Tomorrow is the highly anticipated season premiere of ‘Supernatural’ and OBS member Firebrand will be doing a Weekly Recap and Review for the series! She has loved this show from day one, so she will do it justice!Okay, so this is the Supernatural Update. I will be recapping episodes, discussing the characters and floating theories. And yes, drooling over the characters is definitely okay
I am a huge fan of the Winchester brothers, but Dean is far and away my favorite. I promise not to let my bias affect the posts :)
So for today's entry I will recap each of the 4 previous seasons to catch you up to speed. I'm doing it in one sentence , and warning, there could be spoilers if you haven't seen the previous seasons.
Season 1: The brothers re-unite to search for their missing father
Season 2: Sam dies. Yea, you heard me. Dies
Season 3: Dean dies, Again, you heard right. Dies
Season 4: The Door to Hell opens and Lucifer steps into the world
Season 5... wait, that's yet to come....That pretty much says it all. Huh? What? Not enough information you say? Well, let's all quickly settle in for a quick character overview so that you can learn about the Winchester clan, their allies and even more importantly, their enemies.
All right class, here it is: Supernatural 101
The Basics:It's a story of 2 brothers, Dean the older and more obnoxious, and Sam, the younger and more sensetive one. The whole story is that they are learning about each other and themselves, with the help of a few supernatural (and not so supernatural) villains. Dean is Sam's complete polar opposite, almost in actuality the Yang to Sam's Yin.
We meet the brothers when Sam is 22 and Dean is 26. They are both living their lives, though in very different ways. Dean is a full fledged hunter, following their father into the "family business" while Sam is ensconced at Stanford, preparing to attend law school. One moment, one distinct second, and their world's collide in a devestatingly foretold way.
The creatures we've met to date include vampires, demons, angels, the windigo, the djinn (genie) and yes, starting this season, Lucifer.... These guys don't waste time. They go for the gusto and battle the biggest baddies.
It's been on for 82 episodes spread over 4 seasons; with the most recent season having been released on DVD September 1st .. I had pre-ordered it because I didn't want to wait. Yeah, I'm that impatient.
The Brothers Character Profiles:Dean Winchester (portrayed by Jensen Ackles)
Dean is the older brother, the ultimate soldier. He is unfailingly loyal to the task at hand and to the memory of his father John Winchester. Even though he has spent his life making up for John Winchester's neglectful attitude regarding Sam. Since the age of 8, Dean has been responsible for Sam's well-being. Even so much as to be the sole provider for Sam when his dad went "hunting". Dean's whole "thing" is that he conveys a "cowboy" mentality, sometimes to the detriment of others, but almost always ends up unscathed, or at least physically undamaged. Dean's extreme flirtatiousness is well known, well documented and much talked about. Sam even bugs him about his cavalier ways. For all his womanizing he has been in love once, with Cassie whom we met in "Route 666" (Season 1, Episode 13). He even told her about "the family business" and since then has not opened up to anyone else. His love for her was intense and very real and in the end she had to be the one to end it. He accepts that and has not seriously persued someone else since, with the exception of Anna, the fallen angel in "Heaven and Hell"(Season 4, Episode 10). Her he didn't pursue so much as use to find comfort. In Season 2, we watched Dean sacrifice his soul to bring Sam back from the dead. To do this, he made a deal with a Crossroads demon and was given a year to live. Normally, this kind of deal gets a 10 year 'term of payment' window, but because of the fact he's a Winchester.... Yep, 1 year was the best he could get. Deans' year ends and he is killed by hell hounds in "No Rest For The wicked" (Season 3, episode 16)and his soul is dragged to hell, setting up Season 4, and also showing the viewers a very devestated Dean. Our last views of Dean in Season 3 is him, hanging suspended among a web of chains, with hooks through his body, crying for Sam. Four months later Dean is ripped out of hell and transferred back into his body... by an Angel called Castiel. Castiel did this because apparently God has selected Dean as the General for his holy army. Yes, this we hear about many times yet God is never seen or even heard. The last season was a series of Sam versus Dean episodes where we learn more about Sam's addictions and his destiny, and where we see Dean truly start becoming the man the viewers have come to BELIEVE he wants to be. We see him make haqrd choices and face tough realities. While he relies on on others, Bobby Singer in particular, for support Dean also emerges as a force in the evolution of the story. We see him defend his belief system, going up against God, Castiel and even Sam. He seems to feel very alone at times... confused about his mission. We see Dean grow up a fair bit over the course of the 22 episodes. Season 4 would also be the brought out a funnier side of Dean with more physical comedy and more "Un-Dean-like" behavior, the highlight being Yellow Fever (Season 4, Episode 6).
