Supernatural Series Finale Review

I am not sure it is possible to create a perfect television finale; that is especially true when said television series has been around longer than the channel it airs on. Having said that, ‘Carry On’ is not the finale I would have created, even with the obvious Covid-19 related restrictions. But it is probably the best it could be and is emotionally satisfying.

‘Inherit the Earth’ was the true finale. And that was clear in the way it ended. This episode is more of an epilogue that shows what the boys do with their newfound freedom. Turns out, it is much of what they did before. Go to small towns, smash pie into each other’s faces, and hunt monsters. The good life.

There was a somewhat surprising monster of the week element to the early portion of this episode with vampires in masks kidnapping children and killing their parents. Obviously, the Winchesters set out to hunt the vampires and save the children. And that is exactly what they do.

Unfortunately, they cannot do it without a casualty: Dean gets shoved into a rebar spike while fighting the vampires. He and Sam then have an incredible, emotional scene where they discuss their lives and what it meant. Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki are phenomenal in this scene. And yes, I cried. Of course I did.

It is, however, a strange way to have Dean pass. To have him be the first to arrive in Heaven makes perfect sense, as does having him go out doing the family business. But to have him not be more directly involved in saving people at the moment he dies is somewhat strange. Perhaps having him shield a child from a vamp when he gets shoved onto the spike would have felt better. I am not sure, but this was not it even though the following bit was my favorite of the night.

After Dean dies, he awakens in Heaven, but not the old, shitty version of it that he has been to. Jack (with some help from Castiel) changed it into something similar to the more commonly accepted interpretation. No longer is everyone siloed in their own personal heavens reliving their favorite memories; now they get to live forever with their loved ones in a combined heaven.

The Heaven scenes are perhaps where the Covid restrictions are most obvious. Only three characters appear in them: Sam, Dean, and Bobby, who greets Dean and explains that all his loved ones are nearby in their own houses and stuff. It truly feels as though the plan was to have Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Samantha Smith, and maybe a few more actors return and greet Dean and/or Sam. It all has an off-putting vibe, but having Bobby come back and have some time with Dean was appreciated.

Back on Earth, Sam gets married, has a son—named Dean, of course—and just generally lives the normal life he always wanted. Its implied that he marries Eileen, though we never see her face as I am sure it would have been difficult to get Shoshannah Stern back for a couple shots. It is all very nice, and Sam eventually passes with his son Dean holding him in a touching mirror of the earlier death scene. Sam and Dean reunite in Heaven on the bridge from the pilot episode and then the show ends.

The choice to craft a finale focused solely on Dean and Sam seems like a rejection of the themes of the series, particularly the later seasons. The longer the show has gone, the more focus has been on found families, both the brother and guest characters like Jodie Mills. In fact, the Winchesters forming a family and taking a larger role in the hunting community dates back to the first season finale and the introduction of Bobby.

This seems to be a function of the decision to end the show in penultimate episode. Whereas the fifth season finale—and intended series finale— ‘Swan Song’ features the resolution of the story thus far and a small epilogue to provide closure. This allows it to showcase a variety of characters as their storylines and character arcs are wrapped as a part said resolution.

Supernatural’s last season had five primary characters: Sam, Dean, Castiel, Jack, and Chuck. The latter three were taken off the show after (sometimes unnaturally) over the last two episodes, likely to facilitate this final. In doing so, the Winchester brothers have been isolated from everyone that has become a part of their lives over the prior 15 years. I understand wanting to focus on the pair for the finale and circle back to the premiere in that way but feels as though the creators did not understand the story they were finishing.

The final minutes of the episode are told via a montage set to both Kansas’ ’Carry On Wayward Son’ and Neoni’s cover of that same song. I am not sure the cover was necessary though. Clearly, the song had to make an appearance in this episode as it is Supernatural’s unofficial theme song. I also understand the impulse to have a slower version play during the scenes where Sam gets older and eventually passes away. It is a beautiful cover. But it does not feel right to use anything other than Kansas’ rendition in that moment.

As with most finales, this one was replete with callbacks to prior seasons and episodes, especially the first season. From John’s journal reappearing to Jenny returning from the brother’s first vampire hunt and leading the vamps this episode to the aforementioned bridge. Each one had me smiling as I caught them. Well, except when I was crying that is. It was a delightful experience.

That feels like the correct way to describe ‘Carry On’: delightful. Yes, some things feel off and our heroes got the least creative possible endings. But in the end, I had a wonderful time watching this episode and I am sure that will be true of every rewatch. Everything feels right from an emotional perspective. And that is all that is needed from a finale, especially this one that wrapped all its ongoing plot threads in the prior installment.

I do not think I have truly processed there will be no more new episodes of Supernatural.  It will probably be some time before that happens. The show has meant so much to me and many others. I do not know how to put it into words and likely never will. So, I guess I should thank everyone that worked on the show, watched it, and will watch it in the future. It is a special series that will live on for a long time to come.

And thank you to everyone that has taken the time to read these reviews. While it was challenging at points, it was a lot of fun. And I actually love this show, something that cannot be said for all the series I have covered. One day I may go back and do the other 14 seasons, but that would be years from now. I have some cool things planned to replace this series so keep your eyes peeled.

Best Quotes:

Dean: "You know what this is? Mimes. Evil mimes."
Sam: "Yeah. Or vampires."
Dean: "Vamp-mimes. Son of a bitch."

Sam: "I can't do this alone."
Dean: "Yes, you can."
Sam: "Well, I don't want to."

Dean: "I need you to tell me that it's okay."
Sam: "Dean, it's okay. You can go now."

Sam’s Son, Dean: "Dad, it's okay. You can go now."