What is in store for the final season of Supernatural?

Like the Stygian pits at the end of Season 14, news surrounding Supernatural seems to have erupted over the last few days. And it comes as no surprise. 20 episodes left. That’s it. End of the line. It’s hard to look at it that way. After all these years, over 300 episodes, we are down to the last few chapters of our favorite book. So how will the story end?  

According to the official synopsis from comicbook.com, after a lifetime of hunting the things that go bump in the night, our boys will be taking the fight to the man responsible for it all; God himself. Refusing to kill their surrogate satanic spawn, God has decided to “end reality once and for all” and unleashed all sorts of ghost and ghouls upon the world.

A bit depressing, but it gets the point across. And they certainly are going literal with that description. According to a recent article from Entertainment Weekly, showrunner and sub-sandwich enthusiast Andrew Dabb said that the end of the story means “the end of the world,” and that they are looking to explore what exactly that looks like within the context of the show.

Naturally, no one is more locked, loaded, and possibly sexually aroused than Dean. “The world has just opened up,” Jensen Ackles told EW, promising an “all out free-for-all.” But what will that look like for us as the audience? Certainly this means we will be revisiting some of Supernatural’s greatest hits as seen in the Season 14 finale. Bloody Mary alone would make an interesting rematch for the Winchesters. But while it would be a nice, if haunting trip down memory lane, like a dog with severe gum disease, I can’t help but feel like she’s lost a bit of her bite.

Having traveled the realms dealing out death like the universe’s most dedicated pest control service, the idea of Sam and Dean loading up their shotguns to once again deal with Bloody Mary feels like a mathematician solving their child’s long division homework after having solved the Riemann hypothesis earlier that morning; a tad bit tedious.

No, the more interesting perspective is what will the common man think when the motley, rotting corpse of their long deceased mother-in-law once again shambles home for Thanksgiving despite having ironically choked to death on the wishbone a decade prior. The sheer number of monsters out and about means that there is a good chance that Hunters will no longer be operating on the fringes of society, which could provide some interesting moments for our heroes.

Yes, it’s true that Sam lost his last batch of recruits at the hands of Michael, the dire situation the boys find themselves in may force his hand to teach a new crop of youngsters the ways of the Hunter. And hey, did Professor X give up every time he sent a group of hormonal teenagers to their almost certain death at the hands of a mad and power hungry god? No! Of course not! And neither should Sam!

While the pitch for the final season certainly is grand, being the last season inherently means it will also be bittersweet. Fans will certainly expect a compelling conclusion to a number of characters and plot points that must be neatly tied up within the 20 episodes. A daunting task, but Jensen seems to have faith saying that “they’re teeing up what could possibly be the best season of the show.” A lofty claim by anyone, but coming from the actor himself, it does help put our restless hearts at ease. Until we remember that we must have an end for the Winchesters as well.

During an interview with TVinsider.com, when asked whether or not Supernatural should have a happy ending, Jared said “I don’t want a happy ending,” with a chuckle. Jensen added “It would certainly go against the grain of kind of what we have done for the past 14 years. I don’t know.” While that certainly does not bode well for our favorite brothers, I can think of few fans that would not agree with those statements.

Fittingly, Jensen brought in some sage advice from the late director and friend Kim Manners who said “Give them what they want in a way they don’t expect it.” I can think of no better sentiment to take into the final season of a show that has been near and dear to all of our hearts for 15 years. While no one wants to see the end of the Winchesters, I personally think an ending in the spirit of the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid would go right alongside an ending like Swan Song. Heartbreaking? Absolutely. But would we have it any other way?  

 Supernatural airs on The CW, Thursdays at 8/7c, and available the next day on The CW App. 

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