Last week was the Season 14 finale of my favorite show, Supernatural. The last Supernatural season finale, ever; the next one will be the series finale. As season finales have done for over a decade, the ‘Road So Far’ was accompanied by the song that’s become the unofficial theme song for Supernatural, Kansas’ Carry On (Wayward Son). I immediately burst into tears, which isn’t the first time. I don’t even want to think about the state I’ll be in when Carry On starts to play a year from now and we all know it’s the last time.
Two days later, I’m still conflicted about the episode – and damn, do I have a lot of questions! I was not alone in my split opinions. My timeline literally alternated between “Genius OMG!” and “Stupidest episode ever how dare you!” I had whiplash just trying to skim through Twitter. The confusing thing is, I get it. I get both reactions. As often happens to me, I’m caught somewhere in the middle instead of being firmly all in with one group or the other. You can look at this episode from multiple perspectives, and each sends me to a different emotional space. One thing is for certain – I still care about this Show just as much as I always have, because it kept me awake half the night and was the first thing I thought about when I woke up this morning. That in itself is pretty amazing.
So let’s walk (or run, really, because this was a fast paced episode) through ‘Moriah’, and see what worked and on what level – and what didn’t.
I love ‘The Road So Far’ in every season finale. This one recapped pretty much all of Season 14, from Michael to the return of John and the epic family reunion in the 300th episode. There was some epic VFX and some emotional moments, and then we pick up right where we left off – with Jack having blown up the Ma’lak box and escaped.
He confronts Sam, Dean and Cas, eyes glowing ominously.
Jack: You lied to me!
He throws them across the room, but at least he didn’t incinerate them. And then he’s gone.
Dean and Castiel are still very much at odds in this episode, Dean arguing that Jack is dangerous and needs to be stopped.
Dean: Now he’s just another monster.
Cas: (shocked) You don’t mean that.
Dean: The hell I don’t.
Fandom was still split about Jack and whether he’s still a misunderstood nougat loving boy trying to do the right thing or a soulless dangerously powerful being who’s killed people. Logically I think it’s pretty clear the latter is true, but emotionally the Show keeps making sure we remember the former version of Jack and thus feel for him. So Dean still comes off as pretty harsh, and very very angry.
Director Phil Sgriccia makes the emotional scene between Dean and Cas jump off the screen with its intensity, and Jensen Ackles and Misha Collins both bring it. They are both angry, both convinced they are right and the other is wrong – and that the stakes are high because someone (Jack or other people) will die if they don’t do what they feel they need to. Sam is the emotional core of the audience in much of this episode, cringing as the two people he’s so close to have it out but unable to intervene.
One of the things I haven’t liked in Season 14 is the lack of interaction between Dean and Sam, which is why I started watching the Show in the first place. In this episode, they actually get to talk, so that goes in the win column (though their conversation is uncharacteristically awkward). Dean wants Sam to know that he realizes how hard this is for Sam and what Jack meant to him.
Dean: Hell, he meant a lot to me too, he was family. But this is not Jack anymore. We have to do the hard thing, the ugly thing. Not like it’s the first time though, right?
At the time I thought that was an odd thing to say. In retrospect, I see that Andrew Dabb (who is both the showrunner and the writer of this episode) was trying to foreshadow the eventual reveal that the Winchesters have been manipulated their whole lives into doing all kinds of hard and ugly things – for the amusement of God. I mean, Chuck.
It was interesting that Dean continued to refer to Jack as “the kid” throughout this conversation with his brother, even as he’s trying to convince Sam that he needs to be killed. I saw this as evidence of Dean’s ambivalence. I said in my last review, Dean is not as certain about this course of action as he seems. It’s there in little tells like that. He likes to bluster and present his decision as something he’s absolutely certain about, but Dean is a much deeper thinker than that – and he feels things more deeply than he lets on too.
Meanwhile, Jack is hurt that he was lied to by the father figures he trusted, and hypervigilant for all the lying that humans do all the time – which of course he finds evidence of everywhere. Jack’s temper gets the better of him again, and he orders everyone to “Stop lying!”
Which they do.
Sam and Dean put on their fed suits (momentary detour to say that yes, the boys do look damn good in their fed suits) and head out in the Impala to look for Jack. They drive to a company called Mirror Universe which looks like it must be in California (and seems like some sort of call out to every science fiction episode ever that had one, including arguably Supernatural’s own AU). Either that or it’s a hint about what eventually happens in this episode.
Dean scoffs at the “nerds” but Sam isn’t having it. (Because Sam Winchester as we head into the last season has had it up to here with not speaking his mind, and he’s doing it – and I am here for it!)
Sam: Takes one to know one.
He proceeds to prove it by rattling off all the totally nerdy things that fanboy Dean does, including watching Jeopardy every night just like me; Dean doesn’t deny any of them. Jared and Jensen were gold in this entire scene, their expressions on point and their brotherly chemistry lighting up the screen.
Dean beelines for the attractive woman at the desk, assuming he can charm her (not a bad assumption).
Dean (flashing his badge per usual): I’m Dean Winchester and I’m looking for the Devil’s son.
Receptionist: What?
Dean: What?
He tries to correct himself and blurts it out again, ending with “And this badge is fake.” Ackles and comedy never cease to amaze me.
The formerly peaceful employees of Mirror Universe are also suddenly unable to lie, which results in confessions of affairs (and unexpected voyeurism), accusations of yogurt theft with resulting violence, and someone walking around exclaiming “I hate everyone!”
Dean proves that they can’t lie either by demanding that Sam tell him who his favorite singer is, because he knows Sam is lying when he says Elvis. (In fact, I’m pretty sure he knows what the real answer is, he just wants to hear Sam say it).
Sam says Celine Dion every time he tries to say Elvis, which I admit annoyed me. Celine Dion? Oh come on, really, Show?
That part fell flat for me just because I can’t believe it (though perhaps this is my own prejudice). But why not a shout out to Jason Manns, who we’ve seen Sam listen to before? Opportunity wasted.
It was a funny scene though, and Jared also nailed the comedy.
Also I’m a little in love with the Stapler Queen.
It’s odd to have so much humor in an episode that is going to end up anything but; however, Supernatural has always excelled at being a roller coaster of feelings. The humorous part of the episode is the first thing to go meta, another thing Supernatural has always excelled at. The episode nudges at the border of real and fantasy with some social commentary.
Dean: No lying makes the internet really quiet.
From a show that has had a sometimes contentious relationship with its outspoken and opinionated online fandom, that was a pointed reference.
Dean can’t lie and also can’t seem to stop talking, telling Sam all about a mommy blogger who he’s apparently read before, taking great pleasure in the fact that she’s had to admit that her children are not so perfect and her gluten free popover tastes like crap…
Sam: (WTF look)
Dean: I’ll stop talking.
Sam: Probably a good plan.
That was a weird little inclusion because in real life at least one of the extended cast family has a “mommy blog”. But then again, there’s a fair amount of research that suggests that because we all try to portray ourselves as “perfect” online, every time we peruse social media, our self esteem takes a hit.
And then there was the political meta, as Sam and Dean catch a bit of a news program in which it’s reported that “the President” has finally handed over all his tax returns and fessed up to ties with Russia and North Korea – and making a demon deal with someone named Crowley. I admit I laughed out loud at that one – they really went there!
In the midst of the chaos at poor Mirror Universe, a woman sits on the floor amidst the carnage and laments “I just want to be loved”. Callback to Crowley when he was in the throes of his human blood addiction or social commentary on internet fandom, I wasn’t sure.
Meanwhile, Castiel attempts to talk his way into Hell to examine the Cage (presumably to see if it would hold Jack). The demon guarding the door refuses, but Cas turns around to find – God!
Chuck: (shakes his head)
Castiel: (eyeroll) Chuck.
He tells Cas that he answered his call, and that he’s also here because of Jack. Much of fandom was spoiled for Rob Benedict’s return, including me, so I wasn’t shocked to see Chuck. But I was shocked to see Chuck so early in the episode. Most of us assumed he’d show up at the eleventh hour, the veritable Deus ex Machina to save the day and take Jack with him or something. But here he is, already.
Hmmm.
Chuck and Cas meet up with Sam and Dean at the chaotic Mirror Universe, and they have a rather tense conversation.
I feel like Cas was skeptical about Chuck from the start, hence this priceless expression courtesy of Misha Collins.
Dean demands to know where Chuck has been (as their lives have been turned upside down and Michael let loose and Lucifer wreaking havoc and their mother killed etc etc etc).
Chuck: (takes out his guitar to tell the story)
Dean whirls on him, furious.
Dean abruptly grabs the guitar and smashes it to the ground, and Chuck goes from harmless seeming nerdy guy to terrifying when he screams “DON’T!”
I actually jumped during that scene. You wouldn’t think that Rob Benedict would be able to pull off that kind of powerful and scary, but oh yes, he can. It’s the Chuck we saw glimpses of with Metatron, in Robbie Thompson’s brilliant ‘Don’t Call Me Shurley’. The powerful and frightening God who Metatron recognized instantly.
Chuck zaps them all back to the bunker and tries to placate them.
Chuck: I get it, I’m the Deus from the Machina and you have questions…
Another veer into meta, and fandom’s frequent criticism of all the Deus Ex Machinas that Show has tried to pull off over the years, right down to our assumption that Chuck might play that role in this finale.
I like when Show goes meta, and I smiled at that – but it was also meta with a bite. Kripke always seemed to pull off that delicate balance of tossing in meta that let fandom know he saw us. Sometimes he didn’t quite understand what he saw, but he always poked fun with evident affection. I’m not 100% sure that was the case here, but it certainly made a point.
Chuck says that Amara is in Reno, that they’ve been together. The whole conversation – and Chuck himself – are by this time starting to sound pretty off. Not the first time Chuck has been far from a benevolent loving supreme being, but he still seemed different. When Castiel expresses surprise at Chuck pointing out that lying is helpful (hence the chaos in the Mirror Universe), he shrugs.
Chuck: I’m a writer. Lying is kinda what we do.
It’s a theme of the episode, and it’s also more of that meta that might not be very affectionate. It’s also a cynical way to look at writing. Writers create fictional worlds, sure, but I’ve never connected that to lying in quite the way Chuck (Dabb?) does. It’s all kinds of ominous, which I suppose is the point.
Sam and Dean confront Chuck for not helping out when they’ve been through so much hell (literally and figuratively) but Chuck reminds them that he’s “hands off.”
Chuck then goes very meta, recounting some of the things the Winchesters have confronted, from the multiple apocalypses to “going up against the British Men of Letters – a little weak, but okay”.
It’s in the tradition of Kripke’s jabs at early episodes that were also criticized by fans like ‘Bugs’ and the ghost ship episode or the monster truck one, and it’s cute and funny but I’m still not sure if that affection which makes it all okay is there as much as I want it to be.
Chuck makes it clear that Jack is a danger.
Sam: So Jack is apocalyptic?
Chuck: The world just went insane.
We hear evidence on all the radio systems, ending with the Queen of England being a lizard, which is a shout out to Misha Collins and another little meta tidbit.
