Part One was Thursday, Friday and Saturday, because Vegas is the four day con. We left off, after Misha and Mike Borja’s charity haircutting, with Saturday evening.
The Saturday Night Special at Vegas was special for several reasons – first, it was extra emotional because we know that we won’t have the SNS and cons forever, and second, because Jensen Ackles sang.
But honestly, everyone rocked it. Louden Swain and Rob Benedict, of course. Matt Cohen, LIsa Berry, Kim Rhodes, Briana Buckmaster, Ruth Connell – I’ve said this before, but how did we get so lucky to have so many incredible performers grace our con weekend stage?
Jensen did ‘Sonofabitch’ complete with the little fancy footwork that’s on the official video, because he’s a lovable dork like that, and then came back onstage when the band played the first bars of “Whipping Post” and sang that one too.
I’m not partial to him in a hat, but he clearly enjoyed it – and let’s face it, he can rock just about anything! I’m not entirely sure how I survived taking this first one because those green eyes!
I feel like Norton is all of us here…
Then there was Richard Speight Jr. and Billy Moran and their dueling guitars, much to everyone’s appreciation.
Play it, boys!
Sometimes I really just don’t know how we got this lucky.
After some beautiful and emotional renditions of Amazing and She Waits, it was time for the triumphant Mama’s Jam, with Ruth and Kim joining in on the fun!
And then, far too few hours later, it was Sunday.
I was much more emotional than usual, and so were many other fans. It would be the first time we saw Jared and Jensen since the news, and nobody really knew what to expect. I don’t think they really knew how to be either, since the start of the panel was a bit up and down. Jared looked visibly sad, while Jensen was trying to look…normal?
Jared: I’m sad….group hug.
Jensen: On don’t go there, it’s 10:30 in the morning!
They seemed to come to a mutual agreement to use some avoidance as a coping strategy, jumping into answering questions and being their teasing selves.
Jensen: He and I love when you’re doing a scene and it’s like a dance, you’re in sync.
Jared: I love ‘N Sync…
Jared in response to a question: There’s not a lot of acting…
Jensen: That’s like every scene with you and me anyway…
Jared for some reason talked about Jensen’s daughter’s amazing eyelashes.
Jared: Arrow has eyelashes like this, like a Disney princess.
{They both demonstrated adorably. I love that they really are one big family)
Jensen told the story that Christian had earlier, that when he was going to play Michael, he went to Christian to ask how to play him – and Christian told him to flip his coat!
(Another demonstration – I like demonstrations…)
What do they want to see for Season 15?
Jensen: We’ve talked about taking the show on the road, and doing it like the characters do.
Me: Yes please!
Inevitably as the panel went on, the topic of conversation came back to the Show ending.
Fan: So who sold their soul in Season 5 for ten more years?
Jared: (points to Jensen)
At one point a fan in the audience got emotional trying to tell J2 what this show and these characters have meant to her. Jared got emotional too, running into the audience to hug her and tearful when he returned to the mic. Jensen accepted a pack of tissues from a fan and tossed them to Jared.
Jensen: We got ya, big guy.
[That was enough to make me need tissues too]
Jensen and Jared both said that the decision was a community decision, not the network.
Jensen: It wasn’t an easy decision. It was months and months, if not years, of discussion between he and I, between the rest of the cast, between the crew, between our writers, between our producers, between the studio, between the network. Nobody wanted to see this show fizzle out. I think that it was everyone wanting to do the biggest service to the show that we could by going out strong. It just seemed like the writing was kind of on the wall as to when that was happening. Everybody kind of felt that it was coming soon, and so it was just taking that leap of faith of going like, ‘Well guys, let’s get out the paint and paint that finish line because what we’ve accomplished is unlike any other.
I’ll say.
Jensen: And what we’ve created here goes far beyond the show. And we’ve got a whole ‘nother year!
This was probably the most emotional gold panel I’ve ever seen, with Jared and Jensen reassuring each other each time one of them started to get emotional.
I don’t know how I’m going to make it through the very last one when the time comes, but I guess I’ll try to take Jensen’s advice and think about the fact that we have another year of the Show before we have to think about that!
I missed the afternoon panels from Ruth and Mitch thanks to other obligations, but was back in the ballroom in time for the J2 afternoon main panel. They did their traditional jump onstage while fans held up more pink hearts.
Jensen: Whenever we come out and do one of those jumps, I always wonder if today’s the day one of us blows a hip.
It’s a tradition that they ask how many people at the con are first time con goers. When quite a few people cheered, Jensen frowned.
Jensen: Okay well I’d like to remind you that we’ve been on this show for fourteen years. Where were you?
Out of nowhere, Jensen realized that Jared had a different scent, and leaned over.
Jensen to Jared: Do you have on a party patch?
Jared: (deadpans) Four.
Apparently you wear them to combat a hangover. Jared must have had a wild Vegas night last night! He rolled up his pants legs and put his foot up on Jensen to prove it. Then he couldn’t get his pant leg rolled back down, and had to go to Norton for help. Which made for some context-who-needs-context photos.
Jensen re-enacted the time Jessica Alba was supposed to punch him on Dark Angel – and actually did!
