Why the Supernatural Finale was Bad and Misguided
(This is the script I wrote for a video essay I uploaded to Youtube so thatās why there are lines across the page at points because it was broken up into sections that I could record individually)
The Finale of Supernatural was bad.
There, I said it. Now I know the finale was pretty divisive and thereās a lot of people who really loved it and thatās absolutely okay. I do understand most of the viewpoints that have been made to defend the finale. First though, I want to give a brief history of me and the show.
I started watching Supernatural in Feb 2019 when a friend recommended it to me. Like so many other people who have fallen in love with the show, once I started watching I couldnāt stop. I absolutely loved it and luckily I started watching at the perfect time because I was able to watch the final season live with everyone else which is an experience I will always cherish, regardless of my opinions towards the finale.
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When 15x19 was released, I was on holiday and while I thought of waiting till I got home to watch it along with the finale, I decided to jump into it. Sadly, I was a little underwhelmed going into it because I saw a minor spoiler on Rob Benedictās Instagram with him posing with Jared, Jensen and Alex saying āThatās it for me. What a ride. Thank you again to this amazing cast, crew, and group of writers past and present. And to the best fans in the world. My life is forever changed.ā
Regardless of that though, I still really enjoyed the episode. It felt rushed but I was still really satisfied with it and I was pumped to see where the final episode would take thingsā¦
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In the week leading up to the final episode, I deleted all social media and stayed away from anything that could possibly provide spoilers for the finale. I was so damn excited. I was just as excited about the finale of SPN as I was about Endgame the year prior, which Iāll also be doing a video on soon. So when I finally got home from holiday I jumped straight on the CW website and watched the finale.
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Guess what? I absolutely loved it. I couldnāt have asked for a better finale. I cried my eyes out and I had never felt that level of heartache towards any piece of media ever, besides maybe Schindler's List and Life is Beautiful. But as the final scene played, I sat back with incredible satisfaction. I was so sad but so happy at the same time. However when I started reading the reviews I was taken aback by the negativity towards the finale. I genuinely didnāt understand and took the stance of āOh these people just donāt understand the show they're watching and they just didnāt get it.ā
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Yeahā¦I was one of those people. I read into a few reasons why people didnāt like the finale and I sort of understood their stance, but I still remained firm with my opinion. However, over the last few months my opinion had begun to change.
Itās now May 2021 as Iām writing this and I can firmly say that the finale of Supernatural is bad. Actually, itās really bad.Ā
Not only have I now changed my opinion on 15x19 which I now consider to be a good, but not that great penultimate episode, but I genuinely believe that this finale, 15x20, destroyed the progress of 15 seasons worth of character development and story for a simple and misguided finale. In this video Iāll be breaking down why that is, and an ending of my own that would hopefully satisfy all fans. Hereās how to flush 15 years and 15 seasons of television down the drain:
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Ā Title card: āThematic Inconsistenciesā
A REALLY great video by Media Buzzkill called āThe Fiction of Free Will: A Supernatural Video Essayā breaks down the final episode along with the final season exceptionally well and Iāll link that video in the description because they go really in depth with the concept of meta and how it fits into the showās narrative and man, I keep re-watching it because itās brilliant and an almost perfect summary of my feelings towards the finale.
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The thematic inconsistencies present in the finale are quite astounding to be frank because the penultimate episode was the perfect way to set up the final episode, simply with the thematic question of: What do Sam and Dean do once the story is over? What do they really want out of life now that they have finally escaped the hamster wheel.
By the end of 15x19, there are a few thematic through lines that are present that should have been followed through on in the finale in order to make a satisfying conclusion to the story:
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-Ā Ā Ā Ā The concept of freedom for the Winchesters and what that means for both of them as individuals. (Iāll talk more about this during the character section of the video as Iāve got a lot to say about it and I want to talk about other things first.)
-Ā Ā Ā Ā Family donāt end in blood (this is made clear by the extensive and frankly amazing montage at the end.)
Thematically, itās clear from the Season 14 finale that the final season was going to be focusing on the brilliant meta narrative that the show had already been toying with for over a decade, ever since Chuck was originally introduced.
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In my opinion, this was the only direction for the show to go in during its final season as they would have been able to tie up all the loose ends the show had whilst making the season feel grand and conclusive. By doing this, it makes the entire show feel much tighter as a result. Why? Because, in retrospect itās made very clear where the show is heading, and it also bolsters the concept of the meta narrative which then only really allows for one type of ending that would feel satisfying. That is; Sam and Dean defeating Chuck and gaining their freedom from the story.
