My Complicated Relationship With Supernatural

When The CW’s Supernatural started, I instantly fell in love with Dean Winchester. I should have known back then that I have a problem with broken boys who refuse to talk about their issues, but here I am, nearly fourteen years later, and I’m pretty much still liking the same kind of characters. But still, for six seasons, I fell in love with the Winchester boys and their daddy issues.

They were fighting against the “evil” of the world because … it’s what they do. For six seasons, I was enthralled, in love, and then I quit the show cold turkey and never looked back. It wasn’t because I didn’t love it anymore; I actually loved it a lot. I just didn’t want to watch a show that meant the world to me turn from something beautiful into what basically happened to Glee.

Here’s the thing: I didn’t want to see Supernatural die. I didn’t want to see it get beaten to the point of being a mere shell of what it used to be, and I couldn’t stand by and watch as one of my favorite shows got dragged on and on because of ratings. From what I’ve been told about the show, it’s still good and still the show we all fell in love with, so maybe I’ll go back to it at some point, but still, my point stands.

In those first few seasons, we saw these two characters grow and learn and struggle. We watched Dean Winchester, a strong man who never really showed that he cared, cry because of everything going on in his life. We watched Sam have to kill someone he loved because of what he became. All of these things broke down the walls of the Winchester boys and gave us a look into how characters (and specifically male characters) can still be these “strong” figures and be emotionally connected to one another.

To me, what made this show so special was the relationship between Sam and Dean. Two brothers who were trying to understand their past and move on, they were open with each other and would go to hell and back (quite literally) for one another. That was so rare to see and is still very limited in our pop culture.

That understanding of love, of being there for your sibling and willing to die for them, was so special that I didn’t want it tainted by the show running for so long or repeating storylines because they ran out of ideas. And sure, maybe someday I’ll go back to watching Supernatural and finish it all, but until that day, I’m content with remembering my favorite episodes and thinking fondly of the show I loved. (What Is and What Should Never Be will forever be my favorite, and second is that scene when Dean sleeps with an angel to “Ready For Love” by Bad Company.)

(image: The CW)

Want more stories like this? Become a subscriber and support the site!

—The Mary Sue has a strict comment policy that forbids, but is not limited to, personal insults toward anyone, hate speech, and trolling.—