Season Six DVDs

The Season Six DVDs came out yesterday!

Who has their copies already? Where's the best deal/special offer?

My Confession: I've Been Converted to Samdom

I confessed on Twitter and Facebook a few weeks ago that I think I've been converted. Then I started watching season 1 again, and I realize it's a lot more complicated than that.

From the first time I watched Supernatural, I was (for lack of a better term) a Dean girl. I mean, I was in my 30s, and he was the older, more experienced, more mature guy. I loved Sam just as much as I loved Dean, and I always identified more with Sam, but for attraction? It was Dean all the way.

Going back, I still feel that way about the early seasons, but I marvel at how freakin' much Jared Padalecki has changed.

During season 2, he started to really grow up. He filled out, caught up to his nose, and just kept getting bigger. And bigger. Not in a huge, scary way, and not in a lanky, buggy way. Just...big. The amazing thing is that he never stopped.

Take us through seasons 3, 4, 5, 6, and his character grew as much as his body did. Dean kept me through at least season 5 because of Jensen's fantastic acting (as well as the writing). He was tortured, and so full of loyalty and determination to save us all. He stayed true to his principles and his convictions. My goodness, how can anyone not stay hooked?

But Kripke always said Sam was the true protagonist of the show, and he faced and overcame some pretty intense obstacles. Season 6, especially the finale, made me flip.

Not that I realized it for a long time. I've never been all on one side—I always loved them both, and I still do. So I claimed to still be a Dean girl the whole time I marveled at the nuances of Padalecki's performance, and the challenges the writers threw at him. In the finale, he overcame all that fragmentation, all that pain, to go try to save his brother. Most of the talk I've seen has been about Castiel going dark side, but what *I* can't wait to see is how Sam comes out of the whole thing.

So all summer, whenever I thought about the show, Sam was who popped into my head. He's who my brain lingered over while I drove to work or did dishes (especially after my iPod got stolen and I had only my brain for company!). I would be lying if I didn't admit that I've been converted.

Except...Sam doesn't exist without Dean. All that character development couldn't have happened without his brother's influence. So it seems almost impossible to me that I or anyone else can really be all Dean girl or all Sam girl. Which puts me right where I was at the beginning of season one: in the middle, with a slight lean to one side.

I know some of you are rabid Sam girls and rabid Dean girls, but how many of you have found yourself switching back and forth? Tell us in the comments!

What's Up in the Supernatural World?

Just some random links to keep us all going as we near the end of summer. Obsessives will probably have already seen many of these. Got some new stuff just last night, though, so read on! (Saved the best for last!!!)

A new nonfiction book related to the show came out this week, "The Mythology of Supernatural." The link goes to a review of the book.

Set images featuring Castiel/Misha.

If you're in the UK, you'll be able to get Season 6, Volume 1, on DVD on August 29. This volume has the first 11 episodes.

Lots of interviews from Comic-Con:
Mark Sheppard
Ben Edlund
Sera Gamble
Jensen Ackles
Jared Padalecki

Some Comic-Con Photo Galleries
Jenson
Jared
Misha
Mark Sheppard
Sera and Ben

And now, the best for last! A new Ghostfacers video!!!! ETA: Apparently, this video has been leaked or something, as it got removed by Vimeo and YouTube. We'll post again if it ever shows up officially! ETA2: New upload below. As they disappear and reappear, I'll keep updating. :)

How Far Do YOU Go?

I started watching Supernatural the summer between the first and second seasons. My cable package didn't have the WB for season 1, and though my best friend (*waves at Megan*) gave me the pilot, I didn't bother watching because it was too much effort for her to have to do that for me every week. But by season two, I had DirecTV, so I watched the first season on DVD via Netflix and was instantly hooked.

By the summer after season two, Megan and I had hooked other friends, and we missed the show so much, we started Supernatural Summer. Every week, some or all of us got together and watched a few episodes. Of course, back then, it was easy. Even after season 3, when we repeated Supernatural Summer, we could get through all three seasons by doing four episodes every week and maybe skipping "Bugs."

