User Reviews

Bad Boys is an Old school Supernatural episode which involves hunting! Bad Boys is a character driven episode which exposes Dean's soft side! Two stories are merged together. One in the present is a monster/ghost hunt. The other story is Dean's hidden life at reform school! We learn about Dean's soft spot for the weak when Dean befriends a picked-on scared little boy. The present story builds on the flashback story about where the viewer experiences how Dean actually had a chance at a normal life (girlfriend) but honourably sacrificed his own happiness to look after his younger brother! A touching episode. Sam catches on to Dean's first crush and did not understand why he didn't stay. Dean acts like it was no big deal to get back in the "family business." Nine stars!

I'm on my 7th or 8th Marathon of SPN, and I've been watching the show since 2005, so I guess I'm kind of a hardcore fan. I'm also a bit too old (30) for some of the episodes, but apparently I used to be too young for others. This episode used to bore me quite a bit, and I used to generally hate the 'flashbacks to childhood' episodes. But growing older I guess I've learned to let go of what used to annoy me about my favourite shows, and just try and enjoy them instead (still impossible when it comes to Krissy or Donna though, I guess we all have our limits). So this was probably the 4th time I watched this episode, and I enjoyed it way more than I used to, in fact I was actually quite touched by it. First of all give it up for Dylan Everett as young Dean, that kid gives a great and very emotional performance, and comes off as a believable 16-year old troubled, but sensitive Dean. Very good. The MOTW storyline is quite exciting and puzzling, even though I remembered most of the plot watching it now. Unlike other reviewers I still enjoy the ghost episodes a lot more than most other monsters, because they always provide interesting backstories, and Timmys story was a true heartbreaker. Poor kid. I guess some of what used to bother me about these flashback-episodes is that Jensen and Jared usually take a backseat to child actors. As do they a bit in this episode, but it works in the end. Sonny was a good character too, sympathetic and believable, not too tough but not too soft either. Everytime I see a flashback episode I harbor a tiny hope of seeing Jeffrey Dean Morgan popping up in the end, but over the years I've gotten used to the fact that he doesn't, and so the dissapointment of that doesn't overshadow the episode. Crowley and Cass are missing, but I don't see how a sidestory about either could have fit in here anyway, and even though I love both characters and their actors, I didn't really miss them anyway. Also don't have a problem with the main season storyline not being brought up here, I enjoy episodes that take a break from that once in a while. All in all a great, intriguing, emotional episode, with 2 great backstories, Deans and Timmys. 9/10

This episode instantly feels like one from the old seasons. Right from the classic ghost killing at the beginning (with cold breath scenes) right to using a classic fire poker and salt to defend themselves. Also it contains a very interesting insight into Dean's past. Dean gets a call from Sonny, the owner of a home for boys, about a mysterious death. Dean then informs Sam he was sent here as punishment for stealing food. I loved Sonny's character, he is an ex-con who bettered himself and he feels like a genuine father figure for Dean, very caring and understanding. This episode makes you wonder how bad of a father John was, as he purposefully left Dean at the home for months. The ghost in the episode is kept unseen until the end, which I liked, as it kept it very mysterious and I genuinely had no idea why the ghost was there until Sam discovers Timmy's drawings. It turns out the ghost was Timmy's mother, protecting him after she once did when she died in a car accident. She was quite creepy when she just appeared, I liked the special effects on her, as she burned in the car crash this was emphasised in her ghostly form. The main selling point of this episode for me was all the flashbacks to Dean's time at the farm. Every now and then we see Dean go from hating being there and not caring, to trusting Sonny and even getting his first kiss. The young actor who played Dean did a great job at emulating older Dean's mannerisms. I felt so sorry for Dean at the end when he was happy with Robin and was about to take her to the school dance, only to have John show up and take him. The look on his face when he saw little Sam in the car and knew he had to leave his relationship with Robin behind, it was heartbreaking. As I said before it makes you wonder if John was a bad father, dragging his son's around hunting when they both could of had good lives. Overall I loved this episode, partly for its classic, ghost hunt/haunted house feel and mainly for Dean's past. Sonny and Robin were great characters, I really liked them both and loved Dean and Robin together. Very emotional at the end. :)

Don't get me wrong. I know that shows can't stay the way they were back when first aired. Characters evolve, circumstances arise, new characters introduced. It wouldn't be plausible if we saw adorable Season 1 Sam now, especially after all he's been through over the past decade. But that doesn't mean I don't miss the good ole' days, when hunts were about ghosts and urban legends, and life for the boys was (relatively) simple.

"Bad Boys", on the other hand, definitely felt like a trip back in time. From the creepy cold open (I'm a sucker for ghost stories, which was what got me into the show in the first place) to the death in the bathtub (reminded me a bit of "Dead in the Water" where Andrea almost drowns in her tub; and loved the nice touch of playing "Ave Maria" in the background), to the whole creepiness surrounding Timmy. It was perfect!

