What fate befell Sam and Dean Winchester in the series finale of Supernatural? It's no understatement to suggest that Supernatural has been a television staple over the past 15 years. Eric Kripke's story of monsters and myths defied the odds to build a passionate and loyal fan base, and earned the right to bow out on its own terms. After running out of ways to raise the stakes season upon season, Supernatural season 15 was confirmed as the show's last, with a showdown set between the Winchesters and God after Chuck was revealed to have masterminded every misfortune and tragedy in Sam and Dean's lives as part of a grand storytelling exercise.
Supernatural's penultimate episode took care of the overarching Chuck narrative, and ended with Jack installed as the universe's new God. The threat of the apocalypse passes and the Winchesters are freed, but with one more episode still to come, more twists and turns inevitably awaited down the winding road of Supernatural season 15. "Carry On" strips Supernatural down to its core components - Sam and Dean Winchester saving people and hunting things. The simple and character-driven finale reveals how the journey comes to an end for both Winchesters, and delivers a series of tear-jerking exchanges between brothers on the way to definitive conclusion that leaves little room for ambiguity.
As with the previous episode, Supernatural's series finale has clearly been impacted by COVID-19 restrictions, which must be taken into account when judging the episode's merits. Nevertheless, the immediate online reaction has been mostly negative. Here's what happened in Supernatural's "Carry On" and everything the episode revealed about the fates of Sam and Dean Winchester.
Sam & Dean Winchester's Last Supernatural Hunt
Fresh from defeating God, the Winchesters face another daunting challenge as Supernatural's finale begins - normal life. Sam makes his bed, Dean eats some pie, and the brothers have adopt Miracle the disappearing dog from last week's episode. Sam confirms that nothing has been heard from Castiel or Jack, and the brothers resume their everyday lives, seeking out mysterious happenings on the internet and travelling the country to investigate. Few expected Supernatural's last episode would take the form of a standard "monster of the week" story, but that's the template "Carry On" plumps for nonetheless. Using the pseudonyms "Singer" and "Kripke" (a nod to Supernatural producer Robert Singer and creator Eric Kripke), the Winchesters investigate a nest of masked vampires systematically attacking families and abducting children.
Despite masquerading (very convincingly) as a run of the mill mission, Supernatural's final hunt is full of symbolism that calls back to the show's roots. As in earlier seasons, Sam and Dean use their father's journal as a lead, and by raiding the vampire nest (a surprisingly well-lit abandoned barn), the Winchesters save two young, captured brothers. A parallel is drawn between Sam and Dean, and the two unnamed children. Just as a traumatic paranormal event stripped the Winchesters of their childhood, the youngsters freed from the vampire nest will be defined by their experience for years to come, perhaps even becoming hunters themselves, or swearing revenge on bloodsuckers like the Winchester family swore to kill Yellow-Eyes. There's a certain poetry that Dean's final act on Earth is saving two young brothers who just lost their parents.
And, yes, you did read that right. Dean's final act on Earth. During the fight against these burly masked vampires, Dean is defeated by his greatest nemesis, and the true big bad of Supernatural season 15... a, er...*checks notes* rusty spike? The vamp who actually ends the mighty Dean Winchester is both masked and unnamed - a faceless goon in a series chock-full of faceless goons - and landing on a spike is pure misfortune. Although there's nothing in the finale to suggest so, Dean's death could be attributed to the fall of Chuck. Supernatural season 15 previously revealed that Chuck's "story" protected the Winchesters from harm and bad luck. In his first mission as a free man, Dean gets killed - maybe God really was doing all the work.
While the manner of Dean's death is questionable, the performances of Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki carry the entire episode. As the Winchesters say their goodbyes, Dean reveals how proud he is of Sammy, and asks his brother to reassure him as death looms. The scene pays off Supernatural's very first episode. Back in 2005, Dean recruited his brother from a promising legal career to join the hunting lifestyle, and the pair have been virtually inseparable ever since. The emotional farewell resolves any remaining tension between the two and gives Sam the closure he always longed for as the "outsider" of the family who chose a college education over monster hunting. Dean implores his brother to tell him "it's okay, you can go now" and Sam tearfully obliges. This line acknowledges how Dean Winchester was always the fighter of the team - the one who would die on the battlefield instead of settling down. With God gone, the battle is over, and Dean can finally rest.
