EW: First look at Supernatural's 300th episode and Jeffrey Dean Morgan's return

ZeoVGM · Jan 16, 2019

EW had a pretty nice write-up on the upcoming 300th episode milestone that Supernatural is hitting along with details and images on the event fans have waited 11 and a half seasons for -- the return of Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

I'm of the belief that through its ups and downs, Supernatural still remains entertaining even at its worse (hello, seasons 7 and 9). No, it will never be seasons 4 and 5 again it has had great seasons since then and I still look forward to it. Having John back (even for one episode, which is what it looks like) is going to be an emotional trip.

https://ew.com/tv/2019/01/16/supernatural-ew-cover-300-episodes/

Supernatural premiered on The WB in 2005 and has since become the longest-running show in The CW's history. The idea was simple: two brothers hunting monsters from urban legends, the kinds of things you'd hear about while sitting around a campfire. Bloody Mary? They killed her. Hook Man? Yep, him too. But it didn't take long for the writers to understand that they might have to broaden the scope of the show if they wanted to get 20-plus episodes (much less 300).

Despite surviving the 2006 WB–UPN merger that created The CW, it took years for Supernatural to land on solid ground. "Bob Singer and I were fighting for the show's survival at the ends of the first three seasons," says creator Eric Kripke. "We'd have a meeting with the network that we informally called the 'explain-why-we-should-give-you-another-season' meeting."

And in season 4, they made perhaps their biggest, boldest decision yet: They introduced angels (and therefore a much more religious story line) into the fold, which Singer identifies as the show's biggest turning point. "I was concerned that would be a bridge too far," Padalecki says of the angelic decision. "I wondered, 'Are we going to turn o a lot of the people that came here to watch a scary movie?'" Kripke himself had fought the idea for years, until a pre–season 4 epiphany came to him while he was washing his face, of all things. "I realized the supernatural world was unbalanced," Kripke says. "There was only evil. So I walked in the writers' room on day one of season 4 and said, 'Okay, there's going to be angels…but they're dicks!'"

"A benefit of genre is we have such a huge runway in terms of 'anything can happen,'" then writer and current co-showrunner Andrew Dabb says. "A medical show is limited in the scope of what they can do. We're not." So the next few seasons saw Supernatural push even more boundaries, with alternate realities, meta episodes ("The French Mistake," anyone?), and new villains. That's not to say everything worked, but that's the beauty of a long-running show with a devoted audience — everything doesn't have to work.

It's those fans who are devoted to Sam and Dean, even when their Impala might take a wrong turn. "The show's ability to evolve and adapt is what's led to it lasting 14 years," Dabb says, adding, "Theoretically there are still a bunch of Leviathan out there running around that we never dealt with, but we don't talk about that."

As for how John comes back, let's just say things get weird — don't they always? — and there's an altered reality at play. "Our guys are put in a position where they essentially can have a wish granted," Dabb says. "They're actually expecting something else, but [John's return] comes from a place of want by Dean. The need for closure is really what brings John back into their lives." But John isn't the only person who comes back into their lives. As with any altered reality, not everything changes for the good. Without getting too specific, whatever brings John back also causes the return of Zachariah (Kurt Fuller), the no-BS angel who saw Sam and Dean as nothing more than thorns in his side.

But as the Winchesters know a bit too well, all good things must come to an end. And when this is said and done, Sam and Dean will return to their life, driving down crazy street next to each other. Because despite the show hitting 300 episodes, nobody's ready to call it quits just yet. "I don't think we're ready to throw in the towel," Ackles says. "We've still got a little gas in the tank." Put another way, Sam and Dean still got work to do.

Coyote Starrk · Jan 16, 2019

So fucking hyped for this.

Squarehard · Jan 16, 2019

I had no idea the show was still running.

Bonefish · Jan 16, 2019

theres now more seasons of this show that I havent seen versus the first 6 I saw. Jesus lol

WhiteRabbitEXE · Jan 16, 2019

Squarehard said:
I had no idea the show was still running.

