Supernatural: A Farewell

Filed under: Recaps & Reviews

After fifteen years, three hundred twenty-seven episodes and more deaths and resurrections than I can count – Supernatural has ended.

Traditionally, I've ended every season finale with a brief summary but this one is special. Pitched many years ago by Eric Kripke to the WB Network, Supernatural was the back-up plan. Kripke's first pitch was for a journalist travelling the country and solving supernatural mysteries and then writing the story on the plane ride home. His second pitch of two brothers travelling to small towns across the USA in their classic car and fighting monsters. The network loved the idea and we got Supernatural – a series that would last fifteen years, become one of television's longest running series and the only show to transition from the from the WB Network to the CW Network. Kripke's original plan was for the Supernatural to go for five seasons and end with Swan Song but the show took on a life of its own and kept going well beyond those first five seasons.

When Supernatural first started, it was sharing the small screen with other shows like Smallville, One Tree Hill and 7th Heaven. It immediately stood out and found a fan base that would be with the show for the long haul. Over the course of the show's many years, it's timeslot bounced to every day of the week but the audience always found it and stayed loyal. There was nothing like its sense of humour, action and creepy mysteries on television. Supernatural was unique and there are still few shows that get anywhere close to capturing the same magic that Supernatural started with.

The best decision Supernatural ever made was casting Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki. From the moment we met Sam and Dean Winchester, their on screen chemistry was everything the show needed. As Dean, Jensen Ackles carried the character with a rugged charm. The fast talking, no nonsense hunter that would always be there for his younger brother. As Sam, Padalecki was likeable, smart and the grounded character that would eventually settle into his life alongside his brother even though he tried his best to get escape. The two contrasted and complimented each other in a way where one never overshadowed the other and both had their moments to shine as individuals. Over the course of the series, the Ackles and Padalecki grew as the characters and we grew with them. Sam and Dean were a constant for one another and became part of our lives. Supernatural is about family. It always was. Through the demons, monsters, angels, leviathans, alphas, Death, Lucifer, Chuck – Sam and Dean were there for one another. Ackles and Padalecki have had many, many moments where they said their goodbyes to one another when it seemed like the end but that didn't stop them from coming back and being there for the other. Several actors would become mainstays in the series like Jim Beaver as Bobby, Briana Buckmaster as Donna Hanscum, Kim Rhodes as Sheriff Jody Mills, Mark Sheppard as Crowley, Ruth Connell as Rowena and Misha Collins as Castiel. Each one was a unique character that grew to become a part of the family and added a new dimension to the show. No one stayed the same after meeting Sam and Dean.

Like all shows, Supernatural had its share of ups and downs. Not every episode was great and some seasons made it feel like the show had run its course (season seven and the leviathans). Despite that, Supernatural always had a strong foundation and the show always ended strong. The leviathans and Lilith were a miss but that doesn't detract from the Yellow Eyed Demon, Lucifer, the angels, the Men of Letters and the list goes on. Whenever it seemed like Supernatural had told every story, the show always found a way to reinvent itself and become just as exciting as it ever was. If anything, Supernatural proved that age is just a number and that a series can be just as good as it wants to be.

Supernatural ended as it began – a fantastic show about two brothers. Will there ever be another show like it? Who can really say. The series started before streaming services and eight-episode seasons on Netflix; before social media provided direct access to the actors who play the characters. I'll always look back at Supernatural very fondly and I'll miss it now that it's done. I've watched all three hundred twenty-seven episodes and wrote reviews for two hundred fourty-one of them over the past ten years. If you're like me, you've changed, grown up (somewhat) and are in a different part of your life than when you first started watching Supernatural. A few years ago, my two nieces discovered the show on Netflix and started binging it. Coming up, Jensen Ackles will be in Erick Kripke's The Boys next season and Jared Padalecki will play the lead role in the Walker: Texas Ranger reboot. They'll both be back on screen soon but it won't be the same without the Winchesters and Supernatural.

For anyone that has read my reviews over the years, I sincerely thank you. I haven't always been easy on the show but I've always been a fan and I loved returning to it every year. Seeing it end is bittersweet and the ending could not have been any better.

But hey, "No chick flick moments".

Tags: Supernatural, Dean Winchester, Sam Winchester, Jensen Ackles, Jared Padalecki, Ruth Connell, Misha Collins, Jim Beaver, Kim Rhodes, Mark Sheppard

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