Written by: Ashtyn at 10:34 pm
Filed under: DVD Box Sets,Network,Television
TV Show Info:
Writer: Various
Director: Various
Cast: Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Jim Beaver, Samantha Ferris, Katie Cassidy, Lauren Cohan
Rating: Not Rated
Studio: Warner Home Entertainment
Release Info:
Original Air Dates: September 13, 2005 – Present
DVD Box Set Release Date: September 2, 2008
Online Availability: Amazon
Episodes: All episodes from the third season
Supernatural is one of the highest rated shows on television. Offering a theme about the occult with an ever-evolving storyline allows for a show that grows, changes, and never gets dull. While the first season was all about Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) finding their father, the show evolved into the hunt for Azazel, which led to the death of Sam, as well. However, Sam is later resurrected. This leads us into season three, as the Winchester boys fight for the soul of Dean, who sold his soul in order to bring his brother back to life.
The show is engaging, well written, and offers a wonderful cast of acting talent. When I first reviewed the show during its second season, I mentioned that some of the episodes feel campy. This is still true, but it’s likely due to the subject matter and does not reflect on the main actors or the majority of the writing. Even then, the campiness can be fun and things are really kicked up in the third season with Dean’s soul being sold to Hell, while everyone tries to get him out of the deal.
Still, there are other demons and other worldly beings to fight before they can get Dean free from sale. People new to the series will want to check out season one and go from there. However, if you’re an old Supernatural pro you might find this third season release date a treat before the fourth season premieres on television.
The Supernatural: The Complete Third Season Plot
Getting right down to business, there are sixteen episodes in the third season of Supernatural. All of those episodes are located on five discs in this box set. You’ve learned a little about the series as a whole up above, so now we’re going to discuss the specific episodes that can be found in season three.
Disc One:
“The Magnificent Seven”: Sam and Dean are forced to hunt down an ungodly amount of demons that managed to escape from The Devil’s Gate. Due to the fact that Dean sold his soul to the devil he has embraced a carefree attitude, convinced that if he only has a year he should enjoy it. Meanwhile, Sam spends his time trying to come up with a way to keep Dean out of hell. A sighting in Nebraska turns up the first batch of demons; seven of them posing as the Seven Deadly Sins.
“The Kids Are Alright”: The Winchester brothers manage to track down the changelings that are tracking mothers and children. One of the boys they manage to save bears a strange resemblance to Dean and considering he knew the mother of the boy, it leads to a slight bit of discomfort.
“Bad Day At Black Rock”: The Winchester boys continue to receive blame for the opening of The Devil’s Gate. A rabbit’s foot seems to begin to turn things around for the boys, but Bobby informs Sam that the foot is cursed and if it’s lost, the person losing it will die. When Sam loses the rabbit’s foot plenty of bad luck comes his way. He is kidnapped and brutally beaten, but that’s just the start of his troubles.
Disc Two:
“Sin City”: The Winchester brothers investigate a number of deaths in a small Ohio town. Dean finds two demons in town and believes they are controlling the others. A devil’s trap is used to capture one of the demons, but it captures Dean, as well.
“Bedtime Stories”: A girl that bears a resemblance to Snow White is investigated as fairy tales comes to life. After her spirit is put to rest, Sam meets up with Nicole, a demon that he wants to make a deal with. He wants her to release Dean or he is going to kill her.
“Red Sky At Morning”: The boys visit a woman that has a niece that was possibly drowned by ghosts. It is revealed that the woman knew of the possibility and Bela blows her cover.
“Fresh Blood”: Gordon escapes from prison only to be kidnapped by a vampire who plans to feed him to the vampire’s ‘daughters’. The boys will have to kill Gordon, if they can find him, or if he finds them first.
Disc Three:
“A Very Supernatural Christmas”: It’s Christmastime and the boys encounter some Pagan Gods that crave the taste of human flesh. Alongside present day, a flashback of a Christmas nearly 20 years ago is shown, where Sam learns about the supernatural and his family’s connection to it.
“Malleus Maleficarum”: Sam and Dean come in contact with some witches that have been serving some demons. Despite the fact that they are warned to get out of town, they ignore the warning and stick around. Several events lead the boys to some history about Ruby and the time before she was a demon.
“Dream A Little Dream Of Me”: Bobby is found in his hotel room in a coma. The boys discover that he is trapped in his own mind. They must head into his dreams and face their own fears to save him.
