Supernatural Season One

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Mr Light, Jul 24, 2011.

  1. mswood

    mswood Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Alicia

    Wow with one major exception I seriously disagree.

    Let's start there. The tone of the show (minus a few points here and there is fairly bleak. But the line has been for a long time that hunters die young, that their personal lives are fairly crap. And thats average hunters (again all seem to get into the business due to something extremely traumatic occurring to them or their loved ones). Dean and Sam from very much the first episode were shown to be more touched by these PN forces then just a random SPN encounter (say for example what got Bobby's into the life). Their life has always been shown to be harder then the average hunter. So bleak is going to be a very big part of their lives.

    On to character of Sam (my favorite character of the show, though Jensen is my favorite of the two actors).

    First just because Sam was never the shot first type doesn't mean he cared more. In fact the early season showed on more then one occasion that he didn't care more. He choose to have a safe personal life over helping others. Even when he rejoins Dean is first instinct is revenge or finding Dad (to help lead to the revenge he is seeking) then to help other's.

    Sam didn't fully make that jump into needed to save others until season 2's "Hunted". And what was his reason. Because he wanted to selfishly help others just to help others? No. It was because he thought the only way to redeem himself was to save as many people as possible.

    Gives you great end results, but the motivations aren't selfless at all.

    We see even from the first season (and pre first season ie his reasons to go off and lead a normal life), and second and third season (the seasons you like) that a lot of what motivates him is controlling his own life.

    Pre series he hates living the life JOhn forced upon him, he makes his own choice. When he finds out there is a "plam" for him, he seeks what he sees is his own way out of it (ie by saving others to save himself). When Dean's deal threatens to take Dean away we see Sam not take the road Dean says he should take, but one he feels will help save his brother, even at great risk to his own life (seriously willing to turn himself into an immortal organ stealing machine is pretty serious). But all to can some control over his own life. That's really consistent for the character.

    THat doesn't mean he doesn't care about random strangers, but it isn't the driving motivation in his life.

    And really besides soulless Sam that still has been one of the defining parts of his character.

    Dean, who is a womanizer, likes to drink and party has been shown to be the one who actually does care more for the common man. He just doesn't show it on his sleeve. Does he have bad habits, oh god yes. Is his self worth tied down to John's approval and Sam's safety to an extremely codependent level, absolutely.

    As for the show saying Dean is good, Sam is bad. With really one exception they have shown both to do bad, and both to do great good.

    The one exception is Dean's impact on starting the apocalypse and Sam's role in starting it. Even though the character of Dean does eventually say yes he played his part as well.

    But you also have to remember (see it from the character's point of views), Dean's deal and break in hell (which started teh events) were also paid for by a decade of him being a monster to others and him already having to leave with that. And both Sam and Dean (and even Castiel) are all aware of that.

    Dean is always going to lash out at Sam for his actions (its in character for him) and he is also going to take part of the blame for them as feelings that he failed his brother. But Dean does not only admit his actions, but we see later that he absolutely forgives Sam as well (as Sam has his had to suffer mightly for his actions).

    Next point, ANgels good thus Dean being their vessels means Dean is good. Well cause in point the angels haven't been good (well maybe the gardner), but even Castiel has done many a things (season 4 and 5) that one would classify as being absolutely wrong. And he's the good angel.

    The show has made, many, many examples that Angels' aren't good in SPN, and that Dean and Sam's roll were picked long before they were born.

    WHy does Dean get rewarded with a family for year, because Sam whats him to have one. Remember Dean is the only character that really doesn't ever have a real normal life (at his age he should have almost no real memories of the events before Azazel seeded Sam). Sam in fact did get his, he had some time to experience a normal life.
     
  2. Starbreaker

    Starbreaker Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I'm one of Supernatural's biggest fans now, but I have to agree that Season 1 is pretty weak. There were a few good episodes, but it didn't really get awesome until Meg showed up. Her cutting her hand and summoning the demon was the first episode that left me wanting to watch more
     
  3. startrekwatcher

    startrekwatcher Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    S1, 2 and 4 are my favorite seasons with 4 being the show's best. S6 was a waste--really not rewatching any of it. S5 was uneven with a handful of episodes worth rewatching with a fair but hardly excellent season finale and S3 was pretty weak with only a handful of really good episodes(Fresh Blood, Jus in Belo, Supernatural Xmas, No Rest for the Wicked) with too much fluff.

