I have been a devoted Supernatural fan ever since the show first debuted back in September 2005, back when it was just a series about two brothers continuing “the family business” of “saving people” and “hunting things.” As someone with a brother five years older than him, whose behavior was very reminiscent of Dean Winchester’s, I was immediately drawn to Supernatural‘s focus on family and its realistic portrayal of a relationship between two very different brothers, who were able to forge a bond over the one thing that they’re both the best at: hunting down monsters, demons, and every other ghost or evil creature imaginable. The family drama, infused with the series’ genre elements, made Supernatural such an enjoyable and addictive watch, and that feeling became even more palpable for me after the show introduced us to its larger, more intricate mythology, solidifying it as the TV series I looked forward to watching the most every week.
However, even though I love Supernatural and considered it one of my top five favorite television shows of all-time, I also can’t deny that the CW series has faced some creative struggles over the years, particularly during its sixth and seventh seasons, after the departure of creator and showrunner Eric Kripke. In the years since Kripke left, other writers have tried to recapture the magic that he brought to Supernatural‘s first five seasons, and while many of them been have found some success, they’ve never been able to give fans the same type of show that they had during those initial years, when the characters were fresh and the storytelling was focused and had real purpose. Fortunately, though, that’s changed in Season 11, as Jeremy Carver and his team of writers have somehow been able to crack the code and produce what is easily the best season of Supernatural that we’ve seen since Season 5.
So what’s made this season of Supernatural so great throughout its first 14 episodes? A lot of things, but most importantly, it has been the storytelling. Unlike recent seasons, which have been filled with countless filler episodes and start-and-stop storylines about forgettable Big Bads, Supernatural Season 11 has regained perspective on what made the series so terrific during its early seasons: the relationship between Sam and Dean. Instead of having the season’s story dictate how Sam and Dean act in a given episode, the show’s writers have instead refocused their attention on this connection between the brothers, making Supernatural about them first and foremost and allowing their bond to inform the battle against Amara instead of using this new villain to create contrived drama between them.
Nowhere has this focus on the Winchester brothers been more evident than in Season 11’s best episode, “Baby.” The Impala-centric hour is unique in its style and structure, as the camera never leaves the car and most of the action takes place inside of Baby herself. However, even with the interesting framing of shots and creative camera work, what makes”Baby” such an incredible episode of television is that it just allows Sam and Dean to be actual brothers again. After so many seasons of the two of them lying and battling with each other, it’s been downright magical to watch the Winchesters fight alongside each other and, even more importantly, be honest with each other.
For example, look at how quickly Sam told Dean about his visions of Lucifer’s cage earlier this season, or, even more recently, in last week’s “Love Hurts,” when Dean admitted to Sam that his darkest desire was for Amara and the he didn’t believe he’d be able to kill her when the time came. These are secrets that Sam and Dean would have kept to themselves during the show’s seventh, eighth, and ninth seasons, fracturing their already damaged relationship even more. Instead, the brothers are no longer hiding their metaphorical demons from each other; they’re being open about their fears and their worries. It’s the most truly connected we’ve seen Sam and Dean since Supernatural‘s third season.
Furthermore, the power of this renewed bond between the Winchesters has allowed Supernatural to develop its best Big Bad since Lucifer. Amara possesses the same seductive nature that The Devil had, although this time it’s Dean struggling with a decision instead of Sam, and her connection with God (you know, being his sister and everything) also ensures that Sam and Dean have to reconsider their own faith in the Heavenly Father (not to mention that it’s also leading to the resurfacing of this important character). But the Supernatural writers couldn’t develop a nemesis as evil and as powerful as Amara and have the Winchesters defeat her unless we fully believed that Sam and Dean were stronger than ever before, and that’s exactly what they’ve been able to do with episodes like “Baby” and “The Devil in the Details.”
And even if you want to look outside of the connection between the brothers and this season’s more serialized arc, the standalone episodes from Season 11 of Supernatural have been wickedly entertaining. Fans only need to look at last night’s “The Vessel,” which was a fantastic, time-traveling adventure that featured memorable one-time characters like Delphine, for evidence of that. But then there’s also been “Just My Imagination,” “Into the Mystic,” and “Don’t You Forget About Me”; Season 11 has been filled with so many standalone episodes that I would happily watch again, and I certainly can’t say that about Supernatural‘s ninth and tenth seasons.
When you’re a show that’s been on the air for nearly eleven years, many people will insist that you have to change things up and break the formula. Be new, be inventive, be different. Supernatural has most certainly been experimental with certain aspects of Season 11 (again, I could write another thousand words on “Baby”). However, when it comes to the most important part of any TV show, its storytelling, Supernatural has been looking to its history and embracing the model of the past; the show has put Sam and Dean and their relationship before anything else, and it has helped produce a wonderful season of television, a season that been a true creative resurgence and reignited my love for one of my all-time favorite shows. Carry on, Supernatural writers. Carry on.