Dean's Life In Heaven, Castiel & Jack's Fate
More often than not, death is just the beginning in Supernatural, and so it proves with Dean Winchester. After being afforded a COVID-friendly hunter's funeral, Dean appears in heaven where he's reunited with Bobby Singer. Not Apocalypse Bobby. Not Bobby Singer, producer, director and writer. The actual Bobby Singer. Previously, Heaven was organized into rooms, with each resident living out their most cherished memories inside, but Bobby reveals that once Jack became the new sheriff in town, changes were made. Firstly, Jack busted Bobby out of celestial jail. Back in Supernatural season 10, Bobby's soul broke the rules of Heaven to help Sam and Dean one last time, and the grizzled hunter was last seen being apprehended by some grumpy-looking angels. Presumably as a way of honoring his adoptive parents, Jack has released Bobby. The new God has also broken down the barriers of the afterlife. Instead of each soul being confined to a specific room, Heaven is now one giant playground for the wholesome, and Bobby (kicking back outside Harvelle's Roadhouse) reveals that Rufus lives just down the road... as do a certain couple by the names of Mary and John Winchester.
Although Castiel doesn't appear in Supernatural's final episode (a decision hopefully made due to COVID restrictions and nothing more), Bobby reveals a promising fate for the Winchesters' favorite angel. Castiel was absorbed by the Empty several episodes previously, but Bobby claims the angel lent Jack a helping hand reforming Heaven. This implies Castiel was released from the black goop, and is now allowed to walk Heaven as a free angel. The audience can only assume that Castiel eventually reunited with the Winchester brothers, perhaps pursued his feelings for Dean, and everyone lived happily ever after.
Following his chat with Bobby, Dean's first order of business is to drink some beer, drive his car, and listen to Kansas. How long Dean's ride lasts isn't clear, but he's soon joined by a familiar face...
Sam Winchester's Life After Dean
Sam Winchester was always the brother who envisioned a life outside of hunting - the one who went to college, had a long-term girlfriend, and ate his vegetables. It's perhaps fitting, then, that Sam receives the happier ending out of the two Winchester brothers. When a Winchester has died before in Supernatural (and there's no shortage of examples), the surviving brother has almost always found a way to bring the other back, such is their devotion to each other. When Dean passes away in "Carry On," he asks Sam not to head down that dark road, referencing all the trouble their resurrections have caused in the past. Unlike previous seasons, Sam agrees and keeps his promise. This might reflect how much the Winchester brothers have grown during their adventures. On the other hand, maybe the presence of Jack and the apparent lack of major villains in Earth's future means Sam never found a justifiable reason to revive Dean.
Mourning the loss of his brother, Sam Winchester finds himself alone in the bunker (Miracle is still there, at least), but after receiving a request for help from Donna Hanscum of the Wayward Sisters, Sam resolves to resume hunting as a lone wolf. But hunting was always Dean's dream, and Sam held wider aspirations. Fortunately, the younger Winchester manages to successfully balance a rosy family life with his monster-killing duties. While Dean drives the Impala through the Canadian glades of Heaven, Sam has a son, whom he names after his fallen brother, naturally. Sam also forces the child to wear a pair of hideous name-labelled dungarees. As Dean Jr. gets a little older, Sam's family life is revealed. Although the audience don't clearly see Mrs. Winchester (once again, this is presumably down to COVID rules), it's safe to assume that Sam married Eileen, the fellow hunter he's been dating throughout Supernatural's final season.
By the time Dean Jr. hits his teenage years, Sam hasn't aged a day, but the next clip in the "Carry On" closing montage advances the timeline even further. A graying Sam, complete with cardigan and glasses (how else do we know he's old?), shares an emotional reunion with the Impala, which has been kept in a garage throughout the years. Finally, Old Man Sam passes away with his adult son by his bedside. The camera lingers upon a tattoo on Dean Jr.'s arm, which confirms the lineage of hunters has continued into the next generation. It appears that Sam and Eileen continued hunting monsters, and raised their son into the family business. Through sheer coincidence, Dean Jr.'s final words to Sam and the very same lines Sam spoke to Dean earlier in the episode, ushering him forth into the afterlife.
In Supernatural's final scene, Sam and Dean Winchester reunite in Heaven. For Sam, decades have passed since he laid eyes on his older brother, but it's not clear how time has progressed from Dean's perspective. Bobby claimed that time worked differently in Heaven, and Dean's Impala drive is interlaced with the montage of Sam's life, with the brothers meeting again when Dean finally parks up.
TV finales are inherently tricky beasts, and it's clear that Supernatural's ending falls closer to Game of Thrones than Breaking Bad in the minds of fans. You can certainly question some of the creative decisions in "Carry On," and even taking COVID-19 restrictions into account, the Supernatural season finale was unsatisfying in places. One thing that can't be questioned, however, is the chemistry between Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki. Supernatural's leading duo have sustained the show through difficult times and less-than inspired storylines, and their relationship has always been the beating heart of the show. It's perhaps fitting that in a divisive finale, Sam and Dean Winchester ride to Supernatural's rescue one last time in the final episode.