Due to its status as a show with an enormous fanbase, Supernatural will always remain evergreen with aspects of the series continuing to be analyzed and discussed. Season 15 was its final outing, meaning it will be the season that will be brought up even years later.
There were a lot of things that ended up changing this time round, with some being well received while others not so much. On the other hand, there were elements that were just the same as they were right from the start, also for better or for worse. With the series having ended, it’s worth checking out what these aspects were.
CHANGED: Dean's Characterization
With Dean being driven exclusively by his rage and making one bad decision after another, the final season changed the fans’ perspective of him. While Castiel’s declaration of love tried to paint his anger in a positive light of love, that wasn’t enough to for the entire season where Dean bordered on being a villain.
Dean took to cutting ties with Castiel, treating Jack with contempt, planning to deceive and kill Amara, becoming obsessed with Chuck, and even pulling a gun on Sam and getting close to shooting him. All this combined turned his likability factor down while also switching his persona into a character filled with rage.
SAME: Ambiguous Last Appearances For ing Characters
It has been a common aspect of Supernatural that ing characters don’t really get a big ending. It was seen with the likes of Rowena, Jody, Charlie, Donna, Ketch, and Kevin, among others in Season 15. Previous seasons had done the same, only this time fans won’t be seeing the characters return for sure.
Although it was hoped that the final season might sign off with definitive conclusions to the Winchesters’ allies, a lot of unanswered questions are up in the air. Still, one can’t accuse the show of going against habit, as this was always something the series had done.
CHANGED: The Series' Lore
At one point, it had seemed as if bringing in strong demons was a real game-changer. However, Season 15 changed things up big time, bringing elements including how to defeat God, Michael being the one who invented religion, Eve being the leader of the Leviathans in Purgatory, and the rules to the Empty explained.
Other revelations like Chuck and Amara starting out as coned twins changed the context of the previous seasons as well, explaining quite a lot of questions that fans had held on to for many years.
SAME: Bringing Twists Late In The Story
Pretty much all of the antagonists in the series were defeated by some new knowledge late in the game. This practice was repeated in the final season, as Jack being able to absorb the powers of the archangels and Chuck came out of nowhere.
This had been seen previously as well in moments like Dean suddenly killing Death, Amara being convinced not to destroy Earth, and Mary punching Lucifer into the alternate reality. While some might not have found the twist in the story satisfactory, it’s not like Supernatural hadn’t done something like this before.
CHANGED: Lowering The Importance Of Previously Established Plot Points
Despite Supernatural usually bringing in late twists, the magnitude of certain things remained the same over the years. However, Season 15 subverted this practice, making established plot points low in importance or clashing with them.
This was shown best when Michael opened a portal to Purgatory with a snap, even though Season 6 had entirely been about finding a way to open such a portal and nobody knowing how to. Other aspects like Heaven being on the brink of destruction due to a lack of angels were also ignored with the importance of this problem being completely side-stepped.
SAME: The Execution Of Comedy
Comedic moments in Supernatural always veered heavily toward Dean, which was the same in this season. Most of the funny bits had Dean acting up or being awkward in certain situations. Fans will have been pleased to see a return of this element.
Season 15 even turned this up, as episodes like Sam and Dean meeting Garth -- where Dean hallucinated an entire over-the-top dance -- squeezed every bit of comedic potential from the characters in slapstick fashion.
CHANGED: Integrating Plot Holes Into The Story
This was a great thing that Supernatural took in stride, as several plot holes were explained to provide renewed perspective for previous seasons. This includes showing that Charlie had provided them a card to pay for their stuff, explaining how they’d been paying for everything, and Chuck having provided Sam and Dean with plot armor the entire time.
It went a long way in clearing up how Sam and Dean had recovered from their injuries so easily, as it had been Chuck who had granted them immunity. Other plot holes explained included Lilith itting she had willingly died rather than Sam somehow becoming too powerful, and Michael and Adam being in control of the same body went a long way of providing adequate answers.
SAME: Filler Episodes
It seemed unlikely that Supernatural would be indulging in its most common practice of delivering filler episodes since this was the final season. And yet, there were perhaps even more of these than usual, as the show stuck to bringing side plots that didn’t tie-in with the overall story.
Many fans do enjoy these episodes, though, as they bring the best heartwarming moments without becoming too heavy-handed. As was the case with previous seasons, filler episodes served to delay the larger plot till the end.
CHANGED: The Context Of Dean And Castiel's Relationship
Those who had shipped Destiel all these years felt completely validated, as it turned out that Castiel was in love with Dean the whole time. This caused their entire relationship to be viewed differently, with all their previous interactions provided with an additional layer of context.
Now, fans rewatching the series will see how Castiel warmed up to Dean and can make their own interpretations as to when he started to love him. Not to mention checking out their best times as it was these memories that allowed him to feel his one true moment of happiness.
SAME: Sam And Dean's Brotherly Love
Even if there were mixed feelings about the finale, the fact remains that Supernatural had always been a siblings’ love story between the brothers. This came up numerous times over the seasons and the Season 15 was no different.
The final episode was completely about Sam and Dean, with their moment of parting extended in order to assert the theme of brotherly love. Of course, the last scene also reflected similar sentiments. Overall, the show continued to be about their bond for fifteen years and that’s how it ended.