It will be running long after we're all dead.

Squarehard · Jan 16, 2019

Bonefish said:
theres now more seasons of this show that I havent seen versus the first 6 I saw. Jesus lol

I'm in the same boat.

But now that papa bear is coming back, might have to at least watch the return episode.

BoxManLocke · Jan 16, 2019

I'm glad they changed course on the earlier info we got on this episode last summer.

The premise doesn't sound very original but that's not what I want from this kind of episode anyway, so I'm hopeful it could be decent now.

By the way EW always delivers when it comes to SPN photoshoots. They've done some truly amazing stuff with the cast over the years.

Tagyhag · Jan 16, 2019

No idea he was coming back, I really should get back into it. My last season was the one where the darkness left. How are the new ones?

Also, it should be illegal to be as good looking as Jensen for this long.

ZackieChan · Jan 16, 2019

How have the last few seasons been? The last one I watched had the redhead evil lady. Worth catching up?

Officer Big Mac · Jan 16, 2019

Squarehard said:
I had no idea the show was still running.

The lights are on but nobody's home if you know what I mean.

ZeoVGM · Jan 16, 2019

Tagyhag said:
No idea he was coming back, I really should get back into it. My last season was the one where the darkness left. How are the new ones?

Also, it should be illegal to be as good looking as Jensen for this long.

ZackieChan said:
How have the last few seasons been? The last one I watched had the redhead evil lady. Worth catching up?

Fan reaction is mixed but I believe everything after season 5 will always be up for debate.

I personally loved season 12 with the British Men of Letters and return of a big bad guy (in the second half -- the first half of his plot was shaky). I really enjoyed season 13. They decided to bring some more focus onto the recurring characters rather than just Sam and Dean. Some fans hate that, some love it. I personally think making it more of an ensemble is the best way to keep the show fresh.

14 has been a little mixed as the season long arc hasn't been great but the MOTW episodes have been good. Such is Supernatural. It lowest point will always be seasons 7 (Leviathans) and 9 (after the angels fell). It remains entertaining and watchable throughout.

Septimus Prime · Jan 16, 2019

When is this airing? I'll come back for this.

Bishop89 · Jan 16, 2019

Fan-fucking-tastic!

Can't wait.

ZeoVGM · Jan 16, 2019

Septimus Prime said:
When is this airing? I'll come back for this.

Thursday, February 7!

(It's worth catching up with on Netflix, everything is there except for S14. Ups and downs, still fun throughout.)

TaterTots · Jan 16, 2019

I have never watched an episode of this show, but 300 is ridiculously impressive. It must have a strong following.

Would ya'll suggest giving it a go? Kind of scared to seeing there is gonna be 300+ episodes lol.

Septimus Prime · Jan 16, 2019

ZeoVGM said:
Thursday, February 7!

Thanks! Anything I need to know to catch up? I stopped watching end of last season. I see Zachariah is in one of the pics. Sup with that?

FreezePeach · Jan 16, 2019

Welp, this is all sorts of mega spoilers for someone starting the show.

Platy · Jan 16, 2019

With him coming back I think it is safe to say supernatural is now a comic book

wenis · Jan 16, 2019

I really need to catch up with this show. I left off at season 8 or 9.

Rackham · Jan 16, 2019

Cool. Can't wait. Hope there's more comedy than drama. Supernatural is at its best with comedy.

Saifu · Jan 16, 2019

I haven't watched Supernatural in a loooong ass time. I didn't even finish season 10.
Now all I see is Negan lol.

BoxManLocke · Jan 16, 2019

Regardless of my opinion of the latest seasons, it should be a mostly self-contained episode.

So catching up really isn't required but this sounds like a must-watch if you've ever liked the show at some point. So just watch this episode and decide after if you want to go through what you've missed, is my advice.

