This season Supernatural went epic.
May 22, 2009
Supernatural, the underrated gem on The CW, kicked it up a notch in Season 4, going from being a pretty good show to being a pretty great show. The show was ambitious with their introduction of angels into the storyline and it paid off, for the most part.
From the moment the season began, with Dean clawing his way out of his grave in the season opener, "Lazarus Rising," the angels vs. demons storyline took center stage. Central to this was the addition of Misha Collins to the cast as Castiel, the angel who pulled Dean out of hell on God's orders. I thoroughly enjoyed his introduction to the show and I also loved how Collins played Castiel from the start as if he were confused by a lot of what he saw of human behavior, and with Dean specifically. Watching Dean and Castiel interact was one of the highlights of the season. There were some down moments in the angel storyline, specifically how disappointing the once promising character of Julie McNiven's Anna turned out to be in "Heaven and Hell," but by and large, this direction for the show was a great success.
The core of Supernatural has always been the relationship between Dean and Sam, and this season was no exception. During the year the show took some big chances by creating serious conflict between the brothers, conflict that brewed for the majority of the season. After years of solidifying the bond between the two Winchesters, the slow-building distance between them was well executed, and while it might be painful for the audience to watch them fight, it makes for great drama.
Jared Padalecki rose to the occasion with Sam's journey into darkness, turning in some of his best performances to date. Especially well played was how conflicted Sam was between what he thinks he must do verses what his brother believes should happen. I also loved his reaction to seeing Dean for the first time in "Lazarus Rising." That moment is one of my favorite scenes of the series so far. Jensen Ackles, meanwhile, was given a piece of the mythology pie this season, becoming a "chosen" character in the battle of good vs. evil, something only Sam had experienced prior to this. Ackles takes every opportunity that is given to him to deepen the character of Dean. While Sam's path leads him to increasingly dark places, Dean's is a journey of faith, somewhat unexpected for his character, but done believably mainly through his relationship with Castiel.
While Supernatural may have started out as a type of X-Files-lite in its first season, it has increasingly proven that there is nothing light about the story they are telling. A solid foundation was built from the beginning, emotionally connecting the Winchester family to the monsters they hunt, and season four develops things further, taking elements of the backstory that the audience may have thought they knew and expanding them in new and surprising ways. This is best exemplified with Dean being sent back in time to meet his parents in the episode "In The Beginning." That story forever changed the way we view the Winchester family, but at the same time everything fits neatly into the previous backstory.
Jim Beaver as Bobby provided his usual outstanding backup to the main cast. His father figure has become an essential piece of the Winchester family. His reunion with Dean in "Lazarus Rising" is nearly as emotional as Sam's. Less successful was the casting of Genevieve Cortese as the new Ruby. She was acceptable for the most part, but when things got more serious in the end she seemed out of her depth in the acting department, it is sad to say.
While there were some ineffective moments in the season, overall season four of Supernatural more than achieved the goal of expanding the story into larger and more exciting directions. With the cliffhanger they left us at the end, I'm very much looking forward to where they are going to take us next season.
Niciun comentariu:
Trimiteți un comentariu