Thematically this is pure genius, and it seemed like we were going to get that ending after allā¦Ā *sigh*
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Sadly, in the finale, everything that had been set up beforehand was utterly destroyed in one single episode. Instead of leaning into the thematic question of; what do Sam and Dean want now that theyāre out of the story, the finale goes the opposite route and has them continue hunting. The exact same thing that they have been doing all their lives. It also strays away from that thematic question by doing exactly what shouldnāt have happened. Thematically, the finale stated that even though Sam and Dean had defeated Chuck and overcome his story, they still ended up meeting the same fates that they had previously wanted or desired. However, thatās another thing entirely that Iāll go into a little later.Ā
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Again though, the finale states that no matter what conflict you may overcome, no matter how hard you push to gain the freedom you never thought you could have, you will never achieve it because you're destined to the fate you previously desired/thought you deserved at the start of the story. This is genuinely the worst possible ending as it directly conflicts with the concept of the meta narrative that they had been building throughout the entire final season.Ā
A common defence of the finale that many people have given is that the show began with two brothers, so therefore the fact that it ended with the two brothers is narratively and thematically perfect. In some ways that is true and Iāll get into why that is later, but the way that was executed in the finale and how that concept was used, was terrible.Ā
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The show did start with the two brothers, alone on the road hunting the evil supernatural beings of the world. In the beginning, the themes were pretty clear. Family and love will triumph over any evil, and nothing is stronger than family, hence the phrase āFamily donāt end in bloodā. These themes were presented narratively through the brotherās relationship and how far they would go for one another to protect each other, even sacrificing themselves. However, this ISNāT how the show should have ended. Yes, those themes are still relevant and shouldāve remained consistent even until the final episode, but to say that itās perfect for the brothers to start the show alone and end the show alone with the same mindset and thematic outlook as the beginning is ridiculous.Ā
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To have the finale only centre around the brothers is a good idea, but the thematic choices along with the characterās fates was incredibly contradictory and awful to everything that had been set up before, but again Iām going to delve into this aspect a little bit later.
For the writers to revert the narrative of the final season back to the first season in the final episode is monumentally wrong and misguided. As a result of this, the final episode feels like a strange nostalgia trip, until you realise that it is an episode that literally belongs right in the middle of season 1. If Supernatural was only ever a 1 season show, then this finale would have been practically perfect. But itās not. Itās a 15 year long show with characters that undergo incredibly difficult character struggles that allow them to change for the better. So for the ending to chuck them right back to where they started is frankly stupid and kind of insulting.
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Title card: āCharactersā
Before I dissect the characters of Sam and Dean and their role in the finale, Iām going to lay out a brief thought process that Iām going to use when analysing them. You may have heard this in other formats but if you havenāt then Iāll reiterate it here.
Most characters must have two things in order for a story to be strong, compelling, and satisfying. Those two things are WANTS and NEEDS. When a character wants something, thatās what drives their motivation throughout the story and what guides their decisions. It also affects how they relate and interact with other characters.Ā
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A need is the thing the character must face and come to terms with, in order to complete their character arc and satisfy the requirements of the story.Ā By learning that what they want is either not achievable or goes against whatās truly important to them, they must satisfy that need for the benefit of themselves and the people around them. This makes for a satisfying and logical ending to the story as the character is no longer driven by something they want, but is driven by their need, depending on what it is.
Now, letās go back to Supernatural shall we?
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In the beginning of the show, Sam and Dean started off wanting separate things since they were individuals who had their own goals, aspirations, and motivations.
Sam wanted to live a normal life; go to college, meet a girl, get a job in law, and hopefully start a family of his own. This changed however at the end of the Pilot to Sam wanting revenge against the demon that killed Jess.
