The last con of 2024 was in Nashville, one of my favorite con cities. I used to love when the Nashville Supernatural con was at the ridiculously over the top Gaylord Opryland, and have lots of fond memories there with lots of friends. This year was at a hotel, but that did make it a lot easier to get back and forth to the vendor room and the con and the hotel room, gotta say!
I got there very late thanks to my flight from the west coast being repeatedly delayed in Dallas. We finally boarded, rolled onto the runway, and then sat there for a while – before turning around and heading back to the gate for some mechanical problem. That would have been bad enough, but the next three hours were spent with them changing our gate FIVE times. Each time they did, we all had to trudge through the now-deserted airport, from terminal to terminal, which if you’ve been to DFW is a damn long walk! It was after 1 am before we finally got on another plane and made it to Nashville. My friend Kristen went above and beyond and came to pick me up at 3 am with a heating pad on the seat because by that time my back was BROKEN.
Not a great way to start a con.
However, a con is a great way to get over a truly crappy day! I missed most of Friday trying to catch up in the vendor room, but did catch a little karaoke. Things were festive!
Samantha Smith, Matt Cohen, Tahmoh Penikett, Lisa Berry, Adam Rose and Julian Richings all joined host DJ Qualls for a great time.
I also managed to catch the new episode of Fire Country guest starring Jared Padalecki as Camden Casey. It’s up in the air right now because Jared has another exciting new show on the horizon, but I really hope we get to see more of Camden in that spin off too.
Saturday was of course Misha Collins.
Like me, Misha loves ‘The French Mistake.’
Misha: I love it because they did such a good job satirizing us. Then my manager at the time was like oh, it’s great to see you playing yourself…
The very first Supernatural Creation con was in Chicago – in 2007.
Seventeen years ago.
I was there, along with my bestie Kathy and my good friends Laura and Karen. We had taken shifts for weeks, stalking the Creation website waiting to punch the button to buy tickets the second they went on sale. It’s hard to describe the level of excitement back then for the first US convention for the show I’d fallen in love with – it was off the charts! And it didn’t disappoint. The hotel bar made Purple Nurples and served Supernatural themed food. Jared and Jensen were lovely, though not yet at all sure what to make of the fandom – they sat rather stiffly on stools while we crowded in for photo ops. (Of course Jared didn’t obey the rules even then, and pulled me in for a hug).
I was in fangirl Heaven. Obviously. Also? Babies!
Photos Chris Schmelke
I had an amazing time that very first con, but if someone had told me that seventeen years later, the show would have run for 15 seasons and been off the air for four, but there was STILL a Supernatural con in Chicago in 2024…. Well, I wouldn’t have believed them. And certainly would not have thought I’d be there!
I had an amazing time again, which is, frankly – amazing. I am so very very grateful.
And that is a real testament to the Supernatural actors and fandom. The #SPNFamily. No matter how much wank breaks out every single day online, the cons remain mostly positive and full of excitement and even joy. This year is extra meaningful; the con and the few days I spent after it at my friend Laurena’s house feel like a carefree time, just days before things changed a lot here in the US. I think I’ll always be nostalgic for this con, just like I am for Vegas 2020, the last mostly carefree con before the pandemic kicked in. (Yes, I mark time by Supernatural cons sometimes, what can I say?)
I had been on the west coast with my daughter – because, Halloween! – so I flew in on Friday evening, just in time to catch some karaoke. Several of my friends got onstage to sing, and they were all fabulous! Shout out to Julie, Chelle and Rock! (And emcee DJ Qualls, Lisa Berry, Samantha Smith, Matt Cohen, Tahmoh Penikett, and DJ Liz and Kristen, who were all awesome too)
I was in the vendor room so I didn’t get to see all the panels, and gave my friend Rock priority for the panels he wanted to see (the ladies panel included). But I did catch some. Saturday I walked into the ballroom to Richard Speight, Jr. asking Rob Benedict: Do you want the candy that was in my pants?
Matt Cohen: So, best question gets this bonus package of gummy bears…
Matt talked about a movie and used an unusual phrase.
Richard: Some advice. Don’t google “screwing people’s faces” because you won’t get the movie Matt is talking about…
Rich and Rob talked a bit about their Supernatural rewatch podcast, Supernatural Then And Now.
DC con will always remind me of my friend Krista Martin. Last year, it was her last con, and the actors and the rest of us tried to make it as special as humanly possible. I hope we did; I think we did. But being back in that same hotel brought back a lot of memories for those of us who were her friends, so the con had an extra emotional edge to it. I’m often emotional at Supernatural conventions, but this one, more than usual. It’s also one of my “local” cons, so I got to drive instead of fly, yay! I picked up my friend Rita and we drove down together, stopping for lunch along the way and getting there just as rush hour hit – but we made it in one piece! (I am not a big fan of driving on crowded highways at rush hour, but oh the things we do for the show we love.)
