VanCon Sunday 2019 – Last Con While the Show Is Filming Part 2

Part 2 of what was an epic trip to Vancouver, a city that has had incredible meaning for Supernatural fans since the show has filmed there for 15 seasons. We all knew this was the last time there would be a convention there while the show was still filming, which meant it would be the last time that so many of the cast and crew and production office would come to the con to greet the fans. It was also our last opportunity to thank them all for making this show that has meant so much to so many of us. So was it an emotional weekend? Absolutely.

Sunday started early for the Jared and Jensen gold panel. I say this every single time, but damn, they looked good. Jared wore the Comic Con tee shirt they gave out at the Supernatural panel in 2018, which made me smile because I’d been there when he asked Holly from WB if he could have one – clearly she came through! I love when they wear shirts that show they’re just as much fans of Supernatural as we are.

Someone asked early on how they will “shed” Sam and Dean when the show ends, kicking off all those emotions right off the bat.

Jensen: I’d be happy to never shed Dean.

Jared: Cut my hair?

Everyone: No!

But seriously, we’d love you with or without hair, Jared.

 

They were both a little teary eyed at the beginning there, then resolutely pushed it aside. I think they – like all of us – are vacillating between letting themselves feel and start to mourn and pushing it aside to just enjoy this last season.

Jared: There have been a lot of emotional “last first” days on set.

Also Jared: I get emotional every time I hear “Carry On”.

Jensen: I’m not thinking about the end yet because I’m still in the game.

Jared: We reached out to some directors who did some of our iconic episodes to come back this year.

Jensen: Of course now Charles Beeson is wondering why he agreed to do this, because we’re all messing around so much!

Favorite music cues?

Jensen: Renegade. And Back in Black. Right now I’m fighting to get a song in the episode I directed.

Ooooh

On a personal note, someone asked them what they were thinking when they saw their wives walk down the aisle on their wedding day.

Jensen: I chose not to see Danneel’s dress and makeup and everything beforehand, so when I saw her I literally gasped. We had a photographer who usually does fashion shoots, and he didn’t really know the etiquette, so he leapt into the aisle to film her.  I had to like pull him aside – and then later he was up in a tree shooting!

 

Jared:  Don’t cry don’t cry don’t cry…

.

The crowd gave Jared and Jensen a standing ovation, all of us feeling like we want to convey all our gratitude during this last year. The boys were emotional as they took it in, teary eyed again.

Rob had a solo panel on Sunday afternoon, which was lovely. He talked about the evolution of some of their songs through performing them for us. He always thinks about how he sang “She Waits” the day before he had the stroke, and that has changed that song. You can read Rob’s moving moment-by-moment account of the stroke he had at a convention and how he survived in the chapter he wrote in ‘Family Don’t End With Blood’. Have tissues ready.

Rob also said he has over 30 new songs written, some of which will be Louden Swain songs, some Station Breaks, and some for a solo album!

Rob: It’s scary but I’m super excited.

As for Rob being the controversial ‘big bad’ of the final season…

Rob on possibly going up against Death: I feel like I would’ve had a better chance going up against Julian Richings than Lisa Berry…

To a fan who has only watched up to Season 12: Just remember me from Season 11, the fun donut-eating guitar-playing guy…. Some things happen later…

Rob: I see Chuck kinda as a creative person who gets bored and forgets they’re real people [he’s playing with]. I hope he comes around.

So do we, Rob.

We also had a Ruth panel, which I always enjoy. She and Mike Borja shared a moment, which was adorable.

She had her traditional bag of hotel toiletries to give away, so all is right with the world.

Ruth on S15: The messing around is worse than ever. It’s the last season, what are they gonna do, fire us?

Also Ruth, on the breakdown of last week: We listen to this Latin professor to get the pronunciation right (Jared and Richard and I all studied Latin too). But last week it all went wrong when I tried to say “vulnerable”…. Lol

She also talked about her character’s growth and staying power.

Ruth: I think it’s been a subtle evolution for Rowena. She changed through meeting her son and grandson and through dying twice from Lucifer and from being with the boys. When she lost Fergus and faced death for real, those things changed her.