    And while the season 6 finale had a fairly intriguing cliffhanger I can't say I'm looking forward to the show's run--it should have ended this yer if not after S5/
     
  4. Mr Light

    Mr Light Admiral Admiral

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    I liked Season Six. I was definitely worried it would jump the shark, after averting the apocalypse and the main writer leaving, but I was interested in the travails of Castiel, the war in heaven, and uh the cool cat Irish demon guy, forget his name. The mystery of New Sam maybe went on a bit long, but I was always entertained. Definitely better than Season One!!!
     
  5. Dorian Thompson

    Dorian Thompson Admiral Admiral

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    Crowley is his name. I really enjoyed season six as well. I was really afraid it was going to suck and was on record as opposing it. I was pleasantly surprised.
     
  6. Skywalker

    Skywalker Admiral Admiral

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    Yeah, I actually thought Season Six was better than Season Five. I'm looking forward to next season, though I'm kind of hoping they end it after that.
     
  7. mswood

    mswood Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I thought season 6 was far more consistent then season 5 (but to this day I hate the fact that only one episode I was rate 5 out of 5, and a freaking comedy episode at that, go figure). Of course by the same token, there wasn't anywhere near the level of bad as some of the episodes of season 5 either.
     
  8. Dorian Thompson

    Dorian Thompson Admiral Admiral

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    Season six WAS better than season five.
     
  9. startrekwatcher

    startrekwatcher Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    S6 was consistent but consistently bland. S5 was wildly uneven and the arc was not nearly as central as I would have liked but it had higher highs with Children are Our Future, Abandon All Hope, My Bloody Valentine.

    Not a single episode in S6 came close to those episodes, the arc took too long to com into focus--they waited until the last minute and by then I didn't care.
     
  10. Mr Light

    Mr Light Admiral Admiral

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    I'm up to the third season finale now. Season Three was definitely where the show found its consistency. Also, I just saw the BEST episode of the series EVER, "Mystery Spot"!!! :D I was dying laughing at the many inept deaths of Dean Winchester. "Does this taste funny to you?" That was comedy gold, man. :lol:
     
  11. Dorian Thompson

    Dorian Thompson Admiral Admiral

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    Mystery Spot is in my top five list for the entire series.
     
  12. Aeolusdallas

    Aeolusdallas Captain Captain

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    I have always been a fan of the first season. I think the stand alone episodes are generally better than the arc episodes.
     
  13. spooky spice

    spooky spice Commander Red Shirt

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    For me Supernatural started off fab and got better and better...
     
  14. Mr Light

    Mr Light Admiral Admiral

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    I had to keep watching for Castiel's first appearance in 4X1. He's my favorite character :D I definitely remembered this episode, so I guess I started to watch the series with Season Four then, but I think I still only watched the occasional episode at that point.

    BTW has anyone seen this "Supernatural Anime" series? Apparently it's 22 half hour animated episodes that re-make the first two seasons of the show. Did this air in America? Is it any good? Too bad I literally just watched S1-2.
     
  15. Dream

    Dream Admiral Admiral

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    I thought it was alright. The series was released on dvd a few days ago and is going for pretty cheap on Amazon for those that want to check it out.

    Here is a Blu-Ray review.

    http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/supernatural-the-anime-series/bluray
     
  16. Scotty

    Scotty Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I started watching Supernatural this year. I borrowed the first season from a friend and was hooked, and bought the season 1-5 Blu ray boxset that's available in the UK. I just finished watching season 4 today and my feelings are the exact opposite of yours. I loved season one with a passion. I love the whole road trip aspect of the show. The different towns, different people, different threats each week.

    As the seasons progressed the show has become less about that. Season 4 was extremely mythology heavy. More than half of the episodes was about the coming apocalypse and the involvement of the angels (and Castiel). I still love the show, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the earlier seasons.

    Bobby actually says something similar to this in the season 4 finale. He tells Dean that his father was a coward because he ran away from Sam (and Dean) and that he is a better man than his father.

    That depends. The mythology is expanded but it's still about hunting Azazel and figuring out what Azazel did to Dean and why.

    First episode of season 4.