The Winchester brothers are back. That’s quite a feat since one of them had literally gone to hell in the last season. To hell and back now thanks to some angelic intervention. The boys are back to their old ways, but the demon Lilith is still up to no good and threatens to unleash the apocalypse unless the boys can stop her.
When we last left Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester, Dean had committed his soul to the tortures of hell to save Sam. A hellhound had killed Dean and he had started serving his sentence in the pit. However, this season he awakens in his own grave very much alive.
He can’t remember his sojourn in hell but the area around his grave looks like a nuclear bomb dropped had his grave was the epicenter of the explosion. He also has a handprint on his shoulder that something had drug him out of hell and left its mark upon him. His first call is to Sam, but his phone is disconnected. His second call is to Bobby (Jim Beaver) who doesn’t believe that it’s really Dean and when he shows up on Bobby’s door he tries to kill him.
Dean is finally able to convince Bobby that it’s really him and not a demon. Dean then sets out with Bobby to track down Sam. They track him down to a hotel room with a beautiful girl and when she leaves Sam also tries to put Dean back in the ground until its proven that it’s really him. They soon discover that Dean was pulled out of hell by Castiel (Misha Collins) and that he has a more heavenly origin than Lilith.
However, Lilith is out to break the 66 seals that imprison Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino) and setting him free will trigger the apocalypse. Sam is also keeping a secret from Dean in that he’s been training with Ruby (Genevieve Cortese), who has possessed a new body and was the girl in his hotel room, to hone his psychic powers.
They set out to stop Lilith by preventing her from opening the seals, but their fates might be intertwined more with this prophecy than they first imagined. Their quest won’t stop them from doing some hunting along the way though.
I like Sam and Dean by default, but my favorite character on the show is Bobby. All joking aside, Supernatural is my favorite show that I don’t get to see. I don’t get to see it because my CW channel went away. I’m elated to get to catch up with it in one chunk on Blu-ray.
Actually this way might be preferable to me since this season has mythology aspects that I might’ve forgotten if I had to wait a week before each episode (that always bugged me about X-Files in that I usually missed the middle “mythology” episode and came out a little confused).
A series lives and dies by its characters and Sam, Dean, and Bobby are grand creations. We have the two heroes who are damaged and are on quests to save the world and the wise old sage who tutors them in the ways of good, somebody call Joseph Campbell.
We’ve seen all manner of evil beast on the show and I’ve always wondered if the opposite number would make more of an appearance on the show. This season finds angels making an appearance though they might not be the way you might imagine them. As the show has gone on it’s become more to rely on mythology arcs (just what was that yellow eyed demon up to) but that doesn’t mean that they don’t have moments of humor, one episode is shot in black and white and features classic movie monsters, and good character development.
I didn’t realize how much I missed the show until I started delving into the episodes and remember the enjoyment that it gives me. Bring on the next season says I.
Supernatural is presented in a 1080p high definition transfer (1.78:1). Special features are presented in high definition. First up are three audio commentaries though. The first is from show creator/producer Eric Kripke and writer Jeremy Carver on “In the Beginning.”
The second is on “When the Levee Breaks” with producers Robert Singer and Sera Gamble. The final is a solo commentary from Kripke on “Lucifer Rising.” Next are an hour of featurette “Mythologies” from the series, 23 minutes of deleted scenes, and a 10 minute gag reel. You can also turn the episode recaps on and off.
Supernatural is really one of my favorite shows at the moment. I enjoy the horror-centric themes and enjoy all of the characters. I’d be watching it in “real time” if my CW station hadn’t vanished (a demonic plot no doubt or maybe I’m just too lazy to track down where/when it airs here – not that I have time to watch TV having a stack to review). It’s a show I greatly enjoy and this season is not the exception.
Supernatural: The Complete Fourth Season [Blu-ray] is now available at Amazon . Visit the DVD database for more information.
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