SUPERNATURAL

SEASON ONE

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: violence, sexual content, thematic elements, language

Rated:

There is only one place to find me on Thursday nights. Parked in front of the television watching my two favorite shows back to back. Supernatural was an iffy project at best, considering that it has been a number of years since Mulder and Scully won over audiences into being interested in the paranormal. What it became was one of the highest-rated programs of the year.

Though happily settled in at law school with his girlfriend Jess, Sam Winchester (Jared Padalecki) is tormented by memories of his childhood. From his crib, he watched his mother consumed by a mysterious fire that originated in his nursery. The demonic incident tore apart his family, and it has been a number of years since he has seen his older brother Dean (Jensen Ackles). One night, Dean arrives on his doorstep with the urgent request that Sam help him find their father. John Winchester is accustomed to disappearing for months at a time. He is a slayer of all things evil. Wherever they exist, he hunts them down and kills them, a legacy he has passed onto his oldest son. His last known place of residence is a town said to be haunted by the vengeful spirit of a woman who committed suicide after murdering her children. She haunts the local roads and abducts men unfaithful to their wives and girlfriends.

Sam agrees to do this one thing for Dean in the hopes of finding their father and returning to school. Their success comes at a high price, and Sam cannot return to school. With no notion of where their father has gone, and only his book of helpful tips on monster-slaying for reference, Sam and Dean continue the search for truth -- "and the thing that killed Mom" -- throughout the United States. The series brings them into encounters with numerous superstitions and folk lore... vampires, night walkers, poltergeists, and some just plain nasty mythological creatures. There are malevolent ghosts, haunted paintings, cursed houses, grim reapers, and shape-shifters, along with brother bonding time.

Supernatural was dubbed "the scariest series on television" two weeks after it aired, and it's true. Turning off the lights and watching this show is tantamount to standing with your back to the woods for forty-five minutes. Among the scariest episodes are "Bloody Mary" (you won't want to look into a mirror for weeks), "Dead in the Water" (taking baths is dangerous), and "Provenance" (you'll never buy another oil painting for as long as you live). The show is not for anyone set ill at ease with ghosts, as they make multiple appearances, along with demons ("The Phantom Traveler" and "Devil's Trap" both contain exorcisms; demon-possession also plays a role in "Shadow" and "Salvation"), and other forces of evil. Crosses, holy water, and Latin scripture ward off evil. In "Faith," a Christian girl is portrayed as very calm, deep in her spirituality, and confident God will see her through the devastating illness sweeping through her veins. There are two instances when ministers are used for evil (one by choice, the other through deception) -- but the Winchesters also associate and work with a priest ("Salvation").

A good-natured psychic makes an appearance in "Home." Demonic insignias both ward off evil and attract it. Sam has a psychic gift that torments him with nightmares foretelling future events. They free ghosts from their forms by burning graves, destroying paintings, and shooting salt-bullets. The series is known for  excessive violence and gore. A malevolent ghost causes people to bleed inwardly. A shape-shifter tears apart his skin to emerge into a new form. The Hook Man leaves a blood-spattered dead girl in her apartment. "Nightmares" is the most gruesome, featuring a beheading and man shot through the head (implied through spatter). The ghost of a little girl slits people's throats. The boys are attacked by various monsters and beings; demons throw people against walls and through windows.

There is a fair amount of bad language, numerous instances of "son of a ..." and other scattered profanities. The ethics of the boys often stray into morally gray areas. They use manipulation and deception to get information in order to defeat ghostly adversaries. This includes impersonating priests, firefighters, FBI agents, policemen, private detectives, meter readers, and insurance salesmen. There is some sexual content, but it doesn't dominate the series as a whole. A woman is pulled out of a bathtub in which she is drowning, but the camera carefully avoids nudity. Dean is something of a ladies' man but only engages in one sexual escapade ("Route 999") with a former girlfriend; it's fairly long and rather graphic. He encourages Sam to go out with pretty girls, takes a lot of phone numbers, and flirts shamelessly with anything female on two legs. The first episode features Sam and Jess living together (a later twist reveals Sam intended to ask her to marry him). A female ghost also suggestively straddles Sam and forcibly kisses him. A vampire drinks blood and then kisses another girl on the lips in order to convert her, after heavily making out with her boyfriend.

Issues that might give Christians concern are the series on the whole. If you cannot accept  it is fiction and not meant to be an accurate representation of the battle between good and evil, Supernatural is not for you. I love blending reality with fiction and seeing where it takes us, because at the heart of the series is a genuine fight for good. The boys dispatch evil things that torment humanity. They save children from having their souls sucked out. They prevent a demon from downing an airplane full of people. They unearth the truth about a thirty-year murderer and assist a man to come to grips with what he has done. And along the way they struggle to overcome the past and become a family again. There are good messages amidst the violence about doing what is right even when it's hard, taking risks for the people you love, and learning to forgive each other of the past. Sam eventually acknowledges the importance of family, something Dean has striven to teach him from the very beginning, and Dean is forced to cope with his inability to protect his brother. It certainly will not appeal to anyone who doesn't appreciate the genre, but in every respect is intense, emotion-packed storytelling.