"Supernatural" is a show that sneaks up on you. Or at least it did on me. I had this image in my mind of a lame "X-Files" meets "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" rip-off with cute guys. And yeah, the guys are cute. And there are parts of "Supernatural" that have a spooky "X-Files" feel. And it does have episodes that mix continuing story arcs and Monter-of-the-Weeks, like BTVS perfected. Really, it has some of the best parts of both shows. However, "Supernatural" also has an identity all its own. It's an intimate show, mostly focusing on a relationship between two brothers. As the shows moves along, it becomes more and more character driven. Something that's hard to achieve when a show is about battling ghosts, hookmen and werewolves. "Supernatual" uses its demon tales to tell smaller stories about the lives of Sam and Dean Winchester. It's a family drama, modern Western, an endless road trip and horror movie all rolled into one. I love this show and the "Pilot" sets up everything that unfolds over the next seasons. If you're planning to watch the show, you need to start with this episode.
The "Pilot" episode revolves around Sam Winchester, the youngest child of Mary and John Winchester. Nice biblical names for the parents of a child who's destiny seems cloaked in darkness. When he's 6 months old, a demon comes into Sam's nursery. As his mother tries to save him, she is levitated on to the ceiling and incinerated. John rushes in and grabs the baby. John instructs his other son, Dean, to take Sammy outside and rushes back in to save Mary. But it's too late. Mary is dead. John takes his sons and trains them to be warriors; Soldiers against the demon world.
Twenty-two years later, Sam had left the "Family Business" of hunting evil and is headed for Stanford Law. He's living with his girlfriend, Jessica, and trying to lead a "normal" life. Dean's the obedient, if wise-ass, son and is willing to follow in John's evil fighting footsteps. Except, John goes missing while on a case and Dean arrives at Stanford to enlist Sam's help in finding him. Sam reluctantly joins the search, and soon they're in a small town where a hitchhiking woman in white is picking off any men who stop to give her a lift home.
Sam and Dean work on stopping the ghost of the woman and on finding John. Their father has left behind one clue: His journal filled with all his notes on supernatural lore. The boys make a surprisingly good team as they work together. Sure Dean whacks Sam in the back of the head. And -Yeah- Sam rolls his eyes at Dean's music selections. But in short order they've exorcised the woman in white and have a set of coordinates that they hope will lead them to John. Except, Sam still not thrilled with the idea of living out of a car and hunting monsters professionally.
Dean is hurt and trying to hide it as he drops Sam back off at Stanford. However, he loves Sam enough to let him go. Sam walks back into his apartment. He lays down on the bed, looks up at the ceiling and above him he sees Jessica's body. Sam screams as she catches fire, dying just as his mother did. Dean rushes in and drags Sam out of another burning room. Sam, having lost everything that he thought made his life "normal," gets into Dean's beloved 1967 Impala and re-joins the quest to find the demon that's stolen both of the women he loved.
There are some great parts to this episode. The first five minutes of "Supernatural" are the best opening sequence of any TV series I ever seen. Before the title screen comes up the show had already introduced the 4 Winchesters (5 if you count the Impala), explained their mission and established the motivations of every character. Dean: Who just wants to get his family to safety. Sam: Who is haunted with questions about why the Demon came after him. John: A man often blinded by his obsession for vengeance. The episode also establishes that "Supernatural" can do scary stuff really well. The Woman in White "statics" in and out, and even the lighting manages to be atmospheric and spooky. There's also a lot of humor, though, mostly contributed by Dean. From being arrested for credit card scams (He has to pay the bills somehow, since "Hunting isn't exactly a pro-ball career), to labeling Sammy a "control freak" for not letting Dean use the computer (after Dean refused to let Sam even pick a song in the car), Dean is just a joy to watch.
The theme of "home" comes up repeatedly in this episode. The Winchesters are always searching for a home, even as it becomes obvious that Sam & Dean's home is each other. First their home in Kansas burns, killing Mary and setting them on their rootless hunt for evil. John vanishing rips away Dean's shaky sense of home, leaving him alone and needing his little brother. For Sam, the apartment he made with Jessica is destroyed in this episode along with any illusions he had about leading a normal life. Like the Woman in White, the Winchesters can never return home. Instead, Sam & Dean have to forge something new together.
