Supernatural is hard to explain. Well, no, that’s not right. Actually Supernatural is really easy to explain – sort of. At it’s core, the show is about two brothers who are carrying out “The Family Business” after their mother’s death sends their family in the unconventional direction of saving people and killing supernatural beings. That, however, is the least complicated thing to explain about SPN.
Supernatural is about family. It’s about fighting for family, fighting against family, keeping family, losing family, and creating a new family. Each season of the show is self contained, for the most part. There are certain larger story lines that span multiple seasons, but each season has a generally set story arc for Dean and Sam Winchester.
Season One was a character building arc. We got to see who Dean and Sam were. It’s also the beginning of the Yellow Eyed Demon’s arc, an arc which wouldn’t finish until the finale of Season Two. Season Two was more of a Sammy season, delving into his psychic powers and finishing out the boys’ business with good ol’ Yellow Eyes. Dean controlled Season Three because of his doomsday-esque death countdown, which leads the boys to search for Lilith, the big bad of the season. Season Four marks Castiel, the Angel of Thursdays (things that don’t make sense to new viewers after S5), the introduction of angels, and the search for God. Lilith is trying to break the seals to Lucifer’s cage to let him out of his prison. The angels come in to stop her. Lucifer is the main villain of Season Five, trying to obtain his human vessel – none other than our very own Sammy Winchester. The angel fighting becomes more warped, the new big bad is a demon named Crowley who reminds everyone of Good Omens, and Castiel falls deeper and deeper into trying to save the world until he reaches the conclusion of Purgatory in Season Six. That isn’t such a hot idea and Season Seven is all about what gets let out of Purgatory – Leviathans. They want nothing more then to eat all humans. Dean and Sam spend the season fighting the biggest and baddest Leviathan, Dick Roman. When they finally get him, Dean and Cas are standing too close and they get sent to Purgatory, thus beginning our current season which is set a year after Season Seven ends.
On the non-show side of things, the SPN fandom is intense (yes, like camping. Which, ironically, Supernatural taught me to never do ever again). This is the fandom that Misha Collins credits with Castiel getting more than his original six episodes; he became a series regular in his second season. This is the fandom that demands conventions for a show that the mass media pays no attention to – and gets them. With the main cast, to make matters more interesting. This is the fandom that has been represented in many episodes, the first being “The Monster at the End of This Book,” episode 4.18.
Like it or not, recognized by the media or not, the Winchester boys and their dirty angel are here to stay – and we fans can’t wait to see what Jeremy Carver does as showrunner this season. The only thing I can say from his history as a writer on the show, and from what’s happened this far, is to get ready to feel a lot of feels. It’s gonna hit us where we hurt – and where Dean, Sam, and Cas hurt too.
-Emily Frances Maesar
The Nerdicon 