The main Jared and Jensen panel came after my one photo op, and the boys surprised the crowd by racing up the aisle and leaping (rolling?) onto the stage.

Jensen reenacted him running in and taking fans by surprise who happened to be in the aisle, saying that all they could see was him barrelling toward them and behind him just Jared’s hair fanning out lol.

Yesterday the two of them played a round of golf on their Vancouver day off.

Jensen: I’ve been trying to get him hooked on the game for years.

They also talked about all the goofing off that goes on on the set.

Jensen remembered the time that Jared was goofing off so much that director Nina Lopez Corrado said “you’re the only one who sabotages his own coverage!”

Jensen: And Jared’s like, [grinning] Yeah!

There was some discussion of the “Naked SPN” text thread that Jared, Jensen and Richard have been keeping on an ongoing basis, which is all the things we’ll never see on the show but would be PRICELESS.  Please, universe, once the show is over can we please see that??

Several priceless moments:

Jensen staring at Jared.

Jensen: You have glitter ALL over you.

Jared: (quips) Yeah, because I hugged YOU.

There was also a moment that started as joking around and then got suddenly serious and sentimental when Jensen asked Jared a question.

Jensen: What if I gave you a yearbook with a note in it about how I’ve watched you grow as a man and as a dad…

Jared tried to deflect with “Is it covered in gold?” but I was already having to grab for the tissues because you know Jensen meant every word.

 

Someone asked them if they had style icons and while Jensen did answer, he also cracked up when Jared did.

Jared: I don’t have a style icon…despite both Gen-EVIEVE and Jen-SEN’s efforts. I don’t know which one of them got rid of my stapled jeans…

Jensen then told the hilarious story of how for years Jared kept wearing the same pair of jeans, held together and hemmed by actual office staples. Jensen kept saying “you know, you can buy jeans…or have them fixed…”

Jared: No, I’m good.

If we didn’t get lots of exasperated Jensen in a panel, it wouldn’t be a J2 panel.

My favorite story, hands down, was Jared’s story of breaking up a fist fight when he and the family were in France. Jensen enjoyed it so much he couldn’t stay seated.

Although he doesn’t speak any French, he still ran outside to help, and got the guy in a restraining hold to calm things down. The woman he was fighting with came over and socked him and when his head went back, he suddenly saw who was holding him.

Guy (in French accent): Surnaturel??

Jared (in the only French he knows): Oui.

When the altercation was over and Jared let the guy go, he turned back as he walked away and said “Sam Winchester – Merci!”

You need to watch the video of all this because it is PRICELESS. Jensen was dying laughing and so was every single one of us in the audience.

All too soon it was time for the last question, and for Jensen to do a little singing with Rob.

There’s always a moment at the end of their panel when Jared and Jensen acknowledge each other and that they’re in this together with a fist bump. This time they did that and then hugged each other, turning to stand together to thank the fans.

And yes, I needed tissues again.

We had a final Richard Speight Jr. panel before the con ended. I love that people still ask about Kings of Con, a) because I loved it and b) because Rich and Rob so loved it.

Rich: You guys have your fan art and fanfic, Kings of Con was my fan art.

Richard says he wishes he’d known when he was first asked to do conventions that they’d be so cool. He writes about his early introduction to cons in the chapter he wrote for one of our earlier books, Fan Phenomena: Supernatural.  With all the humor that you’d expect!

Richard has already started prep for directing his first of three episodes for Season 15 and I cannot wait to see them!

All too soon it was time for us to sing along with “It’s The End Of The Con As We Know It” and to do what it suggests – go home.

Sometimes I try to imagine what that song will feel like at the very last Supernatural con….but I don’t really have enough tissues for that right now.

Alicia and I sat out by the water and soaked up the beauty of Vancouver while we had a snack and a latte, then piled into her car and drove back to Seattle, exhausted but exhilarated and reminiscing about all the amazing experiences we’ve had thanks to this little Show that could.

Yes I had to get up after 3 hours of sleep and fly all day to get back to the East coast and then drive straight to work and teach for 3 hours. Yes I now am sick as a dog with con crud (or possibly bronchitis). But damn, it was worth it.

— Lynn

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