Berly and LA dive into the emotional rollercoaster that is Supernatural's Season 8 finale, and spoiler alert: there were tears. Like, a LOT of tears.

The episode kicks off with Crowley crashing Sheriff Jody Mills' blind date in the worst possible way (choking her out, not the fun kind), leading to Dean making a deal he swore he wouldn't make. Sam continues the demon-curing trials while injecting Crowley with purified blood, which leads to Mark Sheppard delivering a heartbreaking performance about just wanting to be loved. Meanwhile, Castiel gets manipulated by Metatron in what turns out to be a scheme to cast all angels out of heaven—not exactly the "closing the gates" plan they signed up for.

The hosts are especially emotional about the final church scene between Sam and Dean, where Sam confesses he feels like he constantly lets Dean down, and Dean finally tells him to stop the trials. Cue the waterworks. Also featuring: Abaddon's fiery return (RIP that nice suit), Kevin stress-drinking whiskey in the bunker, and a whole lot of screaming at the TV about whether Jody survived.

Fair warning: bring tissues and prepare for your heart to shatter into a million pieces. Multiple times.

Sources:

• https://supernatural.fandom.com/wiki/Sacrifice
• https://www.buzzsprout.com/2076426/episodes/13142091

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Berly and LA tackle Supernatural Season 8, Episode 22: "Clip Show" - opening with the goriest moment of the episode as Tommy Collins's head literally explodes in front of his girlfriend. 

Sam and Dean discover Men of Letters footage showing priests attempting to "cure" demons using purified blood injections. They find a secret dungeon with the prettiest devil's trap ever, then resurrect Abaddon by sewing her head back on. She escapes after her severed hand crawls up her body to remove the bullet - the hosts loved Alaina Huffman's performance making the hand seem alive.

Cas tries apologizing to Dean by buying him a care package (jerky, beer, pie, Busty Asian Beauties) in an adorable convenience store scene. Meanwhile, Metatron recruits him for Heaven-closing trials, starting with killing a flirty Nephilim waitress who complimented his coat.

The devastating turn: Crowley threatens to murder everyone Sam and Dean have ever saved unless they stop the trials. He kills people every 12 hours - Jenny Klein gets charred, and Sarah Blake suffocates while Sam holds her. They can't find the hex bag hidden in electronics in time.

The episode ends with Sam wanting to surrender and Dean insisting they continue, setting up an impossible dilemma for the finale. The hosts were emotionally wrecked by Sarah's death after really thinking they'd save her.

"I've had that hangover. Jaeger man."

Sources:

• https://supernatural.fandom.com/wiki/Clip_Show
• https://www.gotquestions.org/Abaddon-Apollyon.html

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Berly and LA tackle Supernatural Season 8, Episode 21: "The Great Escapist" - where Dean FINALLY says those magic words: "We should have brought Kevin to the bunker." Berly screamed at her television in vindication.

Kevin's trapped in Crowley's elaborate illusion on a fake houseboat with demon imposters pretending to be Sam and Dean. When his "if you're watching this, I'm dead" video arrives, the hosts are devastated but thrilled Kevin outsmarted the demons - they were "too polite" and didn't use the secret knock.

Meanwhile, Cas evades Naomi's angels by hopping between identical Biggerson's restaurants nationwide. His logic: to an immortal being, all Biggersons look the same. The hosts loved this clever escape strategy and the city-hopping montage. Naomi sends "cutie patootie" angel Ion to stop him, resulting in a Biggerson's massacre with horrifically burned-out eye sockets.

Sam's deteriorating badly - can't shoot straight, keeps passing out, looks terrible. But he recognizes a symbol from Stanford leading them to a Colorado casino hotel where they find Metatron (Curtis Armstrong, not Megatron). The scribe of God has been reading stories for millennia, completely oblivious to heaven's chaos.

The big twist: Crowley shoots Cas and retrieves the angel tablet by rooting around inside his gut - Cas hid it in his body like The Fifth Element! Ion turns out to be a double agent before Cas kills him by shoving the angel blade bullet in his eye.

Metatron saves Kevin from Crowley, reveals the third trial is "curing a demon," and the episode ends with bloody Cas appearing in the road asking for help. The hosts loved seeing Kevin cleaned up and confident, appreciated the Biggerson's escape logic, and were satisfied with finally getting answers about the trials.

