Supernatural season 7, episode 5 recap: Did you like the 'Buffy' reunion?

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What struck me most about the anticipation around tonight’s episode of Supernatural — which featured an on-screen reunion between Buffy the Vampire Slayer/Angel alums James Marsters and Charisma Carpenter — was the number of people who claimed they were going to watch Supernatural tonight specifically for these very special guest stars.

But now that the episode has aired, I have to ask, regular and visiting viewers, was the episode worth the hype?

I think the answer will vary. As (obviously) a loyal viewer of Supernatural, the guest appearances by two actors from another of my favorite shows of all time, was an added bonus — a sweet cherry atop the sundae of storyline I would have happily consumed even if Marsters and Carpenter hadn’t been on this week’s episode.

But if you’d tuned in especially excited for the Buffy cameos, as I’m sure many did, I can see how some would think the payoff was minimal. That’s of no fault to anyone specifically — it’s just that as someone who was excited about the event, I would have loved to see more interaction between the guest stars and the main characters.

Let me back up. Carpenter and Marsters played a husband and wife witch team (Maggie and Don) whose marital problems had left them engaged in magical warfare. And they were willing to take down the entire town to claim victory. Their story was further complicated by Maggie’s Forgettable Best Friend (who I’m pretty sure was in love with Maggie, right?). Sam and Dean were tasked with stopping the madness, but Sam was equally concerned with stopping Dean from taking up permanent residence in Boozetown.

The best part of the episode — minus the awesome nightmare sequence and the whole bit about Sam running — was watching Sam and Dean interact with the couple. During what can only be defined as the “Dr. Phil” part of the episode, I loved watching Sam and Dean try to help navigate Maggie and Don’s problems and it was a nice parallel to what was going on with the brothers as well. Sadly, this part was only a sliver of the larger episode. More, I say! More!

Okay, maybe I’m being greedy. But in this case, we’re talking about the union of two of the greatest fandoms in the (short) history of genre television — I don’t feel bad about having sky-high expectations. Had we trimmed the subplot about the Forgettable Best Friend, I feel like we could have had a little more time to spend on the main event. In sum, I wouldn’t argue against seeing more Don and Maggie.

But perhaps I’m nit-picking, readers. Perhaps, as mentioned before, I’m being greedy. Or, perhaps I’m all of the above, plus a little cranky in general because I have to wait another week until the next new episode of Supernatural, which has largely been rocking my socks this season. (Rocking my socks is a professional term; I swear.)

While you ponder your thoughts, enjoy some QUOTABLES!

“Somebody better be chasing you.” — Dean to Sam, who was running

“It’s not good for you. You’re a mess and you stink.” — Dean to Sam, about running

Dean: While you were out being Lance Armstrong–

Sam: That would be biking

Dean: –I was here working.

Dean: You might see things different now, call it a runner’s high or something. But that doesn’t mean something is going on with me. Okay?

Sam: Yeah, okay.

Dean: No, don’t say ‘yeah, okay,’ like [mocks him] ‘Yeah, okay.’

Sam: Yeah, okay.

“Why don’t you just run home, Lance?” — Dean

Dean: It’s kind of like Bewitched. Don’s Darrin, doesn’t even know it, lots of laughs until you cheat on your wife

Sam: A Bewitched reference. Really?

Dean: Hey, Nicole Kidman was in the remake. Redhead, hello!

“Literally kill off everything around her just by PMSing at it? Yeesh, that’s not creepy at all.” — Dean

“Hey, Bobby it’s Dean. [Pause] Winchester. Yeah, very funny.” — Dean

“Spoiler alert!” — Dean

Dean: Should I slug her?

Sam: Give it a second.

“Dude, PIE!” — Dean

“Ciao!” — Don

Want to laugh more? Watch this outtake, tweeted by Jared.

Follow Sandra on Twitter: @EWSandraG

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