I was on my own in the vendor room for a lot of the weekend, so I wasn’t able to catch too many panels, but I was able to see some of Alaina Huffman on Friday. I’ve really enjoyed my interview chats with her, and I think she did an amazing job with Abaddon, so I was glad I caught some. I love her sense of style!
Alaina: I don’t get recognized as much as some of my friends. At Comic Con my Supernatural friends all got recognized more. Then when they asked one fan who their favorite was, they said Abaddon!
What would she give Abaddon as a gift?
Alaina: A whip. For me too, we’re not that different…
Let’s hope that’s at least partly not true…
Alaina said she’s still pursuing directing, saying she’s forging her own path.
A fan asked if she would shave her head for a role.
Alaina: Depends on the paycheck!
Smart answer.
I also had to watch some of Adam Rose and Matt Cohen’s panel. The two of them together are both sweet and hilarious, and so very entertaining! It’s a great example of actors who didn’t even work together on the show, but are just a great duo in person. When I came in, they were talking about the time Adam did a TikTok with Jensen Ackles wearing the famous blue cardigan.
Matt: Jensen put on the blue cardigan and it literally had an orgasm.
Adam: I made a mistake letting someone so good looking put it on…
It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks for me, and for a lot of the SPN fandom – two back to back conventions plus a Radio Company concert, plus Jared and Jensen heading off to film on new shows and Misha jumping fully into the political sphere. It’s been fun, exciting, inspiring – and exhausting!
I was in Austin a few months ago to give a talk on fandom at a conference, and it was super hot then. Or so I thought. When I got off the plane this time, I realized I hadn’t actually known what super hot means. Most of the time we were there for the con, it was over 100. And that wasn’t the heat index; that was the temperature. Ooof.
Still, there’s always a thrill being in Texas, the state the boys call home (even when they’re not currently living there full time).
The con hotel had an amazing rooftop pool that you could wade right into and lounge halfway IN the pool. I spent time hanging out with friends at night in the poolside cabanas, and had a nice lunch with other friends at the rooftop outdoor restaurant. Night was definitely the only comfy time to be outside.
I also got to do a little bit of shopping on South Congress and have a delicious lunch at Magnolia Café with good friends, so I felt like I at least got to do a little bit of Austin while I was there.
I love the city, just not the 100 plus temperature!
So, the con! (I’ve included some of my tweets with short video clips in them if you want to click and watch those too).
I caught some of Adam Rose and Matt Cohen’s panel on Friday, just in time to hear Matt do a hilarious retelling of the time some of the cast went out for BBQ and Matt missed it because he slammed his finger in a door (or maybe Adam shut the door, but at any rate, OUCH).
Matt: Now I have a piece of the blue cardigan on my finger!
Apparently the folks at the restaurant weren’t all that impressed by Supernatural actors, but blue cardigan guy from TikTok? Oh hell yes!
Not everyone knows him though. Adam said he worked with the Jonas Brothers.
Adam: I don’t think Nick had any idea who this bearded guy putting on a wig was…
I’m finally catching up with posting about the most recent Supernatural conventions before I head to Austin for the 150th Supernatural con there this weekend (please wish me luck surviving the Texas heat…)
Mid July was a convention in San Francisco, which for me also means flying out a week early to spend time with my daughter – so this con was family of all kinds, both the ends-with-blood kind and also my SPNFamily, the don’t-end-with-blood kind!
I made it to the con hotel on Friday early enough to catch some karaoke, which drew a good sized and very passionate crowd. Lots of the cast joined the fun, including of course master of ceremonies DJ Qualls and Matt Cohen. Lisa Berry, Osric Chau, Samantha Smith and Adam Rose also helped make every single song sound pretty damn good.
The theme was “prom” so we had some beautiful prom dresses and tuxes and Matt Cohen in a prom king crown because of course he was!
I was a happy camper because we got not one but two Abba songs, including my favorite Dancing Queen.
I had no idea Adam Rose was such a talented performer – he sang a rendition of Sonofabitch or whatever that song is actually called that may have rivaled Jensen Ackles! Helped along by Matt Cohen.
If you haven’t been to con karaoke in a while, check it out – it feels reinvigorated, with lots of the cast having a blast with the fans. Similar to how it started way back when!
And at this con, you got your very own crown or tiara to take home if you took the stage.
We also got the good news on Friday at the con that Season 2 of ‘Tracker’ will be premiering in October – and that Jensen will be back as Russell in at least two episodes! That definitely put everyone in a good mood.
Saturday I caught Misha Collins’ panel, as I always try to do. For some reason he and Rob re-enacted Richard Speight Jr. touching Misha’s jacket backstage. Creepily.
He told some parenting stories, as he often does, including that time he took infant West to a rave – and had the horrifying realization in the middle of the chaos that perhaps they did need to change the way they were living their life a bit now that they were parents.
Columbus, Ohio is a city I don’t think I’ve ever been to before so I was excited that there was a Creation Supernatural convention there in June. It’s also a city where two of my friends who I do not get to see NEARLY enough live, so I was extra excited!
My friend Alice is one of those friends, the lovely person who founded the Winchester Family Business website that, along with this one, has been covering all things Supernatural and Supernatural-adjacent since the very beginning of this wild ride. She picked me up at the airport and joined me at my vendor table all weekend, which made vending even more enjoyable than it always is.
We had a lovely dinner on her back deck with her hubby and some rambunctious dogs and cats, and then joined in some of the karaoke fun. It’s so awesome to have Matt Cohen back at karaoke, and DJ Qualls was made to be the host. Don’t miss the Friday night fun if you’re at a con – or even if you just stop by for that!
Saturday I caught a bit of the R2M panel, which I also love having back – Matt, Rich and Rob are inevitably hilarious together.
Rob: I’m a fanboy when it comes to music.
Matt: Did you just say a hot dog shoved inside a pickle??
A fan asked the three about the history of that time they wore pink pants in Paris. Richard proceeded to give the entire history of pants.
Rich: Did I answer your question?
Fan: Uh, no…
They all laughed about going shopping together for salmon pants and having a blast.
What is the episode that best represents Supernatural to them?
Matt: ‘Baby’, and not just because I’m in it. It’s the boys in the car on the road.
Matt gets it.
Rob: Swan Song, with its great recap up til that point.
Another great choice.
Rob was asked about his musical influences and he said Pearl Jam.
Someone asked Rich about his role in Band of Brothers and he said he did a lot of research for Skip’s backstory.
Rich: There was no google then!
Rich on directing Supernatural: The violence is very carefully planned out and storyboarded.
Matt on directing Supernatural: You want to do a lot of planning and you also want to make sure you tell the entire story.
Before the ladies panel, we got to wish Kim Rhodes a happy birthday. Thank you for your beautiful chapter in Family Don’t End With Blood, Kim – I know it has inspired so many people who have read about your experience with the show and how fandom changed you.
Kim Rhodes, Briana Buckmaster, Samantha Smith and Lisa Berry were a fab foursome.
The New Jersey Supernatural convention is my “home con” – at least until next year when we’ll finally have one in my actual hometown of Philly. That means I get to drive there! (I hate driving but it’s better than flying…) My friend Rita joined me on a lovely spring day, and together we managed to navigate our way there with only a few wrong turns!
Leading up to the con there was a lot of excitement, for several reasons. One, unlike the con in Burbank a few months ago, Jared Padalecki was at this con – so yay!! Two, everyone was charmed and just plain thrilled at the news of Supernatural actors DJ Qualls (Garth) and Ty Olsson (Benny) being engaged, and couldn’t wait to see DJ to congratulate him. And three, Jensen Ackles was bringing his Impala to the con – the actual screen-used Hero #1 Baby. There was as much anticipation for that as for any other guest!
I was on my own in the vendor room with the books, so I didn’t get to attend as many panels as I wish I did, but every panel I did manage to get to was entirely happy making. The con is in a giant convention center (not my favorite type of venue) but it does make for a cavernous vendor room, as you can see. (‘The books’ are the two with chapters from the Supernatural actors, Family Don’t End With Blood and There’ll Be Peace When You Are Done, plus a few other behind the scenes books about the show, and the new book that’s a deep dive into The Boys, SupesAin’t Always Heroes. Links on the home page here fyi).
I caught a little bit of Richard Speight, Jr., Matt Cohen and Rob Benedict’s panel, which invariably includes a lot of hilarious stories. Rob told the story of someone writing a part for him – and then he actually didn’t get the part! Only Rob.
The three were asked who would play them in a movie.
Matt: Drake Rodger!
(Makes sense to me)
Richard: The animated corpse of Don Knotts…
(If you don’t know who that is, look it up lol)
Matt reminisced about his time on General Hospital – and how his character was a neurosurgeon priest – and a stripper!
