Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons and Ghouls

Part of Supernatural’s allure is the monster-of-the-week mythology. The paranormal bounty brothers never lack for things to hunt. In The Supernatural Books of Monsters, Spirits, Demons and Ghouls, Alex Irvine delves deeper into the creatures Dean and Sam have given us a basic introduction to.

The book is divided into five parts and includes two appendixes—Herbs, Oils and Hoodoo Hands and Names and Attributes of European Demons.

I’ll tell you my biggest pet peeve right off the bat...the book is supposedly narrated by both Sam and Dean, but it comes off like this weird omniscient point-of-view that sounds nothing like them. Their “voices” on the show are distinctive and unique and none of that is carried on to the page. It would’ve been better for the author to write as an interested observer, perhaps a professor or a paranormal investigator fascinated with the Winchesters. Typically speaking, the kind of narration Irvine chose would create reader intimacy, as if the boys were sharing secrets, but because we know their personalities so well, and he does not emulate them at all, it has an immediate and opposite reaction, repelling the reader to think, “Who’re these dudes?”

Come to think of it, the perfect narrator for this book would’ve been Bobby Singer!

That complaint aside, and admittedly it’s a big one, how does the lore fare?

SPIRITS covers the importance of salt and burn, the woman in white, banshees, water spirits, urban legends and vengeful spirits like the Hook Man and Bloody Mary, land spirits: native and immigrant, such as the Indian curse, Amityville, Route 55, Wisconsin Lakes Curse and the Curse of Kaskaskia, plus Venir (scarecrow), Lawrence lore and Death Apparitions.

MONSTERS is all about the Wendigo, Shapeshifters, Yenaldooshi, Bearwalker, Leszy, Nahuales, Puca, The Animal Wives (Selkies, Swan Maidens and Kitsune), Lycanthropy, Tulpas, Humunculus, Golem and Rakshasa.

GHOULS, REVENANTS, ET CETERA is a paranormal potpourri of Ghouls, Shtrigas, Draugrs, Vamps, Zombies and others.

WITCHES, FAMILIARS AND BLACK DOGS is just that.

And DEMONS gets down and dirty with Succubus/Incubus, Jinn, Tengu, Abiku, Pishacha, Acheri, YED, Lesser Demons, Reaper and Goofer Dust.

The book does a great job of reintroducing the MOTW and expanding on their details, oftentimes giving culture differences. Did you know a Leszy is a Slavic forest spirit that likes to makes its appearance as a talking mushroom? Or that the word zombie comes the from the Bantu word nzambi and Haitian zombies were created from magic and the poison of a pufferfish? And, considering the recent Death Takes A Holiday, I enjoyed learning that Reapers are called psychopomps. Doesn’t that sound scarily solicitous? I’ve also adopted the hoodoo tradition of Goofer Dust and now, much to my husband's horror, walk around whispering “Kiss my ass” everywhere in case a witch is present.

In blending show elements and deepening the mythological stories, The Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons and Ghouls is an entertaining and fascinating read, even if it does miss the mark on giving the Winchesters a voice.

Pop Quiz!

I am a writer (with a lifelong love of stories) who holds a degree in history, so I have a geeky love for the tales that get passed down over the years and retold in different cultures worldwide. The varied urban legends and folklore that formed the backbone of season 1--and, to a lesser degree, later seasons--fascinate me (and, also, scare the hell out of me). And, on St. Patrick's Day, with its association with leprechauns and faerie folk, it seemed like a fitting time to offer this short quiz to see what you know about the mythological!

