Supernatural:The Complete Second Season

Supernatural delivers a thrill-induced and emotion-driven second season with the same gritty, roadhouse aesthetic that viewers fell in love with last time around. The series concentrates on the Winchester brothers Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) and their journey towards facing the Yellow-eyed Demon who murdered their mother. Killing everything that goes bump in the night along the way, the brothers grow closer to the same vengeful goal that drove their father away from the family.

The second season of the series places the Winchester brothers and their father John (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) in a terrible road collision caused by the Yellow-eyed Demon himself. After being rushed to the hospital, a beaten and bloodied Sam and John drown with worry as they watch over Dean, who has slipped into a coma. While on his death bed, Dean finds himself having an out-of-body experience and is soon haunted by a reaper sent to usher him into the afterlife. Sam struggles to find a way to save Dean while John concocts a plan of his own. Necessary Spoiler Ahead! Just as Dean begins to accept his fate, John makes a deal with the Yellow-eyed Demon offering his life and the demon-killing colt for the restored life of Dean. This season premiere hurls the Winchester brothers as well as the viewers into a world of despair and certain doom. John Winchester is gone along with the only weapon powerful enough to kill the Yellow-eyed Demon. Now, a broken Dean must carry out his father's wishes to watch over Sam, who may play a pivotal role in the Yellow-eyed Demon's evil intentions.

The shocking situation at the feet of Sam and Dean sets the tone for a season that can only be described as one hell of a ride. The ride gains speed as the brothers lay waste to everything from clowns to vampires, while simultaneously being pursued by authorities and even a fellow hunter. As the Yellow-eyed Demon's plans begin to unravel, the story adopts a sense of disorder that seems insurmountable. It is this thrilling pace that keeps the viewer glued to the screen, waiting to see what happens next.

The series' mastery of feeding the audience's voracity for excitement is merely a piece of the second season's collective worth. The unmistakable chemistry between actors Padalecki and Ackles brings a massive degree of humor and ardor to the screen, causing viewers to truly care for the brothers Sam and Dean. The season's other weapon of success is the sheer magnitude of top-notch acting. Fredric Lehne delivers a scathing performance as the vile Yellow-eyed Demon. Jim Beaver loses himself in his role as family friend Bobby Singer. The most notable of them all is certainly Jensen Ackles, who rises

above his below-average contribution to Smallville's fourth season. Throughout this second season Ackles pushes his role in Supernatural to a level of authenticity worthy of an Emmy nomination. This potential is especially seen in the episode "What Is And Should Never Be", where Dean finds himself paralyzed by the tempting yet false fantasy that a djinn creates for him.

The thrills, the chemistry, and the stunning performances all help create a highly entertaining environment. It is this environment that carries the second season of Supernatural to an extraordinary season finale, which more than satisfies audiences by tying up loose ends and opening the door to an even greater third season.

Special Features:

The second season set offers some fairly decent bonus features but ultimately does not match to the quality of the show itself. All the deleted scenes included in the set are pointless, offering essentially nothing to both devout fans and virgin viewers. Only three of the twenty-two episodes contain commentary tracks. Sadly, only two of those commentary tracks are worth listening to. These poor excuses for bonus content unfortunately hinder one's ability to be satisfied with the few valuable features.

Jared Padalecki's original screen test for the role of Sam is one of these few bonus features of value. Although the video quality is not very good, it is interesting to see the effort that helped Padalecki land the role. The set's gag reel proves to be an even more enjoyable viewing. It captures several botched takes, pranks executed between the cast and crew, and a hilarious collection of clips of Jensen Ackles eating for his role as the always hungry Dean.

The greatest accomplishment within the bonus features is surely a featurette entitled "The Devil's Road Map". The documentary covers the origins of every monster featured in the second season of the series. It also offers behind-the-scenes looks at the many facets of the show's production. Lastly, it includes an incredible making-of video feature focused on the season's explosive finale.

Supernatural maintains its genre bending style in its second season and grows into a monster of a series. Forgive the lacking special features and give this sure hit a chance.

Season Grade: A-

DVD Features Grade: D

Overall Grade: B