Spoilers ahead for the penultimate episode of Supernatural, called "Inherit the Earth."
Supernatural may be known as a show with a knack for bringing back characters after killing them off, but the penultimate episode leaves me convinced that the long-running show shouldn't resurrect anybody in the series finale. The big twist at the end of "Inherit the Earth" was such a game-changer for Sam and Dean that this episode felt like a finale, and it's difficult to guess what happens next. I just know what shouldn't happen after how Supernatural ended God's story.
Yes, Supernatural ended God's story, thanks to the Winchesters' ability to quite literally get back up after being knocked down, Jack's mysterious abilities, a couple of treacherous archangels, and a pretty risky plan. After God killed everybody on Earth except for Team Free Will 2.0 (now without poor Castiel) and Michael, they teamed up to try and read Death's book to kill God.
Misha Collins got a voice cameo when Lucifer impersonated Cas after God raised his rebellious son from The Empty. Throw in a throwdown between Michael and Lucifer, God killing Michael, and God beating the stuffing out of Sam and Dean, and Jack absorbed enough power to take away God's and become the new God himself. Who could have guessed that being turned into a bomb and blowing up The Empty would save the world?
With Jack as the new God with Amara inside of him, he's going to take a hands-off approach and not write anybody's stories. Sam and Dean really have free will to decide their own future for the first time ever, while Jack is going to be present without interfering. The Winchesters won, even though they lost so much over the past 15 seasons. It's a bittersweet ending, and I'm guessing it's going to be even more bittersweet by the end of the finale. But the Winchesters are finally free from divine intervention, and that should include any divine resurrections.
Having a God who is on their side and who also lost people he loved would normally set them up to potentially have their pick of the dead to bring back. After all, this is Supernatural, and Supernatural breaks its own rules all the time. That said, Jack as God isn't the same Jack who probably would have snapped Kelly and Cas back as soon as he could. Jack is basically the Winchesters' best-case scenario -- they didn't have to kill God, and there's a benevolent entity in charge who doesn't intend to take over the story.
So, as much as it pains me to say it as somebody who has people I'd like to see back as well, the dead should stay dead, the boys should be on their last lives, and the wayward Winchester sons should carry on into the future without bringing back their past. Of course, that's not to say that Supernatural won't bring back some of the dearly departed.
Jensen Ackles has revealed that the original plan was to bring back more familiar faces than possible due to COVID restrictions, and it was only last week that I said Supernatural could bring Cas back and I wouldn't even care how. And honestly, I won't be upset if Jack makes an exception to bring back Castiel, or reunite Dean with Castiel after how they parted.
But Supernatural has always been the story of the Winchester brothers, so I just hope more than anything that the show ends well for them. After the penultimate episode wrapped with the boys driving off into the sunset in the Impala along with a montage of their time together over 15 seasons, I'm inclined to think that they'll be separate when the final credits roll on the finale. This could mean Eileen for Sam, retirement, Heaven, or something that is totally unpredictable at this point.
The series finale of Supernatural kicks off on The CW starting Thursday, November 19 at 8 p.m. ET with a special celebrating the 15 years of Supernatural, followed by the final episode at 9 p.m. ET. The series finale is titled "Carry On," so fans should probably expect an emotional final episode for the wayward Winchesters. For some viewing options once Supernatural has come to an end, check out our 2020 fall TV premiere schedule and our 2021 winter and midseason premiere guide.
