Alas, as the blu-ray format continues to permeate the home entertainment market, WARNER BROS is beginning to finally go back to the original and earlier seasons of series that have initially only been available on blu-ray in their most recent season. "SMALLVILLE: SEASON ONE" is in the works, and now fans of "SUPERNATURAL," now finishing its 6th season, can rejoice in "SUPERNATURAL: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON," on blu-ray!

"SUPERNATURAL" is a series that has generally gotten better with each succeeding season. "SEASON 1" is probably the weakest, however, it's certainly not "bad," and it does lay out the initial motivation behind the Winchester brothers' drive in facing down demons. The pilot episode, certainly one of the best of the series, sucks the viewer in right away, as the young boys witness the horror of their mother being savagely killed by a strange being. The father, played brilliantly by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, saves the kids and raises them under his tutelage, to become hunters of the dark! The difference between the two brothers' personalities becomes evident as Sam reveals he's not as gung ho about spending his life chasing down the creatures that go bump in the night, while his brother, Dean, chomps at the bit for this kind of adventure. However, when his father goes missing at the same time that his girlfriend is killed just like their mom, the boys, without pause, embark on the quest to find their dad and put an end to the entity that has been plaguing their family, once and for all.

In Season one, the Winchester boys encounter various bone-chilling evils, with each episode. It's a credit to the craftsmanship in the writing and overall production value, that the majority of the 21 episodes in this season, work as well as they do, without seeming repetitive. There have been so many American and British tv series, relying on re-inventing urban legends along with well known monsters, with individual episodes, that it's refreshing to find new twists to the demonic encounters facing the boys with each show. 

Going a long way to making the shows so captivating, Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, are notably better actors than the majority found on WB series or any others for that matter! They pull off the hard task of making these two feel like real brothers, while brandishing a certain blend of wit and angst, at the same time. There is humor within the series, and while the writing goes a long way to make it work, without winking too much at the audience, a great deal of its effectiveness, lies in the two leads and their ability to make the humor seem totally appropriate, considering what they're about to face down in each episode.

WARNER BROS has provided the correct 1.78:1 aspect ratio for this VC-1 encoding of a 1080p blu-ray.  Colors are generally solid, but veer towards becoming too rich at times. Detail, while also generally impressive, especially in close-up shots, falls a little short of the best series on blu-ray when it comes to night scenes. While blacks tend to be decent, they're never deep enough to retain the kind of depth existing in brighter scenes from the series.  While much of this is likely to be intentional for the mysterious environment of the show, it couldn't hinder the thrill value to have darker scenes appear sharper. Artifacts pop up on occasion as well, although they're not evident enough to lessen the overall appeal of the image.

WARNER BROS. has provided a Dolby Digital 5.1 mix for this season. While it's not an aggressive mix, surround and discrete channel effects succeed in adding to the tension of scarier moments. There are some surprisingly effective LFE moments, coming across at just the right moment to get the most out of a given scene.  While it's disappointing to not have a lossy mix, the standard dolby digital mix has its share of immersive power and it's hard to imagine any fan having less than a good time with what's offered here.

WARNER BROS has thrown in the same extras found on the dvd release, however, the interactive guide(HD)enabling viewers to get more involved with individual episodes, is fantastic and certain to be something revisited by big fans and casual viewers as well.