Supernatural Season 7 Roundtable Review: A Look Back and a Look Forward

How about that Supernatural cliffhanger? With Dean now stuck in Purgatory, Sam all alone on earth, and the fans stuck with over four months until the season 8 premiere, we all have a lot of time to digest what happened this past season and look ahead to the next one.

Back in December, I reached out to some friends and fellow writers in the Supernatural fandom to share their thoughts up until the midseason point. The exercise went so well that we’ve all come together again to share our thoughts on the season as a whole. Participating in this roundtable review are: myself, Laura Prudom from HuffPost TV, Vinnie from Winchester Brothers, Danielle Turchiano from Possible By Pop Culture, Alice Jester from Winchester Family Business, Tina Charles from TV Guide, and Nikki Novak from Winchester Daily. What struck me as interesting, as I read through all of their comments, is that most of us agree on the various subjects we’ve chosen to address in this review. We have a lot of the same praise and criticism, which is the same kind of comments I’ve been reading from fans online. This review is lengthy, but there’s a lot of material to cover from this past season of Supernatural.

The Leviathans as Villains

Across the board, most of us agree that Dick Roman was a fitting leader for the Leviathans. Always smarmy and amusing, Dick made a good lead villain. “Dick was my favorite kind of evil: cool, smart, calmly evil and scary as hell when angry,” Vinnie said. I particularly liked Dick and Crowley interacting in the season finale of Supernatural. Putting those two cool and charismatic actors together was an A+ idea. Heck, they made contract negotiations fun! But our love for Dick didn’t necessarily translate well into love for the Leviathans as the big bad.

To be fair, most of us acknowledged that it would be difficult to top Lucifer – as in, the actual Devil – as a villain. “There was a tall order in creating the Leviathan arc to begin with because after defeating Lucifer, it really felt like: ‘what could possibly be worse?’, at least to me. The Leviathans had to be bigger and badder and darker and more twisted — and ESPECIALLY more cunning — to be credible villains, let alone the big bad of the season,” Danielle said. In some respects, we agreed that the idea of the Leviathans was a good one, but in other respects, the execution fell short. Nikki explained that “there was so many different angles that could have been worked with the monsters, but in the end I feel like the whole ‘plan’ reveal fell flat.” Tina said that “there was so much potential but the payoff wasn’t there. The story was uneven. At their introduction they were scary but then it didn’t really go anywhere. “Slash Fiction” with the Sam and Dean clones was probably the scariest they got all season long. I wanted to be on board with the Leviathan arc but for some reason I wasn’t completely invested.”

In some respects, it’s difficult to duplicate the kind of relentless need for vengeance that defined Sam, Dean and John’s desire to kill Azazel, because there were over 20 years of history to contend with there. Because of that, he was almost the “perfect” kind of villain, always hovering in the background in the thoughts of the audience and in the thoughts of our protagonists. But the Leviathans sometimes felt like an afterthought – something that was mentioned every once in a while to make us remember that they were still out there.

Individually, a lot of the Leviathans we met were fun characters, but I agree that their master plan wasn’t all that terrifying. It felt more like “oh, that’s it?” than “eek, that’s pretty scary!” The Levis were certainly the most different of all the villains we’ve ever seen on this show and their master plan – and the tactics they used to achieve it – ventured into social commentary territory. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but there’s also a reason why more religious or quasi-religious villains – with corresponding goals – have worked far more effectively on this show. Demons, vengeful angels and the Devil are terrifying because they’re historical villains that most of us can relate to through childhood or adult stories. These types of villains are ones that a lot of us fear – at least the idea of them.

Creating a new type of monster from scratch is a noble quest, but if it’s not the type of monster that we can relate to, then it can fall flat. Melding a historical monster (ie. the Levis, who are supposed to be ancient) with a goal of enslaving humans that feels more suited to invading aliens (a more futuristic concept) didn’t really terrify me. As Danielle explained, “their plans for us puny humans were in villain territory, but somehow the stakes never felt quite as high as an impending apocalypse.”

