TV Review: Supernatural Series Premiere

Tuesday, September 13, 2005

Supernatural is the latest show to premiere on the WB network. It opened tonight with an episode that went beyond the usual sixty minutes. We begin in the past when two young boys and their father are left without a wife and mother when an unexplainable supernatural occurrence causes a fire in their home.

We then jump ahead to the present and meet one of the two brothers, who is quickly teamed up with his older brother in an interesting fight sequence. The two brothers are portrayed by Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki. Dean, the older of the two, searches out his younger brother when their father goes missing while working on a case. Sam does end up joining his brother in his search, although reluctantly.

The two then start on a journey that leads them to a town with a string of unexplained male deaths. They quickly figure out the cause of these deaths is due to a lady in white in the area. The lady in white is a supernatural phenomenon that has been told of in many places around the world. One cause of this phenomenon is when a woman kills her children and then herself upon discovering her husband or lover has been unfaithful to her. This isn't the only cause. Any tragic death can lead to this ghostly phenomenon.

For the remainder of the episode, we learn more about the reason behind the phenomenon occurring in this small town, and we also learn more about their father. By the time, the two brothers reach the town their father had spent close to a month in, he is gone. The only thing left behind is a clue in his journal to where his next stop will be.

Dean wants to continue the search, but his younger brother, Sam, can't do so. He made it clear no matter what happened he needed to be home first thing Monday morning for a law interview. Dean takes his brother home, but when he arrives Sam discovers his girlfriend in the same manner we saw his mother in at the beginning of the episode. Dean rushes in to save him from the flames, and Sam continues on with his brother in the search for their father.

I have been a fan of Jensen Ackle's for many years, starting with his time on Days of our Lives and moving onto Dark Angel - another one of past favorite television programs. Jared Padalecki is known from another WB program, Gilmore Girls. The Lady in White in this episode was portrayed by Sarah Shahi, currently of Showtime's L word.

This series premiere started with a bang. It grabbed onto you and held on. Throughout the episode, there were little scares that kept you on your toes, and by the end this one case was solved. This show has a bit of an X-files feel to it, but instead of aliens, we are dealing with ghosts and other supernatural phenomenon.

Supernatural also contained drama and action in the right dosage to make a well-rounded television program. One that I will definitely be looking forward to watching in the time to come. if by some chance you missed tonight's premiere, the network will be airing an encore of it on Thursday night. Check your local listings.

Sidenote on the Lady in White legend: This is a legend I have heard of myself, so I immediately thought of stories I'd heard of in the past. The most popular lady in white story that I can recall is that of Resurrection Mary. She is one of Chicago's most popular ghosts, and began appearing following her death in the 1930's, when a hit and run driver took her life. If you want to read more about this one lady in white legend, check out the following sites: About Chicago: Resurrection Mary and GhostResearch.org: Resurrection Mary.