♣ SUPERNATURAL: Why I could never love another TV Series more than this

Since the owner of this blog generously invited me to join her blog, I've been several times considering writing something about this TV show, Supernatural. But sadly, whenever it came to Supernatural, I rethought. Even though Supernatural is not a mainstream-success show, it still owns one of the biggest Internet fan-base all across the world. If you bother to search through the Web, you can find tons of article about it. Most of them are written by hard-core fans who pay attention to every little details of the show. The rest are written by experienced writers and/or TV critics who are really good at what they do. The articles vary from episode reviews, season reviews, top fives, best moments, or a bunch of deeper look at characters. So what's left for me? Basically, nothing.

Then why this time bother to write about it? The first reason, of course, my true love for the show. The second reason, well, because I’m currently on the mood of celebrating it’s Season 7 Finale exactly just last week! I mean, looking at it, it’s been a very wonderful, if not magical, 7 seasons journey with the show. I even had this teary moment for a while there watching the finale… So what is it that makes me love the show so wholeheartedly? That’s what I want to share with you.

Never heard of Supernatural before? Come onnn… You gotta be kidding me. It’s an American TV show about two monster-hunting brothers who first reunited on the search of finding their father who suddenly went missing. Sam, the younger brother, had previously stated that he’s done “hunting” for good, left his father and brother, Dean, to go to college and to live a “normal life”. But when his fiancée, Jessica, got killed in the same supernatural way as his mother, he decided to go hit the road with Dean to find their father as well as to avenge Jessica’s death. Speaking of it, now things have escalated from there… way way way more complicated. But again I’m not here to talk about WHAT; I’m here to talk about WHY. Why Supernatural?

#1. Classic horror story is classic. This is basically what got me into Supernatural in the first place. The initial premise is very interesting, at least for me as a fan of horror genre; a TV show that will bring a different ghost story every week. There have been various urban legends that you’re already familiar with (Woman in White, Hook Man, Bloody Mary, poltergeist), famous monsters (Shape Shifter, Werewolf, Vampire) and other supernatural creatures from various cultures and regions, including demons and Pagan gods, and still many many others that you never even heard about.

#2. The joke that never gets old. This is what makes Supernatural is not just another horror show. It has a really good humor within it. Sometimes I can laugh louder while watching Supernatural than watching a comedy show (and no, it’s not an exaggeration). The dialog is smart and witty. There are so many references to pop cultures (movies, TV programs) here and there. And not to forget about the “one-liners”. I never watched a TV show that has so many memorable one-liners and funny quotes like Supernatural has.

#3. Drama, drama, drama. Yet when people first watch a show like Supernatural, they don’t expect to see much drama in it. But Supernatural here, it provides you big time, and they are great ones. Mostly family drama between the two brothers and their own personal crisis; sweet and very touching. A little romance here and there in a healthy quantity, not too much. The drama is centered on the topic of being good, evil, and being everything in between.

#4. Killing monsters like a badass. Normal people, they see a monster, and they run. But not Sam and Dean, they search out things that want to kill them. They fight ghosts and monsters and demons like they are nothing to be scared of; with shotguns, or knife, or anything sharp and big that can easily chop your head off, combined with a little action. It leaves impression that all those supernatural creatures are not that scary because we can actually kill them (though I don’t have a plan to encounter any in real world).

#5. A solid supernatural universe with its underlying mythology. This is what I love about Supernatural. It has its own universe, predefined lore and mythology, which is exactly what I’m looking for when I watch a UK/US TV series. I mean, I’m not going to watch an American TV series where the setting is just plainly on real world, centering about just daily drama. I would’ve just watched sinetron if I wanted that. No. I want to experience something different. And Supernatural gives me that, in a wonderful way. They basically have conducted a complete encyclopedia of various supernatural creatures and how to kill them, along the way. [BONUS:] And this is what you should know about vampire: A cross won't repel them, sunlight won't kill them and neither will a stake to the heart, but dead man’s blood works like a poison to them (and they don’t sparkle!).

#6. Super creative writing crew. Being a show with supernatural theme, the writing crew seem don’t want to waste the advantages; Nothing is natural, everything here is SUPER natural. They have covered every possibility, every wacky idea that can only come true in their weirdest wildest dreams. The brothers have fought fairies (yes, fairies!), they have time-traveled to the past and to the future, they have also been in various alternate universes. One of them is when Dean got attacked by some supernatural creature and woke up in an alternate reality where they never go hunting at all; his mother is alive, Sam goes to college and is engaged to Jessica (a little bit emotional, this one). Or my personal favorite, when Dean and Sam ended up in an alternate universe where they are Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki who both star in a TV show called Supernatural! (for those who don’t know, Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki are the actors who play Dean and Sam). Like I said, everything is supernaturally possible.

The later is also called a “meta episode”. On TV, “meta” means the show is commenting itself as a story, or, making reference to itself. Supernatural here, it has gone meta several times; making fun of itself, making fun of other TV shows, even making fun of its own fandom. The first most notable meta episode is when Sam and Dean discovered a series of books that tells story about their life down to every little detail, which they later found out that the author of the books was a prophet (again, the show is open to all possibilities).

#7. Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki. The actors who play Dean and Sam. Just gotta love these guys. Their chemistry as brothers is just wonderfully believable. Their brotherly bond has been like the heart of the show.  Their characters have grown on me since day one. Besides, they are amazing actor both in dramatic and comedic scenes. I don’t even have to mention that they both have an exceptionally good looks, do I?

Lately, people say Supernatural is not scary anymore. That it has gone from horror to fantasy (since the introduction of angels to their mythology in Season 4). Or that it’s already going downhill in quality. Speaking of its main plot, I personally agree that Season 6 was messy, while Season 7 was a bit of a disappointment. But because it is Supernatural, there are still a bunch of stand-alone episodes that are too good to be missed. There’s still also hope with the upcoming Season 8, wishing the show can get back to its glory day.

But then again, even when Supernatural is not on its best form, it’s still for me the best TV show on earth…