Plot: What’s it about?
A few years ago a former co-worker of mine and I were talking. I’d just seen the movie Priest and had commented to her that I’d enjoyed it, particularly the more religious aspects of it that the film never really seemed to touch upon. She (knowing me to be the “DVD Authority”) asked me if I’d ever seen Supernatural and I had to be honest with her and say that I hadn’t. In truth, I really had not in spite of having the seasons sent to me by Warner (that are now gathering dust in the garage). After that, I’d noticed some episodes on television but just didn’t have it in me to start a new show. My perpetual “to be reviewed” pile always beckons. So when the eighth season of Supernatural showed up I told myself no more excuses. I was going to sit down and watch a season of this show if it killed me! Now, granted, coming into a well-established show in its eighth season isn’t exactly ideal but I wasn’t going to watch seven previous seasons simply for the sake of this review (there’s a fine line between dedication and certifiable insanity) and with that all being said, here’s my take.
The show isn’t exactly challenging in the plot department as the series focuses on two brothers: Sam and Dean Winchester (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles respectively). The two brothers are nomadic and travel around the country in their ’67 Impala fighting, you guessed it, the supernatural (though demons seem to be the most common). In this eighth season, purgatory seems to be a recurring theme with Dean having escaped in the series opener. Granted each episode is set to stand on its own, but the purgatory theme is recurring as Dean enlists the help of a vampire by the name of Benny who escaped with him (“Blood Brother”). As the duo make their way across the country, they meet up with their grandfather who has appeared via time travel, meet up with a man who dies once a day (“Remember the Titans”) and at the season’s end, attempt to close both the gates of Heaven and Hell. Yep, I was pretty lost.
Supernatural has some very interesting roots and I’ll probably hit up Netflix or see if I can find any of my older seasons as the show is intriguing. Written and developed by Erik Kripke, who has found new success with Revolution, he tried to pitch the show to networks for over a decade. Originally the characters were set to be “Sal” and “Dean” with an obvious nod to the novel On the Road by Jack Kerocac. I don’t know if I’ve found a new series to follow, especially after feeling somewhat lost during this season. Bear in mind this isn’t a soap opera where you can take a few years off and be caught up in an episode or two. No, this show has layers and that’s good. It makes you think and I have always been fascinated with the occult, though not in that way. Clearly the show has a following as it’s entering its ninth season, so hopefully by the time that rolls around to Blu-ray, I’ll be a bit more prepared.
Video: How’s it look?
Some of the promos I’ve seen for the show have made it look a bit low budget. Let me assure you that the 1.78:1 AVC HD transfer on this Blu-ray set is second to none. The entire series is more on the darker side as we might expect for two anti-heroes that fight demons. Contrast and blacks are rock solid and though a few of the special effects aren’t up to some of those that I’ve seen, it’s not bad for a weekly television series. Detail is amazing, showcasing some of the scenery and we see the pores on the actors’ faces. Truthfully, this is about as good as I’ve seen from a television series and Warner has done a fine job with this release.
Audio: How’s it sound?
Complimenting the video is a rather amazing DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack. I think we’re past the days when a television series has to sound dated and this is certainly not the case as this mix simply resonates in some of the episodes. Vocals are strong and concise, surrounds are used often and the LFE are very active (though in some episodes more than others). Some general ambiance is always present for a very active, all around mix. Again, a fine job.
Supplements: What are the extras?
Warner has wisely loaded this set down with a pretty nice selection of extras. Let’s get started.
- “Audio Commentaries“ – Three episodes feature a commentary track and for an “uninitiated” viewer like me, these were welcome. “Hunteri Heroici” features writer Andrew Dabb as well as producer Todd Aronauer. “As Time Goes By” has Executive Producers Robert Singer, Jeremy Carver, and Adam Glass. “Everybody Hates Hitler” has Executive Producer/Director Phil Sgriccia and Executive Producer/Writer Ben Edlund. Granted, the more die-hard fans might get a little more out of this than I did, but these are all very in-depth and informative.
- “Finding Supernatural: Creating the Found Footage episode” – We get some behind the scenes footage and a bit of information about the “Bitten” episode.
- “For the Defense of Mankind: The Tablets Revealed” – Somewhat of a new linear storyline this season is explored with the mysterious “tablets” and we get a look at some of the mythology and lore.
- “Deleted Scenes” – Nearly every episode has a couple of deleted scenes and all are shown here.
- “Gag Reel” – A bit more than your standard “gag reel” here, but the cast and crew is obviously having a good time.
- “UltraViolet Copy” – The season is also available with a UV copy for your other devices.