SPN's pilot jumped right in with something eerily familiar to me, the ghostly hitchiker, frequently known as the Woman in White. (As I've mentioned before, I grew up with the Ghost of White Rock Lake down the road, to speak.) Witch of the following (okay, I swear that was a totally Freduian typo) is also a well known regional tale of a paranormal passenger?

a) the Pasadena woman in white who, according to reports, predicted a major earthquake
b) the Georgia woman in white who warns of evil in the red clay
c) the Washington woman in white who warned her drivers of a Mt. Saint Helen's eruption


C
Tales of encountering her began after the major eruption in 1980 and were eventually reported in numerous media, such as the Tacoma Washington News Tribune. According to legend, she warned that MSH would erupt again on October 12. Which it did. In 2004. I prefer these "helpful" (or at least innocuous) sightings to the traditionally Hispanic and emotionally disquieting stories of La Lorona (the weeping woman who killed her children), which is the version in the SPN pilot. (Great ep, but that scene where her kids confronted her at the end? CHILLS. I am now officially sleeping with the light on. Oh, and speaking of me being a wuss, I understand that if you Google you Tube ghost hitchhiker, someone aparently posted an eerie little vid that, even if it turns out to have been doctored up by some high school kids who are good with a camcorder, I am still too chicken to check out. You feel free, though!)

When it comes to warding off evil, by now, we should have all learned the nifty properties of the all important salt circle (I briefly considered sleeping with a big ring of Morton around the king sized bed, but figure J is only willing to indulge my neuroses so far.) What else is suggested for keeping evil out of the house?

a) bamboo wind chimes outside the front door, sprinkled with Holy water the day they are first hung
b) burying an iron knife beneath your doorstep
c) cooking with lots of garlic


B
Iron has long been reputed one of the stronger wards against evil, helpful for barring entrance to demons, witches, spirits and even malicious fairies. (Then again, some superstitious might claim that you need the garlic to hedge your bets with vampires. But garlic apparently has a high sulfur content, which SPN generally associates with demons dropping by the neighborhood, so season at your own risk...)


Which of the following is a real medical syndrome based on a mythological creature depicted in Supernatural?

a) Wendigo psychosis
b) Vanaheimr
c) Djinn dementia


A
The second episode of Supernatural (Wendigo) is not among my favorite (although I cackled at "I'm Agent Ford, this is Agent Hamill.") But the legend stuck with me because, unlike Hook Man or Bloody Mary, it wasn't one I was familiar with. So I did a little research until it creeped me out too much. Variations of Wendigo legend were part of tribal lore for some Native American and Canadian peoples who believed that a person could be transformed if they resorted to cannabilism for any reason. The rare psychosis leads to an actual craving for human flesh (usually after having ingested it in life-threatening famine) which, yikes. And ew.

So, to change the subject, Vanaheimr was the mythological home to Vanir (Norse deities). Do you know what episode featured a Vanir without looking it up? (I'll give the answer in comments.)

And finally, I think we can agree that the Impala is nearly a supernatural being herself--preternaturally strong and sexy and full of life. So when did Chevy introduce the first Imapala? (Come on, Dean would want you to know.)

a) 1955
b) 1960
c) 1958


C
That's when the earliest version was introduced, but it didn't become its own model until 1959.

So, how'd you do? Ready to ride shotgun and rock out to Bon Jovi, or are you probably better off safely at home? Always assuming, of course, that "home" has no malevolent poltergeists...

Check back in April for my quiz on Which Hunter Type Are You? (Less educational trivia, more pictures of Dean and Sam.)

Bobby Singer: Supernatural's Giles?

I wonder if Bobby Singer has ever been called a Redneck Rupert Giles. Because, in a lot of ways, Bobby is to the Winchester boys what Giles was to Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Think about it -- who gets called when the main character(s) is/are stumped? Who is surrounded by piles and piles of books about all kinds of supernatural baddies? Who acts as a father figure in the absence of a real father? Despite the contrast between the trucker caps and flannel Bobby always wears and the tweedy professor look Giles prefers, these two characters have a lot in common. Although we've yet to see Bobby and the rest of the Supernatural cast in a musical episode yet. :)

Okay, let's focus on Bobby, played wonderfully by Jim Beaver. I just love this guy. He's funny, smart, tells it like it is, and obviously loves Sam and Dean like they were his own sons. And he's pretty darn handy to have around when you're fighting demons and the like.

