise, like, not.

Random Thoughts:

- There wasn't much humor to be had in this episode, other than Patience's friend being kind of a lovable goof. But I'm not sure I've ever known a girl who actually used the school gym showers rather than just going home. This is always happening on TV and in movies, but does it actually happen in real life? Legit question here - have any of you ever used your school gym's showers?!

- I was poking a lot of holes in some of the story stuff above, but I didn't necessarily dislike this episode or anything, just some of it didn't necessarily make 100% logical sense, you know?

- For some reason I am always surprised when I find out people I know watch Supernatural. It's been on a long time, but it still feels like this cult small show, you know?

Quotes:

Wraith: You know this would be a lot more fun if you screamed.
Missouri: Tough.

Dean: If you get a chance at normal, you take it.

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Supernatural 13x02 "The Rising Son"

After last week's premiere, it's time to get down and dirty into the season. But really, this felt mostly like a continuation of the premiere episode. This season definitely feels like it will be more serialized compared to last season, though it's not clear where the season as a whole is going, because some of this Jack stuff could be resolved by mid-season. At least, it should be, so it's not all dragged out like they usually do. Which means that's probably what will happen!

Anywayzzzz onto the actual episode at hand. The boys are taking Jack back to the bunker, but have to stop for the night to get some rest. Because, you know, Dean doesn't want to allow Sam to drive. That's just his deal. While there, the prophet Donatello shows up, having felt a disturbance in the force, as it were. He felt the presence of Jack in the world and was drawn to him.

Meanwhile, the remains of Crowley's minions are wondering what to do next, but luckily for them, they get some direction pretty quick from the last of the four princes of hell, Asmodeus. He wants to find Lucifer's on in order to protect him for when his father returns. You know, the usual. He also promptly kills off all of the demons who weren't loyal to ole Luci.

And meanwhile meanwhile, Lucifer and Mary are hanging out in apocalypse world, trying to figure out how to get back. Sort of. Mostly they're just walking around with Lucifer saying he needs Mary. They encounter some angels who Lucifer promptly kills, then who shows up but the archangel Michael! In this world, Michael killed his Lucifer, but apparently now Michael decides he needs this Lucifer for something? Ohhhkay then, just a reason for him not to kill him. Okay!

Back at the hotel, the Winchesters are having a disagreement about what to do about Jack. Sam thinks they can teach him to be good, while Dean thinks he's destined to be bad. You know, the whole nature vs. nurture debate. It gets to be a pretty heated fight, which causes Jack to teleport out of there. He ends up staying the night in Donatello's room instead, and long story short, Asmodeus makes himself look like Donatello and whisks Jack away. You see, he wants Jack to let loose these things called shadim or something? Basically some bad hell monsters that even Lucifer doesn't want unleashed. Since he's got himself looking like Donatello, who Jack knows to be a prophet for God, Jack doesn't know better than to listen to him about trying to open the hell gate thingamajig.

Luckily, Sam and Dean show up just in time to distract him. Asmodeus reveals himself and starts demon choking the boys. Since they're his friends, Jack gets angry and could probably smite Asmodeus, but the big A teleports himself out of there before that can happen. The boys manage to finally get Jack to the bunker, where he is presumably safe from demons and angels finding him. Jack is concerned that Dean might be right about him, so of course Dean tells him that if he IS right about being evil, he'll, you know, be the one who does him in. Because that's reassurring!

Random Thoughts:

- I like the actor they have playing Asmodeus. He has a certain gravitas without being overly dramatic in his acting. I'm sure he'll be killed at some point this season, but oh well.

- I'll be honest, I had no recollection of who Donatello was, so it was a good thing he said something like oh I have no soul because of Amara. He seems normal compared to the other soulless people they've shown, though, which is kind of strange but then they're not always the best as continuity in that way.

- What could Michael want Lucifer for, and do we care?

Quotes:

Asmodeus: There's a new sheriff in town.

Mary: You can't possibly care about raising a child.
Lucifer: You have no idea what I care about.

Sam: Dude, you were hallucinating sheep on the road. You need a few hours.

Sam: Jack's scared to death of who he is. He's scared of you.

Dean: Housekeeping is not gonna like this.

Lucifer: Okay, who are you and what spaghetti western coughed you up?

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Joe Frogger Cookies

Fall is in the air. Sort of. Here it's still hitting the upper 80s and 90s during the day, so it's not feeling exactly fall-ish. Nonetheless, pumpkin everything is all up in the stores, so the fall flavors are definitely in full effect. These cookies fit right into that mold, plus they've got a little extra kick to them.

What's that kick? Rum! Yep, these cookies have some rum baked right up in there, giving them a nice little punch. Add in some molasses and fall spices (ginger, allspice, nutmeg, cloves), and you know what I'm talking about. Another interesting fact? These don't have any eggs in them! What?! I know. Instead, the dough is extremely sticky thanks to a heaping amount of molasses, so you have to refrigerate it for at least 8 hours, then actually roll it out and cut out the cookies.

I admit, the extra amount of work required to make these cookies usually isn't my thing. I typically prefer recipes that are easy peasy and rolling stuff out multiple times while having to make sure a ton of flour is out there is usually something I would give up on. But I decided to give these a go anyway! The real question is - did I like them?