Chuck snaps his fingers and fixes it.
Dean: Celine Dion rocks. Yeah, we can lie again.
Chuck insists that Jack has to be stopped, and that he can’t do it – but Sam, Dean or Castiel can.
He puts a gun on the table, suggests some over the top names like “The Equalizer” or “The Hamurabi” with its eye for an eye connotations, and tries to explain that existence is all about balance. Which means if you shoot someone with it, you die too.
Dean looks resigned.
Dean: This is the only way.
Cas points out that they thought the only way to defeat Michael was the Ma’lak box, and that didn’t turn out to be true, which, good point, Cas.
Cas: There has to be another way.
Dean is determined.
Dean: Either get on board or walk away.
Cas: (walks away)
Chuck looks after him, an unusual expression on his face.
Was this Cas going off script? Hmmm.
One of my favorite scenes of the episode comes next, as Sam goes to Dean’s room looking for him.
Dean is sitting at a table in the corner, drinking.
This scene is a perfect example of how gorgeous Supernatural is, the cinematography and the lighting and the set dec and the direction and the acting. All of it. I want to roll around in this scene forever, it’s that beautiful and that full of brimming emotion that tears me apart and makes me love these characters with all my heart.
Dean is sprawled out, looking strangely vulnerable. He invites Sam to sit down, and tells him he’s glad he’s there, that he has something to say to him, and we all know that’s not good. Sam knows too.
Sam sits down on the bed, but he doesn’t even let Dean go on.
Sam: This is where you tell me you’re gonna be the one to pull the trigger?
Dean: We don’t have a choice, Sam.
But like I said, Sam Winchester is DONE with not speaking his mind.
Sam: Of course we do. Don’t we always? I mean, isn’t that the point of everything we’ve ever done, that we always have a choice?
It’s a conversation about killing Jack (and sacrificing Dean), but it’s also the theme of the whole episode – and more than that, of the entire Show. It’s a call back to Swan Song and the point Kripke was trying to make all those years ago. Making your own choices, free will versus destiny. It’s what Supernatural is all about.
The room is dark, and the lighting makes the scene even more dramatic; it also makes Jensen and Jared look unearthly beautiful. There’s so much emotion there between the brothers, but they are heartbreakingly far from being on the same page. Dean doesn’t feel like they have a choice, and he is always going to be willing to sacrifice himself to keep Sam and everyone else safe. Sam wants to believe that they do have a choice, and he’s hanging onto that belief and that hope.
Sam protests that they haven’t even tried to save Jack (which is what much of fandom has been screaming).
Sam: He doesn’t’ have a soul! I brought him back, because he’s family. And he burned his soul off to save us! So you want my permission? You want me to say that I’m cool with losing him and losing you all at once? Because I can’t say that. I won’t say that. I’ve already lost too much.
Sam is anguished, the thought of Dean killing Jack – and of Sam losing Dean – too much to even consider. He takes a stand; he refuses. Jared Padalecki is brilliant in this scene, letting us see Sam’s desperation, his deep sadness. His fear. He lost it a few episodes ago when faced with Dean going on another suicide mission to trap himself forever in the Ma’lak box. Now Dean is determined to sacrifice himself again, and it’s too much for Sam.
Sam walks out and Dean sits alone, literally backed into a corner. Jensen Ackles says volumes with the expression on Dean’s face, tormented and equally anguished. So much pain in his eyes, and so much determination in the set of his jaw as he downs a stiff drink. We know, in that moment, that he hasn’t changed his mind and that it’s killing him not to have Sam on his side this time.
Also I apologize if those caps made you need to take a break and get a cold drink.
Meanwhile, Jack is still trying to figure out how to reconnect with his human side. He visits his grandmother, but Mrs. Kline doesn’t want anything to do with him. She did some digging and realized Jack lied to her, that he’s not who he says he is (theme, theme, theme…) She realizes that her daughter is probably dead. Anguished, she lashes out at Jack, asking him what he did to her daughter.
Jack gets angry and, eyes glowing, yells for her to “Stop!”
Break away to commercial, and it seems like Jack has probably burnt his grandmother to a crisp now too. Maybe.
Castiel goes in search of Jack, and finds him in a cemetery (or they find each other). Cas approaches Jack, and for a moment we don’t know what he’ll do – then he takes the next step and sweeps Jack into a hug. Cas really does love Jack, as much as an angel loves – maybe more. Cas was human for a while, after all. Misha seemed to channel all his own fatherly instincts, portraying Cas as absolutely unwavering in his loyalty to Jack.
They have a heart to heart, Jack admitting that he’s trying so hard to do the right thing, but that he keeps failing.
Jack: I killed my mother just by being born. I used to feel bad about that, but now I don’t feel anything.
It’s heartbreaking and also frightening, because both Cas and Dean are right about Jack. But we do learn that at least he didn’t kill his grandmother. He’s clearly made a little bit of strides in keeping his powers in check. Instead he ran.
Sam is back at the bunker as Cas and Jack are talking. He and Chuck have a conversation that gets very meta again, about the various other realities that Chuck created – some all yellow, one with all squirrels….
Sam: Michael said you create these worlds and then toss them away like failed versions of some book. Is that what you’re doing to us?
Chuck: No! Of all the Sam and Deans, you’re my favorites. So interesting!
That is a chilling admission. (It’s also confusing, because I thought at some point we learned that Sam and Dean were only in this world, not in the others).
But most of all it’s meta as hell, because we’re back to talking about Sam and Dean purely as characters. As pawns in a fictional story that Chuck is writing. With story lines tossed away and never followed up on, a frequent criticism by Supernatural fans to the current showrunner who also happens to be writing this episode. That is definitely meta.
Back in the actual story, Sam is getting a clue.
Sam: (clearly also a bit creeped out) Do you watch us, when you’re not here?
Chuck: Yeah. I mean, you’re my favorite show…
Depending on your fic preferences, that probably put some interesting images in your head of what exactly you think Chuck is enjoying watching, just saying. I’m not so sure that wasn’t the intent of the meta commentary, in fact. We watch them too, our favorite show, for our own selfish and voyeuristic reasons. I hear you, Show. I’m just still not sure you’re speaking with affection here.
Sam: Why does it always have to be on us?
Chuck: Because you’re my guys!
Sam: You’re scared of him, aren’t you? [Jack]
Chuck: Aren’t you?
Sam (getting even more of a clue) Do you know where he is?
Chuck: I do.
Sam: Then what are you waiting for?
Chuck: (downright sinister smile) Oh, nothing. Dean’s already gone.
That moment was incredibly well done, so kudos all around. I was shocked, not realizing that Chuck was distracting and delaying Sam on purpose. I think my mouth literally hung open.
From here the tension amps up into overdrive and doesn’t let up for the rest of the episode. Castiel and Jack continue their talk but now we know that Dean is on his way to them with the gun that can kill Jack – and Dean.
Jack laments that he keeps trying to do the right thing but it never goes right, and that all he ever wanted was to be good.
Jack: Now I’m empty. I know you love me and I want to love you back, but I can’t.
Cas: We just need time to fix this, we need to get you somewhere safe…
But it’s too late. We cut to Dean, standing a few yards away, holding the gun.
Castiel stands between them.
Dean: Cas, step aside.
He doesn’t, defying Dean and telling Jack to run away.
Jack refuses, saying he won’t run anymore.
He zaps Cas out of the way and faces Dean, dropping to his knees on the grass and waiting for his fate.
It’s a beautiful, sad scene, a statue of an angel or maybe Mary (meta…) watching it play out in the graveyard.
At the same time, here comes Sam, driving a big blue boat of a car (not sure why he didn’t take one of the fancy cars from the bunker that would definitely go faster…). Sam leaps from the car and starts running, Jared’s long long legs eating up the ground as he practically flies toward his brother, yelling “Dean! Dean!”
I was bouncing on my chair because this isn’t just Sam trying to save Jack, it’s also Sam trying to save Dean!
Jack: I understand. I know what I’ve done.
It’s a callback to other memorable season finales – Swan Song with one brother driving up to try to save the other, and the Season 10 finale when Sam drops to his knees and waits for Dean’s execution in a similar state of acceptance (a bit of foreshadowing there as to the outcome).
Dean raises the gun and takes aim.
Sam sprints through the cemetery, yelling “Nonononono, Dean, hey” which is just so very Winchester that it nearly made me cry.
Jack: You were right all along. I am a monster.
Sam arrives, but Dean tells him to stay back. Chuck zaps in too, and Cas runs up to join them. Everyone holds their breath waiting for Dean to pull the trigger.
He cocks the gun.
And Sam looks at Chuck.
Sam: Are you – are you enjoying this?
He is, clearly, and we the audience begin to get a sickening feeling in the pit of our stomachs.
Jensen Ackles shows us a whole dictionary of emotions on Dean’s face as he struggles with this decision, with Jack’s granting of forgiveness and understanding even without a soul.
Then he slowly lowers the gun, and tosses it aside.
Chuck: No! Pick it up! This isn’t how the story ends – this is Abraham and Isaac, this is epic!
But Sam has figured him out.
Sam: He’s been playing us. This whole time. Our entire lives. Mom, Dad, everything, this is all you. Because we’re your favorite show.
Chuck offers to bring their mother back if Dean will get back to killing Jack, and for a moment it looks like Dean will cave.
Dean: No. No. My mom was my hero, and I’ll miss her forever, but she wouldn’t want this.
Me: (thrown out of the moment) What? His mom was his hero??
Dean loved her, and came to terms with all the water under the bridge they had between them, but his hero? I don’t think he’d call her that.
Anyway, Sam goes OFF on Chuck, and Jared Padalecki is hotter than hell in this scene, just saying.
Sam: Where were you? Sitting back and watching us suffer? Losing people we love?
SO ANGRY AND SO HOT.
I love how the Winchesters do not give a fuck that who they’re going up against is God himself. They are gonna tell it like it is and let you know just how few fucks they give that you’re a supreme being, whether you’re Lucifer or Chuck or Amara or whoever.
Dean: This isn’t just a story, this is our lives! And god or no god, you go to Hell!
Chuck: (clearly pissed) Have it your way.
He smites Jack, who falls to the ground, Cas leaning over him desperately trying to heal him but unable to.
Dean: Stop it!
Chuck throws Dean across the graveyard like the Yellow Eyed Demon did in a similar graveyard all those years ago.
Sam (grabbing the gun): Hey Chuck!
He fires the gun, and my heart stops.
Me: Sam, nooooooooooooooooooooooo!
Jump to commercial. I sat there gaping throughout the break. What did Sam do? If Chuck is dead, so is Sam…
When we resume, Sam shoots Chuck in the shoulder (and gets a wound to the shoulder too, though the gun doesn’t shoot bullets but whatever).
Chuck is now beyond pissed.
Chuck: Fine. That’s the way you want it? Show’s over. Welcome to the end.
I teared up at that moment, because that was way too on the nose. The Show really is going to be over. It really is ending. And that makes that meta moment incredibly cruel.
