Supernatural’s series finale premiered four years ago, and even after so long to reflect, for hardcore fans, there are still some things that don’t sit right.Supernaturalwas fifteen seasons of highs and lows, so seeing how the long-running show would end intrigued fans. With so much history, and the stakes ofSupernaturalseason 15being the highest yet, it’s not surprising there was an expectation that the finale would be one of the show’s best episodes.
So many storylines were wrapped up inSupernatural’s final season, and it feels right that characters that fans spent years loving would get the send-off and closure they deserve.The COVID-19 pandemic significantly affected howSupernaturalseason 15’s final episodeswere shot and written. When the world went into lockdown, only the final two episodes still had to be shot, which meant much of how those episodes were written changed. While no one could’ve planned for this, it’s still unfortunate that such a beloved and long-running show didn’t end on its own terms.
10Dean Getting Killed By A Regular Vampire Still Hurts
Dean Should’ve Died Differently
After defeating Chuck and making Jack the new God,Sam and Dean Winchesteressentially went back to business by hunting monsters. AfterSupernaturalshowcased Sam and Dean hunting for 15 seasons, it felt a little odd that for the last ever episode the writers chose to show the brothers hunting regular old vampires.After the Winchester brothers' many deaths, it felt like nothing could ever kill them, because they’d simply just come back to life like they had so many times before.
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When Dean is impaled by a nail while hunting a regular nest of vampires, it ends up being his demise, it feels ingenuous. Dean had taken on the Alpha vampire only years earlier and seeing regular old vamps take down one of the best hunters ever felt like a cop out.It’s not that controversial that Dean had to die in the series finale, but how he died rubbed fans the wrong way.If Dean Winchester was going to die for good, he should’ve gone out in a blaze of glory, not by a random nest of vampires.
9There’s No Castiel In Supernatural’s Final Episode
Cas Got A Mention From Bobby Though
One ofSupernatural’s most controversial moments came in season 15, episode 18 whenCastiel sacrificed himself to save Deanand sent himself to the Empty after confessing his love for the hunter. After so many different deaths and resurrections inSupernatural, including Castiel coming back multiple times, it seemed obvious that the fan-favorite angel would be back for the series finale, but he was only mentioned by Bobby Singer when Dean is in Heaven.
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While it was probably hard to get Misha Collins back to Vancouver to film the series finale because of COVID restrictions, it’s still a bit crazy that someone who had such a long tenure on the show and was a main cast member didn’t appear in the show’s final two episodes. While fans know that Castiel helped Jack rebuild Heaven, fans didn’t get any closure on Dean and Castiel’s relationship.Leaving Castiel’s character ending so open-ended and without any real resolution was rough, even four years later.
Castiel’s voice was briefly heard inSupernaturalseason 15, episode 19 over the phone, but it was a trick for Sam and Dean set up by Lucifer.
8Jared Padalecki’s Awful Old Man Costume
Old Man Sam Winchester Simply Didn’t Work
After Dean’s death, Sam was finally able to settle down, get married, and have a child. Audiences got to see Sam grow old in a way that they never thought possible. After so many events that pulled Sam back into the hunter lifestyle, it was refreshing to see him get the happily ever after he always wanted. It’s hard to make any actor seem much older than they are, and with COVID restrictions, it became painfully obvious that getting the makeup and hair to make Jared Padalecki look decades older wasn’t going to fully take shape.
After so many events that pulled Sam back into the hunter lifestyle, it was refreshing to see him get the happily ever after he always wanted.
While the sentiment of Sam growing old remains,the awful costuming is so hard to overlook.Sam’s grey wig looked like it was taken out of a Halloween store and little makeup was done to make him seem older. The scenes of Sam growing old are wonderful and should hit emotional beats. Still, unfortunately, the lackluster costuming took audiences out of what should’ve been one ofSupernatural’s most emotional moments.
7Not Knowing Who Sam Married Is Still Annoying
Many Were Upset Sam Didn’t End Up With Eileen
Sam Winchester has searched for a lasting love for years, especially after his girlfriend Jessica was killed in theSupernaturalseries premiere. Many fans had thoughtSam had found hisSupernaturalmatch in Elieen Leahy, especially after Sam resurrected her in season 15. Elieen was able to match Sam’s intellect and could handle the hunter lifestyle. So when it was revealed that Sam was going to settle down and have a family, many fans assumed Elieen would be his wife.
However, the identity of Sam’s wife is never revealed.In one scene when Sam plays with his son, Dean, Sam’s wife can be seen in the background but she’s blurry, meaning there’s no telling if she’s Eileen or not.It’s not clear if Eileen was supposed to be Sam’s romantic endgame, but even if she was, COVID may have made it nearly impossible to bring Shoshannah Stern back for a cameo appearance. When thinking of Sam Winchester’s happily ever after, this is just another detail that spoils it just a bit.
6Dean’s Car Baby Makes it to Heaven But Not Castiel
Castiel’s Absence Felt A Bit Like A Slap to the Face
One of the most iconic parts ofSupernaturalwasDean’s 1967 Chevy Impalawhich he lovingly named Baby. The car has appeared in nearly every episode ofSupernaturaland is synonymous with the Winchester brothers as well as the show. AfterSupernatural’s series finale, Jensen Ackles even took home one of the cars they used for Baby. It was awesome to see that when Dean made it to Heaven after dying in the series finale, he was able to take a drive in Baby.
