Closing the Door on S7: “Supernatural” Season 8 and the Case For Hope

(Note from Alice: We welcome back Metamorphic Rocks for another great guest article as we continue our series this week, “Closing the Door on Season Seven,” before season 8 has it’s coming out party at Comic-Con.  Enjoy this amazing piece on a case for hope.)

“Supernatural” Season 7 left us with one heck of a cliffhanger.  Dean killed Dick Roman (or possibly sent him back where he came from), Dean and Castiel ricocheted into Purgatory, and now Sam is left all alone to figure out how to get Dean and Cas out, all while preventing the Leviathans from organizing again.  This cliffhanger brings with it the hope of an awesome Season 8.  And indeed, this article is all about hope. 

As I have stated in previous articles, I enjoyed much of Season 7.  Ultimately, I’m just grateful to have another season to watch.   However, examining a previous season to see what worked and what didn’t can deepen our viewing experience, both in the present and for subsequent seasons.  And for me, Season 7 was all about missed opportunities:  for rich characterizations, moving brotherly moments, and for showing the fighting spirit of both boys.  In Season 7, Sam and Dean didn’t seem to really WANT anything. The yearning for a better – something – just didn’t seem to be present for them this year. 

In previous seasons of “Supernatural,” the boys always hoped for something.  In Season 1, it was the hope of finding their father, and later, trying to and save as many people as they could.  In Season 2 it was the hope that Sam could choose his own fate, as well as the hope of finally finding and killing the Yellow-Eyed Demon.  In Season 3, it was the frantic hope of Sam to stop Dean from going to Hell.  Season 4 was complicated by the dashing of hopes in regard to angels, seals, and Sam going dark side, yet the boys kept fighting.  Season 5 saw Dean fall into despair, yet Sam still continued to hope that Dean would not say yes to Michael.  And in the end, the boys clung to the hopes that Sam could overcome Lucifer, and the brothers could avert the apocalypse.  Even Season 6 explored Dean’s desperate hope to get Sam’s soul back.  Every previous season had a central point (or points) of hope that drove the boys’ actions.  In Season 7, Sam and Dean’s hope was…to defeat the Leviathans?  That Sam wouldn’t go crazy?  That Cas would somehow come back?  That Bobby would still be with them, or later, that Bobby would be a good ghost?  What were the boys desperately hoping for in Season 7?  Often, it was difficult to know. 
 
Now, the knee-jerk answer is, of course, Sam and Dean had hopes.  We saw the boys’ many attempts at getting intelligence about the Leviathans in the hope of saving the world from being one huge meat market.  We also saw Sam trying to hold it together (although that in itself has been debated) in the hope of preserving his sanity.  Later, when Sam was in the hospital with his hallucinations, Dean wanted Sam to fight, and called everyone he knew in the hope of finding a solution that would save Sam.  When the boys experienced some strange “Bobby is a ghost”-type occurrences, it was obvious to see Dean wanted it to actually be Bobby.  But in all that (with a few notable exceptions), how badly did they seem to want those things?  Hope runs deep in the human heart; it makes people passionate, it drives them to act.  Did we see that kind of Sam and Dean in Season 7?  

To illustrate this point, think back to a few of the limited times in Season 7 we did see the hopes of the boys:  Dean’s “just this one thing” line to Bobby regarding Sam’s intact mental state in “Meet the New Boss;” Sam’s hopeful “we still have til dawn to stop this” prayer to Castiel in the same episode;  Dean’s desperate “you gotta believe me” speech in “Hello, Cruel World;” Dean’s  “could be” hope in “The Slice Girls” that the strange incidents meant Bobby was still around; and Sam’s equally optimistic  “Do you think it’s possible we could make it all work?” in “Of Grave Importance” when they finally saw Bobby.  All of these moments were memorable because of the poignancy of seeing the boys actually hoping for something.  Having more scenes like these would have brought a stronger, more emotional intensity to the entire season.  

After all, Sam and Dean need every bit of hope they can grab onto.  Their lives have never been easy.  From the time Sam was 6 months old (and even before he was born due to Mary’s deal with the YED), his life was manipulated by evil.   And Dean’s normal, happy childhood came screeching to a halt when he was thrust into an unbearable situation from the time he was four.  The rest is, well, “Supernatural” history.  The hits just kept on coming for our heroes.   Sam and Dean have been hunting one form or another of evil pretty much their whole lives (with a small break for both of the boys; Sam with Stanford and Dean with Lisa).  They have also lost those they cared about the most, starting with their parents, then their friends (like Ash, Ellen, Jo and Rufus), and their surrogate family (Bobby and, temporarily, Cas).  

They have endured unspeakable heartbreak through the years.  They have also endured horrific torture when both of them spent time in Hell.   They have each seen the most important person in their lives (each other) die, and more than once.  It would seem there isn’t much room for hope in this scenario. 

Yet somehow, the boys always seemed to maintain some semblance of hope.  They preserved the ability to joke and laugh.  Dean retained his ability to enjoy the simple things in life, like a good cheeseburger and some pie.  Even if one sibling felt hopeless, the other would pull his brother up.  Sam and Dean were – even with the threat of a permanent trip to Hell looming – able to celebrate a Christmas together.  They have always been able to sit, share a beer, and just talk.  Those are all actions of people who still hope.  Despite everything, they have kept fighting, which ultimately, is hope in action.   And that demonstrated ability has also been one of the reasons why people love the show so much.  

In Season 7, though, hope seemed pretty hard to come by.  Of course, maybe that was the point.  But then again, maybe the point was driven home just a little too forcefully.  Yet here we are, with Season 8 rapidly approaching, so anything is possible.  With this new start, maybe hope can make a comeback.  If season 5’s “Swan Song” answered yes to the question “could love save the world?”, then maybe season 8 should begin to answer the question “Can hope save Sam and Dean?” 

At first glance, that question may seem out of place in “Supernatural.”  This isn’t a buddy comedy, after all.  The show can be quite dark.  It explores death, betrayal, the nature of right and wrong, and other heavy themes. We all know Sam and Dean aren’t going to defeat all the big bads, find the loves of their lives, get married and buy adjoining houses on a nice quiet street (and would we really want them to?)  So, given the nature of the show, and the kind of lives that Sam and Dean have, where can hope come from? 
The most likely place will be back at the beginning.  Turns out Cas may have unknowingly given Dean some good advice (while they were playing Sorry!) in “Reading is Fundamental” when he told Dean, “I think you have to go back to start.”  I think so, too.  Hope can be found by returning to the importance of the family business.   To exemplify this concept, let’s look at this exchange from Season 2’s “What is and What Shall Never Be.”

Dean: …All I can think about is how much this job’s cost us. We’ve lost so much.  And we’ve sacrificed so much.”
Sam:  “But people are alive because of you.  It’s worth it, Dean. It is. It’s not fair, and you know, it hurts like hell, but it’s worth it.” 

Or this conversation from Season 4’s “Monster Movie.”
Jamie: That must suck.  I mean, you’re giving up your life for this terrible…I don’t know, responsibility.” 
Dean: “Last few years I started thinking that way, and uh, it started sort of weighing on me. Of course, that was before… My life’s been different.  I realize that I help people.  Not just help them, though, I save them.  I guess it’s- it’s awesome.  It’s kind of like a gift…like a mission…kind of like a mission from God.” 

Now, Sam and Dean have been through quite a bit more trauma since those exchanges took place.  The point remains, though, that the hope of saving as many people as possible used to keep Sam and Dean going.  They could use a bit of that motivation right now.    

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