Supernatural Season 6

• 23rd Aug 2011

At the end of season 5, the brothers Winchester had gone their separate ways, Sam having been possessed by Lucifer and stuck inside a fiery cage in Hell, while Dean’s gone off to try and live a normal life with old flame Lisa and her son Ben. The final scene of the last series saw Sam lurking outside their window looking in at the happy family, leaving us to wonder – had Sam somehow been pulled from the pit or  is Lucifer back using Sam as a meat suit? Season 6 kicks off a year later with Dean having embraced normality and completely turned his back on hunting. But it’s not long before spooky goings on find him. While he’s investigating, who should turn up but Sam, complete with three extra family members they didn’t know existed. But something doesn’t seem quite right with Sam…

Technically, season 6 of Supernatural shouldn’t exist. Show creator Eric Kripke stepped down after finishing the five series arc he’d envisaged from the start (though he stayed on as executive producer and also wrote the series finale). Sera Gamble (writer and producer) took over the reins. And she’s done a good job – although it’s not as good as the seasons which have come before it, it’s a solid series, which packs a few punches and is full of twists and turns.

After the epic storylines of the last series the writers were always going to struggle to better it. How do you top Lucifer? This time they seem to have gone for quantity with villains a plenty in the shape of Crowley, rogue angel Raphael, a new demony thing called Mother and one final big bad which is a mammoth betrayal for Dean. Waters are muddied and loyalties tested. Nothing is good or evil, black or white; only shades of murky grey.

The good stuff’s all still there. While everyone’s a bit miserable a lot of the time, the banter between the brothers is present and correct with Bobby (Jim Beaver, who though still listed as a guest star, turns up in almost every episode) adding his own brand of comedy grumpiness into the mix. Castiel is, as usual, being confused by all things human including, most notably, a porn film. He’s also got the added pressure of a war for power in Heaven which he’s desperately trying to stop. Sam’s hiding a dark secret and Jared Padalecki gets to flex his acting chops a bit more than usual. I won’t give it away, but he pulls it off admirably. Which considering it’s about the fourth time that Sam’s gone darkside, is quite impressive. Jensen Ackles is, as always, strong as Dean, with an added poignant edge as he has to watch his family fall apart. In more ways than one.

Sebastian Roché as the caustic angel Balthazar is a great addition, bringing some much needed levity to the proceedings. And Mark Sheppard is excellent as the slippery demon Crowley who’s found himself top of the satanic heap with the demise of Lucifer. There are a few misfires however. Mitch Pileggi (Skinner in The X Files) returns as the brothers’ grandfather Samuel but he’s sorely wasted, as are the rest of the Campbell clan. Their storyline peters out fairly early on.

Standout episodes include My Heart Will Go On (an alternative timeline episode with what might have happened if the Titanic had missed the iceberg), Frontierland where Sam and Dean go back in time to the wild west to meet with Samuel Colt and The Man Who Would Be King which is told entirely from Castiel’s point of view. Jensen Ackles makes his directorial debut in Weekend at Bobby’s and there’s a very meta episode (The French Mistake) which has the brothers being catapulted into an alternative reality where they are two actors called (you’ve guessed it) Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles who are stars of a TV show called Supernatural. It stars many of the crew and will probably divide audiences as to whether it’s genius, or a step too far (I’m still undecided).

Extras include featurettes on Jensen Ackles’ directorial debut, audio commentary and outtakes.

Emma Wilkin