When episode 1 of Supernatural first launched no one could ever predict this first episode would grow into the franchise it is today. The series has continued to grow to this day, and this author at Zone 6 has decided to take a look at each and every episode “sense” then!
This pilot episode does a good job of intriguing the viewer right from the start. A man and his wife, living the American dream in a beautiful home. He hears something weird and goes to check on his wife. Only to find her stuck to the ceiling right before she bursts into flames.
Now you cut to the scene where Sam, a smart and upcoming young man, is at a Halloween Party. Not to soon after his brother, Dean, breaks into his house once Sam leaves the party. This is the first look anyone gets of the Winchester brothers. Dean hints at their father went on a “hunt” and has not called back home yet. Despite not seeing each other for years, Dean asks for Sam’s help.
The woman in white on the bridge in this episode is both classic and cliché. While the woman’s story is sad, it’s easy to see the writers needed a fast away to introduce the brothers into the job they do. One of the best parts of this episode was actually seeing the interaction between Dean and Sam. The brothers are awkward around each other, but that’s to be expected for guys who have not seen each other for years. Sam teasing Dean for his choice in music, and Dean arguing since it was his car only classic rock is on the menu for the radio.
Dean gets arrested after he and Sam investigate the bridge. The local police suspect Dean is responsible for the kidnappings. When the police leave Dean grabs his Dad’s journal and breaks out of the police station. He has nothing more than his father’s journal to guide him as he goes to find Sam.
Towards the end of the episode Sam and Dean end up solving their case less than gratefully. Sam crashes the car into the home of the white woman who drowned her children. Thus forcing her to accept her loss and pass on as a spirit. This is where you also get to learn about Dean’s love for his Impala. Once Sam returns home what happened to his mother has happened to his girlfriend as well. She is on the ceiling, blood dripping down onto Sam, and she bursts into flames only a few seconds later.
Episode 1 does a good job of getting the viewer to wonder what happens next. It gets its message across that Sam and Dean are “Hunters.” Hunters are people who have been exposed to the supernatural, and solve cases. However, the first episode of the series can quickly become boring for anyone not interested in ghosts, demons, and other things that go bump in the night. Sam and Dean’s constant bickering is tiresome and stiff. In all fairness, the actors were young back then and just starting out. They are not as close then as they are today and have grown into their roles quite well.
In the author’s opinion, while this first episode is interesting the first time, when watching it a second time it’s easy to forget. The story starts out with a bit of a cliché start and some classic bad boy tropes going on when it comes to Dean. However, for an episode that has been able to catch thousands of fans it has of the series it does win itself a little justice. It’s interesting if you’ve never seen it before, but after re-watching it the first episode can usually be skipped to watch the more interesting episodes.
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