Why I Liked Season 6
WHY I LIKED SEASON 6
By Lynn E.
As season 7 approaches and season 6 DVDs are on their way out soon, I wanted to write this article not just to say why I liked season 6, but that I was surprised I liked season 6. You see, if you had asked me in October of last year if I liked the direction of “Supernatural” under Sera Gamble, I would have vehemently said, “HELL NO!” I was ready to string her up for what she had done to my beloved show. In fact, after “Live Free and Twi-Hard,” I sent Alice an email that if the next week didn’t improve I was done with “Supernatural.” So, why is it I now like the season?
One of my favourite series of this genre is “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” I loved it for the writing and the way each season had a direction. Now that season 6 of “Supernatural” is finished, I would compare it to “Buffy” because the season was obviously well thought-out from the beginning. Each episode (for the most part) gave a little piece towards the overall Big Bad of the season. Yet we had several other plotlines also getting forwarded and completed, keeping things suspenseful, if not interesting.  I was also reminded of “24,” which always ended nowhere near the plot that it began, and with many twists in between.
 I know it was hell for us fans while the season was unfolding, but like a tapestry, we need to step back to see the big picture to truly appreciate the season. Some of my biggest complaints come from the constant interruption of the flow of the show with long hiatuses at Christmas, again at the end of January, and then again in March. As much as I would hate a longer hiatus, I would like to see “Supernatural” done like “24;” start in January and continue without interruption until May. Seasons such as this sixth season would have benefited by not being broken up as it was with hiatus.
Writing alone isn’t what made me change my mind on season 6. Acting and character developments were a big part of making season 6 good. I loved both the characters, and the actors that played them, of Balthazar and Crowley. They kept us guessing on what direction they would go; after all Crowley was helpful in season 5. Would he continue to be in season 6? Balthazar was an angel, and we know they can go either way in the good versus evil fight; he kept us guessing right up to his death in “The Man Who Knew Too Much.” What was important was that now that the season has ended, we can see their characters were not just thrown in to be “red shirts” but integrated into the storyline.
Now for a little confession; I am more of a Sam fan. Having said that, I am an even bigger brothers fan (they come as a package in my book). So I loved the Sam story. I did not see the soulless twist. I liked that this was definitely a new direction for the character of Sam. Someone who always struggles with morality to be stripped of his humanity is an intriguing direction for the character. The fact that Jared Padalecki did this subtle acting so well was what kept this storyline that went a few episodes too long from being painful. This was than followed by a second half of the season of Sam struggling with what he might have done without a soul, making for a new type of tortured character. I think a great way to see the development of Sam in season 6 is to go back and watch the last few episodes of season 5 and go straight to “Like a Virgin,” then later (say after “And Then There Were None”) watch the soulless Sam episodes. We could maybe understand a little more why Sam wants to break down the wall. He needed to know what he had done, not just be told what happened.
As for Dean, he finally had that dream family only to have it taken away. This was a perfect development for Dean. We know that he is seriously co-dependent with Sam and that the dream life wouldn’t last, but Jensen Ackles always plays Dean with such honesty and depth that you don’t just feel bad for him but actual feel his pain. The second half of the season with the brothers in full brother mode, having “fun” hunting together, not fighting over who was in charge, was the perfect feeling of nostalgia for the fans and at the same time set up Sam’s ability to come back from that wall breaking to be with his brother.
I think the most misunderstood character was Castiel, perhaps because we didn’t get to know what was going on with him until almost the end of the season. When we finally do get to know what he is thinking, we can look back on the entire season and see where the puzzle pieces fit together. His motivation to not involve Dean, to work with Crowley, to be the one to bring Sam back (accidently soulless) all fit with the character and with all of what went on for the season. It wasn’t just thrown in to quickly wrap things up; it was well thought-out writing for the entire season.
You may have noticed the title of the article is why I liked the season, not why I loved the season. It fell short of love for a few reasons. Let’s face it; the soulless story was about two episodes too long. Eve was under developed. Samuel was good, but seriously under and misused. And finally, Dean was not given as much of a story as he should have been given.
