Chuck Canonically Won, In- & Out-Of-Narrative

Read The Analysis On AO3 The Supernatural ending feels tragic because it IS. The villain wins in the story. And the writers wrote it as purposeful commentary on a situation of real-world censorship that couldn’t allow the ending the characters deserved. Order A Printed Copy (I'll Make No Profit) Find me @CharCubed: • Tumblr • Twitter

[chuckwon]

The Chuck Won analysis: a visual representation.

HERE’S THE THESIS:

The ending feels tragic because it IS. The villain wins in the story. And the writers wrote it as purposeful commentary on a situation of real-world censorship that couldn’t allow the ending the characters deserved.

Don’t take my word for it; the show told us everything we need to know.

This piece explores why this matters, in story and out of it.

You do not need ANY prior knowledge of “Chuck won” as an angle of analysis–or prior familiarity with Supernatural meta–to read this. My goal was to make understanding the totality of this concept as accessible as possible.

Read On AO3

Get A Printed Copy

(I don’t make any profit and will never see your info)

[chuckwon]

Are you aware you're amazing

Oh my God HELLO??

This is so unexpected and nice wtf 😭 Thank you so much Anon!!

Going to try to accept this into my soul and use it for encouragement to keep writing / creating things 💜

[chuckwon]

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 :)

So, this is...

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.

• And that's what works.

• 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

[chuckwon]

Some bonus stuff, because there are soooo many potential little bits and details for these “episodes” in my head.

• Cas prays to Jack often. (Not always “on screen,” but it’s made clear to the audience that it’s often.) The first time Dean accidentally overhears him doing it, it’s exactly as heartbreaking as you think it would be. Dean cries a little bit about it but doesn’t tell Cas. (They’re both a mess.) Cas never receives an answer or a response from Jack… except for the one time he does. It’s stupid—Cas even says he feels stupid doing it—but he gets a cupcake for Jack for his birthday. Jack actually shows up for it, and very briefly and carefully, they talk. It’s the first time Jack directly acknowledges Cas since everything happened, and it’s clearly because Cas softens him, making him more of himself in a way that’s hard to bear amongst what the God power and his own negative emotions/trauma are doing to him. But it’s a glimmer of hope that maybe he’s not all the way gone.

• The one and only time Dean prays to Jack is in a panic when Sam is really badly injured and he might not survive. Dean prays to Jack in desperation and fear and a little bit of anger. It’s not pretty. There is, of course, no response… but the doctors do call the fact that Sam didn’t die from blood loss on the way to the hospital a “miracle.”

• Eileen casually says to Sam one day during lunch, “Do you think if we got married and you took my last name, it’d break the curse for you? Jack said the monsters would always know where the Winchesters are, but if you’re not technically a Winchester anymore and you’re a Leahy…”

Sam: Wait. Did you just propose to me?

Eileen: Yeah. Would it help?

Sam: Uh, probably not. I think it’s more about our bloodline. And God curses probably don’t have loopholes like witch curses.

Eileen: Damn.

Sam: ….but, um, do you still want to…?

Eileen: Get married? Sure, eventually. But you didn’t say yes.

Sam: (laughing) You didn’t even ask the normal question!

Eileen: Oh, right. [looks around and holds up an onion ring] Sam Winchester, will you marry me someday, after we fix all of this?

Sam: Yes. Of course I will. Yes.

Eileen puts the onion ring on his finger. Sam gives her a long kiss and then takes a bite out of the ring.

• Cas and Dean don’t find out about Saileen’s technical engagement until there’s a monster fight happening at some point. Eileen saves Sam while yelling at the harpy or whatever that’s got him in its clutches “Let go of my fiancé, you bitch!” and Dean is like “Your WHAT??”

[chuckwon]

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 :)

So, this is...

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.

• And that's what works.

• 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

[chuckwon]

anyway. everyone look at this image

[butchmary]

jaw fucking drop everybody look at this tiktok

[chuckwon]

not to be serious about the absurdity of repetitive discourse or anything but like... if we lived in a world where supernatural wasn't a censored queer text, then maybe jensen ackles (who is an actor and not a writer and also, first and foremost, a businessman) could stand on a stage and declare that dean winchester is bisexual and in love with castiel. but we don't and so he can't, unfortunately.

this is not necessarily a blanket defense of the man himself and whatever he says, and you don't need to take it that way. it's just an awareness of the big picture situation. the inconsistency in how the topic of destiel is handled at conventions is just a symptom/repercussion of this enduring fact of life. the industry + fandom politics that created the uphill battle for destiel that we're all familiar with haven't gone anywhere, and the situation will persist until/unless canon continues and makes this more explicit. it's not new, will never be new no matter how many years this continues, and doesn't change the fact that dean is canonically bi and in love with cas.

