But what really kicked the show into high gear for me was when Chuck Shurley (Rob Benedict) makes an appearance in "The Monster at the End of this Book." Shurley has been writing books about Sam & Dean's adventures that the boys never even heard of. And they're popular. VERY popular. It turns out that Chuck is a prophet and every time the boys go on an adventure, he starts writing. This has to be one of my favorite Supernatural episodes ever, because it reminded me of the scene in Spaceballs where they're fast forwarding through the tape of the movie during the movie...
In addition to providing details on every episode and major character for the season, Knight also includes several "A Closer Look" sections that describe different monsters or concepts from the show and where the ideas came from. These are one or two pages covering "Angels" or "Samhain" or "Magic Wishes." With Halloween coming up next month, it was interesting to hear how the practice originated as a Celtic harvest festival at the end of summer. As Knight puts it, this is the halfway point between the light and dark parts of the year. "At this junction between light and dark, it was believed that the veil between the worlds of the living and the dead was at its thinnest..." So we wear masks and light candles in hallowed out gourds to make these spirits feel more at home. Somehow I doubt the spirits feel at home in the Disney character-dominated world of a modern Halloween.
Long story short, Supernatural: The Official Companion, Season 4 is a great addition to the bookshelf of any Supernatural fan who wants a good reference for prior seasons and a bit of the background behind the spooky stories told week after week!
Article comments
1 - NancyGail
Nicely done! Castiel doesn't worry me, seeing Zachriah does. Btw, dialog tends to have a "ue" stuck on the end. Just for future thought....