In an episode full of nostalgia, recollections, and respect for the characters and viewers, the Supernatural finale marked the end of 15 years of The CW series and concluded the Winchester brothers’ narrative on their own terms.
On November 19, 2020, the final episode of season 15, episode 20, “Carry On,” marked the end of Supernatural’s 15-season run. While the actual ending of Supernatural appeared more like a coda, the penultimate episode felt more like the series’ conclusion in certain respects.
Many of the series’ plotlines, such as the depowering of Chuck Shurley/God (Rob Benedict), Jack’s (Alexander Calvert) metamorphosis into the new God, and the sacrifices of Rowena (Ruth Connell) and Castiel (Misha Collins), are resolved in Season 15, Episode 19, “Inherit the Earth.”
Most significantly, Dean Winchester (Jensen Ackles) and Sam (Jared Padalecki) are now independent of Chuck’s control and are free to select their own path. The slow, intimate conclusion that some may find anticlimactic and others may find fitting for the war-weary brothers is the result of their decisions, as the season finale demonstrates.
The Majority of the “Supernatural” Issues Are Resolved in “Inherit the Earth”
The entire season of Supernatural was set up for the major conflict that took place in the penultimate episode of the show, “Inherit the Earth.” After Chuck, also known as God (Rob Benedict), embarked on his destructive tour, he snapped his Thanos-like fingers to kill every universe he had created.
That altercation between Lucifer (Mark Pellegrino) and Michael (Jake Abel) ultimately results in Jack (Alexander Calvert) absorbing all of Chuck’s Godly power, rendering Chuck helpless. The world returned to normal as Jack assumed the position of God, and all the individuals Chuck had erased resurfaced.
Although Supernatural Season 15 successfully wrapped up loose ends, it mostly accomplished this by removing important characters from the story.
Jack disappeared majestically into every last remnant of existence around them, Castiel (Misha Collins) declared his tearful love for Dean before sacrificing himself into The Empty, Chuck became the thing he hated most (a mere mortal), and beloved witch Rowena (Ruth Connell) sacrificed herself in the rift in hell only to become the Queen down there.
After a montage of the show’s greatest moments, we witnessed Sam and Dean drive away into the sunset in Baby, their legendary ’67 Impala, in the penultimate episode’s closing minutes. However, a few significant questions remained: Where would the brothers go now that Chuck wasn’t writing their story?
Could Sam and Dean eventually retire and start a family after all this time? Or might the Winchesters carry on the family business till their spectacular demise? Let’s examine where we are now in the voyage and how our heroes’ stories conclude.
What Was the ‘Supernatural’ Finale About?
In Supernatural’s finale episode, “Carry On,” Sam and Dean’s final journey is set up with a pie contest. It was refreshing to watch the brothers have some lighthearted fun, with Dean taking some pie to the face, after the season’s heavy content. But after a home attack by a group of mask-wearing assassins left the husband dead, the wife exhausted and with her tongue torn out, and the two little boys abducted, Sam and Dean immediately returned to their favorite activity: battling evil.
The group who carried out this kidnapping turned out to be a nest of vamps looking to take a harvest, possibly the same animals their dad killed back in 1986, which seemed like a wonderful old-school detail to tell us. It turns out that the Winchesters are in for a classic vampire struggle.
Sam and Dean are able to question one of the group members and learn the specifics of what transpired while they hunt down a portion of the group. For decades, these vampires have abducted children, kept them, and raised them in captivity with the intention of juicing them. These vampires, as the man stated, “don’t do fast food.”
Sam and Dean end up fighting this group of masked killers in a scary barn, as is the case with most conflicts of this nature. Before a knife fight breaks out, they manage to save the lads. Jenny (Christine Chatelain), the girl who turned into a vampire in the episode “Dead Man’s Blood,” even makes a brief appearance. She and the other murderers are decapitated, but the Winchesters’ triumph has an unanticipated price.
What Happened To Castiel & Jack?
Heaven is now controlled by Jack and Castiel (Misha Collins) following the events of Supernatural season 15, episode 19. Together, the old friends transformed the afterlife into something lovely after Jack, in his role as God, raised Castiel from the dead. Heaven has been transformed back into a utopia, and the walls dividing its many regions are no longer there.
By giving back Dean’s journal and Colt pistol, which Dean then delivers to his parents, Jack has gone one step further and restored the multiverses that were destroyed in the previous episode, allowing Dean to complete his mission.
Jack and Castiel are assigned the most significant role in the afterlife after making numerous sacrifices and spending a long season seeking meaning and identity. Their experiences guarantee that they will rule heaven justly and fairly.
Why Did Sam Not Bring Dean Back?
In Supernatural, Sam and Dean have died numerous times but have always been brought back, so it’s unclear why Sam chose not to do so this time. Throughout season 15, Dean has been eluding death on several occasions.
It seems fitting that his actual death would occur when his luck ran out and a stray piece of metal wounded him in the exact precise place, rather than as a result of God or the devil’s will. In the midst of a conflict, Dean would prefer to go this way in order to defend the people he cares about. Both brothers were aware that this was always how Dean’s story would finish.
When it comes to hunting, Dean has always been more like his father. Dean found meaning in hunting, although Sam had always wished for a peaceful existence. Both brothers were aware that this was always how Dean’s story would finish. Given everything they’ve gone through together over the last season, Sam is able to forgive Dean since he understands that Dean’s decisions, not some outside force, caused this tragedy.
The Last Two Episodes of Supernatural Were Affected by the COVID-19 Pandemic
Only two episodes remained to be filmed when Supernatural’s production was shut off on March 12, 2020, but those were the two most crucial ones. Episode 20 was, of course, the series finale and the series’s resolution, and Episode 19 was supposed to be the last confrontation with the series’ ultimate nemesis, Chuck (Rob Benedict), the prophet who was subsequently revealed to be God himself.
The unpleasant reality of the epidemic caused the writers to redo the most significant episodes of the series, which was what everything had been building to. The creators had much grander intentions, and the pressure was already tremendous for these two episodes.
Entertainment Weekly quoted Dobb as saying:
“After learning our COVID guidelines for episodes 19 and 20, we rewrote the script, and it did affect a few things. There were some planned events, especially in episode 20, that are just no longer possible.Even though it never truly happened, I must admit that occasionally I think of our original plan—all of Sam and Dean’s family and friends, together with one of the best rock bands ever performing on a set that was a masterpiece. I love what we have today, Dean in the car on the open road, but I really miss it.”
Anyone who watches the last two episodes may see how real the COVID-19 pandemic is. Episodes 14 through 18 were obviously filmed earlier and had more actors in sequences, even though they were edited and aired during the pandemic. Because of the performers’ blocking and maintaining a six-foot distance between them, the latter two episodes feel particularly cramped.
The last epic battle between the two brothers and God feels condensed and limited, and there are several close-up shots. Everyone is obviously running about the pandemic with one hand tied behind their back.
Unfortunate timing befell the Supernatural conclusion. Although fans are aware of that, it doesn’t change the fact that the last episode is real and seems unsatisfactory, especially in light of what may have been.
As the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic fades, many viewers will only see the episode without the background information, which will undoubtedly disappoint many fans and leave them wondering what could have been.
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