Perhaps, for most of us, the biggest problem with the Levis wasn’t even their endgame, but the lack of personal connection to our heroes. Think back on all of the big villains Sam and Dean had to face over the years. Those villains always had strong personal ties to the Winchesters. Azazel had killed their mother and Jessica. Lilith was holding Dean’s contract and was instrumental in sending him to Hell. Freeing Lucifer was only possible because Dean and Sam had broken the first and last seals. Later, even stopping the apocalypse was incredibly personal because the brothers were meant to be the vessels of the combating angels. This is where the Leviathans – and even Eve in season 6 – were found lacking.

At the beginning, these monsters were being housed inside of Castiel, which was very personal. But then they were out and they almost felt like an afterthought. Later, the writers tried to instill a personal connection by having Dick responsible for Bobby’s death. For a while it really worked. Dean’s confrontation of Dick in the limo outside the hospital as Bobby lay in a coma was the most fired up I had seen him in a long time. But even then, as time went on, it started to feel less personal. Dean’s goal of defeating Dick was always pretty clear (what with the fact that he was constantly “hunting him”), but even then it felt like something he felt he had to do. That also speaks to Dean’s apathy this season, but we’ll get to that later. It was really this lack of personal or historical connection to the Winchesters that had me feeling far more ambivalent about the Levis as villains.

Laura had a rather good suggestion to combat this that might not have been a hit with fans, but certainly sounded like an interesting concept: “As much as it might’ve broken my heart, I almost wish that the writers had kept the Leviathans inside Castiel all season and used him as the Big Bad – that way, the boys would’ve had a personal stake in taking him down but still felt the need to save their friend. I don’t think the show could’ve sustained that as a season-long arc (much like when John was possessed by Azazel), but it would’ve made more sense to have Cas disappear for a number of episodes and return as the boss Leviathan, if the writers truly wanted to have an emotional impact.” It’s a polarizing suggestion, but it makes a lot of sense, and would definitely have made us feel more of a connection between the villains and our heroes. It would also have deprived us of Dick Roman, so perhaps it wouldn’t have been the ideal choice, but it would have created more emotional resonance, in a way.

Dean’s Storyline

We all felt that Dean was a bit lacking in terms of personal storyline this year. In season 7, his depression and his alcoholism worsened. “I’m actually okay with Dean’s drinking problem, it made sense, but Dean was an apathetic, depressed, ‘˜going through the motions’mess all season. He had no passion, no fire, and never found his groove,” Alice said.

She’s not wrong. Dean’s apathy has been getting progressively worse since he returned from Hell. We’ve had many seasons to see this poor man continuously beaten down by life. In many respects, he’s gone through one of the biggest transformation of any character, at least in terms of his core characteristics. He’s still a fierce hunter, but that fire that defined him in earlier seasons seems lost to us, and to him. Like I mentioned on the previous page, the most fired up version of Dean was the one threatening Dick when Bobby was shot. He was terrifying and angry, something we haven’t seen in a while. This is the kind of Dean I wish we could see more often. The kind that fiercely protects his brother and his loved ones and throws his considerable charm and swagger at a villain before beating him down.

Jensen Ackles is always stellar as Dean. His performance is so often flawless that Dean’s gradual descent into depression always makes sense and never feels forced. In fact, it’s generally heartbreaking to watch. His performance is never the issue. The issue, perhaps, lies with what happens when we reach the apex of this apathy. Tina said that “I thought that his drinking and his depression would lead to something. It didn’t. So that was an unsatisfying element of this season. But Dean always gets lots of great moments and he did give us plenty of those this season.” Laura went further to explain that “I was especially disappointed that after all that drinking and depression, the writers still denied him an opportunity for a real cathartic meltdown, similar to the spectacular, Impala-smashing breakdown he had in Season 2. Jensen could’ve worked wonders with that kind of material, but that big ball of angst is still firmly tied to his ankle.”