The Dean fans have been screaming for some time to give Dean a story. I didn’t understand that rallying cry. Season 2 had a Dean plot for half the season with Dean dealing with John’s death. All of season 3 was about saving Dean from Hell. Half of season 4 was about Dean saved from hell and the other half about Dean’s nervous breakdown for having been to hell. Season 5 was how Dean was the one that needed to save the world by saying yes to Michael and his losing faith in God. So what was the problem? Shouldn’t Sam also have a story? Are they just mad that it ended up Sam saved the world instead of Dean? So finally, in season 6, Dean got to…. obsess about Sam. Ok, I finally get the rallying cry.Â
My breakdown comes not so much that Dean was obsessing about Sam; that would be in character. But that there is a disconnect with why he would leave Lisa and Ben. Let’s begin with the first part; Sam’s character was so out of character that we needed Dean to be Dean. I was ok with that part of Dean’s storyline. Whether he is family man Dean or hunter Dean, he is going to worry about his brother. This part of Dean’s character needed to be consistent.
It’s the gaps in the breakup with Lisa I am having an issue. I am a realist. I understand that neither Sam nor Dean can have a family or permanent love interest and have the show work. I don’t want to see the “Hawaii honeymoon” episode or the “Dean delivers his own baby” episode. We all knew Lisa and Ben would not last (I am grateful they didn’t die). I liked the idea of Dean trying to treat his job like a truck driver and be home sometimes only to find that the hunting life is not like truck driving and the situation won’t work. The disconnect for me came when we had “happy” family man Dean in “Exile on Main Street” leading to three episodes of Dean wanting to make it work, only to have Dean say in “You Can’t Handle the Truth” and again in “Mannequin 3:The Reckoning” that he can’t be home with them because of the monster he has become.
Don’t tell me it is because of being a vampire and hurting Ben. It is more about his life over the last 20 years (not to mention hell). So why could he be there for the year that Sam was gone? Just too fulfill his promise? That doesn’t fit the Dean I know. If he didn’t belong with them in “Mannequin,” he didn’t belong with them for the year; promise or no promise. So how about cutting the dog episode and giving us a few more episodes of what Dean’s life was like during that year that would make him realize he doesn’t belong with a family. Show us it wasn’t ideal. I would gladly lose a few episodes of soulless Sam or even intertwine them with the soulless Sam. Just give me more than a few clips and one statement from EOMS that things weren’t wonderful. Dean needed his “Unforgiven” episode.
As for Eve, we needed to see more of Eve from “Mommy Dearest” and not Eve from “And Then There Were None.” She just wasn’t that threatening earlier on and then came to an abrupt end. She could render Castiel impotent but was killed quite easily by Dean. She needed to give her speech from MD earlier so that we had a little more understanding of why she was back and creating monsters. Â
Finally, we have Samuel. I loved Mitch Pileggi as Grandpa. I was ok with him as a bad guy. However, they didn’t explain why he was in hell. I assume he was in hell since Crowley was the one that brought him back. I needed why, as a hunter, he didn’t see a problem with working with Crowley. He was in hell from 1973 to 2010 so maybe he is well on his way to becoming a demon. Either way, I would have liked to know a little more about Samuel.
We don’t get to do Mulligans in TV shows, and we all have 20/20 hind sight. Not to mention they only have 22 episodes per season to get the story across. Overall, as I said in the beginning, I liked season 6. I like it more as I wait in anticipation for season 7. I hope that Sera Gamble has taken what she learned from the season and has an even better story to give us starting next month. After all, season 2 was improved from season 1 and 3 and 4 were even better still. The thing is, I now have hope again, and hope comes from seeing a season that was planned out and kept me guessing. Sera gave me faith with season 6 that she can take the show in a good direction. Now if only this next month wouldn’t be so hellatus!Â
I also enjoyed season 6, and withheld judgment of it until I had the full puzzle to mess around with.
