FALL SCI-FI/HORROR TELEVISION SEASON REVIEW PLUS THE FIRST 4 EPISODES OF SUPERNATURAL

Fall Sci-fi/Horror Television Season Review Plus the First 4 Episodes of Supernatural
By Ken Leicht

This fall TV season is unique in that is the first time since the late sixties where there is more then one science fiction/fantasy/horror series on network television at the same time. Thanks to the immense popularity of LOST, the floodgates have been open for tele-fantasy. And not just the usual detective show dressed up as a sci-fi show (i.e. “He’s an alien! And he’s a detective…a premise which sadly I’ve just read is being produced), but actual sci-fi and horror stories with cinematic production values and budgets.

The newcomers include SURFACE (NBC – Mondays), INVASION (ABC – Wednesdays), THRESHOLD (CBS – Fridays), SUPERNATURAL (the WB – Tuesdays) and NIGHT STALKER (ABC – Thursdays). SURFACE, INVASION and THRESHOLD are all invasion stories with continuing storylines. SURFACE and THRESHOLD take the traditional science and government vs. the aliens approach. INVASION differs in that it takes place in a small town where the locals begin to suspect bad things are living in the swamps nearby.

Of the three invasion stories, THRESHOLD is the best. It moves with a cinematic sense of urgency aided no doubt by the presence of feature genre vets like David S. Goyer. INVASION is okay but a little too slow moving. I understand the slow unfolding dread theory but I’m busy…get on with it!!! As for SURFACE, well, it feels like the bad sci-fi TV of old, even though it’s by genre vets the Pate brothers, who should know better having produced the well liked G vs. E.

The other series are more in the horror vein. NIGHT STALKER is an X-FILES style redo of the classic 70’s series which starred Darren McGavin (see review). SUPERNATURAL is best described as the NIGHT STALKER meets ROUTE 66. Of all the shows listed so far, this is the one I like the best.

SUPERNATURAL focuses on two brothers who travel around fighting evil while searching for their missing father who until he disappeared was doing the very same thing. The story begins with younger brother Sam (Jared Padalecki) about to graduate from law school. He has a big interview at a prestigious law firm and a girlfriend that he’s pretty serious with. One night, his older brother Dean (Jensen Ackles), who Sam hasn’t seen in years, shows up at his doorstep and informs him that their dad has disappeared on a “hunting trip.” Sam reluctantly joins his brother in search of their father promising he’d get back in time for his interview. Of course, he never does, opting of course to join his brother battling evil…a decision made easier when his girlfriend is killed by the same strange evil force that killed their mother many years ago.

This show is the kind of monster of the week thing that NIGHT STALKER fans have been starving for forever. Actually not just forever…but for FUCKING ever. And without the annoying open ended-ness of the X-FILES...even though X-FILES vet David Nutter is directing and exec-producing. This show is a lot of fun and has some great monsters. Any show with a Wendigo in it can’t go too far wrong. So let’s take it episode by episode…so far:

1.) PILOT – The first episode has the brothers encountering a Lady In White who kills unfaithful men in a violent fashion. This is a great first episode that sets the tone for what’s to come…i.e. NIGHT STALKER meets ROUTE 66 with some X-FILES thrown in except fun. I was amused to see Steve Railsback in a small role of the husband of the Lady in White and even more amused to see the L WORD’s Sarah Shahi as the evil ghost. I’ve met Sarah several times and she never looks as beautiful as she does off-screen but hey she did have a rotting corpse face this time so what are you gonna do?

2.) WENDIGO – Campers disappear and the brothers Winchester help the sister of one of the campers search for her brother. This is probably the coolest episode so far. The Wendigo is nicely realized and pretty scary to boot. The off-screen feeding scene in the cave is particularly effective.

3.) DEAD IN THE WATER – Like many of the Japanese horror films of late, this one concerned the spirit of a dead child out for vengeance. Not a bad ghost story and some good prolonged drowning sequences.

4.) PHANTOM TRAVELER – A friend of Dean’s tips him off to a series of strange plane crashes which turned out to be caused by a malevolent spirit. The brothers are forced to board a plane and try to find the demon and exorcise it before it crashes the plane. The demon appears a little digital-ish and is therefore not very scary but once it’s cornered and starts talking shit about Sam’s dead girlfriend, it’s menace is clearly felt. The mayhem that follows on board shows off the show’s great production value.

It just warms my heart to see a show like this on every week. Here’s hoping they can keep up with the overall quality they’ve had so far and that maybe they’ll have some more cool monsters. I’ll be watching.