Review

The first episode of season 2 kicks off right after the cliff-hanger ending of the previous season. Sam, Dean, and John are badly hurt in the car wreck, although Sam manages to fend off the demon trucker before further damage can be done to the Winchester troops. Later in hospital, Dean gets into some out of body experience, John makes a pact with the forces of evil, and Sam is a whiney little bitch. Par for the course really.

Can team Winchester fight off a reaper and demonic forces, and who will survive? That's not even taking into account the Impala that looks totalled. One of the more dramatic episodes of Supernatural ensues. Ready to dial into Season 2?

Well here we go again, a new season of Supernatural ready to rock the DVD. After a particular strong opening season the show will really have to nail things in season 2, normally a quiet time for any franchise hoping to get longevity. The fans are there, the ratings are on the board, and there is normally a slight fatigue factor happening with the writers. With In My Time of Dying (IMTOD), writer Kripke shows he can handle the dramatic side of the spell book, though I was somewhat disappointed that we didn't get the all-out pyrotechnics to start the season with. So hey ho, let's go...

IMTOD is pretty much an exercise in bridging between the conclusion of season 1 and the start of season 2. As such a few loose ends are tied up and the cliff-hanger is resolved, but be warned – not everyone is getting out of this one alive. Added goodness was the Reaper, and Dean facing probable death due to the injuries he suffered in the car accident. Just to add that extra spice, we also have the demonic element, though I was left unsure if it was the “big bad” the Winchesters had been hunting through season 1. In the opening scene the demonic element can inform Sam that he wants the last bullet – remember the colt that can kill anything? – for someone else, so possibly not. Anyway, we have a demon going all green lizard eye on us, so learn to deal with it.

Notably, this episode didn't have the tension or atmosphere of some of the episodes of the first season, but the drama is ramped up with Sam and John being at each other's throats, John's decision towards the end of the first hour, and of course Dean facing his demise. Just what might eventuate from this later in season 2 will be interesting. Deals with the demonic are never a good idea in the dark genre; you just never know what you might get out of it, and for sure horror can tell us it's never what you expect.

Season two kicks off all dramatic and with some additional complications for the Winchester boys

The supernatural element of the show was via the Reaper, with the demon simply appearing as a plot device. Here the special effects team have gone with the sort of spectre you might have seen before in say one of the Harry Potter movies. Nothing terribly disturbing for a modern audience, but it sure did move fast in the first couple of scenes it appeared in. Unfortunately for Director Manners, fast-moving supernatural elements have been done to death, and simply don't shock modern audiences like they used to. Manners does get some decent scenes happening with the Reaper, I guess, harvesting a few souls or whatever from the hospital. Dean's incorporate confrontations with the being were certainly worth the price of admission, until writer Kripke took it all in an entirely different direction. Not sure that was successful or not, but did add some of the drama that this episode is dripping with.

Dean being an incorporate spirit was a nice touch and added to the pathos of the first episode of season two. We also know John whispered something to Dean, presumably about Sam, so that's definitely going to come into play at some stage. Expecting a pretty big plot development with this aspect in due course.

Behind the camera, Director Manners didn't do it for me. The episode, as stated, lacked the tension and atmosphere that Supernatural is able to bring to bear at the drop of a hat. The demons are no longer a source of jump scenes, and the second season is going to sorely miss a character like Meg, though admittedly it is very early days. Manners simply appeared to go through the motions with this episode and really had nothing beyond the basement scene to get subdued lighting happening during the entire episode. Hospitals are naturally well-lit places, even at night. End of day we can probably let the Director off the hook; writer Kripke was upping the ante with the episode and that was the focus the first hour of season two took. Not entirely sure this was the correct approach, but we'll have to wait and see how things pan out in due course. Note, am reviewing as I watch each episode so have no idea what's coming up.

Jared Padalecki (Sam) and Jensen Ackles (Dean) were once again on song with their individual performances and also the chemistry between the brothers. I added a whole point due to both actors handling their respective approaches to the relationship well and in character. Jeffery Dean Morgan (John Winchester) is always a welcome inclusion in any episode, and this time Morgan fully emoted with a range seldom scene in television actors. Lindsey McKeon (Tessa) didn't have a lot to do except go sympathetic, but at least looked cute in each scene. She also provided the explanation for poltergeists and other “angry spirits” which adds to our Supernatural mythology.

In terms of referencing other horror genre outings, IMTOD simply added the old supernatural being taking people’s life force without adding anything much to the concept. At least we were spared the old hoary “grim reaper” thing, as that would have added too much cheese. Since that is a staple of a whole bunch of horror movies, I didn't note any winks to the horror faithful.

Music-wise we get a couple of tracks on the greatest hits of mullet turntable. The episode opens with Ted Nugent's “Stranglehold”, and also features Creedence Clearwater Revival's “Bad Moon Rising” prominently. Didn't note anything else, calling things even on the music front. Where's my Black Sabbath, that would have been a cool way to open the new season.

I was reasonably happy with the first episode of season two, though thought the hour lacked a lot in terms of tension and atmosphere. Director Manning did enough to bridge the seasons for me, nice use of flashbacks, but didn't really turn in the best ever episode. I do go with an 8 out of 10 however due to the performances of the lead characters, and the amped drama writer Kripke added to the mixture. As a season opener not the worst ever example, but equally not likely to win new converts to the show. Since I've been with the Winchesters from day one I was happy enough, and the episode did provide a couple of shock plot twists. Not a bad result for the start of season two.

As of writing, Supernatural is into the third season both here and in North America. The big news for horror fans is that the one and only Camp Crystal Lake champion Jason Voorhees makes a guest appearance in episode 10 of the third season. So depending on your thoughts regarding Jason, that's something to look forward to. In my humble opinion the makers of Supernatural will do a hell of a better job with Jason than the numb nuts going the remake path of Friday the 13th in 2009.

If you are a Supernatural regular then dial into the first episode In My Time of Dying. If you plan on watching the rest of the season then you have to pick up the facts this episode lays down as they are going to come up by the end of the season. For anyone who watches the occasional episode then this one can be given a miss, it really only works as a bridging exercise between the two seasons. At this stage I am highly concerned about the fate of the Impala, that car was totalled!