I really don't like the show's tendency to have cliffhangers in the finale. This one is literal out of left field. The convention feels cheap and lazy to me in the context of a fantasy show. Sometimes I wish the show would let us catch our breath.
Apart from that this is a wonderful finale. It reflects the pilot a great deal in the dynamics of the boys. Jeffery Dean Morgan makes a wonderful Yellow Eyes and this one better performances from both Ackles and Padalecki in the first season. Add in the mostly tight writing and sharp direction this is an exciting bit of TV.
Season 1:
On the whole the first season is quite rocky. There is a severe split between the mythos episodes and the monster of the week ones. The writing does not blend the competing demands of a procedural with mythology all that well. Likewise, the show's visual style is all over the place in this season. Some of this is the network demanding a brighter look but this season doesn't have the stable tone defined quite yet. It is only the last few episodes that the show starts to settle into a consistent visual construction. The low points of this season are really low-"Bugs" especially is the worst episode for much of the series and it still has a strong claim on being the worst ever. The high points are that high-only "Faith" competes with being among the best of the series. But apart from all that this season provides a benchmark for the the quality of the show. No other season, to date, has been this rocky, abet a couple of seasons are close.
Average score by episode: 7.0909 (out of 10) Season score: 7.5 (out of 10)
Top 3 episodes
1. "Faith"
2. "Hell House"
3. "Skin"
Bottom 3
1. "Bugs"
2. "The Benders"
3. "Provenance"
