There were so many season finales for The CW’s Supernatural over the last decade and a half that it seems almost impossible to realize that Season 15’s final episode really was it for the series. As is the case with every long-running show, the finale has its fans and detractors.
All in all, it turned out to be a wonderful episode that closed out Sam and Dean’s story fittingly. Still, that hasn’t prevented many fans from making their displeasure known, some of which can be justified since these points could have been improved upon. Other aspects were perfect in their execution.
Loved: Return Of Bobby
Every fan of the series has felt that Bobby was a better father figure to Sam and Dean than John was. Him being the one greet Dean in Heaven seemed like the best poetic fit to the occasion, as he eased Dean into what the afterlife had in store.
Bobby had also been missing from the series for all of five years by this point, so the confirmation that he was now free in Heaven was more than welcome. His interaction with Dean was such that it didn’t even feel as if it had nearly been a decade since fans last saw the two share a scene together.
Hated: Vital Exposition Through Dialogue
Exposition through dialogue is the last thing fans want to see when the episode is the series finale. It feels like a lazy way to pack in the information that should be shown on-screen instead. In the Supernatural finale, several points went by stated rather than witnessed.
The most crucial of this was the reveal that Jack had changed Heaven into a true paradise, along with freeing Castiel from the Empty. This was stuffed in right at the last moment during Dean’s meeting with Bobby and just didn’t feel like information that was justified in the form of a conversation.
Loved: The Use Of 'Carry On Wayward Son'
This theme has been a trademark of the series since the first season and the show found a way to make it even more poignant. Rather than bring it back as the “Road So Far” recap like the past fourteen years, the song was used at the ending.
The upbeat nature of the track was perfect to show the life Sam went through without Dean and the latter’s own drift through Heaven. The slower, female cover of the song was simply heartbreaking, as Sam passed away with this tune filling the scene and ushering in the climax of the series.
Hated: Lack Of Resolution For Several Characters
All of the supporting characters that weren’t in Heaven went unaddressed in the finale. This has led to speculation for spin-off titles about these characters, but nothing has been confirmed. More so than anything, it was the fact that their fates are still up in the air.
For instance, it won’t ever be known if Adam did return to life and was finally able to be free. Likewise, the characters that had been vanished by Chuck weren’t shown coming back, leaving their final on-screen moments the scenes where they had died.
Loved: Portrayal Of Sam's Depression At Being Alone
Of course, no fan likes to see Sammy shed tears but the scene was executed perfectly to show his intense sadness at losing Dean. The song accompanying Sam’s lonesome moments hit all the right feels and special mention deserves to go toward Jared Padalecki’s acting.
Sam was just so very alone in that time, signifying how it had been Dean who had made everything come to life for him. Dean’s death had been sudden, and Sam’s depression was representative of how shocking it is to lose a loved one without warning.
Hated: No Big Sendoff For Dean
While it’s actually a pretty fitting use of poetic justice that Dean went out the way he lived his life, fans haven’t been thrilled that the guy who was responsible for so many cool moments went out as any side character would.
On some level, Dean did deserve a more heroic death such as the one Castiel got, which has led to fans lambasting the fact that he went out at the hands of an unnamed vampire who would usually have been a monster-of-the-week enemy.
Loved: Sam Getting His Normal Life
The initial premise of the show had been Sam’s reluctance to return to the hunting life as he always wanted a normal life instead. While it’s not certain if he ended up with his established love interest Eileen, Sam did get all he’d once wanted.
Sam, and even the fans, had given up hope that this life could have been his, so it was heartwarming to see that he finally got a family of his own and had a son to raise with affection, unlike how his father had raised him.
Hated: The Extended Death Scene Of Dean
Dean’s demise did hit the emotions as intended, which is remarkable since these boys have died so much that fans might have become used to it, but the impact was taken away due to Dean taking his final speech to ridiculously lengthy levels.
The scene lasted about five minutes in total and one would even be inclined to forget that he was dying since Dean kept going on for quite a while. The main problem was the awkward way that he stood, which almost gave the impression that he might not be as badly hurt as he actually was.
Loved: Sam And Dean Reunited In Heaven
At the end of the day, the fact remains that Supernatural had always been a brotherly love story between Sam and Dean. No matter how many breakout supporting characters might have been introduced, the brothers needed to be the sole focus in the end.
There couldn’t have been a more beautiful way to end the series than showing Dean and Sam in each other’s company. This was made even more emotional due to Sam seeing Dean again after many decades from his point of view. After a lifetime of heartbreaks, these two deserved to be in Heaven together.
Hated: No Dean And Castiel Reunion
There were many times where Destiel might have felt canonical. Due to the overindulgence of many in fan fiction, these viewers convinced themselves that Dean and Castiel would have a grand reunion in the final episode. The actual ending wasn’t bad, but fans have complained the most about receiving no scene between this duo, especially since Castiel was confirmed to be alive again.
It would have definitely made for a beautiful reunion, although the fan outrage has gotten rather out of hand. Still, had Dean and Castiel been shown together, it would have been an absolutely perfect series finale for Destiel fans.