|
|
 |
Supernatural: The Complete Fifth Season
[Blu-ray]
Blu-ray ALL - America - Warner Home Video Review written by and copyright: Ethan Stevenson (15th January 2011). |
|
The Show
 Our fifth and originally final season-long adventure with Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester may throw viewers headfirst into the earliest hours of the End of Days – where Angel’s walk alongside the boys as they battle Lucifer and the four horsemen of the Apocalypse – but it’s still, at it’s core, a hilariously written and very, very funny show. So, while the series deals with densely plotted mythology that's tightly wrapped in religious subtext, and is probably one of the closest things resembling the horror genre on broadcast television these days, “Supernatural” will always be a comedy to me. Mind you, that’s not a bad thing. Indeed the mix of humor and disturbing mythos is one of, if not the biggest reason why I love the series as much as I do, and the fifth season, despite balancing one of the darkest chapters in the series’ saga, proves to be one of it’s most entertaining and rewarding. I just thought I'd throw that out there because "Supernatural" is often funnier (in a different way than "Glee" (2009-Present) or "Modern Family" (2009-Present)) than most traditional comedies on TV right now. By his own admission, creator Eric Kripke only planned for “Supernatural” to run three seasons – and he never really expected for it to even last that long. Yet, the show proved to be such a huge success for it’s writer and the network on which it aired that here we are with it’s fifth iteration now hitting Blu-ray. When he saw the numbers – both in terms of fans and ratings – Kripke extended his sights on a taught five-season arc: one that would spell the end for the brothers Winchester and likely the series itself. (Of course, studios and network executives being what they are, with it’s consistently high ratings, “Supernatural” is now running in it’s sixth season on the CW – without Kripke as showrunner who smartly bowed out, handing the reigns to Sera Gamble, now that his plan is done). With that new goal the show began to change, often for the better. What started as a show about two brothers fighting the things that go bump in the night quickly became about grander plots and themes; a virus concocted by an evil corporation that might just prove to be the undoing of man, a two season arc that basically boils down to a philosophical discussion about death, demons and the selling of ones soul, and the ultimate battle between good and evil (via "warriors" from Heaven and Hell) literally coming to Earth. But through all it's changes what worked before, when the series was in it's innocent infancy, still works in season five; this is true for both what’s happening in front of and behind the camera. The magnificent chemistry between the two fictional brothers holds the show together, but the smart balance between mythology and monster-of-the-week episodes (giving fans a bit of breathing room to better digest the mounting weight of the bigger, well told parable sink in) proves to be its center and strength. The crew behind the scenes found their groove sometime during season three (ditching it’s “X-Files”-y (1993-2002) origins for it’s own unique show blueprint and identity) and has been beyond solid since. The stories are just as strong, the writing and dialogue just as sharp, and the knowing humor just as funny as they were before. The production design – thanks to a now sizable budget – has been feature-film quality for years and the direction is a measured and precise as ever. And when you put these elements together, everything just works like clockwork. As you navigate through this fifth season, the sense of a concluding finality holds heavy and is felt throughout. The final hours are basically spelled out, with season five featuring such provocatively titled episodes like “The End” and “Swan Song” literally pre-telling that these are the last moments of the series to fans. Plot threads tread into the past to return to where it all started, as the boys save the teenage versions of their parents from certain death in one episode, and relive certain other events from their road-hopping escapades in many others. And a season long arc that plainly focuses on the end of time and coming of the apocalypse permeate the entire season. It’s rarely been clearer that a creator wanted to end his series on a high note, on his terms. It’s a shame then that “Supernatural” will live on, not because it’s gone cold and is noticeably inferior to it’s earlier siblings, but because this fifth season is so good, and works so well as a final chapter that a sixth entry just seems so blatantly unneeded. All 22 episodes of “Supernatural: The Complete Fifth Season” are included on four discs, including: - "Sympathy For the Devil" - Disasters. Plagues. Basically, “Hell on Earth.” Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino) is loose, and the Winchester brothers may have only one chance to defeat him. With their angel-buddy Castiel (Misha Collins) “dead” the brothers team up with another of their allies, Bobby Singer (Jim Beaver) to find the sword of the Archangel Michael before it falls into the hands of demons. - "Good God, Y’All!" - Sam and Dean’s battle to save a demon-infested town places them in the violent path of War (Titus Welliver), one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Meanwhile, Castiel searches for his father – aka God – who’s gone missing. - "Free to Be You and Me" - After years of hunting together the brothers split up. Dean and Castiel search for the Archangel Raphael (Demore Barnes) to find out where and what God’s earthly vessel is. Aching for a normal life, and fearful of what he might be, Sam gets a job in a bar but his past catches up with him and he finds out his much more devastating future. - "The End" - “Oh, the things to come.” After refusing Sam’s plea to return, Dean awakes one morning to find himself five years in the future. In a world that has become a wasteland overrun by a Zombie plague, Dean encounters the consequences of his decision – and his future self. - "Fallen Idols" - James Dean. Abraham Lincoln. Gandhi. The boys figure the ghosts of long-gone icons are offing the innocent citizens of an Ohio town and set about trying to stop them. That is until a demonic creature taking the form Paris Hilton – who’s neither dead nor an icon – appears sporting a very old grudge, leaving the boys clueless as to what they might be fighting. - "I Believe the Children Are Our Future" - Like most kids, Eleven-year-old Jesse (Gattlin Griffith) believes in fairy-tales, a very scary Tooth Fairy, and urban legends like death-dealing joy buzzers. But, unlike most kids, whatever he believes in actually comes true. Bad news for innocent victims, but the Winchester boys figure Jesse’s parentage has something to do with his powers. - "The Curious Case of Dean Winchester" - “Your money or your life.” Gamblers ante up the latter when they play poker with a witch. Hoping to get out of his wheelchair, Bobby bets 25 years, loses and starts to age. Fast. To save his friend, Dean tries to win those years back – and ends up a grumpy old man. - "Changing Channels" - “Paging Dr. Winchester. Paging Dr. Winchester.” The Trickster (Richard Speight Jr.) returns with a pretty neat trick, sending the brothers into an alternate reality where they play roles in a series of TV shows including “Dr. Sexy, M.D.” and a police procedural where Sam and Dean appear to be a pair of lollipop sucking cops. - "The Real Ghostbusters" - The Hook Man, a scarecrow, a freakish clown, Bobby Singer, hunters, FBI agents, and lots and lost of Sam’s and Dean’s. Becky (Emily Perkins) dupes the Winchesters into attending the first-ever “Supernatural” convention. There, the boys must deal with hordes of fans, and one more: a demonic ghost. - "Abandon All Hope…" - Becky’s clue leads Sam and Dean to the Colt… and to a showdown with Lucifer. The brothers have lots of, mostly unwanted, company on what might be their last night on Earth: Castiel, Jo (Alona Tal), Ellen (Samantha Ferris), Meg (Nicki Aycox) and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Oh joy. - "Sam, Interrupted" - The Apocalypse is coming, and Sam started it. The brothers tell a psychiatrist everything – the coming End of Days, Lucifer, demon hunting, essentially all their secrets – which lands them a stint exactly where they want to be. Incarcerated in a mental institution where a monster is terrorizing them. As they hunt the creature, the Winchesters grapple with some mental issues of their own. - "Swap Meat" - “Wow! A banana daiquiri in a real bar! Sex with a real woman! And ghost hunting to boot!” A teenage goofus (Colton James) switches bodies with Sam and is thrilled with the results, as he should be. But Sam, trapped inside the kid’s body, isn’t having such a great time revisiting adolescent angst. - "The Song Remains the Same" - To stop the Apocalypse, the angels must stop Sam. To do this, Anna (Julie McNiven) travels back in time to 1978 to kill Sam’s parents before the younger Winchester is conceived. Sam, Dean and Castiel follow her into the past, where the brothers battle angels side-by-side with the younger versions of Mary (Amy Gumenick) and John (Matt Cohen). - "My Bloody Valentine" - Stupid Cupid. On Valentines Day, the brothers are out for cherub blood when the laughing love god goes rogue, causing sweethearts to die – and kill – for love. But, then, when a man perishes from a Twinkie gorge-a-thon, the guys realize that something more is going on. - "Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid" - A cemetery in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, disgorges its bodies – including the corpse of Bobby’s wife (Carrie Anne Fleming), who cheerfully heads back to her kitchen to whip up a batch of pies. Sam and Dean battle the walking dead and ask Bobby to do the impossible, kill his wife so that the town can be rid of the undead once again. - "Dark Side of the Moon" - Blam, blam, blam. Three shots and a couple angry hunters send Sam and Dean to the Undiscovered Country. In Heaven, the brothers revisit old memories, old friends and one nasty old enemy – then hit the road for a face-to-face with God. - "99 Problems" - Townspeople form the demon-battling Sacrament Lutheran Militia congregate under the guidance of a gentle minister’s daughter (Kayla Mae Maloney). She claims to be in touch with the heavenly host, but Castiel believes she’s in league with an entirely different Biblical force all together. Sam, Dean and their godly partner investigate the matter and find a sinister truth. - "Point of No Return" - “Back in business, boys!” Zachariah (Kurt Fuller) returns to play mind games aimed at forcing Dean to become Michael’s vessel. But older Winchester – exhausted and sick at heart – may not need much convincing after all. - "Hammer of the Gods" - Sam and Dean are determined to stop the Apocalypse. So are Kali, Ganesh, Baldur and more gods ignored in the King James Version of the Bible. The gods take the brothers hostage, hoping to use them as bargaining chips with the angels. - "The Devil You Know" - Sam trusted a demon once and (barely) lived to regret it. Is it now Dean’s turn to make the same mistake? In his search for the remaining Horseman rings, Dean lets the demon Crowley (Mark Sheppard) lead him to Pestilence (Matt Frewer) and Death’s stable boy. - "Two Minutes to Midnight" - One soul, battered, bruised and valiant: Bobby sells his soul in exchange for the location of Death. Pestilence unleashes horrific diseases on the Winchester Brothers. And Dean meets up with the illusive Fourth Horseman. - "Swan Song" - In the impressive season finale, the brothers battle Lucifer with the very fate of man in their hands. To stop the Apocalypse, Dean and Sam have no choice but to make decisions that will change their lives forever, and cost them everything they hold dear.
Video
Throughout its five seasons “Supernatural” has always had a hyper-stylized appearance. The first season had a monochromatic, high contrast look, while later seasons – especially from the digitally shot fourth season on – seem less stark, but are equally dreary with a dank, filtered, and muted aesthetic. Colors are still brilliant when the creative minds behind the scenes wish them to be, with splashes of radiant reds and other bold primaries. Entire episodes ("Changing Channels") even ditch this stylized look completely. But, by-and-large, series DP Serge Ladouceur’s cinematography is often draped in dark shadows and certainly doesn’t seem to provide the level of picture-window perfection that many think Blu-ray should. And that really shouldn’t matter – “Supernatural” isn’t meant to look like a nature documentary, and its stylish presentation is an excellent artistic expression of darkness and evil. Consider for a moment, if the show were consistently bright and colorful, even when Sam and Dean are hunting monsters in the cold recesses of a mental hospital. “Supernatural” just wouldn’t work like that – atmosphere, and dark atmosphere at that, plays a huge part in making the series what it is. All things considered, Warner’s 1.78:1 widescreen 1080p 24/fps high definition transfers (delivered via 22 VC-1 encodes) that span the fifth season set are quite excellent, perfectly reflecting the intended style, with strong, defined edges, brilliant facial detail and superb blacks. As usual, the Blu-ray release completely destroys the 1080i CW-HD broadcast, offering a far more stable image than the television versions could ever hope to provide, and I have to assume that by default the discs also make waste of their DVD counterparts, simply because that format can’t hold a candle to broadcast, let alone Blu-ray. Unfortunately, the release of season five isn’t perfect. Warner has crammed as many as six 42-minute episodes on the four dual layered BD-50's in this set, leaving the usually spotless digital photography with faint, but disappointing moments that suffer from compression artifacts and clumpy digital macroblocking. I noticed a few minutes of banding throughout the season too, a harsh reminder that a show that is as heavily color graded as “Supernatural” (almost every frame of which is shaded and tweaked via computers) need as many bits as possible to stand without fault. True, this is a pretty damn good looking series and the Blu-ray is for the most part very, very strong, but there is no mistaking that no matter how good “Supernatural” looks most of the time, it might have looked better had Warner spread the season over five discs.
