Supernatural - Phantom Traveller

Dead in the Water was a distinctly average episode by Supernatural's standards however if I had a fear of water I may have felt differently. Phantom Traveller is a memorable episode for me as I am terrified of flying.

PLOT: A nervous flyer is trying to calm himself down in an airport bathroom when he appears to be attacked by black smoke. The flight is forty minutes into its journey when the man gets up and opens the back door of the plane causing it to crash.

Sam and Dean receive a call about the crash from Jerry, a man who John has helped in the past.  After listening to the pilot’s mayday recording they hear EVP which repeats “no survivors” and assume that an angry spirit is involved.

The brothers pose as Homeland Security to investigate the wreckage and discover a high amount of sulphur scattered around the plane.

Things take a more serious turn as the presence of sulphur means that a demon is involved, which at this stage, is far beyond the Winchesters’ hunting capabilities.

The pilot, who survived the initial plane crash, is killed in another crash and the brothers realise that a surviving stewardess is the next likely target.

As the Winchesters board her flight Dean reveals a fear of flying. With Dean rendered useless by his fears it is up to Sam to figure out who the demon is possessing and how to exercise it without causing chaos on the plane. END PLOT.

Phantom Traveller shows us the Winchesters at their best – researching, investigating and finally killing what they happen to be hunting.

The Winchesters have always been resourceful but we get a glimpse of Dean’s creative side as he converts an old Walkman into a fully functioning EMF meter. Sam may be skilled at research but Dean shows he is more than just the muscle.

The brothers are starting to gel and work together more easily and their complimenting skills are obvious to see in this episode.

Phantom Traveller ends with the brothers listening to John’s updated answer-phone message wherein he asks potential clients (for want of a better word) to contact Dean in an emergency. The brothers say nothing and drive off in silence. It is a very decent ending as even though we are only four episodes into the show we know that each brother is lost in their own thoughts after learning that John has gone off the grid completely.

Demons feature heavily in Supernatural but Phantom Traveller has the accolade of giving us the first black eyed demon and exorcism. The demon is typically bothersome and plays on Sam’s grief over Jessica by taunting him that she is currently burning in hell. Black eyed demons are generally the weakest of the bunch however Phantom Traveller was a great introduction to this branch of the supernatural.

Phantom Traveller is also the first time that we see Sam step up and take charge of a hunt. Dean’s fear of flying does lead to some comical moments of panic which include manic eye movements and humming Metallica in order to calm down.  Ackles has the charm to pull off Dean’s flirty nature but he also has a set of decent comic chops and brings a lot of humour to the character.

Padalecki does on occasion get over shadowed by Ackles but in Phantom Traveller he got his moment to shine and he didn’t disappoint.

Some of the guest stars were possessed and they brought a good level of calm creepiness to the episode.  Demons come and go on Supernatural and it saves on the budget by having them quickly possess a human – some of the most famous characters are demons and the show uses the human performances to great affect.

Supernatural is infamous for its shoestring budget but the big set piece, the initial plane crash, was extremely well executed. The wreckage sets were also impressive and it is easy to see just how much effort and detail is put into the production of the show.

My fear of flying means that this episode is always a stressful one to get through but Phantom Traveller is the perfect early episode to show the Winchesters working at their best. It gets a 8/10.

Dean line of the week: “It's your job to keep my ass alive so I need you sharp. Seriously you're still having nightmares about Jess?”

Dean spends the entire show being concerned about Sam but in true Winchester fashion he doesn’t come right out and say so.

Sam line of the week: “Dean, you're panicked; you're wide open to demonic possession so you need to calm yourself down, right now.”

The more emotionally vulnerable a person is the more likely they are to be possessed. Dean has gone into a major meltdown and it is up to Sam to snap him out of it

Guest line of the week: Jerry: “He (John) was real proud of you I could tell. He talked about you all the time”

John Winchester is still very much a mystery at this stage.  John and Sam aren’t on speaking terms so it is nice to see that John was proud of Sam despite leaving. Sam’s reaction to this line is surprise.

Musical cue of the week: Paranoid – Black Sabbath

Who knew Paranoid would make good back ground music to crime scene investigation?!

