Demon-hunting brothers Dean (Jensen Ackles) and Sam (Jared Padalecki) Winchester were seemingly separated forever at the end of last season when Dean’s life-debt with a demon to save Sam came due and his year was up. He was taken to hell and has been there four months when we rejoin the action this year. Dean is brought back to his life and he and Sam soon find out why. An angel saved Dean and the brothers are to be key warriors to stop the rise of Lucifer and the Apocalypse. Sam and Dean disagree on the best way to do this, however, and that comes to have far-reaching consequences.

CRITIQUE

The horror genre, both in fiction and film, seems to have been co-opted by the world of vampires lately, but the storytelling in the series Supernatural has always had a far more inclusive scope. Scary stuff serves the core theme of good versus evil here. In a season that propels forward engagingly and wonderfully widens the mythology, Supernatural retains the thrills, drama, and humor that defines the show during it’s fourth season.

From the second the first episode of the season is over, viewers know that Supernatural has pushed itself to move forward creatively in a way few series do after airing for so long. When Dean sees Castiel, the being who rescued him out of hell, he recognizes the unparalleled power that he is in debt to but is unprepared for the shock of being told that God commanded his redemption, that Castiel is an angel.

The wings that appear behind Castiel in shadow on the wall are part of what convince him (besides being a cool shot), and the rest of the season delivers some episodes that are more like the “hunt down the bad thing” adventures of the first three seasons but is mostly spent developing a face-off between angels and demons. This plotting can sometimes be refreshingly unpredictable but is consistently engaging. The dubious motives and intent of the angels and the interaction between the brothers makes this Biblical turn feel like where the series was headed all along.

One of the best things about this show is the funny moments audiences can enjoy amid the scares and family drama, and the two leads handle every bit of this extremely well. Ackles, especially, has proven himself to be not only a commanding lead but a performer of surprising depth. Compare his touching account of what he remembers of Hell with the side-splitting lip-sync of “Eye of the Tiger” he does to finish off one episode.

The minds behind this show truly have an innovative creation on their hands and the typically cliff-hanger ending of the finale will do nothing except make fans salivate for season 5. Supernatural surges strongly into fresh plots and its usual effective combination of scary, funny, and dramatic during its fourth season.

THE VIDEO

This six-disc set is presented in the widescreen format, increasingly the more accurate one for television series on DVD because the broadcasts themselves are being presented in the format. This is especially true for dramas like this show, and the transfer here is excellent.

THE AUDIO

The English track on this set is in Dolby Digital 5.1, and there is also a Portuguese track in Dolby surround stereo. The subtitles offered are many; aside from English and Portuguese, there are also French, Spanish, Chinese, and Thai.

THE EXTRAS

The Mythologies of Supernatural: From Heaven to Hell: Three sections make up this extra: Paradiso, Purgatorio, and Inferno. Each section will lead to fascinating featurettes detailing various religious mythologies as they apply to this show, particularly in this season.

Three separate featurettes can be found in the Heaven and Hell sections, while Purgatory has only one. Various experts in the major religions of the world join with the writers and producers from the series to talk about things like angels and the war in heaven, Lilith, and limbo. Every moment here is interesting, and there is also one extra feature in each of the three sections (move the selection around on the menu and you’ll find it) that lead the viewer to funny instructional videos from the inept “Ghostfacers,” who are the phony demon-hunters Sam and Dean met in season three. This is the best extra on this set.

Gag Reel: Huge amounts of laughter are provided by this series in every one of it’s gag reels, and this fourth offering of bloopers is just as hilarious. There are plenty of goofing-off shots from leads Ackles and Padalecki, but look how much Padalecki’s gas interrupts scenes!

Extended/Unaired Scenes: Ten episodes have these on this set, though only two are unaired. Most are extremely short and so probably worth only one viewing but there are some like the cool moment Castiel mimics Dean in the finale by saying, “What the hell?”

Audio Commentary on 3 Episodes: From creator/writer/director Kripke and other writers of the show on these key episodes: “In the Beginning,” and the last two episodes of the season, “When the Levee Breaks” and “Lucifer Rising.” I love that we learn there are four Imapalas used for different types of filming on the show and how the impressive quick Steadicam shot that opens the finale was achieved. These are great additions to the episodes.

FINAL THOUGHTS