Audio
While the first season Blu-ray included a plethora of dub options and foreign language subtitle tracks, the fifth season offers considerably less. An English Dolby Digital 5.1 (48 kHz/640 kbps) soundtrack is the default, while a Portuguese Dolby Digital 2.0 mix is the only optional dub. Subtitles are available in English, Dutch, French, Portuguese and Spanish. The sound design behind the series is solidly impressive. Clarity and dialogue reproduction is acceptable. The score – composed by Christopher Lennertz – is that subtle sort of thing that works in ominous tones, rather than building upon motifs, but it sounds perfectly well and good. However, and this is probably getting old (I know I hate to have to write it – again), as I watched “Supernatural: Season Five” I couldn’t help shake the feeling that, in Dolby TrueHD or lossless DTS-HD MA, the show would sound even better – clearer, sharper, less compressed. My “B-“ is awarded partly on principle. Warner is the only studio that continues to steadily provide discs with lossy audio on Blu-ray at any regularity; that’s clearly unacceptable). But that “B-“ also reflects my opinion of the mix – it just doesn’t sound as robust or as clear as it’s lossless brethren. I have no doubt that if Warner included lossless TrueHD soundtracks on their TV shows, the Blu-ray's would sound much better – “Supernatural” especially.
Extras
Compared to the material found on Warner’s special edition Blu-ray of the first season, which debuted earlier this year, the supplemental package on “Supernatural: Season Five” seems rather tame. Still, what we do get here is better than most other TV on DVD and Blu-ray releases. The basic supplements – an audio commentary and a deleted scene – trickle out over the first two discs, with nothing found on the third platter. The fourth and final disc houses a sprawling interactive database of featurettes and text (much like “The Devil’s Roadmap” found on season one), while also offering up a gag reel, the “Ghostfacers” webisodes and BD-LIVE connectivity. Video based extras are encoded in either 1080p or 1080i high definition, or 480p standard definition where noted. DISC ONE: The only audio commentary found on the fifth season is on episode four, “The End”, with executive producers Eric Kripke, Robert Singer and Ben Edlund (who also wrote the episode). The track is a little jokey, but still interesting. There is plenty back patting, but also a lot of talk about this episodes purpose in setting the tone for the Apocalypse and it’s role in giving that storyline a more epic base. The best thing I can say about this commentary is that the participants seem energetic and never let up, with no more than a few seconds of silence before they jump to another topic of discussion. It’s too bad here aren’t more tracks on this season; I’m sure they would have been a real treat. DISC TWO: Here you’ll find one deleted scene (16x9-enhanced 480p, 2 minutes 11 seconds) from episode nine, “The Real Ghostbusters”. Chuck Shurely/Carver Edlund (Rob Benedict), author of the popular “Supernatural” book series – which follows the journey of the fan-favorite Winchester Brothers named Sam and Dean – field’s questions at a Q&A during the first-ever “Supernatural” convention. DISC THREE: There are no supplements included on this disc. DISC FOUR: An overlong gag reel (1080p, 10 minutes 18 seconds) full of montages dedicated to weird-faces, blurry fingers, cursing, and a host of other time-wasters, is also included. I can’t see too many people sitting through this thing; it’s kind of excruciating. Then again, perhaps this is what the fans want; Warner, Kripke and crew must be receiving some sort of positive feedback, because these reels litter all five seasons. Next, the ten-episode “Ghostfacers” (1080p, 31 minutes 34 seconds) web series, spawned from a subplot that first appeared in the first season of “Supernatural” is included in its entirety. The awkwardly hilarious spoof is a cross between those ghost-hunting shows that make up most of the SyFy Networks programming schedule these days, a low budget cable-access show and no-budget YouTube video. Although encoded in high definition, the image quality often wavers between mediocre and terrible