With Jared’s help of course.
What’s on their bucket lists?
Jared: I’d like to take a helicopter ride.
Jensen: (incredulous) A helicopter ride???
Jensen: I want to watch my children grow up.
Jared: You can do that from the helicopter.
Jensen: That’s called helicopter parenting.
Oh, the dad jokes!
There was a question about favorite episodes, and Jensen said they both loved ‘Death’s Door.’
Jensen: Then we realized we weren’t actually in that episode much. Are we weighing the show down?
Jared: Yeah, we’re critical of ourselves.
Jensen made a joke about Jared having Viking braids. Which I’d really be very okay with, btw.
Another fan walked up to the mic and said, “Jensen, you were great last night.”
Jared immediately jumped up with “Whoa wait a second!” the deadpanned “If you think he was great last night…”
LOL
A fan said she’d lost her beanie and wanted to know where Jared gets his. Jared promptly got up, took off his beanie and gave it to her! Jensen saw his opportunity and stealthily (not) removed his watch, then plaintively complained to Jared that he’s lost his favorite watch. Jared promptly took his watch off and gave it to Jensen.
And Jensen then tackled Jared with a hug.
Awwww.
Jared: Hey Jensen, I lost my favorite pair of underwear…
LOL
They did, of course, talk about the show ending and about Season 15.
Jared: I’m excited for the boring, and to be a dad.
Jensen: It’s been a constant for so long, it’s hard to know how it will be. I’m looking forward to…
It was Jensen’s turn to get emotional and a bit overwhelmed in this panel. He had to actually stop talking and pause when thinking about what it will be like to not play Dean. They both acknowledged their look might change, to have their own identities.
Jensen: I think he [Jared] and I both will probably change a little bit, I think just in an effort to kind of maybe gain a little bit of our own identity back. We’ve spent so much time with these characters, they really are kind of a part of us… not to say that we want to get rid of them, by any means, ’cause I know that this is…
Jensen got choked up here and had to stop talking, while Jared looked on, supportive but giving him time and space.
Jensen: … the best, uh,… imaginary friend that I’ve ever had in my life. Dean will be a part of me for the rest of my life. That said, I don’t have to look like him for the rest of my life, so I don’t know. It really depends on what our wives want us to look like!
Needless to say, we were all emotional too.
Jensen: I’m looking forward…but I’ve been happy to have professional opportunities go by these past fourteen years in order to tell this story.
Then he had to joke.
Jensen: Misha and I are gonna need vocal therapy after all this!
Everyone, myself included, was very very happy to hear that they are both going to be more involved than ever in giving input for the next season.
Jensen: We’ll be part of the story boarding.
Jared: As a fan of the show, I’d like to offer my input.
And Jensen once again assured fans that the SPNFamily isn’t going anywhere.
Jensen: My hope is that this SPNFamily will stay strong a lifetime.
And now I’m needing those tissues again…
You may have heard that there was a fan who got emotional and upset about wanting an autograph from J2 in the middle of the panel. I don’t know the full story, but everyone – Jared and Jensen, Clif and the Creation staff, did their best to defuse the situation with sensitivity to the fan who was upset. Jared was visibly worried about her. He and Jensen left the stage for a few minutes to help the situation calm down, and when he returned Jared said “Our family member is having a hard time. We all have hard times.”
His empathy is always so striking and so genuine. I hope she was okay.
After the last question, and some dueting from Rob and Jensen, J2 shared their customary fist bump and gave each other kudos before thanking the fans and signing the banners.
The last panel of the day was A Kings of Con panel with Rob and Rich.
Richard got a lot of questions about directing.
Rich on directing Supernatural: I had all these people rooting for me. And they didn’t mess with me because I was fireable, unlike Misha when he was directing [and hence he had pies in the face].
Rich: The guys showed their affection with me like guys do…
Rob: OMG then you really like me!
When asked who’s on their “list,” Richard ranked the “burly” Mark Sheppard and agreed with the fans’ suggestion of Christian Keyes. Also?
Rich: I’d chase me some Osric Chau…
Rob’s list? He ranked Jensen, Jared and Misha.
Rob: No wait, Jared last because he’d kill me and I’d never have sex again.
Rob was adorable recounting his fanboy moment of meeting Dawn Wells of Gilligan’s Island at the age of eight.
And on their characters, Rob said that in ‘The End’ he thinks that was just Chuck’s meatsuit and not God.
Rob: I loved playing that role, like Radar in MASH.
Rich: I’m inclined to say that Gabriel is dead, but I don’t know. Or maybe Loki pulled some trick…
Hmmm…
All too soon, it was time “It’s The End Of The Con As We Know It”.
And then it was time for me to catch a flight at 1:30 am. I had to fly all night, changing planes in Dallas before returning to Philly in the wee hours of the morning, but as tired as I was, I was grateful to have reconnected with my SPNFamily in the midst of trying to adjust to The News.
Thankful for all hugs, fam.
–Lynn
For more about why Supernatural is so
life changing, check out Family Don’t
End With Blood, the book written by the
Supernatural actors including Jared, Jensen
and Misha!