Following the release of episode thirteen, production on ‘Supernatural’ would be halted due to the threat of the Coronavirus. What no one could have predicted at the time was that this would be the last episode that would air for eight months.
Over the eight months, rumors would spread; cast and crew would give interviews about the status of the show, but the one thing that was clear was that nobody knew for certain when it would return.
But, like all good things that come to those who wait, news finally broke of the show’s return. Fans of the long-running series would finally get to see the Winchesters’ last ride.
This article will examine the last seven episodes of ‘Supernatural,’ providing a synopsis and review for each episode.
If it isn’t obvious by now, the information coming next is filled with spoilers. So, if you haven’t watched any of the episodes, I caution you about going forward. If you have seen every episode, then carry on my wayward son.
Last Holiday (Episode #14)
Synopsis: Sam and Dean accidently release a wood nymph, by the name of Mrs. Butters, who has been trapped inside the bunker’s control room for 62 years. They discover that she once served as a housekeeper/cook for the previous Men of Letters. Mrs. Butters, now serving Sam and Dean, becomes convinced that Jack is a monster and a threat to the brothers after she learns that Jack was responsible for their mother’s death. The trio end up having to fight for Jack’s life against their new ally, illustrating that if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
Review: This episode serves as the start of the season but clearly wasn’t intended to be anything more than a “monster of the week” type episode. It didn’t serve to further the main story, which was a let down considering it followed up the episode, ‘Destiny’s Child,’ which saw Jack get his soul back. This follows a common trend in Supernatural, where they follow up a major episode with a filler one. The episode had some humour to it, which might have worked if this wasn’t the first episode in eight months. Because it was, the humour fell flat, as we were expecting more in this debut episode.
Gimme Shelter (Episode #15)
Synopsis: While Sam and Dean travel to Atlantic City to try and find Amara, Castiel and Jack investigate the murder of a faith-based community center worker that might been the result of a demon. As more victims are claimed, Castiel and Jack learn that the case has nothing to do with demons, but rather a deranged member of the Patchwork Community Center. Elsewhere, Sam and Dean find Amara and ask for her help. Although originally refusing to help, Amara later says she’ll think about it after Dean promises that he would “never” hurt her.
Review: This episode appeared to be another filler episode with maybe about ten minutes of the episode furthering the story. With only a couple episodes left in the series, it doesn’t make sense that the writers would give us two back-to-back filler episodes. The case in this episode was stupid and felt like a bad rip-off of a ‘Saw’ movie. The only saving grace of this episode was seeing Amara, a character we haven’t seen since the episode ‘Raising Hell.’ This is an episode that you honestly could have skipped and only watched the last ten minutes of; a waste of an episode.
Drag Me Away (Episode #16)
Synopsis: Sam and Dean are called back to a case from their youth which they thought long solved. When they return, they are surprised to find out that the witch Baba Yaga managed to survive. They must now handle this witch once and for all before she claims any more lives.
Review: We are hit with yet another filler episode! With the clock ticking down, why are we being bombarded with nothing but useless episodes? There’s not much positive I can say about this episode. This could have been interesting, as it deals with a popular witch from folklore, but it felt rushed and sloppy. There’s maybe five minutes of this episode that furthered the plot; other than that, everything else just felt like it was wasting our time. There’s no way around this, this was a bad episode.
Unity (Episode #17)
Synopsis: Dean and Jack go to complete Jack’s last task to turn him into a God-killing bomb. This brings them to Adam, God’s first man. Sam and Castiel, who are not ready to give up on Jack, stay behind at the bunker to try and find another way. This leads them to break into Death’s own library, where Sam meets the Empty and discovers a startling revelation. At the same time all this is going on, Amara is attempting to convince Chuck that the world he created is worth saving, with disastrous results.
Review: Now this is what I’m talking about!. This episode just made up for the last three garbage episodes. With numerous twists and revelations in this episode, it feels like the writers pulled a fast one on us. Everything that we thought we were building up to turned out to be a lie, orchestrated by Death and God, himself. It feels like, with this episode, the clock has been reset and everything we were building up to just got thrown out the window.
Despair (Episode #18)
Synopsis: The plan to use Jack as a bomb has proved to be a failure and Billie has turned against them. Convinced that Billie is responsible for their sudden disappearances, Sam and Jack round up all the remaining apocalypse world survivors. Meanwhile, Dean and Castiel attempt to track down Billie and take her out with her own scythe. Finding her in her library, she reveals that God is, in fact, behind the disappearances, as she is too weak from an earlier attack by Dean. In her last few moments, she vows to kill Dean. Feeling like there is no other option, Castiel allows himself to experience a moment of true happiness, knowing that this will summon the Empty. The Empty arrives and takes Castiel and Billie, as revenge against her for tricking it.