Everything goes dark. Dean checks on Sam, so all is right with the world in that aspect.
Dean: Hey, you okay?
Sam: Yeah, I’m good.
Jack, on the other hand, really is dead, the outline of his wings singed into the ground.
Chuck had said he couldn’t do the killing, but clearly that wasn’t true.
Cas (bitterly): He’s a writer. Writers lie (theme, theme, theme…)
Jack wakes up in The Empty, with the Entity approaching him, drawing a creepy smile on its face. And then Billie is there (hello Lisa Berry!).
Billie to Jack: We should talk….
Motorhead’s “God Was Never On Your Side” starts to play, a perfect song for this ending that made the last scene so much more powerful. As Sam, Dean and Castiel watch, souls begin to rise out of Hell, a call back to the souls escaping hell in All Hell Breaks Loose Part 2 in another graveyard (as was the close up gun cock as Dean prepared to shoot).
Then the souls falling back to earth recalled that incredible scene of the angels falling in the Season 8 finale, ‘Sacrifice’, one of my favorite episodes ever. This time they’re the evil things that the Winchesters have killed come back, from the very first Woman in White to the John Wayne Gacy evil clown to Bloody Mary in the mirror.
Me: OMG
In the graveyard, the newly released souls animate the dead bodies buried there. Hundreds of them approach Sam, Dean and Cas. Part of me couldn’t help but see it as a shout out to The Walking Dead and Jeffrey Dean Morgan and another part kept hearing Jensen and Jared making fun of fighting zombies because they walk so slowly that anyone could get away.
This time there are too many of them, though, and they have the threesome trapped. Cas pulls out his angel blade. Dean breaks off two rusted iron spikes from the cemetery fence and gives one to his brother. The three stand in the middle of the gathering horde, weapons raised as they all swarm in attack.
Fade to black as Motorhead sings “God was never on your side.”
There’s no question that making God himself the Big Bad for the last season of the Show takes guts, and that it pulled off a twist that most of us didn’t see coming. That’s no mean feat for a show in its fourteenth season. And turning what we assumed would be the Deus Ex Machina on its head while making explicit reference to it in the story itself? Pretty effing cool.
There’s no question that was an epic ending. There’s no question it was a hell of a bold move, essentially trying to wipe the slate clean and make the Winchesters start over “saving people, hunting things.” Many fans have wanted a return to the Show’s roots, myself included, and this might be a way to focus more on ‘monster of the week’ episodes, since there will be no shortage of monsters for hunting. A post-apocalyptic setting for this Show is intriguing (apocafic is one of my favorite flavors, after all) so that might also be yummy – and maybe we’re even going back to the dark palette that the Show used in its first seasons. Fingers crossed on all that.
Supernatural has always been a show about free will, questioning whether that exists at all. In this episode, the Winchesters and Castiel defied God himself to demonstrate that yes, free will does exist. Cas and Dean and Sam all showed it when they went against each other as well as Chuck, each trying to do what they were convinced was the right thing. Chuck’s assertion that he’s omnipresent and in complete control of the narrative didn’t pan out – the Winchesters refused to play their part once again. I like that. It meshes well with Swan Song and that ending I cherish.
Up against good, evil, angels, devils, destiny, and God himself, they made their own choice. They chose family. And, well… isn’t that kinda the whole point?
It didn’t have the same emotional punch as that episode, but it still revolved around ‘they chose family.’
All three of Team Free Will got to be a hero in this episode – Dean by being willing to make the hard (ugly) decision and sacrifice himself, Cas by staying steadfastly loyal to his ‘son’, and Sam by listening to all sides and making his own decision and having the balls to go up against even God to do what he felt was right, trying to save everyone he cared about in the process – a call back to Sam’s early seasons protest to his dad, “No sir, not the most important thing”.
So from one perspective, that was a rollercoaster of an episode, kept you on the edge of your seat, gave you surprises you never saw coming, and tugged at your heartstrings a bit for good measure. (I would always prefer more heartstring tugging, but that’s just me).
From another perspective, what the ever loving fuck have they done? Erased and undid everything that made the Winchesters heroes? Turned on its head the very premise of the show – saving people, hunting things? If they never sent those monsters to hell, who are the Winchesters and why are we watching this Show? What’s their legacy now – what do those initials carved into the bunker table mean? I don’t want the last season to destroy what’s iconic about this Show. I don’t want to have its legacy destroyed. I reacted strongly to Mary’s initials being added to the bunker table because that SW-DW is so iconic and so meaningful. In this episode, what at first reaction it seems they might have (sort of?) destroyed was much bigger – Sam and Dean’s legacy itself.
So I understand that if you look at it from that perspective, you were pretty upset about this episode.
Does this destroy what makes the Winchesters and Castiel so special? Could you say they might as well never have existed if they haven’t made a difference in the world? It’s such a core theme of the show, and one that’s been adopted by the fandom as well. What does it mean if ‘always keep fighting’ turned out to be a mantra that made no difference? To some fans, it felt like they invalidated fourteen seasons, erased all the meaning that the Show has held and left their accomplishments meaningless.
I didn’t read it like that, but I understand where they’re coming from and I have tremendous empathy for that sort of hurt. I’ve written before about how important this show is to its fandom – I’ve written entire books about that, in fact. If you feel like you’ve lost the very reason you love the show, that’s a terrible and real pain indeed.
My reading is different, especially after I’ve spent the past two days doing little but thinking about this episode. For one thing, unless I’m reading this totally wrong, Chuck’s do-over didn’t erase everything they’ve done. He let the bad things they’ve killed out of hell, but he didn’t strike dead all the people they’ve managed to save. It’s only the ‘hunting things’ part of the mantra that got smashed – the ‘saving people’ is still intact as far as I can tell. At least I hope that’s the correct assumption! All the people they saved from those things the first time around, they’re still living their lives. (Though now there will be a lot more monsters that might take them out in the future). Chuck also didn’t open up Purgatory, I don’t think, so we probably won’t have Leviathans and Dick Roman around to muck things up, so that’s also a win they get to keep. Same goes for Eve and all the dickish power-hungry angels we’ve encountered, since they’re not in Hell either. Everything that has already happened, really did happen. All the things that made Sam and Dean and Castiel who they are. So it’s not everything that’s been overturned. I mean, it’s enough to be traumatizing, for sure, but I’m taking solace where I can find it.
Some fans were also understandably upset that God seems to be turning out to be the Big Bad of Season 15 – or at least that’s how it looks right now. If that’s the case, it’s a bold move, Show. I immediately went back over some of the other Chuck episodes, struggling to make sense of them. Was Chuck ever actually a “good guy”? Was he really put off about Sam and Dean going against their destiny in Swan Song, or did his smile at the end mean that he approved of that story line all along and was enjoying all the drama? Can any of us really hate a character played by Rob Benedict??
There were clues all along that Chuck wasn’t entirely a stand up guy, that’s certain. Metatron recognized him most when he was selfish and throwing a tantrum, as the God who the angels were all afraid of. He locked up his own sister for all eternity, and while she was pretty awful when she finally got out, I mean, who could blame her?
I was on set when Rob Benedict filmed his very first episode as Chuck. It was called “The Monster At The End of This Book”, and everyone was teasing me and Kathy that the episode was “all our fault”. We were writing our first book about the Show, and that meant that we’d been talking to Eric Kripke a lot – and he now knew a whole lot about his show’s fandom. His way of dealing with that knowledge was to go meta and take it right into the show, poking fun at us and him and the Show itself, but always with affection and a self deprecating sense of humor that allowed me to love every minute of it. This episode came full circle, in a weird way. Rob returned, in an episode that went very meta indeed – and he returned as literally the monster at the end of this book (ie this show).
I don’t know yet how I feel about that. It might be brilliant; it’s certainly dangerous.
Is this Chuck, who we see be so cold and manipulative and narcissistic, the same Chuck we met back then? He did say he was “a God, a cruel and capricious God”. Maybe he has been all along.
Some fans weren’t so sure, and I’m not entirely sure. Is Chuck really Chuck? Lying and people not being who they appeared to be was a repeated theme in this episode. They made it a point to bring up Amara, and the balance of light and dark. Did Chuck and Amara somehow meld together, and now Chuck is a whole lot darker than he was? The world that Sam, Dean and Cas were thrown into was certainly – literally – dark. Someone else tweeted that when Chuck first appeared, they thought he was Lucifer. Someone else wondered if the Entity from the Empty was just making itself look like Chuck. Or is Chuck really just a dick, despite Rob’s adorable face that we all love?
If you look at the episode from a purely meta perspective, it’s both fascinating and maybe disturbing. Is Chuck in this episode standing in for showrunner (and writer of this episode) Andrew Dabb? Chuck has long been considered an avatar of creator Eric Kripke, but Kripke hasn’t been the puppeteer for these characters in a while. This fandom is well known for speaking its mind (and its complaints). Some fans wondered if this was Dabb saying to fandom, “Oh, you don’t like what I’m doing (or the spinoffs that were attempted)? Then I’ll burn it all down!”
I don’t think so, but I can understand that reading. Any time the show goes meta, there are messages to everyone in there – other writers, the network, the creator, the actors, the fans. I want to believe that most of them were affectionate, but there were surely some barbs in there too.
We’re left with so many questions as we head into Supernatural’s last hiatus.
Where do we go now? Fandom, in its infinite wisdom, has already remembered that back in the day, the Original Death (Julian Richings) told Dean that someday he’d reap God himself. Is that where Billie comes in, now that she’s returned? Will she and Jack be the only ones who can stop Chuck? That makes me a little nervous. The thing that I like the least is when Sam and Dean are not the focus of their own story. This is the last season. I want – need – the Winchesters, along with Cas, to be the ones to save the day. I need the story to be about them. I fell in love with this Show because I fell in love with Sam and Dean, and if the show isn’t about them, it’s not the Show I love. I get that the current team created the original character of Jack, unlike the other three from Kripke’s tenure, so they have an understandable affection for Jack and I think Alex Calvert is incredible, but I need the characters we’ve loved for so long to be the focus of the story for these last twenty hours we get to spend with them. It hasn’t always seemed that way this season.
And what about the overt theme of lying in this episode? What exactly is the lie in “Moriah”? What is Chuck lying about? Is that not really Chuck? Is this not really the same Earth that Sam and Dean and Castiel were standing on, or the same monsters that they killed? Something is a lie, that’s for sure, but we have no clue what it is.
What it comes down to for me is a couple of burning questions, and I’m still conflicted about them. Is this a perfect set up for Season 15, a way to get ‘back to basics’ and see more old school MotW Supernatural, fighting monsters and saving people and hunting things? Or is it another way to bring back lots of characters as that dreaded thing called ‘fan service’ that didn’t work well at all last time they tried it with the AU, and will leave even less focus on the main characters? (Ohgod, does that mean Lucifer? Again??).
