‘Supernatural’ Recap: ‘Carry On’

Written by Juanita ‘Obi-Juan’ Bonner

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the series finale of ‘Supernatural’. Also, to revisit the show’s penultimate episode, ‘Inherit the Earth’, click here.
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Well #SPNFamily, after 327 episodes and 15 years, it’s over!! I can hardly believe it and I’m still not ready to fully accept it, but here we are. **SIGH** But, before I begin my review of our final ride, I’d like to take the opportunity to say thank you to Nerds That Geek (NTG) for giving me a platform to discuss one of my all time favorite television shows for their iconic final season. It has been an honor!! And for anyone whose followed my journey, whether it was one article, all of them or anything in between, thank you so much for reading, liking and/or sharing my work. I absolutely LOVE this show and if I made even one fan love it with me, I am beyond grateful. **BIG GRIN** Okay, let’s hit the road.

Preceding the final episode, Supernatural: The Long Road Home brought all the feels (RIGHT!?!) with interviews, video clips and an overall love for the fanbase. It was a great lead in, to the finale and my only wish is that it was longer… LOL!! Settling in for ‘Carry On’, with my nostalgia at its peak, I watched with high hopes, mixed feelings and complete and utter love! Now, after several days of letting the series finale marinate, I am still, like many fans the world over, quite conflicted about the last leg of this 15 year tour. Thus, I’d like to explore the overall theme of #Supernatural and the true heart of the series – Sam (Jared Padalecki) and Dean (Jensen Ackles) Winchester. I’ll also close out this final review with my own ideas on what I would’ve loved to see in addition to this epic tale. So, before you can say, Ninja throwing stars (LOL!) and yay “Pie Fest” (*wink*)… for one last time, let’s dive in.

Series creator Eric Kripke has always maintained that Supernatural isn’t about the Big Bad, but rather the relationship of two brothers set to an overarching theme of good vs. evil with a fantastic soundtrack (HECK YA!!). In effect, people may have initially tuned in for the genre, but they actually stayed for the family. Mantras like, “Saving people, hunting things – The Family Business” and “Family don’t end with blood,” have given the show longevity well beyond Kripke’s original vision. Leaping off the screen and sprouting fan fiction, charities, personal causes and connections, “The little show that could,” surprised even Kripke with its twists and turns, both on and off screen. As for the end? Kripke’s already gone on record saying, “You [the fans] would’ve hated my ending!” Though he didn’t give any clues as to what his actual ending would be, he definitely maintains that what we received was “The right one.” And by and large, I wholeheartedly agree!! Because seeing Sam and Dean each have separate outcomes yet still come together in the end was beautiful!! But… and there are many buts… if this ending was truly right, then why does a VASTLY polarized fanbase LOUDLY say something different??

Of course, very few finales in television history have ended so perfectly, one can scarcely find criticism. Conversely, a handful have ignited a rabid backlash to the point of disgust. I mean… Game of Thrones anyone?? Sadly, Supernatural somewhat appears to fall in the latter category after some fan reactions caused Jim Beaver, who played the beloved Bobby Singer, to delete his Twitter account… UGH!! I get it!! I have gripes too, but damn… harassing ANYONE associated with the show is just so not okay!! And Bobby to boot! To quote the Winchester father figure himself… “Idjits!!” I’m not sure why he was the brunt of the vitriol, but many others involved got their share as well. Still, there are many who say they loved “EVERYTHING” about the finale and that it was “PERFECT.” While I definitely disagree with the vitriol, I too, fiercely disagree that the finale was perfect. Let’s take a closer look, shall we?

Beginning with Dean’s death, I’d have to say, this is one of the things I marinated on the most. At first, I was quite upset he died on a measly vamp hunt. Or… that he died at all. You? Then, after really looking at the series as a whole, including knowing about the changes Jack (Alexander Calvert) made in Heaven, Dean’s death makes total sense. Side note: As I began to unfold this section, ‘Goodbye Blue Sky’ (Pink Floyd: The Wall; 1970 album; 1982 film), came on my digital music shuffle. I mean… seriously!! **SIGH** Moving on… LOL!  

Yes, the show toyed with the idea of Dean having a normal life. And yes, the show pointed out that Dean wanted to retire and grow old with his toes in the sand. However, different from Sam, who I’ll get to in a minute, Dean has ALWAYS been a hunter! Not to mention, we’ve seen time and again Dean wanting to be done with the life only to be pulled back in. Some may argue he had no choice, but remember, God’s (Rob Benedict) biggest mistake was giving his creations free will. Therefore, I contend that being a hunter is where Dean was always essentially happy. Even when he was truly sad! An outlet for his anger with an immensely strong sense of duty and purpose, I argue, being a hunter (and a killer) is who Dean was meant to be. Though, as Castiel (Misha Collins) said, “Daddy’s blunt instrument” is also the “Most caring man on earth.” And, especially when it came to his little brother, Dean’s own happiness and peace NEVER mattered more to him than Sam’s!! This is undeniable throughout the ENTIRE series. Further, he survived beating God himself (F&%K YA!!). If he went out during that battle then he wouldn’t have died knowing Sam was safe, which is arguably ALL he ever really wanted, no? The scene itself is beautifully acted, with Jensen in particular, knocking it out of the park. Complete with throwbacks to the pilot, and Dean’s final “Single Man Tear” (Breaking all our hearts even more!!), the whole thing was EPIC! I hated it! I loved it! And I ultimately knew it was right. Apparently so did Jensen, as he took to Instagram to poke (*wink*) fun at his demise. As evidenced by said post, that’s certainly no screw, as the wrathful internet has so passionately dubbed it… LOL!