“I feel like Dean is one of those tragic figure guys that seems even more tragic now that we saw him get his chance at happiness and make the decision to walk away from it last season. This year he just dove deeper into that, which I call a depression, but which the show really doesn’t actually indicate is diagnosable. I am attracted to darkness in characters, which is why I manage to stay so intrigued with Dean, even when the story seems to hold back, but I was hoping there would be a larger payoff this season. Either with his drinking or with Bobby or with the fact that if his brother really is better, now he is the stronger hunter/stronger brother, and that role reversal is bound to inform all kinds of new conflict,” Danielle said.

The first two seasons of the show really established Dean’s role as Sam’s protector, which is a role I am always happy to see him play. Their relationship is always the cornerstone of this show. But seasons 3 to 5 of Supernatural really gave Dean a spot in the overall mythology of the show. To me, season 3 is always a very Dean-centric season, in particular. But, as Laura mentioned, he’s been “reactive instead of active all season.” His current state is understandable given this character’s history, but I’m hoping that his trip to Purgatory will help give him more of a fighting purpose. Dean so often fights for his loved ones or out of duty, but trying to survive Purgatory could give him a reason to really start fighting for himself. It might be the reason to continue that he’s been searching for this season.

Updated: for more thoughts on why Dean’s journey in Purgatory should be different than his journey to Hell, click here.

Sam’s Storyline

Sam has been very busy over the past two seasons. From coming back from Hell soulless to getting the wall in his head broken, Sam has actually been more at the cornerstone of the show’s story arcs than Dean lately. Not that that’s a problem, mind you, because I like both characters and want to see them both get story arcs. Sam’s storyline in season 7 of Supernatural is probably the only area where there was slight disagreement between those who participated in this review.

First, we all agreed that Jared Padalecki was wonderful at portraying a broken Sam. For me, in particular, episode 7.17 “The Born-Again Identity” gave Jared a tremendous opportunity to shine, and he definitely played the part. Vinnie gushed that “Sam’s mental break provided what are now some of my favorite moments in Supernatural history. The image of the library patrons banging their heads against the tables in “Repo Man” was spectacularly disturbing.” Further, tying Sam’s story to the reappearance of Lucifer allowed Mark Pellegrino a chance to shine, and those two actors were electric together.

Tina was happy that “Sam’s story was clear. Castiel broke the wall in his mind. Sam had to deal with these delusions that included seeing Lucifer 24/7. Even though we couldn’t always see it, we knew it was there. He was losing it and we didn’t know how it was going to be resolved. But it was, thanks to Cas. There was a beginning, middle and an end to this story and that was great.” Here’s where a few people took issue, as Tina explained: “My issue was the continuation of this hell storyline that started at the beginning of last season. I think it’s because it had been going on so long that we didn’t get to see as much of the effects of Sam’s wall breaking that fans may have wanted.” Alice believed that Sam’s hellucinations were addressed in spectacular fashion in “Hello, Cruel World”, which they were, but that the lack of noticeable side-effects after that was disappointing.

Laura pointed out that “we know, from what Jared and the producers have said in interviews, that Sam was struggling with the hellucinations all year, and that Jared was trying to subtly add in those mannerisms even in episodes not focused on his broken wall, but the fact of the matter is, the editing rarely showed those manifestations to the audience, which made it appear as though there were long stretches of time where Sam was basically functioning like a completely healthy human being. Sadly, that undermined the severity of his situation.”

Of course, we all understand the main crux of the problem: Sam could not have been crazy for the majority of the season. The truth is that Castiel, as an ancillary character, can act off his rocker. It’s amusing and it makes sense. But Sam cannot spend 17 episodes of Supernatural either as a crazy “hippie” like Castiel, or as a far more serious “drooling vegetable”, as Laura put it. Breaking Sam’s wall was a huge step, and most of us wish that some sort of happy medium could have been found between Sam functioning as a normal person and Sam being completely crazy for nearly an entire season.