Will the apparent reset that we got mean a return to saving people and hunting things, or will the Show retcon every iconic thing that has meaning in the Show and leave us without all that to hang onto when it leaves us? Nothing feels safe and it suddenly feels like nothing is sacred. And that scares me – not just for the fictional narrative, but for the meaning that this Show has in the real lives of so many fans. We wrote Family Don’t End With Blood because Supernatural has meant so much to so many – it has literally saved people’s lives, both actors and fans. I can’t even let myself think about the things that are iconic and integral to the Show, which have made it able to do that, being destroyed.
For now, I’m going to hang onto my relentless optimism that I’ve managed to mostly retain through fourteen years of this Show. I’m going to look forward to one more season of the Winchesters, back to back and together as always, fighting against impossible odds, of Castiel rebelling against the powers that be to help Sam and Dean save the world.
Again.
Please, Show, don’t let us down.
Caps by kayb625
Gifs by itsokaysammy
— Lynn
You can read the moving chapters written by
the Supernatural actors and fans in Family
Don’t End With Blood, links on the home page
I had hoped when the AU was introduced the show would be a what if situation. What is Dean said yes back in the day; what if Sam heard the correct phone message; what if Mary didn’t die on the ceiling. Maybe this last time around with all the knowledge the Winchesters have now, “killing” monsters will ne a breeze. Maybe the underlying story arc for season 15 will be “if I had known then what I know now…”
Glad you did your homework and included all the viewpoints. I’m on the side of showrunner sending a message. I just haven’t figure out which side of the coin the message falls.
As for Celine Dion, that was a call back to another AU episode, but yeah, not Sam Winchester. I also see Dean as a wheels of Fortune guy, but hey, Sam Winchester was a Jeporady answer so back to the meta. 😉
I guess we’re all going to have to wait and see on which side of the coin the message falls… *bites nails*
Some fans wondered if this was Dabb saying to fandom, “Oh, you don’t like what I’m doing (or the spinoffs that were attempted)? Then I’ll burn it all down!”
yes, that is exactly what I think Dabb is doing. and I am not liking it very much. at all. the only saving grace is that Jensen says that they will have more input into the show, so hopefully he won’t be able to do that.
but I have no faith in that either, because tptb, let Dabb go about his merry way and ruin my show.
its been a few days and I can’t stop thinking about this episode. at first I was saying WTF! zombies?? and like yourself, I not only cried when I heard Carry On, I actually cried at the ending. luckily for me, I have a friend who gave me solace who saw right away it was a reset. I was too emotional to see that. So if it is, I look forward to the MOTW episodes. they don’t need a big bad. but I am wondering if everything is reset, will we also get original Bobby, Charlie, Ellen, Jo, Ash, etc because they didn’t really die? this is going to be a very very long hiatus.
It really breaks my heart that the Js *clearly* felt that they had to end this show before Dabb ruined what’s left of it. So many people say, “It’s been on a long time and they’re tired!” They love this show. They love these characters. And they obviously felt the only way they can protect Sam and Dean from Dabb is to say “We’re done” and demand a seat at the writing table for the final season. Just…the senselessness of this whole thing is crushing.
Sobs forever…
So far it looks like the only people/things coming back were ones in hell, so that leaves all those beloved original characters out I think . I still can’t get my head around the fact that this is the LAST hiatus. (going back to sobbing now…)
I’ve been thinking a lot about this episode too.
On just an entertaining level, I think this episode was pretty good. It was exciting and if it had been any other season’s end, I probably would have really enjoyed it. However, by flashing back to all the Michael scenes at the beginning of the episode, they really just put me in the mindset of “look what we could have had.” I’m trying to take the episode at face value, but I’m still so upset with how they’ve ruined the Michael story-line this season that it’s really hard for me to look at this episode objectively. It was an interesting twist, and it does open up a lot of potential about the next season, but I’ve just lost so much faith in these writers and the show-runner that I really don’t have much hope for the last season. Previous to season 12, I would always tell people, “I trust these writers. They haven’t always done what I expected, but they haven’t let me down yet.” That is no longer the case.
I really enjoyed the humor in the office scene. I was laughing pretty hard, and a bit surprised to have so much humor in what I was expecting to a serious and dramatic episode. I also love the “stapler queen.” She was my favorite. The Trump dig was funny, but served as another reminder of forgotten canon (that the president was an entirely different, and supposedly ‘good’ person when he was possessed by Lucifer in season 12) so that also kind of bugged me.
From a purely theological perspective and as a religious person, I don’t like what they’ve decided to do with Chuck. I don’t feel like he was ever malicious before. Previously, he reminded me more of Zeus than the Christian idea of deity, and on those grounds, he liked him. The writer’s construct of a creator never bothered me. However, by changing him to be an evil, menacing figure, in my opinion, it really takes away from the rest of the series and invalidates a lot of things that have happened. To be frank, yes, the Supernatural universe is immensely broken, and that really is only possible if Chuck is broken too, but by turning him into a villain, it raises the question “where is the good?” Even earlier in this episode, Chuck talks about opposites: good, evil, light, dark. So, if he’s the evil, who is the good?
You are right though, Chuck doesn’t feel like Chuck. In season 11, he was scared, and very human, but he also felt genuine. He seemed to legitimately care about Sam and Dean as people. I’ve never liked the concept of multiple realities and I was kind of upset when they introduced it, because it makes individuals unimportant. If we’re not unique unto ourselves, then do we really have value? By bringing in the alternate realities, they have established that Sam and Dean aren’t unique or important, and I don’t like that, even if they are Chuck’s “favorites.” I would appreciate if this version of Chuck were actually what Jack had released when he had tried to resurrect Mary. That would make his actions make a lot more sense. He just seemed so different from the previous versions of himself that we’ve seen.
I also hate what this does to season 5 and season 11. If Chuck was pulling strings all along, it makes Sam and Dean’s actions in both those circumstances meaningless.
I did like Chuck’s earlier words about Billy, that “she liked to stick her nose where it didn’t belong.” That makes me think that Billie has been trying to prevent this version of Chuck’s plans from occurring for a while and that she’s going to be on the side of the Winchesters for the final season. I wouldn’t mind that. I like Billy.
So I guess I am also conflicted about this episode. In some ways, I really liked it, but in other ways, I agree with you in that I don’t like what it is doing to the legacy of the show.
Sorry for the long commentary. I had a lot of thoughts.
You make very good points here- I‘m 100% with you on the Michael front – I found those flashbacks a little frustrating.
The whole Chuck situation is one of these things where I‘m not sure the writers are just sloppily changing a character into something they need at the moment (which leads us back to the Deus ex Machina- theme), leaving the fandom to find deep and meaningful explanations for it – or if it‘s all a really well thought- through development… maybe some of both 😉
I was wondering about the title „Moriah“ too – what if Chuck wanted Dean to sacrifice himself by killing Jack, so he could be the God preventing the actual sacrifice- like God does in the Bible story? Asking for the ultimate sacrifice first (and Dean isnt „only“ sacrificing his life here, he has to leave beliefs and brothers and friends behind first!)- and pulling back at the last moment, as soon as it‘s clear the character is really willing to go there? Confusing.
And by taking out Jack, didnt God dip the national order? Shouldnt he be creating? Confusing.
That’s kind of what I was expecting too. I thought when Dean pulled back, that Chuck would be happy because he was trying to kill Jack for mostly because of anger and revenge. I thought there would be some kind of reward for not going through with it. Likening it to Abraham doesn’t make sense, like you said, because Abraham never killed Isaac.
I really want to hope that there is going to be a really good explanation for Chuck’s abrupt change too, but I’m rapidly losing faith in this batch of writers. They’ve let so many things happen that don’t make sense (like Michael being able to go back into Dean without permission) and they’ve never even bothered to give any kind of explanation even when they easily could have done so. I mean, Michael had the angel tablet for a long time. They could have explained that there was a spell on the tablet that allowed an angel to re-enter its vessel once it had permission, just like holy oil no longer hurt Metatron in season 9. However, instead of explaining how or why, they just left it to us to fill in the blanks. That is sloppy and lazy writing. I want everything to make sense and tie together like it used to.
“I was wondering about the title „Moriah“ too – what if Chuck wanted Dean to sacrifice himself by killing Jack, so he could be the God preventing the actual sacrifice- like God does in the Bible story? Asking for the ultimate sacrifice first (and Dean isnt „only“ sacrificing his life here, he has to leave beliefs and brothers and friends behind first!)- and pulling back at the last moment, as soon as it‘s clear the character is really willing to go there? Confusing.”
I thought this, myself. As if Chuck wanted to be placed on the same level as the God of Abraham, or the biblical God. Except he’s not, and admitted as much by becoming angry that his characters weren’t playing their part.This type of parallel is classic Dabb. After Sam shot Chuck and barely left a scratch on either of them with “the equalizer” it made sense that this interpretation could be the intention. Who knows, though..?
The meta was thick and soupy – almost snarky and felt passive aggressive at times, yet kept me intrigued enough to attempt objectivity while watching. I’ll admit that I may have some whiplash, though…lol.
I agree that just as an episode, if it were any other episode, it was a rollercoaster and made me laugh and gasp and surprised me and all that is good. It’s more the meaning of what the huge change and reset does to the show’s past and its future. I can’t stomach that Sam and Dean’s actions in episodes like Swan Song were just puppets having their strings pulled tho, not yet anyway. I think they have both demonstrated free will, as they did in this episode, so I’m holding onto that. And I’m trying not to jump to too many conclusions about S15, but I sure as hell am nervous!
My first (and second) reaction to the episode was a pretty confused „Huh?“, accompanied by a lot of head scratching. So thanks, Lynn, for giving my confusion a voice – I couldn‘t agree more. Thinking about and discussing the episode with friends still leaves me conflicted just like you.
While there were a few cherished scenes/dialogues, absolutely gripping performance by the actors, wonderful cinematography, and more humour than we‘ve probably had in any finale so far, the shoutouts to earlier seasons didn‘t give me that warm and glowing feeling I‘d have expected- which, considering the very unexpected turn of the story, was probably showrunner‘s intent.
Like you said – I missed the affection behind it, rather reading a bit of cruelty into it – everyone running this show must by now be sure of the way Show has changed/saved lives, and how deeply a huge part of fandom feels for its character. Rubbing it into our faces that „it‘s just a show“ is exactly what many of us get to hear on a regular basis, and I‘d have expected more… respect? Understanding? Recognition? Of those responsible for it.
But well. That scene between Sam&Dean in Dean‘s room was brilliant, deep and emotional in its own league. And I probably have never laughed as much in a finale before. I cant help it, Zombies always make me laugh, so that last frame kinda destroyed the whole „going into hiatus angstily biting my nails“- thing for me 😉
As to the whole meta- talk throughout the episode: it was clever, and it knew it was clever, and it wanted us to know it knew it was clever. And it through me out of the story, especially as I was constantly thinking how all that cleverness could have been used to create thought-through storylines and consistent characterization.
Also, putting lying and creating fiction at one level – sorry, but that‘s just a sloppy generalisation (and we get enough of THAT in daily politics, thanks)
But well…
I still don‘t understand why making a (literal) Deus ex Machina (loved Chuck‘s „from the“ btw) pop up, having everyone believe he‘ll bring a solution to the problem, and then MAKING him kind of the solution by turning him into the Big Bad and practically dissolving everything is NOT a deus ex machina solution- in my opinion, it‘s like turning the DEM on its head, only to turn in on its feet again, so…
All that meta talk highly reminded me of many a discussion at my literature theory courses at university, and I‘m not sure I‘m watching my show for that… But well.
