Why So Blu?

Supernatural: Season 9 (Blu-ray Review)

It’s somewhat unbelievable that Supernatural is now ten years old. Yes, this is the review of the ninth season but season 10 is due to premiere, if it hasn’t already, on the CW via the WB network. Honestly, as a fan of the show, I am happy it’s still running and I am also happy that WB has been giving us some stellar packages on Blu-ray throughout the years. A show like Supernatural deserves to be seen and heard in the highest quality – Blu-ray. Let us see what the 23-episode season nine has to offer those who are on the outside looking in. Shall we begin? 

Season 

 Supernatural: Season 9 is here on Blu-ray and it couldn’t have gotten here any sooner! Season 10 is set to premiere next month, so with season 9 arriving on Blu-ray, you will have plenty of time to catch up before the festivities begin. Things in heaven got a bit heavy last season and angels have been crash landing to Earth at an alarming rate. They have been coined: loose nukes and yes they’re about as volatile as a couple of nukes. The Brothers Winchester are still at it and now the boys have to face their most dangerous enemy: Metatron. No, not Megatron, it’s METATRON. Metatron tricked Castiel and this is why there is a mass exodus from heaven. Please keep in mind that I know nothing of season 8, because I never got around to it. I only watched “the road so far” prelude to the first episode of season 9, which brought me up to speed.

Badass Crowley, aka “Lord of Hell” has also returned but finds himself in a pickle as a prisoner for most of the show, as he is imprisoned in the Winchesters’ bunker with a set of enchanted ant-demon handcuffs. This is Crowley we’re talking about, so let the mind buggering begin, because you can’t keep a good demon down. Oh, and in the beginning of this review I mentioned that Metatron was the ultimate bad guy but I sort of misspoke. He is, but next to his badassery there is Abaddon, who is the redheaded Queen bitch of hell who wants the brothers dead. If you thought any of the previous villains were hard to kill and/or thorns in our heroes sides, she just elevated herself to an 11 by demon standards. She don’t play.

What I noticed about Supernatural: Season 9 was that about 80% of the show moved forward with the angel/demon mythology as opposed to our weekly creature feature – funny episode and what not. Keep in mind, there a few of those “throwaway” episodes that are considered classics but season 9 didn’t appear to have any of these in there. By all comparisons, season 9 of Supernatural was a very meat and potatoes kind of season that just smashed through with Sam and Dean kicking demon ass. It was appreciated.

When the show did stop to focus on side characters and what not it did so without holding back. I won’t spoil anything but let’s just say that several important characters get killed throughout the show and there are several characters who’s story arcs come to an end. That’s all I will say on that. The way it was done worked really well in context and didn’t seem forced. One of the standout episodes featured in season 9 is that of Slumber Party featuring fan favorite Felicia Day. It’s basically Supernatural’s version of Wizard of Oz. It works, it’s campy, bloody, and a lot of fun and Felicia Day is always treat to see onscreen especially on the show.

Other episodes worthy of discussion are Misha Collin’s directed episode: Mother’s Little Helper and Bloodlines, which was originally considered a backdoor-spinoff episode that was rejected by the studio when they did not want to proceed further with future installments. As you can see, Supernatural: Season 9 is very busy but remains uncluttered do to the very small amount of stand-alone monster episodes there. Even when certain stand-alone episodes do air, they almost always have something to do with the main storyline taking place throughout the series or it’s an origin episode of some kind. It’s a coherent and cohesive season.

Supernatural: Season 9 is recommended if you’re already a fan of the series, obviously, but if you’re just starting then I say to you: WELCOME! You also have a lot of catching up to do. The show has been on for almost ten years now and the way things are going I don’t see it slowing down anytime soon. Sam and Dean are badasses of the highest caliber and I am humbled to be the proverbial fly on the awl in each action packed episode. To the Impala! *Cue the Batman theme*

Supernatural: Season 9 is 23 episodes long:

Episodes

I Think I’m Going To Like It Here

Devil May Care

I’m No Angel

Slumber Party

Dog Dean Afternoon

Heaven Can’t Wait

Bad Boys

Rock And A Hard Place

Holy Terror

Road Trip

First Born

Sharp Teeth

The Purge

Captives

#Thinman

Blade Runners

Mother’s Little Helper

Meta Fiction

Alex Annie Alexis Ann

Bloodlines

King Of The Damned

Stairway To Heaven

Do You Believe In Miracles?

 

Video 

Encoding: AVC MPEG-4

Resolution: 1080p

Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1

Clarity/Detail: Supernatural: Season 9 on Blu-ray continues to look amazing. I did not notice any instances of tampering with the sharpness or contrast levels unless it was for aesthetic reasons or if a particular episode called for it. There are a few that have tweaks here and there but it’s all part of the episode(s) aesthetic.

Depth: The level of depth in some episodes is incredible and is greatly enhanced by this high definition presentation. My favorite scenes are actually when Sam and Dean are in the Men of Letters bunker in the library. The low light and set decoration for the library is phenomenal and the Blu-ray brings all of that detail out. It’s fantastic.

Black Levels: Most of season 9 is set at night or in very dark interiors and surroundings. I did not pick up on any instances of crush or compression during any of these scenes. Black levels rocked hard.