It got harder after that. Our lives were busier, and we couldn't meet every week. And, of course, with more seasons, we didn't have time to watch all the episodes. So I did it myself, season 1 through season 4.


can tell you the names of every episode in those first three seasons, and most of the ones in season 4. But of course, I've watched those first three a lot more than the last three, and I'm embarrassingly unfamiliar with episode titles in 5 and 6.

I wasn't sure I was going to bother watching this year. As we've discussed, that level of passion is hard to sustain past six seasons. But already, I'm missing the boys. I decided to start with season 4, the episodes I can't quote word-for-word. But then, the other night, I couldn't access the DVDs and I was worried about file degradation on my old DVR, so I started watching season 6 again. As soon as I log off here, I'm going to go watch episode 3. Probably some time in July, I'll dig out the DVDs and go back to season 4.
 

Mainly, I love rewatching because every story arc gives a new perspective to what came before. That makes watching a completely new experience. Yeah, some of it is marveling yet again how small Jared was in the beginning compared to now. But some of it is bittersweet relationship stuff flavored by what I know is coming for them.

Great. Now I want to start with the pilot again. I just LOVE that first fight scene between them!

I know my obsession goes far beyond most of my friends. How many times have YOU watched each season? Do you plan to rewatch any of season 6 this summer?

SPN News for Blessed End of Final, Interminable Hiatus

Warning: At the bottom, I list the upcoming episode titles. If you consider them spoilers, stop reading when you see ~~~~~~~~~~~.

In season finale news, it turns out a woman is needed to ground Sam and Dean in their bodies, because they are only sufficiently strong vessels if their souls don't check out (it's not just a body thing), but their love for her is also what keeps them from saying "yes."

Okay, I totally made that up. Pure fantasy, but wouldn't it be cool to be that woman?

In REAL season finale news, it will air May 13. Which anyone who can count already knew, but now it's official. For the fourth year in a row I'll be on retreat and unable to watch, but thank God the facility has wi-fi, and I'll be downloading from iTunes and watching with my fellow obsessives on Friday.

The show finally returns this Thursday and will run nonstop through the remaining 8 episodes, so that's something we can all be thankful for.

In one of my Google alerts, I glimpsed a question about the season finale that was so upsetting I quickly clicked past the alert and didn't explore to find out if that was just a random fan speculating, or actual spoiler news. Unfortunately, it's been burned into my brain...

That's two months away, though. Closer is episode 15, "Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid." Support Supernatural has clips on their YouTube Channel. (Note: Support SPN indicates this is episode 5.16; The CW's website labels one of the clips episode 5.14, but math and IMDb tell us it's definitely 5.15.)

SFX awarded Misha Collins "Man of His Word of the Week" for being totally awesome. Scroll down for the paragraph on him, or just go here for the reason for the award.

Buddy TV has a short interview with Jared at the 100th episode party (with audio).

Jason Manns is doing an East Coast Tour this week! You remember Jason, he's a friend of Jensen's who sometimes plays at Creation's Salute to Supernatural conventions. His song was on Sam's iPod when Dean got into the Impala for the first time after returning from Hell. He'll be in DC on Wednesday, Philadelphia on Friday, and New York City on Saturday, and he'll be selling his new album. He also has a role in the film Rock Slyde, starring Patrick Warburton, soon available at Netflix.

The new issue of Supernatural: Beginning's End is out! This comic mini-series is set while Sam is in college, before the Big Break with his dad. Each issue is like an episode of the show, very classic, and this month's features a very funny storyline. This is my favorite of the three comics series. Pick it up at your local comic store today!

Do you hi-def? The first season of Supernatural will be released on Blu-Ray on June 15. It has a few new special features that the first set didn't have (Devil's Road Map, Paley Festival panel discussion).

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Upcoming episode titles:

5.15 Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid

5.16 Dark Side of the Moon

5.17 99 Problems

5.18 Point of No Return

5.19 Hammer of the Gods

5.20 Let the Games Begin
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Supernatural News

Keith R. A. DeCandido is coming out with two Supernatural novels in 2010. The first, Heart of the Dragon, is out February 16. Love the cover.

