Justice For Sam Winchester: Supernatural’s Abusive Treatment of Its Main Character Aged Like Milk

Unfortunately, the difficult issues of sexual abuse, consent, and violence have not always been taken as seriously on television as they are today. Although there are still some people who try to undermine the importance of open communication about abuse, victims now have much more power and tools to express themselves and seek justice.

But back in 2005, when Supernatural first hit the screens, these very sensitive issues were not being discussed in any of the major media outlets. Especially not on The CW's dark fantasy drama, which follows the journey of two brothers as they fight demons and try to solve the mystery of their own family.

This wouldn't be a big deal if one of the characters wasn't constantly written as a victim of very crude and predatory behavior.

A lot of people only noticed this when they re-watched the show later, under the influence of the ongoing discussions about the importance of consent in any intimate relationship, but it turns out that Sam Winchester was abused. What makes the situation even worse is that it never happened, and it was never discussed as something worth noting.

Most notable, of course, were the hints that Lucifer made, leading viewers to believe that Sam was not only physically tortured but sexually assaulted when he was held hostage. From "bunk buddies" to "solid B on the tongue action," he made several very crude remarks that made it clear that something was going on.

But it wasn't just Lucifer who took advantage of Sam's vulnerability. Although the abuse he received from Toni Bevelle was not physical but mental, it was just as gross and manipulative as she took away his power to say "no". In general, fans seem to be more divided on this one, but the fact that Sam got into another situation like that is bad enough.

Another person who enforced some highly inappropriate behavior on Sam was Becky. Although the episode was supposed to feel uncomfortable and provocative, it was the only one to actually gather a lot of controversy just because of how this whole storyline was played out for laughs in the end.

Sexual assault storylines are not something that TV shows need to completely avoid, but fans believe that writers and showrunners should take responsibility to clearly state the right accents on justice for the victims if they decide to move forward with it.

If you want to rewatch Supernatural’s most controversial moments yourself, you can go ahead and stream the show on Netflix or MAX.