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Dean wanted Sam back in the life of hunting with him as he didnāt want to go off to try and find their Dad alone. Dean also wanted to keep hunting as he felt like it was all he was good for and his only purpose in life. Also, its made quite clear during the first season that Dean has incredibly low self-worth. As pointed out in Castielās confession scene during 15x18, Dean thinks of himself as ādestructive, angry, broken, āDaddyās blunt instrument.ā As a result of this, heās made it clear that he wants to die. How does he WANT this to happen? Blaze of glory, going out on a hunt, dying bloody, the way heās always thought he deserved, and due to his low self-worth, he has accepted that and come to terms with that fate, hence his macho manly man facade he puts on in front of people. That is what he wants at the beginning of the show. Even though he has died over and over again in gruesome ways, his permanent death was supposedly destined to be going out on a regular hunt, blaze of glory, saving people, hunting things, the family business. At least thatās what he thought he deservedā¦
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However by the end of the series, heās gained enough self-worth to realize thatās not what he wants anymore. *play the clip from season 1 where Dean talks about retiring on a beach* also *play the clip in 15x19 where Chuck calls Dean the ultimate killer and Dean responds with thatās not who I amā.
This is a really good penultimate stepping stone in terms of Deanās character arc and how it wraps up because he has finally gained a proper sense of self-worth, not by defeating Chuck, but by realizing that who he truly is, and who he really wants to be isnāt dictated by the story that Chuck had written.Ā
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Media Buzzkill mentions it in their video but something the final season really dropped the ball on was the parallel between John and Chuck; both abusive and neglectful fathers who tried to control their childrenās lives. For Dean to finally overthrow Chuck and gain his freedom, thematically he could have gained his freedom from the path his father set him on ever since he was a young kid. But since the season didnāt lean into that parallel, this wasnāt officially a thing that was going on. However I still like to think of it that way. Back to the point though.
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As a result of Dean gaining his freedom from Chuck and finally claiming his own autonomy, he is now able to complete his character arc as he has put aside his WANTS that he had at the beginning of the show (dying young on a hunt, always having to protect Sam no matter what the personal toll it takes on him) and fulfilled his NEED to achieve a status of self-worth and self-actualization in order to benefit himself and the people around him. Another point to affirm this is the fact that this couldnāt have happened without the meta story being involved. In my opinion this makes it all feel like a very logical, consistent and satisfying story for Dean.Ā
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The reason why I mentioned this as the perfect penultimate stepping stone for Deanās character arc is that the question raised at the end of 15x19 still hadnāt been answered yet: āWhat do Sam and Dean want now that the story is over and theyāre free?ā I also know what you're going to say. āBut isnāt it all about wants and needs? If theyāre free from the story then shouldnāt they need to learn something instead of just getting what they want?ā You may have a point, however due to the fact that the show has surrounded itself in the concept of meta narratives, then this is where the wants and needs donāt necessarily apply. The reason is that the finale should have followed through on what Sam and Dean needed, which was, by the time the finale started, to figure out a life that was beyond the confines of the story.
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Iām going to focus on Dean first because thatās the main thing I have an issue with in the finale, but I will talk about Sam afterwards.
By the time the finale started, Dean had finally fulfilled what he needed, which was a stable life that was beyond the story. He wasnāt dictated by some grand plan anymore and he finally had the freedom he deserved. Yes, he wanted this, but he also NEEDED to realize that in order for him to truly break the cycle and get off the hamster wheel, he needed to achieve a proper sense of self-actualization. If he wasnāt able to do this, then he truly would always have felt like he didnāt belong, even if he had gotten what he wanted (getting freedom from the story.) The reason why, is that after learning everything he had about Chuck, his manipulations, how Chuck had been controlling them their entire lives, for him to defeat Chuck, but remain in the status quo of what heās always known, it would naturally cause him to feel unsatisfied with life and therefore would make us feel unsatisfied at the way the series endsā¦Ā
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Yes, I know that his identity is tied to being a hunter. Iām all for that because yeah even though Chuck had been controlling them their entire lives Dean still loved hunting even towards the end. But for Dean to not even consider any other kind of life outside of āthe lifeā is strange because it seemed like that was the only direction for the story to takeā¦But no, he stays with the life and decides to continue hunting and serving the role that he had been placed in from the time he was born; saving people, hunting things, the family business. The role he had been forced into his whole life, destined for nothing more...
Back to the events of the finaleā¦
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Dean has continued hunting and he continues to live alone with Sam in the bunker. Yes, the pie scene was perfect. Well, not perfect, Sam bringing up Cas and Dean barely reacting and just sort of hand waving it was...a big yikes. But this video isnāt about Dean and Casā relationship (p.s I do support and like Destiel but Iām not going to delve into that in this video as people like Media Buzzkill have already done that really well in their own separate videos, which Iāll link in the description.)
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When Dean and Sam go on that final hunt and Dean gets impaled on the rusty piece of rebar, it was random, out of nowhere and confusing. Some say that this was perfect because they werenāt being dictated by the story anymore and accidents can happen to anyone for any reason. Thatās just a part of being human. Right. Okay. Well, yes that may be true that they arenāt invincible now, but my god does that spit in the face of everything the characters had fought for. To say that even after defeating Chuck, even after escaping the story that had been written for them, after 15 years of defying their destinies, A CORE THEME OF THE SHOW FROM THE BEGINNING OF SEASON 1, to say that Dean just ends up dying on a random hunt, alone, with only his brother by his side and no one else from the family that he and Sam had built over the years, and that despite his current needs, he is still ultimately rendered to be the self-destructive, suicidal-idealist, ādaddyās blunt instrumentā that he was at the beginning of the show is incredibly disrespectful and in some cases quite dangerous to the viewers of the show who have suffered from mental health issues. Why? Because the finale, along with Deanās death, states unintentionally that you will never break out of your cycle, you will never escape your original fate, you will never achieve freedom, you will never achieve happiness in life, and possibly the worst sentiment of the entire ordeal is that you can only find peace in death.Ā
What a fucking waste. What a disgusting travesty of a finale. My god.Ā
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I understand the nostalgia behind it all. I get the nostalgic feelings of a classic Monster of the Week. When I originally saw the finale, I loved it, as Iāve previously stated in this video. Iām pretty much a nostalgia junkie, trust me, I can see it. I got all the references and little nods to the rest of the series like Johnās journal, that random Jenny vampire chick, Deanās love of pie, āI canāt do this alone, yes you can, well I donāt want to,ā when Dean tells Sam that he stood outside his dorm for hours before the Pilot, Carry on My Wayward Son playing as Dean drives in heaven, Harvelles Roadhouse, OG Bobby,Ā
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WAIT. HOLD THE FUCKING PHONE. Record stops (say that quieter)
When Sam brings up Cas and how he misses him at the Pie festival, Dean addresses it by saying āThat pain is not gonna go away, right? But if we donāt keep living, then all that sacrifice is gonna be for nothing.ā
I actually donāt know what the fuck happened, but the writers are not dumb...They knew Dean would be dying in this episode right? SO WHY HAVE HIM SAY THAT IF THEY DONT KEEP LIVING THEN ALL THAT SACRIFICE IS GONNA BE FOR NOTHING UNLESS THE WRITERS WANTED IT TO MEAN NOTHING.Ā
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I...I have no words. This fucking ending man. OKay, sorry, letās carry on with the video because Iām legitimately mad now and just want to get through this.Ā
To finish my point about Deanās ending, he needed to leave the hunting life in one way or another. If he didnāt, and stayed in the life just like in the actual finale, then I have no doubt that he would begin to feel unsatisfied with life and eventually quit hunting at some point down the road. What Iām trying to say is the only logical ending for Dean Winchester, the man whoās entire identity is centered around hunting, needed to leave that life for something better. This wouldnāt have worked in a regular story where there wasnāt the concept of the meta narrative because if Dean just randomly decided to leave the life, even though he was already firmly a part of it then it would indeed be out of character for him. But since this is a meta story, Dean needed to achieve a sense of self-actualization that was beyond the story that had been written for him since he was born. Few, sorry, okay, onto Sam now.Ā
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So I donāt have as much to say about Sam than I did with Dean but I still think that this was the wrong ending for him. It isnāt actually too bad if Iām being honest, but it is still regressive and quite similar to Deanās ending in many ways sadly. But thereās a core idea at the centre of Samās ending that I do think was a good idea, but itās buried under so much crap and nonsense that it was deformed into something misguided, even if the idea itself isnāt bad at all. Iāll start with that first.Ā
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Sam being forced to witness his brotherās death is nothing new. But now that he is experiencing his supposedly final death, this causes him to leave the life entirely and go live an apple-pie life. Itās clear from this that he has finally learned to let go of his co-dependency issue with his brother. He has moved on.Ā
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The idea of Sam letting go of his co-dependency with Dean is great and itās something Iām going to use in my own ending that Iāll detail later in this video. However, this issue is that the decision to let go is forced upon him through Deanās death. Itās not a choice Sam makes to move away from Dean and let each other live separate lives, therefore bringing forth their individuality which is something Dean desperately needed this whole time. By omitting Samās choice to let Dean go and live a separate life, he is robbed of his agency and therefore makes his ending feel unearned and forced upon him. You may say that this would be out of character and strange for the brothers to do. They love each other so therefore they have no reason to not be in each otherās lives. That is correct, but I didnāt mean that they arenāt in each otherās lives in some form, just that they are separated and living different lives than each other. Iāll go more into detail when I give my pitch for an ending.Ā
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The next point I want to make about Samās ending is that he also regresses to what he previously wanted back in the early days of the show. Yes, I remember that he already lived a normal life back in Season 8 which could be evidence to support the idea that he still wanted that in Season 15. But no, that was almost half the entire length of the show ago. Sam has moved on from the idea of an apple pie life; living with a wife and kid, owning a home, having backyard barbecues, you get the picture.
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How interesting would it have been if he actually decided to stay in the life in some way. Maybe not actually hunting, but working from the bunker and helping other hunters with lore or other aspects like that. Maybe Eileen is there too? Maybe they're working together as a couple, not hunting, but being a safe haven for hunters where they can access all the lore they could dream of and find safety there. Almost like an upgraded version of Harvelleās Roadhouse. Just an idea, but that wouldāve been much better than what we actually got.Ā
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Title card: Stray thoughts
When you look at Season 15 alone, there's quite a lot of things the finale failed to conclude, address or clear up.Ā
This couldāve been a really great plot point to play throughout the season because it would cause Cas to contemplate his uses and worth whilst stressing about the whole situation with Chuck as well as the Empty deal looming over him. But they didnāt address it at all. It just kinda...faded away and wasnāt brought up again. It wasnāt a massive thing but it wouldāve been cool to see how that couldāve played out.Ā
Ruby asked Castiel to save her from the Empty (15x13)
The demons rising up against Rowena (15x13)
Dean doesnāt ask Jack to bring back Cas from the Empty (15x19)
Sam forgets about Eileen in 15x20
No closure for Dean and Castiel
We never see any of the side characters again who got Thanos snapped in 15x18
Jackās explosion in the Empty made the Empty loud
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Those are the main points that the final season and the finale failed to address and even though they are minor points in the grand pantheon of issues with the finale, they still add up for me and are quite frustrating to think about.Ā
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Title card: My Ideal Finale
So, after all that I think Iāve made it pretty clear how I feel about the finale. Thereās a few other points I wanted to make about the narrative of the final season as a whole in conjunction with the finale but I feel as if Iāve already said what I need to say.Ā
Iāve seen so many other people give their take on how the finale shouldāve played out so now I want to give my version of events that wouldāve given the show the proper send off it deserved, and the send off it was seemingly setting up.
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My finale would start with the same hunt that happened in the real finale. However, the opening scene is them fighting the vampires. As theyāre fighting, Sam is wounded and needs to be taken to hospital. After heās treated there, they return to the bunker. Sam wakes up from a nap and talks with Dean. They talk about how that was a pretty close call. Dean mentions that it should probably be their last case. Sam looks confused, and doesnāt say anything. Dean seems hesitant to discuss the prospect of that being their last case but he begins anyway. He mentions that he feels as if heās been given a chance at a new life now that theyāve defeated Chuck. He states that if he keeps doing the same old, same old, then heās afraid that heāll waste his chance at freedom. Sam understands but points out that if they donāt do this, then who does. Dean ponders this for a second, as heās done so many times over his life. Should he continue to sacrifice his chance at happiness and freedom so other people can live safely?Ā
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Obviously this question has popped up a lot throughout the show, and theyāve always chosen to stay with the life. Maybe hunting was a part of who they were, but they now had a chance to try something new. With Chuck not writing their story anymore, they get to write their own. Going wherever the story takes them. Finally free.Ā
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After this scene, the pie scene from the actual finale happens pretty much exactly how it originally happened, except for a few changes of dialogue and the scene would be extended to incorporate a visit from Bobby and Eileen. When Sam brings up Cas, instead of Dean saying what he said in the actual finale, he would say something along the lines of this:
āYeah, I miss him too.ā
Sam notices Dean is looking quite sad and asks him whatās wrong.Ā
āHe sacrificed himself for me.ā
āIt came out of nowhere. We were trapped and Billy was banging on the door trynna get in when heā¦he said that he made a deal.āĀ
A tear rolls down Deanās face. Sam notices, and moves closer to Dean and looks at him with a classic empathetic look from Sam.Ā
Dean blinks a few times and wipes the tear away.Ā
āAh, Iāll tell you laterā said Dean, as he began to tuck into a pie from the box on his lap.Ā