I agree with you that this season was well thought out. They deliberately threw us into a confusing mess and tugged us in many directions to keep us guessing. To me, that’s good. You want people to wonder what and who and why.
I don’t know that I entirely agree on Dean’s storyline—I do, but I don’t. On one hand, I think the wrap up should have been left behind and alone in “You Can’t Handle the Truth.” OR if it was necessary to bring it up again in a “Let It Bleed” episode, do it that way. Otherwise he should have had an episode showing us that he “tried” to keep his word to Sam and then him ditching, on the road hunting solo or drifting without purpose before the Campbells and Sam get him.
Samuel. I think he was a great addition on one hand and yes, a bit sloppily used in the season. I don’t think he was in Hell, however. We know Crowley flat out LIED when he said he was the one that raised Sam from the Cage, so it’s my guess he put the idea of bringing Granddaddy back to Cas, who then raised him after Sam. Cas had to have Crowley front, so the whole “I’ll give your daughter back if you do my dance” was invoked.
Season 6 wasn’t perfect, but then I don’t think any season really ever is. I did walk away largely happy, satisfied, and excited to see where we go next. I felt that this was a season 1 for a new story arc, wrapping and tying up some old lingering questions while bringing up new ones to pursue in the next season. Some of the old five year arc storylines still linger, which is good, because we couldn’t wrap all of them up in a single bow.
I do look forward to the next season. Thanks again for this! It makes me want the new season even more!
I largely liked season 6 as well. The soulless!Sam storyline was a really interesting turn for the character and made his return in the second half all the more wonderful, but I agree it was an episode or two too long. Then again, it was six months too long for Dean (well, 1.5 years really since Sammy would have gone to Dean that night under the streetlight), so we ended up sharing that lengthening discomfort with Dean, so I can deal. (I also didn’t get into SPN until mid-season 6 so marathoned the first half in a couple days, making it was less drawn out in my watching.)
For me, the way the story was clearly planned out from the start has really impressed me in hindsight. I’ve found the strength of this season really to be in watching things unfold in reruns, which is interesting. Seeing how the foundations of revelations from the final four episodes were laid out in the beginning of the season astounds me in some ways. Pieces just click together and I get so much more out of it, knowing what was going on in the background. So I’d say on a first watch, season 6 has more issues than it does on a rewatch (though the misuse of Eve and the Campbells remain issues no matter how many times I watch).
I completely agree with FAW that this felt like season 1 in some respects; the story is moving away from the five year plan and new issues have to come to light while others are put to rest. There are growing pains for the plot and the characters, much like in season 1. A new balance is being established, so seeing what season 7 does with the foundation laid this previous season is going to be very interesting.
I’m glad I’m not the only one to pick this show up so damn late and be sucked in by it so totally.
I just felt, looking back at how they constructed the first half of the season in comparison to season 1 that they were doing a “new” season 1 to reboot/retool to an extent. I, too, look forward to season 7 to see where the new threads they put in go and how they tie off those lingering ones that remain.
hi just a quick note to say samuel wasnt in hell when is it said samuel was in hell? if im wrong im apologizing before hand at the start before we knew who had brought anybody back samuel says whoever pulled sam up pulled me down then i dont think we have any more to tell us about who brought samuel back yes probably was crowley but he can bring them from both sides even when he was only a punk ass crossroads demon
I think it made sense for Dean to want this life with Lisa and Ben, considering that as early as season 2 he was expressing a fatigue with the life. I just think that he would have learned quickly that he was bored/didn’t fit in OR something would have chased him away from them far sooner. I am not shocked that he felt obligated to Ben, having the boy stand in for Sam, getting to do it right this time.
To me, they mirrored Season 1 with Dean’s storyline to Sam’s. Sam was thrown back into the hunt with Jess’s death and it was a final jolt, where as they left Lisa and Ben alive to taunt Dean. It worked on some levels and didn’t on others for me.
