The Evidence

According to Judge Jennifer Malkowski, Veronica Mars is the heir to the Buffy throne. If that's true, then Supernatural takes its baton from The X-Files. Shot in Vancouver, the series has that same dreary, cold bluish tint, the same passion for eerie puzzles, and a pair of leads whose chemistry supersedes all else. The show is the work of Eric Kripke, a Hollywood unknown who has managed to secure himself a spot right next to Joss Whedon in the fandom hall of fame. Kripke's greatest talent is in assembling a team (many from The X-Files) who could take his grand dreams and turn them into weekly nightmares.

Like magic, the success of Supernatural is the power of three.

1. The Writing
Like most good horror movies, Supernatural achieves that perfect balance between laughs and scares. The dialogue is snappy and snarky and knows exactly when to poke fun at itself and the genre.

Dean to brother Sam (in regard to his newly discovered paranormal powers): "So who's the hotter psychic…Patricia Arquette, Jennifer Love Hewitt, or you?"

The plots range from traditional urban legends such as Bloody Mary to their own personal devil, which the fans have dubbed "Celine Demon" (The ceiling demon). Each week, the boys drive into a different town and a different horror movie. Man, do these guys need a new travel agent.

2. The Directing
The pilot for Supernatural was directed by David Nutter, who is 12 for 12 in having his pilots picked up as a series (an unheard of number). Nutter is given a lot of credit for the overall look of the show. He makes the ordinary look scary as all get out. I never cease to be amazed by the interesting angles, shadows and style of the show. Kim Manners (The X-Files), who joined the show a bit later, brought his ability to elicit great performances from his actors as seen in episodes such as "Dead in the Water" and "Devil's Trap."

Which brings me to number three:

3. The Brothers
When you have a show with only two regular characters, you better find two guys who get along, not only on screen but off. Supernatural lucked out Vegas style when they cast Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki as the brothers Winchester. Jared Padalecki was known to WB fans as Dean on Gilmore Girls but he also has a few films under his belt (most notably House of Wax and Flight of the Phoenix). Jared, as Sam, is the younger brother. He plays the role like a moody puppy dog. He mourns the loss of his "normal" life, still bucks the authority of emotionally absent father, and earnestly pledges to die for his brother if necessary.

Jensen Ackles has made a career out of playing second banana on such popular shows as Smallville, Dawson's Creek, and Dark Angel. As older brother Dean, Ackles is smug, tough; a guy who parties as hard as he works. But what Ackles does best is play the layers. Dean may seem devil-may-care, but underneath he's a hero who truly wants to spare the world from the horrors he has seen. Dean is the character most shaped by that night twenty-two years ago. He still misses his mother. He still honors his father. And he still lives to carry out the order he was given that night—protect your little brother at all costs. That's what big brothers do.

Brothers also push each other around, play tricks on each other, mope, and whine about the other's tastes in music, food, and girls. Padalecki and Ackles play it all and they couldn't be closer if they were related by blood.

Okay, so there are a few more things that make Supernatural a wowzer. One is the classic rock soundtrack. From the start, Kripke was determined to block The WB from using their typical, sappy, pop music in the series. He wrote in Dean's obsession with bands such as Metallica, AC/DC and Blue Oyster Cult. When an episode begins with the deep thrum of "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida," you know you're in for a ride. "Carry on My Wayward Son," "Bad Moon Rising," "Highway to Hell"…and hey, you can't have the reaper running loose without "Don't Fear the Reaper" playing all the while.

And what's classic music without a classic car? The boys travel the US in style in a 1967 black Impala which fans have dubbed "Metallicar." The car has become the much beloved third character in the series, in deference to the wonderful Jeffrey Dean Morgan (Grey's Anatomy) who has a reoccurring role as Papa John Winchester.

*MOW = Monster of the Week

Disc One
• "Pilot"—Sam and Dean reunite to find their missing father.
MOW: A Woman in White: a Mexican urban legend combined with the oft-told vanishing hitchhiker story.
One-Liner: Dean (to the arresting officer): "You talkin' about misdemeanor kind of trouble or squeal like a pig trouble?"