This year the powers that be put a Supernatural convention during my spring break – yay! That meant I was able to travel to California, spend some time with my daughter in the Bay area, then take a short flight to Burbank for the con. The hotel is one of my all time favorite con hotels, with a lovely pool and a spacious outdoor dining restaurant right there between the con area and the hotel itself. It was the perfect place to gather and have a drink and a bite in between panels and events, which was great because I got to reconnect with some friends I haven’t seen in far too long.
I also met alot of wonderful new people and fans of Supernatural – and of The Boys, including this mini Homelander who was adorable!
Shout out to everyone who came to say hi in the vendor room and picked up a copy of one of the books with chapters by the Supernatural actors and fans, Family Don’t End With Blood and There’ll Be Peace When You Are Done – or everyone who just stopped by to tell me they’d already read them and enjoyed them! We were also able to bring the new book on ‘The Boys’ to this con – let me know what you think if you picked one of those up. It should catch you up and get you ready for Season 4 in a few months – can’t wait!
There was a substantial break in between the last convention of 2023 back in December and this one in mid March – so everyone was extra happy to be reunited, both fans and cast. And we were treated to some guests we hadn’t seen in far longer than that!
I inevitably miss a few people thanks to working in the vendor room, but I managed to catch quite a few this time – It was wonderful to have Lisa Berry back at a con. She talked about how she was already a passionate Supernatural fan when she was cast on the show, and then finding out there were so many other passionate fans! She enjoyed fans’ complicated canon questions because she is a fan herself.
Lisa: In my incarnation of Billie, she was always right next to Death.
Her character was continually frustrated with Sam and Dean.
Lisa: Billie’s whole thing with the Winchesters is that they always kept coming back to life. Now fangirl Lisa, she was like YES!
Favorite line?
Lisa: Hey.
It’s true, she could give Billie one word to say and it would come out memorable. She said that sometimes she was flown into Vancouver just to turn around to the camera and say ‘hey’!
One of her favorite scenes was the one in the library with Dean, with all the books.
Lisa: Jensen was so generous in that scene – everyone there is, so it’s safe to play.
A fan stepped up to the mic and shared that she had an AKF tattoo.
Lisa: That’s awesome – and yes please do (always keep fighting)!
It was also wonderful to have Matt Cohen back at conventions. I came into the ballroom a little late and Matt was standing in front of the stage and when I walked up the center aisle, he swept me into a hug to say it was good to see me – not a bad way to start the day! He made his way around the entire ballroom to greet everyone he possibly could. It was early so it wasn’t all that crowded, but the people who were there were treated to a great panel.
It does, however, mean that I hardly got any photos of Matt as he walked around.
Matt: There’s no better place to be in terms of diversity and acceptance than the SPNFamily.
This has been a hell of a week. The US election happened on Tuesday and Americans (and most of the rest of the world) waited through constant anxiety attacks to find out who won as results trickled in. Everyone was on edge, tensions were high, and I really needed my number one comfort show, Supernatural. On Thursday, the third to last Supernatural episode ever aired in the midst of all this uncertainty and anxiety – an episode ominously titled ‘Despair’. True to Supernatural form, its third to last episode aired in the middle of unprecedented chaos and caused even more chaos, both in the fandom and more broadly in terms of anyone watching trending topics that night. In fact, #Supernatural not only trended, but #Destiel and #Putin trended – often in the same tweets. Who the hell had that one on their 2020 bingo card??
As Supernatural ends its run, it’s no longer the major player on Tumblr that it once was, but on Thursday all those 2012 Supernatural accounts rose from the dead en masse to comment on whether or not “Destiel Is Canon” with a mind blowing range of unironic celebration posts alongside an equally mind blowing array of shitposts and hilarious memes making fun of the show for how that possibility played out. I admit I never thought that if Supernatural once again ruled Tumblr memes, it would be for making fun of a scene that was the opposite of intended to be funny.
But it’s been that kind of a week. I have mixed feelings all over the place that I still haven’t sorted out and the US Presidential election was just decided after 987 years, so I’m not likely to sort them out any time soon. Instead, I’ll try to dig into the entire episode, not just those three minutes, and see where it brought us, for better or worse.
The episode picks up right where 15.17 left off, Sam helping an injured Jack. Jack tells them all to leave him, for their own good.
Jack: I don’t wanna hurt you, don’t let me hurt you…
Alex Calvert is so good at making me feel for Jack, that plaintive ‘don’t let me hurt you’ going right to my heart. Dean has changed his tune completely, insisting passionately that they’re not gonna give up on him. Poor Dean must have whiplash with how the writers keep making him change his tune so often.
