Supernatural - Season 1

Supernatural - Season 1

      After wanting to see this show for a while, I finally got my chance while I was housesitting and the family had Netflix, so I sat down and for two days I manged to watch all of Season 1. I now realize that it was probably a mistake, because I was at someone's house, I was alone, and I watched the first 5 episodes at night (Bugs and The Hookman, I could definitely do without). 

     The show in its most basic form is about two brothers, Dean and Sam Winchester, who travel the U.S. in search of their father and along the way must battle demons, ghosts, vampires and whatever else may seem out of the ordinary. In general has an interesting concept and take on the legends and mythologies of Supernatural creatures and American hometown lore.

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Sam Winchester

Jared Padalecki as Sam Winchester in
Supernatural - Season 1

     Brainy and sensible Stanford student, Sam Winchester, may appear to be an ordinary guy with a beautiful girlfriend, fantastic grades and a promising career as a law student, but all that comes to a halt when his older brother, Dean, breaks into his college dorm to inform him about their missing father. Suddenly Sam's perfectly normal life and possible future are put in the back seat as he reluctantly agrees to help his brother search for their father, John Winchester, a supernatural hunter who has led a personal crusade to find the demon who murdered his beloved wife 22 years before. Since then, John Winchester has had an unorthodox approach of raising his sons to fight demons and monsters and insists that one day they will take over. 

     At first, Sam is obstinate about the idea of trekking across the American mid-west to find a father he's had no contact with in almost two years. In his mind, he's doing it for his brother who has been more of a father to him than John Winchester ever was. Only when Sam returns to Stanford, he finds that his girlfriend has been murdered in the same was that his mother was. Now, his father's 22 year crusade becomes his own and nothing and no one will deter the young man from gaining his revenge on the demon who murdered the mother he never knew and the young woman he loved dearly.  

     For years Sam abhorred being raised differently from other kids, constant moving around, learning how to fight and always being on his guard, lest anyone finds out about the family secret. One of the reasons Sam left home for Stanford (much to his father's disapproval) was the chance to live a regular life and not worry about what may be lurking outside his door. As the show progresses, Sam becomes more and more intrigued by the family business of hunting things and saving people (as Dean puts so eloquently). His brilliant mind and practical nature makes him a great asset in the business. He has a very personal way with people and is able to understand the hurting human heart as well as the damaged mind, but in all actuality, it's his brother that makes Sam want to stay and continue to hunt, no matter what the cost in the end may be.

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Dean Winchester

Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester in
Supernatural - Season 1

    Handsome Dean Winchester is what one can very easily describe as 'a good son.' While his younger brother tears away from the family supernatural hunting business, Dean stays with his father and never questions his authority at any point in time. While off the clock, Dean is charming, funny and a consummate ladies man, but when he's called to fight, he will stop at nothing to save people from demons and monsters. Dean's devotion to his father is what separates him entirely from his younger rebellious brother. In Dean's eyes, John Winchester has every validation in the world to hunt down the demon that almost destroyed his family and neither Sam or God himself will tear Dean away from the belief.

     While on the road (in his beloved Impala), Dean finds a surprising gift of compassion towards people who are hurting from the same trauma he suffered as a four year old boy who lost his mother. Whether it's helping children to find their lost voices or assisting former girlfriends in clearing their family's name,  Dean's surprising kindness and courageous heart become as important as his personal charm and hunting skills. Sam, himself, is surprised at this change in the brother he's admired all his life. Even as a child, Sam worshiped his older brother and would rather listen to him than even conceive the thought of listening to his father.

     If Sam is the smart brother who tries to keep everything going smoothly, Dean is the fun brother who likes to have a good time. Whether it's pulling pranks or encouraging his brother to liven up and make a move on a girl they might be working a case with. Dean's almost split personality from a serious fighter to a hilarious jokester is what keeps the storyline from becoming to serious as well as establishing a continuing growing bond between him and his brother.

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Saving People, Hunting Things, 

The Family Business

Jensen Ackles as Dean Winchester and Jared Padaleck as Sam Winchester in
Supernatural - Season 1

      I was pleasantly surprised by the show; until I started watching The Vampire Diaries, I had never cared for anything supernatural, but I was surprised at the in depth storylines and shocking twists that each episode offered. The show starts out in a very interesting way, very serious in the beginning, but as the boys became more comfortable with the job (especially the very successful cases), life on the road can become lighthearted and fun, with Sam and Deans pranks, banter and never-ending disagreements on their tastes in women. In the end though, it's about reuniting with their father and above all hunting, finding and finally killing the demon that has been the bane of their unusual family life.