Monster of the week: Phantom Traveller

A black eyed demon

Supernatural - Dead in the Water

After the ridiculously strong Pilot and one of my personal favourites Wendigo we are now three episodes into season one of Supernatural and characters and their traits are starting to become familiar.

PLOT: After a teenage girl dies in a lake Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) head off to investigate her drowning. The circumstances appear accidental however after the girl’s brother dramatically drowns in the kitchen sink it becomes clear that something is terrorising the Carlton family.

The Winchesters interview the local sheriff under the disguises of Agent Ford and Agent Hamill and meet Lucas, his grandson, a mute child who witnessed his father drown in the lake. Dean bonds with Lucas as he too watched a parent die.

Lucas hands Dean a series of strange drawings and upon further investigation it transpires that Peter Sweeney, a young child, was drowned in the lake several years ago.

The lake is now draining and the spirit of the child is taking revenge on his killers before the lake empties.

Sam and Dean must try and figure out who is responsible for Peter’s death before anymore people are killed END PLOT

On the whole Dead in the Water isn’t a bad episode it just isn’t a memorable one.

The spirit of a murdered child is this week’s monster of the week and although the plot isn't particularly strong the episode it does have some decent moments. The action is all water themed and despite knowing that something bad is going to happen the show does a good job of ramping up the tension and anticipation.

The Winchesters trawling through the obituary notices for strange deaths is a very familiar occurrence in Supernatural however this it the first time we see them taking part in a hunt without John sending them coordinates.

Deep in the Water is also the first time that the Winchesters do not save the day. They do not stop the spirit – the spirit stops only because he has killed everyone involved with his death.  Dean is visibly upset at this and Sam has to remind him that they cannot save everybody.  Deans compulsion to save everyone is probably one of his most passionate character traits and one he never loses.

Dean can relate to Lucas watching a parent die and we get to see Dean’s compassionate side as he desperately wants to make sure that Lucas is safe before leaving.  Although Dean finds it easy to open up to Lucas whenever Sam tries to make sure he is okay Dean reverts back to his sarcastic self by quipping that he hopes Sam is not expecting a hug.

Sam’s impatience to find John has calmed down significantly from Wendigo but Dead in the Water is the first Dean episode of the season therefore the focus shifts to him. It is perhaps unfortunate that the first time we get an insight into Dean's view point of the Winchesters' history is in one of the weaker episodes of the show.

Dead in the Water is by no means a classic episode of Supernatural. If this was the first episode of the show you happened to watch you would be forgiven for not being overly impressed.  Every season is entitled to a few duff episodes and unfortunately this episode is one of those. It gets a 6/10. If it wasn't for all the Star Wars references it may have scored less.

Dean line of the week: “Watching one of your parents die is something you just don’t get over”

The death of Mary Winchester is the catalyst for the entire show and it is an event that the Winchester deal with through the shows run. It isn’t until much later on in the show that we get an insight into Mary and her background.

Sam line of the week: “People don’t disappear Dean, people just stop looking for them”

Sam is actually talking about the Carlton family holding a funeral for closure however it is a  purposefully unsubtle dig at Dean about John.

Guest line of the week: Sheriff Devins: “You get in your car and put this town in your rear view mirror and never darken this door again”

Dean and Sam are constantly dealing with the sceptics and on occasion do get ran out of town.

Musical cue of the week: “Zepplin Rules”

Not so much a musical cue but if you leave Dean with a previously mute child this is what his first words become.

Monster of the week: Vengeful Spirit

The ghost of a murdered child starts to take revenge on the people who killed him and their families

Supernatural: Wendigo

The pilot was a very slick introduction to the Supernatural universe but we don’t really get a good feel for the show until after the first couple of episodes.  It falls on Wendigo to keep up the strong start to the show and it handles this task with an assured confidence.

PLOT: It’s been one week since Jessica’s death and Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) head to Black Water Ridge after finding coordinates hidden in John’s (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) journal.

It seems as though John has lead them to the middle of nowhere but after discovering three teens are missing in the forest Sam and Dean realise their father wants them to continue hunting. The Winchesters accompany Haley (Gina Holden), her brother and a skilled tracker named Roy (Callum Keith Rennie) into the forest to find the missing campers.

