“Supernatural” Season 15 was confirmed back in January, but on March 22, it was confirmed that it will be its final season. Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, who portray the Winchester brothers on the show, along with Misha Collins announced on Twitter that, “It will be our last.”
Seeing the show come to an end is bitter sweet, but honestly, it’s about time. The show was originally supposed to end with Season 5, yet managed to make it to 15 seasons. It has become one of the most popular TV shows due mainly to its longevity, a loving brotherly duo and an angel in a trench coat.
It also helps that the actors have great chemistry with one another, and endless charisma that gives them the ability to keep their fans engaged year after year with each season, always bringing them back to Sam, Dean and everything that goes awry in the night.
Here’s why you should binge-watch the first 14 seasons while waiting for Season 15 to air.
The Plot
“Supernatural” has a pretty amazing plot. The story begins in Lawrence, Kansas with the Winchesters, a happy family living a perfect, normal life. There’s the parents, John and Mary along with their sons, Sam and Dean.
One night, their perfect little life is disrupted by the screams of Mary, who is found on the ceiling of 6-month old, Sam’s bedroom, being burned alive by a supernatural being with yellow eyes. Soon after her death, John becomes a hunter who will do everything he can to find ol’ yellow eyes and kill him, even if it means dragging his sons with him on his journey for vengeance.
Both Sam and Dean follow in the footsteps of their father by becoming hunters, living a dangerous life where the family motto is: “Saving people, hunting things. The family business.”
What are they hunting? Demons, ghouls, vampires, shapeshifters and a slew of other supernatural beings that go bump in the night, eat human flesh, and, in some cases, suck all the fat out of their victims’ bodies. That last one sounds like a great way to lose weight, am I right?
22 years later, things seem to be working out for Sam, who got away from the hunting life, until Dean shows up at his university claiming their dad went on a hunt and never came back. Together, they search for their father, encountering all kinds of supernatural beings along the way. You’ll soon learn that nothing comes easy for the Winchester boys.
Unbreakable Bond Between Brothers
One of the best things about the show is the relationship between the Winchester brothers, Sam and Dean. As the leads of the show, they have an unbreakable bond and, as a result, give their fans “all the feels.”
“No. No, you don’t. You don’t get to quit in this family. This family is all we’ve ever had,” said Sam in a memorable episode.
Dean (Jensen Ackles) is the protective older brother, and a hunter through and through, as he knows nothing other than “the life.” Although having a personality similar to a solider, and running blindly onto the battlefield with no plan, Dean will do anything and everything to keep both himself and his little brother safe.
Sam (Jared Padalecki), although taller than Dean, is the little brother with an academic history, as he eventually studies at Stanford University to become a lawyer. He’s the smart brother … don’t tell Dean I said that. He also seems to fight only when it’s absolutely necessary. Sam prefers to talk about it first, taking into account the circumstances of each monster and its victims. Like Dean, Sam would also do anything to keep his older brother alive, as he has moments where he can’t seem to live without him.
Together, the brothers are almost unstoppable, and they send their audiences on an emotional rollercoaster ride. Sometimes the ride is a heartache, sometimes it’s full of laughter and, on the odd occasion, it’s cringe-worthy, but they’ll never cease to make you feel. It’s not hard to become emotionally attached to each and any character, but the boys are especially relatable.
If you disregard all the demons and monsters, you’re reminded of your own family and friends, and how you interact. It’s extremely easy to draw parallels between their lives and your own. The Winchesters are powerful leads with a strong back story and subplots of their own. Not to mention, they’re both pretty easy on the eyes.
Supporting Characters
Every show has supporting characters, but none of them have what “Supernatural” has. Each character from the show has their own, compelling story to tell. The most notable characters are Castiel and Bobby Singer (Jim Beaver).
Bobby is the Winchester’s surrogate father, who aids Sam and Dean in their investigations and personal relationships. He is direct and never shies from the truth, telling everyone how it is. He’s also a skilled hunter who has knowledge on all the “baddies,” and is a role model for both brothers, especially Dean.
Castiel is quite possibly the most hilarious character in the entire show, and mainly for his misunderstanding of the world and most human interactions. He’s also the moral guide for Sam and Dean, as well as their link to Heaven. Cass wasn’t always hilarious, as he was primarily serious when first introduced. He’s also a terrible liar, however, most of the time, he doesn’t have a solid understanding of the situation.
Each supporting character adds something special to the show in their own unique way, and entertains the audience.
It’s Quite Funny
Although “Supernatural” is full of death, tragedy, gore and endless amounts of horror, the show leaves plenty of space for comic relief.
The Winchesters are hilarious in their own way, tossing the occasional one liners and sarcastic quips to each other and the other characters. It’s even funnier when these other characters lack humor, like Castiel (Misha Collins), the angel who rarely understands pop culture references. Sometimes he makes references of his own that just don’t seem to make sense, including his porn comment: “It’s very complex. If the pizza man truly loves this babysitter, why does he keep slapping her rear? Perhaps she has done something wrong.”
There was also the time Castiel was drunk, claimed he found a liquor store and drank it, meaning he drank EVERYTHING in the store. That’s a lot of booze.
One of the most iconic funny moments is when Sam and Dean find out about the book series that details their lives word for word called, you guessed it, “Supernatural.” The book includes fans who have taken it upon themselves to write their own fan-fiction, including a “slash-fiction” where, instead of being brothers, they’re a couple. Reading these outrageous stories has Dean both disgusted and in a tizzy. It’s funny watching them skim the pages of a book that’s all about them.
The Soundtrack
A show simply isn’t entertaining without music. “Supernatural” features music from AC/DC, Iron Maiden and Metallica. The opening song, “Carry on My Wayward Son,” by the band Kansas is a jam itself. It’s not just the opening to the show, as it plays at the beginning of the last episode of every season, while showing “The Road So Far,” which recaps the events of the entire season.
This gives fans a quick reminder of how the characters have grown throughout each season, including the important scenes that lead up to the end. Although the music doesn’t seem like it fits with the show, it definitely compliments the characters. Dean has an obsession with rock and roll, which is probably why they play non-traditional music in the show.
The background music in each episode creates an emotional stimulus, with orchestral spikes that are needed for the sudden reveal of a monster, to the soft whimsical melodies used for the touching relationship-building scenes between Sam, Dean and other characters. Each musical piece constructs a wonderful mixture of emotion, action and drama that adds to the experience of “Supernatural” as a show.
The Monsters
When the term supernatural comes to mind, you probably think of vampires, ghosts and so on. Well, the monsters in “Supernatural” go far beyond bloodsuckers. They give the word a whole new meaning by throwing in their own lore of Gods, fairies and Leviathans who pre-date angels and even humans.
Angels and demons are the central antagonists throughout the show, with Demons being most dangerous, as they have the ability to possess a human host or “meat-suit,” and can easily go undetected. You’ll see a lot of holy water getting tossed around. Learning more about the monsters they’re dealing with and how they defeat them is long but also rewarding.
Where to Watch
Currently, Netflix has 13 seasons of “Supernatural” available to watch, and Season 14 will be added in May. This means there is plenty of time to watch Seasons 1 through 13 before it appears on Netflix. By then, you’ll be completely caught up before Season 15.
Expect the final season of “Supernatural” to premiere in 2020.