What most of us do agree on is the resolution of the storyline. Some, like Danielle and Alice, said that the ultimate resolution might have been a bit too easy. “It just seemed too easy to have Castiel magically fix him – especially since in the end, Castiel was fixed, too,” Danielle explained. The rest of us believed that the resolution was fitting, given the difficult circumstances. “As far as his recovery is concerned, I never took issue with how it was dealt with. Frankly, there was almost no other way to wrap that up. I think his deterioration and recovery were handled well. Were they handled realistically? Of course not, but I wouldn’t expect them to be,” Vinnie said.

In my review of episode 7.17, I also agreed that the resolution was the best possible outcome given the circumstances. It “cured” Sam of having to have a nervous breakdown (which couldn’t really happen to one of the two main characters of Supernatural), and it also gave Castiel an opportunity to take a bit of responsibility for his actions in breaking the wall, even if they didn’t necessarily play out for him like it did for Sam (although, given his angelic status, that’s not necessarily unexpected). But perhaps it seems a bit odd that the “fix” basically cured Sam entirely. “Castiel only took away Sam’s hallucinations, and I feel like the guy should still be suffering from some kind of PTSD after being in Hell,” Laura brought up, while Danielle said “Lucifer may not be sneaking in his head anymore, but what about his own PTSD? He bounced back so comfortably!”

It would be nice to see Sam feeling more after-effects of being in Hell, especially since we know how well Jared can portray Sam as despondent and at the end of his rope. In some respects, I feel like Sam has less of an opportunity than Dean to be broken. Sam’s pain often manifests itself as anger, whereas Dean’s pain generally manifests itself as despair. This could be attributed to the general characteristics of the brothers, but, as Laura pointed out, “I know that these are strong, macho dudes who have been through an awful lot of terrible experiences, but Hell is Hell, and it shouldn’t be so easy to shrug off, even for a Winchester.”

Updated: Click here for our wishlist on what Sam should be doing while dead is in Purgatory.

The Death, Ghostly Resurrection, and Death (Again) of Bobby

All of us agreed that Bobby’s original send-off was nothing short of brilliant. “Bobby’s death was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen this show do, season five finale flashbacks with the Impala included,” Danielle said, while Vinnie gushed that “Death’s Door” was “phenomenally gut wrenching episode”.

But how Bobby’s death fit into the storyline is something that most of us struggled with. Nikki said that “killing Bobby was completely unnecessary in my eyes. I am still mourning the loss of such a beloved character, one of my favorites since season one. The parting of Bobby was done lovingly and carefully. Admittedly, I was excited at the thought of him appearing as a ghost but quickly changed my mind. Bringing him back and then killing him again? It was like a slap in the face and the character deserved more.”

Laura pointed out that Bobby has become too much of a crutch as Supernatural has progressed. She’s not necessarily wrong about that. The Winchesters spent earlier years relying on their ingenuity to solve problems, with some backup from Bobby and others along the way. In more recent episodes, it has seemed like they need more help, which should actually be the other way around given how long they’ve been hunting. Season 7 was all about stripping away the Winchesters’ allies and comforts, but I still don’t see why Bobby had to die. He could have just as easily been put in a coma after “Death’s Door”, only to be brought out of it later. I understand that his death was meant as a push for Dean, but I also feel like Dean would have been equally as upset even if Bobby was languishing in a coma, especially since Dean’s apathy seemed to diminish that need for vengeance as time went on.

My biggest problem was that I had hoped that bringing him back would result in something more. The truth is that he actually didn’t help the Winchesters all that much when he was brought back (aside from really decoding Kevin’s writing from the tablet and helping out with Dick when he was attacking Charlie), which was disappointing after how thrilled I was when his ghost first reappeared. Vinnie felt that “Bobby’s death was so well written and acted, but that was all negated by his ghost and his vengeance.”

