Supernatural, the story of two brothers battling various evils in all shapes and sizes, is bringing its third season to an end, dictated by the ongoing WGA strike. Season 3 began with the boys fighting a new bevy of demons they released from Hell at the end of season 2. Despite some good subplots involving some wicked demons, their two big problems remain: Dean's (Jensen Ackles) year is running out, meaning he's doomed to Hell in payment for asking Sam's (Jared Padalecki) life restored and no one still really knows what's so evil or special about Sam. Although Jared Padalecki himself has revealed, "Keep an eye on Sam and notice the difference between Season 1 and what he does now in Season 3. It might be hinting toward something."
Supernatural Season 3 Characters
Some of the baddies have included The Seven Deadly Sins, a murdered girl acts out fairy tale-type murders, and some creepy changelings, but Supernatural is a little more focused on creating new characters this season. Some they run into along the way: the boys work with a married hunter couple and Dean even fears he may have met his son from a one-night stand. But some may stick around, like Ruby, the demon who occasionally helps them (more on her later) and there are of course, a few hunters to deal with: Bela, who's more interested in money, and Gordon, who is determined to kill Sam, even when he himself is turned into a vampire.
A Supernatural Christmas
The show also had its first, much-hyped (and deservedly so) Christmas special, a very gory and violent affair involving two Pagan gods. The episode also revealed how Dean got his necklace and what Christmas has usually meant for the Winchesters. Dean is determined to make it a good Christmas, but Sam is unwilling to admit it may be their last together. There was very little traditional about this episode, save some genuine sentiment, and it made for a wonderful Christmas show.
Spoilers, Dean's Fate and the WGA Strike
Four more episodes remain for Supernatural, due to the WGA strike, though it is unclear if the last episode was completed before the strike began. Creator Eric Kripke teases that in the final four, "...right now [Dean's] accepting that he's going to Hell and he's unwilling to do anything to stop it. That changes 180 percent in Episode 10. Something big happens to him that makes him realize he desperately wants to live and he desperately doesn't want to go to Hell."
Editor's Note: New episodes will air beginning January 31st, 2008.
Also, Ruby and her backstory are about to get fleshed out, and she is a demon with many sides to her. There may or may not be both a Nightmare On Elm Street-type story (taking place in nightmares, mostly getting to the boys' co-hunter Bobby's head; writer/producer Sera Gamble says it's a "very trippy episode"), and a Friday the 13th-Jason character to battle and even more interesting, a Groundhog Day episode where Dean dies at the end of every day (but apparently it may be funny).
Weak Season? Promising Future
While unclear how many episodes of Supernatural remain (3 or 4), it is one of the last shows with any new episodes remaining, amidst the unending WGA strike. Season 3 may not have the taut, suspenseful tension of the past two seasons (the main storyline of season 3 is strong but its subplots seem uncharacteristically weak while they spend more time developing other characters), but it still makes for an incredible show; Sam and Dean and the show's fun writing are always worth watching. No other show comes close to the quality of this horror/sci-fi mix of homage and cheek.
