Supernatural (TV series)
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Supernatural is an American paranormal/dark fantasy/horror/thriller/drama-themed television series that debuted on September 13, 2005 on the WB Television Network, and is now part of The CW's lineup (the show is aired on ITV in the UK, TV3 in Ireland & Network Ten in Australia). The show follows brothers Sam and Dean Winchester, who travel across the country in a black 1967 Chevy Impala investigating paranormal events and other unexplained occurrences. The show has been described by many as a cross between The X-Files (sans the alien conspiracy) and the film Frailty.
Contents
Story
When Sam Winchester was an infant and his brother Dean was four years old, their mother, Mary, was murdered. Her husband, John, saw blood dripping onto Sam's cradle, looked up, and found his wife pinned to the ceiling, her midsection sliced open. A moment later she burst into flames. John told Dean to take baby Sam outside and made a desperate and futile attempt to save his wife while the house was consumed by flames.After a psychic told John that a demon was responsible for Mary's death, he became obsessed with finding the thing. He trained his sons to recognize and defend themselves against paranormal entities. Sam and Dean became resourceful sleuths and competent fighters in order to assist their father in his quest to destroy dangerous creatures and find the demon that had killed Mary.
Sam eventually had a falling-out with his father and left to live a "normal" life. He attended prestigious Stanford University on a full scholarship and lived with a girlfriend, Jessica, in an apartment near campus. Then one autumn night in Sam's senior year, Dean appeared, bearing the news that their father had gone missing while on a "hunting trip." Sam reluctantly agreed to help Dean look for their father.
The brothers traced John to Jericho, California, where they found more clues about their father's location and helped solve a murder mystery. But Sam declined his brother's invitation to continue the search and conduct more hunts, opting instead to return to his life with Jessica. Unfortunately, shortly after arriving in his apartment he found her pinned to the bedroom ceiling and bleeding from the abdomen. As Sam watched helplessly, she burst into flames.
Dean rescued his brother from the burning apartment, and the bereaved Sam decided to resume the search for the demon who killed his mother and his girlfriend. The Winchester boys then picked up the trail of clues leading to the whereabouts of their missing father.
Current cast
Recurring cast
- Jeffrey Dean Morgan as John Winchester
- Nicki Lynn Aycox as Meg Masters
Production companies
Supernatural is a Warner Bros. Television Production Inc., in association with Wonderland Sound and Vision. From executive producers McG and Peter Johnson with writer/executive producer/creator Eric Kripke and director/executive producer David Nutter (Without a Trace, Smallville, Band of Brothers, The West Wing, ER, The X-Files)On May 18, 2006, it was confirmed that the show will be getting renewed to make the jump to the new The CW network for the 2006-2007 television season when the WB shuts down operations in September 2006. Supernatural is scheduled to air on Thursdays on the CW, along with Smallville.
DVDs
News
The Season 1 DVDs come out in the US on September 5, 2006. They will include all 22 episodes, cast/crew commentaries, deleted scenes, a gag reel, and several featurettes including "Supernatural: Tales From the Edge of Darkness" and "Day in the Life of Jared and Jensen." There will also be a DVD-ROM "sneak peek" of season 2. [link]
In the UK, "Season One - Part One" was released on 22 May 2006. This will be followed by the release of "Season One - Part Two" on 21 August 2006.
