Supernatural Season 1 Volume 2 - DVD Review

Purchasing Information

Review

Synopsis:
The story in Supernatural focuses on two brothers, Sam and Dean Winchester, travel across America dealing with all sorts of supernatural phenomena. They follow a series of tips from their missing father who has gone off to find the demon that killed their mother and Sam’s girlfriend.

People who judge Supernatural by just its content might think that it is some imitation of other supernatural series like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, however the show has a much darker, mature setting than most other shows of this type that I’ve seen. It deals with some very strong horror elements, usually taking a twist on some existing horror story or spinning a new story in one of its many standalone episodes.

The acting in the show is pretty good for a television show, and this is highlighted in the interplay between the brothers and the other colourful characters they come across in their travels. They are also somewhat of an odd couple, with Sam being the emotional quiet type while Dean is the more extroverted jock, with a strong sense of duty and family.

The show is usually filmed using dark tones to create a more gritty, cold atmosphere which works well with the type of stories involved and it features some pretty good musical scoring, with the possible exception being the songs for the intro sequences from the last two episodes which just don’t fit with the shows feel.
The Episodes:
This box set features the following episodes:

12. Faith
During a hunt, Dead is involved in an accident which leaves him with only a few weeks to live, and Sam, desperate to save him takes him to a faith healer who mystically heals him. However they soon learn that something else is going on when it turns out that whenever someone is healed, someone elsewhere mysteriously dies.

13. Route 666
While Dean visits an old acquaintance, her father is run off the road and killed by a large truck that leaves no tracks. It seems that those involved share some connection and the brothers must find a way to stop it before it comes after Dean’s friend.

14. Nightmare
Sam begins to have a series of premonitions that turn out to be real and they soon find themselves on the trail of a killer that may hold clues to Sam’s newfound abilities.

15. The Benders
When a man is seen being dragged under his car and disappearing the brothers first believe that something unnatural is at work, but soon Sam is captured and they find themselves against an unusual enemy. One that enjoys hunting people for sport.

16. Shadow
A series of strange deaths begin to occur in Chicago and the brothers investigate. While they are there Sam meets Meg in a bar there and it seems she may have some connection to the demon responsible.
The brothers investigate a local legend, involving a hangman in a local house and find themselves up against a pair of paranormal investigators who hope to use their investigations to get girls. However the spirit turns out to be more than what they expected and they must find a way to destroy it.

18. Something Wicked
The brothers find themselves on the trail of a shtriga, a witch-like creature that feeds on the life force of children. The demon however has ties to their childhood, which drive Dean to finish it once and for all.

19. Provenance
When the brothers investigate a series of brutal murders they find a connection in a strange painting that looks amazingly life-like. It soon turns out that one of the occupants in the painting is out for blood…

20.Dead Man’s Blood
After an elderly hunter is killed by a pack of vampires, the brothers find themselves teaming up with their long lost father John, in an effort to destroy them and recover a mythical colt pistol with supernatural powers.
John’s friends begin to die and it soon becomes apparent that Meg is responsible and is doing it in order to acquire the colt. In order to save lives John agrees to her demands, even though it means his sons will have to face the demon that killed their mother, alone.

22. Devil’s Trap
The brothers work to free their father from a pack of demons lead by the one that killed their mother.

Presentation:
This volume is presented in a slim line DVD package, similar to the one used for Lost, as this seems to be an emerging trend. The set itself is pretty attractive, with the exception of the individual disk covers which aren’t the most flattering of pictures of the actors.

The filming is of a very high quality, with good contrasts and a nice level of detail and there are no noticeable grains or distortions from the transfer. On the sound front you are left with a stereo track, which although it is a high quality track could have had so much more potential with a 5.1 track like other television shows are using. Another critical part that is missing is extras, which is a shame as it would have been interesting to get a better look at each episode, even with only a commentary. The region 1 complete box set has been listed with extras so it’s a surprise to have none on here.

Overall:
Overall I’d say its worth getting if you already have the first volume in the series, though if you like extras or haven’t bought the first volume yet I’d have to recommend waiting for the complete box set and hope that it follows on from its region 1 counterpart and includes at least some interesting extras.

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About Lloyd Knott

I live near Bournemouth in Dorset on the south coast of England, pretty much guaranteed snow free all year round. Between jobs atm but mostly trained in IT and and an on/off game designer. Huge Scifi & Fantasy fan and also of anything that has an action sequence. Also an avid PC gamer, since my first monochrome AT PC, although currently I mostly buy older classics for my collection rather than new games, though there are the odd exception.