"What you brought to this earth, all the mayhem, the murder, just the raw, wild invention of God's naked apes. It was mind-blowing."

Sources:

• https://supernatural.fandom.com/wiki/Pac-Man_Fever 
• https://www.gaia.com/article/who-is-archangel-metatron

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Berly and LA tackle Supernatural Season 8, Episode 20: "Pac-Man Fever" - where Charlie returns, Dean's emerald eyes are absolutely stunning, and Sam's demand avoidance kicks into overdrive.

The episode opens with a fun time-travel misdirect before revealing it's actually Charlie's nightmare. Meanwhile, Sam's barely recovered from the second trial - he can't even hit the gun range target and just shoots the walls instead. Charlie shows up with a case about victims with liquefied insides (djinn!), and after proving her shooting skills and enduring a "Walking on Sunshine" montage, she partners with Dean while Sam stays behind to rest.

Plot twist: Sam ignores orders and shows up at the crime scene anyway. The coroner turns out to be the djinn who kidnaps Charlie, trapping her in a nightmare video game where she's desperately trying to save hospital patients. The emotional core: Charlie's been secretly caring for her comatose mother, and her nightmare reflects her fear of losing her.

Dean drinks African dream root to enter Charlie's nightmare, leading to THAT scene where he looks absolutely gorgeous in army green against neon walls - the hosts were very appreciative of how the lighting made his eyes pop. Dean helps Charlie confront her fear and let go, breaking the djinn's hold. Sam meanwhile handles the djinn's teenage son back in the real world.

The episode ends with Charlie saying goodbye to "my boys," then reading The Hobbit to her mother one last time before letting her go. Dean hugs Sam instead of lecturing him - a genuinely touching moment that had Berly tearing up during both the episode AND the recap.

"Real life role-playing is hard."

Sources:

• https://supernatural.fandom.com/wiki/Pac-Man_Fever 
• https://pacman.fandom.com/wiki/Map_256_Glitch 
• https://www.buzzsprout.com/2076426/episodes/12389228-what-is-and-what-should-never-be-2x20

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Berly and LA tackle Supernatural Season 8, Episode 19: "Taxi Driver" - and the episode title should really be "We Told You So" because the hosts called EVERYTHING.

The episode opens with Kevin having horrific hallucinations of Crowley dismembering him on that disgusting houseboat (still not the bunker, Sam and Dean!). The hosts are STILL demanding Kevin get moved to safety, and spoiler alert: he doesn't, which goes about as well as you'd expect.

Kevin deciphers the second trial: rescue an innocent soul from Hell and deliver it to Heaven. The hosts were thrilled at the prospect of seeing both realms, but the 45-minute runtime had other plans. Sam and Dean torture a crossroads demon (after filming the Harlem Shake video at that location - priorities!), who tells them about Ajay, a Reaper who smuggles souls for a price.

Enter Ajay, a "cutie patootie" Reaper taxi driver who agrees to help for the low price of a future favor. He drops Sam in Purgatory (Hell-adjacent real estate!), which leads to the easiest journey ever - one monster fight, a conveniently placed weapon, and boom, he's in Hell. The hosts were suspicious of how smoothly everything went.

The heartbreaking twist: Ajay reveals he took Bobby Singer to Hell. Sam rescues Bobby from his cell (Bobby's ghost skills are on point now!), and they escape back to Purgatory. But Ajay has been killed by Crowley, leaving them stranded.

Cue the tears: Dean calls Benny for help. The vampire who doesn't fit in with humans OR vampires agrees to sacrifice himself, leading Sam through Purgatory to the portal. Benny stays behind to fight off other vampires, choosing to remain in Purgatory rather than return. Berly was SOBBING, noting this was somehow more tragic than if Benny had succumbed to bloodlust.

Sam successfully gets Bobby's soul to Heaven (with Naomi's help - she's maybe not completely evil?), completing the second trial. But back at the houseboat, Crowley captures Kevin after killing Mrs. Tran off-screen (the hosts are NOT okay with these beloved character deaths happening off-camera).

The episode ends with everything gone - Kevin, the tablet, all his notes. The hosts smugly remind everyone they predicted Sam would come around on Benny once he actually met him, and Dean admits he didn't burn Benny's bones, leaving the door open for his return.