Sam Winchester (portrayed by Jared Padelecki)
Sam Winchester is Dean's younger brother, by 4 years. His whole youth was spent being taken from town to town as his father hunted the things that go bump in the night. After 18 years of it, he rebelled and left his father and brother behind, heading to California to attend Stanford University and be "normal". When we meet Sam he's happily ensconced in his Stanford life, living with his girlfriend Jessica and preparing to enter Stanford Law School. But Sam's destiny is to be a hunter. Or at least, in the world of Shadows that hunters inhabit. At 6 months old, Sam's mother was killed in his nursery after she disturbed a Demon (who we later learn was Azazel) who was lurking by his crib. We don't find out immediately what the purpose was but we do learn that it was this moment that shaped the destinies of our two borthers. Called Sammy by Dean (which no other character is allowed to call him) After the pilot episode is over, Sam returns to Stanford, intent on picking up his life where he left it. One moment changed that. He comes home to Jessica, pinned up on the ceiling, dead.. or close to it. This was exactly what happened to his mother. As he watches, Jessica bursts into flames and Sam is pulled out of the apartment by Dean. It is this moment that convinces Sam where he belongs. We later discover that Azazel set up Jessica`s death to help push Sam towards his true calling. Chosen at birth Sam is destined to lead Azazel`s army, the odds on "winner" to lead the minions of hell. All children like Sam have special powers but none are exactly the same. Sam's special talent is he's a pre-cognitive dreamer (he sees the future) and these powers begin to truly take shape throughout season 2. Despite this dark forecast, Sam is the more reserved and maybe even, more noble. His sensetive nature tends to draw women to him, yet he doesn't truly give himself to anyone. The one exception would have been Madison, whom we met in "Heart" (Season 2, Episode 17) a woman who he bonded with and grew quite close too. Unfortunately she was proven to be a werewolf and the brothers made the tough choice to kill her. This experience made Sam retreat even more. Two women he'd fallen for were killed by supernatural forces. It's enough to make anyone withdraw into themselves. In "All Hell Breaks Loose pt. 1" (Season 2, Episode 21) Sam is kidnapped and forced to battle against other "chosen" children. Only one will emerge victorious and surprisingly it's not Sam. He's killed with a knife to the back, severing his spinal cord. Dean can't accept this and signs away his soul to bring Sam back. In "All Hell Breaks Loose pt. 2" Sam is returned to his former living glory and he and Dean take on Azazel. The demon is killed but not before the gate to Hell is opened and the world flooded with angry doomed souls. Season 3 finds Sam and Dean searching for a way to prevent Dean from losing his life. Dean has accepted it, so it appears, but Sam spends the whole year looking for a way to save his big brother. He even goes so far as to suggest that Dean kill innocent people to obtain everlasting life. This is the first crack in Sam's foundation. The viewers start to wonder if Sam maybe came back "wrong". Season 4 finds Sam living a life formed by hate. He's dating Ruby, who's a demon, drinking her blood as a way to bolster his psychic mojo so he may avenge Dean and kill Lilith. We later come to realize that there have been many forces working against our heroes and that he is still the person who will usher in the apocolypse. The only hope for the world lies in a Righteous Man, who we learn is Dean. Season 4 ends with Sam killing Lilith, as Dean kills Ruby, but then we learn the true secret... that killing Lilith is the final piece of the puzzle. The episode ends with Sam and Dean, united once more despite their differences and issues, watching helplessly as Lucifer rises. And the world as we know it is changed.
Next episode: Season 5 premiere... Also keep your eyes open for a Supernatural Character Index. Your ultimate guide to many of the characters we will meet this season, as well as overviews of the ones we already love. Or love to hate.
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