Ask them if they still have the Shamrock Shake?
by Kevin Gaussoin, Editor-in-Chief
In 2005, Eric Kripke brought his latest creation into our living rooms on the WB. Following it’s brother show Smallville for its first four seasons, the Winchester brothers brought us into their world each week, promising to hunt and destroy all the evil in the world. While they certainly had their ups and downs, overall their success at this mission was nothing less than supernatural.
Supernatural stars Jensen Ackles (Dark Angel, Smallville, Batman: Under the Red Hood) and Jared Padalecki (Gilmore Girls) as Dean and Sam Winchester, a pair of brothers who have spent the last five seasons taking on the family business, peering behind the veil of normal life and hunting and killing all the evil creatures that hide in the shadows of the world.
It’s been five long years, but now Supernatural The Complete First Season was just released on Blu-ray, so we can now enjoy it in full 1080p HD.
*SPOILERS FOLLOW*
It’s no spoiler to mention that the whole show begins with the premise that the brothers’ mother Mary (Samantha Smith – Dark Angel, Transformers) in the opening scene is levitated to the ceiling and immolated by a mysterious figure after she catches him standing at baby Sam’s crib. Their father John (Jeffrey Dean Morgan – Watchmen, Grey’s Anatomy, The Losers) gets young Dean to take baby Sam outside, and they all fortunately escape the burning house. Mr Winchester and his boys then undertake the mission of tracking the culprit, and in doing so, pull back the veil to the supernatural world and all the demons, ghosts and other creatures that inhabit it.
The first couple of episodes further establish the premise that Sam has left the family business a few years before and is in college as a pre-law student. Dean visits and asks Sam for his help finding their father, who has disappeared after going on a “hunting trip”. They fail to find their father, but they do find his notebook containing all his data concerning the supernatural world, along with clues as to where he might be headed. After their first adventure defeating the “Woman in White” (as beautifully played by Life‘s Sarah Shahi), Sam demands that Dean drive him back to school so he can make his law school entrance interview on time, even against Dean’s pleading that they make a great team and should work together to find their father.
When Sam returns home, his lays back on his bed and quickly discovers his girlfriend Jessica (Adrienne Palicki – Smallville, Aquaman, Friday Night Lights) stuck to their ceiling just before she bursts into flame, just as his mother had, twenty-some years before. With that, Sam is back on board with his brother, fully determined to find their father and avenge the deaths of his girlfriend and their mother.
But you know this. You’ve read Supernatural episode reviews on ComicsOnline for years. Why do you need this new set?
Whether or not you’ve watched every episode, whether or not you’ve already got the first season on DVD, if you love this show or are even just curious about this show, you need to get it on Blu-ray, and now even the first season has finally been converted to high-def. Keep in mind that while they’ve done a fantastic job at converting the standard def video to high-def, many of the effects were specifically created for standard def (hey, this is a weekly show, and rendering is a bazillion times faster on standard def). Also, you can really tell when their car shots are shot against green-screen, and you can tell when they switch cameras in different shots. It shouldn’t pull most people out of the story, but for me it was an interesting look behind the veil of their production.
Special Features:
Speaking of, the special features certainly look behind the scenes quite a bit as well, from optional audio tracks with the creators as well as some behind the scenes vignettes. Here is a more complete list:
DISC 1
• Commentary on Pilot by Eric Kripke, David Nutter, and Peter Johnson
• Commentary on Phantom Traveler by Jarod Padalecki and Jensen Ackles
• Deleted/Extended Scenes from Pilot, Wendigo, and Phantom Traveler
DISC 2
• Deleted/Extended Scenes from Hook Man, Home, Scarecrow, and Faith
DISC 3
• Blu-ray Exclusive: Paley Festival Panel Discussion Featuring The Cast and Creators – (The only thing it was missing was ComicsOnline’s own Chelsea Dee)
• Deleted/Extended Scenes from Nightmare
DISC 4
• Blu-ray Exclusive: The Devil’s Road Map
• Day in the Life of Jared and Jensen (Fans will love this!)
• Supernatural: Tales From The Edge of Darkness
• Gag Reel (better than most gag reels)
Overall:
If you love Supernatural already, or have heard how awesome it becomes in later seasons, or your just a fan of “Denny” from Grey’s Anatomy or “Jason” from Smallville, you should really pick up Supernatural The Complete First Season on Blu-ray.
Rating: 
ComicsOnline gives Supernatural The Complete First Season on Blu-ray 4.5 out of 5 yellow-eyed demons.
Order Supernatural The Complete First Season on Blu-ray now on Amazon!
(Those of you who are time-traveling from before 2003 can still get it on DVD)
Keep it here at ComicsOnline.com for more TV on Blu-ray reviews and everything geek pop culture.
