The CW is, by all generally accepted standards of measure, a horrible
network. Just about every show is aimed at that unfortunate segment of the
pre-adolescent population whose parents can’t afford basic cable, so instead
of several hundred channels of garbage programming, these poor kids are
forced to to concentrate all their crappy television on one. It really is
hell being poor.
There are three types of show on the CW: teen dramas starring an
interchangeable assortment of former models and Ashlee Simpson lookalikes
(not to mention the real Ashlee Simpson) — these include network mainstays
like Gossip Girl as well as the 90210 and Melrose
Place reboots; reality shows featuring people even more vapid than
usual (America’s Next Top Model, High Society); and a
triumvirate of genre shows. Of these, two are easily dismissed.
Smallville (AKA That Show About Superman Where He Never
Actually Becomes Superman) is basically Dawson’s Krypton, and
The Vampire Diaries proves some bloodsucker fiction is even more
unbearable than the Twilight series.
But Supernatural is different, not because there’s anything
particularly groundbreaking about the plot — brothers Sam (Jared Padalecki)
and Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester are “hunters,” following in their
father’s footsteps by tracking down and killing monsters — or because
Ackles and Padalecki somehow run counter to the CW’s casting of good-looking
young folk. Shit, I had to be convinced by a dozen or so unrelated people to
give the series a chance, but I’m glad I did. Here’s why.
The Purpose Driven Plot
Admittedly, Supernatural would be pretty boring if there wasn’t an
overarching story nudging things along, but creator Eric Kripke has set up
each season to have a larger arc (Season 1 centered on the search for Sam
and Dean’s father, Season 4 found the brothers trying to keep Lucifer from
escaping Hell). Internal consistency is also a strong point. Other shows of
its ilk (*cough* The X-Files *cough*) have had problems introducing
so many plot elements and red herrings, it becomes impossible to sort
through what it and isn’t important. Some may call it simplistic, I consider
it tight storytelling.
Let There Be Rock
This has become less of a focus in recent seasons, but those early
episodes
did a good job sucking me in, as they were all about the rawk,
both
in the musical accompaniment as well as the names of individual episodes
(“In My Time of Dying,” “Hollywood Babylon”). Sam is more of a Bon Jovi
guy,
but the fact that the show doesn’t rely on the latest Coldplay cut like
every other prime time series out there is a ringing endorsement, in my
opinion.
Kill ‘Em All
The major networks still hold the high cards when it comes to onscreen
gore.
The C.S.I. variants and Criminal Minds are especially
bloody. Supernatural, on the other hand, outdoes itself almost
every episode: beheadings, immolation, death by beetle, mass
murders…the
list goes on. And that’s not including the signature arterial blood
spray
that shows up at least once an episode. More than once (check out the
Christmas episode), I’ve found myself marveling that a show this macabre
is
still running on network TV. Probably because no one’s watching it.
Heaven’s on Fire
I admit, I was less than thrilled when the show’s focus shifted from
“monsters of the week” to the impending War Between Heaven and Hell. Not
being the most…spiritual person, I wasn’t looking forward to three or
four
seasons of celestial BS, but Supernatural is more Preacher than Highway to Heaven: an absent God, demons with unclear
agendas,
and angels that are — quite frankly — dicks. Dean’s been to Hell
(where
it’s hinted he did some very bad things), and both have been to Heaven,
yet
neither destination seems all that great.
Character Issues
If your TV character sports a mullet or a trucker cap, chances are the
portrayal isn’t going to be very sympathetic. Fellow hunters Ash and
Bobby
are the exception, with the former a (now deceased yet still active)
computer whiz who designs software to track demons and angels and the
latter
a sometimes character who’s turned into Sam and Dean’s de facto father figure. The two demonstrate Kripke’s obvious affection for
redneckery, but the entire series is filled with interesting (and
annoying)
personae. The X-Files boasted a mere handful of such recurring
characters, Supernatural has dozens.
C’est d’Homage
There’s Monster Movie: the Season 4 paean to classic Universal
monster movies, Ghostfacers: a not-so-loving sendup of
supernatural
reality shows, and any number of shout-outs to `70s TV, C.S.I.
Miami, and TV magicians (one of my personal favorite eps, “Criss
Angel
is a Douchebag”). And then there are the little things, like the
brothers’
law-enforcement aliases (“Agents Dorfman and Niedermeyer,” among many
others), Dean’s eating habits, and Sam’s appalling haircuts.
Supernatural, more than any show currently airing, rewards its
attentive and longtime viewers with these little treats.
The show is almost through with its fifth season, and a sixth has
already
been confirmed. That leaves you plenty of time to Netflix the first
four. I
don’t go out of my to recommend TV shows, but I can’t think of many in
recent years that have been this thoroughly entertaining. Give it a shot
and
see if you don’t find a new appreciation for Kansas’ “Carry On My
Wayward
Son.”
This article appears in Apr 8-14, 2010.
