Road To The Final Season: SUPERNATURAL- Season 2 Review

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[Disclaimer: there are spoilers for Supernatural season 2 below. Check out the reviews I’ve done previously HERE. I have seen most of the seasons of Supernatural, so I will be talking about how future seasons are set up.]

Supernatural season 2 revolves predominantly around Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) trying to find the demon Yellow Eyes or Azazel (Fredric Lehne) after he pulls their father to hell to save Dean’s life. Along the season they run into children like Sam, ones who have abilities. We meet more supernatural creatures, learn about crossroad demons, and develop relationships with stable characters such as Ellen (Samantha Ferris), Jo (Alona Tal), Bobby (Jim Beaver) and Ash (Chad Linberg). The brothers also deal with the repercussions of the shapeshifter from the first season. First in local law, and then federal, when FBI agents are assigned their case.

The premiere of the second season picks up immediately after the finale of season 1, dealing with the aftermath of the car crash. With John’s (Jeffery Dean Morgan) final breath he makes Dean promise to keep an eye on his brother, and kill him if necessary. This is because of the attack on Sam Winchester when he was six months old, Azazel made him drink some demon blood, giving him supernatural powers.

The brothers fight about how best to handle Sam and his new abilities, with even Sam making Dean promise to kill him if he goes rogue. The culmination of the season comes when Sam is kidnapped along with other adults his age and put to the test. The test being who can be the last one standing. Sam loses, only for Dean to make a deal of his own with a crossroad demon, one year for Sam to return to life. Together they defeat Azazel and close the gates of Hell after they’re opened. But not before several demons escape the fiery pits, including their father! John has to return to hell because of his deal, but not before he helps Sam and Dean kill the yellow-eyed demon.

Overall Supernatural season 2 flows much better than its predecessor. The plot is more refined, and unfolds across the entire season, versus only at the beginning and end. The addition of Ellen and Jo to the cast is great, and I enjoy the mother and sister role they bring to the brothers. Bobby in this season hasn’t hit his stride yet, but he brings the caring uncle side of himself to the boys, and that’s where he’s his best. Azazel, where he was the big bad of the previous season as well, gets the attention he deserves here. The law trying to hunt Sam and Dean was also a great mechanism this season, a great way to pull in something minor from the previous season. It’s a constant rain on the brothers’ parade as they try and protect the innocent from the Supernatural.

The best part, plot wise, of Supernatural is how the little stuff matters from season to season. A demon or angel from three seasons ago can all of the sudden become the focus of our attention in the newest season. There’s a tricky one in this season that will become incorporated later on in the show, a certain trickster angel. Azazel’s story continues through the fourth season, like the storyline of Sam having demon powers. Likewise Ellen and Jo provide a great foil to the Winchester brothers, and will for a couple of seasons.

Supernatural finds a great balance between having recurring characters that matter, but also not take away from the main characters of the show. The show rarely sidelines its main characters to showcase its secondary characters, and I appreciate that greatly. Clearly after trying three times to create spinoffs of this record breaking show, the show runners have learned what works best. Ackles and Padalecki side by side, being the brothers we love.

Padalecki and Ackles work well together, phenomenally well. Ackles in particular portrays the struggle of having to keep secrets this season. First that his father demanded Dean promise to kill Sam if he couldn’t keep him on the straight and narrow. And then, the crossroads demon deal, with Dean sacrificing the rest of his life to save his little brother. In both cases, he doesn’t want to share the secret, knowing the guilt that would beguile Sam. But secrets always have a tendency to get out. Despite that fact, Dean does whatever he can to protect his younger brother, and that’s a fact.

Big Bad of the Season: Azazel

Number of Times Impala Was Destroyed in the Series: 1

Number of Times Sam or Dean Dies in the Series: 2

Overall: A-

I’m going to be hitting all of the seasons for a review this summer in preparation for Supernatural‘s final season! There might be an editorial here or there or a favorite characters list as well, so stay tuned as we hit the Road to the Final Season of Supernatural in our Impala, here at Revenge of the Fans. Let us know what you think of Supernatural season 2 on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram!