WiC Watches: Supernatural season 15
Supernatural — “Destiny’s Child” — Image Number: SN1513b_0390b.jpg — Pictured (L-R): Genevieve Padalecki as Ruby and Danneel Ackles as Jo — Photo: Katie Yu/The CW — © 2020 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
This year ushers in the conclusion of The CW’s long-running Supernatural, which first aired in 2005. It’s time for the culmination of Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester’s heroic monster-laden journey.
Nearly a year ago, I was greeted by the news that Supernatural’s 15th season would be its last. As the various stages of grief kicked in, I woefully recalled an article on International Business Times where a reporter from TVLine mentioned that, “The president of The CW pretty much said that ‘Supernatural’ could go on forever.” Playing fast and loose with the word “forever,” Mr. President. It was also revealed that Supernatural was originally meant to “conclude after the fifth season”, a revelation I had no interest in.
My commitment to the show has outlasted most of my relationships for one simple reason: I love the Winchesters. Supernatural’s beating heart is Sam and Dean, the two handsome brothers with an unbreakable bond who share their feelings a lot, have astonishingly bad luck with relationships and repeatedly save the world from evil. They were the heroes I didn’t know I always needed and it was the series I naively believed I’d never have to live without.
Despite bizarre and carelessly unstructured plots from time to time, Supernatural’s biggest strength and allure are the Winchesters and their unyielding spirit. The final season looks set to tear away at the very fabric of their enduring hope and bond. Will it do us proud and be a fitting end for the boys?
Season 15 picked up directly where season 14 left off. Sam, Dean and Castiel (Misha Collins) were hunting the souls who escaped from Hell through a massive God/Chuck-made rift in the earth. They were reeling from the death of Jack Kline (Alexander Calvert), Castiel and Dean’s relationship was painfully strained and they had to come to terms with God no longer being in a benevolent mood. It was also clear he was pitting them against each other as part of his final world-ending showdown.
It was revealed that Chuck was weakened after Sam shot him in the shoulder with “the Equalizer” — a gun that Chuck himself created, which kills both the victim and the shooter — wounding Sam in the same way. The wound not only connected them, but Sam theorized the gun fired a piece of his soul into Chuck. As it turns out, this allowed him to see Chuck’s memories.
Dean cleverly speculated that God was not untouchable, which is why he dictated the angel and demon tablets. They were a set of instructions for humans detailing how to seal angels and demons in Heaven or Hell, in case something were to happen to him. Careful, Chuck, your vulnerability is showing.
With help from the reluctant prophet Donatello (Keith Szarabajka), they discovered the archangel Michael (Jake Abel) knew the secret of how to overpower God and lock him away as he had done to Amara. So off they trudged to Hell — his last known address — only to discover Michael wasn’t there anymore. What they did find, however, was the recently deceased Rowena, who was owning her new role as the Queen of Hell.
Speaking of returns, we also saw the resurrection of Eileen Leahy (Shoshannah Stern) as Sam’s love interest; Lilith; and the Woman in White, which was the very first ghost Sam and Dean hunted in episode one.
Just before the show’s mid-season finale, we saw the much-anticipated return of Sam and Dean’s half brother Adam, and Michael, the archangel possessing him. The two of them had come to an agreement, allowing Adam “to be” and had struck up an amicable relationship while being confined in the cage.
The Winchesters, together with Castiel, trapped Michael in a ring of holy fire and tried to enlist his help. But Michael was still testy about Castiel calling him an “assbutt,” setting him on fire and helping to send him to Hell. Talk about holding a grudge. He also refused to betray his father or renounce his beliefs at first. Adam, too, hadn’t forgiven his brothers for leaving him in the cage and wanted an apology, but his attitude was far less confrontational than I’d anticipated. He also believed Sam and Dean were telling the truth about God’s intentions. His ability to see reason despite being wronged was admirable.
It was only after Castiel showed Michael flashback memories of Chuck’s escapades that he provided them with the spell to trap Chuck. The only snag was they needed the nectar of a Leviathan Blossom to bind the spell, which only grew in one place: Purgatory. Michael opened a door for them and before he left, Dean apologized to Adam. Better late than never, ‘ol chap.
And finally, Chuck was on a mission of his own. He lured Eileen from the bunker under the guise of being a hunter she knew who needed her help, knowing Sam would accompany her.
Granted, the first three episodes of the final season were drawn out and sometimes ridiculous (we had ghosts convening to discuss their hunter and entrapment problem), but this half of the season also gave us the full extent of the adversity the Winchesters were facing. It also presented the possible solution to their “God gone rogue” dilemma.
So without further ado, let’s review the final stretch of episodes of Supernatural, starting with…
