Wed, 04 May 2011 1:22p.m.
There are TV shows out there that are great, and everyone knows they’re great.
Breaking Bad. Sopranos. Six Feet Under. There’s no argument: They’re solid from both a fans perspective, and from that of the cynical reviewer sitting in his darkened apartment.
Then there are shows that are great, but universally misunderstood and ignored. Sure, they may have a dedicated fan-base (most shows do, no matter how great or terrible), but overall the feeling is that it’s simply not worth watching.
Supernatural is one of those shows. But it shouldn’t be.
To the outsider, this show looks a bit like Prison Break meets The X-Files. Two hot brothers team up not to escape a prison, but to investigate supernatural phenomenon. It’s not exactly the most groundbreaking concept, but by god it works. And that’s what this blog is about: Not for the fans (they know it’s good), but for those who (like me, for years) looked at this show and went “why bother? It looks shit.”
His acting will surprise you
It doesn’t start particularly well: We’re introduced to Dean and Sam Winchester, some scary stuff that happened to their parents (like X-Files, family plays a hugely important part in Supernatural), and the fact they, in essence, hunt monsters. They also have an obsession with their car, and at the end of each episode we’re forced to watch it drive off into the sunset. It’s terrible. Also, they even refer to themselves as “hunters”. This is a level of cheese I struggled with a lot. The main thing that kept me watching was some amazingly gruesome bits of TV. The number of gory deaths really is impressive, and that was the main thing that made me think “more good stuff must be coming”.
And so for a few seasons, we’re treated to family history and monster hunting. Vampires, werewolves, shapeshifters. Boring. But slowly, all this monster stuff takes a back seat to the fact that Sam and Dean are awesome. Their on-screen chemistry is great, and the way they riff on one another is just incredibly, well, believable. They are likeable brothers and start to make for an incredibly likable show.
But it’s the later seasons – we’re talking four and five (currently season six is airing in the US) that get really amazing. You see, all that exists in this show up until now is evil. Bad stuff happens. But in the later season we find out that good stuff exists too – God and Angels and all that stuff. And suddenly the show finds its feet: It’s no longer just about monsters, but about Good vs Evil. God’s buggered off from heaven, and Dean and Sam take it upon themselves to sort it out. An angel, Castiel, joins the cast – and becomes one of the coolest characters I’ve ever seen on TV.
If I was going to liken it to anything else, plot-wise, I guess I'd go with Preacher, the excellent comic book series. Tone-wise, think Neil Gaiman's American Gods novel.
There’s humour here, and plenty of it. Watching an angel come to terms with using cellphones is awesome. At one stage Dean rings him, only to get Castiel’s voicemail. “Why the hell do I have to say my name on this th---- BEEP”. Brilliant. But maybe you had to be there…
While all this good vs evil stuff is going on, the wackiness increases, too. My favourite moment so far is when the brothers attend a Supernatural convention (I won’t say how this happens – too much of a spoiler). There they meet the fans who are playing them. One duo in particular ends up being gay – a nod to the all the insane fan fiction going on about Dean and Sam’s fictional gay relationship. It’s writing at its finest – and oh so fun to watch.
So get involved. Most of it’s out on DVD and quite cheap (about $30 a season). Ignore the terrible promo shots and the bad tee-shirts (there are some shockers) and just watch. You’ll like what you see.