I almost want to say that I had hoped Bobby hadn’t been resurrected, since I feel like his return was sort of a placeholder until his second demise in the season 7 finale. But what I really want to say is that I wish he had never died in the first place. At this point, I feel like his second “death” in “Survival of the Fittest” is actually it. Jared mentioned in a recent interview that they can’t keep killing Bobby and bringing him back, which is completely true. It cheapens the character. So I’m kind of sorry that he was brought back for what I feel is little reason central to the plot, only to be killed again.

What I did really like was the fact that Sam got to get through to Bobby in the end. I think we can all attest to the fact that Bobby has seemed to have had a closer relationship with Dean. I don’t think that’s because he doesn’t love Sam, but just because Dean has always felt the pull of family, whereas Sam is more of an independent person. He loves his family, but he has always been a bit better about surviving on his own. This isn’t a character flaw, it’s just a fact. So the fact that Bobby decided to stop his quest for vengeance when he realized that he was prepared to kill Sam in order to achieve it was the one last emotional milestone Bobby really needed to accomplish. Even more than that, as Laura pointed out, in the end “choosing to have Bobby leave on his own terms, before he had the chance to do irrevocable damage, was the right decision, which maintained the integrity of the character.”

Castiel’s Disappearance and “Redemption”

I’ve always thought that the introduction and retention of strong recurring characters is something Supernatural does well. Sam and Dean are undoubtedly the stars of the show, and always have been. But no man is an island, and they occasionally need help. More than that, they need friends, family, allies, etc. You can’t have a show with only two characters and the occasional victim of the week. So the elevation of characters like Bobby and Castiel has always been in a good thing in my mind. That’s why it was so hard to accept Castiel’s “death” at the beginning of season 7, especially since it was so abrupt. “Castiel walking into the lake was a really depressing way to see a character ‘go out.’ There was no closure for the characters around him, let alone fans. I know that there isn’t always closure in life, but let’s face it, this is television, and so expectations are different,” Danielle explained.

Each of us agreed that Castiel had to return after walking into the lake. In fact, we all liked exactly how his reappearance was executed. Vinnie said that “going from a healer with no knowledge of his origin, or species for that matter, to an insane angel weighed with regret was plotted perfectly. The craziness wasn’t overdone by the writers or by Collins and I think that balance made it effective.” Danielle felt that perhaps his own “fix” from taking on Sam’s hellucinations might have been a bit too convenient, but I sort of feel like it made sense. After all, Castiel isn’t a human, he’s an angel. We really have no idea how taking on Sam’s hellucinations should have affected an angel. I suspect that their brains are hard-wired in a different way, and his own intrinsic healing mechanisms would have helped to fix the mental problems that arose after shifting Sam’s problems onto himself.

Further, we all liked the “new” version of Castiel we got to see in recent Supernatural episodes. “Using Misha’s propensity for humor is a perfect way for handling his breakdown,” Alice said, while Laura agreed that “Misha did a great job with the quirky, comedic beats he was given in the last few episodes.”

That being said, I agree with Dean’s reluctance to forgive Castiel. He did, after all, commit the ultimate sin of hurting Sam. But, as Tina pointed out, “I think in the finale that Dean/Cas scene we got when the angel said he ‘detected a note of forgiveness’ was a hard fought moment that was completely satisfying to me.” Do I believe that Dean should welcome Castiel back with open arms? Of course not. Do I believe that Castiel can eventually be redeemed? Yes.

Sam went through this same exercise in season 5, when he attempted redemption for his sins in season 4. I’ll admit, it took him a bit longer to achieve that redemption, but that’s because he’s a main character and the writers can take a longer time to tell his story, whereas it’s more difficult to tell a drawn-out story with a more ancillary character like Castiel. What I enjoy is the fact that Castiel seems to be using his new “persona” as a coping mechanism. In the Supernatural season 7 finale, we saw that he’s absolutely aware of the destruction wrought by his actions at the end of season 6 and the beginning of season 7. Is he, in a sense, hiding behind his “crazy”? Perhaps. But I liked that, when the chips were down, he stepped up to the plate and agreed to help Dean. Cas still has a ways to go before he’s achieved his redemption – in his eyes and in Dean’s – but I think he’ll get there.