• "Wendigo"—Still tracking dad, Sam and Dean head deep into the woods of Colorado.
MOW: Wendigo: an American Indian legend about a creature created when man turned to cannibalism.
One-Liner: Dean: "Our family's so screwed to hell, maybe we can help some others. Makes things a little bit more bearable. And I tell you what else helps. Killing as many evil sons-of-bitches as I possibly can."

• "Dead in the Water"—The boys head to the lake in Wisconsin to investigate a series of suspicious drownings.
MOW: The boy in the water: general urban legend about a drowned boy looking for a playmate.
One-Liner: Andrea: (to Dean) "Must be hard, with your sense of direction, never being able to find your way to a decent pick-up line."

• "Phantom Traveler"—When a demon takes over an airplane, Dean has to face his fear of flying.
MOW: Airplanes: yeah really. Demon or not, this episode is about the fear of flying.
One-Liner: Jerry: "If you fellas would excuse me, I have some idiot to fire."

Disc Two
• "Bloody Mary"—A children's game turns deadly and our boys are on it.
MOW: Bloody Mary: infamous urban legend about the dark woman in the mirror who will kill you if you say her name three times.
One-Liner: Dean: "A few local women, a Laura and a Catherine, committed suicide in front of a mirror. And a giant mirror fell on a guy named Dave."

• "Skin"—A college chum of Sam's is arrested for murder but can he be two places at the same time?
MOW: Shapeshifters: mythological creatures that can take on another human's or animal's form.
One-Liner: Dean (talking about the shifter who has his face): " All right, but first I want to find that handsome devil and kick the holy crap out of him!"

• "Hook Man"—It's off to college when a frat boy is killed on lover's lane.
MOW: Hook Man: a popular urban legend about an escaped mental patient who stalks teens on lover's lane. Also, look for a quick reference to the famous "drip, drip, drip" urban legend.
One-Liner: Dean: "That's it! Next time, I get to watch the cute girl's house."

• "Bugs"—Suburbia takes a licking in this tale of nature gone wild.
MOW: Bugs: closing in on the world's general phobia of creepy crawly critters.
One-Liner: Dean (on living in the suburbs): " The manicured lawns, "How was your day, honey?" I'd blow my brains out."

Disc Three
• "Home"—The boys return home to battle what might be the thing that killed their mother.
MOW: Inner Demons: old memories can open big wounds.
One-Liner: Dean: "Hey! Am I boring you with this hunting-evil stuff?"

• "Asylum"—Sam and Dean investigate odd happenings at an abandoned mental hospital
MOW: Mad-Doctor: basic horror movie tale of a doctor who goes too far in the name of science.
One-Liner: Dean (to Sam): "Let me know if you see any dead people, Haley Joel. "

• "Scarecrow"—Human sacrifice is the key to this small farming community's prosperity.
MOW: Scarecrow: come on they don't call them SCARE -crows for nothing.
One-Liner: Dean (as he's about to be sacrificed): "I hope your freakin' apple pie was worth it!"

• "Faith"—The show takes a serious turn when a dying Dean is cured by a faith healer.
MOW: Religion: yep, it doesn't get any more frightening than that.
One-Liner: Dean: "God save us from half the people who think they're doing God's work."

Disc Four
• "Route 666"—Dean's old lover is at the center of this tale about a ghost truck.
MOW: Bigotry: it's also about ghostly vehicles but not really.
One-Liner: Sam: "I miss conversations that didn't start with 'This killer truck…'!"

• "Nightmare"—A boy uses his psychic powers to murder his family.
MOW: Abusive Parents: again, the monster isn't the monster at all, getting clever here
One-Liner: Sam (dressed as a priest): "This has got to be a whole new low for us."

• "The Benders"—Sam is abducted by a family of hunters. Human hunters that is.
MOW: Hillbilly Cannibals: you've heard the stories…
One-Liner: Dean: "Eat me! Oh, no wait, you just might!"

• "Shadow"—Shadow demons set the boys up as bait for a bigger fish.
MOW: Shadow Demons: part of the "Celine Demon" mythos that is the basis of the show.
One-Liner: Dean (about Meg): "Hey Sam, don't take this the wrong way, but your girlfriend is a bitch."

Disc Five
• "Hell House"—A pair of amateur ghostbusters make trouble for our boys.
MOW: Gossip: yes, there's a big scary ghost guy but it's really about what happens when you spread lies.
One-Liner: Harry: "Sweet lord of the rings! Run!"