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Bobby then pulls up with Eileen. Sam and Dean go and greet them. They talk about Samās wound, Jack defeating Chuck and how heās the new god, Sam and Eileen, who steps out of the car and Sam and her kiss. Bobby also asks what theyāre going to do now that theyāre free from Chuck. This leads into the question of whether or not theyāre still going to continue hunting. Eileen looks inquisitive at the brothers too as she also wants to know what Sam wants now that Chuck has been defeated and heās free. Sam says he wants to stay in the life and that heās open to see what happens. Dean says that heās not sure. Sam glances over at Dean, who notices but doesnāt look back. Itās clear to both Bobby and Eileen that this is a conversation that both brothers need to have in private before they could properly reveal anything to them.Ā
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Bobby tells them that everyone is going to have a big get together in the town of Kansas at a pub the following afternoon. Sam and Dean agree that theyāll be there. While Bobby waves to them goodbye and gets in the car, Eileen gives Dean a look, indicating that she wants to talk to Sam alone. Dean obliges with a little smile. Eileen asks Sam if heās feeling okay after the wound from the previous hunt (they wouldāve already texted about it.) During this conversation, Eileen asks if he and Dean are okay but Sam says heās not sure. She questions him a bit more and Sam reveals to her that Dean wants to quit the hunting life for good. She can tell by the look on Samās face that heās bothered by this, but she can also see a slight hint of understanding too. She smiles at him warmly and places a hand on his cheek. They lock eyes. Sam begins to smile.
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Dean is back in the driverās seat of the Impala and is watching Sam and Eileen with a sad smile. He looks down at the drivers wheel and the smile fades. He closes his eyes and after a few seconds, he whispers āJack? Hey man, hope the new job is treating you wellā Dean smirks, but it fades quickly and his face resorts back to the grim look of...despair. āI know you said you wouldnāt be hands on, I get that, and I thank you. Another Chuck isnāt what we need right now. But...Cas, he didnāt deserve what he got. I didnāt ask you this before you left because everything was so crazy and we had just defeated Chuck you know, and I know it's only been a few weeks but, please, please can you bring him back. He didnāt deserve to die forā¦
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Dean stops praying. He looks back to Sam and Eileen, who are still talking. Suddenly Jack appears next to Dean, just as a tear rolls down his face.Ā
Jack greets Dean in usual fashion. Dean looks surprised and shocked, but glad to see him. Jack tries to explain to Dean that he canāt meddle in the Emptyās affairs as theyāve already poked and prodded it enough. Dean refutes this point by reminding Jack of what Cas would do, what any of them would do if one of them was in the same position. They continue to discuss Cas and the Empty and how it could work, but by the end Jack doesnāt speak. Both of them sit in silence.Ā
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After a while Jack turns to Dean and says āIāll do what I can, but if itās not possible then Iām sorry.ā Dean nods his head but before Jack disappears, Jack says āDean, I know it might be hard to understand right now but there is so much to be done in the universe. Things that have to be put right, Chuck messed up and now me and Amara have to balance things out. I know that sounds like Iām interfering but we arenāt. We are ensuring that things are allowed to be as they are, instead of them becoming something else. Thatās why I have to leave this world very soon, I only have till tomorrow afternoon for me to try and get Cas back. After that, it will be a while before I can return, and even then I donāt know when exactly Iāll be back. I also canāt stay too long in the Empty either after what happened before. I still have to respect itās power and the fact that I donāt have any real control over it. Iām sorry, Dean.ā Jack disappears before Dean can say anything else. Just then, Dean notices Sam walking towards the Impala and wipes away the tears. As Sam sits down, he asks Dean if heās okay, and Dean responds āYeah, all good here.ā They drive off.Ā
The next scene is Dean sitting in his room on his laptop, a few beers by the side of the bed. He looks toward his table on the other side of the room. A paper lies on top. Dean appears conflicted, but decides to go over and pick up the paper. We see itās a job form.Ā
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Sam is sitting down at the table in the library. Heās also on his laptop and seems very focused on something on screen. Suddenly he grabs his laptop and stands up. He walks through the bunker to the door of Deanās room. He goes to knock but pauses. He looks back to the laptop, where we can see a news posting saying that three people have turned up dead with their throats ripped out. Sam and Dean both sigh at the same time (Sam would be seen sighing and then quickly cut to Dean sighing too.)