Bobby first showed up in the Supernatural-verse toward the end of Season One, after Papa Winchester has been taken captive by meanie Meg. He helps the boys trap and perform an exorcism on Meg, and also explains to them about how the girl Meg was is still trapped inside her body. Bobby starts appearing more regularly in Season Two. The emotions surrounding his scenes run the gamut from touching (when he understands that while Sam is on the surface talking about the Impala when he says it's worth saving as long as one thing works, he's really talking about the near-death Dean) to funny (when he loans the boys the only working vehicle he has -- a minivan!) I can't help but giggle thinking about Dean and the minivan.

Bobby shows just how smart he is about all this supernatural stuff in "Tall Tales" when, after listening to Sam and Dean's wildly varying accounting of events, tells them that they're dealing with a trickster. This is one of the times when you can just see Bobby's mental eye-rolling at the boys.

While Bobby loves the boys, he doesn't always agree with them. One such instance is when Dean refuses to bury Sam after he's killed in "All Hell Breaks Loose," instead choosing to trade his soul for Sam's resurrection.

In Season Three, we finally see that Bobby, like so many other hunters, got into hunting because of a personal loss -- that of his wife, whom he killed when she became possessed. We also see that the Winchester boys are becoming more and more like family to him. As the season winds down, and the attack on Lilith is imminent, Dean tells Bobby that it isn't his fight. To which Bobby says, "Family don't end with blood, boy!"

I think my favorite Bobby moment of Season Four so far is when the boys discover his ghost- and demon-proof panic room. When Dean asks, "You have a ghost-proof panic room?", Bobby, in typical Bobby style, says, "I had a weekend off."

I've heard buzz that someone close to the boys may be killed off, and I really, REALLY hope it's not Bobby. He's just way too much fun. But going back to the Giles comparison, Buffy had to stand alone at some point and not depend on Giles, so Giles left her. He didn't die, but he wasn't there for her to call. So the possibility is there for Bobby to go bye-bye in some way, but I can't say I like it.

What do you think? Do you think Bobby will be around for Season Five? Why or why not?

Coming this week...

Monday -- I'll share the reasons I love Bobby's character. I mean, what's not to love? :)

Tuesday -- Tanya will test everyone's demon-hunting knowledge.

Wednesday -- Terri will do a review of the Supernatural Book of Monsters, Spirits, Demons and Ghouls.

Thursday -- It's Brother vs. Brother time with Natalie.

Friday -- MJ is in the driver's seat for this week's episode recap, for "On the Head of a Pin." I'm guessing this is an angel episode. :)

All the Winchester Glory Fit to Blog (recap for 3/12 ep)

Spoilers (as in point by point summary) for Death Takes a Holiday



Okay, love for Kripke and all, but DUDE! This was the latest in the continuing series of episodes where I ended up depressed after. In fact, I think they should do away with the annoying commercials for Arby's they kept showing (the one with the guy styling his hair with a burger? ugh) and just do ads for, you know, Lexapro, Effexor, Zoloft... Of course, rant notwithstanding, I still thought the episode was fairly well written/acted and had some interesting character moments.

We open on a scene with two guys discussing fantasy football as they step onto a dark street--the only relevant bit here is the would-be mugger who gets startled into shooting one of the guys. Point blank. In the heart. So it would be rather shocking that said shooting victim didn't die, except that I already knew the title of the ep, so no big surprise there.

Flash to our boys in one of the ubiquitous diners they like to frequent (pie!) and Sam saying he got a tip from Bobby (who I wish was getting more screen time!) that there was a Wyoming town where people were mysteriously not dying. Although, somewhat amusingly, IMO, there have only been two non-deaths. Doesn't it take three to make a pattern? But Sam elaborates that, of the two, one was clinically dead when he got up and walked out of hospice and the other was aforementioned shot-through-the-heart (and you're to blame) guy. Sam immediately posits that it's probably something dark (ie demonic deals) and that they should make tracks.