Release Dates
| Season | Region 1 USA | Region 2 UK | Region 4 Australia |
|---|---|---|---|
| One | September 5, 2006 | PART 1: May 22, 2006 PART 2: August 21, 2006 | September 13, 2006 |
Cover Art
| Season | Region 1 & 4 | Region 2 |
|---|---|---|
| One | 
|  
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Episodes
Season 1: 2005-2006
| Title | Original Airdate | Rating | # |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Pilot" | September 13, 2005 | 5.9 million viewers | 101 |
| Sam is about to graduate from Stanford and has an interview set up to join one of the most prestigious law schools in the country. His brother Dean, whom he has not seen since he went to college, shows up at his house in the middle of the night to tell him that their father went missing while on a hunting trip. Leaving his girlfriend behind to find their dad, Sam joins Dean in an effort to find their father in a little town called Jericho, where unmarried men have been disappearing without a trace. The culprit is found to be a "Woman in White," a ghost who preys on unfaithful men. When Sam returns home at the end of the episode, he finds his girlfriend murdered by the same demon that murdered his mother, causing him to leave his old life behind and join Dean in demon hunting and trying to find their father. Featured Music: "Back in Black" by AC/DC, "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC, "Gasoline" by The Living Daylights, "What Cha Gonna Do" by Classic, "Speaking In Tongues" by Eagles Of Death Metal, "Ramblin' Man" by Allman Brothers Band. | |||
| "Wendigo" | September 20, 2005 | 4.77 million viewers | 102 |
| After following instructions found in their dad's journal, Sam and Dean pose as park rangers to help a brother and sister search for their lost sibling, who the Winchester brothers believe may have been taken by a Wendigo. Featured Music: "Hot Blooded" by Foreigner, "Fly By Night" by Rush, "Down South Jukin" by Lynyrd Skynyrd, "Out of My Hands" by Dave Matthews Band. | |||
| "Dead in the Water" | September 27, 2005 | 4.74 million viewers | 103 |
| While going through the newspaper, Dean comes across a mysterious drowning victim in Wisconsin. Upon further research they soon discover more people who have drowned in the same lake, but their bodies were never found. When the boys show up in town they befriend a boy whose father has drowned. The brothers come to believe the lake is haunted by a spirit. Amy Acker guest stars as the boy's mother. Featured Music: "Round and Round" by Ratt, "Movin' On" by Bad Company, "What A Way To Go" by Black Toast, "Too Daze Gone" by Billy Squier. | |||
| "Phantom Traveler" | October 4, 2005 | 5.27 million viewers | 104 |
| While on the road, Dean and Sam get a phone call from a man who had received help from Dean and their father some time ago about a poltergeist. They end up going through a series of routines, involving a demon which manifests itself through those with psychological issues and causes planes to crash after they have been in the air for forty minutes. Featured Music: "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath, "Working Man" by Rush, "Some Kind of Monster" by Metallica. | |||
| "Bloody Mary" | October 11, 2005 | 5.5 million viewers | 105 |
| Dean and Sam go to Toledo, Ohio, to investigate the mysterious death of a man who lost his eyes. Skeptical at first for several reasons, including that their dad never found evidence that the urban legend indeed existed, the Winchester brothers come to the conclusion that Bloody Mary is haunting the town through a mirror on which a murder victim (named Mary) attempted to write the name of her killer before dying. Featured Music: "Sugar, We're Goin' Down" by Fall Out Boy, "Laugh, I Nearly Died" by The Rolling Stones, "Rock of Ages" by Def Leppard. | |||
| "Skin" | October 18, 2005 | 4.89 million viewers | 106 |
| Sam learns that his old college friend Zach has been arrested for murdering his girlfriend. Sam convinces Dean that they should go see Zach's sister, Rebecca, who insists that Zach is innocent. The brothers help her investigate the murder and soon discover that the real culprit is a being with shapeshifting abilities. Things get even more complicated when the shapeshifter takes the form of Dean. Featured Music: "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly, "Hey Man, Nice Shot" by Filter, "All Right Now" by Free, "Poison Whiskey" by Lynyrd Skynyrd. | |||
| "Hook Man" | October 25, 2005 | N/A | 107 |
| Dean and Sam visit a town pretending to be new college students to investigate the death of a student who was found hanging upside down above the car he and his girlfriend were in. The girlfriend, a reverend's daughter, says the attacker was invisible. More attacks occur, all connected to the reverend's daughter. The Winchester brothers discover that the legendary Hookman is behind the attacks, and that the reverend's daughter is unknowingly summoning him. Note: The Hookman urban legend as portrayed in the episode differs from the commonly held legend. Featured Music: "Bang Your Head (Metal Health)" by Quiet Riot, "Peace of Mind" by Boston, "Merry Go Round" by Split Habit, "Noise" by Low Five, "At Rest" by APM, "Royal Bethlehem" by APM, "U Do 2 Me" by Paul Richards. | |||
