Carry On My Wayward Son

The year was 2005. The channel was WB at the time. It all started with a simple phrase "Dad went on a hunting trip and he hasn't been home in a few days". That is all it took for 3.8 million viewers to get hooked on Supernatural. Fifteen years and just as many seasons later, during the worst year in most peoples lives, we said goodbye to the cast of Supernatural. I am sure I was not alone as I ugly cried listening to the iconic "Carry On My Wayward Son" and watched Baby drive away just one last time.

Over hundreds of episodes this show covered all sorts of lore, fantasy, and myth. I fell in love with not just the main cast but supporting characters like Jack, Lucifer, Loki, Bobby, Meg, and Jodi. Everyone has their favorite characters, story lines, and villains and that is just another part of what makes the Supernatural family unique. It does not matter where I am in life, Supernatural has been there for me to watch, love, hate, and laugh at. This show has seen me through the toughest parts of my life because no matter what - it isn't the end of the world. Watching this crew of hunters, law enforcement, bar keeps, and writers band together to save humanity time and again has and always will entertain me.

Years later and several re-watches later I sit on the edge of my seat even thought I know how it all ends.

Great characters always seem to have parental issues, which is relatable for a lot of people. Sam is the rebel who decides to leave "the family business" behind and go to college while Dean stayed behind and fought for his father's love. No one ever dies just once on Supernatural. We watched their father John die and come back as a ghost, their mother Mary was brought back as a gift from God's sister, and Dean and Sam have died and come back through deals and shenanigans. It never gets easier though, whether it was Amara being double crossed by Chuck, Jo and Ellen being ripped apart by hell hounds, or Bobby being shot in the head - there is always a sense of sadness even though you know through one form or another they will be back.

The characters featured in Supernatural is another reason this is so binge-able. Every season there are new companions, creatures, and villains. The first season we met Dean, Sam, John, and Bobby. We watched them loose Mary, their mother, in a flashback and then Sam lost his girlfriend Jessica in the same manner. We watch Dean and Sam rekindle their friendship and become close brothers again. Through the seasons we see the father-like relationship they have with Bobby and even in death he helps his boys. Dean and Sam swear off love but there are a few times they slip up. We watch as the boys loose not only romantic love interests but women they love like family. Ellen and Jo was a hard blow that even after seeing the series several times, I tear up and mourn along with Sam and Dean. In later seasons the character Charlie, played by Felicia Day, launches herself into our hearts and we watch her die not once but twice. Sam even goes as far as searching through Rowena's, the most powerful witch in the series, belongings to find a spell to bring back the love of his life Eileen. Sam also makes the mistake of falling for a demon in earlier seasons named Ruby. Another reason I like to consider Supernatural a family is the fact that in real life Sam, Jared Padalecki, marries Genevive Cortese who was the second actress to play Ruby. Even outside the show Jared, Jensen, and Misha continue their shenanigans by building each other up in other business ventures and coming together to raise money for deserving charities.

I am sure all Supernatural fans would not answer the question "why do you like that show so much?" the same way. For me, it is more than just the show, it is the sense of community. There are fan boards, zoom broadcasts, events, and conventions. Even though I have said goodbye to new episodes, I will always binge from the beginning.