In a new segment at Team Hellions, I will review every single episode, one a week, of my favorite show for the last seven years, Supernatural. When I think of the greatest Television Pilots I’ve ever seen – The Walking Dead, Firefly, The Sopranos, Lost, Friday Night Lights, and Veronica Mars – Supernatural’s may be the most underrated. This Pilot episode manages to establish a great mythology, with memorable characters, and a creepy vibe that has been sorely lacking in the last few seasons (KRIPKE!!!!!!). I often think that CW shows in general get passed over, but if you look at the Pilots for The Vampire Diaries and Smallville, you’d be sorely mistaken.

The opening scene of “Pilot” may be the creepiest in Television history, Sorry American Horror Story, but I wasn’t digging that black leather suit thing… But this scene opens with a creepy shadow of a tree painted across a house at night. Yeah, that one down below. And then it starts moving. What the fuck?! Tree’s aren’t supposed to move! Unless you cut them down, but this one moves without the  cutting down or anything. Cut to a nice, loving family inside this house, you’re definitely feeling the love…a couple later…and…THERE IS A WOMAN ON THE CEILING!! Holy fuckballs! And flames erupt and the house goes up…freak out central. I just realized that I’m using a lot of ellipses.

22 years later, we meet the brothers that will consume our lives for the rest of the show, Sam and Dean. Though, Dean just so happens to be breaking into his brother’s apartment to get him to come on the road with him to find their dad and work on a case. A case in this instance, of course, means defeating supernatural evil and saving fucking lives! As it’s later called, the “Family Business.”

I’ve always considered Sam’s jumping on point here to be weak. Dean basically says “Yeah, but I don’t want to,” meaning hunt alone, but yet Sam goes for it. Dismissing it is the best thing that you can do, as the awesome starts to pick up from here. Their adventure takes them to Jericho, California. A stretch of five mile road where guys keep disappearing.

This episode does a fantastic job of setting up the core of the show. Brothers, bickering, off to save the world from stuff that “doesn’t exist.” They may not do it in the most respectable sense, but this business isn’t actually the paying type. Whether it’s credit card fraud, fake credentials, and evading the cops, they’ve got to deal with it, and they do. The show’s most appealing aspect, to me at least, was how it took real life “urban myths” and modified them to fit its world. In this episode, the most basic of spirits; “The Woman in White.” The most famous example of this phenomenon that comes to mind is “Resurrection Mary.” Though she’s never been responsible for any deaths, her spirit and her story are fascinating. Check out Unsolved Mysteries on YouTube or something and you’ll find out.

All in all, a spectacular Pilot episode. One that cuts through its faults to begin a long standing tradition as one of the CW’s best shows. I often hear about how people think this is a poor man’s Buffy; don’t. This show is vastly original, with cinematography that is to die for, literally, special effects that are well executed, and a story that appeals to any lover of the unknown or supernatural.

Five Best Quotes From This Episode

Dean: “No sir, we were just leaving. Agent Mulder, agent Scully.”

A passing of the torch per say. A lot of X-Files personnel has worked on this show in one way or another.

Dean: “Well, house rules Sammy. Drive picks the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole.”

I own a hoodie with this quote on it. Fuck yes!

Deputy Jaffe: “so, fake U.S. Marshall. Fake credit cards. You got anything that’s real?” Dean: “My boobs.”

Love the wit on this show!

Sam: “Hey Dean. What I said earlier about Mom and Dad, I’m sorry.” Dean: “No chick-flick moments” Sam: “All right…jerk.” Dean: “Bitch.“

Brotherly love.

Dean: “Dad’s on a hunting trip, and he hasn’t been home in a few days.“

The line that starts it all. Permeates the whole season.