because many scenes purposefully look like they were shot on low-def consumer-grade camcorders. Likewise, the audio has poor fidelity and generally sounds weak to further the authentically amateurish style of the series. Regardless of the A/V quality, this is pretty funny stuff. Give it a whirl if you haven’t seen it online. The “Supernatural: Apocalypse Survival Guide” (1080p, approximately 91 minutes total runtime) is an-overly complex collection of audio and video-based extras about the fifth season and it’s elaborate mythology presented as an interactive feature. These featurettes (and one audio excerpt) are worthwhile, but again, like “The Devil’s Roadmap” feature found on the first season Blu-ray, a bit frustrating. Warner has decided to make navigation needlessly elaborate, simply because they can with the format’s Java base. I often wonder, “Whatever happened to static menus that just listed mini-documentaries, photo galleries and audio interviews?” Just because the Blu-ray format allows for an advanced interactive experience doesn’t mean we really need intricate, over-animated, multi-layered menus. They’re more of a hindrance, actually. An audio introduction runs 35 seconds. The further material found in the “Apocalypse Survival Guide” is detailed below: - An episode from a fictional program called “15 Minutes” – a fairly humorous take on the long-running CBS Sunday Night staple “60 Minutes” – is included. The first episode in this series, titled “Lucifer and Michael: Brothers?” (1080p, 13 minutes 16 seconds) asks the question, are the archangel and the devil somehow related? Despite the fictionalized nature of this featurette, those interviewed here are real people and what they have to say is often interesting on a purely intellectual level. These theologians, authors and other “experts” include Wendy Alec, author of “Chronicle of Brothers”, and Raymond Dennehy, a professor of philosophy at the University of San Francisco. Although encoded in 1080p and framed in 1.78:1 widescreen, the video has artificial, age related damage and slightly weak contrast to give the appearance of dated authenticity. Next, we get another fictionalized TV episode that is populated with real “experts.” Supposedly an episode from a series that regularly appeared on public broadcasting in the mid 90s, called “Behind the Curtain with Jack Crossley”, this short featurette titled “The End Times: Are You Prepared?” (1080i, 16 minutes 45 seconds) is a roundtable discussion with a group of people including a minister at Bel Air Presbyterian Church Reverend, Kim Dorr-Tilley, president and founder of the Arlington Institute John L. Petersen, Director of Religious Affairs at the Islamic Center of Southern California and vice president of the Interreligious Council of Southern California Jihad Turk, president of Atheists United Bobbie Kirkart, and a retired Army sergeant named Steve Pace (who is preparing for the fall of civilization in 2012). The panel discusses the mythology of the end of days, it’s probability in occurring, and what each thinks about the subject. The next featurette is done up to look like a bootleg VHS tape, and leads in with the following message: “The following film contains true cases of paranormal encounters” (1080p, 15 minutes 59 seconds). This piece features interviews with parapsychologist Barry Taff and other ghost hunters, who recount certain stories about their experiences with poltergeists, phantoms and other apparitions. This is probably the hokiest of the featurettes included on the disc, made worse by the fact that the age-effects have been really overdone. Taff’s interview suffers from VHS wobble on top of severe chromatic aberration. Other segments look like 4:3 Hi8 videotape. It’s gimmicky and pushed too far. “The Quest for Satan” (1080p, 17 minutes 40 seconds) is yet another featurette that pretends to be a fake public-access show. Focusing on the mythology of Lucifer, the fallen angel and hosted by 90's-era pop culture phenomenon and perpetual wacko-genius Dr. Franklin Ruehl – who hosted real public access show in LA years ago called “Mysteries from Beyond the Other Dominion” – this piece discusses the devil and those who worship him. In the immortal words of the doctor: “Roll Tape!” “Book 3: Ride of the Horsemen” (1080p, 11 minutes 37 seconds) is a featurette starts off with Reverend Eric Andrews, CSP discussing how the apocalypse is depicted in the Book of Revelation. “Supernatural” executive producer/show runner Eric Kripke, executive producer/writer Sera Gamble, director/executive producer Robert Singer, writer Ben Edlund and executive producer/director Phil Sgriccia then talk about their approach to the vastness of this storyline and how they decided to portray the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in the series. Following along the same lines, “Book 7: Kripke’s Guide to the Apocalypse” (1080i, 10 minutes 36 seconds) has Gamble, Singer, Edlund and actor Jensen Ackles all talking about creator Eric Kripke’s work ethic, writing style and vision for the series – in particular, the apocalyptic turn of season five. It’s all very hammy. Kripke chimes in and details his typical day at the office and how the show has evolved over the years. The latter half of the featurette is actually pretty interesting if only because Kripke’s brutal honesty about the sudden direction that the show took in the third season is unexpectedly refreshing. Next up is a featurette (1080p, 3 minutes 34 seconds) with series location manager Russ “Movie God” Hamilton who talks about the new “Supernatural” back lot (which was previously constructed for Zack Snyder’s “Watchmen” (2009)) that debuted in episode four, “The End”. He gives a tour of many of the sets within the lot, including the diner and alley used numerous times in this season. In another short featurette (1080i, 2 minutes 14 second), creator Eric Kripke talks about the show’s delicate balance between mythology-based episodes and one-off standalones. He shares his thoughts on his personal favorite episode of the season – in fact his favorite ever – which is “Changing Channels”, and the difficulty of logically doing such episodes when there is an apocalypse going on in the series mythology. Lastly, disc four of is also equipped with Warner Bros. BD-LIVE, although, at this time no exclusive content pertaining to the actual series is available for download.
Packaging
“Supernatural: The Complete Fifth Season” comes to Blu-ray in a thicker Elite style case that houses 4 dual layer BD-50's and a booklet. This is further covered by an outer slip-box made of thick cardboard, which slides sideways over the standard Blu-ray case. The outer box features an attractive foil effect on the artwork, which gives a slight 3D-like texture to cover, and in turn a somewhat more high-class feel when compared to the regular flat artwork and thinner cardboard that we usually see on TV on Blu-ray product. Like most Warner Blu-ray discs, “Supernatural: Season Five” is region free.
Overall
I wouldn’t recommend that any newcomers try and dive into the fifth season of “Supernatural”. Not if you want to actually comprehend anything that you’d be watching; the mythology is just too dense for that to even be a remote possibility. For those people curious about the show, I suggest the first season, which, as it just so happens was released on Blu-ray this past summer. Bit, for those fans that do know what’s actually going on with these characters and their storylines, season five is a treat. Kripke and crew still balance the oft-complex mythology-heavy episodes with some fun diversions into monster-of-the-week tales; Padalecki and Ackles still have that inviting likeability and comedic chemistry that made the series work in the early days. In fact, the show is still as good as it was in the first season… only better, because it’s blossomed into it’s own creation and isn’t just an “X-Files” clone anymore (although, admittedly, I had no problem with the “X-File”-y nature of the series’ introductory season). Warner’s four-disc Blu-ray boxset is somewhat of a mixed bag, with impressive video, but little better than DVD-grade audio and less extras than previous seasons. However, a couple of trivialities aside, the Blu-ray is the clear choice for high-def-capable enthusiasts, especially because it is, visually, a visually stunning upgrade that only cost a few dollars more compared to the DVD option. Very highly recommended for fans.
|
|||||
|