One of the things that rubbed audiences the wrong way was that Baby made it to Heaven, but that Castiel had not. While Baby had been an integral part ofSupernaturalsince the beginning, it still feels wrong that Baby appeared but not Castiel. Baby, for the most part, was an inanimate object, whereas Castiel was a living being. While Sam and Dean cared for both Castiel and Baby when they arrived in Heaven, it’s odd that one would be there, but the other wouldn’t.
5Supernatural’s Penultimate Episode Was a Better Ending
The Series Finale Was an Unnecessary Tag
In the penultimate episode ofSupernatural,Sam and Dean use Lucifer and Michael’s rivalry to power up Jack and ultimately steal Chuck’s power, making Jack the new god. The episode did a great job of wrapping up what had been the overarching story arc for the final few seasons. With Chuck defeated and Jack gone, Sam and Dean return to the bunker where they toast to everyone they had lost along the way and realize they can do whatever they want and no one would interfere.
The ending of “Inherit the Earth” has a montage of clips from all ofSupernatural’s 15 seasons.With Sam and Dean driving into the distance with Jackson Browne’s “Running on Empty” playing in the background, the ending is simple but good.While this ending would’ve been a little too open-ended for many fans, it still would’ve worked. If there were simply five or so extra minutes included in the episode, there would’ve been an opportunity to wrap up all these stories instead of developingSupernaturalseason 15, episode 20.
4After Saving the World, Dean and Sam Still Go Hunting
They Can Do Anything But Still Go Hunt the Monster of the Week
It was made very clear inSupernatural’s penultimate episode that with Chuck defeated and Jack now in charge, Sam and Dean were free. They wouldn’t have Chuck interfering and making their lives unnecessarily complicated, and they wouldn’t be forced to do whatever Chuck wanted. InSupernatural’s series finale, Sam and Dean still choose to go hunting, even though they don’t have to. Having the brothers return to their norm from the last 15 years didn’t feel very final.
Even though Dean dies while hunting,it doesn’t feel like the final episode of a long-running television show.After doing all these extraordinary things in season 15, Sam and Dean essentially go back to basics when it comes to hunting. Additionally, the first hunt they go on without Chuck influencing their lives, Dean dies, indicating that without Chuck, Dean wasn’t that great of a hunter. It’s an odd move to send off these characters, and while Dean wouldn’t have been the guy to get married and grow old, it’s incongruous that on his first hunt after saving the world he dies.
3Supernatural’s Finale Was More Reminiscent of the Kripke Era
The Show Was No Longer Just About Sam and Dean
ForSupernatural’s first 5 seasons, Eric Kripke, the show’s creator, was at the creative helm of the show. After that, the show grew beyond its creator and started including new and interesting characters. So much of the first five seasons revolved solely around Sam and Dean, but in the later seasons it grew to truly mean that“family don’t end with blood.”TheSupernaturalfinale was meant to wrap up the character’s journey through 15 seasons but only focused on two of them.
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While there were short explanations for what happened to other characters like John and Mary Winchester, the finale didn’t go that extra step for its fans.Supernaturalhas truly leaned into the themes of found family in the later seasons, especially as Sam and Dean took on pseudo-parental roles to Jack.So seeing these major themes be essentially ignored just to wrap up two characters’ stories properly doesn’t reflect what the show wanted its viewers to take away from it.
2Bobby Being The Only Other Hunter To Return Was a Missed Opportunity
No Other Recurring Character Appeared
One of the criticisms ofSupernatural’s depiction of Heaven in the series finaleis that none of Sam and Dean’s other family, blood or otherwise, were there waiting for them.The one to greet Dean was the originalBobby Singer. While Bobby was the perfect character for the job, it’s disappointing that other characters didn’t, which really would’ve helped the episode feel more final.Supernaturalhas killed so many different and beloved characters over the years, so it’s upsetting that fans didn’t get to see them one last time.
Before the pandemic, it was planned that there would be as many old characters appearing in Heaven as possible,but because of restrictions and health and safety, that idea had to be scrapped. While fans can’t be mad thatSupernaturalwas enforcing COVID restrictions, as it was in everyone’s best interest, they can be upset about it. The “what if…” of who could’ve and would’ve appeared outside of Harvelle’s is something fans unfortunately have to be okay with.
1Charlie Not Returning for The Series Finale Still Hurts
The Fan Favorite Character Only Got a Mention in Season 15
Charlie Bradbury was a fan-favorite character from the moment she appeared inSupernaturalseason 7. She was quirky and smart, which made her instantly likable. Charlie returned once again inSupernaturalseason 10, thoughCharlie would be killed later in the season in one ofSupernatural’s most controversial moments. When Apocalypse World was introduced in season 13, audiences got to meet an alternate form of Charlie, and while she looked like the Charlie fans had come to love, she wasn’t the same.
Many fans were hoping that along with Bobby, Charlie would appear to Dean when he went to Heaven. After only getting a mention earlier in season 15, Charlie seemed primed to return, and if Bobby wasn’t the one to greet Dean,Charlie would’ve been the next best option.Despite all the flaws ofSupernatural’s series finale, it’s still a joy to watch, if only because it’s the culmination of 15 seasons of great storytelling centered around two of the most compelling characters.
Supernatural
Cast
Supernatural is a television series that follows brothers Sam and Dean Winchester, who were raised by their father to hunt and combat supernatural entities after losing their mother to a demonic force. Traversing the American landscape in their ‘67 Chevy Impala, they face numerous paranormal threats.