Supernatural airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on The CW.
[Photos via The CW]
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This was a great write up. I agree that the show feels incredibly more interesting during this season compared to others. While it’s doing great, and fans are praising the story telling and writing, I’m worried that we haven’t heard if it’s going to be picked up for season 12. In the past few years we’ve found out the fate during early Feb, but now we’re getting into March soon and I’m scared that the show will be cut down durings this almost renaissance.
Thanks for reading and commenting on the article! It’s been really fun and refreshing to watch Supernatural this year and be entertained and moved pretty much every single week. I enjoy every season of the show, but Season 11 is quickly becoming one of my favorite ones.
Regarding Season 12, it’s definitely happening. The numbers for the show are still strong, and CW president Mark Pedowitz is a big supporter of it. It’s just that The CW is holding off on making renewal decisions until the spring this year, after giving its entire fall lineup new seasons last year in January, because it’s got more shows than ever before and tougher scheduling renewal decisions to make. We’ll definitely hear about Supernatural Season 12 by May at the very latest. Whenever the show is going into its final season, I think we’ll know ahead of time.
Couple of things, Kripke was still actively involved with the show in season 6 and at least partially for season 7, he was officially gone at season 8. The amount of “filler” episodes and how the season is structured between them and mythology episodes hasn’t changed all that much from the earlier seasons.
I know that Kripke technically stayed on as a writer for Season 6, but the only episode that he actually wrote that season is the finale. While he was certainly involved as a writer and a story consultant in Seasons 6 and 7, it was clear that the show struggled moving on from his initial five-year plan, which he had talked about many times during Supernatural’s early years. When I said “departure” in the article I meant his departure as showrunner, which could definitely be felt in Season 6 and even more so in Season 7. There’s still a lot to love about those seasons (I was always a big fan of Sera Gamble’s writing), and I admire her and the other writers for what they tried to do with Soulless Sam and the Leviathans, even if I still have major issues with both storylines.
Regarding your comments about “filler” episodes, I know that the structure of Supernatural’s seasons really haven’t changed much, but the quality of these MOTW episodes most definitely has. In Season 11, there has been a renewed energy to these types of episodes, and I’ve really appreciated that. As I said in my comment above to Melaniedesi, some of my favorite Supernatural episodes are the stand-alone hours, and I appreciate their place in the show’s history and longevity. But I can’t deny that, in recent years, a majority of the MOTW episodes have been lacking that spark that was there in earlier seasons of the show. Season 11 has recaptured that magic for me.
Thanks for reading and commenting on the article!
He was more than a writer. He was still doing showrunning duties, but a lot less of the day to day stuff. But he was still working there, helping shape the storyline of the season and guiding Gamble along. Same with season 7, albeit in a more reduced role as Revolution would gearing up during this time. He was more involved in those seasons than people realize.
I agree with you that S11 is rocking! However, I have to quibble a bit – I hate it when the stand-alone monster of the week episodes are called ‘filler’ as if they are less important than the more myth heavy episodes. I believe the excellent use of those MOTW episodes – both to explore the brothers’ relationship and to experiment with themes – is one of the main factors in Supernatural’s longevity. The other being — as you so beautifully pointed out – the brothers’ relationship.
I’m with you that S7 was probably the weakest of the series, but I personally loved S6. The whole film noir aspect was beautifully done and I loved Souless Sam.
I’m with you — SPN is my favorite show ever. Best show on TV!
You make some really great points here, and I can totally see what you mean about different seasons of the show mirroring each other. I admire that about Supernatural; however, I personally haven’t felt that the execution has always been that great.
Also, what I don’t think I make clear above in my article is that I still love a lot about the show’s sixth, eighth, and ninth seasons (Seasons 7 and 10 are pretty hit-or-miss for me). It’s just that, to me, Season 11 has felt like the most complete season since Season 5. There’s a well-planned season-long story and some terrific stand-alone hours that focus on the brothers in between the more serialized, plot-heavy episodes. It’s that perfect balance that I think Supernatural’s writers have struggled to recreate ever since Eric Kripke stepped down as showrunner.
For my thoughts on the “filler” or MOTW episodes, I’ve gone into detail about that in response above to Melaniedesi. Thank you so much for reading the article and for commenting. I love hearing other fans’ opinions on the show, and yours are very strong and well-argued.
Am an ardent fan of spn,from india..simply love it..its aired here on Saturdays..nd yep this season is awesome..glad to see so many ppl have such a huge admiration 4 d show
I think we both can agree that the great part of Supernatural is we can all have such diverse opinions. Such as you can choose what you enjoy and don’t enjoy. I hope you reply to this comment also because I am wondering if you ever think the show will establish where Angels and Demons go when they die. Everything else has been established where it goes when it dies. I think it would be a wasted opportunity if the writers do not establish that. What are your thoughts on the matter? Also how do you think the series will end?