Supernatural: Season 5 Review

A devil of a season.

May 22, 2010

by Diana Steenbergen

Supernatural's fourth season was a high point for the series and it was going to be tough to top that, no matter how great Season 5 turned out to be. Luckily, the fifth year had its own share of great moments, and while some elements of the apocalyptic storyline did not always live up to expectations, the majority of the season did. The fifth season didn't drop in quality as much as it leveled off at the high point Season 4 left things.

One of the main challenges for the show in its fifth year was to present the Apocalypse as a global crisis, while working with the budget constraints of being on the CW network. That meant a lot of the action needed to be heard about, but not seen. While "The End" cranked things up a notch, showing a post-apocalyptic version of the future, the big showdown between Michael and Lucifer in "Swan Song" was scaled down, even more so than expected.

What worked best about the storyline was Lucifer himself, thanks to a superb performance by Mark Pellegrino, who could also be seen on Lost this season playing a different kind of supernatural character with brother issues. Pellegrino was excellent as Lucifer who was first presented in an almost sympathetic light, but soon enough revealed himself to be a jealous fallen angel raging a violent war against God. The Horsemen were also a strong element this year, specifically the creepy Death, and the clever twist that Famine caused people to hunger for whatever their biggest weakness was. "Abandon All Hope" was another big episode that brought home the deadly serious nature of the battle while tragically killing off Ellen and Jo Harvelle, two characters who will be missed a great deal.

- The CW

As usual, the relationship between Dean and Sam was one of the big themes of the season and it was expanded cosmically with the revelation that Lucifer was destined to be opposed by his brother, the archangel Michael. The entire season was sprinkled with predictions that Dean and Sam were born to play the roles of these larger than life brothers. It was even implied that God is an absentee father, much like John Winchester was in the first season.

Meanwhile, we saw Dean and Sam at their relationship's lowest point at the beginning of the year, only to bounce back with the brotherly bond stronger than ever by the end. "Point of No Return", Supernatural's 100th episode, brought out the best in this storyline as we saw Dean choose to have faith in his brother, rather than throw in the towel. Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki continue to be the biggest strength the show has, both with serious moments and with comedy. And there is plenty of comedy in Season 5, a little too much near the beginning of the season, but things evened out eventually. The high point on the comedic scale was "Changing Channels" with its dead-on parody of Grey's Anatomy.

Of course, we have to ask what might have been different if this season had been the last for the show. Would Bobby or Castiel have stayed dead? Would Sam have really reappeared at the end, or would Dean have had his happily ever after without him? If this had been the end, it is likely the outcome would have different for at least some of the characters. While it is a little convenient that Castiel reappears at the end of "Swan Song" and is able to bring Bobby back, I'm not about to complain. There are precious few characters left on this show after the bloodbath of the last few seasons; having Castiel and Bobby as potential characters next year will be more than welcome.

- The CW

Bobby's character arc feels a little unfinished since there is no follow up on the fact that he "loaned" his soul to Crowley, but the journey Bobby went on this season was a powerful one. Jim Beaver continues to be an integral part of the team as a father figure for Dean and Sam. Misha Collins's Castiel also had a rough year, rebelling against heaven and losing his anger mojo entirely by the end. That he is again mysteriously resurrected, with his power returned, points to divine intervention, which is an excellent way of acknowledging God's assistance without identifying him specifically.

The question of God is certainly a murky one on Supernatural. There are instances where it seems he could have been the only one to intervene, as in the first episode when Dean and Sam are plucked out of the room where Lucifer is rising and dropped inexplicably onto an airplane. However, in "Dark Side of the Moon" the boys are told that God knows what is going on, but is not interested in stepping in just now. Add to that the strong implication that the prophet Chuck Shurley has what appears to be a divinely prompted disappearance in the season finale and we are nowhere closer to discovering the answer for God on this show than we were at the beginning. And that is probably for the best.

The questions don't get much bigger than what Supernatural took on in Season 5 with the brothers standing in as "Team Free Will" against the angelic attempts to force predestination on them. In the end, what they got was a mixture, but it was by their own choices that they got there. As Castiel tells Dean, "You got what you asked for Dean, no Paradise, no Hell, just more of the same. I mean it Dean. What would you rather have? Peace, or freedom?"