I had read about Season 4 being great, but I had to wait for it for so long it felt like the start of a completely new series. You see, something went very wrong with Supernatural here in Finland. Season 2 finale aired mere two weeks later than in USA, but first we had to wait for Season 3 until April 2009 and for Season 4 even longer, until April 2011. Very ironic, considering that as the series increased in quality, it became less and less a priority for the broadcaster. Well, I actually bought first Season 4, and in time, Season 5, as a UK DVD set, but watched them both so voraciously I could not make myself take breaks to write reviews. This was too good. Now, reviewing episodes as they finally air on a weekly basis seems doable.
Season 3 sure ended on one of the best cliffhangers of all time. Sure, sure, there was never any doubt that things would *remain* in that state for long, as Supernatural, for all it's greatness in Seasons 4 and 5, is still not brave enough to change the Format of the series for longer periods of time than maybe an episode or two. Contrast with Farscape, for example, which went waaay off-Format when... ah, anyone who's seen it knows what I am talking about and anyone who hasn't, should see the series.
Anyway, this episode being a mystery episode, I won't go near spoilers. I do not need to. Lets just say there are *many* WTF moments, starting from the first scene and ending in the last. As far as season openers go, this is pretty much unbeatable, with only *some* Pilots rating higher. In hindsight, it is easy to point out that for observant viewers, there are many little hints of where the series is going. I am thinking even the color of the car seen briefly in the beginning is a clue!
While this is flawless, it is *not* worth a full 10/10. Why? Because, let's admit it, there are even mightier episodes than this ahead, there is no denying it. Rating this 10/10 would diminish their stunning impact. No, this is "merely" a 9/10 - still enough to mean this beats *literally* over 99% of all episodes of all series ever made. (Bear in mind the number of *all* episodes can safely be said to be millions. Some of them are not even found on IMDb!) This is the one where Supernatural becomes a force to be reckoned with, showing that after a wobbly, episodic start - no doubt at least partly due to network suits' well-known fear of serialized storytelling - the series is finally confident enough to plunge deep into Mytharc storytelling. And every thing seen in this episode tells us it is going to be EPIC.
And here's the best bit: when show-runner Kripke's planned Mytharc ends at the climax of Season 5, Supernatural does not "do a Lost" - it delivers. Sure, the end is not definite, because if it were, there'd be no Season 6, but the amazing hit streak that begins here makes debating the justification for Season 6 (no doubt at least partly the suits' fondness for cash cows) an obsolete matter. So, if you are trying to decide whether to invest your time on this series or not, I can assure you, investing in it will be rewarded. You will not feel cheated at the end of Season 5.
Season 3 sure ended on one of the best cliffhangers of all time. Sure, sure, there was never any doubt that things would *remain* in that state for long, as Supernatural, for all it's greatness in Seasons 4 and 5, is still not brave enough to change the Format of the series for longer periods of time than maybe an episode or two. Contrast with Farscape, for example, which went waaay off-Format when... ah, anyone who's seen it knows what I am talking about and anyone who hasn't, should see the series.
Anyway, this episode being a mystery episode, I won't go near spoilers. I do not need to. Lets just say there are *many* WTF moments, starting from the first scene and ending in the last. As far as season openers go, this is pretty much unbeatable, with only *some* Pilots rating higher. In hindsight, it is easy to point out that for observant viewers, there are many little hints of where the series is going. I am thinking even the color of the car seen briefly in the beginning is a clue!
While this is flawless, it is *not* worth a full 10/10. Why? Because, let's admit it, there are even mightier episodes than this ahead, there is no denying it. Rating this 10/10 would diminish their stunning impact. No, this is "merely" a 9/10 - still enough to mean this beats *literally* over 99% of all episodes of all series ever made. (Bear in mind the number of *all* episodes can safely be said to be millions. Some of them are not even found on IMDb!) This is the one where Supernatural becomes a force to be reckoned with, showing that after a wobbly, episodic start - no doubt at least partly due to network suits' well-known fear of serialized storytelling - the series is finally confident enough to plunge deep into Mytharc storytelling. And every thing seen in this episode tells us it is going to be EPIC.
And here's the best bit: when show-runner Kripke's planned Mytharc ends at the climax of Season 5, Supernatural does not "do a Lost" - it delivers. Sure, the end is not definite, because if it were, there'd be no Season 6, but the amazing hit streak that begins here makes debating the justification for Season 6 (no doubt at least partly the suits' fondness for cash cows) an obsolete matter. So, if you are trying to decide whether to invest your time on this series or not, I can assure you, investing in it will be rewarded. You will not feel cheated at the end of Season 5.