Supernatural: Did the Wayward Sons Have to Carry On for All These Years?

Well, that’s it. The end of an era. Yesterday I’ve finished watching (though ‘binging’ might be a more accurate word) the final season of the series that has been around for almost half of my life the last 15 years.

Ever since the two handsome brothers set off saving people, hunting things, and continuing the family business, I’ve been following their journey with excitement and fascination that soon shifted to stubborn determination and continuous facepalms.

Supernatural has spawned a classic case of what I like to call a ‘loyal perseverance syndrome’. Let me explain. There are TV series out there that are simply brilliant. They hit all the right spots, have a great cast, take a different take on the genre… You name it. The problem is their brilliance fades somewhere after season X. The timing differs from show to show. It can hit the mark after the 3rd season, 5th, or 9th. Doesn’t matter, really. The fact is that after that point something goes horribly wrong. Usually with the story. There are inconsistencies, ridiculous turns or, in the worst-case scenario, the show gets plain boring.

The problem is that by that time you grew so attached to the characters and the world that you continue watching the show in the hope that that original brilliance makes a comeback. It’s like a dying relationship. In your heart, you know that it’s over. But you’re so enamoured with the memory of that magical feeling you had at the beginning that you forgive all the current disappointment. Because it will go back to how it was before if you’re patient enough, right?

Wrong. For 99% of the series, things will keep getting worse. Until they are cancelled. In some cases, like Scrubs, the creators decide to milk it some more give in to the fans’ pleas. So after a very neat wrap-up of a show that, let’s be honest, was going downhill for a while, they decide to push it just a bit more. And release an extra season with a new cast and an unremarkable story. Which, surprise-surprise, sinks spectacularly.

But in most cases, a show just fades away. And then there’s that awkward excuse for a wrap-up after the news of the cancellation. “Just keep your poker face and they’ll believe we wanted to end it like that from the start.” Right. It happened with Castle, Community, Once Upon a Time, The Vampire Diaries, Riverdale (these guys still don’t know when to quit), and so many more.

Sometimes, for a brief shiny moment, the dying show gets better. Almost like it used to be. Just good enough to give you false hope and make you keep watching.

And, for me, that was the case with Supernatural.

The road so far...

The first two seasons worked on the ‘Monster of the Week’ formula. A new episode, a new baddie, a new piece of lore to explore. Brilliant. The Yellow Eyed plot line tied in nicely with the family story and added an adequate amount of drama. So far so good. Then the showrunner, Erik Kripke, decided to turn up the dial. Hundreds of demons from Hell were released into the world. The third season also marks the first of the soon to become too common instances of one brother bringing the other one back from the dead. And dealing with the consequences. The main baddie escalates to Lilith, Lucifer’s first created demon. There are fewer ‘Monster of the Week’ episodes and a stronger plot ark.

The fourth season is marked by the introduction of the character without which Supernatural feels somewhat incomplete. Castiel (Cass), played by brilliant Misha Collins. The plot gets darker, Dean suffers from the Hell PTSD, Sam is slowly moving to the Dark Side, and Lucifer is about to make a comeback. The usual day at the Winchester’s office. The fifth season brings us our very first apocalypse, along with Mark Sheppard’s charmer of a crossroad demon Crowley. But mostly the apocalypse thing.

And you know what? The series seemed complete. It ended with a heartbreaking sacrifice and, a spoiler-not-spoiler alert, an averted apocalypse. Nobody’s happy, but hey, at least it was (almost) logical.

Probably because from the very beginning there was supposed to be five seasons. Five. But the ratings were high and it takes a lot of self-restraint to let go of the golden goose. The self-restraint that Warner Bros. clearly decided to skip on. So Kripke bowed out as a showrunner, leaving Sera Gamble to deal with the cliffhanger at the end of season five and try and up the bar from the apocalypse.

Her frustrations slipped through in one of the interviews, “There was part of me that was just super pissed at Eric. I was like, ‘Do we have to do this after the apocalypse? We literally burned the story all the way to the apocalypse. We have to start over and find a whole new classification of villains, so what the hell are we going to do?’.”

Things went downhill from there. It started with the war between Hell, Heaven, and Purgatory. Then there was Eve, apparently, the mother of all monsters, and her pet Leviathans. There was more family drama, brothers jumping between Purgatory and quite a literal soul searching, and a shaky plot ark involving Crowley. Hell broke loose. Then Heaven broke loose. Lots of angels, demons, archangels, prophets. Basically, everyone joined the party. Castiel proclaimed to be God, Dean temporarily became a demon, Crowley took over Hell, and the Horsemen of Apocalypse were preparing to make an appearance. Oh, and then the boys killed Death.

Yeah, that happened. Where do you go from there, you ask? Well, how about releasing the Darkness, doubling as God’s sister, and bringing her together with Dean. Because why not.

I could almost see the showrunners (by then changed to at different times Jeremy Carver, Robert Singer, and Andrew Dabb) running around and tearing their hair out, wailing, “Oh God, how can we possibly up that now?! Wait, what did you just say?”

