Supernatural Season 3 Review – To Hell

The third season of Supernatural is an interesting one. This is when the show found its stride, balancing between mythology, cases of the week, and of course, humor. The story picks up after the fallout of the demons escaping at the end of season 2, with the main problem being Dean’s demon contract. Even with an abbreviated season, this was one of the best ones yet.

The main arc for the season was Sam and Bobby’s quest to find a way to save Dean, who sold his soul to save Sam. Dean has taken a laissez-faire attitude, accepting is inevitable demise and living life to the fullest. Even with this looming threat, there was still plenty of fun to be had.

Two of the funniest episodes were “Bad Day at Black Rock” and “Ghostfacers.” The former put aside the monster of the week formula in favor of a magical trinket, a rabbit’s foot. The holder was cursed with good luck when they possessed it. If they lost it, bad luck for a week, leading up to their death. Sam unfortunately had and lost the item, leading to all manner of hilarity. Jared Padalecki looked incredibly pathetic when he lost his shoe. “Ghostfacers” saw the return of the infamous ghost hunters from season one, Harry Spangler and Ed Zeddmore, who were in the process of filming the pilot for their reality show, Ghostfacers. The episode was entirely comprised of handheld camera footage from their pilot, amplifying the effect.

Two stands from the season were “Sin City” and “Dream a Little Dream of Me.” “Sin City” had Dean trapped in a cave with an ensnared demon. The two were forced to converse for a time, revealing much about demon mythology and the like. “Dream a Little Dream of Me” delved into Bobby’s past, showing why he became a hunter. It was a sad tale. Not everything was gravy this season though. “A Very Supernatural Christmas” was easily the weakest episode, trying to hard to deliver the funny, but failing to hit the mark.

This season stands out from the rest as it’s the shortest. The writer’s strike in 2007-2008 forced production to halt sooner than expected, delivering only 16 episodes instead of the typical 22. This didn’t hurt the overall story line, as the season was able to end the way it needed. The ever looming threat finally came into fruition in the finale “No Rest for the Wicked.” Unable to free Dean from his demonic contract, hellhounds came to claim him, dragging his soul into hell. The season ended with Sam holding his dead brother, and Dean seen shackled in hell.

The finale completely took me by surprise. I didn’t think they would actually kill off one of their main characters. As a network show, I had certain expectations as to what they would and wouldn’t too. Supernatural has continued to subvert them from the start. While these back and forths become a bit tedious in later seasons, it was groundbreaking here.

What did you think of the third season? Surprised that Dean died? Comment below!

Woof.