Supernatural – The Complete Fifth Season (2009 – 2010/Warner Blu-ray)
Picture: B+ Sound: B- Extras: C Episodes: B-
On my
last viewing of Supernatural in the Season Three release on Blu-ray, I was
only mildly entertained. The boys of Supernatural were battling it out in
the age old good versus evil style, packed to the brim with demons, devils and
soul trading; the only problem was that the series never managed to get a
footing on what it wanted to be. I can
not say that Season Five is any ‘worse’
than Season Three, but it still
manages to inadequately balance comedy, horror and drama. The series is attempting to capture the
classic (though at times intentionally campy) with of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (the series), but manages to appear mixed
up and confused rather than slick and balanced.
Instead
of bumping into the ‘monster of the week,’ Season
Five has managed to kick it up a notch by letting all hell brake loose,
literally. The seals of Hell are broken
and now the brothers (Sam and Dean) are gearing up for an all out battle where
angels and demons are lining up to duke it out.
Lucifer (the devil himself) manages to make an appearance this season in
the flesh, whereas in previous seasons we were treated to a taste of his evil, Season Five becomes a no holds grudge
match with evil. I do think that Season Five is an improvement over Season three, but not by much. I find the series to be a ‘little much’ and
even as I love and thrive on fantasy, the over the top nature of the series
makes me wonder how much longer it can go.
The series dances the line between ‘supernatural’ soap opera and serious
series in an odd manner that begs the question, what do you want to be?
The
beginning of this series is rather anticlimactic, but for those who have been
following the series, it kicks off right where Season 4 left off. If you
are just joining the series, Season 5 is
NOT the place to start as even with all the absurdities and mischief there is a
heavy dose of character development and continuity that exists. I do find the series rather fun, while
concurrently confusing. I will say that the shining character this season is Lost’s and Dexter’s Mark Pellegrino, who makes a surprise appearance as a
rather vital character this season.
Overall, the series is good enough to have a solid fan base and has been
renewed for a 6th Season;
how much longer it can carry on I have no idea…but maybe they made a deal with
the devil.
The
technical features on Supernatural: Season 5 have come a long way since Season 3 and whereas not
beautifully constructed, they now do hold their ground in the TV on Blu-ray
realm. The picture again is presented in a 1080p AVC Encoded 1.78 X 1
Anamorphic Widescreen that is a vast improvement with a crisper, cleaner, more
detailed image than previous seasons and having no light/dark issues. The
shadowy scenes are now excellently rendered and when colors ‘pop’ they do so
well. The sound is once again presented
in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surrounds that are less active then they should be in a
suspenseful, horror series; but still slide by with a clean, boisterous quality,
especially in the dialogue department.
Extras
are not so thrilling as they offer fans Apocalypse Survival guide (a lengthy
behind the scenes look), an Audio Commentary, an useless Unaired scene, Ghostfacers, a comedic web series that
is rather humorous and finally a Gag Reel that is not all too funny.
The
series is good enough and it is the fan base that has kept it alive, but how
many times can this series rise from the dead?
- Michael P. Dougherty II