It's here that, to me, Dean seems to get reeeeeaaaaal uncomfortable. He sits like a lump while his brother heads toward the door and when Sam turns back, Dean snips, "You sure you want me to go? I wouldn't want to hold you back." (See: siren-induced sibling brawl in 4.14 "Sex and Violence".) Now, maybe it's just me, but I think that Dean picking a fight here wasn't anger at his bro but at himself (guilty conscience) because what Sam's suggesting brings up a point we've mentioned here on the blog before. In the Supernatural mythos, hell isn't just populated by baddies, but people who were desperate enough to try to make deals (e.g. John Winchester, Dean Winchester...). So I wonder if perhaps Sam didn't get Dean thinking about those poor deluded fools who make deals (perhaps to gain more time with their loved ones, e.g. MARY Winchester) and end up somehow paying later. What if some of those types were the very souls Dean was "happily" torturing in hell?

Or maybe I just read waaaaaay too much into it. But Dean still radiates that guilt that's been a central part of his character ever since he admitted to Sam that he definitely remembers his time down under.

The brothers visit one of the "miracle" survivors, their cover being that they are bloggers for the Lord. (Fairly hilarious, but nothing beats the time they showed up as grief counselors: "We're here to hug.") In this scene, we get our first example of how much the brothers have changed places. Remember back when Dean was a jaded hunter who didn't let pesky stuff like emotions get in the way of the job, and Sensitive Sammy was his contrast? Yeah, not so much anymore. Sam asks, somewhat tactlessly, "Been to any crossroads lately? Talked to anyone with black eyes? Maybe red?"

Our intrepid heroes conclude that perhaps the reason no one's died here in the last 10 days is an absence of Reapers, which leads them to an asthmatic kid (the last death in town). It's Sam's idea that they do a seance in the cemetery to just ask the kid what he knows, and Dean (again, the erstwhile jaded hunter who thought nothing of traveling the world in the Impala and doing whatever necesary to gank monsters) observes that it's "whacked" how matter-of-factly they do things like try to raise spirits in the cemetery. Well, yes, Dean. It's like he's just chimed in for a chorus of the same song Sammy was singing when we first met him. In fact, they go on to argue about bringing back the Reapers, with Sam contending that they're a "natural" order that must be maintained and Dean getting indignant over the irony (Yeah, Sam. See the title of your show). Dean points out that being a Winchester is all about cheating death, so what makes them so special? (I could give him a list, but I don't think that's what he's talking about.) Anyway, Sam is borderline condescending when he points out that this IS their life and Dean can't be Joe Plumber, no matter how much he wants to be normal. Which brings us full circle to the pilot episode where Dean thinks it's ridiculous that Sam wants to go off and marry Jess and live the life of Joe Normal. (BTW, as you can probably tell, I was not so much with the Sam-love this ep, but Padalecki was doing a GREAT job. He could be cold and distant and morally detached, and then he'd smile at something or make a comment and it was like seeing the old Sam, which only underlined how much his character has changed.)

Their cemetery fun is interrupted by Allistair and when we first met the demon, I thought he was a little over the top in a handlebar mustache, mob-boss, too campy to be truly spooky way. But because they've made him so distinctive, I think it's easier for different actors (possessees) to play him and be recognizable. Dean gets knocked out immediately, but then Sam uses some of his mojo to drive him off. And let me just say, Sam when he goes to that dark exorcism place? He DOES look spooky. It can't be easy to be that hot and that chilling.

