SPN Finale Could've Become Meaningless Cameo Fest, Still Would've Been Better
For any television series to last as long as 15 years these days, it must be doing something right.
Especially if it goes that distance and retains its immense fanbase all the way through. And that is exactly what Supernatural did.
The problem then lies in how to end a show like that to do it justice?
It is a safe bet that no ending will keep every fan happy, but when a show is wrapped in an unsatisfactory way, it can leave a bitter taste in the audience's mouth that just does not go away.
Sadly, this was the case for Supernatural. While the ending was not necessarily universally loathed by fans, as has been the case for some other shows, it certainly was not popular.
There was a lot of criticism from Reddit users on the absence of the dog, Miracle, feeling the ending was too dull and lacking in depth because it only featured Dean and Sam, and of course, the biggest complaint was Dean's death.
The frustration expressed by fans has only been made worse by the revelation that the released version is not the ending that was originally intended. Reddit users have learned what the ending was supposed to be, and this has fuelled a vicious debate.
Writer Andrew Dabb has confirmed that the plan was to reunite all the people Dean and Sam had met throughout the series in a rebuilt version of the Roadhouse, while Kansas played Carry on Wayward Son. Dabb describes the track as the show's official unofficial theme song.
Dabb has also explained that the reason this ending didn't get used was due to the outbreak of COVID-19. That the difficulty in asking people to travel and quarantine for two weeks, only for half a day of filming, coupled with it not being safe to film so many people in such a small space, meant that this idea would remain only that; an idea.
This crucial piece of info has prompted mixed reactions from fans.
Some feel that producers should have waited until COVID-19 had settled to allow this ending to be filmed, believing it was a wonderful idea. Others describe the notion as a meaningless cameo fest and feel it would have been a mistake.
But most Reddit users seem to agree with the harsh assessment of the idea likely overdoing cameos but are still of the view it would have been far better than the ending that was chosen. Some fans have even suggested that the proposed ending should still be filmed now that the COVID-19 crisis has calmed.
While most seem to doubt this would happen, the general feel on Reddit is a quiet hope that despite the glaring cliché of cameos, the ending that never was is how Supernatural should have wrapped up.