Billie appears, blaming them for her plan not working and then zapping Jack out of there to the Empty.
Which means we get to see Rachel Miner again, so yay. Jack promptly explodes, though, so boo. The explosion wakes everything up and makes a lot of noise and totally pisses it off. Enraged, the Empty attacks Jack, crushing his head.
Poor Jack, he’s been through a lot in the last two minutes.
Billie gives us some exposition about the Empty being pissed at her too for sending an explosive Jack there, and reminds us that the Empty can’t come to Earth unless it is summoned, which we already knew. And Sam reminds us what we figured out last week about Billie’s plan – that anyone who was resurrected will die, including Sam and Dean. Billie also is pissed that Sam took the God book and wants it back, refusing to return the maybe still alive Jack until Sam gives it to her. Sam finally goes to get it; instead of putting it in her outstretched hand, he drops it on the table instead. Sassy, Sam.
Billie underestimates the Winchesters for some reason and walks away to read the new portion of the God book, her scythe left behind and her back to the Winchesters. She zaps Jack back to them but insists he’s coming with her, since he’s still “useful”, and that’s when Dean has had enough. He grabs her scythe and attacks her, injuring her. She zaps herself out of there, leaving Jack (and her scythe) behind.
Lisa Berry can be very scary indeed and she proves it in this episode, telling the reapers in her library when she returns, clutching her shoulder, that “the plan has changed.”
Uh oh.
That night, neither of the Winchesters can sleep. Dean drinks in the dark, and Sam joins him.
Dean slides a glass and the bottle to his brother and they settle in, mirror images of each other. It’s a beautifully filmed scene from director Richard Speight, Jr. but melancholy as hell.
Dean: Sam, I’m sorry…about everything.
Sam: Dean, you don’t have to…
Dean: I pulled a gun on you! I couldn’t stop… we were so close to beating him… I couldn’t snap out of it.
Sam: Yeah, well, you did. And you’ve snapped me out of worse.
Dean: Mmm
Sam: You have.
Gifs jaredandjensen
Sam is hanging onto hope for both of them, saying they’ll regroup. Somehow.
I love the title of this episode (thank you, writer Meghan Fitzmartin). In fact, I’m listening to Toto right now as I write this review. ‘Africa’, the lyrics of which inspired this episode’s title, is a pop culture phenomenon, but it’s also special to the Supernatural fandom, and nobody knows that better than Meghan. It’s so special that I broke my ‘don’t let yourself get onstage for karaoke at a Supernatural con’ rule and joined my friend Alana and her cousin for our karaoke version of Africa along with Kim Rhodes, Briana Buckmaster, Matt Cohen and Richard Speight, Jr. – who were all dumbfounded that I was up there doing it. That’s the power this song has over me! Chris Schmelke plays it in photo ops regularly, and I’ve witnessed all sorts of people succumbing to its power, including Jared and Jensen and impromptu waltzes. After ‘Carry On’, it’s one of the songs that is most reminiscent of this wild ride I’ve been on for fifteen years with this show, and it’s always going to bring both smiles and tears every time I hear it. So thank you, Meghan.
This was one of those episodes that kicked up a lot of divergent opinions in the fandom – some people loved it, some people hated it, and a lot of people had conflicting emotions. You can probably guess that I’m one of them, as this show often leaves me feeling that way recently. There was a lot I enjoyed, and then there were a few things that drove me crazy.
I’m glad we got one more flashback episode, because frankly I could watch Weechesters for an entire spinoff tv series and be ecstatic about that. Amyn Kaderali always does a great job directing this show, and he did so here, setting up some truly scary moments while at the same time showcasing Jerry Wanek’s iconic motel décor beautifully.
There were scenes I loved and dialogue I loved. There were also a few things that made me jump up and down and start yelling at my tv screen, which is never a good sign when I’m watching Supernatural. I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating – every episode matters now. Every scene, every interaction, every moment, matters now. We have FOUR episodes left. Once again, that makes me cherish just having time with the Winchesters, but also grow frustrated quickly when something doesn’t quite work. Let me start from the beginning, which happens to be in the present.
The Rooster’s Sunrise Motel is quintessential Supernatural. “If I Didn’t Care” plays as adult Travis (Ryan Alexander McDonald) checks into a particular room – 214. Interesting song choice – If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t be trying to get past this trauma? If I didn’t care, I wouldn’t lie to you to try to protect you? There are a lot of options.
Anyway, the opening scene was scary as hell, Travis trying to talk himself into being calm and facing his fears, while we see the closet door slowly opening behind him. AAHHHH!!! A ghostly kid taunts and attacks him. Poor Travis.