Rolling Stone listed Supernatural as Reason #27 in its “50 Reasons to Watch TV” article in the Sept. 17 issue. It’s a teeny blurb that compares the Winchesters to the Duke boys, but it is #27.

Sadly, Supernatural came in last in its time slot both weeks. The first week, everything was reruns, but this week The Office and Fringe had season premieres. Supernatural fell 14% from the previous week. This week it goes up against Grey's Anatomy. GULP! So get the word out!

Jeffrey Dean Morgan is signed to be in the remake of Red Dawn. It will be out next September. Currently, he’s filming The Losers, another movie based on a graphic novel. He would like to return to Supernatural for an episode or two but hasn’t been formally approached.

Sales of the season 4 DVD doubled from the sales of Season 3 DVDS, the first week of release. This year, 238,081 copies sold the first week, earning $8.7 million. Last year, 104,979 copies sold, earning $4.1 million (I think I just got my word problem for the day for my class ;) )

Season 4 DVD Analysis

I have a confession to make. I haven't watched all the extras on seasons 1-3.

*cringes*

I know. What kind of fan am I?! I watched everything on season 1, but when I pull out the DVDs, I just watch the show. I think I have some commentaries and featurettes to watch. Eventually.

I ran out on Tuesday because I couldn't stand not to have season 4 in my hands. Even though I didn't do anything but watch episodes until last night (I was being responsible!), and I had those DVR'd, anyway. I really wanted the Target edition, which contained a bonus disc with the Comic-Con panel on it.

So, let's dig in. And when I say "dig in," I mean "exhaustively discuss everything including the packaging."

The Packaging
Srsly, y'all, this is nice packaging. It's a full plastic case, with a pull-out listing of all the episodes, which gives room for extra pictures (yum!) and has a description of each episode and what extras are exactly where. The DVDs themselves are on flip-holders which are much easier to handle than the giant flip-out style on previous basic sets.

Extended/Unaired Scenes (no spoilers)
Most of these served to show how expert the editing and directing of each episode really is. Some, I didn't understand why they bothered to put them on the DVD, they offered so little. Some, I didn't understand why they didn't put them on the air--heLLO, Dean in his underwear?!

My favorite was "Lazarus Rising," an extended scene with a few new lines, but OMG, maybe the funniest line of the entire season. Probably cut because it exceeded their TV-14 rating.

One unaired scene from "Heaven and Hell" featured an interesting exchange between Uriel and Castiel, but probably was cut because it too clearly foreshadowed where things were going with the angels.

Other episodes with extra scenology:

In the Beginning
Heaven and Hell
On the Head of a Pin
The Monster at the End of This Book
The Rapture
Lucifer Rising

Commentaries
I haven't had time to watch/listen to these, but we have a wealth of them on this go-around:

In the Beginning: Eric Kripke and Writer Jeremy Carver
When the Levee Breaks: Writer Sera Gamble and Director Robert Singer
Lucifer Rising: Eric Kripke

Featurette
Again, I didn't have time to explore this yet. It's broken into three parts: Paradiso, Purgatorio, Inferno, the first and last each with three parts, the middle with one. They're documentary style and feature "experts" from outside the show who have apparently explored the mythologies of angels and demons. It looks like it could be either fascinating or horribly dull.

Easter Eggs
I'm pretty terrible at finding these, so I Googled 'em. :) Thanks to here for a list! These are all Ghostfacer vids that have been seen before--nothing new, but very funny if you haven't seen them.

Bonus Disc
Comic-Con 2008, probably the best panel video you'll find anywhere (for clarity, closeness, audio, etc.) with some behind-the-scenes stuff, too. Worth going to Target for, if you don't have your set yet!



Gag Reel
Everyone's favorite part, right? I haven't seen a gag reel for TV or movie that beat the ones for Supernatural. Season 3 didn't quite live up to the previous two, but it was still funny and satisfying.