Review: This episode was a hard watch. Story-wise, it was fantastic, filled with many shocking moments as characters we have grown to love over the years were erased from existence.What ruined this episode was that it felt like we were cheated out of a proper goodbye to Castiel. Sure, we have seen him die multiple times over the past fifteen years, but this one is clearly designed to be his last appearance. To just have a black blob appear and suck him up felt like a slap in the face to the fans. This is not to take anything from Misha Collins’ performance in his final scene, which was fantastic. It just felt like this beloved character deserved more than the treatment he got.
Inherit the Earth (Episode #19)
Synopsis: Sam, Dean, and Jack discover that every living thing on the planet has been erased, leaving only them. Jack is soon altered to the presence of Michael, who is holed up in a church. He returns with the trio to the bunker, when Lucifer unexpectedly shows up. Thanks to Lucifer the brothers are able to open Chuck’s death book. Michael and Lucifer soon battle after it’s revealed that Lucifer betrayed them, with Michael killing Lucifer. Sam, claiming to have found a spell in Chuck’s book, has the group drive to a remote location and Chuck soon arrives. It’s revealed that Michael sold out the trio to Chuck. Angry with Michael for originally siding with the Winchesters, Chuck destroys him. Thanks to the brothers, Jack is able to drain Chuck of all his power and absorb it into himself. Using his new power, Jack is able to bring everybody back before disappearing himself.
Review: This was a good episode that could have been great if it wasn’t for the writers of Supernatural always trying to wrap everything up in a single episode. Prior to the finale, we were given useless filler episodes that could have been used, instead, to expand upon the material in the finale. Because of this recurring issue with the show, it felt like everything in this episode was happening so fast. This was especially true in the case of Lucifer. Here, we’re given the unexpected return of a character that many thought long dead and, rather than take time to expand upon his return, he was back and gone again in ten minutes. Along with the too fast pace, I didn’t feel satisfied with Jack being the one to take down Chuck. I know that it was being written that Jack would be the one to defeat him but, after their plan to use Jack as a bomb failed, I had hoped it would mean that Sam or Dean would be the instrument of Chuck’s demise. A friend of mine pointed out that Sam and Dean are the true vessels for the two Archangels that just so happen to appear in this episode, but instead the writers still went with Jack. I will say that the lead-up to him defeating Chuck was the best scene in the entire episode. Chuck decides he’ll get his hands dirty and proceeds to give Sam and Dean a beat down. Rather than stay down, as they’re told to do, they continue to get back up on their feet despite it all. This, to me, is a metaphor for the entire series: no matter what gets thrown their way, the Winchesters refuse to stay down; they continue to face adversity despite the odds. This is Supernatural. The ending of this episode also leaves us with some confusion: Chuck was defeated, Jack’s the new God, Sam and Dean are now in charge of their own destiny (which is what Dean, in particular, always wanted). It feels like everything has been wrapped up. So why the additional episode? Keep reading to find out!
Supernatural: The Long Road Home (Pre-Show)
Supernatural: The Long Road Home was a special episode that aired before the series finale. This special had interviews from Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, Misha Collins, Alexander Calvert, Jim Beaver, Mark Sheppard, Samantha Smith, Ruth Connell, and Kim Rhodes, as well as with creator Eric Kripke and executive producers Robert Singer and Andrew Dabb.
Carry On (Episode #20)
Synopsis: While investigating a case involving vampires, Dean is impaled on a spike and succumbs to his injuries. After dying, Dean goes to Heaven where he meets Bobby. After talking with Bobby, Dean proceeds to take a drive in his waiting Impala. Back on earth, we see that Sam has started a family and is now raising a son. From here the episode flips back from Sam raising his son to shots of Dean driving the Impala in Heaven. We then see an old Sam, lying on his death bed, his son now grown-up comes into the room and tells his father that it’s OK for him to go now. Dean and Sam are finally reunited in Heaven.
Review: When I first watched this episode, I think, like most people, I was taken aback by it. I kept thinking to myself, this can’t be it; this is just a bad dream and the real episode is still to come. Following the painful realization that I had, in fact, just watched the final episode, I decided that I needed time to process what I had just watched. After going through all the stages of grief: denial that it was over, anger towards the finale, and finally sadness about how it ended, I came to a startling revelation. This episode was not about wrapping everything up – we got that in episode 19. No, this episode was about Jared and Jensen. In this episode, we witnessed both characters being told it’s OK to “let go.” I believe this holds more significant meaning in that it was both actors letting go of characters that have not only been a big part of our lives, but a big part of theirs, as well. They have portrayed these same characters for over fifteen years and, honestly, deserve credit for everything they put into them. Now, I know that many will argue and say that the show is all about the fans and that a show is nothing without its fans, which is absolutely true. I don’t want you to mistake my words as me saying I enjoyed this episode. Like many of you, I feel like this episode should never have happened. All I’m saying is, by changing my perspective on the episode, I have been able to come to terms with it, and maybe you might, too, over time.
Fantastic review. Can’t agree more. The filler shows will always be my biggest dislike of the series. The way it ended like so many series finale’s doesn’t sit well with fans. But I’ve let go and will carry on cause there will be peace when they are done.