Dean grabs a pen and goes to write on the job form, just as Sam knocks on the door. They greet each other, and both are a little startled. Sam asks Dean what heās doing and Dean briefly looks at the form, but ends up saying it's nothing. Sam tells him about the case heās found and Deanās face tenses, which Sam notices.Ā
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āOr not, if you didnāt feel like it.ā said Sam.
āNo. No, it's fineā says Dean, who sighs, stands up and then asks where it is again. Once Sam finishes telling him, Dean looks back at the job form.Ā
āSammy, I donāt think Iāll be goingā says Dean
āOh, okay, no worries, Iāll just call one of the other huntersā says Sam
āI donāt think Iāll be going on any more hunts.ā Dean finally says.Ā
Sam doesnāt respond and is taken aback. Neither of them talk for a moment. (There would be a wide shot from inside the room, showing them standing still and silent.)Ā
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Dean takes the job form from the table and hands it to Sam, who looks at it. He doesnāt take his eyes off it.Ā
āI applied a few days ago, and Iāve got an interview the day after tomorrow. But, itās in Denver Colorado. Iām sorry I didnāt tell you, but I didnāt know how youād reactā said Dean.Ā
āDean, I...I mean, Iām happy for you. I am. Itās just...I donāt know, itās a big thing you know. But I thought we were done keeping secrets from each other, I thought we were over that crapā said Sam.Ā
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āThis was different,āĀ said Dean plainly.
āMe, the guy who was destined to hunt till the day he dropped. You know this, that was who I was. Going out in a blaze of glory, bloody on a huntā said Dean, āBut now, everythings different. I realize now that...that isnāt who I am, and I canāt be destined for just that. If I was, then Chuck shouldāve won. Because Iāll be damned if I let that be my ending. Iāve gotta write my own, and now with Chuck gone I finally have that chance. I canāt waste it Sammy.ā As he says those last words, a few tears have fallen down his face.Ā
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Sam ponders Deanās words for a few seconds then asks.Ā
āWhat about me? What am I supposed to do?ā
*a soft rendition of the piano solo in Americana plays, similar to the one played in 15x18, but softer and less solumn*
Dean looks sad, but also confident in his decision. Sam looks uncertain.Ā
āI canāt do this aloneā
Dean responds with a sad smile:Ā
āWell i donāt want toā
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Slowly, through facial expressions, Sam recognizes those words, and remembers that fateful night when Dean came to pick him up from college; when Dad was on a hunting trip, and he hadnāt been home in a few days. His face turns into a sad smile. A tear rolls down his face. Dean now has a tear underneath his eye too as he looks at Sam.Ā
Sam slowly hands back the job form to Dean (This would be a close up on the hand over process to emphasize the choice Sam is making through the motion of handing back Dean the job form) He puts his laptop down, and the two brothers hug. The two of them stand there together. The two have tears rolling down their cheeks.Ā
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*fade in on the Impala outside the bunker*
Sam is leaning against it and is texting on his phone.
Text appears at the bottom of the screen saying its the next day
Dean exits the bunker and asks if Sam has got the address of the place where everyone is getting together and Dean confirms he does and that it's on the edge of town. He mentions that Bobby had been working on it for a while before the whole Chuck thing and he said that it was a surprise. Whatever that means.
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As the brothers are driving into town, Sam asks what time the interview is and Dean says that it's at 9am the next day so he will have to leave that night if heās going to get a good sleep and be up early the next day. The time at that point would be around 3pm. Dean then asks how he and Eileen are, and Sam says that theyāre going good, but mentions that she was a bit shaken from being Thanos snapped (he wouldnāt actually say Thanos snapped but something like it.)Ā
The two sit in silence for a while, until Dean puts on the radio. āBack in Blackā starts playing. The two smile and look at each other, before turning back to the road. They continue driving.Ā
They finally reach the pub and get out of the Impala. As they stare at the exterior, a gentle rendition of the first section of Americana plays (the opening minute) but this time itās slower and almost sounds distant, and wistful. The two brothers look at each other before approaching the door. Dean checks the time, and looks concerned. Before they can open the bar door themselves, Charlie opens it and looks gleefully at the two before embracing them both in a group hug.Ā
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āIāve been waiting for you guys!ā says Charlie.