I enjoyed the Soulless Sam portion (see my article on him) so I didn’t feel it dragged on too too long for me. I knew the pay off of the brothers merging together was coming—even before it happened. I didn’t see them leaving him A) Soulless or B) the brothers at odds after he got his soul back, so I never truly worried. I took the ride for the ride and got the pay off more than I ever dreamed.
Season 6 ended, for me, with the brothers stronger than ever before—and equal.
Cas told Crowley that he couldn’t use Dean as a hunter to look for Purgatory, and Crowley agreed, saying he had someone ‘on the bench’ that he could use. I believe that was in The Man Who Would Be King when Crowley and Cas were in the Hell waiting line scene.
I may be wrong on that, as I cannot possibly re-watch any of S6 episodes. I’m not going to comment further on this article (you know, the old ‘if you can’t say anything nice’ thing) other than to say that I absolutely hated S6, so much so that Sera Gamble is on a two-episode leash to renew my interest in the show.
I’d say the only real reason Dean stayed that long WAS Ben. I think he loved Lisa, but he was never in love with her. I think he wanted to really be there, though, for Ben. I guess I’m just surprised it took so long for something to chase Dean away more than that he stayed that long.
I agree, Dean didn’t look happy in his domesticated life. I think that was fairly clear when he and Soulless Sam meet the first time and he exclaims, “I wanted my brother—ALIVE.”
And yeah, now that the brothers are a single, powerful, equal unit again, I’m very excited. NOTHING stands in the way of a unified Brothers Winchester. Their long track record of eliminating threats when unified is rather long.
Well I hated season 4 so there is always going to be a season that leaves a bitter angry taste for me as a Sam girl it was that season I have never returned to it . I enjoyed season 6 because it didnt try to hide Sam .it got the brothers back into brother mode I realize that is not what everybody wanted because they wanted the Dean/Castiel relationship to be the main relationship but it was the brothers who came back stronger .
I do agree about Lisa/Ben sl and I thought Samuel and the Campbells were a potential wasted.and Eve too but If I go back to watching a season then it has worked on some level for me . .3
As with any season, some episodes are harder to watch. As you said, Lynn, we could have done without the one with the dog, and have a background on Dean’s life before Sam came back to get him. I don’t think that year was ideal for him at all. Lisa refers to him drinking and understands why he does, so, just saying.
But overall, I quite enjoyed season 6. I loved Soulless Sam, even though yes, maybe one or two episodes too many. I found that watching and rewatching the episodes brought a cohesiveness to the season. I still have them on my DVR, but I’m waiting to get my boxed set before watching the whole season (yes even the dog one) all in one sitting. As Far Away Eyes stated, it almost felt like a first season. Even season 1 of SPN had flaws, and it improved on rewatching, and season 2 was even better. So I have great faith in where Sera Gamble’s vision for the brothers is going. They are more closely united now I think that they have ever been.
On to season 7.
I think by this time Dean is far more comfortable within a supernatural setting then a human one. Thus why he vomited verbiage about Castiel being his brother and family but couldn’t even say what he wanted from or thought of Lisa and Ben who considered him family.
Its also why Dean threw away the amulet. His supernatural brother had a temper tantrum saying it was useless, and so Dean threw it away in front of his human brother. Dean choose the supernatural over humanity not for the first time here.
I think when Supernatural ends Dean will be turning his back on humanity – and Sam – for good in favor being part of the supernatural world.
Great article. I agree with almost everything you said. Glad to see a dissenting opinion about season 6 from this site because during the course of S.6, all you would read on this site was hate hate hate about how the season sucked. Personally, I thought it was great, glad someone else feels this way.
I’m very sorry that you seemingly happened to read only those articles. There have been plenty of others in praise of the show and the season.
I’m also one of those who think the last season was great.
Best, Jas
#D
You never read anything negative from me either, in fact quite the reverse. I drove some nuts with my positive attitude last season as I still loved the show with the same passion all along.
I even put together a slideshow ( Still the ones ) to this effect to counter the negative vibes I was feeling from some around here.