Color Reproduction: Color reproduction is spot on, and depending on what episode is playing, very colorful. No, this isn’t Rainbow-Brite, but the color palette is very dynamic when it needs to be or when we’re shown other dimensions/portals/fantasy lands, etc.

Flesh Tones: Everyone looks nice and peachy unless they’re dead or possessed. The complexions shift depending on that character’s particular condition.

Noise/Artifacts: I only detected a couple of scenes that had bits of noise and artifacts but it was nothing too severe.

Audio 

Audio Format(s): English DTS-HD MA 5.1, English Dolby Digital 5.1, Spanish Dolby Digital 2.0

Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French, Portuguese

Dynamics: Supernatural on Blu-ray has always sounded great, and nine seasons in, still does so without missing a beat. In fact, you can even say that some of the action scenes have been mixed more aggressively, so that the viewer can “feel” the hits on the many various characters showcased. Make no mistake: Supernatural: Season 9 on Blu-ray features reference audio.

Low Frequency Extension: The LFE channel goes to work almost immediately from the rumbling of the Winchester’s trusty Impala to the various growls and roars of the various monsters shown to they many death(s) by angels/demons. It works.

Surround Sound Presentation: The surround sound channels do their thing and envelope the viewer throughout every episode. It’s very three-dimensional and things kick up during those scenes of demon possession and demon/angel expulsion.

Dialogue Reproduction: Dialogue levels are stellar and you will be able to listen to every word spoken without having to ask what was said. The center channel abides.

Extras 

Nowadays TV sets on Blu-ray and DVD lack in-depth extras or is replaced with useless fluff. I am really happy to report that Supernatural: Season 9 on Blu-ray is absent of fluff and is full of quality supplements.

• 3 Episode Commentaries – Blade Runners (Disc 3) with actor Mark A. Sheppard and writing team Eugenie Ross-Leming & Brad Buckner  – talk about this episode that moves the mythology forward and features Snooki of Jersey Shore fame as a Crossroads demon – I’d say that the Snooki appearance is season 9’s worst offense. Mother’s Little Helper (Disc 3) has writer/executive producer Adam Glass and Director/actor Misha Collins providing commentary on his directorial debut. Misha is always great as Castiel but even greater when not in character, because he livens up the joint. He’s the complete opposite of his characters. In this commentary he talks about the methods he used to pull performances out of people and what it took to make a quality episode. Bloodlines (Disc 4) Executive producer Jeremy Carver, Director/Executive producer Bob Singer, and Writer/Executive producer Andrew Dabb provide commentary on the backdoor pilot Supernatural: Bloodlines. Bloodline was a good episode in terms of quality but it was also a packed one. It would be since you have families and factions going to war (gang war) over who has control over the various boroughs. This was to be a spin-off show and the studio passed on it. It has a very Lost Girl vibe to it that doesn’t quite meld into Sam and Dean’s world.
• The Men of Letters Interactive Set Experience: Tour various rooms inside the bunker as 9 spellbinding featurettes reveal Men of Letters lore and other TV conjuring secrets (HD) – This was a very cool and not cumbersome interactive experience that our trusty production designer Jerry Wanek led us through. Each room segment is a few minutes long and Jerry provides thoughtful commentary on the various rooms.
• Designing the Men of Letters Bunker: From concept to completion of Supernatural’s largest set with production designer Jerry Wanek (HD) – This featurette features production designer Jerry Wanek and his crew and they talk about researching the design, furniture, materials, artifacts, needed to make the Men of Letters bunker have a certain weight and feel to them. You can see that a lot of TLC went into the creation of the bunker. My favorite? You guessed it it’s the library!
• Behind the Scenes of Supernatural: A Fan’s Perspective: One lucky fan gets a revealing look at what really happens on set (HD) – One of the best special features on this Blu-ray set is this “mockumentary” directed by Misha Collins as he takes one lucky fan through the trial and tribulations of what it is like to work on Supernatural. Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles make hilarious appearances and I love the inside and references to Jared’s hair (wig).
• 2013 Comic-Con Panel: Cast and producers preview Season 9’s storylines and character arcs (HD) – Here’s the 2013 Comic-Con Panel from last year as cast and crew discuss and preview season 9 to the adoring fans in one of the halls in San Diego.
• Unaired Scenes (HD) – Unaired scenes that did not make the cut for various reason or other.
• Gag Reel (HD) – We’ve come to it at last: The Supernatural gag reel! Okay, if you really want to know how a proper gag reel is done then this is what you need to watch. I nearly peed myself when the boys and editing team shot one scene of Sam and Dean walking through a door before cutting to two Latino guys in full Sam and Dean attire speaking in Spanish. They said something along the lines of ” we have to save the beautiful ladies” and “we must kill the monsters.” It was hysterical and right on the money. I also love the cussing and the bleeping when the actors ruin their lines.

Summary 

Supernatural: Season 9 was everything that one could hope for and set the “stakes” up high for the upcoming, and what could very well be, the final season. I have not gotten word that season 10 will be the final season, but season 9 has set it up nicely for what’s to come. The Blu-ray set features stellar video and audio and some very entertaining special features. As you can see by the final rating everything has fallen into place with this Blu-ray edition of the show. If you’re a fan then you’re already getting this. Now if you’ll excuse me I have to go and catch up and watch season 8 before season 10 starts!

 

 

 

Order Supernatural: Season 9 on Blu-ray!