Berly and LA were emotionally wrecked by Benny's sacrifice while simultaneously vindicated by their predictions. They're still confused about Naomi's true motives but appreciate finally getting some forward movement on her character.

"I already said goodbye to you once, Sam. Didn't seem to take. No reason to think I won't see you again somewhere down the road."

Sources:

• https://supernatural.fandom.com/wiki/Taxi_Driver
• https://www.buzzsprout.com/2076426/episodes/14802473

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Berly and LA tackle Supernatural Season 8, Episode 18: "Freaks and Geeks" - where teenage hunters and mysterious blue vans lead to one of the show's darkest twists.

Chrissy Chambers (from "Adventures in Babysitting") returns, now part of a teenage hunting trio. After they decapitate a vampire, Sam and Dean investigate and discover surveillance footage clearly showing Chrissy at the crime scene. Dean aggressively shuts down the investigation, leaving both Sam and the delightful Louisiana-accented sheriff confused.

The hosts spent considerable time debating why a vampire was running to a blue van - LA theorized he was just a "good friend" dropping his buddy off for a snack, while Berly suspected something shadier. The truth was far worse than either expected.

Enter Victor Rogers, who's taken in three orphaned teenagers and trained them to be elite hunters. He runs a picture-perfect household in a gorgeous house (the hosts loved those stained glass windows), complete with homework reminders and organized routines. But something feels off about the soldier-like discipline.

The dark revelation: Victor has been creating vampires specifically to murder the families of potential young hunters, then "rescuing" the orphaned kids to train them. He deliberately targeted each child and orchestrated their tragedies. The hosts were deeply disturbed by this predatory grooming disguised as mentorship.

When exposed, Chrissy dramatically pulls a gun on Victor, clicks it three times (once for each family), then dumps the bullets on the floor. The hosts loved the teenage drama. Then Victor pulls an ankle gun and shoots himself in the head - the 70th blood splooge of the series. Both hosts were completely blindsided.

Despite everything, Chrissy stays with Josephine and Aiden - they're her family now. Dean assigns Garth to check on them, which had the hosts yelling about why Sam and Dean can't do it themselves since they're literally in Kansas near the bunker. Poor Kevin is still stuck on that houseboat!

The episode ends with hope that closing Hell's gates could give these kids (and maybe Sam) a chance at normal lives.

"If we shut that hellhole once and for all, those three can have a real life." 

"Maybe they won't be the only ones."

Sources:

• https://supernatural.fandom.com/wiki/Freaks_and_Geeks
• https://www.buzzsprout.com/2076426/episodes/12786478-fresh-blood-3x7

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Berly and LA tackle Supernatural Season 8, Episode 17: "Goodbye Stranger" - where Naomi's been running the most disturbing training program in Heaven and the hosts have some THOUGHTS about cloning requests.

The episode opens with a shocking scene: Cas repeatedly killing Dean in what turns out to be Heaven's warehouse training simulation. After hundreds of dead Dean bodies pile up (which the hosts note is a waste of perfectly good clones), Naomi declares Cas ready for his real mission. Meanwhile on Earth, Dean discovers a gentleman's magazine called "Voluptuous Asian Beauties" among the Men of Letters artifacts, which the hosts praised for its stunning vintage photography.

Sam and Dean investigate deaths involving liquified bones and discover demons are searching for something, digging massive holes around town. They meet a PhD student with velcro rollers who's adorably excited about her town history research - until demons crash the party. Cas arrives just in time to smite the demons and save Sam, leading to an awkward reunion where everyone's acting suspicious.

The real star of the episode? Meg's return! The hosts were thrilled to see her again, though heartbroken by her fate. Found beaten and held hostage by Crowley (with makeup so realistic LA kept asking if they'd let her shower), Meg reveals the demons are searching for an angel tablet in Lucifer's crypts. Her chemistry with Cas was adorable, with references to "the pizza man" and plans that would never come to fruition.

Throughout the episode, Cas struggles with Naomi's control, having simultaneous conversations with her and the Winchesters. Dean finally confronts Sam about coughing up blood, with Cas delivering the brutal assessment that Sam is "damaged beyond repair" - way to keep Sammy confident about those trials, guys!

