Season 15 y’all!!!!

Once again I didn’t recap the finale, because reasons.

I kept thinking about it as news began trickling out over the summer about the final season. And I watched the finale right before I watched the first episode of season 15. And then I woke up the next day and drove my ass to Toronto for a fan convention, and spent the whole weekend talking Supernatural. It was awesome.

And now I am in some kind of post vacation, pre-end-of-the-series funk, and I hope it doesn’t last long. Because even though the show is ending, there is a lot to be grateful for, and fans of a show like this really never get so many years and episodes to enjoy. I mean, the original Star Trek only lasted three seasons, and then the fans had to wait ten whole years to get more of Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock. The entirety of Supernatural has lasted longer than that whole history. We are so lucky!

I know that lots of fans were really mad about how Chuck went all Old Testament on our boys last season, but I think it’s awesome, because much like Dean, I never trusted him! I swear!!

Go back and watch “Don’t Call Me Shurley”, and see if you see what I saw.

ANYHOO!

Because of my own choices, and a need to not write an unending recap, I am gonna hit the high points here, as the first two episodes gave us a nice table setting for the season. [edit – I did kind of go on and on. I can’t help it!] There’s gonna be lots of ghost hunting, Chuck is weakened and shunned by his sister, and there will be callbacks aplenty!

Let’s go to the tape!

Chuck is mad, and has decided to basically undo everything Sam and Dean & Co. have accomplished over the years.

The season begins with Sam, Dean and Castiel fighting their way out of a horde of zombies, zombies that Chuck has sicced on them for not following his Grand Plan. This is his favorite show, after all, and he wants what he wants.

The boys finally find a path out of the melee, and Castiel grabs Jack’s lifeless body as they run for a mausoleum, and barricade themselves inside. (The mausoleum has the family name ‘Carver’ on it, first nod to seasons past.)

Tired and little frantic at their situation, the boys weigh their options, searching the room for anything to help. As Sam and Dean begin hammering through a brick wall in hopes of escape, they realize its a dead end as a demon escapes behind them. They squabble about what to do next, when Jack’s corpse rises!!

Startled by their friend standing before them, the demon introduces himself to the boys. Belphegor (Belphejack?) tells us he loves his job in Hell, wants things back to normal down there, and he offers to perform some spell work to help everyone escape. Dean is down with the plan. Sam, a little hesitant, but acquiesces. Castiel is adamantly against it. The sight of Jack’s body being inhabited by a demon is too much for the sweetest little angel.

Belphejack (I’m going for it) forces the souls out of the dead with his handy spell, and while the crew drives away from the cemetery, they encounter what looks like a scene from season 1, episode 1. A Woman In White. Their Woman in White! Dean is pissed that every ghost they banished is now out and about.

The boys figure that the souls will be heading out to the nearest town (Harlan, Kansas) to wreak havoc, and they come up with a plan, once again involving a handy spell that Belphejack just happens to know.

None of us trust Belphegor, right? There is no way this demon is this helpful right out the gate, but watching Alex Calvert play this new character is a delight!

Sam bamboozles the local Sheriff into getting the town evacuated, and Castiel joins him as they sweep the neighborhoods for stragglers. Once they’re alone, Belphejack compliments Dean, first on his looks, and then on his talent torturing souls when he was in Hell. A shadow falls over Deans face, letting us know that that chapter in his life is still raw and painful, but he recovers quickly. Dean asks about the cage, and Belphejack causally says that of course the cage is open, and that Michael was just sitting there. Dean is clearly pained by this fact, as he should be! Belphejack wonders if Michael holds a grudge, and Dean looks like he is about to empty the contents of his stomach all over the streets of Harlan, Kansas.

Sam finds a mother and daughter hiding from the carnage of a birthday party, and as he rescues them, the evil clown ghost of John Wayne Gacy (last seen in “Lebanon”, before John shows up in the bunker) and catches Sam without a weapon. Sam is momentarily frozen by his predicament, which gives the clown a chance  to slice open Sammy with a knife. Sam and clowns!!!

Sam falls to the ground, filled with terror as the clown approaches. Just as he is about to attack Sammy again, Cass saves the day with a well timed shotgun blast.

Castiel outs himself as an angel as he heals Sam’s knife wound, much to the amazement of the mother and daughter standing in awe. Cass notices Sam’s wound from the gun fight with Chuck, but as he tries (and fails) to heal it, Sam has a vision that is quick and horrifying, including Dean crumpling to the floor.

Sam and Castiel exchange worried looks.

