The CW drama "was always going to face an uphill battle with its season finale; after all, how do you wrap up a show that’s run for 15 years?" says Laura Bradley. "And when that show happens to be about two lovable demon-hunting brothers played by the supernaturally ageless Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki? Forget it! Still, as the CW’s long-running drama came to a close, droves of fans began venting their disappointment—even going so far as to compare the closer to Game of Thrones’s widely-detested ending. As with any finale, some loved the episode and some hated it—but the ones who hated this ending really hated it."
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Supernatural represented the American spirit and the monstrous darkness lurking underneath: "Shows like Supernatural don't last for as long as they do unless they speak to something essential about us, and what Sam and Dean Winchester (played by Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki) represent," says Melanie McFarland. "A main reason that Supernatural has lasted as long as it has and maintained the love of its varied fanbase for some of the same key reasons American audiences have deemed Law & Order timeless. Its case vary from week to week, with a few episodes here and there devoted to pushing its mythology forward. The difference is that in its world, definitions of good and evil are fungible. Hell is chaos, but Heaven is a heartless place run by beings blindly following orders or defying them to take vengeance upon humanity. And in the cosmos' caste system, humans occupy a low rung. This makes Supernatural a series that's as much about underdogs battling corrupt systems as it is about hunters confronting monsters. And in its divine justice system the perpetually screwed people are represented by two separate yet equally important men: Dean, a brawler with a winning sense of humor; and Sam, a college-educated adherent to reason. These are their stories. This makes Supernatural a series that's as much about underdogs battling corrupt systems as it is about hunters confronting monsters. And in its divine justice system the perpetually screwed people are represented by two separate yet equally important men: Dean, a brawler with a winning sense of humor; and Sam, a college-educated adherent to reason. These are their stories."
An appreciation of the women of Supernatural: "It's way past time to celebrate the women behind the men who have come and gone throughout 15 seasons," says Sydney Bucksbaum. "Sure, Sam and Dean — and Castiel (Misha Collins) and Crowley (Mark Sheppard) and Bobby (Jim Beaver) etc. — may have always been the main characters on whom the story was focused, but let's be real: they would be nothing without the female backup they've relied upon for a decade and a half. In fact, they'd all probably have died many seasons ago if they didn't have these women by their sides. So pour a glass of your finest bourbon and let's raise a toast to all the women of Supernatural, starting with one of the first (and first long-running) powerful female characters who was more on the side of evil than good, but that didn't stop her from swapping sides as often as she changed bodies: Meg Masters. Played by various actors but most recognizably by Rachel Miner, the deliciously self-servant demon with a fondness for Castiel (and pizza men) was introduced early in season 1, and continued to appear and drive the main story in seasons 2, 5, 6, 7, and 8."