After finding a destroyed campsite the brothers know that they are not hunting grizzly bears but it isn’t until they are tricked by a voice calling for help that they realise they are dealing with a Wendigo.

There is friction between the brothers as Sam wants to get the hunt over with as quickly as possible however Dean reminds him that it is their duty to help and protect people.

Roy is sceptical of the brothers’ explanation and shoots at the Wendigo who takes offence at this and Roy is promptly killed.

The Winchesters attempt to track the Wendigo back to its lair and Dean and Haley are taken. As Dean leaves a trail of M&M’s Sam quickly locates the lair and gets Haley and her brothers to safety whilst Dean kills the Wendigo.

Sam and Dean decide to continue hunting as many evil sons of bitches whilst continuing their search for John. END PLOT

Wendigo is probably one of my favourite standalone “monster of the week” episodes however it doesn’t brush the events of the pilot under the rug.

Sam is angry that they left California and impatient during the hunt as he wants to get on with his personal search for answers. Sam’s desire to find John grows and in later episodes it does start to have a negative affect on the brothers’ relationship.

Although Dean has the reputation for being reckless it is he who emphasises the importance of the Winchester’s family business of saving people and hunting things. This speech is played constantly in recaps throughout the show.

The Winchesters aren’t the type of family that embark in long and emotional conversations but Wendigo shows they know when something is wrong. Dean asking Sam if he wants to drive shows his worry and he is called out on this by Sam.  The episode neatly comes full circle with Sam's closing line of “I’m driving” after agreeing to continue hunting until they find John.

The performances are again very strong with Padalecki showing Sam’s impatience and Ackles showing Dean’s quiet worry without openly stating it.  Dean's easy charismis obvious to see and although his trail of M&M borders on silly the show already has enough charm to pull the idea off.

The guest stars in early episodes rarely feature more than once. I have always liked this as it meant that the first few episodes focus solely on getting to know the Winchesters. It isn’t until Meg shows up in Scarecrow that we start having recurring characters.

This week’s monster of the week is a Wendigo which is a human who resorted to cannibalism. The human flesh increases speed, strength and provides immortality with the idea that the more human flesh you eat the less human you become.

We see very little of the Wendigo but we don’t particularly need to. The Wendigo is fast and hunts at night which saved the expense of having to produce a supernatural creature. We do get to see it just before Dean kills it and does look suitably grotesque.

Wendigo is the first of many episodes that keep the main Winchester story arc bubbling away in the background whilst focusing on a particular hunt. In a lessor show they would be considered filler episodes but the dynamic between the brothers is already so strong nothing about the episode feels like filler.

Wendigo is a good character episode and lets us get to know Sam and Dean’s thought processes and attitudes towards hunting. Despite being a very early episode it has always been one of my favourites.  It gets a 9/10.

Dean line of the week: “I think he wants to pick up where he left off – saving people – hunting things the family business”

This line has been played to the death and it sums up Dean and his never ending compassion towards people perfectly.

Sam line of the week: “Let’s get these people back to town and hit the road. I mean why are we still here?”
The line is spoken before Dean’s speech but it shows that Sam is quite prepared to leave the hunt and ultimately let the missing teens die.

Guest line of the week: Roy: “inside the magic circle”
The sceptic always dies.

Musical cue of the week: the original score
Classic rock is the main soundtrack to Supernatural but occasionally the shows score becomes very noticeable. It plays very several times during the episode especially when they are running through the forest

Monster of the week: Wendigo
Originally a human who has resorted to cannibalism. The human flesh has given them super speed and immortality. They can only be killed by fire.

Supernatural: Pilot

Now that The Walking Dead is off our screens I am stuck for something to review so I thought I would try my hand at Supernatural. I was absolutely obsessed with the show up until season five but as the end of that particular season was so choppy I stopped watching. I know what I am like and if I catch the Winchester bug again you can expect me to reinvest in the show and catch up on the episodes I have missed.

PLOT: After watching his wife Mary Winchester (Samantha Smith) get pinned to the ceiling and set on fire in their son’s nursery John Winchester (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) sets off on the road with his two young sons Dean and Sam in order to kill the supernatural entity which destroyed his family.

