65.) [TV Goes to Hell: An Unofficial Road Map to Supernatural], eds. [[ Stacey Abbott]] and [[David Lavery]] ****

This anthology of critical essays about Supernatural was wildly hit or miss for me. A few of the pieces were some of the worst examples of the ways academic-facing critical writing sometimes wallows in obscuring language and privileges critical lenses over illuminating discussion of the primary text in question. BUT some of the essays were written in clear and concise language and succeeded in making compelling arguments about the show (without sacrificing rigor *gasp*), and those I enjoyed. All of the essays were written before season six, but the book came out after six had aired, so some of the supplementary material includes season six: there's a great episode guide which would be helpful for reference.

The essays I found particularly good/useful/illuminating were:
"Televisual Folklore: Rescuing Supernatural from the Fakelore Realm"
"Crossing Over: Network Transition, Critical Reception, and Supernatural Longevity"
"Plagiarism or Props?: Homage to Neil Gaiman in Eric Kripke's Supernatural" ( )

Another book that collects essays about the television program, Supernatural. Academic deep dives into themes, music, sets, and other aspects of the production.
My favorite essays were:
"Rabbit's Feet and Spleen Juice: The Comic Strategies of TV Horror"
"Two Greasers and a Muscle Car: Music and Character Development in Supernatural"
"Purgatory with Color TV: Motel Rooms as Liminal Zones in Supernatural"
"Breaking the Mirror: Metafictional Strategies in Supernatural"
"Television Folklore: Rescuing Supernatural from the Fakelore Realm" ( )

Bringing together elements of the road movie and the horror genre, Supernatural follows brothers Dean and Sam Winchester as they crisscross America, struggling to protect humanity from what lurks in the dark by battling monsters, witches, demons, angels, the Devil, and sometimes even each other.

First things first, I am a BIG fan of this show! I thought it would be nice to relive the highlights from past seasons but wasn't quite sure what to expect of this television tie-in. It turned out to be so much more than a simple episode recap (though it had that too!). The essays were really thoughtful and gave me a lot to chew on. A quality collection overall.

The book's contents are grouped into six main sections:

- "Bon Jovi rocks...on occasion": Comedy and Music
- Skin Mags and Shaving Cream: Sam and Dean on the Fringes of Time and Place
- "Jerk...bitch": Representations of Gender and Sexuality
- The Gospel According to Chuck: Narrative Storytelling in Supernatural
- "What's the lore say?": Exploring Folklore & Religion*
- Cruel Capricious Gods: Auteurs, Fans, Critics

It was obvious early on that this would not be a light read. As a fan of Supernatural, I'm all for the myriad ways the essayists turned a critical eye toward the show. It made for some tasty tasty brain food. I also found it impossible to resist the urge to revisit earlier episodes of the show after reading through the book. Not a bad side effect, me thinks.

*A topic I find of particular interest. ( )