On the down side, I had to watch the outtakes of this episode to figure out why Dean went back to Sam's apartment. It turns out his car radio got all weird and lights flickered like a demon was near. Still, that really should have been in the episode itself, because otherwise there's no explanation as to why Dean returned.
My favorite part of the episode: Sam and Dean's "B*tch" & "Jerk" exchange. One of the most realistic, recurring sibling exchanges ever.
The "Pilot" episode revolves around Sam Winchester, the youngest child of Mary and John Winchester. Nice biblical names for the parents of a child who's destiny seems cloaked in darkness. When he's 6 months old, a demon comes into Sam's nursery. As his mother tries to save him, she is levitated on to the ceiling and incinerated. John rushes in and grabs the baby. John instructs his other son, Dean, to take Sammy outside and rushes back in to save Mary. But it's too late. Mary is dead. John takes his sons and trains them to be warriors; Soldiers against the demon world.
Twenty-two years later, Sam had left the "Family Business" of hunting evil and is headed for Stanford Law. He's living with his girlfriend, Jessica, and trying to lead a "normal" life. Dean's the obedient, if wise-ass, son and is willing to follow in John's evil fighting footsteps. Except, John goes missing while on a case and Dean arrives at Stanford to enlist Sam's help in finding him. Sam reluctantly joins the search, and soon they're in a small town where a hitchhiking woman in white is picking off any men who stop to give her a lift home.
Sam and Dean work on stopping the ghost of the woman and on finding John. Their father has left behind one clue: His journal filled with all his notes on supernatural lore. The boys make a surprisingly good team as they work together. Sure Dean whacks Sam in the back of the head. And -Yeah- Sam rolls his eyes at Dean's music selections. But in short order they've exorcised the woman in white and have a set of coordinates that they hope will lead them to John. Except, Sam still not thrilled with the idea of living out of a car and hunting monsters professionally.
Dean is hurt and trying to hide it as he drops Sam back off at Stanford. However, he loves Sam enough to let him go. Sam walks back into his apartment. He lays down on the bed, looks up at the ceiling and above him he sees Jessica's body. Sam screams as she catches fire, dying just as his mother did. Dean rushes in and drags Sam out of another burning room. Sam, having lost everything that he thought made his life "normal," gets into Dean's beloved 1967 Impala and re-joins the quest to find the demon that's stolen both of the women he loved.
There are some great parts to this episode. The first five minutes of "Supernatural" are the best opening sequence of any TV series I ever seen. Before the title screen comes up the show had already introduced the 4 Winchesters (5 if you count the Impala), explained their mission and established the motivations of every character. Dean: Who just wants to get his family to safety. Sam: Who is haunted with questions about why the Demon came after him. John: A man often blinded by his obsession for vengeance. The episode also establishes that "Supernatural" can do scary stuff really well. The Woman in White "statics" in and out, and even the lighting manages to be atmospheric and spooky. There's also a lot of humor, though, mostly contributed by Dean. From being arrested for credit card scams (He has to pay the bills somehow, since "Hunting isn't exactly a pro-ball career), to labeling Sammy a "control freak" for not letting Dean use the computer (after Dean refused to let Sam even pick a song in the car), Dean is just a joy to watch.
The theme of "home" comes up repeatedly in this episode. The Winchesters are always searching for a home, even as it becomes obvious that Sam & Dean's home is each other. First their home in Kansas burns, killing Mary and setting them on their rootless hunt for evil. John vanishing rips away Dean's shaky sense of home, leaving him alone and needing his little brother. For Sam, the apartment he made with Jessica is destroyed in this episode along with any illusions he had about leading a normal life. Like the Woman in White, the Winchesters can never return home. Instead, Sam & Dean have to forge something new together.
On the down side, I had to watch the outtakes of this episode to figure out why Dean went back to Sam's apartment. It turns out his car radio got all weird and lights flickered like a demon was near. Still, that really should have been in the episode itself, because otherwise there's no explanation as to why Dean returned.
My favorite part of the episode: Sam and Dean's "B*tch" & "Jerk" exchange. One of the most realistic, recurring sibling exchanges ever.