Key Points of Success in Supernatural (Critical Analysis)

Not many shows last eleven seasons and are still very popular without being redundant. Surely, there has to be a sense of experimentation but also security in the making of the show; taking chances but always making sure the viewers get their sense of normalcy within the current storyline. The show Supernatural has mastered the heroes’ journey, hero/antihero roles, and comedy which have upped their appeal and increased their chances of having a successful run.

            The hero’s journey is an ancient type of narrative that is still used to shape stories today. The hero’s journey is a cycle: call to adventure, supernatural aid, threshold guardian, threshold, challenges (helper, mentor, and temptation), abyss death and rebirth, transformation, atonement, and return. But as demonstrated in tvtropes.org, all of this can be broken down into three stages: departure, initiation, and return. Much like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and Star Wars to name a few, Supernatural tends to follow the hero’s journey cycle. Something different than in other television shows or movies in which the hero’s journey has been utilized, is that the Winchester brothers go on more than one hero’s journey at a time, a season in itself is a hero’s journey but the episodes are as well. The whole season has an adventure with supernatural aid, thresholds, and death and/or rebirth, the seasons do not often end in a return but more of a question as to whether there will be a return or not. The episodes on the other hand do have all of the previously stated as well as a return. More often than not the brothers always return to the Impala to await their next call of adventure, which will lead them in a new journey (within the journey they are already in of course). An intriguing question many viewers have asked themselves at some point throughout watching Supernatural is, are the Winchester brothers always the heroes?

            A hero is always described as good; the hero makes the right decisions and is a holistic, well rounded person. While the antihero is often perceived as bad, the antihero is often referred to as bewildered or unconventional. An ongoing argument within the Supernatural audience and fandom is which of these two fits the Winchester brothers best? As the protagonists of the show they are expected to be the heroes but as the show carries on it is clearly seen that the pair are not the cookie-cutter type of heroes. In fact, many of the things they do could be seen as immoral and wrong from an outside perspective like in earlier seasons, the FBI made the brother’s wanted all across America because they thought the Winchester brothers were satanic murderers. Being the audience, we get to see the show from many different points of view; therefore, we get to see that the brothers are the heroes but far from the norm. They kill, exorcise, and deal with supernatural creatures (including demons) on a daily basis so it is easy to see how the line between hero and antihero is blurred, but what an outsider would not know is that they do these things to protect oblivious humans from evil. Another point that often brings up doubt is the fact that Sam has demon blood in him, and he himself is supernatural. Does that mean he will turn evil? Is he already evil? Are both questions that pop in one’s mind. There was definitely a point in the earlier seasons where there was no telling which way Sam’s powers would make him sway; he could be a good hero, just as much as he could be an antihero. As of season 4, he most definitely struggles with the good he wants to be and the evil within him; which he intends to use for good.  Another point to bring up is the fact that, as noted in Mittell’s Complex TV The Poetics of Contemporary Television Storytelling, the hero generally stays alive until the end of the show or movie. In Supernatural, the Winchester brothers are the protagonists and are essentially the “heroes” but they die often and unexpectedly. This throws the audience in for a loop from season one, which is likely one of the many reasons the show has only grown bigger and more popular throughout the eleven seasons it has been on air, its unpredictability.

A numerous amount of people are put off by horror movies and its unpredictability; but with Supernatural, comedy is woven into the script in such a skillful way that the unexpected is welcome. Comedy is does not have to be a standup comedy with punch lines and a drum beat. Comedy can be a clever use of words in a conversation, or a facial expression in a scene. There are sayings that horror and comedy can never be mixed but Supernatural has figured a way to do just that. There are entire episodes full of comedic relief for the audience, often times after a sudden tragedy in previous episodes, to relieve the audience of tension and prepare them for what is to come. Comedy in Supernatural is not always obvious as stated in, Vivisecting Supernatural- I’m Not Supposed To Laugh, Right? by Wren Collins, there tend to be points in an episode where something is so ridiculous it is funny but not a lot of people catch on to that kind of humor. There have been people that get offended with dark humor, even in Supernatural. The example Collins gives in her article displays this perfectly, where she describes having laughed at a scene where an arm is hanging in the middle of the room. To her, that scene was comedic but other viewers had issues with it. There is also irony in the fact that right after said scene, a character died. The comedic timing was done on purpose to relieve the viewer of tension for a quick second before dropping a bomb on them. The way that Supernatural has found a balance between building and releasing tension with comedy has intrigued vast amount of viewers and fans, it is one of the things that draws the audience in.

            Different shows have different things that draw viewers in and retain their attention for seasons to come; it could be drama or as well as it could be romance. Supernatural has mastered a way to deliver quality television using the heroes’ journey, hero/antihero roles, and comedy which in turn has increased their chances of having a successful series.