There are several really deep and well written discussions out there, cause this season finale made everyone think about it a lot. And that‘s a good sign, I guess: if something we watch or read is worth thinking about, investing our brains and hearts and lots of time and focus, it must be layered, and offer multiple ways of deciphering. In bringing our individual experiences and knowledge into deciphering works of fiction or art, we become co- creators after all.
And a work of fiction that makes me/us ramble on for such a long time (sorry about that) can’t be accused of being boring or one-dimensional, at least!
So… I‘m trying to share your optimism and hoping it won‘t be crushed next season! Looking forward to 20 more wonderful, conflicting hours…
Thanks for your thoughts. I enjoyed the humor too, and I also found the zombies amusing, especially since they keep saying zombies aren’t real. Still, it was a pretty cool scene despite my reservations.
I agree, complex story telling is an art, love it or hate it , job done if it elicits deep feeling deep enough for passioned debate, so much better than the episodes that make you go “meh”. Personally after all this time I feel such enthusiasm when people feel strongly and aren’t afraid to say so, that they still care deeply after all this time, we have all invested in this to make it more than a show, there are those who dropped along the way and that’s ok, I’ve said it before, we all find our way to Supernatural for our own reasons, but our reason for staying is the warmth, the love and the family both inside the show and out, we all get to take away what we need and however the show ends, no one can take that from us .
I agree, the meta was clever and very obviously aware of being clever, which really diluted the cleverness ultimately. And made my head hurt. I also kept catching that whiff of mean spiritedness, or being afraid that maybe I was – ‘it’s just a show’ ‘you’re putting your favorite characters through hell’. It’s accusations thrown at every fan and perhaps every fanfic writer too. And while Kripke did some of that “I see you”, he always did it with what I felt was affection and respect. I couldn’t decide if any of that was in this episode or not. Here’s to our last 20 wonderful, conflicting hours…
Another great review, Lynn! I agree with all of it, and was similarly torn. At first, I was “UGH”, then liked it better upon second watching, and now am left worrying that our final season will try be Dabb trying to rejigger classic, iconic moments of the show, and “fix” them in his own, um, particular fashion. (Let’s just say I question his taste level on the regular.) Annnywho, happy Hellatus? 😀
His um particular fashion indeed. I’m gonna try to have as much of a “happy Hellatus” as I can, but mostly I’m gonna bite my nails alot lol
Wow, well that happened! So many thoughts and things to say I could write tomes! I’ll start differently by shining a light on the wonderful guest cast we have had over the years, starting with Season 1 Woman In White, Sarah Shahi and up to date with the magnificent Rob Benedict. Rob gave us a master class in acting, the living embodiment of duality, is Chuck good bad or what? Utterly perfect Rob, thank you. The core cast as ever, tore at your hearts. There were some very deep layers I could be here all day , but for the benefit of anyone reading, I’ll pick one, because it highlights the complexity of the story, my poor beloved Dean . It was glaringly obvious out of all the characters he was the most vulnerable and the one who was so obviously ripe for manipulating. Sitting alone in his room it occurred to me that I didn’t recall the table and chairs behind the room door before. Looking in it would have made the room empty, he’s literally wedged in the corner, trapped, a powerful metaphor for Dean’s mindset, he’d constructed a child like den, a place of safety he’d withdrawn into, complete with his Mom’s jacket hanging on a peg, physically keeping her close, he’s drowning and he’s done . Having Chuck affirm there was no option floored him, mindful of what happened when he didn’t act on Billie’s only option and all that brought down, he’s emotionally trapped. Dean struggled to accept Jack, love equals pain to Dean, loosing his Mom age four has shaped everything his is and does, giving his heart is something he doesn’t do lightly. Jack won Dean’s affection and once given it runs deep, to Dean family is everything. Dean is in so much pain because Mom is gone, again, he couldn’t save her and he hates himself for failing, again. Jack has been the target of his anger, but he still loves him, he’s definitely torn about him, the hunter in him knows the danger of such power walking unchecked, but the protector in him hates what needs to be done, he can’t see another way , this is when Chuck strikes, giving Dean the means to end it and Dean is accepting of the consequences because he also wants to punish himself for his failure to save Mary and his failure as a Father, his kid is out of control. What good parent doesn’t feel culpable at least in part for their actions? The whole grave yard seen Dean was clinical in his actions, trying to remain detached, even from Sam, he’s just had it and he raises the gun, seeking oblivion. Jack brings Dean home in the way Sam used to , by showing his growth and understanding of what he did, it threw me back to all the times Sam has done likewise , Sam and Jack have so many similarities it broke through Dean’s armour, making him look, really look at him, see that he (Jack) was not a monster but a vulnerable manipulated kid at hear . The whole time Dean had held on to his anger because if he let it go, then he would have to accept it was time to let his much loved mother rest in peace and he didn’t want to face that, it not something that he finds comfort in.Jack’s penitent actions and sincerity woke Dean up to the reality Jack was not evil and that if he took the shot, there would be no turning back, that he would be the one tearing down everything he’d strived for, his whole life time of trying to make his Mom proud. In that sense I took Dean saying she was his hero to mean her absence had made him who he was, imperfections and all and he was not about to throw that away, and by extension, neither would he, despite his pain , throw his family and own life away . Chuck’s offer to restore Mary reminded me so much of the cruelty of Alistair, telling Dean if you damn yourself , I’ll take the pain away, so there in was a test, did Dean pass? I think so , I see the final season as a series of challenges and tests, that TFW will very much be the core of the moral compass, Chuck is old and tired, more than a little imperfect, is the set up for a New God,a Better a God ? Is it just freedom and choices? It’s complicated and I for one am excited to see how it goes. Writers lie, but what did they lie about and to whom?,that’s the question . For those of you who where offended or hurt by this episode, I’m so sorry , but I’ve chosen to believe this is all for a reason, with 20 episodes left I don’t think the writers have torn everything down for no reason, I hope I’m right, after all the show is not just about religious faith, but more about faith in each other 😃
I liked your point about Dean in the corner. I hadn’t noticed that. I will say that my favorite part of this episode was Dean once again defying everything to do what he felt was right. That’s one of the reasons I really love him.
With you on that, much as I love Sam , I’ve always been more connected to Dean, I feel like I’ve know him from very early on, I’ve identified with so many of his struggles and it breaks my heart to even think about how often he’s felt worthless. This season he’s had a tough time but I’d begun to think finally he’d made his peace with his past, it was such a joy to hear him say he was good with who he was, that he was finally beginning to find his own identity. I hope the whole Jack and Hell breaking loose thing doesn’t set him back to being the person he was in season 1, that he can see what he’s done to turn things around, how amazingly strong and good he is .
I love and agree with your characterization of Dean – I too thought the positioning and lighting of him curled into the corner of his room, literally hiding behind he door at his desk, was brilliant and such a symbol of his vulnerability and defensiveness. I think you might be giving the writers a little too much credit for Dean’s ‘hero’ comment and where we’re going in the next season, but I hope you’re right anyway!
Now I’ve thought lots more, I asked myself if the beauty of that whole scene in Dean’s room was the construct of Serge , Jensen and Jared with an assist from Jerry’s team? I’m sure I even saw some kind of beach type picture on the wall, the kind of safe haven Dean’s been looking for in his dreams, that he’s mentioned more than once? So many subtle things in there it was the best scene in that episode for so many reasons and a reminder of how massively talented our crew is . We are most fortunate.
I am just exhausted.
My only comment is that I don’t think Chuck is Chuck.
My only “other” comment is that I don’t think Gabriel is “asleep” in the empty.
Hmmmm
So either this Chuck is not the Chuck we have known for 14 seasons or we have been watching The Truman Show and Sam and Dean were never going to make it to Fiji.
I’m one of those fans that thinks Dabb is deconstructing Supernatural. He is tearing it all down because he is the Chuck of the Supernatural universe and no one can tell him he can’t. Jensen all but confirmed it when he talked about the initials at the last convention. He said we might have other iconic images altered, changed or destroyed this coming season (please not the bunker). I also noticed all the mean spirited jabs at the fandom (you know the fandom that has kept this show on the air for going on 15 seasons) and it isn’t the first time he has done this kind of thing.
My one tiny little ray of hope is actually with Berens tweet about the on purpose “mistake” in the Mary flashbacks. He made it sound like that was a clue maybe all isn’t what it seems to be.
I am hoping that Jensen and Jared will keep the show on track in S15. They keep saying they aren’t writers but they need to emphasize to the writers we have left how important it is that the show ends like it began with the Winchesters.
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I agree with you 100%. but I have lost any respect that I had for dabb. I am really dreading S15. 1) because its the last season but most importantly 2) I am so afraid of what he is going to do. it really scares me. will he have the nerve to show up at comic-com in July and not be afraid of the questions.
Oooooh I hope Dabb shows up and Comi-Con and Jensen and Jared just sit back and let him get torn to shreds, like they did when Carver got called out for the way Charlie died. It would be fabulous if the entire panel was about how Dabb feels about killing the unkillable show.
*bites nails*
I am hoping you’re right – I feel like many of us are hoping that Jared and Jensen can have at least some imfluence so that everything we love and cherish about this Show isn’t torn to bits and we’ve left with nothing to hang onto when it’s over :/
I love reading your reviews. They actually calm me down when my emotions are raging after watching another episode. You look at the episodes from different perspectives and allow for different opinions and reactions. But you mentioned lack of affection that you so often felt in this episode (and that I felt throughout the whole season) and it is my firm belief that the current showrunner simply doesn’t care. He cares for Jack, to be sure, because Jack is his creation and he basically made him the central figure of s14. But he doesn’t care much for Sam and Dean. At least, not in the way a lot of us do and want him to care about. As a writer the assertion that writers lie made me pretty mad, because that’s simply not true. In fact, it was only a few days ago that I was watching Neil Gaiman’s writing workshop where he made a point of stating that a writer must always be honest and truthful even when creating worlds and people that don’t exist. I spend most of my life working with stories, whether reading, studying or writing them, and for me what Dabb is doing is not writing – it’s butchering. He doesn’t have any subtlety and with him what you see is exactly what you get. There is no point looking for undercurrents there. So, yes, I believe that Chuck is really Chuck, even though we don’t want to accept it at this point. There is no point in overthinking anything, because at this point, the show lacks both emotion and depth. Funny thing is that Dabb’s style of running the show works for a lot of people. The problem (for me) is that it works against Sam and Dean. Especially Dean. Dabb managed to turn a large portion of this fandom against Dean by forcing him to make a lot of unpopular decisions this season. Now there are tons of people who call Dean the villain of the show and it shouldn’t be surprising, really, because people and their loyalties and affections can be very fickle, but it’s still amazing to me how quickly they dropped Dean in favour of Jack. There’s no point in guessing what the next season will bring, because Dabb has a tendency to start and drop storylines without properly developing them or to bring characters back only to forget all about them, without even trying to establish any emotional connection between them and the main characters. The whole show is becoming quite impersonal. I don’t feel any affection for these characters or the show. I’m afraid his description of Chuck is a very accurate one in relation to himself as the show-runner. Amusement. Entertainment. But that’s all. He pretty much destroyed the brotherly bond between Sam and Dean and that profound bond between Dean and Castiel. Someone online mentioned that Dean has never been more alone than throughout this season, often lacking Sam’s support or understanding; and I’m not even mentioning Castiel, who now seems to care only about Jack. Dean is willing to do everything for the people he loves and yet he is all alone. I don’t know. I feel very dispirited at the moment, because I don’t believe that bringing back monsters from the past will make for an interesting development. I simply don’t believe that current writers are capable of that.