Disc Four:
“Mystery Spot”: Sam is forced to continue the day of Dean’s death over and over. He attempts several times to alter the day, but continues to fail. He learns who is causing this to happen and begins to think that they killed the culprit a while back. Sam begs him to bring Dean back even though he is told that living without Dean will do him good.
“Jus In Bello”: Sam and Dean are arrested thanks to a tip by Bela. While they are locked up in Colorado, a demon possesses the agent that handles the arrest. When the FBI releases that Sam and Dean were right about what was going on they are set to be released, only the learn the demons are waiting for them and the place is surrounded.
“Ghostfacers!”: Sam and Dean are working a case in the location where a new reality show, Ghostfacers! is taping. The boys are trapped with the reality crew and need to figure out how to kill the ghost of a janitor in the hospital that comes back on leap year to kill people so he can make new friends.
Disc Five:
“Long-Distance Call”: The boys learn that people are receiving phone calls from dead relatives. Dean hears from his father who tells him how to get out of his contract concerning his soul. Sam does not believe it’s their father, but Dean does and attempts to follow the advice.
“Time Is On My Side”: Sam gets Dean to go and investigate a zombie interference in Pennsylvania. They meet Dr. Benton, a man that stopped working prior to 1920 to follow the path to eternal life. Bobby learns where Bela is located and Dean goes to deal with her.
“No Rest For The Wicked”: Dean only has a little more than one day before his contract must be paid. This leads Sam and Bobby on a search for Lilith, the contract holder. When they look to Ruby for help and learn they cannot trust her, they head off to where Lilith is said to be in order to kill her.
Storyline/Plot: 
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Directing:
Audio/Visual:
Video quality is handled at an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 with anamorphic widescreen. The show was shot in high definition. This means that the standard release should offer a fair bit of detail and it does. The colors are rich, with the dark colors remaining full bodied and the light colors being airy without being blinding. I did not notice any compression errors or digital effect errors. All in all everything here looked fabulous just as a newer show should look.
The audio sound quality was excellent. Dolby Digital 5.1 was utilized and it paid off. The original music in the series tends to lean towards Classic Rock influences such as Boston and AC/DC. Having a good audio presentation means that these bands are well represented. Dialogue was also handled well with no toggling needed and no problems hearing anything. A DD Stereo track is also available in Portuguese. Subtitles are presented in a number of languages including English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Thai, and Chinese.
Visual:
Audio:
Bonus Features:
One of the biggest special features in the third season Supernatural box set is the inclusion of all of the season three episodes in a digital format. It’s important to note though that the code can only be used one time, which means all of the episodes would need to be downloaded at once. While this can be somewhat of a bummer, it’s not too much of an inconvenience and if you’re watching on the go, it’s worth the trouble.
“A Closer Look” appears on close to half of the episodes. This allows the writer, director, or another member of the crew to discuss various scenes from the episode. This is especially nice for the fans because it gives you a lot of insight into why they did something they did for the show and the meaning behind little things you might have missed or blown off the first time around.
In the “Ghostfacers! Confessionals” featurette you get to see the Ghostfacers giving their opinions about the Winchester brothers. This is pretty amusing as far as all of the special features go. It’s definitely worth watching. Two other featurettes include “From Legends to Reality”, which looks at the supernatural effects done in the show and “Supernatural Impala”, which is an interesting look at Dean’s car. The final special offering is a gag reel, which is pretty funny.
Bonus Features:
Bottom Line:
If you haven’t seen Supernatural yet you should check it out. Of course, it goes without saying that you should start with season one and move up through the seasons until you reach the current one. Season four will be starting in a few weeks, so you have a little time to catch up before that happens. Current fans of the show definitely won’t want to miss this set. Thanks to a great block of episodes, excellent treatment by Warner Home Video, and plenty of fun special features this set is well worth purchasing. Pick it up and re-watch the episodes in preparation for the upcoming season.
Overall Rating:
Technorati Tags: Supernatural, The Complete Third Season, Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Jim Beaver, Samantha Ferris, Katie Cassidy, Lauren Cohan, The Winchester Brothers, Sam and Dean, CW, TV on DVD, DVD Box Set Review
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Written by Ashtyn - Visit Website
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Ashtyn Evans is a writer, advocate, free thinker, and all around cynical person. Always quick to find the negative in anything pop culture, she loves being a part of that which she despises. Ashtyn and Dominick own numerous blogs together, as well as a full-time writing business. In her spare time she is a full-time college student studying History and Psychology. She plans to one day give up her freelance career and be a full-time blogger, novelist, and domestic goddess. She can be contacted for writing projects, fan mail, or just to say hi. She really is friendlier than we make her look.