As awesome as the ghost story was, however, I absolutely adored Dean's story line in this episode. I loved the flashbacks of young Dean (plaed by Dylan Everett,who did a phenomenal job recreating Jensen's mannerisms!) and his transition from juvenile delinquent to young man, going through his first crush, first kiss, and basically doing things normal teenage boys get to do. Blake Gibbons was fantastic as Sonny, an ex-con who learned from his mistakes and essentially became the father Dean had never had. Equally strong is Erin Karpluk as Robin, Dean's first love. Nice chemistry between her and Jensen. But I still think Dylan Everett stole the show here, especially at that final scene, where he abandons Robin to leave with his father, and sees Sammy at the window of the Impala. Everett did a great job conveying his emotions here,from hurt at having to leave his once chance at having normalcy to love for his baby brother, the one he'd gladly give up normalcy for.

This leads to my only issue. How could Sam have not known that Dean was missing all that time as a teen? Or why mention it so casually? Would he have not been freaking out? Other than that, fantastic episode, easy ten stars!

If this episode was involved in the first season, nobody could say it didn't belong there. It was such a great nostalgia! There are two stories put together and it really works. Dean remembers his 16-years old him, meanwhile a ghost is hunting the "reformatory". Dean's story is well introduced, the first-kiss story is well performed (the "new" actor of young Dean really did great job being Dean...). The ghost case is creepy, obvious "Mama" allusions, but it still catches the eye till the end. The murder in a bath! With "Ave Maria" song!(I've just seen Maniac - with Elijah Wood - and now I understand where did SPN took inspiration) How loyal to the good old one feeling from first seasons of SPN. Back to young Dean - do you remember the lovely piano song that first (I think) appeared in "In My Time of Dying"?! It's here again and in the end of this episode, it delivers so many emotions...Plus Samulet! They brought it back on the stage as well! I'm really satisfied with this nostalgic, Dean- concentrated episode. Fear, emotions, good music, good story → 10/10! (little think I missed - John (Jeffrey Dean Morgan)in the end...But he was in the beginning with the legendary Take your brother outside as fast as you can. Now, Dean go! so no problem with me;) )

It was really as early as the Season 9 premiere that I was feeling that this season was going to be way better than Season 8. I really don't get how Season 8 was so bad as it was with such boring subplots, bad writing, acting, and guest characters. It's like the writers lost their mojo for a year. But so far, I've liked every episode in Season 9 so far and this one might be my favorite. Perhaps a bit of a retcon as the early seasons stressed how important it was for the family's hunter life to be a secret and Dean revealing he only told one person, his "first love" Cassie. But in this episode we learn that Dean also told someone else, Sonny (excellently played by guest star Blake Gibbons), a mentor of Dean's that took him in for a while when he was a troubled teen and John had left him to fend for himself. Sonny calls Dean for help as a ghost is haunting his farm halfway home for boys where Dean stayed for that summer as a teen. Through flashbacks, we see how Sonny inspired and took care of Dean giving him a sense of normalcy. Also, I guess Cassie being his first love is a retcon, too! Lol Because in this episode we find out Dean had a romance with a local girl that summer named Robin, played well by both actresses Sarah Desjardins (as a teen) and Erin Karpluk (as an adult). I've seen all these guest actors in other stuff and this episode is indicative of the season actually feeling back to basics. Hiring experienced, competent guest actors actually makes the episodes easier to buy. Who knew? Of course Jensen Ackles is typically superb. The scenes that Dean has with Sonny and Erin are great and this includes the flashbacks with Young Dean (terrific on point performance by Dylan Everett, who nails all of Ackles' mannerisms and personality). The final flashback scene between Sonny and Young Dean was emotionally powerful and sad as Dean was forced to go back to his hunting life. It's a microcosm of his entire existence where he was never allowed to be normal, yet it also had the happy moment of Dean smiling seeing Sam again, which is his entire reason for going on. And none of this work if not for great writing and acting throughout the episode. This is SPN at it's best, when it focuses on the Winchester family, but especially it's actual main ones Dean and Sam.

I like dramatic spn, it touches you especially when you care so much for these tragic characters but i have always found that it best works in small doses, in the beginning seasons the emotional brotherly drama was even a tad cringey but sweet and new. This one is just too bland in its tone. Also i just didn't think the Sam and Dean fit from the previous S5 flashback, how is Dean shy with a girl, not sure what age that S5 one is...why does 12 year old Sam look like 8... And my god they are really honing in on John sucks, its a bit tough to imagine he would have his son go to jail for it, but i guess it fits if they want recalls to be more abusive.

Jane dead was very stupid.How can she die asfixieted when it was clear you have to let your head down and come out the other way so easy..what the hell happened to good writing..very big dissapointment

Not a huge fan of this one. Getting sick of the young Deans and Sams being different actors. This one even had the old actors in the "then" portion of the episode, which really rubbed it in that they look entirely different. Also the young Dean didn't seem to act much like Dean, even more than it just being written off as "he's matured." The adversary in this was a bit of a let down as well, ghosts being completely overused in this show by now. They should have like a ghost monster of some sort, there's hundreds of other monsters they haven't tapped, and they could even just make something up entirely. No more ghosts.