So please don`t think you were alone in thinking the last season was great I agree holeheartedly with you 🙂 Ju
Great article! I only discovered Supernatural this past winter during reruns, so I haven’t caught up to season 6, but I have watched quite a few of the episode clips on youtube and I have to say I’ve loved almost everything I’ve seen so far. Can’t understand all the negativity I’ve read about season 6 on this site and on others, but hey, everyone is entitled to their own opinion. So excited for season 7!
Sorry to be the Debbie Downer, but I really disliked Season 6 quite strongly, and it has left me in a sad place as to where to go from here.
I am firmly bi-bro, so it certainly isn’t who’s got the better storyline that bothers me, I just ended the season feeling like I had lost an old friend.
I still love the brothers, Cas and Bobby but the high level of red shirts (love that phrase BTW!) seemed unnecessary and over the top morbid.
I felt there were a large number of WTF moments too..Samuel (make that the whole Campbell clan…why?), Eve, the souless business seemed to drag on way too long for me and although I like the character, I think Lisa was badly handled. She took in a hunter that had both saved her son and fought Lucifer, and you’re telling me she spooked at her son being pushed? Hmm.
Out of the whole season, I can only honestly say I loved 7 episodes. I understand the series had to reboot, but I feel like I lost it when that happened.
I know this is all negative so far, but I really am hoping that I can re-engage next season. I don’t want to not like it!
You don’t need to feel guilty for not liking this past season. I didn’t care for the last 4 years of Smallville, but I still watched it to the end because I was invested in the story. And I really thought they let the die-hard fans down with the last episode too. So don’t give up on our little show, it still needs plenty of TLC from all the fans.
Thank you for putting your finger on it for me. I DO feel guilty for not liking it, and I tend not to comment on these things because I don’t want to bring others down that did like it.
I’ll hang in there for a while, I might love next season, who knows!
Personally, I think Dean and Sam deserve a Hawaii honeymoon… 😆
It wouldn’t work on screen, of course, but I’d like to be informed before the show goes off air that the two hunters found love and sail off into the sunset, alive and – finally – happy.
In the very beginning of the last season I was a tad at odds with it, but then I again fell in love and felt as strongly for the characters as I have before.
There were some cruel moments – from Dean experiencing to be a vampire (and what a badass one!) [i]to [/i] Dean going flatline to meet Death in order to get Sam’s soul back [i]to [/i] the mysterious wall in Sam’s head [i]to [/i] Sam remembering hell…
And – seemingly – the loss of a trusted ally, Castiel…
This show managed again to tie me firmly to its foundations. Though I agree that some of the storylines were left underdevelopped, I don’t think about those anymore.
During the first seasons I was kind of desperate to find out more about various lines that were never answered, but now I’ve accepted that you can’t explore [i]everything[/i] in depth, and I’m content with what I’m getting.
I can’t wait for season seven to come along…
Cheers, Jas
I love your idea of the ending of this series. A honeymoon in Hawaii would be the cream on the top! Imagine — Dean and Lisa and Sam and Sarah finding happiness all together! Somebody good write a fanfic about that please. 🙄
I would never ever stop replaying my dvd’s if the series ended on such a high note.
Those boys deserve some goodness and happiness like no others ever have.
Thanks Jas. 😉
I agree on almost all you said, both positive and negative. I liked the “mistery” flavour of the season: the several possible leads to “solve the case”, the twists and turns, the red herrings. I like mistery novels and shows, the “whodunit” problem, it tests my mind and usually I find great satisfaction in going back along the story and finding all the little clues that I should’ve noticed before.
Like you, I found some storylines rather pointless: the Campbells above all. And found the Dean/Lisa storyline a bit too “constructed”. I mean, I was fond of them together, I didn’t think that Dean stayed with her just for Ben or to fulfill his promiise to Sam. She was a strong, caring, intelligent and compassionate woman, I never doubted that she knew exactly what had happened to Dean (and Sam) and was resolute to help him to find peace, at least, if not real “happiness”. And Dean needed just her kind of woman to find a little balance, a ground steady enough to start again living and even searching for a way to save his brother. So I don’t doubt that Dean “fell in love” with Lisa, the way you can “fall in love” with your analyst, or doctor, or saviour of any kind.