Seance thwarted, the brothers decide to visit the spirit plane to talk to the kid, via the help of grouchy and reluctant psychic, Pamela Barnes, who we first met in the season opener Lazarus Rising. Frankly, can you blame her for being grouchy and reluctantly? When Bobby first brought the boys to her for help, she ended up blinded for her troubles. (And, um, she ain't gonna end up much better after assisting them in this episode.) Once they become ghostlike, we see a bit of characteristic--or what used to be characteristic--sibling behavior. Dean can't resist putting his hand through Sam (much, as it seems, my kids can't resist poking at each other whenever we're driving somewhere).

Sam: "Get out of me."
Dean: "You're such a prude."

Well, actually he's NOT. There were one or two times in early seasons he actually did come across as a little...well, prissy (don't kill me, Samgirls), but that was before he was doing female doctors up against walls and having smoking sex with demons. Our boys--and their relationship--are nowhere near what they were in seasons 1, 2, or 3. Which was evidenced earlier when Sam lied about Allistair running and Dean called him on it, telling Sam he could keep his little secrets but to at least not treat him (Dean) like an idiot.

Even more so than most episodes, this was one was rife with the pop cult references, including "ghost" Dean making plans to "feel up Demi Moore" and, after they gently break the news to the spirit kid that he is, in fact, deceased, he snarks back at them, "Yeah, thanks haley Joel, I know I'm dead." Love it!

The "black smoke" took the Reaper who first came for the kid (apparently, sacrificing two reapers in a ritualistic way on a certain night will open another seal) but now another Reaper has come to collect: Tessa. Who you may remember (although Dean initially did not) from 2.1 "In My Time of Dying." She's come for the kid, although she agrees not to reap him yet until they can sort out what's going on with Allistair. But, to sort that out, they need the kid's cooperation. Sam offers to talk to him and when Dean asks what his brother plans to say, Sam responds, "Whatever I have to." Which he does. He baldly lies to the kid, promising he can stay in the house with his family forever and doesn't have to go into the light if he helps. Liar! And so unlike the Sammy we once knew. It would have been Dean taking the Machiavellian approach and Sam fretting over it. Oh, I feel sad now.

But then there's a great scene where the kid is trying to teach them to use their ghostly powers that cracked me up. Especially when Dean makes a Mr. Myagi reference, and the kid asks blanky, "Who's Mr. Myagi?"

After the scary old man reaper is--what? killed? you can kill death?--dispatched and another confrontation with Allistair, the boys do at least manage to save Tessa. But Sam gets yanked back into the corporeal plane because Pamela the pyschic is being attacked. He arrives to send a demon out of a body, but not in time to keep Pamela from being stabbed. (Honestly, it's no wonder she hates helping these guys.) Clearly a mortal wound, or, at least, it will be, once Tessa gets back on the job.

Meanwhile, Dean squares off with Allistair, who calls Dean "angsty." Angsty! Need anymore proof that the brothers have completely switched roles? But then Castiel shows up, which apparently results in the capture of Allistair (which I'm probably not spelling right, but at least I'm consistent). Then Dean has to go with Tessa to explain to the kid that Sam lied (and then conveniently fled the plane before having the tough discussion). There's a semi-poignant moment where Tessa explains that the kid will be doing his grieving mother a favor by removing his spirit from the house, then he walks into her for a hug and disappears in a bright flash of light. (Seriously, why did they send creepy Reaper after him in the first place instead of the pretty soothing one?) But then the writers RUIN it by having Tessa go completely cold and insist that there is no "better place" and Dean knows it.

COME ON! Even on Buffy, which got darker in its last two seasons, there was a heaven (of course, her meddling friends did her psychological damage by yanking her out of it, but not my point.) Where's the balance, show? We have demons galore--but the angels are cryptic at best, occasionally fallen and, well, I'm not sure the word I want to use for Uriel is appropriate for this blog. We have a torturous unthinkable hell, but there's no heaven? We're missing the contrast, the balance the, dare I say, natural order of things :-) I'm curious to see if there's a light at the end of this season's darkness or if that's something we'll work toward next season. (Unless, horrors, we just get even darker next season and get one of those Angelesque apocolyptic endings, which, NO! These poor boys deserve better. And if the show's mythos already includes a God and angels, why not a heaven? So now the boys have nothing to work toward? Nothing to look forward to after a life of battling evil? Unfair!)