Belphejack casts the spell to contain the ghosts in the town just as Sam and Cass rescue the mother and daughter. They all meet up at the high school were the town has evacuated, and Sam and Dean share a very sweet moment as Dean cleans Sam’s God wound.

WE’VE GOT WORK TO DO

The second episode continues the story in Harlan, Kansas, as the boys hunker down at the high school, trying to come up with a plan to rid the town of ghosts. They bring in Rowena for some super powered witchiness, as Sam and Cass argue about how to handle the locals, and Dean and Belphejack are out on patrol, looking for escaped ghosties and straggling town folk.

This episode features the ghost of Jack the Ripper (using the Rochester native suspect, Francis Tumbelty), who has gathered the other trapped ghosts, as they try and make their way past the warding, and a bunch of townspeople who don’t believe that the supposed benzene leak is real. (They’re right! But listen to Sam and Dean and stay at the school anyway, dummies!!)

Sam comes up with the plan of Rowena making another soul catcher (TM Dean), like the one they used to try and bomb Amara with back in season 11, to suck up all the Hell ghosts. Rowena is skeptical, but agrees to give it a go.

While out patrolling, Dean and Belphejack run into a couple of dummies from town who thought they knew better than the Fake FBI/Winchesters, and got themselves possessed. As The Ripper taunts them, threatening to rip the humans to shreds if they don’t take down the warding, the humans crumple as a shower of iron flakes forces the ghosts out of them, revealing that Mr. Ketch has arrived!! With some fancy schmancy Men of Letters thingamajobbie.

Ketch and Rowena consider being a thing (or as the interwebs calls it, #Retch), as they work to build the soul catcher. And I discover, via twitter, that there are Sam and Rowena shippers who are furious over the idea of Rowena getting some with Mr. Ketch, to which I say, to each their own ‘ship. (And no freakin’ way would Sam be interested in Rowena! The Winchesters barely trust her. But you do you, #Samwena ‘shippers!)

Anyway!!!

Ghosts are organizing, and when Dean and Ketch are out patrolling, they run into poor Kevin Tran, who never gets a break and is doomed to never getting anything good, I guess. Turns out Chuck sent him to Hell (not Heaven) for some unknown reason, and I am pretty mad about this turn of events. Because not only does Kevin deserve peace up in Heaven, but it almost feels like a lame ass reason to give us another peek at Kevin, instead of actual story, and also, KEVIN DESERVES BETTER.

There are some shenanigans, there is some soul catching, and a little Ketch ghost possession just for fun. And this is where the episode kinds boots it for me, because after all of that, there’s still gobs of ghosties flying up from Hell? They’ve been in this town for days, and the ghosts are still streaming out of Hell? Why spend so much time in this one town? I’m mildly confused.

As annoying as I find that, Dean is just as annoyed, and once again I find peace agreeing with Dean Winchester, so at least there’s that!

MEANWHILE

In Reno, Amara is getting her chill on, when her little bro Chuck shows up, trying to be cute and charming, but Amara is tired of his shtick. She has had enough of him, and when she figures out Chuck is wounded, leaving him powerless to leave Earth, she puts on her much better wardrobe, and leaves Chuck behind, trapped and alone. Seems as though Amara really does carry a grudge.

Also, it is confirmed that the matching gunshot wounds that Chuck and Sam are sporting has connected them to each other and I’m sure that will turn out just fine, you guys!!!

For the record: Dean is feeling nihilistic; Sam and Chuck are connected; Dean is still pissed at Castiel; Ketch is hot for 500-year-old witch; Kevin Tran’s ghost is wandering the Earth; there’s a bounty on Belphegor’s head, which might be a problem sooner than later; I assume Jack will be back at some point, seeing as Death paid him a visit in the Empty at the end of last season, but I am really really enjoying Belphegor; the We’ve Got Work To Do shot from inside Baby will never, ever get old, and I love that they used it in the premiere.

You guys! The premiere was amazing, and thrilling, and tension filled, and gave me really high hopes that the show will wrap up pretty well. The second episode was okay, and a little goofy, but the heart of the show is still intact, and I’m excited to see what comes out way.

EXTRAS!!

Sam and Dean spend the second episode wearing these iron chain necklaces to keep the ghosties from possessing them, which means that their tattoos only work for demon possession? After all of these years? Fine, show.

I don’t recall who posted this first on the ‘gram, but I love it, and I wanted to share. AMAZING.

NEXT! Everyone is back at the cemetery where all this nonsense started! Did you catch the name on the mausoleum? Nice shout out, show!