| "Bugs" | November 8, 2005 | 4.34 million viewers | 108 |
| Dean and Sam arrive in a town to check out a report of a mysterious death of a contractor on a new housing development. They stop at a realtor's open-house barbecue to learn more. Sam meets the realtor's son Matt, who is fascinated with bugs. Soon the town is invaded by swarms of deadly bugs, and there may be no way out. Featured Music: "Rock of Ages" by Def Leppard, "No One Like You" by the Scorpions, "Rock You Like A Hurricane" by the Scorpions. | |||
| "Home" | November 15, 2005 | 4.2 million viewers | 109 |
| Sam has nightmares of their old home, and the brothers return to Lawrence, Kansas, to investigate. They discover that a new family has moved into the home, and the woman is the one that Sam has been dreaming about. The family has been hearing and seeing frightening things, and the brothers think it might be haunted by the thing that killed their mother. They enlist the help of their father's psychic friend, Missouri, to rid the house of the angry poltergeist. | |||
| "Asylum" | November 22, 2005 | 4.32 million viewers | 110 |
| After receiving a tip from their father, Sam and Dean travel to Rockford, Illinois to investigate the haunted Roosevelt Asylum. An evil force inside causes Sam to lose his sanity and turn on his brother. Featured Music: "Hey You" by Bachman-Turner Overdrive. | |||
| "Scarecrow" | January 10, 2006 | 4.32 million viewers | 111 |
| Sam and Dean are urged by their father to uncover the reason behind the mysterious disappearances of young couples in a rural Indiana town. It is revealed in this episode that a dark force is conspiring against the remaining members of the Winchester family. A young woman named "Meg" is introduced as the daughter, if taken in the literal sense, of a possible central antagonist who is dogging the brothers' every step. Note: This episode aired out of its sequential production order. Featured Music: "Lodi" by Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Bad Company" by Bad Company. | |||
| "Faith" | January 17, 2006 | 3.9 million viewers | 112 |
| While battling a demon, Dean is electrocuted, resulting in permanent damage to his heart and leaving him with only a couple of months to live. A despondent Sam searches desperately for a way to save his brother and believes he may have found an answer through a preacher who claims to heal the incurable. However, Dean and Sam discover that the preacher is getting help from a reaper (who is being controlled by the preacher's wife), who is trading one life for another which the wife feels is less worthy. Guest-starring Julie Benz. Featured Music: "(Don't Fear) the Reaper" by Blue Oyster Cult. | |||
| "Route 666" | January 31, 2006 | 5.9 million viewers | 113 |
| Dean is contacted by his first love Cassie (Megalyn Echikunwoke), a multiracial (African-American and Caucasian) girl, who asks him to come to Mississippi to investigate a string of racially motivated murders. Each murder is linked to a mysterious truck that seems to have no driver and leave no tracks. Featured Music: "Walk Away" by The James Gang, "She Brings Me Love" by Bad Company, "Can't Find My Way Home" by Blind Faith. | |||
| "Nightmare" | February 7, 2006 | 4.3 million viewers | 114 |
| Sam has a premonition that a man was killed in Saginaw, Michigan, but the murder is made to look like a suicide. Sam and Dean go to investigate the case, but the two are puzzled when they fail to find anything that indicates the death is supernatural until they meet Max (Brendan Fletcher), the son of the first victim, who has been using his recently acquired telekinesis power to kill family members who used to abuse him. Sam also discovers that Max's mother was killed by the same fiery demon that took his mom. Featured Music: "2 Plus" by The Bob Seger System. | |||
| "The Benders" | February 14, 2006 | 4.0 million viewers | 115 |
| Sam and Dean head to Hibbing, Minnesota, where a young boy (Ryan Drescher) witnesses a man vanish into thin air. Upon searching for clues, Sam is abducted by what he assumes is a supernatural being, and Dean is left to team up with a female cop to search for his brother. However, they are stunned when they realize the kidnappers are human. Featured Music: "Rocky Mountain Way" by Joe Walsh. | |||
| "Shadow" | February 28, 2006 | 4.2 million viewers | 116 |
| While investigating a mysterious death in Chicago, Sam and Dean run into Meg, who is thrilled to see Sam again. The brothers soon discover Meg is behind the murders and attempt to catch her. Unfortunately, Meg is one step ahead of them and unleashes shadow spirits on the brothers to ambush them. Sam and Dean realize the trap isn't for them, but for their father. Featured Music: "Pictures of Me" by Vue, "You Got Your Hooks In Me" by Little Charlie and the Nightcats. | |||
| "Hell House" | March 30, 2006 | 3.8 million viewers | 117 |