Moreover, I think that Dean, to keep his sanity and will of living, desperately needs someone to take care of, someone for whom he can be useful, necessary. Lisa and Ben provided him this “someone”. Lisa, in her turn, needed a father figure for Ben, but also (I think) a companion, a human support for herself. She’s strong, but she’s also a human being.
So I think in a way they needed each other and clung to each other, finding the comfort and support they both needed. Therefore, it’s not so strange to me if they “fell in love” and found a relative “happiness” in their relationship, and lived joyous moments, like they showed us in “Mannequin 3”.
So I found a little “artificial” Lisa’s reaction in “You can’t handle the truth”, especially after what she said just some episodes before. I could understand her fear at the behaviour of Vamp!Dean and her frustration at not having from Dean even an attempt to explain things. But from her words, it seemed like she never knew Dean and his issues. That scene ringed just wrong to me, and I had the sensation that TPTB just needed her and Ben gone, and tried a swift way to get there.
I agree that, in order to have Dean and Sam again on the road, Lisa and Ben had to go, but I would have liked to see the story less hastily wrapped, and treated with a little more consistence, both in story and characters.
Nice article Lynn. It was well reasoned and clear, and there is little for me to disagree with. I’ve been guilty of whining about Season 6, but as you said, it is growing on me now that I have a better idea of what mattered and what didn’t.
I didn’t enjoy the journey as it was happening as much as some of the other seasons. It felt disjointed and rushed, like two different seasons sandwiched together. There were some very high points, and some low ones. I too felt that the Campbells, Lisa and Ben, and Eve felt underused. As far as Castiel’s journey, I liked it fairly well until the last three episodes. I genuinely loved his story after 6.20, but there were moments in those last two episodes that felt out of character. Cruel, even before the souls. Castiel was always resolute, and sometimes cold, but this was a little over the edge.
My last whine for the day: I think there were a few too many stunt episodes where more content would have been beneficial. Don’t get me wrong, “My Heart Will Go On”, “Frontierland” and “Clap Your Hands” had their moments, and “Weekend at Bobby’s” was brilliant, but I would have been willing to sacrifice “The French Mistake” for something more revealing.
I didn’t see anything that convinced me to give up the extended Winchester family though, so Season 7, I’m watching.
As a preface to the onset of Season 7 and after reading the comments so far, the following thoughts spring to my mind:
As one of the original Supernatural fans since the pilot aired in 2005, I have to say — loudly and strongly — that I loved Season 6, every nanosecond of it! And, I did so without accumulating any reservations or any criticisms. As each season of this superb series opens, I greet the episodes, year-after-year and one-at-a-time with “fresh eyes,” a deep knowledge of the canon, and with a full suspension of my personal agenda. In effect, I trust that the cast, writers, directors, production team, and all the other SPNers working on the show will deliver stories that will be joys to watch and savor from any and all perspectives — as high drama, pathos, humor, wit, tragedy, sarcasm, social commentary, classic comedy, with great pratfalls, and fabulous snarkiness!
Best advice for S7? Relax (or not), sink into whatever you’re sitting on, suspend your disbelief willingly, and enjoy the entertainment! You’re watching the best there is, and there is no need to parse the narrative, break down the construction, kick the tires, or check for leaks. Supernatural is solid through and through!
*Claps Hands
THIS. All of it. WOW. You said what I wanted to say but better. I bow to your wonderful method of watching the show. I may have joined the game late, but I too approach it with the idea of letting them take me somewhere.
To be honest, I watch greedily to steal story telling methods that I can use as any good writer will. It’s helped me find my writing voice back, and made me think about how a story is put together in ways I hadn’t before.
