First and foremost, this Awkward Family Photo taken at the Las Vegas convention a few years back has a whole different feeling about it now that season 12 of Supernatural and season 7 of The Walking Dead have premiered. I mean, aaaaaaarrrrgghhhhh.

I can’t believe we have begun season 12 of this show. Who’d a thunk it, back when we had our fingers crossed for renewal back in season three.

We ended season 11 with maybe the most somber of season finales. At least for this show. Complete with sweet, weepy moments, and a double kick in the pants ending that propelled us into season 12 with a really interesting set of circumstances. Sammy shot by the heretofore unknown British MoL, and the return of Momma Winchester, aka Mary.

Okay, thoughts about the first four episodes, in no particular order.

I honestly cried, a few times, during the season 12 premiere. I mean, I could easily dismiss my show of emotion because I had just returned from Creation Stands Supernatural convention in Toronto, and I was still feeling giddy from hugging various cast members. Or just that I am a sap when it comes to seeing the beautiful boys in agony – be it emotional Momma agony, or actual, flayed foot skin agony.

But the truth is, I am an emotional person, and I cry pretty easily these days, and there is no shame in it. I watch Supernatural because it makes me happy, and makes me cry, and makes me laugh, and gives me all the feels.

My only real quibble: If the British chapter of the Men of Letters is so fantastic at detecting and killing monsters, WHY do they need Sam and Dean at all; and WHERE have they been all this time. If they know everything the Winchesters have been up to, including their repeated triggering of, and subsequent squelching of their fair share of apocalypses, how come they’ve just been sitting on their fat, English arses all this time? And after Mr. Catch kills the psychic kid at the end of episode four, do the British MoL really have the moral high ground here? I think not.

Winchesters or nothing! 🙂

I thought it was awesome to give Dean plenty of time with Mary in the first two episodes, and when Sammy told her that having her back was filling the biggest gap at the end of episode two, I got all weepy yet again.

DAMMIT SHOW

And then, after a troubling and sometimes awkward hunt with her boys in episode three (Mary and nurseries DO NOT ever get along well), Mary bows out for some well deserved “me” time. Of course, her two boys take that willful abandonment differently, but both reactions are heart-breaking.  And can I just reiterate how impressed I am by Jensen Ackles acting? I mean, jeez, this guy just brings it, over and over. You think you got it, and he just peels off another layer and you are crushed. SO good. A shame he will never get an Emmy for his work on this show. His excellent, awesome work.

And then, we get episode four, which is creepy, and awful, peppered with CrankyDean and ConcernedSam, and appropriately titled “American Nightmare.” I mean, the THEN kinda ruined the surprize (as usual), but to see the emotion from Sam as he talked about his psychic shenanigans. It was spot on. And then Dean finally gets a text back from MOM, and he is back to being adorably sweet little boy Dean.

OMG, this show. They are doing such a good job! (I’m not crying, YOU ARE)

Meanwhile, Castiel and Crowley have teamed up to hunt down Lucifer. They are hilarious together, and I hope we get to see them be the Anti-SamandDean for a few more episodes.

And let us not forget Rowena, who I think saved us from any more episodes with Rick Springfield as Lucifer. I hope. Look, Rick Springfield is fine, but after Mark Pellegrino, and then Misha Collins did bang-up jobs as our favorite Bad Boy Angel, poor Rick just didn’t have the mojo to bring it. So, thank you Rowena for being Rowena, and sending him off to the deepest ocean.

As has become common for me since around season 8 or 9, I worry at the beginning of the season that this will be the year that they finally blow it and ruin one of my favorite shows, but I like what they are doing so far. The hunts have been disturbing and awkward, and the boys have good drama to tackle. And it’s nice to have the story scaled down to more personal things, after so many seasons of escalation.

SO FAR SO GOOD.

NEXT!

Cursed objects and a grenade launcher! (The one that’s been sitting in the trunk of Metallicar for 12 seasons?). This one looks sorta funny? Aw, who knows. Promo monkeys have been wrong many, many times before.