So they bring in God. I mean THE God. And all that time I kept thinking, “Why didn’t anyone tell them that the ‘Monster of the Week’ formula worked just fine?! We all loved it. Bring. It. Back.” But instead, they make Lucifer father a son and introduce the Antichrist. To be fair, he’s actually quite sweet and becomes a friend/adopted son of Winchesters. But that’s not the point.

To be honest, I zoned out somewhere around the Darkness nonsense and tried to painfully watch the next seasons over a course of two years or so. It’s funny how you feel almost obligated to suffer through the terrible and boring episodes, just because you happen to love the characters and the series. I’m telling you, it’s a toxic relationship.

Then why bother?

Because not everything was awful. Remember when I told you about those glimpses of hope that make you power through the overall dullness? For me, it was the introduction of several brilliant characters and some of the funniest ‘Monster of the Week’ episodes.

Crowley: a charming crossroads demon self-promoted to the King of Hell.

His deluded ‘bestie’ relationship with Dean, as well as his evolution from the villain to protagonist is both hilarious and touching.

Rowena: Crowley’s dubious mom/the most powerful witch.

It seems that Winchesters really grow on villains and the latter tend to switch sides and join the good fight. It usually doesn’t end well for the former villains though. The showrunners do love a good self-sacrifice.

Charlie: a sweet nerd/hacker and a sister they never had.

For me, Charlie was one of the sweetest characters on the show. But, unfortunately, sacrificing yourself for the sake of Winchesters seems to be a thing. Charlie was no exception. They did bring a version of her from a parallel Universe (don’t get me started on that plot device), but she just wasn’t the same.

She’s played by the one and only Felicia Day, a proud nerd herself. If you haven’t watched her brilliant web series The Guild or caught her in the Doctor Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, along with Nathan Fillion and Neil Patrick Harris, do that. Like right now.

Castiel: a raggedy angel turned best friend. This originally gloomy and clueless angel developed into an essential third wheel for the Winchester family. The fact that serious Castiel is played by goofy and hilarious Insta addict Misha Collins (he calls his followers MishAmigos, for Thor’s sake) just adds to the fun.

Kevin the Prophet, Gabriel the Trickster, Bobby the Uncle/Father, Garth the Quirky Hunter/Werewolf… There were some good characters there. If only they came with decent and consistent plots.

When they made me laugh

The post-Kripke era also had some shiny and right on hilarious episodes. They were rare, yes, but they did remind me why I got hooked on the show in the first place. And surprise-surprise, most of them were ‘Monster of the Week’ episodes, outside of the main plot ark. And then there were those crazy ones that make you laugh out loud. My top three would be...

3. Scoobynatural. It’s exactly what it sounds like. A brilliant crossover between Supernatural and Scoobydoo.

2. Fan Fiction. The boys stumble across an all-girls high school musical, based on the books about, well, them. The 200th episode is a true gift to all the fans and echoes some of the many theories and fanfics out there, including the Destiel (Dean + Castiel) shipping. The songs are catchy and the emotions are raw.

1. The French Mistake. Ok, this one has become iconic. The episode smashes down the fourth wall and transports Dean and Sam into a dimension, where Supernatural is a TV series. And they are played by Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki. Honestly, it’s one of the best.

The last hurrah

And then there was season 15. The final one. And you know what? It was good. Yes, there was still this whole God thing going on and pretty much everyone was dying (again). But to me, it felt like the showrunners finally felt free. They knew it was the last season. And they could do whatever the hell they wanted. And they did it well.

It was a proper goodbye, with cameos from some of the favourite characters, a wrap-up of the open ends, a full-on family reunion, and even a happy ending. Well, as ‘happy’ as these guys could ever get, anyways.

And it was funny. I mean, the old-time funny. When they didn’t take themselves too seriously. For instance, they explored what would happen if Sam and Dean were ‘regular’ characters rather than ‘heroes’ of the story. Because, yes, Dean would get cavities and indigestion problems because of all the junk food he eats. And yes, the ‘69 Impala would continuously break down. And yes, picking the locks from the first try is not always a given.

There was a supernatural Mrs Doubtfire there, Ruby and Jo coming together (a sort of an Easter egg for the fans who know they are played by the wives of Ackles and Padalecki), werewolf babies, zombies, comebacks of old baddies. The boys even went on a couple of last hunts together. Just like old times.

And then it was a wrap. With a happy-ish ending and a tearful after-credits message. Unlike many shows out there, the series finale didn’t feel rushed (looking at you, Merlin), overstretching (Robin was the one all along, Ted, seriously?) or just plain disappointing (not to poke the ashes of Game of Thrones here, but…). It was just right.

So, hey, maybe the loyally persevering fan in me got a closure it was waiting for after all. Even if it took some 15 years. And while I’ll miss the broody rascals, I think these wayward sons earned some peace and can rightfully lay their weary heads to rest.

Especially considering that, if rumours are to be believed, there’s a prequel, Winchesters, on its way :)