The climax brings everyone to an abandoned warehouse hiding Lucifer's crypt. Dean and Cas retrieve the angel tablet, but Naomi orders Cas to kill Dean and take it. In a heartbreaking scene that had the hosts uncomfortable, Cas beats Dean nearly to death before Dean's pleas about family finally break through Naomi's control. Cas heals Dean and disappears with the tablet, vowing to protect it from everyone - including Heaven.

Outside, Meg sacrifices herself fighting Crowley's demons, telling Sam to "save my unicorn" (Cas). Her final moment laughing at Crowley before he kills her showed she was at peace, though the hosts wished she'd gotten her moment with Cas first. The episode ends with Cas on a bus hiding from Heaven, the tablet in a duffel bag that really should have been a hard case.

Berly and LA loved Meg's return and her scenes with Cas, praised the makeup work on the beaten characters, but expressed frustration with Naomi's unclear motivations. After multiple episodes of her manipulating Cas, they're ready for answers about who she is and what she really wants.

"I miss the apocalypse's simplicity. I was bad, you were good, life was easier. Now it's all so messy. I'm kind of good, which sucks, and you're kind of bad, which is actually all manner of hot."

Sources:

• https://supernatural.fandom.com/wiki/Goodbye_Stranger
• https://lifehacker.com/entertainment/the-pope-opening-the-tomb-of-lucifer

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Berly and LA dive into Supernatural Season 8, Episode 16: "Remember the Titans" - where Greek mythology crashes into Montana and nobody knows what mountain they're talking about!

The episode opens with a drunk driver hitting a cute moppy-haired guy walking along the road. The victim dies, gets his liver pecked out by a bird of prey, then inconveniently resurrects and walks away - leaving one very confused cop muttering about zombies. Sam and Dean investigate and discover the resurrectee is Shane (actually Prometheus), who has no memory but knows he dies every single day and comes back to life.

Things get complicated when a mystery woman attacks Shane in his motel room, easily tossing the Winchesters aside. She vanishes after declaring herself his "worst enemy," and Shane promptly has a heart attack and dies again. Enter Haley, a woman who found Shane after an avalanche seven years ago and has been searching for him ever since - because he died during sex with her (traumatizing) and left her pregnant with Oliver, a seven-year-old who inherited daddy's daily death curse.

Sam's research reveals Shane is actually Prometheus, the Titan who stole fire for humanity. The attacker was Artemis, daughter of Zeus, who's been forced to kill the love of her life repeatedly as punishment. The hosts loved Artemis's character and weapons, wishing she'd gotten more screen time than the "boring" male characters.

The gang heads to the Men of Letters bunker (still won't move Kevin in from that houseboat though!) and summons Zeus using cheap jewelry-grade fulgurite from a crystal shop - no breaking and entering required this time! Zeus shows up looking suave and menacing, but Haley immediately breaks the trap trying to save Oliver, because apparently she can't wait five minutes to see if their bluff works.

Zeus delights in torturing both Prometheus and Oliver, but Sam cleverly deduces Artemis has feelings for Prometheus. After some quality gossip-girl tactics, Artemis decides to kill her dad instead. Zeus uses Prometheus as a human shield, but Prometheus sacrifices himself by pushing the arrow through to hit Zeus, killing them both in a lightning explosion.

The episode ends with a hunter's funeral for Prometheus (Artemis peaced out with Zeus's body), and Sam finally admitting to Dean that he's worried about surviving the trials. Dean puts on an optimistic front but privately prays to Cas to watch over his brother, showing he's actually terrified Sam won't make it.

The hosts appreciated the Greek mythology angle and loved Artemis, though they noted Oliver never spoke until the very end and Haley kept asking "what curse?" despite clear explanations. A solid episode that balanced action with character development while moving the trial storyline forward.

"Who do we know that has Jason Bourne fighting skills, dies a lot, and has a history with violent women?" "I don't know. You."

Sources:

• https://supernatural.fandom.com/wiki/Remember_the_Titans 
• https://www.greeka.com/greece-myths/prometheus/

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Berly and LA tackle Supernatural Season 8, Episode 15: "Man's Best Friend with Benefits" - and from the title alone, you can guess why the hosts were NOT having it.