Sending you a hug, sad you feeling so disheartened .
Thank you very much. Hopefully, it will get better and I will enjoy watching the show again when the next (and final) season starts.
Our show has its wobbles, I know , but i’ll be looking forward to seeing your thoughts next season.
You are exactly right in your analysis of Dabb’s “talents,” in my humble opinion. He doesn’t give two figs about Sam and Dean Winchester and their story. He *clearly* doesn’t. It can’t even be argued after this season anymore that he does and he’s just playing some kind of 3D chess that most people are just unable to grasp. There are no deep meanings with this story. That’s why he keeps throwing out things that never go anywhere, as a distraction to his thin main story arcs so the audience will *think* something far more interesting is going to happen than what actually ends up happening. The problem is he’s pretty transparent, and after two seasons with him at the helm anyone who knows anything about writing is frankly just paying attention would be able to pick out where the story was going before it went there. When everyone last season was theorizing that it wasn’t Cas who came back but the Empty creature because Cas’ characterization was all over the place, and then it turned out that it *was* Cas and they were just too busy setting up the Wayward spinoff to pay attention to character consistency, it became clear as day that the writers had stopped caring about the show’s core characters, and any idea that there might be some deeper meaning behind Dabb’s story arcs (such as they are) was nothing more than wishful thinking. I don’t know why the people in charge at the CW can’t see that this show is a paycheck for him and absolutely nothing more.
This Chuck was not consistent with the Chuck we have seen in the past. So I am hoping it was not Chuck. This did seem to be a test for Dean. There was a point where, in the graveyard, Chuck said, “Dean, don’t do this” and glanced back at the gun. Dean interrupted so we didn’t get to find out the what he meant. That struck me as having some meaning. Also, what was the gesture the black entity made at Jack in the Empty? Does that give us a clue to who it is? I hope they deliver a solid final season. I hope that Kripke and Singer make sure of that. But the writing has gone downhill these last few seasons in general, so I support their bringing the show to an end. Sam and Dean deserve to go out strong. And it can’t be that god or Chuck has just been playing and that nothing they did matters.
Yes the Entity thing was odd, seemed like Billie interrupted that with purpose, it’s hard to tell in the empty who’s who, was it Lucifer, was it Michael or someone completely different? Any suggestions?
Gabriel ?
Ooh maybe, that could explain the smiley face thing!
It can’t be Gabriel. Gabriel died in the alternate universe and the various post-life locations we’ve seen (Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, the Empty) are distinct to Sam and Dean’s universe.
Then again it’s Dabb, and he doesn’t bother adhering to canon or even his own rules.
With that in mind, is it likely there are multiple empties? Oh my head hurts now 😃
I would think there would need to be (though again, I’m applying logic, and that’s not something Dabb does). Each universe would need to have its own separate Heaven, Hell, Purgatory, Empty, etc., simply based on the fact that they’re different. The angels in the AU world were not from Sam and Dean’s Heaven, so there *has* to be a separate Heaven there. Likewise for any worlds that don’t have demons (there wouldn’t be a Hell) or monsters (there wouldn’t be a Purgatory). Each universe would, by definition, need to have its own version of various afterlifes based on the components of that particular universe. The tentacle monster universe would presumably have no need for any of the afterlifes that universes based around humanity (or a version of it) would require. Gabriel would either be in the Empty of the AU (if it has one) or nowhere at all because he’s not from that AU and so he couldn’t “get in.”
Tentacle world makes sense, I’ve always struggled with the Empty, in my mind that ought to have been the space Amara was trapped in when locked up to remain away from everything. I’m now thinking Chuck’s never thought through any of the strands that weave in and through the universe ( and by default if Chuck = Dabb him too) oh dear, I’m feeling less hopeful now, other than as J2=Dean &Sam , they will be the real life heroes in the final season, if they can make some sense of things as they supervise the writers room as well as doing the acting and directing. I’m going to take comfort in at least we will get to see Jensen direct at least once more.
Well, Chuck didn’t kill Amara, so she wouldn’t have ended up in the Empty because that’s where angels and demons go when they die. I can’t remember if it was ever made clear that Chuck would end up in the Empty. I think it was mentioned once, but that was before all the AUs were introduced, which frankly added a whole new layer of internal logic that I can’t imagine Dabb being able to adhere to because he truly doesn’t understand 1) the genre of the show, and 2) the way to construct alternate universes. The AUs can’t “share” things once people die, or there would be at least two Mary Winchesters up in Heaven now – the one that was Sam and Dean’s mother, and the one that was from the AU who didn’t make the deal to save John and had been killed years earlier. Both Kevins are dead now, so if the Heaven is shared that means there are two Kevin Trans hanging around up there. It would just be an absolute mess if the various Heavens, Hells, and whatnot weren’t completely distinct.
I imagine that one of the things that led the Js to the decision to lay the show to rest was the inconsistency. A lot of people think, “Oh, actors don’t view the show the way viewers do,” but they get *the scripts.* They’ve had to internally track these characters and their arcs for the last 14 years. If something is blatantly confusing or hasn’t been thought through, they *are* going to notice. They are not stupid, not by a long shot. I don’t doubt Jared had trouble shooting the scene where Sam punches Dean this season because neither brother has hit the other one out of emotion and not some outside driving force in *years.* I think the last time either of them hit the other was back in season 7 when Dean punched Sam for leaving without telling him where he was going when Sam was dealing with Hallucifer and Dean thought he’d gone off somewhere and slit his wrists, which made it even more unbelievable in “Optimism” this season that Sam would just go off and tell Jack to let Dean know where he was like him wandering out of the bunker and not letting Dean know was something he just did “whenever.” And *especially* after getting Dean back from Michael. Hypersensitive Sam isn’t going to tell his newly-unpossessed brother where he’s going and casually make sure Dean’s going to be okay while he’s gone? I don’t think so. Things like that were used this entire season to break Sam and Dean’s bond *to each other* and make it about their bond to *Jack.* It completely changed what this show means (and as you have observed in several of your comments, completely isolated my beloved Dean), and to think the actors aren’t going to notice something like that is to basically call them dancing puppets incapable of critical thought.
Mer , you’ve got such a good grasp on AU world and it’s associated complexity , I’m still struggling and it’s not been something I’ve not particularly enjoyed. Mostly I’ve just taken it a a plot device and hand waved it away. Some aspects of it were daft, like the giant dinosaur footprints. I’m grateful beyond words to what the show has given me and I totally respect Jensen & Jared, they have lived it all, the good and the bad and made it work beyond what’s written in the page, I can’t believe what an incredible work load they already have just shooting the show, to take on the additional responsibilities of directing and helping the writers in the forth coming season is amazing, nothing but admiration for them . It shows in all they do how much they really care, we are blessed . As far as Dean goes we have much in common in how much we care about him, I think nothing about Jack will make any lasting impact on the brothers, Sam was very specific, his reasons for rejection of Chuck’s idea was not just that he cared for Jack, but that he wasn’t prepared to loose Dean, something he’s been very clear on for a while. I could be wrong, I feel really emotional now, think I’m going to have a quiet weep in the corner.
AUs are complicated. They’re not something one should undertake lightly, because when you start writing one you have to know how *everything* works. The political structure, the social structure, how the inhabitants are similar or dissimilar to society as readers/viewers understand it, and you need to be able to answer any questions a viewer/reader might have about it, though if you’ve got it planned out well enough there shouldn’t be that many questions about the world you’ve created from scratch and how it works. The fact that Dabb decided to create MULTIPLE universes because he figured that’s how he’d get his spinoff when that was the *only* reason he bothered creating them in the first place is just further proof that he is simply not good at what he does. He introduced this whole new concept into a 13 year old show that had the potential to really screw up that 13 year old show if he didn’t have a clear, distinct goal in mind for how those AUs corresponded to the established base, which is exactly what happened. The AUs were a set-up for Wayward, but then the CW passed on Wayward so he just dropped the idea all together. I was *so* excited for Michael!Dean, and *so* excited after Nihilism with the idea of the AUs being drafts and Michael wanting to burn them all down. The fun they could have had world jumping, trying to get Dean back, it just could have been marvelous. As much as I love Dean down into my bones, I would have rejoiced at a season of Sam trying desperately to get his brother back while Michael wreaked absolute havoc on the universe. Talk about drama!!! But then the focus would have been on Sam and Dean and not Jack, and Dabb doesn’t want to write about Sam and Dean. Jensen said we’d get to see some of Dean’s trauma this season, and call me crazy, but they must have cut those scenes aside from him crying in the woods. I feel like he did everything he could this last series of episodes to show the audience that Dean is *not* okay, but the writing wasn’t there to support him. In fact, the writing was actively working against him by making Jack into this poor little thing that big mean Dean wanted to punish. So *much* potential was wasted this season, which could have been magnificent had Dabb been willing to focus the story on OUR HEROES instead of his little self-insert original character.
Don’t ever want to think about AU again, glad it’s gone
But is it? Or will Dabb find some way to force it on us again next season when he runs out of ideas and/or gets bored being forced to focus on the actual lead characters of this show?
Nope, not going to think about that even being on the table, no, no, no. No more AU , not again, not EVER
I am hoping that with the Js at the table, “No more AUs” actually sticks for the final season. Unless at the very end of the show they get trapped in an AU where everyone gets puppies, kittens, hugs and hot cocoa just for waking up in the morning, where Sam can be a college professor and Dean can open a bakery making pie *all day long,* the AUs do indeed need to be done.
Haha good plan, *no longer sobbing* 🤗
The entity thing was just drawing a smile on its face. As it makes a smiley-face motion with its hand, a smile appears on its face. I don’t think anything deep was meant by it.
Still very creepy though wasn’t it? Reminded me of old school Dr Who ( apologies to anyone who’s not into that) I used to have nightmares about the Autons ( if you’re interested but don’t know it’s bound to be on internet somewhere) and the entity’s blankness threw me right back to the nightmares, I didn’t sleep well after that!
nick almost had lucifer from the empty. was it lucifer who walked up to jack and that’s why he put a smile on his face?
Please, for the love of ALL things holy, do not let it be Lucifer!!!
Lynn-
THANK YOU for perfectly capturing my joy and ambivalence. It WAS an epic finale. It had great character moments.