• "Something Wicked"—It's unfinished business for Dean when the boys hunt a creature that steals the life out of children.
MOW: Shtriga: an Albanian legend about a witch that sucks the life out of children.
One-Liner: Dean (to the boy who's next on the hit list): "I'd give anything not to tell you this, but sometimes nightmares are real."

• "Provenance"—An antique family portrait is the link to several murders.
MOW: Haunted Painting: even Night Gallery had a story about a haunted painting come to life!
One-Liner: Sam (to his lady love): "Well, this isn't exactly the first grave we've dug. Still think I'm a catch?"

• "Dead Man's Blood"—The family joins forces when an old friend of John's is killed.
MOW: Vampires: but with a twist.
One-Liner: Dean: "Vampires. Gets funnier every time I hear it!"

Disc Six
• "Salvation"—It's the count down to the big one, the final meeting with "Celine Demon."
MOW: Celine Demon: the demon that took their mother is within reach.
One-Liner: Dean (to Sam on the verge of the big battle): "Don't say just in case something happens to you, I don't want to hear that freaking speech, man. Nobody's dying tonight, not us, not that family, nobody. Except that demon. That evil son of a bitch ain't getting any older than tonight, understand me?"

• "Devil's Trap"—The Winchester boys aren't playing games anymore. The demon has their father but they have something the demon wants more.
MOW: Celine Demon: the final showdown (or is it?)
One-Liner: Dean (in response to Meg's claim that she killed his dad.): "For your sake, I hope you're lying. Cause if it's true, I swear to God I will march into hell myself and I will slaughter each and every one of you evil sons of bitches, so help me God!"

Wow, I'm exhausted.

Finally, a look at the DVD itself. Kudos to Warner Brothers for terrific (but a bit fussy) packaging. Warm fall colors combine with lots of stills from the show in a foldout digipack. There's a zippy little feature that allows you to shut off the recap at the start of each episode (Supernatural has no credits, just a quick title card), but I recommend you leave it on during the last few episodes, as the recaps are quite cool.

The special features on this DVD are a fan's dream. Start off with a seven-minute gag reel that is more than the typical, "oops, I screwed up my line." Included are several instances of the boys rewriting the script, and several hilarious takes of a holiday greeting promo that never made it to air. And I defy anyone to listen to Jared Padalecki's distinctive laugh and not laugh along.

"The Day in the Life of Jared and Jensen" is one of the best extras I've ever seen on a DVD (remember I'm a huge fangirl when it comes to this show). This candid piece has cameras following the boys as they go about their day in preparation for filming. You go inside their trailers (hmm, that's some damage to the wall thanks to Jensen's knife throwing skills), get breakfast with Jared (man that boy can eat) and follow them through the snow as they get ready to shoot on top of a mountain on a cold and windy night. Best of all is the footage shot in the make-up trailer—in addition to the brotherly cavorting, fans will be squeeing over the "wall of shame," dozens of photos of the boys made up in a variety of wigs and costumes. "Jaredina?" Enough said.

"Supernatural: Tales from the Edge of Darkness" is a lengthy featurette that follows the evolution of the series from casting to special effects, to the inspiration behind the stories including interviews with the cast and crew.

There's a still gallery of mostly monster art, several deleted scenes which should mostly stay deleted and only two commentaries (one by Kripke and Nutter, the other by Ackles and Padalecki). There is also an online interactive component that promises a peek at the scripts and a look at Season Two but the feature was unavailable for viewing at the time of this writing.

Oh, and look for a hidden message to the fans from creator Eric Kripke.

[UPDATE: 08 SEPTEMBER 2006] Now that the DVD has been out for several days there have been widespread reports of defective discs in the set. Disc Six is known to either freeze or jump (without the ability to go back and pick it up) chapters near the end of the final episode Devil's Trap. This is particularly infuriating to fans as the glitch comes at the turning point of the big finale reveal!

Case Number 09963

Supernatural: The Complete First Season

All Rise...

Editor's Note

The Charge

Opening Statement

Facts of the Case

The Evidence

The Rebuttal Witnesses

Closing Statement

The Verdict

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