I know this, you know this, we all know this. and while it is a bitch of an unsatisfactory situation, and no one asked for my 5 cents, I simply think we should all remember the joke of "no peace and never done" exists for a reason and then maybe find some inner peace about the predictable chaos.

at the end of the day, jensen ackles is not going to say anything novel, or give anyone any unequivocal, permanent, and suddenly consistent validation about this topic because he has too many audiences to please. his blessing is not something anyone should need anyway. the story is clear. the text speaks for itself. the censorship is even a plot point and something that shouldn't be forgotten for this very reason. and the truth of the characters and of canon is uncomplicated, even if the enduring real-world situation is not and may never be.

[chuckwon]

THE WINCHESTERS AS DEAN’S STORY: An untraditional video essay showing Dean’s physical and emotional state after the Supernatural finale.

Whether you’ve never seen The Winchesters, haven’t thought about it much in years, or know it inside and out, this should be watchable and understandable to you!

(This project is on AO3 here, as part of my Chuck Won meta series.)

——————

The Winchesters, as a prequel-sequel show, acts as a thematically consistent commentary on Supernatural. It explicitly brought SPN’s depths to the surface by spotlighting themes like found family being vital, cycles of intergenerational trauma needing healing, and real love triumphing over predetermined fate.

From episode one, Dean is framed as the show’s narrator and he has a voiceover in every episode. This means that The Winchesters is a story being told from his point of view. The show is Dean’s story in the sense that he’s telling it to the audience; but also, metatextually, it’s Dean's story in the sense that it’s all about him through mirroring and parallels.

I tend to fondly refer to The Winchesters as “The Dean Hall of Mirrors show” because that’s exactly what it is. While watching the adventures of John, Mary, Carlos, Lata and Ada—and the struggles they face—we can recognize they provide a secondary purpose of being commentary on Dean’s life. Through parallels, we learn more about the struggles Dean’s been facing since episode 15x20 of Supernatural. The Winchesters is a deliberate, repetitive condemnation of the false veneer of Dean’s “happy ending” in Heaven that some audiences took at face value. It tells us that he’s trapped. And the fact that the show’s plot lines culminate in Jack arriving to subtly threaten Dean back into “peace” is no accident.

Consider this a video essay, but in an untraditional format. Clips from the shows are interspersed to showcase their parallels and construct a full story, with no additional narration from me. Everything that I need to explain and everything that you need to understand is conveyed solely through dialogue and visuals from the shows themselves—demonstrating just how clear and cohesive the full picture is.

This video constructs an argument to show you (rather than tell you) this:

Chuck was not entirely defeated. Jack’s not okay. Dean and his family are trapped and fractured. And true freedom can only be achieved for all of them through speaking truths, trusting in real love, healing trauma, and breaking cycles of violence together.

Aside from a short opening and ending, this video has 5 chapters:

DESTIEL

JACK + DEAN

CHUCK WON

THE TRAP

THE PATH TO FREEDOM

The sections are designed to build upon each other.

As a (very optional) primer before you watch, a short breakdown of that is below.

Firstly, with DESTIEL and JACK + DEAN, we begin with Dean’s emotional context. These most obvious relationship parallels “prove” the language of mirroring that The Winchesters operates in, and they give you a frame of reference for where Dean’s head and his grieving heart are after the finale.

Once you’re familiar with the language of the show’s mirroring—and the tragedy of Jack—this carries through to the more physical context. In CHUCK WON, we see how some of the monsters/villains mirror Chuck, and this tells us things about Chuck’s victory and Jack’s tragic corruption.

Then come the consequences. In THE TRAP, we see what the other monsters/villains in The Winchesters can tell us about the literal trap of unreal “Heaven” that Dean is in, and how he is actively trying to escape.

