Manyyyy months ago, @b1tchplanet left some comments on my Winchesters meta. We talked about Jack and how things could be "fixed" after the state the narrative and the characters are left in, post-SPN and post-SPNWIN. Now I'm repurposing what little I'd written about that and finally expanding it for a full post because I'm in the mood :)
A Rough Outline of the SPN Season 16 that Lives In My Head
Just for fun! Consider it a roadmap for a multi-episode style fic that I'll never write. Unusual for me to post here, considering this is fanfic rather than analysis, but whatever. This is rooted in meta, so it counts, right?
This picks up where we left off in canon, based on what I often talk about:
Chuck was not entirely defeated. Through his deliberate orchestration, Jack was sacrificed and corrupted by the combined God-and-Darkness power (further hinted at by how Joan was corrupted by monster essence in The Winchesters). I find the concept of Jack's corruption more compelling from a storytelling perspective vs Chuck literally masquerading as or possessing him. It's also more thematically consistent with the wider picture of what's going on with all the characters. It's stronger allegorically too, which matters: Chuck's enduring influence and how it alters Jack is allegorical for the enduring, insidious influence of industry censorship, providing an explanation in-narrative and out-of-narrative for the tragedies of the s15 finale.
So... Dark!Jack, as I like to call him, is in power. Dean and Sam are trapped in a fake "Heaven"—and if that place isn't real, then Cas isn't there either and he's still in the Empty. And thematically speaking, true collective freedom for all of the characters can only be achieved through speaking truths, trusting in real love, healing trauma, and breaking cycles of violence together.
This is the state of things where my s16 begins.
These are the broad story beats:
• We start with Dean and Sam in fake "Heaven," happy and having fun... until things slowly start to feel off, with weird details here and there. The ultimate catalyst is that Dean keeps asking for Cas, and then this "Heaven" eventually tries to placate him by giving him a fake one. Dean immediately realizes that this Cas isn't real, and it acts as the biggest crack in the veneer. The uncanniness fully creeps in as they truly realize they're trapped and nothing is real.
• In regards to Sam's white-picket-fence life with blurry wife, I tend to go the route of thinking it could be explained away as a planted hallucination of sorts, meaning it didn't actually happen. He didn't live that whole life. This would track with how Sam is the same age as Dean rather than old when he meets Dean in "Heaven" on the bridge. And so, once they start questioning "Heaven" and Sam starts mentally examining his foggy memories of that life he supposedly lived... mentally picking at the edges... he also realizes it wasn't real. And he remembers "oh my God, where is Eileen?"
• With the help of their found family on Earth who've been looking for them and who they somehow get in contact with, Sam and Dean escape "Heaven." (This would be a 2-episode premiere.) For added spice, this escape can also involve Sam and Dean having to dodge hostile, fake shade versions of people they love in this bizarre "Heaven" that suddenly turn on them once they start acting out, if we want to get freaky and properly carry through the parallels to the ghosts in 15x01.
• Once back on Earth, Sam and Dean (and maybe others) immediately get to work figuring out how to rescue Cas from the Empty. It'd be great if the unwashed, dried bloody handprint on Dean's jacket is relevant to this. Of course, Dean's profound bond with Cas is essential to the rescue for pulling him out of the Empty's clutches. And I do mean pulling—I want some physicality here. Get Dean with at least one foot in there and pissing the Empty off.
• Cue Destiel romantic reunion, Dean explicitly reciprocating with a confession of his own, and a kiss.
• Immediately after this reunion, Cas asks where Jack is. Of course he does.
• As Cas asks, Dark!Jack arrives, evidently corrupted by God power and not acting like himself. He's pissed off about these shenanigans and doesn't even seem to react to Cas being okay.
• Cas is devastated to realize what's happened and see what Jack has become. This is important: this will give us some push-and-pull angst between Dean and Cas for the duration of s16. They know they're in love, they kissed, yes. Great. But how can they have any happiness together when they feel guilt because their son is trapped? When Cas is upset with Dean for allowing this to happen, and Dean can't even forgive himself for it either? When the deal that lead to Cas’ love confession was initially made TO SAVE JACK, and ultimately didn’t fully save anyone? Conflicted, Dean and Cas will have to navigate the new dimension of their relationship and reciprocated love (which is a good thing! and does bring them happiness that clashes with all this angst!) while also having to lean on each other through the pain and tragedy of trying to save their son.
• Anyway. So, Dark!Jack shows up after Cas' rescue, and he snaps. He essentially says to Sam and Dean (while notably mostly ignoring Cas)... okay, fuck you guys. You escaped the perfect little Heavenly box I made for you and started screwing with things again because you couldn't help yourselves. So this is how you want it to be? Less Truman Show and more horror show? You want "freedom" so badly? Then you’ll never have peace. Let's keep it interesting. [snaps fingers] Every monster now knows, at all times, where the Winchesters are—like a beacon. And a lot of them are pissed or they want revenge, so now they're going to be hunting you. You can never go home. You have no home. Start running.
