Supernatural has been such a huge part of my life. With the number of years it has been airing, and all of the thousands of fans, it feels like a community, or a religion. It’s not like other shows because it doesn’t ever feel like you truly leave the Supernatural family. Even if you dislike the current storyline, and maybe even stop watching for a bit, the show has the determination to keep you invested. The constant evolving, ever-changing storylines are rich, and the creativity and freedom to explore is on another level.
Back in the 2013 glory days of Tumblr, it was public knowledge (whether or not you watched the show) that Supernatural had a GIF for everything. This was something that rooted deeper than a mere joke. What other TV show can say they have parodied CSI:Miami, done Western and Medieval-style episodes, fought fairies, travelled in time, turned Dean into a younger and older version of himself, have Sam meet his imaginary friend, and parodied their own show on multiple occasions, from referencing conventions, fanfiction, shipping, and even having a staged musical version of their story during their 200th episode.
After 15 years, it’s hard to remember all these crazy adventures, but the comfort of Supernatural, the escapism and courage that people are drawn to, is the sense that literally anything could happen. There are magical alternate worlds and realms and death is never the end, which means, like the fans, the cast never truly leave the show either, and our most beloved characters always feel fresh and alive.
In addition, the main themes of the show centre around love and hope, which are universal ideas, and managing to explore these alongside funny, crazy moments is a true art. This is a show that, despite the monsters and magic, would be absolutely nothing without family. That’s the real reason we’ve been watching for 15 seasons. When I think about Supernatural, in full hindsight of the 7-year-long relationship I have had with the show, I feel warm. I feel at home, accepted, hopeful in humanity, in the brothers, in good over evil, in family, and, something most accentuated in the final season, in choice.
Yeah, the Winchesters may be dealing with slightly more pressing and dangerous problems on a cosmic scale, but we’ve all had times, particularly amongst the mess that is 2020, where we feel helpless, like nothing is in our control. Dean refers to this feeling as like “a hamster on a wheel”, and was something, in last week’s episode, he was willing to sacrifice (almost) everything to change because the knowledge that God was molding their lives the whole time was too unbearable to live with.
Our choices do much more than just make us who we are – they are how we live, rather than just survive. They are our hearts and souls, and instill hope that we have free will over where we are going. The Winchesters ripped up every ending of their story, even when the entire universe was telling them it was their destiny, and that represents a bravery and love that is unmatched on TV at the moment.
I will always hold Supernatural fondly in my heart, from when I binge-watched 8 seasons in two months between studying and sleeping, to going on my one and only, unforgettable convention and seeing the boys in real proper life (Asylum14), to creating this blog and analysing almost every episode of Seasons 10 and 11, to laughing over the hours of gag reels, to creating GIFs, writing fanfiction, editing pictures and just generally falling madly in and out and back in love with the show and everything that surrounds it.
I started watching when I was 16 and Season 1 was at times too scary for my little brain. Ironically, the vibe of the show changed drastically over time to the point where they made Satan too tame for me. There is a different kind of nostalgia that comes with the Kripke era (Seasons 1-5) which I think everyone feels to some extend. I just got completely immersed in the world, the law, the battle between Heaven and Hell. Those first 5 seasons felt so plot-focused and organised, showcasing a level of care and respect to the story, that I don’t think following seasons have quite managed to replicate. The OG apocalypse, the badass chest pieces, and the tying up of Sam and Dean’s 5 year arc just makes me remiscine over binge watching at 5am in bed when I was supposed to be doing my coursework, because I just had to find out what happens next.
Season 6 and 7 shines the same kind of nostalgia in a the-sequel-that’s-really-good-but-not-quite-as-good-as-the-first-movie kinda way. As I’m writing this I’m having an epiphany about Season 8, because I don’t really remember anything about it and I think I’m only now discovering the reason why. Season 8 for me was when the show took a different direction. Season 6 and 7 were very much still running off the back-end and dark residual excitement of the apocalypse, but Season 8 made those stories feel like a whole other life. The introduction of the Bunker was a big part of the revamp, and I feel like it was the turning point of the show going from a gritty science-fiction to more of a drama. After Season 8, the formidable characters like Castiel and Crowley, and later on Lucifer, became less threatening and intimidating.
When I binge-watched the show, it was about to go on Christmas hiatus, so I went from watching 8 episodes a day, to having NOTHING to watch. I remember so vividly Kevin’s eyes being burned out, Gadreel running off with Sam’s body, and Dean calling out Kevin’s name as he lay dead on the floor, and thinking HOW THE HELL are the boys gonna get out of this one?? That felt like the longest few weeks ever. I loved Season 9 so much because I was still brand new to the show. Having Sam possessed by an angel and then finishing with arguably the best finale ever whereby Dean turns into a demon, just felt so fresh. I watched the finale over and over and over again and thought about how amazing and inventive the show was for making me cry over Dean dying yet again (which of course is my favourite Dean death).
Season 10 was great as an extension of Season 9, concluding the Mark of Cain storyline (and giving us the meta beauty that is Fan Fiction which I remember laughing at so much with my best friend when we watched it together). However, I had literally tons of questions about Season 11. The Darkness confused me, and the return of Lucifer didn’t make much sense nor did it feel quite like the same character. Having Chuck confirmed as God was something I really disliked, and I felt like it was motivated by fan theories – almost like it didn’t fit with the story because it was written by fans. I much preferred God as this mysterious being who was too powerful to comprehend. At least now we know a lot more about the main characters of Season 11, and The Darkness appears to have more of a personality and backstory.
I was so, so, so excited when Mary was brought back from the dead, but then they mostly ruined all of her potential when they paired her with the British Men of Letters which was probably the most boring storyline of the entire show in my opinion. I like Jack and his story arc but, after the stuff I just mentioned, I hadn’t been heavily invested in the show since part-way through Season 11. There’s been ups and downs with the Jack era. I hated apocalypse world and how it was used as an excuse to bring back old characters in a different way; it was just confusing and lazy. However, the Scoobynatural episode was actually pure genius and it got so many amazing reviews. It’s a real achievement for a show that has been going for 13 years, that they managed to make an episode so new and creative. The 300th episode also hit me absolutely everywhere in the feels.
I loved the urgency and heart-break of desperately trying to save Jack in Season 14, and Jensen did a great job playing Archangel Michael when he was possessed (although it didn’t ever compare to Demon Dean). Generally, I’ve really liked Season 15 so far, which I think is down to all of the returning guest stars we’ve seen. It’s been really nostalgic and sweet to see so many cast members who are loved by the fans. I had my issues with the first 3 episodes not being high-stakes or dark enough, but I loved how Rowena’s story wrapped up, as well as the return of Eileen, and The Darkness being re-invented as a protagonist rather than a villain.
The coronavirus allowed Supernatural to continue past its sell-by-date, making me fall into a false sense of security – that maybe the show would NEVER end, and it would continue on forever like we all know it could. However, alas, when I sat down to watch the final 7 episode run, I couldn’t help thinking of everything I gave to this show, all the late nights writing theories, re-watching BM scenes and reviewing the most memorable episodes. Of course, I’m going to miss it so much.
Even when I was mad at the inconsistent writing, the butchering of compelling badass characters, and the pretty weak failed attempts at spin offs, Supernatural was always there to welcome me home, every year, like a routine. It’s going to leave a hole in a lot of people’s lives, forever.
Supernatural Fan No. 12949162 