Caution: Spoilers ahead for Supernatural season 15
Supernatural season 15 has its say on the controversial final season of Game of Thrones, and its somewhat of a backhanded compliment. Despite suggestions that Game of Thrones had lost its way since overtaking George R. R. Martin’s series of fantasy novels, there remained massive hype as the HBO series headed into its final season. Unfortunately, the verdict from fans was largely negative, with Game of Thrones season 8 accused of rushing its plots, making nonsensical character deviations, taking narrative dead ends and, in some episodes, just being too damn dark. The finale itself didn’t prove any less divisive, with a surprise pick taking the throne and a curious series of character deaths.
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Currently in its final season, Supernatural is going through the same process of wrapping up storylines and bringing long-term character arcs to a close, all while trying to satisfy a rabid and passionate fan base. The Winchesters certainly haven’t skimped in the villain stakes for their final adventure, going up against the might of God, who has been revealed as the puppet-master of Sam and Dean‘s lives and has triggered the apocalypse by opening every door to Hell.
Supernatural‘s “Raising Hell” marks God’s reappearance since his villainous turn in the season 14 finale, and he’s suffering the effects of an Equalizer bullet from Sam. Far from full power and looking to run away from the world he’s in the process of destroying, God visits his sister, Amara, otherwise known as the Darkness. Trying to convince his sibling into helping him travel between worlds, God begins making smalltalk and brings up that infamous conversation killer – Game of Thrones‘ final season. Apparently, the Lord Almighty was a big fan, claiming the ending was “pretty great” and, on the surface at least, this is surely a compliment to the fantasy series.
However, as anyone who witnessed God’s (or more specifically, Chuck’s) development over the course of Supernatural can attest, his taste in stories is not exactly a shining endorsement. Not only is God the main villain of the series, but his primary motivation is writing stories. God has been manipulating the lives of Sam and Dean in order to entertain himself and when his machinations were found out, he childishly declared the end of the tale and tried to end the world. Not exactly the work of a master storyteller.
Perhaps more damning is God’s career under the pseudonym of Chuck Shurley. Before revealing himself as the creator of all things, Chuck was nothing more than a writer who turned Sam and Dean’s adventures into pulpy paperback novels. While the books do gather a decent cult following, they’re hardly best-sellers and are generally considered trash fiction within the world of Supernatural. Since Chuck/God is so often portrayed as the failed writer type, his acclaim for the final season of Game of Thrones is likely intended more as a rib than a compliment.
Of course, some might see this sly joke as a bit of a risk on Supernatural‘s part, as it too is currently under pressure to deliver a satisfying final season. Evidently, the writers must be confident in the ending they have in mind for Sam and Dean to crack a joke at Game of Thrones‘ expense. In fairness, Game of Thrones‘ biggest issue in its final season was lacking the required amount of episodes to do the story justice. Supernatural does not have that problem, and there are more than enough installments remaining to wrap up the series in a proper manner.
Supernatural season 15 continues with “The Rupture” October 24th on The CW.