A Cast of Thousands: Ancillary Characters in Season 7 of Supernatural

Like I said before, Supernatural has generally been very good about introducing memorable one-off and recurring characters. This year, we got a huge influx of Whedonverse actors (Charisma Carpenter, James Marsters, Jewel Staite and Felicia Day), which was a delight. Staite’s appearance may have set off unnecessary and manufactured conflict for the brothers, but I still thought it was fun to see her. I thought “Shut Up, Dr. Phil” was a fun episode with Carpenter and Marsters, and Felicia Day definitely needs to be brought back to the show next season. “My favorite guest star hands down was Felicia Day. Charlie was a brilliantly written character and I enjoyed Dean’s reactions to her,” Nikki gushed. Going beyond those characters, Tina was right in saying “I loved the presence of (returning guest star) Kim Rhodes as Sheriff Jodie Mills this season. She’s pretty fierce.”

All of us really enjoyed the addition of DJ Qualls as Garth, although there did seem to be a wish to have him appear in stronger episodes (not his fault, of course, just what happened with the scripts).

Perhaps the only ancillary character that presented problems was Frank. We all liked him, but some were confused by his presence. Nikki complained that “Frank was lost on me. His existence felt forced on us and the fact that Bobby died for the transition really makes me mad. Especially since Frank died himself. You don’t sacrifice a well loved character for one we barely know, who you’re going to kill off almost immediately”, while both Laura and I agree that the “closure” on his storyline was lacking. Are we 100% sure that he’s dead? It’s kind of odd that it wasn’t really confirmed beyond a bloody trailer and a “in case of my death” message. Given how trigger-happy Supernatural is about killing characters in front of us, this seemed like an odd choice. Does it mean they’ll bring him back next season? In fact, Laura’s lament seemed fitting: “I do wish the show didn’t have to find creative ways of bringing back fan-favorite characters just because they’re so trigger-happy.”

Supernatural Season 8: Requests for Jeremy Carver

One thing we all had to discuss was our wish list for season 8. With Supernatural moving to Wednesday nights in the fall (an almost unprecedented move by a network since the show was “banished” to Friday nights), and Jeremy Carver stepping in as the new showrunner, I think it’s fair to say that both the network and the show feels like Supernatural is hitting a new stride. That cliffhanger also opens up a world of possibilities. “Splitting the boys apart adds a new conflict, especially because they don’t know where the other one is this time around. It’s not like when Sam watched Dean get dragged to hell or Dean watched Sam fall in the pit. The sense of unknown may be the scariest thing of all,” Danielle said.

Excitement is abound for the direction this show can go: “Right now I’m kind of worshiping the way season 7 ended with Sam all on his own in reality and Dean and Cas in Purgatory. I keep saying this, but I’m scared for all of them. And it’s going to be exciting to see how they deal with the crap they just stepped in. Yes, this means we’re going to get a Sam and Dean working separately for a little bit – and usually I’d be against that. But, man, it’s going to be fun to see how they react to what’s going on around them. Who is Sam going to turn to? How long is it going to take Dean to figure out the rules of Purgatory?” Tina said.

Perhaps Tina put it best. Putting Dean into Purgatory (either with or without Castiel) is actually a fantastic opportunity to give him a kick in the butt. Unlike Hell, which came complete with guilt over having tortured other souls, Purgatory will force Dean to use his survival skills. As much as it might hurt him, I don’t want to see him being rescued in the premiere episode. Further, with the season 8 premiere acting as the 150th episode, it’s the perfect opportunity to show the brothers separately battling their own problems. Dean learning to survive in Purgatory will make him fierce. Back home, Sam should be trying to figure out a way to save Dean. This is the perfect opportunity to have Sam save his brother…a missed opportunity that the writers didn’t have time to develop at the end of season 3/beginning of season 4. Not only will that make Sam stronger, but it will go a long way to making their relationship stronger. I definitely want to see Castiel in season 8, but I also believe that it could be very interesting to see Dean learn to survive alone in Purgatory.

