It’s not a season finale of Supernatural unless there are tons of emotions and somebody does (or almost) dies and this is exactly what happened in this week’s epic ending. For a show that has lasted eleven seasons fans thought it would be hard to top previous endings, such as “Swan Song” and “Do You Believe in Miracles“, but this finale did not disappoint by ending in one of the biggest plot twists the show has ever seen.
Picking up exactly where the previous episode left off, Lucifer has been expelled from his vessel leaving Cas to finally be present again and Chuck/God is dying from an attack from Amara which leaves the sun to die with him. The gang knows that they can no longer trap Amara and so they must kill her, despite this not being God’s favorite choice. With the help of Billie the reaper they collect enough souls in order to create a bomb to destroy the darkness and Dean is that one that must set it off because he has a connection with her. But nothing is this simple on Supernatural is it? In order for it to work Dean “won’t carry the bomb. He’ll be the bomb”.
And this is where all the emotions come flooding in. Dean says his final goodbyes to everyone while visiting his mother’s grave for the last time. He and Cas hug and some comical moments are shared between Dean and Sam when he references the first episode by asking for “no chick flick moments”, in which Sam replies “you love chick flicks” and Dean agrees! (Cue tears now). And of course, Dean tries to hide the emotions of the scene by saying he wants a huge funeral with Black Sabbath and Gary Busey reading his eulogy.
Shortly after they all think Dean has died, Sam and Cas head back to the bunker where they encounter Toni (New guest star Elizabeth Blackmore). She expels Cas and tells Sam she has to take him and Dean in because they have caused too much damage over the past few years. Sam tries to stop her but she shoots him (He’s probably not dead or seriously hurt though because we hear no noise from him. Maybe a magic bullet?). Meanwhile, once Dean gets close enough to Amara she notices the bomb inside him and his, and our hearts sink with fear. But for once Dean doesn’t get killed by the enemy! Instead, he has a heart-to-heart talk with her about the troubles of a sibling relationship and she and Chuck make amends with each other and the balance of dark and light on Earth is restored again. But before they both go, Amara tells Dean that because he gave her what she wanted most of all, she would return the favour and give him the same. Our first thought is that she will give him back a loved one who has died, but who? It could be anyone; Ellen, Jo, Bobby?
But of course, it is the one person he cares about most in the entire world (apart from Sam). As Dean finds his way out of a forest he hears a woman cry for help and immediately runs to find the source. And behold, as Dean enters the clearing, none other than Mary Winchester is staring right back at him and Dean looks just as shocked as we feel. And with the final word said, “Mom?” the screen goes black and the credits role.
What. An. Ending.
Super fans of Supernatural will know that it is typical for the show to kill off an important character in a season, but bringing one back that is actually alive? Now that’s something new, especially for a character who died in the very first episode. Despite being in only a couple of episodes Mary Winchester has played a vital role in the show’s story, having been the reason why Sam, Dean, and their dad entered the hunting business. She is a positive representation for the women of the show and has shown the importance of motherly figures.
So what does this mean for season twelve? It’s hard to tell. With no demonic threats having made an appearance in the finale it’s hard to know what the Winchesters will be fighting against. It is obvious that they will have to go against Lady Toni and the British Men of Letters, but this cannot possibly last a whole season. With everyone thinking Dean is dead will Sam be taken back to England without him? And how will Cas find the two of them?
What we do know is that season twelve will be different. With Jeremy Carver stepping down as showrunner, Robert Singer and Andrew Dabb will be taking over the role, meaning that the show will possibly get a new style. The next season will surely be different in many ways but it will still be one hell of a ride.
