 Which, what is one of the eight best funs I've ever had? Man's Best Friend with Benefits, oh my god. Jesus, what a fuckin' title. Ooh! That's a hot mug, guys! Hey guys, this is Jeremy here with my review for Supernatural Season 8 Episode 15 Man's Best Friends with Benefits. My god, what a goddamn cringy title. I was very wrong, this was not the one that I thought was coming. But in fact, actually, it's another really good one-off episode. Mods are of the week, but in this case, it's a mystery of the week. And it's always interesting how Supernatural would try to do spin-off shows. Obviously, Carver's gonna do it. And then, Dab tried to do it. But I always found that sometimes there would be these one-off characters that would be really, really good. Like, for instance, back in Season 5, there was the gambler, who would gamble people's years. And then, in Season, oh god, one of the Andrew Dab eras, there was that priest guy who I thought was really good. And now, for this episode, both the cop James and his dog slash familiar, Portia, I thought that their story and the mystery of whether or not he was killing people and the betrayal within his own community was actually really well done. This is like, I guess, some kind of play on Dresden files. Apparently, this guy that Sam and Dean helped in the past, I wonder if it's connected to a book, because he's never been in the show before, up until now. He was a cop who got interested in the alchemy and he used the witch powers to basically become one of the best cops. And all along the way, he kind of made some enemies within the force and as well within the community. Because if you have anything rubbing together, the instant you see his friend sitting across the table, you're like, ah, you're the villain. But the episode does pry to kind of dissuade you into who it might be, especially when Sam goes to the cop station and he talks to one of James's not superiors, but kind of co-detectives. Maybe if the actor who was playing him wasn't absolute dog shit terrible. This place is run like a dog sled. No stars, just grunts. One muck goes lame, another one pops up. You could believe it a little more, but because his performance is so utterly bad in this episode that you know it pretty much confirms that it is, in fact, the friend. That's actually the only negative part Aside from a McGuffin, they keep on bringing it up with different witches and whatnot about A. Is there a way that you can figure out how to take control of someone or project someone and whatnot? And all the witch community, like now we've never heard of this before, and then going through random Bobby's notes, they just so happen to find, oh yeah, it actually can happen. Is that there is a spell for implanting images into another person's brain? Really? Yeah. Obviously Supernatural wouldn't be adverse to using this technique over and over and over again, both before and after, but I kind of had to be like, oh, when they came across that bit. So aside from the horrible actor though and the McGuffin, I like the chemistry between Portia and the boys and Portia and James. I like the James character. I liked his inclusion in it, despite some adversities with terrible acting and McGuffins. Familiaries aren't supposed to be sexually involved with their witches. I didn't expect that. I actually did give you a decent mystery and I just enjoyed the idea of a cop magician or a cop witch. I thought that was a cool idea and that could have been used more if they ever brought this guy back, but they never did. And very much akin to how Supernatural was back in season one and two, it weaves in the main narrative into the boys' struggles with Dean having to learn how to trust Sam. Again, I know, but about the expectations of taking on this trial. It was possible I was wrong. What about James? I think we were both rid of the guy. No, it's not what I meant. And then they also get a bit of a flash in the pan of all the trauma they've been through, things to obvious evil witch guy. Then at the very end of the episode, Dean says, you know what, I'm going to trust you. I'm going to trust you to take it. And as if on cue, Sam starts to cough up blood just like very, very subtly. I think this is the point where Jensen Ackles, Batman intimidation voice was at its peak. The last few episodes had clips from the first season in their recaps and it's just night and day now. The Spencer Addis is screwed with my head. I know that Jensen is now seven years old than he was when he started the show, but dear God, the voice level is so deep. It's ridiculous. But otherwise, I enjoyed this episode. I like the story. I like the characters. I wish they brought these characters back and I thought it was a cool inclusion into the main overall narrative. So in the end, I'm going to give man's best friends with benefits a five out of seven. Someone was saying that the latter half of the season was going to pick up. And so far that's been mostly true. I actually have been a little bit more invested and I am excited