The Winchester boys are back for another full season, and they’ve got one hell of a job to do.

Cast and Crew Information

Jensen Ackles as Sam Winchester
Jared Padalecki as Dean Winchester

Created by Eric Kripke
Cowritten by Sera Gamble (4 episodes), Jeremy Carver (4 episodes), Andrew Dabb and Daniel Loflin (3 episodes in collaboration), Ben Edlund (3 episodes), Eric Kripke (3 episodes), Julie Siege (3 episodes), Cathryn Humphris (2 episodes), Lou Bollo (2 episodes), Nancy Weiner (1 episode) and Trevor Sandes (1 episode)
Directed by Charles Beeson (4 episodes), Phil Sgriccia (4 episodes), Robert Singer (4 episodes), Steve Boyum (2 episodes), Mike Rohl (2 episodes), Kim Manners (2 episodes), J. Miller Tobin (1 episode), James L. Conway (1 episode), Adam Kane (1 episode) and Eric Kripke (1 episode)

Availability Information

This season is available on DVD and Blu-Ray.

Premise

The brothers were separated at the end of season three. They need to reunite and regroup to deal with what’s coming now.

High Point

Zachariah lays out the plan.

Low Point

I have to wait how long for season five to come out on Blu-Ray?

The Review

You want originality? Take a look at how the season ended. Name one other show with the guts to pull that off. I give it 6 out of 6.

The effects are rock solid. With the move to less episodic storylines, they don’t have to come up with new demons and new effects each week. Instead, they can perfect the ones they’ve already used. I give it 6 out of 6.

The stories told are still solid. We’ve got some of the trademark comedic episodes early on with the phenomenal “Monster Movie,” as well as “Yellow Fever,” “Wishful Thinking” and “Criss Angel is a Douchebag.” The comedic episodes hit fast and heavy in the early season, presumably because the tail end of the season would have been derailed by putting funny episodes in the middle of that arc. I give it 6 out of 6.

The acting from the two leads just keeps getting better. Jensen Ackles has owned his role since the pilot, and Jared Padalecki has done excellent things with his character’s new directions. Sadly, the new Ruby isn’t all that impressive. I give it 5 out of 6.

The production continues to impress, despite the untimely loss of Kim Manners. This is a team that knows what they’re doing and how to do it together. I give it 6 out of 6.

The emotional response is excellent. This is an utterly gripping series. When I started catching up on the series for these reviews, I hoped to get through a season a month. I started with season one 19 days ago, and I’ve been post-dating the weekend reviews to prevent them from flooding in and dominating our weekends too much. Each season builds on the last. I hear that Kripke is willing and able to extend the series past season five if the network wants it, but I really don’t know how he can escalate things from here. I give it 6 out of 6.

Overall, this is a series I just can’t recommend enough, and the seasons continue their steadily improving trend. I give it 6 out of 6.

In total, Supernatural: Season Four receives 41 out of 42.