Dean awakes in time to see that Pamela is dying and lamely offers that she's, "going to a better place." To which she calls bullshit. Then she hugs Sam goodbye, except what she's really doing is telling him that she felt the darkness in him and that if he's rationalizing his new powers by telling himself he has the best of attentions, well, bullshit to that, too.

And then credits. And Tanya staring miserably at the screen going, Gah.

What about you? What do you think of the boys' role reversals and the growing sense of impending doom? Well-written and intriguing, or enough already, we need more eye of the tiger end credits to keep us from crying ourselves to sleep after the eps?

Supernatural Sound

"Gasoline" by The Living Daylights
"What Cha Gonna Do" by Classic
"Speaking In Tongues" by Eagles Of Death Metal
"Ramblin' Man" by Allman Brothers Band
"Back In Black" by AC/DC
"Highway To Hell" by AC/DC
"My Cheatin' Ways" by Kid Gloves Music

CUE MUSIC: [And you can take your anemic, alternative pop music and shove it up your ass. Dean plays bass thumping, pile driving Zeppelin, and he plays it loud.]

That’s the way series creator Erik Kripke noted the music intro for the pilot script of Supernatural. A small town Ohioan, and big time Led Zepplin fan, Erik fought to make Supernatural stand out on the soundtrack landscape. His beloved 70’s mullet rock was so important to him he nearly quit the show when they tried to steer him from metal to McLachlan. Fortunately, Kripke won and those eight songs quickly told viewers this show was going to be different. Now legions of new fans are downloading AC/DC, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Foreigner and I know I’m not the only one with Kansas’s Carry On My Wayward Son as a ringtone.



While Kripke is the most paramount influence over Supernatural’s sound, kudos also have to go to music supervisor Alex Patsavas. Patsavas has paired music with pictures for Roswell, The O.C., Gossip Girl, Chuck, Twilight (Yes, that Twilight) and Grey’s Anatomy. She combs through over 500 submissions a week for all the shows she works on and is considered a golden girl for her ability to discover new talent and shoot songs to the top of the charts. After Snow Patrol’s Chasing Cars played during Denny’s (our Jeffrey Dean Morgan) death scene on Grey’s it became #1 on I-Tunes download list the following day. Patsavas considers music to be a character and that certainly holds true for the Supernatural soundtrack.

Sadly, though the fans and Kripke would love to see official Supernatural soundtracks released, it doesn’t look to be possible due to steep costs. Led Zeppelin, in particular, is impossibly (read: obscenely) expensive to license, but I imagine they have to know how much this show has created a resurgence of interest in their songs. As an alternative Kripke has asked Warner Music to create an official Supernatural I-Tunes playlist, but that hasn’t happened either (even though you can download all the episodes). However, fans have created some pretty awesome I-Tunes I-Mix’s so you can download your own soundtrack that way. And if you want to see a broken down song episode guide check out Supernatural.TV.

I know I’ve gained a greater appreciation for classic rock because of this show and that’s one of Kripke’s greatest pleasures.

"One of the best pleasures I've had with this show is when I'm online checking out the blogs and there's this 14-year-old kid who says, 'What is this band, Foreigner and this song, Hot Blooded? I really liked it and I went out and bought the greatest hits of Foreigner' and I'm like, ah, I'm doing God's work! I'm introducing people to Foreigner, now if I can get people on board with Triumph! Spreading that sick obsession of mine has been very, very gratifying."

Did you love mullet rock before Supernatural? Got any Supernatural ringtones? What do you think Sammy listens to? And are you waiting for Carry on Wayward Son to make an appearance in season 4 like I am? This song has become a heartbreaking season ending hallmark--1.20 Salvation, 2.22 All Hell Breaks Loose, 3.16 No Rest for the Wicked—and I expect this season to be no different.

Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?

MJ: I've been looking forward to this movie since I heard Jeffrey Dean Morgan would be in it. I read Watchmen in January 2008, and understood why Jeffrey said fans of Denny would lose their....well, they wouldn't be getting the same character at all. I urged my teen-aged son to read it (okay, maybe not the best parenting move) but not until he saw the trailer was he a convert. So I thought the two of us could write a joint review of the movie for you.

JF: I was first introduced to Alan Moore through V For Vendetta, unaware that his true genius lay in a novel recommended to me by my mother. Hurm.

MJ: I loved V for Vendetta, the movie, but never read the book. I had actually never read a graphic novel before Watchmen (thank you JDM).

JF: Watchmen takes place in an alternate 1985 in which Richard Nixon is still President, the United States won the Vietnam War and superheroes have been outlawed except for the God-like Dr. Manhattan and the nihilistic Comedian whose murder kicks off the plot.

MJ: The man dies IN EVERYTHING.

JF: Hehe, "Deady."



MJ: FUNNY. Poor JDM. He said when his agent sent him the graphic novel, he thought the agent was playing a joke on him-he died on page three. The agent told him not to be a...well, to just keep reading. He went to meet Zach, who told him the role was his if he wanted. I think Zach was the perfect director for this-he clearly had a vision going in.

JF: Yeah, my friend Sam said he would've rather seen Terry Gilliam direct it. Isn't he cute? The movie stays ridiculously faithful to the novel in all aspects but the ending, which honestly does not bother me.

MJ: The movie was so close to the book that I was actually ticking events off in my head: This needs to happen, and this, and this. I agree about the ending. It seemed to make more sense and create more conflict this way.

JF: There's violence. Lots of violence.

MJ: I hid my eyes pretty much every time Rorschach was on the screen. He was not sane, but he did have some of the best lines in the movie. I loved the line, "God didn't much care what any of us did that night." Also, "I'm not locked in here with you. You're locked in here with me."



JF: He had some of the greatest lines in the history of superhero movies. Speaking of greatest, best opening credits in the history of mankind. Bob Dylan makes everything better.

MJ: Agreed. It worked as a terrific prologue, giving the viewers who read the book AND the ones who hadn't a history of these costumed heroes....who weren't really all that heroic. These people wanted to help society but ended up being consumed by their own egos, or by their own power, or hiding behind their masks. It's a great character study.

JF: Psychologists will love this movie. It's definitely more mature in that aspect, as well as giving the existence of superheroes cultural and political aspects, i.e. Ozymandias (Matthew Goode) partying with David Bowie and The Village People and the United States using Dr. Manhattan to win the Vietnam War. Although...the political bits left something to be desired but the first bit with the McLaughlin Group: perfection.

MJ: It did a good job of setting the time period-I never watched the McLaughlin Group, but I remember SNL making fun of it. During the credits, I saw that Annie Leibowitz was portrayed. I recognized the Andy Warhol character and of course JFK and Jackie. My quibble with Nixon was he looked like a caricature. Yes, I know, this is a movie about superheroes, but everything else looked "real," even the big blue guy.

JF: Where's Frank Langella when you need him? Even though I think this guy did a good job, just the nose...long. Like the movie, actually. But despite its length, the film is really fast-paced due to the fact that it has a lot of ground to cover, but stay with it, it's worth it.



MJ: Yet some scenes, like the love scene, were a hair too long. I would have rather they built up other parts of the story, like the big revelation that I'd been looking forward to. It lost some of its emotional punch because a lot of the backstory was compressed.

JF: What the hell was up with that sex scene? It was unreasonably long when it was only depicted in a few frames in the novel. And to "Hallelujah?" There are so many things that are wrong with this scene.

MJ: There is only so much of Patrick Wilson I want to see, you know?

JF: I was more comfortable with Dr. Manhattan's person because at least his nudity highlighted his gravitation away from humanity.