Season 4's gag reel has been available online, but I wanted to wait for the real, high-quality thing and watch it on my big TV. It suffers from high expectations, but if I could objectively compare all four, this one would win in a landslide.

It's the longest, for one thing. There are some familiar themes--mugging, flatulence (though this time Jensen gives as good [or bad!] as Jared). There's also more from the recurring actors/actresses and the guest stars. Todd Stashwick lands a good one on Jensen and turns all fatherly. The part that most gratified me, I think, was toward the end, they featured crew members, with both video and stills. SPN fans (probably all obsessive fans) tend to recognize and be grateful for the huge contribution from those hard-working people, but it's nice that they're being pulled out for public recognition, too.

So that's it, the kit and kaboodle. I apologize for not having commentary review, but that might be a future post, so stay tuned. In the meantime...

T-minus less than a week and counting!!!!!!!!!!

To tide you over, you can find clips from 5.01 at Fangirl Says. I'mnotlooking I'mnotlooking I'mnotlooking I'mnotlooking

Hiatus Survival Tips

Well, here we are. Deep into the summer, but really just starting. The premiere of season five is sooooo far away!

So how do you cope? Some of the typical fan coping mechanisms are:

1. Re-watch the first three seasons--four if you DVRed and kept the last one.

2. Keep up with goings on with the Supernatural official magazine by Titan.

3. Read the Season Companions for the first three seasons, and all the companion books. Depending on how fast a reader you are and how much time you have, this can get you through the whole summer!

4. Read or re-read the comic books and novelizations.

Let's face it, though, we've a lot of that already, having suffered through three summer hiatuses and way too many mid-season breaks, not to mention the writer's strike. So how else can we make it through?

Immerse Yourself in the Beauty

The season 4 DVD cover art is out, so you can download that, print it 150 times, and wallpaper your room with it.

Or you could bid on Supernatural posters on eBay. 39 came up in my search, and some were at well below-market prices.

Venture Beyond

It's a joke that Jared and Jensen do a lot of horror movies between seasons, and some of us can't handle that without a lot of support (i.e. taking a gaggle of friends to the theater). But Devour, House of Wax, Friday the 13th, and My Bloody Valentine aren't the only other options out there. Give Gilmore Girls a try, and marvel at how Jared's boyish mannerisms haven't changed, regardless of how much he has. Check out Dark Angel for a much more happy-go-lucky Jensen, or Smallville season 4 (though I have to warn you, most of his scenes are with Lana *gag*).

And in the dark, lonely days of early September, when you're desperate and don't think you'll make it, go ahead. Give in. Rent New York Minute and Blonde. It'll be okay--no one else has to know.