Cut to twenty-two years later Sam (Jared Padalecki) is happy, at college and in a stable relationship with Jessica (Adrianne Palicki). All is well in Sam’s apple pie life until Dean (Jensen Ackles) breaks into his apartment and informs him that their father hasn’t come back from his latest hunting trip.

The brothers head off to Jericho, California, John’s last known whereabouts and they find that a local teen has mysteriously disappeared. They stumble across John’s motel room and discover that they are hunting a dangerous and vengeful Woman in White.

After Dean is arrested for impersonating a US Marshall he discovers that John has left behind his journal containing all his hunting knowledge.  Dean unleashes the power of a multifunctional paperclip and he easily escapes the police station.

Sam encounters Constance Welch, the Woman in White, who asks Sam to take her home. Sam drives the Impala into the house where Constance comes face to face with the ghosts of her two young children and is destroyed.

As Sam has to get back to prepare for an interview Dean reluctantly takes him home. At home Sam discovers Jessica pinned to the ceiling and Dean arrives just in time to save Sam from the fire.

Sam decides to go on the road with Dean to find John and get to the bottom of Jessica’s murder.  Sam gets the closing line of the episode with “We’ve got work to do” and this line is parallelled by Dean at the end of season two.  END PLOT

The opening episode of Supernatural does a very good job of creating a solid back story for the Winchester family as well as showing us what the show is really about – the relationship between the two brothers.

The plot flows very well and the brotherly dynamic is immediately obvious due to the chemistry and friendship of Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. The dialogue between the brothers is fast, snappy and full of pop culture references and bitchy family banter; again the chemistry between the two actors makes it work all the better.

Out of the two leads I have always thought that Ackles was the better actor and this isn’t to say that Padalecki is bad I just think that Ackles has been given the better opportunities to show what he can do. In "Pilot" Ackles appears the more confident of the two however as Dean has the larger personality Sam and Padalecki can't quite keep up and get slightly overshadowed.

As I am watching the episode with the benefit of around six years worth of hindsight it is strange to see the brothers not only looking so young but also living their lives relatively free of the tiredness and recognition that hunting is the only life they will ever know.

Dean’s desperation to find John and kill the demon who murdered Mary has always been there whereas Sam had little interest in avenging his mothers death - Jessica's death is the only reason he converts to Dean's way of thinking.   The brothers attitude towards their father and hunting develops right the way through the entire series.

The mythology in Supernatural has always been very strong and although the vast majority of the episodes are “monsters of the week” it does keep the main story arc of the Winchester family ticking over nicely in the background.

In Pilot what starts off as a local legend of a strange woman who hunts the local highway becomes a Woman in White. We discover that after her husband is unfaithful Constance Welch drowns her two children in the bathtub and thereafter comits suicide. After her violent death Constance becomes an angry spirit who haunts unfaithful men. Supernatural has always been fairly decent at giving strong backstories to the monsters of the week.

The show is character and performance heavy and it keeps the effects to a minimum.  When the effects come they are of tv quality but despite the relatively small budget they don't look cheap or dated.

Supernatural is an original concept and not based on a comic book or novel. The Pilot episode cannot be faulted in its attempts to introduce the audience to brand new characters and the Supernatural world. It gets an 8.5/10.

Dean line of the week: “No chick flick moments”

The Winchesters don’t do touchy feely moments and so begins the fans' desperation for the brothers to hug

Sam line of the week: “Even if we do find the thing that killed her – mom is gone and she isn’t coming back”

Sam’s attitude changes completely by the end of the episode.  This line angers Dean however later in the season he starts to think this way

Guest line of the week: Mr Welch “Boy I don’t care much for nonsense”

In reference to Sam explaining the Woman in White

Musical cue of the week: AC/DC Back in Black

The Impala's unofficial theme song

Monster of the week: Woman in White

A woman who has killed her children and committed her suicide.  After her death she becomes a vengeful spirit who kills unfaithful men

Disclaimer: It took me until the end season two of The Walking Dead to find my groove so chances are it will take me just as long to find it here!  Hopefully it will improve and if not meh.