Bet you thought I'd let the ten season anniversary of one of my fave shows slip by without the slightest hint of a mention, well you thought wrong. Supernatural turned 10 on September 13 2014, happy birthday. Having premiered on 13th September 2005. Okay I know, at least ten in terms of ten seasons, but hey it's not that far to go before it officially will have been on air for 10 years. Not so in the UK though, we can't keep anything, if we do, we don't get it for long. Aired on ITV2, then was bought by SkyLiving which was shortlived. Cos it then when to some place up in the clouds or rather left die hard British fans in purgatory.
One of the best, enduring show around which had a lot to say to the creator, Eric Kripke and his mind! As well as the superb cast of Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles. They were little known when they started out, though to be fair, we did know them in the various shows they appeared in and loved them even back then. We all recall Jared from Gilmore Girls and Jensen from Dark Angel, Dawson's Creek, Smallville.
He was also in the short lived show Still Life which went disappearing into that black hole somewhere. Come to think of it, if that had been successful, Jensen wouldn't really have been available for Supernatural, then where would we have been? Dean... A bit of a ghostly show in its own right, or could be seen as the forerunner to Desperate Housewives which began 2004, when Mary Alice committed suicide and then came back as narrator. Well, here Jake, Max's brother (Max played by Jensen) a cop who was murdered on his first day, returns to his family as a narrator.
Supernatural had it all (still does) starting out as two brothers on a quest to find their Dad, John Winchester (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) and what killed their Mom (Samantha Smith). Which resonated more onto big brother Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) than it did on baby sibling Sam/Sammy (Jared Padalecki) "helping people, hunting things, the family business" has been oft echoed far and wide, from Dean's lips to our own, ah. Hey steady on there, it doesn't sound like something people may be thinking!
Lots of supernatural cases to solve, based on lore, myths and legends to an extent, was the backbone of this show in the first two seasons at least. Though demons were on the horizon already with Yellow Eyes/Azazel. Season 2 when Dad was killed and died. A massive effect on those of us who were going through much the same thing in their own lives, including me. It was cathartic to a certain degree. Everything Sam and Dean were feeling, we felt the same. All that emotion being played out on screen seemed surreal, almost, but it was real and it was identifying with everything they said. More than they did.
Season 3 had much the same formula, before we got to Bela working to save her soul having made a deal with the devil. As well as Ruby, the so-called witch who aimed to help them, though she turned out to be a demon too. Having a negative impact on Sam and serving to drive a wedge between the two brothers. Leading Sam astray and into his demon blood drinking antics in season 4: the season which set the brothers apart form each other and driving Dean to despair in not being able to save his brother, trying to hide his disgust at this Season 4 also heralded (no pun) the angels and their introduction into the show. Much to many a chagrin from those who protested against the show delving into such areas. It was inevitable, if it contained demons, angels would never be far behind. An extension of Sam believing, praying and how he followed Mom's own beliefs.
We had vampires, quite a number of them, Dean becoming a vampire, Bobby (Jim Beaver) Ellen (Samantha Ferris) Jo (Alona Tal) Ash (Chad Lindberg) meeting their maternal grandfather Sam (Mitch Pileggi) with secrets of his own, finding out Mom was a hunter too, Castiel (Misha Collins) Crowley (Mark Sheppard) Lucifer (Mark Pelligrino) Ghostfacers, the Leviathan...Let's not forget Baby: the Impala! Even now coming round full circle with Dean becoming a demon, the very evil he detested from early on in season 1.
Deans's line from the Pilot, "So what are you gonna do? You gonna live some normal apple pie life, is that it?"
One line, or rather the pie angle which not only became an in joke, but echoed throughout many seasons of the show. A bit ironic in terms of how something that started off by probably just being a throwaway line, could garner so much meaning in becoming a character staple for Dean.
We watched the guys grow up in front of us and become part of our family. The sweetest, most down to earth boys you will ever meet.
Supernatural contains pop culture refs and is as embedded and steeped in pop culture itself as it ever will be. We've been raving on about this show for a decade and there's no signs of this letting up!
Join in the Supernatural mantra the world over: "carry on my wayward son..."
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