I'll admit, I wasn't so sure at first. But then, after they had sat out for a while and I tried them again, they had definitely become more addictive. They end up being pretty soft despite their thinness, with perhaps a little crunch at the edges. They also really retain their shape, so if you plop some extra dough on top of one, it'll look weird and misshapen rather than if it's nice and flat and rolled out. Also, in the pictures that white dusting is the flour from when I rolled them out, not some extra powdered sugar or anything. Yes, you really do need that much flour!

So if you're in the mood for something a little different this fall, give these a go! I'm told they originate in Massachusetts over 200 years ago, which maybe explains why I'd never heard of them before, being from the west coast. Oh also! You should totally get some pumpkin ice cream and make a sandwich with these cookies! Perfect combo, am I right?

Joe Frogger Cookies
Author: Jen @ Fresh From The…
Servings: 2-3 dozen cookies
Prep time: 08:20

Cook time: 00:08

Total time: 08:45

Molasses and rum combined with spices for a perfect fall cookie.

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup dark rum (such as Myers)
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling out dough
• 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 cup molasses
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened but still cool
• 1 cup granulated sugar

Instructions:

1. Stir rum, water, and salt in small bowl until salt dissolves. Whisk flour, ginger, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves in medium bowl. Stir molasses and baking soda in large measuring cup (mixture will begin to bubble) and let sit until doubled in volume, about 15 minutes.
2. With electric mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Reduce speed to medium-low and gradually beat in rum mixture. Add one-third of flour mixture, beating on medium-low until just incorporated, followed by half of molasses mixture, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add half of remaining flour mixture, followed by remaining molasses mixture, and finally remaining flour mixture. Using rubber spatula, give dough final stir (dough will be extremely sticky). Cover bowl containing dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate until stiff, at least 8 hours or up to 3 days.
3. Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 375 degrees. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with half of dough at a time on a heavily floured work surface, roll out to 1/4-inch thickness. Using 3 1/2-inch cookie cutter, cut out 12 cookies. Transfer 6 cookies to each baking sheet, spacing cookies about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake until cookies are set and just beginning to crack, about 8 minutes, rotating rack position and direction of baking sheets halfway through baking time. Cool cookies on sheets 10 minutes, then transfer cookies to rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough. (Cookies may be stored in airtight container for up to 1 week.)

Recipe via Cook's Country

Supernatural 13x01 "Lost and Found"

Season 13 starts the day before Friday the 13th, what a coinkidink! Or however you would spell that. As you may recall from last season, some crap went down. Lucifer's spawn was born, killing his mother. Crowley died. Lucifer and Mary went through the rift between worlds to the other dimension aka Apocalypse World. Castiel died. Just some stuff, you know.

The spawn of Kelly and Lucifer, Jack, has emerged basically fully grown, because it's always easier to deal with actors who are over 18 than children. Dean is ready to shoot him straight away while Sam wants to, like, see what his deal is? Jack just wants his father, and when Dean tries to shoot him, he unleashes some powers and knocks them out.

Jack, naked as a wee babe, heads off down the road until he finds a fast food joint, where he again asks for his father. Luckily, one of the kids who works there has a mom who just happens to be the sheriff, so he calls her up and she comes out and takes Jack into custody. She tries to get him to tell her where he's from, his parents contact information, you know, just regular stuff, but he doesn't know any of it. Oh, and he's hungry.

Now, you may be thinking, oh great, is he hungry for brains or something? But no, he is still half human, he can make do with some candy for now. Because who doesn't love themselves a little nougat? Meanwhile, Dean and Sam have awoken and are on the hunt for Jack, luckily this fast food joint just happens to be the only one around, so they stop in and get the scoop. While there, they run into a drunk woman who is obviously more than she seems given she has way too much screen time to think otherwise.

So the Winchesters head off to the sheriff's station and find Jack in the midst of having a meltdown because of voices. I'm guessing these voices are angel radio, but I don't think they confirmed or denied that here? If they did I wasn't paying attention, clearly. Anyhow, a bunch of angels show up to kill the nephilim, but the Winchesters put up a fight. But why would Dean put up a fight at this point? Unclear. Sam wants to keep him around because he's not clearly evil, and also because he may eventually be able to re-open that portal to Apocalypse World.

Anywayz, the drunk woman angel from earlier manages to stab Jack with an angel blade, but do you know, it doesn't do anything to him! But she gets her own angel blade in the gut for her troubles, so there's that. Oh, I also forgot to mention that Sam and Jack have a heart to heart, wherein Jack tells Sam that he chose Castiel as his father, so that's who he's been looking for. Sadly for him, he's still dead. Of course, Misha Collins is in all the art and basically everywhere promoting the show, so I highly doubt Cas will be dead for too long, despite Dean's seemingly unheard prayers to Chuck/GAHHG.

So, they give Cas and Kelly, and I guess maybe Crowley too, a hunter's funeral, pyre and all. Dean also contends they are honoring Mary, as surely she must be dead. But lo! No. Lucifer has kept her alive over in AW, because he may need her or something. Dun dun dun.

Random Thoughts:

- I personally would have liked it more if Jack was a less ambiguous character. As in, make him clearly not evil rather than seemingly so, especially in all of his intro scenes. I mean, I get it, but I'm also tired of so much angst. So. Much. Angst.

- Is it weird that I'd rather see what's going on with Mary in AW?

- How do you think Castiel will be brought back? Because you know it's going to happen. They never let characters stay dead on this show, least of all the third most popular one.

Quotes:

Dean: I tried to shoot the monster, Sam. It's kind of what we do.

Jack: I like it. I like nougat.

Miriam: Also you're a giant super bitch.
Dean: Well it takes one to know one.

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