Product Description
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"Years ago, Sam and Dean Winchester lost their mother to a
mysterious and demonic supernatural force. Subsequently, their
her raised them to be soldiers, teaching them about the
paranormal evil that lives in dark corners and on the back roads
of America. And he taught them how to kill it. This haunting
series follows the Winchester brothers as they travel the lonely
and mysterious back roads of the country in their '67 Chevy
Impala, hunting down every evil supernatural force they encounter
along the way. At the start of the fourth season, Dean has been
freed from Hell, but he can't remember how or why, or what
happened while he was there. It soon becomes clear that Sam has
secrets of his own, including what happened in the four months
Dean was gone. As the brothers answer these questions, they also
face a dire threat. There are whispers that an evil demon will
soon be freed from its prison.
Bonus Content:
The Mythologies of Supernatural: From Heaven to Hell – 3-Section
Featurette Gallery Bridging Heaven, Purgatory and Hell to Examine
Key Mythological Precepts Creator Commentary on 3 Key Episodes
Extended/Unaired Scenes Gag Reel
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When a television series opens its new season with a lead
character crawling out of his grave after escaping Hell itself,
one cannot help but wonder: how will the rest of the episodes
ever follow that? In the case of Supernatural's fourth season,
the answer comes from above with the introduction of Misha
Collins's Castiel, an angel dispatched to rescue Dean Winchester
(Jensen Ackles) from infernal torment and reunite him with
brother Sam (Jared Padalecki) for a very special mission. That
quest--to stop the demonic Lilith from opening the 66 seals
required to bring Lucifer to Earth and launch the
Apocalypse--forms the back of the 22 episodes, which takes
some fairly adventurous risks with the core of the show. Chief
among these is the rift that deepens between Dean and Sam as they
attempt to work together, despite their divergent destinies; also
agreeable is the season's tonal shift away from its previous
Monster of the Week format (though that's still intact for many
episodes) and toward a single, more ambitious story and thematic
arc. The sea change deepens the show's drama, intensifies the
level of suspense and stakes in each episode, and pushes it
several big steps away from its teen-friendly origins. Of course,
there's still plenty of the show's trademark irreverence and
humor to be found, especially in the clever "Monster Movie,"
which pits the brothers against a Shapeshifter that takes the
form of classic movie fiends, and "The Monster at the End of This
Book," where Sam and Dean discover a comic book with plot lines
very similar to their own lives. By the time Supernatural's
fourth season reaches its cliffhanger ending with "Lucifer
Rising" (the title neatly sums up the plot), viewers should be
fairly hungering for the next episode--a good sign that a veteran
series is still hitting its stride.
Extras on the six-disc set include commentary for three
episodes: "In the Beginning," with executive producer Eric Kripke
and writer Jeremy Carver; "When the Levee Breaks," with director
Robert Singer and writer Sara Gamble; and "Lucifer Rising" with
Kripke. Extended scenes are also available for several episodes,
and the features are rounded out by a trio of somewhat ponderous
featurettes on the concepts of Heaven, Purgatory, and Hell, as
depicted in scenes from the show and discussed by its writers,
theologians, paranormal investigators, and the like. Clocking in
between 10 and 25 minutes apiece, the docs feel padded and
somewhat undernourished in the information department. However,
they're unlikely to detract from one's enjoyment of this stellar
season. --Paul Gaita