​Moving on to Sammy, as Dean has so affectionately called him over the years (*sigh*), it was wonderful to see him honor Dean’s wishes. To move on and live his life. To NOT search for yet another loophole to save Dean no matter how much he wanted to. I mean. Of course we wanted him to bring Dean back. That’s what the show has done for 15 years!! But it’s the end. THE END!! **FROWNY FACE** And, of course, seeing the brothers part was really fracking hard. But, to balance it with Sam’s long life, at least for me, made the blow a little easier to take. Plus, the entire show, from beginning to end is centered around Sam. From his crib in the pilot to his death bed in the finale, Sam is the anchor. And having his arc come full circle was a nice touch!! Though, to reduce what was presumably Eileen (Shoshanna Stern) to a blurry background seemed off, am I right? Maybe Shoshanna had scheduling conflicts. Maybe the Coronavirus pandemic played a role in the final decision not to include her. But at the very least, we could’ve seen Sam say AND sign something to her fuzzy figure from across the yard, no? Regardless, the scenes over a span of many years of Sam with his son Dean (AWWW!!) played by Beckham Skodje, Bradly Droulis and Spencer Borgeson, respectively, were tearfully touching. And, seeing things come full circle again when Sam passes was absolutely fantastic!! For, just as Sam grabbed Dean’s hand and told him it was okay to go, Sam’s son grabbed his father’s hand and told him the same thing. I’m not crying again! Okay… maybe just a little. One final thing though. Sam’s old man hair… HIS HAIR!! I don’t even know where to begin with this poorly portrayed mop… UGH!! Was it on purpose? If so, why? Because, after years of Sam (and Jared) hair jokes and jabs, this one most definitely didn’t land, am I right?

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In the interim, as Dean moved on to Heaven, I was still trying to understand what just happened, but not so much that I couldn’t see things that were glaringly obvious. Namely, even more missing characters!! Which brings me to what’s likely, for me, the biggest head scratcher – no Castiel!! I’m still trying to figure this one out and have to yet to come up with any reason other than possibly COVID19 issues?? I don’t want to hate on the final showrunner and writer Andrew Dabb. Chuck knows (LOL!), many a fan has done that already over the years. But I’ve always stood behind Dabb. And though I get wanting to come full circle on a show that has always been about two brothers, there’s no getting around the impact Castiel has had on the show. From his iconic and perhaps most talked about entrance of the entire series as an “Angel of the Lord,” to his insanely tearful end, Castiel has driven the fandom to new heights across the globe. Adding in the fact the writers made #Destiel Canon just two episodes before the end without ANY follow up is quite frankly maddening to say the least. It’s also become some of the harshest backlash out there with people contending the show pulled one of the biggest “Bury your gays” tropes in existence. This, along with an absolute persistence from many in the LGBTQ+ community that the show spent the entire time, particularly since Castiel’s introduction, queerbaiting its audience, should not have been overlooked, pandemic or not, right!?! All of which brings me to what I would call a more ideal ending, including Destiel and few other little tidbits.

​From the get, I would’ve loved to see both the Long Road Home and ‘Carry On’ have a 90-minute runtime each, giving fans a three, rather than a two-hour ensemble. This would’ve given more time for nostalgia as well as character closeouts. Of course COVID19 restrictions obviously made this more difficult, as many of the cast and crew have discussed pre- and post-finale. Including detail in a Creation Entertainment Virtual Panel about a much larger ending in Heaven with all of Dean’s friends and family. However, I think they could’ve accomplished some of this from a distance. One I already noted above, would’ve been to give us a better nod to Eileen. Additionally, a few more minutes here and there on certain subjects could’ve gone a long way. Especially from a show that spent pretty much the entire final season dropping Easter eggs, giving fan shout outs and closing loopholes.

First, leaving the hunter lifestyle behind, while completely the right move for both Winchesters’, seemed a bit unnecessarily final when it didn’t have to be. Something as simple as showing Donna (Briana Buckmaster) or Jody (Kim Rhodes) in the Bunker on the phone with Sam as they discuss a passing of the torch would’ve been wonderful. Giving us an eyeroll at seeing two of the girls arguing about which room they get as they carry in boxes would’ve been great!! Or, at the very least, having Apocalypse Charlie (Felicia Day) or Eileen in person, virtually or on the phone, to extend a Women of Letters/Wayward Sisters legacy welcome would’ve been great, no? I mean. Those are just a couple ideas and any of them would’ve paid homage to the “Nothing every really ends” mantra in a most glorious fashion. Not to mention an ENORMOUS nod to all the fans who were so disappointed that CW passed on the once highly anticipated Wayward Sisters spinoff, am I right?

