Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
Written by Pirata Hermosa
When we last left our heroes Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) in Season Four, Sam had just slain the demon Lilith, inadvertently breaking the final seal which released Lucifer and started the Apocalypse. In season five, the brothers try to find a way to save the world by either killing the Devil or sending him back to Hell.
But finding a way to vanquish Lucifer isn’t an easy task, and compounding things even more is that the angels whom you would expect to fight on their side are actually looking forward to the Apocalypse and settling things once and for all. This puts Sam and Dean in the middle of the fight between good and evil.
While there are some direct confrontations with Lucifer, the only thing that keeps the duo alive is the fact that Sam is destined to be Lucifer’s vessel on Earth and Dean is destined to be the vessel for the Archangel Michael. And even as powerful as the two beings are, they cannot possess a vessel without that vessel’s permission.
With the help of the angel Castiel (Misha Collins) who turns his back on his brethren to help the two brothers, the three find themselves on a journey to find God, defeat each of the four horsemen, and risk their very souls.
There are still several self-contained episodes during season five like “Changing Channels”, where Sam and Dean find themselves trapped inside a television world by the Trickster and must find a way to escape. It’s one of the better episodes, even though we’ve seen this similar idea in films and other television shows. But it’s the main arc of the show that has become more significant.
Every episode is linked somehow to the Apocalypse. Whether it’s an episode focusing on the loss of hope as God is nowhere to be found, walking into a Supernatural convention based on their story, or running into gods of other religions, it all comes together.
The most satisfying stories deal with the four horsemen. Each of the horsemen has its own storyline and is blended into the story to fit a modern-day representation instead of a straight biblical reference.
The video is in 1080p High Definition with an aspect ration of 1.78:1 and is paired with 5.1 Dolby Digital audio. The video can be equated to movie quality in its sharpness and clarity. But as with most television shows it does not use the full capability regarding its audio.
There are four Blu-ray discs included in the set containing all 22 episodes. The fourth disc holds all of the Special features.
“Gag Reel” is a little better than most gag reels as it’s not all about somebody flubbing a line or just not being able to control their laughter. There’s a number of prop issues, adlibs, and general silliness that makes it better than average.
“Ghostfacers” contains 10 episodes of the web series based on characters that Sam and Dean ran into during an episode. It’s a spoof on those TV shows like Ghost Hunters where a team goes into supposed haunted building to see if they can actually find a real ghost. Entertaining, but with each webisode only being a few minutes each it doesn’t even add up to one Supernatural episode.
“Supernatural: Apocalypse Survival Guide” is an interactive walk through Bobby’s house. You can look at books and videotapes, with each item linking you to a specific feature. The videotapes are basic VHS tapes and actually look like you are watching an old tape. The features are interesting as several of them deal with historical bible references and the overall theology of the show, while others give you a behind-the-scenes look.
A lot of work and research has gone into the making of the show. For all of its dark themes and biblical references, it’s very entertaining filled with just the right amounts of suspense, action, and comic relief that make it one of the best horror shows on television.