MJ: Yeah, and his need for PANTS? I thought it was just because he didn't shred his pants like the Hulk when he got bigger.

JF: Maybe he just likes the breeze.

MJ: My son, ladies and gentlemen.

JF: Moving on, fans of Grey's Anatomy and Supernatural ...

MJ: That would be me.

JF: ...have been trying to tell me this for ages and I finally agree: Jeffrey Dean Morgan is a horribly underrated actor and he was great as The Comedian. Only he could look so cool beating up hippies to KC & The Sunshine Band.



MJ: He was wicked. Not adorable or redeemable at all. But that music was terrific. I've heard people complain that the soundtrack drew them out of the movie. I enjoyed it, though. "Unforgettable" was playing as a backdrop for the Comedian's murder, "Sound of Silence" during the funeral, "Hallelujah" during the love scene....well done.

JF: Gah, "Hallelujah..." The score was perfect though, it had a real Blade Runner feel to it, but...cooler? Zack definitely liked contrasting themes just as Moore did in the novel. The symmetry that is so prominent in the book also presents itself in the film, but most of it requires a second viewing to understand.

MJ: I do want to see it again. It's a long movie, though, so....maybe after a week or so.

JF: True that, yo. My butt's still flat from two viewings. But Jackie Earle Haley makes it worth it because Jackie Earle Haley is absolutely brilliant as Rorschach. Role of a lifetime despite Christian Bale voice. Lives in San Antonio. Must investigate further. Jackie Earle Haley.

MJ: I loved his scenes with Dan (Nite Owl) and when he was unmasked.

JF: The scenes on Mars are some of my favorite scenes in cinematic history. They're just so beautiful. Towards the end, it kind of has a Return Of The King feel to it, just in how it's edited and in the sense of urgency. Maybe that's just me.

MJ: I didn't get that comparison, and to be honest, Dr. Manhattan was probably the least compelling character for me.

JF: You take that back!

MJ: Come on-the Comedian was intriguing, Rorschach was fascinating, Silk Spectre was interesting...okay, maybe Nite Owl was the least compelling. While Billy Crudup did a terrific job, I felt a distance from the character.

JF: Which makes sense if you think about it. Isn't he getting further away from humanity? Therefore, humans would fall out of touch with him.

MJ: Right. Well, they did a good job with that. So the Mars scenes, while cool, weren't my favorite. I know those scenes were very important to Watchmen fans.

JF: Very much so, but Zack Snyder may be upsetting some Bob Dylan fans with My Chemical Romance's cover of "Desolation Row." But despite my moral opposition to their cover, it fit. "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love And Understanding?" by Elvis Costello would've been a better fit.

MJ: While I love Elvis, I thought the song they used fit great. So, final analysis...best movie of the year?

JF: What could possibly top it? The Wolverine movie? Please.

MJ: Dude. GAMBIT.

JF: Anyone in Watchmen could easily destroy Gambit. AND THEY DON'T EVEN HAVE POWERS!

MJ: Hey, it's your fault I even know who Gambit is. Remember those cartoons we'd watch over and over?

JF: Uh huh, and who's the one who recommended a comic book to her son? That just happened.

MJ: My fault....my son has WAY too much exposure to pop culture. Back to the movie....I've not been able to get it out of my head for days, and not just the JDM parts (he's actually only in a handful of scenes because, you know, he DIES at the beginning.) Still, really a powerful movie.

JF: You can forgive Zack Snyder for 300 now.

MJ: Hey, now! How can you forget, "THIS IS SPARTA???"

JF: By memorizing the first lines of Rorschach's journal or anything that has artistic merit.

MJ: You like having gas in your car, right?

JF: Most car thieves don't know how to drive a stick, I do.

MJ: Because I taught you. Behave.

JF: "Rorschach's Journal, October 12, 1985..."

MJ: This could go on forever.

Have you seen the movie? What did you think?