As for Heaven? While it was wonderful to see Jim Beaver as the real Bobby (not Apocalypse Bobby), Dabb, along with his longtime counterpart and the episode’s director Robert Singer, could’ve included just a bit more info for the fans. Personally, having Adam (Jake Abel) greet Dean in Heaven with a few words on the forgotten half-brother finally getting what he deserved – an eternity with family – would’ve been excellent. Further, they could’ve been standing to the side of Harvelle’s Roadhouse (LOVED THIS!!) as Dean somewhat recognizes his surroundings. Then Adam leads Dean to the front where Bobby sits. It’s better already, no?? Adam and Dean take seat. For the most part, with some warm glances all around, the next scene plays out pretty much the same with one HUGE caveat. As Dean listens to Bobby explain that Jack, with help from Cas (YES!!), has changed Heaven, Cas appears in the Roadhouse doorway behind Dean. ALL THE FEELS!! Bobby nods in Cas’ direction and says, “I’ll let him take it from here.” HOLY COW, this is what we’ve been waiting for since Cas sacrificed himself!

Creating a transition, Bobby and Adam cheers each other as Dean and Cas walk on in silence admiring the surroundings. As they come to a stop in the road, they have a few words about Sam, Jack and all that’s passed. Finally, Dean tuns to Cas and awkwardly stumbles to speak. Dean says, “You know I love you too Cas, but…” Cas interrupts him and says, “I understand Dean. Truly, I do.” He goes further to reiterate what he said before his huge sacrifice to the Empty (Rachael Miner) in 15.18: ‘Despair’. That he now knows who he is. That God created him this way and that’s a beautiful thing. That he’s inexplicably happy in Heaven and intends to nurture other Angels to ALWAYS be who they are, just like their strong human counterparts on Earth. And finally, that his sacrifice wasn’t just for Dean, but for humanity as a whole and that he regrets nothing. Interesting… hmm? I mean. Wouldn’t you agree that a scene like this would’ve given closure to not only Cas’ arc, but Destiel as well? Because seriously… including Destiel in the end simply for fanfic lip service, never to speak of it again, let alone hardly even mention Cas except in passing, just truly doesn’t make sense on virtually every level I can think of. You? Furthermore… in reference to Destiel… where some, like myself, see typical macho male behavior across 15 seasons, others see queerbaiting. And we all know this is well known by the writers, especially this late in the game, right? Further, even though I’ve always maintained that Dean is straight, the concerns with Destiel I discussed throughout are quite legitimate. Not to mention the missed opportunity to tie Cas’ story to so many fans going through the same thing – unrequited love, knowing who they TRULY are and the struggle to be comfortable in their own skin. These are all things that any one of us can relate to on some level, no? And, because Cas is such a beloved AND pivotal character, the weight a scene like this would carry is really quite incalculable. Additionally, I have no doubt that addressing Destiel was SORELY needed to get away from tropes and stigmatism's and instead give way to hope and representation. Not addressing ANY OF IT made fans across the spectrum irate on many levels… and rightfully so!! Me included. **SIGH**

Looking ahead, Cas, creating another transition, gives Dean a nod  at what’s behind him where we see Dean’s REAL true love – BABY! Of note, same as the 327th episode run, the standard engine on the 1967 Impala was enlarged that year to a 327 cubic-inch V8… NICE!! Dean gives Cas that “aww you,” all too familiar Dean look… LOL!! Happy knowing Cas is truly at peace, that Sam lived on and that his time in Heaven will be closer to those toes in the sand than he (and we) even imagined, after a strong brotherly hug, off he goes! Cue the montage. As Dean drives, Sam grows old and the rest plays out just as it did on screen with one extra smile from Jack as he looks down from the sky on Sam and Dean on the bridge in the last scene… AWWW! And finally, after the fade to black, we keep things exactly the same. Because I can’t say enough about the personal thank you from Jared and Jensen followed by a large portion of the cast and crew on the bridge. Absolute **Chef’s kiss**, am I right?

Well, there you have it. The end of an era topped off with my own personal visions. What did you think of the series finale? What about my additions to Dabb’s work? Do you have some ideas of your own? Let me know in the comments below or reach out to me @obi_juanita on Twitter. And I’m sure in the coming weeks, months and even years, we may learn more about what role the Coronavirus pandemic or other unforeseen circumstances played in the finale and the post-pandemic shutdown episodes leading up to it. We might even learn Kripke’s take. **RAISED EYEBROW** Regardless, before I go, it must be said that the cast and crew of this amazing show brought us The Supernaturalverse, ya’ll!! Something that has seen many of us through a large chunk of our lives. Filled with family and rivals, struggles and triumphs, life and death, laughter and pain and hope and grief, Supernatural has given fans the world over something to believe in, on so many levels, and created a fanbase (#SPNFamilyForever) that will live on for years to come. And to that I say… CARRY ON!!

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