Carver could very well be the man to do it. As Laura pointed out, “Carver always had a great grasp of Sam and Dean’s voices, and of balancing their stories, both individually and when they were working together. “Free To Be You And Me” is still one of my favorite episodes, in part because it allowed Sam and Dean to function independently while still keeping them in-character and allowing them moments of humor and action. I hope season 8 will utilize those skills.”

Of course, we can’t be waiting around forever for the brothers to be reunited, because their relationship, as always, remains integral to the show. And I’m curious to see how the Leviathans could remain a nuisance in season 8. I kind of think they’ve played their role, but it will be interesting to see if, and how, they pop up again. Further, I’m almost interested to see Castiel disappear from Purgatory, leaving Dean alone there. I don’t think it will be easy for Castiel to help him escape regardless, because why else would he have gone through so much trouble to gain access to it in season 6? Even so, I think it would be fascinating to see Dean being forced to survive on his own. It would help mirror Sam’s struggles on earth – the two of them trying to survive on their own. That way, when they’re finally reunited, it would make the reunion even better, because it would end the period of loneliness.

Whatever Carver does, there’s high hopes for season 8 of Supernatural. In fact, our group couldn’t stop gushing about his impending return. Nikki said that “I don’t want to call Jeremy Carver our savior but I can’t think of a better adjective at this point in time. I liked Sera, I really did, but with that said I feel like Carver has to step in and really do some magic for season eight. We are on a new night with a brand new show and the potential is there for total success”, while Vinnie added that “I assume Jeremy Carver has a delicious plan in mind for season 8 and I’m excited for the ride.”

“Carver’s been placed on an extremely high pedestal with probably the most demanding fandom in TV right now. Having said that, I’m so excited he decided to come back. His episodes always brought extreme heart to the show, and that’s exactly what’s missing right now,” Alice acknowledged. “Passion needs to be injected into the characters again, especially Sam and Dean. They need a reason to go on, they need hope, they need to catch some breaks here and there. I could go on and on though about what could be done, but I’ll leave that up to Mr. Carver. It’s his show now and I trust him to run with it.”

In Conclusion

I hope, after reading this season 7 review, that fans don’t think we’re left with a totally sour taste in our mouths about the past season. For me, personally, I’ve always particularly enjoyed seasons 2 and 4 because, I felt, they had strong individual episodes and a strong season-long arc. The past two seasons have had some very good individual episodes, but the season-long arcs didn’t seem as appealing to me.

There are still so many aspects of season 7 to enjoy, however: new and recurring guest stars, terrific performances by Jared, Jensen, Misha Collins and Jim Beaver, time-travel (the 1940s never looked so good!) and a very strong season opening. “I was more of a fan of specific moments, performances and episodes than the overall story arc. Supernatural is good at doing that. Even when I’m just OK with the big picture, I can zero in on the exceptionally good moments that make that specific hour of television worth watching,” Tina said. Furthermore, the season-ending cliffhanger is probably one of the tensest situations we’ve encountered since the end of season 3, which will bring a lot of discussion over the summer, and for good reason.

Perhaps Vinnie put it best when she mentioned that “I think this story arc had so much potential. Too much, in fact. Multiple incarnations of Castiel, Dean’s alcoholism, Sam’s wall, Leviathans, social commentary; it was like two seasons smooshed into one.”

Yes, we’ve got a long wait until The CW premieres season 8 of Supernatural at some point in October, but as momentum builds for the new season – and new directions for the show – I think we’ll all be eagerly awaiting the 150th episode/season 8 premiere.

Make sure to bookmark and browse our Supernatural page, which will always be updated as new information, trailers and photos trickle in.