Let the Fandom Get You Through

There is fanfic galore out there, everything from canon-focused, general fiction to hard-core slash. But that's not all. There are cartoons, stop-action doll theater, and many other creative outlets (themed picture sets, videos). Even laundry lists! A great place to start is Supernatural Wiki, which links to fan offerings.

~~~~~~~~

Anyone have any other hiatus coping mechanisms to offer?

Supernatural DVDs

I am about to confess something that may shock my fellow Supernatural Sisters...I don't own the SPN DVDs. I know, it's unthinkable, but at roughly $60 a season the cost has always been prohibitive and I am a librarian so I check them out over and over from my library for FREE. (The downside...I usually have to wait on a hold list and the discs are starting to get stratched.) That said, Tanya just clued me into the "Summer TV Sale" that Amazon is having until June 30. Seasons 1-3 are now on sale for just about $20 a piece! If you buy more than one season you'll qualify for FREE shipping. That's cheaper than any Ebay auction you might win. (Trust me I've been looking!) Best of all, for those of you who already own the boxed sets and are merely biding your time waiting for the season 4 release, it's available for pre-order and on sale for $38.99 instead of $59.98 plus the shipping is...wait for it...FREE! (NOTE: This does not apply to Blu-Ray sets.)

Season 4 drops on September 1, giving you ten days to watch it before the premiere of Season 5, and has the following special features (always my fave part):

· The Mythologies of Supernatural: From Heaven to Hell - Three section featurette gallery bridging Heaven, Purgatory and Hell to examine key mythological precepts

· Commentary on 3 Key Episodes by Executive Producers and writers

· Extended/Unaired Scenes

· Gag Reel

The gag reel is always a fave, the faces the boys pull at the camera are priceless, but I'm also really looking forward to the mythology feature. How 'bout you?

And, yes, I did order seasons 1-3. Yay! I'm planning to order 4 at the end of the month before the sale ends.

Finally, and on a completely different note, please bow your heads in silence. (HARPER'S ISLAND SPOILER ALERT). I didn't see it coming for awhile, but Jim Beaver died a spectacular death as Sheriff Charlie Mills.

The Merits of Marathons (no running required)

My husband: Good night. I'm gonna crash.

Me, pausing the DVD player: Is the TV gonna bother you? I just want to finish this episode.

My husband: Nah, I can sleep through anything. See you in the morning.

FIVE AND A HALF HOURS LATER

My husband: When did you get up? Wait, have you been watching Supernatural this whole time?

Me (sheepishly): I, uh, just want to finish this season...

The above is a dramatization. But not by much.

In the last couple of years, I've noticed more and more TV channels running marathons-TNT doing the entire season of Leverage in a day, or USA showing back-to-back-to-back episodes of House. They're simply catching up with what a lot of viewers have already been doing thanks to the advantages of TV on DVD (as well as DVR, where you can hoarde episodes of something and then binge later or downloading episodes from iTunes, etc). I have one friend who doesn't watch a show during the season but waits for the DVD to come out and catches up summer/off-season.

I've already mentioned on this blog how I was too much of a weenie to watch Supernatural when it originally aired, but then I had a flight delay that lasted for hours...hours Trish helpfully filled with a DVD of first season epidoes. This was in February of the third season...and by the time the show returned from its spring hiatus, I owned seasons 1 &2, had bought all the season 3 eps on-line and was all caught up. This was probably my most exaggerated bout of DVD mania, but there have been other flare-ups. When I discovered Veronica Mars late in the first season, I stopped watching because I knew I wanted to see it all in order. I brought the DVDs the day they came out, and once I popped one in, it didn't come back out until I'd watched all four (by which point my husband had usually hidden the case from me so that I didn't get sucked into another three and a half hours of television).

The funny thing is that this kind of marathon viewing can alter the experience. I enjoy some complicated shows, like Lost and Battlestar Galactica, but have trouble remembering all the pertinent details across myriad seaons. (My husband has trouble staying emotionally invested--he says it's tough to care about the problems of fictional characters four and a half years later, but since I have a much looser grasp on reality than he does, this hasn't been a problem). I'm the type of person who, once engrossed in a good book, will forgo sleep to get to the end and I've always felt really bad for writers of TV shows. They put so much effort into their plotlines and characters, which are sometimes interrupted by scheduling changes, sports playoffs, hiatus, etc. It can make the storyline seem disjointed when that's not the case. As a writer, I feel like watching it uninterrupted and on my own timeline (the way I can with a book), I get the truer experience.

Then again, if you watch ten episodes in a week, any problems or inconsistencies in the show become GLARINGLY obvious. You may discover certain pet peeves that you didn't realize you had. And you lose some of the main benefits we've discussed here a lot--fandom synergy.

Kripke and Co. rock out loud when it comes to cliff hangers. Even the cuts to commerical, which are often heralded by what they call at Television without Pity the "metal teeth chomp," are timed for maximum impact. And while DVD marathon viewing allows me to skip right on to the next scene or episode, it doesn't allow me to get online at places like this with intellectual analysis such as, "OMG, did you guys SEE that? How the heck are they going to get out of this??????" And with a show like this one, isn't that nearly half the fun?

What do you guys think--do you get burned out on a show if you over-indulge, preferring to slowly savor over time, or do you like to binge and lose an entire weekend staring into Sammy's eyes and grinning back at Dean's smirk?