The Written Podcast: In Defence of Supernatural - The Finale

 It seems there is an unfortunate pattern when it comes to ending a popular TV show. It doesn’t go well. It can be difficult to get the tone of the finale correct, especially after so many years. For the most part, the worst finales are talked about more than the good ones, an understandable reaction considering loyal fans have been following the show since the beginning and would like to say goodbye to the characters in a meaningful way. Whilst I haven’t seen Dexter or Game of Thrones, I do know that the finales destroyed the show. Game of Thrones stood out above the rest simply because it was the most talked about and watched TV show year after year and then, after the 8th, is not even mentioned once. Not a single person who was once a fan of the show is recommending people to watch the first 7 seasons, but instead have completely turned their back on the entire show, a feat that’s remarkable in its own right, to be honest. And I haven’t seen many articles talking about Dexter anymore, but only mentioned on those top ten lists talking about the worst finales.

Supernatural could have easily gone down that route, but it thankfully hasn’t. Lasting for an outstanding 15 seasons, the long running ghost-hunting, demon-killing, God-fighting series came to an end a couple of weeks ago, and has generated a few debates. It split the fanbase down the middle - some are happy; some are mad; there is no in between. Looking at it simply, it did seem strange that for someone who, in the previous episode, defeated God himself after a lengthy battle be stopped by a rusty nail. It seemed strange that Dean, a human being, spent 15 seasons going up against the most powerful ghosts, demons, Gods, and everything else in between being stopped by a group of vampires. 

Looking at it in regards to the entire series as whole, it no longer becomes simple as there’s a lot to unpack. Since the very first episode, Sam (Jared Padelecki) has been wanting to lead a normal life, away from all the hunting. He only got dragged back in when his brother, Dean (Jensen Ackles) came knocking on his door stating their dad had gone missing on a “hunting trip”. At the end of the first episode, his then girlfriend was killed off by an entity who we now know to be the yellow-eyed demon and prince of hell, Azazel, who also took the life of their mother who had made a deal with him to spare their dad’s life, John some years prior to the first episode. Over the 15 seasons there has been so much lore explored about the world in which Sam and Dean live, but fundamentally, even though he had accepted the life of a hunter, Sam never forgot his one true desire of living a normal life. And Dean never forgot that deep down, he knew he was destined to go out as a hunter.

It was obvious that the show was planned to only be 5 seasons long, ending with the climactic battle between Lucifer and Micael, two archangels, which would have seen the end of the world. The Apocalypse was prevented by Sam and Dean, specifically with Sam’s sacrifice which landed him in hell, trapped in the cage with Lucifer. The end of the 5th season had Chuck (who we gradually learnt to be God himself) stating that no story is ever truly over before mysteriously vanishing into thin air.

Skipping ahead to the 19th episode of season 15, we see them defeating God by taking his power away from him, making him mortal. The last scene of the episode saw Sam and Dean sitting in their bunker making a toast to everyone they’ve lost along the way, stating that they’re finally free from God’s plan/story. Ultimately, God had been the one writing their story from the very beginning. Long before they were even born, God was writing their story, making sure specific things were in place to make for a good story. A few episodes, including the show’s 200th episode, heavily focused on the fact that they were a part of a story, and by taking away God’s power, they were finally free from that story, enabling them to go about their lives as they choose.

The finale episode of Supernatural saw Sam and Dean fight a nest of Vampires. They win, but Dean gets stabbed in the back by a rusty nail. He begged Sam to let him go, to not find another way and to keep his word once he’s gone; to live a normal life. Again, it did seem strange that the episode prior saw him go toe to toe with God himself, but as explained above, he was no longer a part of a story written by God. Jack, who had become the new God, stated clearly that he was not going to be as hands on as Chuck was, saying “that was his mistake,” before disappearing. Seeing Dean go out so simply does seem weird, but it does put into perspective of all the time he could have died before. How many times could Dean have died, and how many times has Dean actually died - each time he has survived and came back to life because it was a part of God’s story. Because God was no longer influencing events anymore, unfortunately, for Dean, he does go out relatively simply compared to all the complex situations he had survived through.

Sam and Dean are hunters, so though acknowledging that they’re finally free doesn’t stop them from hunting. Sam has been through so much that leaving the life they’ve lived for so long doesn’t seem like an option anymore. It’s only after Dean begged him to give up that life does he finally remember what he had always wanted. Dean’s story ended the way he always knew it would, and Sam’s story ended the way he always wanted it to; and ended they both knew since the very beginning, and for that reason I found the ending to be a poetic final bow before the credits rolled.

Of course, I would like to see more of Sam’s normal life, have him tell his son, Dean, of his uncle - and tell stories of what he used to do when he’s all grown up. Of course I would love to see Sam’s son’s story more so we can better understand who he is. Because I want more, and I know many more of us fans want more, shows just how strong Supernatural as a series is - we just have to accept that it’s over.

Watching the first episode, knowing what they’re going to be involved in and how their story is going to end puts a whole new perspective on the characters. The incredible amount of knowledge we know about everything, from their mother and father, to who’s pulling the strings behind the scenes. That level of dramatic irony doesn’t come often, and I believe it will make fans of the show rewatch it over and over again whilst inviting new people to watch alongside, because I know I will. Supernatural will not go the way of Game of Thrones, because it will be watched and recommended many times in the future, and if we talk about it a lot, maybe they’ll continue the story. Sam and Dean’s story ended in the way they knew it would since the beginning, but what they never knew was what was going to happen along the way.

Thanks for reading

Antony Hudson

(TonHadNouns)