The episode opens with a cop murdering people in gruesome neck-exploding fashion, only to reveal he's been having prophetic dreams about the killings. Enter James Frampton (yes, with embroidered initials JMF), a witch-cop whose beautiful Doberman familiar Portia can also take human form. And yes, they're sleeping together, which had the hosts immediately uncomfortable with the entire premise.

Sam and Dean get called in by Portia (who literally trots into their motel room as a dog, then transforms into a woman in a LBD and heels) to help James, who thinks he's murdering people in his sleep. The investigation leads them into the witch community, complete with a bar featuring telepathic chess and a suspicious character literally named "Philippe La Chat" (the cat) - because subtlety is dead.

The hosts were thrown from the start by Three Stooges references they had to Google, and spent the episode increasingly bothered by the familiar/witch romantic relationship dynamics. The case reveals James is being controlled by his jealous witch friend Spencer, who's upset about the forbidden familiar-witch romance and uses Phillipe to frame James.

After a witch fight involving some awkward special effects, the boys use one of Bobby's witch-killing spells to take out Spencer. The episode ends with James and Portia driving off together (with her inexplicably in dog form in the front seat) to start over somewhere new.

The real payoff comes in the final scene where Dean admits he trusts Sam to handle the trials after experiencing some hell visions, leading to their "we'll do this together" moment. Sam then coughs up blood and hides it from Dean, setting up future drama.

The hosts called this one of their least favorite episodes, citing excessive exposition, problematic relationship dynamics, and a general disconnect from the show's usual tone. Even the laundry basket pratfall that made them laugh couldn't save this one. Written by seasoned TV veterans, it felt like a missed assignment that just didn't work within the Supernatural universe.

"By the way, I gotta hand it to you. It's been 15 hours since Portia mentioned her night with James, and not one bestiality joke out of you."

Sources:

• https://supernatural.fandom.com/wiki/Man%27s_Best_Friend_With_Benefits 
• https://k-oconnell.medium.com/familiars-what-they-are-and-how-to-get-one-a5869189912f

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Berly and LA dive into Supernatural's Season 8, Episode 14: "Trial and Error" - where the Winchester boys get fancy new digs while poor Kevin survives on nothing but hot dogs!

The episode kicks off with the hosts confused about Kevin's location (still on that gross houseboat, not in the bunker as expected), where he's living his worst life eating plain wieners and having nosebleeds. Meanwhile, Sam and Dean are living their BEST lives in the Men of Letters bunker with Dean decorating his room like he's finally discovered HGTV. Memory foam mattress included - because apparently the Men of Letters were ahead of their time!

Kevin calls with good news: he's figured out how to close the gates of hell! It just requires three trials, starting with killing a hellhound and bathing in its blood. Easy peasy, right? The brothers head to Idaho to stalk the Cassity family, who struck oil 10 years ago under geologically impossible circumstances - classic demon deal territory.

The case gets complicated when they discover multiple family members made deals with Crowley during a charming family dinner 10 years prior. Carl the "trophy husband" traded his soul for Alice's love (consent be damned), while farm manager Ellie made her deal to save her mom from Parkinson's. The hosts initially loved Carl until they learned about his creepy motivations - then it was "fuck you, Carl."

Things get steamy when Ellie shoots her shot with Dean in the most direct way possible, leading to the hosts' hilarious commentary about what they would do in her "last night on earth" situation. Dean turns her down for noble reasons, which probably saved everyone from trauma when his face starts going all hellhound-proximity crazy later.

The hellhound special effects steal the show - the semi-invisible design with glowing red eyes and teeth had the hosts thoroughly impressed. Sam gets to be the hero, killing the beast and getting covered in an ungodly amount of black blood that had the hosts questioning what exactly hellhound blood contains.

The episode ends with Sam completing the first trial (complete with mysterious light traveling up his "thick, hairy forearms" - the hosts are VERY aware of this season's increased scruff factor), setting up the ongoing arc. Dean's not happy about Sam taking on the trials, knowing how these things usually end for Winchesters.

The hosts loved the hellhound effects, the beautiful farm location, and the continuing "daddification" of the Winchester brothers, while lamenting that most of the characters were pretty terrible people who probably deserved their fates.

"Between the claws, the teeth, and the invisibility, those bitches can be real... bitches."

Sources:

• https://supernatural.fandom.com/wiki/Trial_and_Error
• https://www.buzzsprout.com/2076426/episodes/12977493

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