SUPERNATURAL
Beyond the slaying of all manner of supernatural evils, rock and roll, beautiful waitresses and one hell of a durable muscle car, what lies at the heart of this show is family and sacrifice. It's a tale of two brothers, one who followed Dad into the family business of hunting down the things that go “bump” in the night and the other who was pulled back in after starting on a path to a normal life.
Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester’s father started over his life as a hunter of monsters after their mother was murdered in their home by a demon when the youngest was just a baby. Their father was played magnetically by Jeffrey Dean Morgan and it is his disappearance at the beginning of the series that pulls college student Sam out of school and back on to the ghost-hunting road again.
The show has run for over a decade now and it’s easy to say they’ve faced a more diverse set of creatures of the night than nearly any other show. They’ve each died and come back, been possessed, had supernatural powers, fought on the side of the literal angels and on the side of demons, wielded weapons of myth and legend, gone to Hell, Heaven and Limbo and they’ve even met God. Quite and underwhelming fellow, but I digress…
Weekly, the show’s tone can be serious or comedic, it can be action packed or slow burn dramatic. But, regardless, it’s usually entertaining. And it’s entertaining because of the chemistry between these actors. There are over 250 episodes of this show that has lasted through multiple networks and over a decade of changes—that alone says a lot about the dedication the cast and crew must have for one another and the product they put out every year.
These episodes, as far as I can tell, are all up on Netflix for your enjoyment and available on DVD.
As for me… these here are my picks for
Top 10 Episodes…
“When the Levee Breaks”
Season 4, Episode 21
Sam and Dean battle it out, Dean revealing that he fears Sam has become a monster and Sam leaving Dean bleeding on the floor as he leaves.
“In My Time of Dying”
Season 2, Episode 1
As Sam and John struggle to recover from the yellow-eyed demon crash that ended Season 1, Dean lies at death’s door. When Sam is sent to recover the Colt that was forged to kill any supernatural being, John plans to make a sacrifice.
“Death’s Door”
Season 7, Episode 10
Bobby, the boys’ father figure lies at death’s door and spends the episode trying to fight off a reaper, but to also send an important message to his two favorite idjits.
“Nightshifter”
Season 2, Episode 12
puts the boys in the middle of a bank robbery gone bad as they hunt a shapeshifter who could be anyone in the bank. This one puts the antics of the Winchester boys on the map of the FBI as they pull off one hell of a getaway.
“Mystery Spot”
Season 3, Episode 11
In, perhaps, the show’s funniest episode, Sam realizes he’s in a Groundhog Day-type situation in which Dean dies during this repeating day in hundreds of ways. Above is one of the shortest scenes of that episode. Of course, it’s the Trickster who is behind the naughtiness, but will he be nice?
“No Rest for the Wicked”
Season 3, Episode 16
In their continuing effort to save Dean from his deal, the boys track Lilith, who is currently occupying the body of a little girl and is also currently torturing said little girl’s family. As the hour draws to a close, the hellhounds descend on Dean and drag him off to Hell.
“Abandon All Hope”
Season 5, Episode 10
is one hell of a showdown episode. The gang all team up to stop Lucifer and things go sideways. Jo and Ellen both die in a hellhound attack, and when Sam and Dean finally shoot Lucifer with the Colt, it has no effect. And the brothers can only watch as the final horseman, Death, is raised.
“The Monster at the End of This Book”
Season 4, Episode 18
is the best meta episode of the series, which leads to several other episodes using this same idea. The boys discover that their lives are the basis for a book series, by a second-rate pulp writer who has no idea the stories are true. The books have a rabid fandom, replete with many strange fan fiction writers and, even a small convention at which the boys find themselves working a case. Turns out that Chuck, the writer of said books, is a prophet.
“Swan Song”
Season 5, Episode 22
Ending with an epic battle between Lucifer and Michael, the battle turns when Lucifer takes over Sam’s body and kills Castiel and Bobby and nearly kills Dean. Sam eventually takes back control and goes to Hell and into the cage God put there for him.
“Baby”
Season 11, Episode 4
is an episode told from the point of view of the third character in the show, the Impala. Combine this storytelling tool with the powerful story and you’ve got a damn fine episode of Supernatural.
2 comments:
Good choices. Been watching the show since its beginning and still sticking with it. Wish it would do more monster-of-the-week shows and less of the over-arching mythical nonsense stuff.
Im with you. Same with X-Files toward the end... too much of it's own mythology.
Post a Comment