because I know we're getting towards an episode with Castiel that changed my mind about the show. I was this close to quitting it until that episode appeared, but it's not coming up yet. I think it's still got it's got its way to go before we get there. But those are my thoughts about this episode. Let's see what you guys had to say. So I have very much enjoyed the discourse about this episode, even though we have a bit different opinions that you guys are right with some of your comments here. It's not that you don't trust me. It's that you don't trust yourself. Sam finally understands. Turns out this whole episode was one big setup to Sam coughing blood and to get the hot girl to wear a collar. That's about it. Man's best friend with benefits is a weird what the fuck episode. The fact that the shape-shifting dog familiar in a witch or in a relationship, someone thought this was a good idea to use in an episode. I'll admit, like I said, I thought it was an interesting idea going into like real high fantasy stuff. But yeah, it can appear quite weird. So aside from the dog girl thing, the other thing I had an issue with in this episode is that you have another sibling trust issues that would have been focused on for their well-being. Sam goes into this speech about Sam or Dean not trusting him. And when in actuality, Dean does trust Sam, but doesn't want him to die or get hurt from these trials. Dean trusts his own skills, but the next is zero self-worth. So he has no personal problem getting hurt or dying in the trials as he said in the last episode. But Sam is hypocritical here because he isn't being honest. Dean keeps on his back about whether he's okay from the first trial, but he lies and says nothing. Both brothers suck at being honest. And I feel the plots are about trust are the writer's default when they've got nothing else. I will admit, yes, it does kind of work okay-ish here, but it was something that absolutely infuriated me in ladder seasons because like you said, it was just there when they had nothing else. But Sam is doing the opposite of being helpful either. By now Dean telling Dean about his condition and he's putting Dean and himself at risk if he's not physically capable of being on a hunt. This is the same mess that we had at the start of scene seven. Sam kept quiet about it and it almost got them killed and led to trust issues. Thankfully, the brothers don't go down that route but they needed to find a balance about how they handle one of them being sick or unwell and communicating that. I wish that that had been the main focus between them. I will say that Dean's speech at the end was good. It was very nice and then reassured Sam that he didn't trust him. I would have liked for Sam to be more open as well as but they eventually get there in season 11. But it is nice seeing the brothers work together their work through their issues especially after a half season of them being bitter at each other's strokes. Absolutely. What's up with the ladder seasons and weird dog shit? This is the second time this has happened which in my opinion is too many. Just why? This episode is bad. It definitely hasn't aged well to me even on rewatch. I remember that Christian Campbell was in this episode but I totally forgot that Michelle Morgan appears as Portia. She did a brilliant job to me. This is several years before she started in the soap opera Young and the Restless loved her on the show even though the whole familiar thing is weird. I'm surprised that dad didn't do anything like this during his era. I didn't realize that Christian is Neve Campbell's brother until years after this episode aired. Definitely one of the worst episodes of season 18. Wow. What about the Neve Campbell and also just about like the people really don't like this episode. This episode is an episode. I love more for its concept than its execution. I love a good murder mystery next to the next to the next person but was more obvious about who was behind it. Absolutely. Yes. Like it was right from get go. You know who the killer was. The sexual bonding between the witch and the familiar felt like something more you'd read in a smut fanfiction. I understand how the writers wanted Sam and Dean to become closer to each other after by revisiting their traumas in hell but I would have liked to have explored in more in depth than just a quick flashback. I agree with that as well. Still the unseen is where the brothers are being brothers. That way they we know we are known more for watching and that's ultimately the highlight in my favorite part of the episode. It's cool idea. I just wish it was less obvious and more engaging. That's a good point. All right guys. Thank you for those comments. Now we're coming up on remember the Titans. So make sure to give me guys the thoughts about that episode in the comments below and I'll read those off in the next review until then guys hope you've been enjoying the reviews. We're certainly making our way. So let's keep on going. All right. See you guys next time.