TaterTots : You can't go wrong with the first five seasons, you should totally give it a try. Even though SPN is old as fuck no other show has had the same mix of horror, drama, comedy and meta elements.

Bundy · Jan 16, 2019

My favourite TV show for over a decade. Bring it! Can't wait to see John.
Hope Supernatural goes on forever :)

Effect · Jan 16, 2019

ZeoVGM said:
Thursday, February 7!

Can't wait. I've been off and on with Supernatural in the last two seasons but will certainly be watching this.

ZeoVGM · Jan 16, 2019

TaterTots said:
I have never watched an episode of this show, but 300 is ridiculously impressive. It must have a strong following.

Would ya'll suggest giving it a go? Kind of scared to seeing there is gonna be 300+ episodes lol.

Yes! I recently went through the entire series with my fiancee to get her into it. Like I said, ups and downs (in the second half of the series) but absolutely worth it. Entire series is on Netflix.

ZeoVGM · Jan 16, 2019

FreezePeach said:
Welp, this is all sorts of mega spoilers for someone starting the show.

I know. But after 14 years, it's kind of hard to avoid. This was an official CW announcement on magazine covers.

dabig2 · Jan 16, 2019

Uhm, haven't watched like the last 5 episodes. WTF, is this tied with the main storyline? Has to be.

ZeoVGM · Jan 16, 2019

dabig2 said:
Uhm, haven't watched like the last 5 episodes. WTF, is this tied with the main storyline? Has to be.

As far as we know, not yet. So you haven't missed anything in this season that hints at this.

FreezePeach · Jan 16, 2019

This show basically started off as a b-tier X-Files clone for teens with some X-Files people working on it, but like after 300 episodes you just have to respect the hustle. X-Files is my favorite show still but this has done an admirable job appealing to the cheese horror crowd with likeable characters.

Only thing though, since i havent seen i think beyond season 6 or so, do they stop with the demons angels shit? I remember it got so heavy that every episode felt like it was just about that and i eventually lost interest because it got too ridiculous when binge watching. I like dthe earlier seasons better when they had a variety of monsters and stories.

BoxManLocke · Jan 17, 2019

FreezePeach said:
Only thing though, since i havent seen i think beyond season 6 or so, do they stop with the demons angels shit? I remember it got so heavy that every episode felt like it was just about that and i eventually lost interest because it got too ridiculous when binge watching. I like dthe earlier seasons better when they had a variety of monsters and stories.

Oh, if only you knew. Trust me we're still swimmin' in this shit right up to the elbows 10 seasons later, and I do mean THE EXACT SAME SHIT.

This part of the lore has been been sucked dry of content years ago and made a joke in many aspects (demons, for example), but it's one that the writers can never seem to let go of. They probably think it's in the show's DNA and forgot how it really started.

FreezePeach · Jan 17, 2019

BoxManLocke said:
Oh, if only you knew. Trust me we're still swimmin' in this shit right up to the elbows 10 seasons later, and I do mean THE EXACT SAME SHIT.

This part of the lore has been been sucked dry of content years ago and made a joke in many aspects (demons, for example), but it's one that the writers can never seem to let go of. They probably think it's in the show's DNA and forgot how it really started.

I mean, i understand they decided to go with it as the main mythology story thread but do they at least have a lot of the episodes mix it up with other stories? Like what's the ratio per season for mainline demon vs monster of the week?

Ashhong · Jan 17, 2019

Quick aside, what was the epic season again? Was it the end of season 4 and all of season 5? Or maybe it was the end of season 5 and into 6?

NTGYK · Jan 17, 2019

Holy fuck, this is still on.

Holy fuck, this has been on for 300 episodes?

m43lstr0m · Jan 17, 2019

I think it would be great if it went 2 more seasons after this one. Maybe that would get them to episode 360.
If they know ahead of time when the end is, they could use all of that time to map out an amazing final couple of seasons.

But if next season were the last, 15 long years is a great number to end on for sure.