• And thus, the plot: Team Free Will is on the move, being hunted even as they're still trying to do the hunting, all while they're desperately trying to figure out how to save Jack.
• It's "back to basics" but with a twist: monster-of-the-week style plots can factor here, with a huge opportunity for callbacks to prior plot lines / characters. It's a chance for introspection about ways they all may have fucked up in the past when the definition of "monster" originally felt more black and white, and about how power or usefulness doesn't determine worth (looking at you, Cas). It's a prime setup for character work that's also relevant to the overarching plot theme of what's happened to Jack, and about the familial cycles of violence they need to break. Plus, it gives an opportunity for allying with friendly hunters and monsters alike when situations call for it. The guest star roster is our playground, baby!
• [Bonus: early on during this Search For How To Save Jack, their first thought is to track down the now-powerless, human Chuck and interrogate him. Their conversation with him isn't helpful and just pisses them all off. Lol.]
• While on the run and sometimes with help from friends, Sam, Dean, Cas, and Eileen research lore, spells, etc. on how to reverse corruption from magic or other powerful forces. Interestingly, the "beacon" target of monster tracking only applies to Sam and Dean, so their relationships with Eileen and Cas are a point of strength they need to survive in more ways than one because they're a factor the monsters don't always expect.
• They're all looking for a real, physical method to "fix" Jack—a way he can keep the God power but be returned to being himself again. They're trying to keep Jack in power as God because they think it's necessary, and they don't think there's an alternative.
• Eventually, they manage to formulate a plan. They (and the audience) think they finally figured it out. This all leads to a climactic finale ""battle"" where they try to summon Jack, trap him, fix him, etc...
• And after everything, it doesn't fucking work. They fail. Jack is even more pissed because this is just yet another instance of them saying something is wrong with him. He flexes his power and takes his maelstrom of emotions out on them all.
• That's when, out of devastation—and after all the hard lessons they've learned and the heartache and the healing conversations they've had over the course of this s16, naturally—Dean (and Sam, but especially Dean) just basically hopelessly looks at Jack and more or less says... I'm so sorry, Jack. You're just a kid and we never should've done this to you. You're OUR kid and that's all you should've ever had to be. Not God. Not Lucifer's son. Just Jack. I don't care about the universe or any of this other bullshit anymore. I just miss you and wish you could come home to us.
• Jack listens. It's what he's always needed to hear. He feels the truth in it, and he lets all of the power go.
• Jack is healed and, through this process, so is the universe. That emotional release translates to a cosmic release... because the God power has to be put back out into the universe and no longer have personhood for true freedom to be attained for all of them, including Jack. By releasing the power into the rifts where it's been missing, he cosmologically "heals" the universe too, which would mean a healing of the Empty/Purgatory and a restructuring of Heaven/Hell.
• Jack's just their son now. His only job or purpose is to be himself. And, in the words of Dean from 15x13, "Then there's no God, there's no Darkness. Nothing out of balance. World saved."
• And then: happy ending!!!
• Destiel and Saileen and Jack go on a beach vacation, finally getting to relax. (Yes, the magic credit cards still work. Whatever.) Turns out the hotel's haunted, but eh, that's fine. It's an easy one anyway.
• They all make a proper home out of the bunker, featuring the predictable crash out over building IKEA furniture for Jack's redesigned room. Sam and Eileen become a hunting power couple, leading and building a real hunting community—but the amount of actual monsters seems to be dwindling without God influence involved, which is good. More "monsters" become hunters too. Dean and Cas and Jack keep traveling, giving all 3 of them the kinds of experiences they've wanted to or deserved to have. They do keep hunting for awhile in between, but pretty soon Dean makes the big decision for himself to (mostly) retire. He and Cas get a house and open a Roadhouse bar / inn for hunters who need a friendly place to crash that feels less bunker and more R&R haven. Jack spends some time with Jodie and Donna and the girls, and then he decides to go to college—turns out, you don't exactly retain God's omniscience when you give up your powers. And the first big family Christmas that Dean and Cas host at the Roadhouse is the stuff of legends.
• In my heart, the montage-y parts of this happy ending are soundtracked to "Roll With the Changes" by REO Speedwagon. If you even care. That probably wouldn't fly and it'd have to be "Carry On My Wayward Son," but that wouldn't feel applicable to me after everything tbh.
:) and that's all, yayyyy
S16 that lives in my head my beloved <3
It's frankly ridiculous how even just typing this out and picturing it makes me so happy lmaaaoooo. I hope you also enjoyed my vision if you read all of this!
Jensen Ackles or Danneel Ackles or Andrew Dabb or Robbie Thompson or whoever is free to call me anytime and we'll make magic happen