āHey Charlie, howās it hanging?ā asks Dean
āCome have a lookā she says with a smirk, before leading them inside. The bar is revealed to be one that resembles the old Harvelleās Roadhouse. There is already a crowd of people, friendly faces and some unknown people. Sam and Dean reunite with a lot of fan favorite characters, however, Dean still looks slightly pensive. Sam takes notice of this and puts a hand on Deanās shoulder. They look at each other just as the lights in the bar begin to dim and a piano solo starts playing. The song being played is the exact same version of Carry on My Wayward Son that was played in Season 10 Episode 5 titled Fan Fiction. This time, there isnāt any vocals, itās just the piano solo. It continues until the part in the song where it would say ā...donāt you cry no moreā, then suddenly the doors open and Jack slowly walks through. The outside light shines through and is almost blinding to Sam and Dean who are covering their eyes with their hands. The music stops, and Jack steps aside to reveal someone. Dean lowers his arm and sees a friend standing before him. Someone who had been there for Dean through thick and thin. Someone who loved him no matter what Dean had though of himself.Ā
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āCas?ā he murmurs, before running to him and embracing him with a tight hug. Jack closes the door and the light adjusts. Suddenly a male voice starts singing from the stage. Everyone but Dean and Cas look. The voice is the lead singer of Kansas, who begins singing the classic version of Carry On My Wayward Son.Ā
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Dean and Cas lock eyes, and as the words ālay your weary head to rest, donāt you cry no moreā are said, Dean and Cas place their foreheads together and smile while holding each other. Sam looks at them with a smile, just as Dean turns to him. The song kicks in at that moment with the instrumentals. Everyone is dancing now just as Sam, Dean, Cas and Jack all reunite together in one shot. They all sing along to the song with everyone else. It then cuts to different shots of them standing and laughing as well as interacting with other characters like Jody and Bobby or Eileen. In one of the shots, Sam and Eileen kiss and Dean looks at them with pride. The next shot is his hand, and someone elseās hand interlocks with his. It cuts back to Deanās face smiling, as he turns to Cas, who is also smiling.Ā
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When the song finally comes to a close, Sam and Dean are both standing out front. They are leaning against the Impala.Ā
āI guess that was one hell of a curtain callā says Dean.
āI wouldnāt call it thatā says Sam with a chuckle.
āEven if this is the end for now, at least itās our ending. Not Chuckās, not anyone elseāsāĀ
Dean smiles, and checks his phone. From here, the exact same scene on the bridge at the end of the real finale would play out. But in this version, instead of walking up to the railing and looking out over a valley, Dean would hug Sam, then get in the Impala and begin driving off. The music would also be identical too.Ā
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As the guitar riff is playing the main theme (like in the original scene, its when it cuts to a wide shot and pans out) It cuts to a close up of Dean and it slowly zooms into his face smiling with a tear in his eye, then it cuts to a medium shot of Sam standing tall and proud. Bobby, Cas, Jack, Eileen, Jody, Charlie, Donna, Garth, walk up next to him as the music rises. Then it cuts to an extremely wide shot from up above, showing the Impala driving away down the long road with the sunset in the distance as well as Sam and the rest of their family standing outside the bar watching Dean drive off. The End.
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So that was my ideal finale. Itās not perfect by any means and thereās no massive final confrontation, and the emotional arcs could be more fleshed out and explored. Also, the explanation for how Jack convinced the Empty to give back Cas would also need to be explained but I didnāt want to give a massive exposition dump in this already long video.Ā
I hope you liked it and I hope that it was at least a bit more satisfying than the actual finale.Ā
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To conclude, I genuinely believe that Supernatural had the opportunity to give itās audience a revolutionary kind of conclusion. It had the chance to be one of the most satisfying endings to any TV show ever made. It had the chance to be something more...and yet, it utterly failed in everything it attempted and sadly destroyed 15 years of build up, progress, and intricate character development for a finale that squandered not only the limitless and amazing potential it had, but it also squandered many fanās passion for the show itself. At least thatās how I feel. If the show had even ended on Episode 19, then it wouldāve been an incredibly rushed and convoluted conclusion but it wouldāve been satisfying and Iām sure in time the people who didnāt like the episode much would have eventually come around to it.Ā
But at the end of the day, if you liked or loved this finale then I am happy for you. Regardless of my feelings towards this finale, I know what it feels like to love a piece of media that most people hate.Ā
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Thatās me with HTTYD 3. But thatās a topic for another day. What I want to say is that if you do love this finale then all the power to you. While I personally hate it, that should not take away from your love towards it.Ā
