Tell-Tale TV Panel: Supernatural Season 12

What was your favorite thing about the most recent season of Supernatural?

See what our panel of writers thought of Supernatural Season 12, and be sure to join the discussion by responding in the comments below!

Our panelists are:

• Christine Laskodi, contributing writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Lyra Hale, senior writer for Tell-Tale TV
• Jamie Steinberg from Starry Mag
• Tina Charles from TV Goodness

On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate the season overall?

Jamie: I’d give it an 8. There were some interesting plots explored this season and Sam and Dean were on point as always. I just wished Castiel had been around his pals more for his ever needed punch of humor for slang and situations he doesn’t understand.

Christine: Wow, Jamie’s generous! Ha! I’d give it a 4, overall. I think they weren’t focused this season. They had so many plot points that it was hard to keep track of what the actual larger arc was.

They had Mary drama, the British Men of Letters, Lucifer, Castiel searching for faith, I’m not even sure what Crowley did this season — it was just too much. I think they had a lot of great ideas, but tried to execute too many, leaving every story feeling unfinished.

Tina: I would give it a 7. I think most episodes were good, but only a handful were truly great. Things started off shaky with the torture Sam business (not cool, BMoL!) but the season ended strong with the final two episodes.

In between, it was a hit and miss situation. There were storylines I enjoyed more over others. There were two episodes that I will consider including in my favorites of all time. And there were some deaths that were truly upsetting.

Lyra: I’d give it an 8. They went back to basics without losing what we know and love about the show. The addition of Mary and the British Men of Letters expanded the universe in a way that keeps things fresh.

What was this season’s biggest problem?

Jamie: Mary Winchester left her boys and followed Ketch around. I’m sorry, but if you haven’t seen your sons in YEARS, there is no way you’re going to give even a brief hiatus to follow someone else around — even if it means helping a fellow hunter.

She has (had) some serious making up to do for being gone so long. Why would she pick up and leave to help Ketch?

Christine: I think it was a lack of focus (as I said above). It’s funny — I go back through the season, and it almost feels like Sam and Dean were background players this year, in a season that should have been an emotional roller coaster with the return of Mary.

I do agree with Jamie on that. They brought Mary back to, essentially, make her a very unlikable character. I’m still not even clear on what her motivation was to follow Ketch. She didn’t resolve any issues with her sons, abandoned them, and then tried to kill them. It’s frustrating because of who Mary was built up to be over the years. The payoff just wasn’t there for me.

Tina: There was so much going on this season, I didn’t get heavily invested in any of the storylines. Not like I usually do. What connected me to this season were the characters we’ve known and loved for 12 seasons as well as the emotional moments.

Everybody here has detailed their thoughts on Mary Winchester. I had my concerns with her unlikability factor and her getting in bed with the British Men of Letters. But I feel that was satisfyingly resolved with episode 22. Well, maybe not completely resolved, but mostly.

I do take issue with the deaths of some really fierce females. I had high hopes we were going to see more of Billie the Reaper in future seasons. And the loss of Eileen was a major blow for me. When it originally happened, I literally hit pause on my DVR and spent five minutes processing my anger before finishing out the episode. I don’t think she needed to die. The episode before (“Twigs and Twine and Tasha Banes”) it was the Tasha and Alicia characters that died. Not Max. (Although we know what move he made next).

I’m not counting Rowena out but until we get confirmation for sure, I’m going to have to think she’s gone. And, yes, plenty of men died too, but there are way more men on this show than women. So when we start losing multiples, I feel it. I am grateful that Jody, Alex and Claire lived, however.

Lyra: This season’s biggest problem was the fact that no one could see things from Mary’s point of view. And by no one I mean the fans.

Week after week, the fans couldn’t understand why this mother that’d just come back to life decided to up and leave her boys. It’s a problem with the writing that led many to resent the fact that Mary was back instead of another character that would’ve stayed.

What worked really well this season?

Jamie: The Brits! It was great to see some new blood (no pun intended) brought into the series that played a significant role in the hunt for all things bad. Sam and Dean needed to know who the people were across the pond fighting for a perfect scare-free world.  

Christine: Body jumping Lucifer ended up having some nice story development. I was nervous about it initially, but Rick Springfield’s Lucifer was pretty great, and LOTUS led into the Nephilim story, and spawned the return of Mark Pellegrino’s Lucifer. I thought that was handled pretty well.

Tina: The brothers Winchester. They were (mostly) on the same page this season. When they weren’t on the same page, they got on the same page rather quickly. And while sure they didn’t have these huge story arcs that caused them to die or become something else or anything like that, their connection is what anchored me to this season.

A few episodes which featured some especially amazing brotherly moments: 1) “First Blood”: When they broke out of the black-ops site prison they found themselves on the winter premiere. 2) “Regarding Dean”: Please refer to the entire episode. It was pure awesomeness. 3) “Who We Are”: Dean deciding to save mom after being brainwashed. Sam stepping up as a leader. They had scenes with each other where they just talked. And more importantly, they hugged. Twice.

Lyra: As much as I hate them, the British Men of Letters worked well this season. And by well, I mean that they were horrible people and I actively wanted them to die week after week.

It was great, kept me invested, and cheering for the boys to end them! Their inclusion in this season means that there are other hunters and chapters around the world, other people fighting the good fight against the things that go bump in the night. And I can’t wait to meet them!

What was the biggest surprise of the season?

Jamie: Castiel being less involved in hunting. He was so focused on finding Kelly Kline and helping to solve the nephilim problem that he was away from his “teammates” for quite some time. I know that Dean was annoyed by his frequent absence without so much as a word. I kind of expected more from Castiel, too.

Christine: That the BMoL dragged on all season. It just didn’t work for me, at all. I kept waiting for my big “AHA! So THAT’s why they’re here!” moment, and it never came. It just never went anywhere. I still don’t understand what their purpose was. It’s surprising to me that something that took up so much of the season would feel that way.

Tina: Two things. The introduction of this alternate Supernatural reality where Dean and Sam hadn’t been born so they had never saved it. It was there we met the alt version of Bobby. Plus I ended up adoring the part of the British Men of Letters story that allowed us to get to know the American hunters a little bit more. I actually wanted to get a lot more of that than we did.

Lyra: The biggest surprise this season is the fact that they went all out and cleared the board by killing Crowley, Castiel, Kelly & trapping Lucifer and Mary in a different universe during the Season Finale. Not many shows take a risk that big and you gotta love Supernatural for having the guts to do it! Twelve years later and still surprising me!

What are your hopes for next season?

Jamie: Okay, some of you are going to disagree with me here, but I think the boys need a little love. They have their mom. They have their friends. They even have Baby.

But, the boys had no romantic entanglements this season (and even last season if I can recall). They have got to be lonely and while Dean is known for his love-em-leave-em kind of connections, they could still find themselves in the arms of a pretty lady once in a while.

Christine: I’d kind of like to get back to basics for a while — on the road, case of the week, and hunting monsters. The mythos of the show has grown so much over the years that it feels like every season has to be BIG.

And the episodes I love most are the ones that keep it simple — two brothers in a car hunting monsters. I do agree with Jamie — Sam and Dean are getting older. It’s time for a lady to enter the picture who’ll make them want to settle down.

I really thought Eileen might play that role with Sam this season. And I loved the Dean and Lisa storyline way back in earlier years. It’s not a bad idea for the Winchester boys to be considering the long-term.

Tina: I honestly don’t know where this next season is going to go. I’m sure the nephilim will play a big part in it but who knows what that will look like. I hope we get more of the Sam and Dean we got in episodes like “Who We Are” and “First Blood,” which in my book means a badass team that can face down any enemy — human or supernatural — and prevail.

If every once in a while they could take the time out to have really cool conversations that let us know what they’re thinking, that would rock too. And if the show could see fit to utilize this alternate reality to bring back familiar faces like they did with Bobby, that would be great. There are so many characters we’ve lost over the years, it would be nice to see them again in albeit different capacities.

Lyra: Next season I hope for the Winchesters to explore a way to unite the American hunters. They’ve seen how big and real the threat of invading forces are so they have to protect their home and their way of life. Bringing new people in and teaching the next generation of hunters could be a new journey for both boys.

Sure, some favorites will die, and we’ll be cursing the fact that Supernatural made us fall in love again to only rip out our hearts. But it’ll be worth it. Every tissue will be worth it in this crazy show about two brothers and their fight to keep people safe from demons and angels alike.

What did you think of Supernatural Season 12? Share your thoughts in a comment below! You can also check out all of our other season review panels right here. There are more to come!

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