It also felt like it might have pulled the rug out from underneath me as a fan — the boys’ morality has always been Free Will based. They’re messing with that. Worse, I agree, there’s an edge to the meta that bothers me.
Sadly, I guess I’m going to have to be THAT fan. And I hate being THAT fan but I really don’t like their choice to make Chuck evil. You said: “There’s no question that making God himself the Big Bad for the last season of the Show takes guts.” That implies it’s a good thing. It’s not for me. Inside the context of the Supernatural universe, the boys actions were Team Humanity. They ARE the good guys. And knowing that the creator of their universe was “Team Humanity” and “Team Sam & Dean” was pretty fundamental part of the plot. Now God is evil? Well that pisses me off. God being petty, God taking the position of ‘hands off’. All okay. God is flat-out evil and the entire series was him toying with Sam & Dean’s lives? It’s a combination of two things — retconning the show history and offending my faith. Yes, I said it. I have zero problem with a show that’s premise is anti-God. I probably won’t watch it, but they certainly have a right to that opinion and to offer that up. But that was NOT Supernatural. It wasn’t ‘pro-God’ but God WAS on their side. And yet in S15, now apparently the show is officially anti-God. Not cool.
And I don’t think it’s “guts”. I think it’s Hollywood “edgy”. It’s shock-jock radio. It’s ‘how do I one-up the past’ — let’s make Chuck evil. It feels like they took not an atheist stance but an anti-god stance. So while I’m certain some folks may like this move, I’m actually offended by it. Yes, just a TV show. But I feel like it was a sell-out to ‘edgy’ to make a splash OR literally TPTB are anti-god and using the show as a mechanism to get their thesis out.
Will I no longer watch because of this? Honestly, I don’t know. I WANT to watch, but it makes me feel like I’ve abandoned my faith for the sake of a TV show. Not worth it. It’s just a TV show. In the end, I’m just sad and feel like I lost a friend. Not just that my show is ending but that they’ve retconned it to have never been a show I should have watched in the first place.
I’ll give it time to settle but this feels like the end to me.
PS … If this induces a flame-war by anti-god folks who think I have no business being upset, either delete my post or tell me to…. I certainly don’t want to invoke a flame war on your blog. But I also felt like I had to be honest about my feelings and kindof think you would be okay with me being honest, even if you disagree.
As someone who isn’t a Christian, I think you have every right to be *extrenely* upset by this turn of events. The whole angel story line has long overstayed its welcome as far as I’m concerned, as it kept writers from having to think too much outside the box to look for story ideas (never a good thing on a show like Supernatural), but also because it picked Christianity as kind of the “super important” religion; the big one that all other religions and gods sort of tremble in the face of. And because of that, if they ever decided to make Chuck a villain, that meant they were going to be spitting in the face of a lot of people to whom God is not just a concept on a show, and previous show runners had the good taste to recognize and avoid that, even if they didn’t always paint him as the nicest deity. Even when Chuck locked up Amara – which I found morally questionable – he was doing it to protect humanity. Michael’s whole “All of these universes are drafts” speech was a thrilling concept because all we’ve seen is Chuck running away from the angels (who are his literal children), and WOW would it have been amazing to see him return to mend the family he broke! Instead they got rid of Michael within three episodes of his return and now Chuck appears to be the Big Bad. If he’s not the Big Bad, then he’s at the very least a HUGE jerk that no one should want to follow, and I agree with you – I think that’s Dabb’s way of fitting some “woke” commentary into his version of this show. At the very least he’s not aware enough of how broad of an audience Supernatural has to consider that characterization of the Christian God would clearly be *very* insulting to anyone who watches this show and takes their faith seriously.
My husband had a very similar reaction. We both don’t like what they’re doing to Chuck for a number of reasons, but they are definitely toeing the line for those of us who believe in the Christian concept of deity… if they haven’t already crossed it. I think the only way they can salvage it for those fans is for Chuck to not really be Chuck. However, seeing how it’s Dabb, I kind of doubt he’s going to go that direction.
Leave it to Supernatural to take everyone’s comfort level and turn it upside down. Lynn, I very much agree with your words, and highly value your insight of being as involved with both the show and fandom as you are.
We thought we knew Chuck; we thought we knew and kind-of liked Billie-as-Death; and with our character knowledge comes a sense of trust. The bits of Billie we have seen lately, where she tells Dean the ‘only one way’ his story will end with him and Michael in the box, and now with Jack in The Empty, both sure did come across as manipulative. Chuck’s character, too, had this overarching sense of manipulation–okay, he’s supposed to be God-as-writer/creator–but “this” Chuck is not like the other glimpses of him that we have known and trusted. I sense we will have these two both arguing, if not a real tug-of-war, over ‘what life’ and ‘what death’ in future episodes.
That said, thank GOODNESS for Team Free Will coming together at the end like they did and being true to themselves and their choices. If there is any saving grace to be had, it is the fandom “can” rely on them, after all the pain and trauma they have been through, to remain united in the face of such supernatural ‘danger,’ for lack of a better term. Back around Episode 300, when we knew Jeffrey Dean Morgan would be appearing, there was some chatter about ‘what if Supernatural became the next Walking Dead?’ Hinting as if to say that JDM could visit to give Sam and Dean some pointers, or what if Sam and Dean went over there for a crossover. And folks brushed it aside. Now look at how the season ended; might not be as far-fetched as some think?
Why do humans resort to lying? Why do we tell stories? As the episode displayed, lying keeps us from learning the truth; storytelling creates new possibilities. The road we’re on can be pretty bumpy, full of thrills and excitement; it’s all a ride. Together, in the right balance, we find great theater–and our actors in Supernatural all deserve to take a bow and a much-deserved hiatus. Let’s plan to savor all of Season 15 ~ Blessings!
All very excellent questions, why lie, why tell stories. Is the truth always right? It’s very philosophical isn’t it? I’m on board for the whole ride, I love to hear and respect everyone’s right to have their views, it makes me see things I may not have had a view on previously, or may not have thought about before and think on them more deeply and that’s a good thing
Thank you Lynn for your review. I have to admit, I wasn’t sure how I felt about this episode-all three times I’ve watched it.
The things I liked-no Nick/Lucifer story line. I really hope it’s done. I purposely didn’t watch any previews or read anything so seeing Chuck was (at first ) a great surprise. Rob’s name isn’t in the opening credits. Jack not killing his grandmother -I thought that was a ray of hope.
Things I didn’t like-Celine Dion (?) Maybe that was a subtle shout out to Canada? Dean breaking the guitar. If Dean broke mine he’d be done. The heavily dramatic music when the gun was revealed. Unnecessary. AND the overuse of the “lie” story line. Got it. Jack lied, the guys lied to Jack, Chuck lied, writers lie. The whole Chuck creating his favourite world was too much like the Metatron story line for me.
Is Chuck, Chuck? I think so. He’s never really cared about this universe, Sam & Dean or Castiel except to further his own interest. He is -in his own words “a cruel and capricious god”. Anyway we have a long, long, long time to talk, vent, review and curse our show. Happy Hellatus (?)
” Let the sword of reason shine,
Let us be free of prayer and shrine
God’s face is hidden , turned away
He never has a word to say
He was never on your side
God was never on your side
One thing I forgot to mention. Sam shoots Chuck in the shoulder . Sam is a good shot. When he killed the Alpha vamp it was dead Center so hitting Chuck like that was not an accident. Sam didn’t want to die or he didn’t want Chuck to?
Count me in the “worst episode ever” category. I just…have very little hope for the final season now. Even with Jensen and Jared saying they’re going to have a seat in the writer’s room and with planning the overall arc of the final season, TPTB have chosen to keep Dabb on despite his awfulness and what he has done to this show, Jack isn’t really dead (and if Death is going to reap God, then it seems to be setting it up that she’ll do it with Jack, not the Winchesters), and all the meta stuff did not strike me as affectionate at all, the way Kripke’s did. It really came across to me as, “Oh, you people think I’m a talentless hack who *blatantly* cared more about my failed spin-off and my original character than the show they hired me to run? I’ll show you who’s got talent!”
He doesn’t. He’s just terrible. He doesn’t write well for Sam and Dean, his scripts try to cram too much in because he has NO grasp on pacing, and he has no idea how to manage a tone over the course of an episode, never mind a season, and we’re stuck with him. The man who LIT-ER-ALLY killed this show with his incompetence is in charge of the final season after hitting the reset button on *the entire show* with this finale. I really have no doubt that the Js wanted to be in the writer’s room to make sure that he isn’t going to try to burn the whole thing down, because he obviously cannot be trusted with their story, THEY do not trust him with their story (and how could they after this finale???), and yet he’s the guy TPTB are trusting with their story.
Plus, CAN WE STOP STICKING TRUMP STUFF IN THIS F’ING SHOW?!?!?! JEFFERSON ROONEY IS THE 45TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!!!! IF WE HAD TO SUFFER WITH THE AWFUL LOTUS ARC, THE LEAST THEY CAN DO IS REMEMBER THEY FOISTED IT UPON US!!!! IT IS NOT POSSIBLE FOR TRUMP TO BE PRESIDENT, BECAUSE EVEN IF HE WERE ROONEY’S RUNNING MATE AND ROONEY WERE REMOVED FROM OFFICE (or died after being possessed) TRUMP WOULD BE THE 46TH PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!!!! IF YOU DON’T EVEN UNDERSTAND THE BASIC NUMBERING SYSTEM TO THE OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENCY AND THAT YOU ALREADY MADE UP A FICTITIOUS 45TH PRESIDENT WHO YOU SPECIFICALLY CALLED “THE 45TH PRESIDENT” SO OUR CURRENT 45TH PRESIDENT COULD NOT POSSIBLY BE THE 45TH PRESIDENT EVEN IF HE WERE THE VP TO THE FICTITIOUS 45TH PRESIDENT, MAYBE DON’T BRING POLITICAL COMMENTARY INTO A SHOW THAT ISN’T ABOUT POLITICS TO BEGIN WITH!!!!
Sorry, I hated when they did that last season, and I hate that they did it again, because I absolutely despised the LOTUS arc and goddammit, if WE can’t act like it never happened because Jack is on this show (and has been the focus of this season instead of our beloved boys), the WRITERS (or in this case THE F’ING SHOW RUNNER) shouldn’t get to act like it never happened either.
Also, Sam and Dean’s universe is not our universe! If anything, the universe of The French Mistake is our universe! That Dabb refuses to even acknowledge this simple TRUTH of the show that has long been established gives me fresh ulcers every time he so blatantly blurs the lines between the Winchester’s reality and ours! Yes, there was ONE reference in passing to Obama, and ONE reference in passing to the state of the economy in previous seasons, and that bothered me too, but it never felt like pandering the way this does, AND there hadn’t been any other president clearly established in an entire arc in a previous season by the same show runner! For someone who just made such a huge deal about Sam and Dean’s universe being Chuck’s “favorite show to watch,” it is galling that he would take things from our current news cycle and shove it into Sam and Dean’s world. Because THAT implies that *we* are all part of Chuck’s “favorite show to watch,” and that Dabb by proxy has the power of a god over us. How big does your ego have to be to make that implication??
