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" Supernatural ended its eighth season on an epic note as the heavens literally opened, spewing a horde of angels Earthwards. &amp;#039;I Think I&amp;#039;m Gonna Like It Here&amp;#039; may have been the show&amp;#039;s best-rated premiere since 2010, but did it soar or was the episode a spectacular fall from grace?  After a trick opening that deftly undercuts our expectations, we learn that Sam (Jared Padalecki) is on the brink of death, having sustained serious injury as a result of the trials. The comatose younger Winchester is now trapped in his own mindscape, unsure of whether he should fight to live or just quietly slip away, exhausted, into the darkness. Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Bobby (Jim Beaver) - or at least, figments of Sam&amp;#039;s imagination that look and sound like them - are the proverbial angel and devil on his shoulder... though it&amp;#039;s not entirely clear which is which. It&amp;#039;s great to see Jim Beaver back as Bobby - and even better that his latest return doesn&amp;#039;t undermine his most recent emotional exit - but the big question is, can a failing Sam be restored to full health without it feeling like a cop-out?  Given Supernatural&amp;#039;s past record, you might expect Dean to play one of his most tried-and-tested cards - &amp;#039;Dream Bobby&amp;#039; even calls &amp;#039;Dream Dean&amp;#039; out on his self-sacrificing streak - but instead, he&amp;#039;s forced to make a far more difficult choice... Dean writes an open letter of sorts - so hip right now - to any angels in earshot, begging them to heal Sam in return for a favour to be named at a later date... To stave off death, an unwitting Sam is now carrying the angel Ezekiel (Tahmoh Penikett) inside him - after nine seasons, it&amp;#039;s gotta be tricky for the Supernatural team to find new ways to bring their heroes back from the brink, but Sam&amp;#039;s angel possession is a fresh twist and one that ties in neatly with the themes of this season and the last.  I mean, sure, Dean&amp;#039;s going to be hiding a secret from his bro *again* - but you can&amp;#039;t have everything. Elsewhere in Tuesday&amp;#039;s premiere, we saw Castiel (Misha Collins) taking his first baby steps as a human, as he visits the laundromat, bonds with and then turns on an angel stalker (the sparky and watchable Grace Victoria Phipps) and generally deal with his guilt and confusion over what happened to his angel brothers... We&amp;#039;re given just a small taste of what life as a human will be like for our gravel-voiced chum, but like Cas himself, I&amp;#039;m hungry for more. It&amp;#039;s definitely a good thing that Collins is back as a series regular this year - he may not have always been a part of the Supernatural furniture, but now, to my mind, he&amp;#039;s as indispensable to the show as J2 (Jensen and Jared, for the uninitiated). With the Earthbound angels divided - half still loyal to Castiel, half determined to destroy him - are we looking at a holy war on Earth? If so, we could be in for a helluva season of Supernatural - and with &amp;#039;I Think I&amp;#039;m Gonna Like It Here&amp;#039;, it&amp;#039;s got off to an unspectacular but solid start.  Carry On My Wayward Son... - Supernatural&amp;#039;s title cards have varied in quality from season-to-season, but year nine&amp;#039;s angel-themed ident gets a thumbs-up from us. Very stylish. - Big shout-out to Julian Richings - as ever, terrific value as Death. - Of course Dean loves cronuts - the man&amp;#039;s a sweet treat connoisseur. - Misha Collins in his boxers - one for the Tumblr crowd. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/supernatural/news/a522435/supernatural-season-9-premiere-review-death-angels-and-a-holy-war/>