| Sam and Dean investigate a house haunted by the ghost of Mordecai, a man who reportedly killed his six daughters during the 1930s. The brothers discover a website dedicated to the Mordecai legend and realize the town is unknowingly conjuring up a tulpa through the site. Featured Music: "Fire of Unknown Origin" by Blue Oyster Cult, "Burning for You" by Blue Oyster Cult. | |||
| "Something Wicked" | April 6, 2006 | 3.67 million viewers | 118 |
| Sam and Dean return to Wisconsin to investigate a small town where children are falling into comas for no apparent reason. The brothers discover that a shtriga is creeping into the bedrooms of the children and stealing their "life force." While battling the shtriga, Dean recalls a past mistake that almost cost Sam his life at the hands of the very same witch, an event which has fueled Dean's protectiveness over Sam and his blind obedience to his father. Featured Music: "Road to Nowhere" by Ozzy Osbourne, "Rock Bottom" by UFO. | |||
| "Provenance" | April 13, 2006 | N/A | 119 |
| A young couple is murdered in their home shortly after buying an antique painting of a family portrait circa 1910. Upon reviewing the painting's provenance, Sam and Dean learn that everyone who has ever bought the painting has been murdered, and they race to discover how the portrait is causing the deaths before it can claim its next victim. Featured Music: "Bad Time" by Grand Funk Railroad, "Night Time" by Steve Carlson Band. | |||
| "Dead Man's Blood" | April 20, 2006 | 3.99 million viewers | 120 |
| After Daniel Elkins, a vampire hunter and John's mentor, is murdered, Sam and Dean are surprised when John himself shows up to solve the case. John discovers the vampires have taken an antique gun, which has the power to kill all supernatural beings. The Winchester family sets out to retrieve the gun from the vampires so they can use it to kill the demon that took Sam and Dean's mother.They use arrows poisoned in Dead Man's blood to attack the vampires, which is fatal for them. John kills the leader of vampire with that gun and agrees that all three will go on the mission to kill the demon together. Featured Music: "Strange Face of Love" by Tito and Tarantula, "House is Rocking" by Stevie Ray Vaughan. | |||
| "Salvation" | April 27, 2006 | 3.26 million viewers | 121 |
| Sam has a vision of a family being attacked in the same manner as the attack on his mom, so he, Dean and John head off to Salvation, Iowa, to save this family and finally kill the demon using the Colt gun. However, Meg calls and lets the family know she is going to start killing their friends unless they return the gun. John meets Meg to deliver a fake gun, while the boys are left to deal with the demon. Featured Music: "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas. | |||
| "Devil's Trap" | May 4, 2006 | 3.99 million viewers | 122 |
| On a mission to save their father from Meg, Sam and Dean seek help from an old family friend, Bobby (guest star Jim Beaver). When Meg shows up on Bobby's doorstep, the brothers lure her into a special demon trap and exorcise the demon from her body after learning where John is being held prisoner. Dean and Sam rescue John, who later turns out to be possessed. John, possessed by the very demon which killed Mary and Jessica, attacks the brothers, nearly killing Dean before Sam is able to wound the demon by shooting John in the leg. John becomes furious when Sam allows the demon to escape rather than fire a fatal shot while it's still in John's body. Sam rushes his wounded brother and father to the hospital, but before they can get there, their car is violently struck by a massive truck driven by a demon (presumably a minion of the demon). The season ends on a cliff-hanger, with the black-eyed trucker demon staring at the bloodied, unconscious, and possibly dead bodies of the Winchester family as CCR's "Bad Moon Rising" plays on the radio. Featured Music: "Fight the Good Fight" by Triumph, "Turn to Stone" by Joe Walsh, "Bad Moon Rising" by Creedence Clearwater Revival. | |||
Trivia
- The show is filmed in Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and in California, USA.
- Like fellow sci-fi show Lost, the show does not have an opening credit sequence or theme music, only a title card. Most episodes have a brief recap of the show's back story and important events. Two episodes featured extended, music-video-style recaps: the recap in "Salvation" is set to "Carry On Wayward Son" by Kansas, and the recap in "The Devil's Trap" is set to "Fight the Good Fight" by Triumph. The show features many classic rock songs, differing from other shows broadcast on The WB which typically tend to feature music by newer, contemporary artists.
- The car Sam and Dean drive is a 1967 Chevrolet Impala, which has been nicknamed the Metallicar by fans of the show. The show uses five black Impalas.
- In "Dead in the Water," Sam and Dean introduce themselves as Agents Ford and Hamill, the surnames of Harrison Ford and Mark Hamill, both main actors in the Star Wars series of films. Also in that episode, there is a young boy named Lucas, the surname of Star Wars creator George Lucas.