Also, “writers are liars”?! That right there tells you everything you need to know about Dabb and why he is so incompetent. ACTORS are liars (and I say that as someone classically trained with a very expensive and totally useless BFA). They are paid to pretend to be other people. They are paid to say words someone else wrote as if they’re the ones who came up with them spontaneously on the spot. They are paid to sell stories they may not have any real confidence in (see this entire season and the whole press tour they sent Jensen on to sell Michael!Dean even after he MUST have known – and been disappointed by – how little time he was going to get to play that character). We want them to lie because if they aren’t willing to lie, we won’t have visual storytelling to consume.
Writers are NOT liars. Writers are storytellers. Those stories may take twists and turns and pull the rug out from under the reader or viewer sometimes, but the POINT of storytelling is not *inherently* to misdirect or otherwise manipulate an audience into thinking you’re doing one thing when you’re really doing another. Not unless you’re writing a thriller or a mystery where you’ve got a big reveal you need to save until the end and by the definition of your genre you want to get your audience thinking and guessing and looking for puzzle pieces to put together. Even then, your audience has entered into a “contract” with you. They understand they are reading/watching a mystery or a thriller and misdirection and manipulation will therefore not become tedious and trying. Supernatural is not a mystery, aside from MOTW episodes, and even then the mystery is confined to SAM AND DEAN figuring out what they’re dealing with and how they’re going to kill it. WE, the AUDIENCE, are not the people trying to solve the mystery because the mystery of whether they’re dealing with a werewolf or a skinwalker is not up to us to solve. There are always twists and turns, but they have previously been used *sparingly.* Like at the end of the season we discover Ruby has been working for Lilith the entire time. Every third episode should not be introducing a red herring or Chekov’s gun that’s just going to sit there for the audience to obsess over and never be used. And it’s just bad writing to have GOD of all people come in during the season finale and go, “I left all those loose ends hanging on purpose.”
Yeah, I see you, Dabb, and I don’t buy what you’re selling for a second. Expecting anyone to think that he purposely introduced a bunch of stuff only to drop it as opposed to him just sucking at his job (so much so that the leads of this show said “ENOUGH!”) is a serious insult to the intelligence of his audience. Then again, it’s not terribly surprising that he thinks very little of the fans of this show with the kind of crap he’s shoveled at us these last three seasons and expected it to be good enough. Particularly this season when the writing has relied so much on the audience’s previous 13 year relationship with the two main protagonists to create our own “character development” outside of what we saw on screen so he didn’t have to write *any* kind of story for Sam and Dean at all.
I’m going to go cry for the entire hiatus over the damage that has been done to this show, and what is likely to come in season 15 because Dabb will still be at the helm and will still be allowed to write scripts, and will realistically be the one writing the premiere and the finale, and that just guts me. It’s like a knife straight to my soul what he has done to this beautiful story and that he’s going to continue to be allowed to put his hands all over it. This season was so terrible, and so badly lost its way, and I really think this episode went the way that it did as a middle finger to the fans who are complaining so we’ll learn to say, “Please sir, can I have some more?” instead of pointing out that Dabb is a self-important hack who isn’t nearly half as clever or talented as he believes himself to be, and that he’s the worst thing that could ever have happened to this show short of one of the Js leaving. If he’s setting Chuck up as the true big bad of the final season and having some kind of face off with Billie and Jack where they get rid of him, then Dabb is either going to end up pretending season 11 didn’t happen, where the sun was dying because Chuck was dying; or use Chuck dying to destroy all the universes, thereby ensuring there can never be any future for the show (say, a limited run on Netflix in a couple of years after the guys have had a bit of a break); or use Chuck dying to install Jack as the new God, thereby making his newbie the most important character *in all universes.* With the way he’s treated this show and the size of his ego, none of those endings would surprise me in the slightest, because he really doesn’t care about the story of Sam and Dean Winchester. Not even a little bit. Seasons 13 and 14 made that abundantly clear. He is bored with them and wanted the show to be about his new, original characters, and he’s clearly willing to destroy everything that came before him to accomplish that. He *literally* had Chuck do this in the finale. I’d apologize for sounding like such a pessimist, but when it comes to Dabb, I’m more of a realist. He doesn’t understand the genre he’s writing for (alternate universes NEED TO HAVE RULES), he doesn’t understand the main characters, and he doesn’t understand the POINT of this story. And as a result, I will never understand why he was picked as show runner.
omg! someone needs to send your comment, and all of these other insightful comments to CW president. if you and I and all of the fans can see what a hack Dabb is, how are they not seeing it. I am reading all of the comments and my stomach gets sicker and sicker thinking about what is coming for us. And it saddens me to think of how the Js must feel about what happened to their characters and the show that they loved.
Amen on the Trump thing. Supernatural has always been a safe haven for people of all political beliefs because it’s never delved into it. However, as I mentioned in my comment earlier as well, it makes it even worse because it does directly go against established RECENT canon.
I also have little hope for this final season. I’m going to watch it, but, depending on how it goes, my Supernatural may end with Season 11. I may never watch the last four season again. I’m happy for those who are enjoying a show focused on side characters with inconsistent plots, but this season has been devastatingly disappointing for me.
Not only does it go against established recent canon, but all of Trump’s political crap wouldn’t be an issue in SPN because – supposing he WAS the VP and Dabb is just too stupid to know that would make him the 46th president – there would be no REASON to be demanding to see Trump’s tax returns, because he wouldn’t have been the head of the ticket!!! Literally, there would be no reason in the SPN universe for there to be any of that flak happening whatsoever. It is just Dabb completely shredding the canon *he established* and again foregoing any type of logic for the sake of landing a few cheap jokes. It goes back to establishing rules when you’re dealing with an alternate universe (and for all it shares with ours, like music and television, Supernatural IS an alternate universe by the very fact that monsters are real) and then sticking to them, which Dabb is pathologically incapable of doing.
I think Dabb kind of snapped. He inserted himself (in the visage of Chuck) into the narrative. Basically he told the fandom that he is the God of Supernatural. This is his story and if he wants to tear it all down, wipe out all past lore and canon, negate all that came before..by Chuck he will. And no one can stop him. Not the fans, not the stars of the show, not the network (show’s ending what do they care anymore). Maybe in his mind that would mean that fans couldn’t complain about the show anymore. Rules are all gone so now just watch the dam show.
Unless there is some fantastic amazing reveal in the S15 premiere I’m going with Dabb has some sort of revenge thing going on against the fans for not embracing either of his spinoffs.
I know that sounds cynical and negative but Dabb’s tenure has been so disappointing for going on 3 1/2 years now.
I don’t doubt for a second Dabb is pissed off that his two crappy spin-off attempts didn’t get picked up. He figured, “Well, if the CW isn’t going to run with my original ideas, I will just remake Supernatural in my image and about my awesome original superpowered nougat boy who could beat up Superman!” Which is exactly why Jensen and Jared went, “Nope, show’s ending.” They did the only thing that is actually in their power to save their show from what Dabb wanted to do to it. They said they’d continue the show as long as there were stories to tell, and *clearly* whatever story Dabb wants to tell is not one they’re willing to be a part of. I’m just afraid that Dabb will further retaliate and kill them both off so as to permanently slam the door for *any* future content. The nasty spirit of the meta in this episode made it clear that he’s a petty, talentless little troll.
Where’s Bob SInger in all of this? Isn’t he the co-show runner? He’s been with the show from the beginning. I remember Kripke saying at Paley Fest in 2006 that Singer was responsible for the development of Sam and Dean’s characters. I don’t understand why he’s just letting Dabb run wild. TPTB keep saying Sam and Dean ARE the show but they haven’t put their money where there mouth is in years. Sam and Dean have felt like guest stars in their own story for the past few years. I want to show to get back to focusing on them. The herd needs to be thinned out as the season 15 progresses. I hope that Cas is gone before we hit the series finale. The character has out lived his shelf life by many seasons. The writers just don’t have any good ideas for him anymore. Instead, they shoehorn him into scenes that should really be just Sam and Dean (the end scene in “Prophet and Loss” stands out to me as one of many). Sam and Dean and Jared and Jensen deserve to be the sole focus in the very end.
The fact that they didn’t really kill Jack is one of the things that gives me so little hope for the final season. As long as Dabb has the option of focussing on someone other than Sam and Dean, he’ll do it. He’s clearly wanted to do just that for YEARS. “Bloodlines” was in season 9 and had literally nothing to do with Sam and Dean outside of the five minutes they showed up to say “monsters are real” and it was widely panned. The characters weren’t compelling and the story wasn’t interesting. So he tried again with Wayward, except again – not an interesting story, not compelling characters, and he took a LOT of time away from Sam and Dean’s story to try to tell his own when he had only been running the show for a year!!! He doesn’t want to write for the Winchesters. He saw them as a launching pad for his own crappy original ideas, and when no one wanted to see his crappy original ideas he tossed our boys to the side and FORCED us to focus on Jack. “Oh, you want to see the characters you love? Well, you *can,* but only in passing.” He’s like a vindictive ex using the kids as a weapon to get us to attend his amateur bagpiping conventions. If we want to see what we love, we have to put up with what he wants to do.
I’m firmly on Team “Dabb is completely dismantling the Winchester’s legacy in one fell swoop.”
There are ENDLESS others ways in which Dabb could have set-up Season 15 to return to the show’s (now often forgotten mantra) Saving People, Hunting Things-MOW format. Instead, he wiped 14 YEARS of Sam & Dean saving people & hunting things. Made it meaningless…and for what reason? Nostalgia? Fan-service? To be a jerk?
If I wanted to re-live Bloody Mary, I would go back and watch the Bloody Mary episode…because I don’t think Dabb & co will be able to do it better than it was already done.
I think what concerns me so much is that I don’t think the writing team right now is talented enough (or quite honestly, invested enough in the show’s history) to pull it off. Jensen said as such at a recent con when discussing Mary’s initials being added to the bunker’s table alongside Sam & Dean’s. He said he was worried about other iconic things being messed with. I WORRY TOO, JENSEN.
This statement hit the nail on the head for me: “Or is it another way to bring back lots of characters as that dreaded thing called ‘fan service’ that didn’t work well at all last time they tried it with the AU, and will leave even less focus on the main characters?”
We get only twenty more episodes with Sam & Dean. TWENTY. For those episodes, I want as much Sam & Dean as we can get. Our time with them is truly precious. I don’t want old guest stars being brought in episode after episode to shine & stand center-stage, while Sam & Dean are banished to the sidelines. Which is being done way to much in these later seasons.
I want Sam & Dean back on road, in cheap motel rooms and eating crappy diner food and just being badass brothers.
I worry about Season 15 A LOT because how do create a bookend to this show???
I am, however, comforted by the fact that Jared & Jensen are determined to be involved creatively. They know Sam & Dean better than anyone (I have no doubt) and I trust them to make sure Sam & Dean get the ending they (& we) deserve.