I full intend on sitting back premiere night, ready to go with a comfy seat and treat to bring on season 7.
Dean Grimly (love the name)I do my best to approach the show as you do — sometimes more successfully than others — I’ve watched the show from the Pilot as well. Its been a glorious ride and I’m so glad its continuing. Season Seven — wow. Who would have thought during season 2 and 3 that we’d ever see season 7?
Hey, Melanie! Nice hearing from a fellow long-time and devoted fan…Glad to know you’re out there! I try not to read any comments on SPN or related sites because — in all truth — I enjoy every season’s episodes for the gem-like moments that are in ALL of them, even those stories that accumulate hate like rust around a faucet leak!
My saddest experience as a fan was in reading about how much acrimony, hate, and lack of compassion that the Lisa and Ben story line attracted. It was heart-rending, frankly, and I stopped logging in anywhere for most of Season 6 to avoid the controversy that raged then and is now flaming over Castiel’s fate.
Let’s hope that Season 7 and the remaining loyal fans of Supernatural are totally pleased with what they watch starting on 09/23/2011! I know I will love every second of the new season.
P.S. Odd, but I knew by the end of Season 1 that this series was special and that its legs were going to be VERY long….
Honestly, I did not understand the vehement dislike of Lisa and Ben. I must admit that I’m not a fan of the idea of a long term love interest for either Dean or Sam. But, with that being said, I thought it was clear from the outset that the show was using the relationship between Dean and Lisa to explore how hunting and girlfriends didn’t mix, so I was able to go with it and just feel for Dean. (as if I can do anything other than feel what Dean feels!)
I have every intention of loving every minute of S& too!
I really liked S6 and on re-watch — I like it even more. 🙂 Sure, the Mannequin and Dog episodes weren’t my favorites. And I might have liked a different type of storyline for Samuel Campbell, but overall, I thought S6 was wonderful. I loved LOVED Robo!Sam and everything about the storyline. I loved the noir mystery — I even liked Lisa and Ben. For me, it was just awesome. I’m really looking forward to S7.
Thank you for the article, Lynn.
It was like reading my thoughts, honestly. I liked Season 6, it wasn’t as perfect or as inspiring as previous ones, but it wasn’t as bad as some people claim. Take Season 3, for example – except for “Mystery Spot” (yes, I am Crowley and Gabe-y girl) I rarely watch episodes from it.
Season 6 was mostly different and had a very difficult position to start with – the whole great Apocalypse storyarc has ended with a big boom. What now? What to do with the guys? And Sera got herself out of it brilliantly. I LOVE the ending, explaining all the loose ends throughout the season, although I don’t like being kept in dark for so long. It was just too sudden, too out of blue – now Castiel is a bad guy? All right, we could see his transformation during the whole year, but it wasn’t so simple. Then, suddenly, in a last episode he actually screwed the King of Hell and became a God. It went a little bit too far for me, but hell? Who am I to complain?
Season has many flaws, that’s true, too many red herrings, too many misused characters. I really hate what they did with Gwen Campbell. I never liked Christian or Samuel (even as I love the actors, my old love for SG 1 and Atlantis, also X-Files has never disappeared), but Gwen had a potential. They did it twice – first in “Family Matters”, when Gwen just follows Samuel after she’d learned he was working with a demon, then in “And There Were None” when she was killed just like that (but I miss Rufus much more). As for resurrecting Samuel, I think it was Crowley who did it, not Castiel (“I know of a big bald patriarch I can take off the bench”), after all he was a King of the Crossroads, and many crossroads deals involved raising the dead (as Dean well knows 😀 ).
And Eve – I hate that storyarc. She wasn’t even scary, not in that girl’s body. Thanks Godstiel they got Samantha Smith for “Mommy Dearest” 🙂
Besides, it was Season 6, which gave us “Weekend at Bobby’s” and “The French Mistake” 🙂
I try not to expect anything from Season Seven – just not to be disappointed. Maybe except for one thing – please, do not kill Crowley 🙂