Tace · Jan 17, 2019

Ashhong said:
Quick aside, what was the epic season again? Was it the end of season 4 and all of season 5? Or maybe it was the end of season 5 and into 6?

I'd say all of Season 4 and 5, though it kinda requires you watch the first three seasons to appreciate the upgrade in scale.

I've been off and on with the show since S5, but I'm def jumping back in for this. John Winchester

Ashhong · Jan 17, 2019

Tace said:
I'd say all of Season 4 and 5, though it kinda requires you watch the first three seasons to appreciate the upgrade in scale.

I've been off and on with the show since S5, but I'm def jumping back in for this. John Winchester

I saw at least seasons 1-7. I just couldn't remember which one's were the really good ones. I feel like rewatching them

Officer Big Mac · Jan 17, 2019

BoxManLocke said:
Oh, if only you knew. Trust me we're still swimmin' in this shit right up to the elbows 10 seasons later, and I do mean THE EXACT SAME SHIT.

This part of the lore has been been sucked dry of content years ago and made a joke in many aspects (demons, for example), but it's one that the writers can never seem to let go of. They probably think it's in the show's DNA and forgot how it really started.

Dont forget secrets.

Tace · Jan 17, 2019

Ashhong said:
I saw at least seasons 1-7. I just couldn't remember which one's were the really good ones. I feel like rewatching them

Ah, gotcha. Seasons 2-5 are the shows best imo

Masquerade Overture · Jan 17, 2019

How is this fucking show still on the air?

Never seen a single episode myself, but my sister was super into it until like season 8-ish.

tryagainlater · Jan 17, 2019

Did I ever tell you about your half brother, Adam?

Fiction · Jan 17, 2019

Season five and season eleven are neck and neck for me. Though nothing will attain arc perfection like 1-5.

This will always be my show.
The gifs alone seal it.

Ichthyosaurus · Jan 17, 2019

ZackieChan said:
How have the last few seasons been? The last one I watched had the redhead evil lady. Worth catching up?

You're going to have to be more specific. lol

SchrodingerC · Jan 17, 2019

300 episodes, good lord lol.
I'll never finish my rewatch of this show, since the bad episodes can kill my enjoyment, fast.

PhoncipleBone · Jan 17, 2019

Fiction said:
Season five and season eleven are neck and neck for me. Though nothing will attain arc perfection like 1-5.

This will always be my show.
The gifs alone seal it.

Finally someone singing the praises of season 11.
It was like the writers stopped giving a fuck about the Tumblr crowd and just told the story they wanted to. And it was so good.
Def belongs with 4 and 5 for best seasons.

celebi23 · Jan 17, 2019

tryagainlater said:
Did I ever tell you about your half brother, Adam?

I know, right? He needs to get out of hell at some point.

ZeoVGM said:

Razgriz-Specter · Jan 17, 2019

ZackieChan said:
How have the last few seasons been? The last one I watched had the redhead evil lady. Worth catching up?

11 was the best season of all besides maybe 5

Shadownet · Jan 17, 2019

WhiteRabbitEXE said:
It will be running long after we're all dead.

Yeah but Dean or Sam will make a deal with a demon to bring us all back.... So we can keep watching.

Woolley · Jan 17, 2019

TaterTots said:
I have never watched an episode of this show, but 300 is ridiculously impressive. It must have a strong following.

Would ya'll suggest giving it a go? Kind of scared to seeing there is gonna be 300+ episodes lol.

The first five seasons is the main arc and they are amazing. The rest of the seasons are kind of just extra, some good some bad, if you want more.

Nemesis121 · Jan 17, 2019

I stop last season gonna watch this for sure...

ZackieChan · Jan 17, 2019

Ichthyosaurus said:
You're going to have to be more specific. lol

Razgriz-Specter said:
11 was the best season of all besides maybe 5

Last season I watched had Dean singing karaoke in the first episode.

EW: First look at Supernatural's 300th episode and Jeffrey Dean Morgan's return

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