- In "Hell House", the two "paranormal investigators" that Sam and Dean meet are Zeddemore and Spengler, which are the names of two characters from Ghostbusters. In the episode, Zeddemore and Spengler wear goggles made to look like the pair worn by Dan Aykroyd's character in Ghostbusters II.
- In "Phantom Traveler", Dean hums "Some Kind of Monster" by Metallica on the plane. He also introduces himself as Dr. James Hetfield (the lead singer of Metallica) in the same episode.
- The website that Sam discovers in "Hell House" is www.hellhoundslair.com, a website created by the show's producers.
- In the opening of "Hell House," Dean sings the refrain to the Blue Oyster Cult song "Fire of Unknown Origin." This is ironic, considering that this would be the official reason given to explain the death of his own mother as well as Sam's girlfriend Jessica.
- In "Something Wicked," Sam researches the Shtriga at the local library, finding newspaper reports of similar deaths in Brockway, Ogdenville, and North Haverbrook: the same three cities monorails were sold to in The Simpsons episode "Marge vs. the Monorail."
- Supernatural premiered on ITV1 in the United Kingdom in early 2006 (although the show is exclusive to ITV2 in the UK).
- In "Provenance," the camera pans past a car bearing the vanity licence plate "THE KRIP," in a shout-out to writer/executive producer/creator Eric Kripke.
- In "Nightmare," Sam and Dean introduce themselves as Father Simmons and Father Frehley, the bassist and lead guitarist of the rock band KISS.
- Early on in the series, Dean's cell number is given, and for a while the studio had it set up so that anyone dialing the number would hear Jensen Ackles reading the message: "This is Dean Winchester. If this is an emergency, leave a message. If you are calling about 11-2-83, page me with your coordinates."
- On the Supernatural [interactive website], the code to unlock the Winchesters' weapons trunk is 11-02-83 (the day their mother died).
- The building in which the episode "Asylum" was filmed is a real closed-down asylum that is rumored to be actually haunted. Some observers have noted that certain story and stylistic elements of this episode are highly reminiscent of the Silent Hill videogames, several of which have long sequences set in sinister hospitals, with eerie, empty wheelchairs and monstrous creatures whose heads "flutter" as if in fast motion.
- In the episode "Salvation," a meeting location is given as being at the corner of Wabash and Lake, an address used several times in the movie The Matrix.
- The show has made several references to The X-Files. For instance, in the pilot episode, Dean jokingly addresses two FBI agents as Mulder and Scully.
- The name "Mary-Ann Liu" appears at least twice on props in the show, once on Sam's cell phone listing in "Scarecrow" and once on a birth certificate Sam is examining in "Salvation." This may be a shout-out to Vancouver artist and production designer Mary-Ann Liu, though it is at this point unconfirmed whether she has worked on the show.
- The season finale, "Devil's Trap," features a visual reference to the movie The Shining; an axe splinters a white door in the same fashion as in the Jack Nicholson movie. In the episode "Asylum," Dean repeatedly referred to Nicholson and the movie: 'Just like my man Jack in The Shining."
- "Bobby Singer," a friend of the family who Dean seeks out for help in the season finale, is a shout-out to executive producer Robert Singer.
- "Hell House" is supposed to take place in Jensen Ackles' hometown of Richardson, Texas.
- In "Salvation," a minor character is named Layla, in a reference to the Derek & the Dominoes rock song.
- In an interview with E! Online reporter Kristin Veitch during the 2006 upfronts in NY, Jared Padalecki reportedly said that the show's producers are hoping to sign Jeffrey Dean Morgan ("John Winchester") as a series regular for Season 2.
- The surname "Winchester" could be a reference to the firearms manufacturer, as well as the Winchester mansion.
- November 2, the date of their mother's death, is the Day of the Dead, a Catholic celebration.
- In "Route 666," the truck is a raised 1964 Dodge Stepside pickup truck.
- In "Scarecrow," Dean introduces himself as John Bonham, the drummer from Led Zeppelin.
- Season 2 has been confirmed; the first two episodes are reportedly titled "In My Time of Dying" and "Everybody Loves a Clown."
External links
- [The WB's Interactive Supernatural site]
- at the TV IV
- [Winchester Bros] Fansite at MediaBlvd.com
- [After-Darkness] Fan board
- [Supernatural Fan Community at LiveJournal.com]
- Season 2 has been confirmed with first two episodes rumored to called "In my time of dying" and "Everbody loves a clown".
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