Blogging A to Z: Supernatural

The letter "S" OF COURSE means Supernatural! 



Supernatural is currently on season 7 on The CW Network, but if you haven't watched it, I highly recommend starting at the beginning on DVD, Netflix or reruns on cable (TNT airs it twice a day on weekdays - set your DVR! Or VCR if you're still hanging on that way).
Dean and Sam Winchester are brothers who hunt supernatural beings, demons and other crazies that go bump in the night. The series began with a lot of monster-of-the-week and urban legend story lines, with a main quest to find the demon who killed their mother when Sam was just a baby. Said demon also killed Sam's girlfriend in the pilot ep. (Suffice to say, women on Supernatural do not fare well. At all.). Their father, who taught them everything during a transient childhood of hunting monsters, is missing and the brothers use his notebook to follow clues leading to him. Dean desires to live up to his father's expectations while Sam adjusts to returning to the hunting life after a few years removed to pursue normalcy.

Later seasons play more with mythology of demons and eventually, angels. One of my favorite moments from the whole series is when the angel Castiel first appears. His wings are shown as massive shadows against a barn interior. I love that the angels on this show are extremely powerful, but they aren't friendly. Castiel quickly became a fan favorite for his very logical but amusing commentary, and in particular his friendship with Dean.

To say this show has a cult following is an understatement. When I mentioned looking for a cheesy image, believe me, there are sickeningly cheesy photo montages and wallpaper images of the Winchesters. And fan fiction, if you're into that.


Why You Should Watch: Let me count the ways!

• Sam and Dean's loyalty to each other is probably the key piece -  they're a great team fueled by revenge and family legacy. 
• Dean owns a 1967 Impala, which is super badass, but probably a real gas guzzler. 
• Bobby Singer, their resource on cases is like a second father, and his relationship to the brothers intensifies in importance as the series progresses. He has a multiple wall phones labeled FBI, Fed Marshal, etc. for when the Winchesters need verification for one of their fake identities.
• The special effects are good for a TV show, and occasionally awesome.
• Fans of the show are extremely devoted, and one episode takes place at a Supernatural fan convention - but the Supernatural referenced there is a series of books, which tie into the story line.

Factoids: One of the original producers of Supernatural is Kim Manners, who is most famous for collaboration on The X-Files, but he's also filmed a number of successful TV pilots. Manners directed the season opener and finale for 4 and half seasons until his untimely death from cancer in 2009. Another X-Files tie-in, Mitch Pileggi who played Skinner, shows up mid-way through the series as the Winchester's grandfather. Lastly, Supernatural is also an anime series!