And finally, in THE PATH TO FREEDOM, we see some of the ways in which The Winchesters' gang consistently escaped these traps: through mending relationships, speaking their truths, and healing from trauma. This provides the roadmap for how Dean and his family must find freedom in the future. And hopefully (if I did my job right) maybe it can give a little bit of catharsis for anyone who watches my version of it :)

Despite its length, this video isn’t even comprehensive. Believe it or not, there are way more parallels in The Winchesters than I was able to include here! I had to tell a semi-linear narrative. But this should be enough to bring the main concepts across.

If you take away nothing else from this project, I hope you see this:

The Winchesters’ consistent themes and plot lines were designed to deliberately and loudly critique Supernatural’s finale. Dean’s not at peace and he’s not done. The finale’s falsity was never the real last word for Dean (because SPN was certainly plenty clear on how Chuck won), but it especially isn’t after The Winchesters. And while I don’t know if we’ll ever get any kind of subversion in the future with a true sequel and get to see that path to freedom be properly fulfilled… from a character standpoint, I think it matters to say that the intent and desire was always there in Dean, and it always will be.

————

Please feel free to give the video a "like" on YouTube!

Further reading if you want it:

-The Chuck Won meta on AO3 -The short metas I’ve posted here on Tumblr -The Winchesters: Misdirecting the Cycle by Deidre T

[chuckwon]

anyone else remember when Dean Winchester went on an inter-dimensional drive looking for a universe where his family won and he couldn’t find any, because there’s no other version where he and his brother defied God and he formed a queer family with Cas and Jack? no, just me? okay whatever I’m normal about it

[annabelle--cane]

grisps you by the collar unless you don't like that in which case I'm holding you in place with my non-tactile mind beam. look, if you want to successfully analyze artworks then you have to make the active decision to assume that all the creative choices were deliberate and that the artist wasn't just asleep at the wheel tossing things in all willy nilly. if something doesn't make sense to you then your first port of call shouldn't be to declare "this doesn't make sense," it should be to play around with it and consider if there is a way in which it might make sense, try to see what it's currently doing successfully rather than what you think it ought to be doing but is failing at. the secret to getting a stable lens on the whole work is very likely to be hidden in that one weird part that looks like it makes the least sense. WE ARE ON THE SIDE OF ART.

[winchestergifs]

STACKEDNATURAL ⇉ 229/327 (part 1)

15.12 Galaxy Brain Written by Meredith Glynn & Robert Berens Directed by Richard Speight, Jr. Original Air Date: March 16, 2020

[wintersoldierfell]

you've heard of death of the author, now get ready for death of the audience: where instead of basing your reaction on a thousand uninformed opinions online, you actually read the text and engage with it

[wintersoldierfell]

girl help there's people on this post who can't actually read my text

[inacatastrophicmind]

[chuckwon]

THE WINCHESTERS AS DEAN’S STORY: An untraditional video essay showing Dean’s physical and emotional state after the Supernatural finale.

Whether you’ve never seen The Winchesters, haven’t thought about it much in years, or know it inside and out, this should be watchable and understandable to you!

(This project is on AO3 here, as part of my Chuck Won meta series.)

——————

The Winchesters, as a prequel-sequel show, acts as a thematically consistent commentary on Supernatural. It explicitly brought SPN’s depths to the surface by spotlighting themes like found family being vital, cycles of intergenerational trauma needing healing, and real love triumphing over predetermined fate.

From episode one, Dean is framed as the show’s narrator and he has a voiceover in every episode. This means that The Winchesters is a story being told from his point of view. The show is Dean’s story in the sense that he’s telling it to the audience; but also, metatextually, it’s Dean's story in the sense that it’s all about him through mirroring and parallels.

I tend to fondly refer to The Winchesters as “The Dean Hall of Mirrors show” because that’s exactly what it is. While watching the adventures of John, Mary, Carlos, Lata and Ada—and the struggles they face—we can recognize they provide a secondary purpose of being commentary on Dean’s life. Through parallels, we learn more about the struggles Dean’s been facing since episode 15x20 of Supernatural. The Winchesters is a deliberate, repetitive condemnation of the false veneer of Dean’s “happy ending” in Heaven that some audiences took at face value. It tells us that he’s trapped. And the fact that the show’s plot lines culminate in Jack arriving to subtly threaten Dean back into “peace” is no accident.

Consider this a video essay, but in an untraditional format. Clips from the shows are interspersed to showcase their parallels and construct a full story, with no additional narration from me. Everything that I need to explain and everything that you need to understand is conveyed solely through dialogue and visuals from the shows themselves—demonstrating just how clear and cohesive the full picture is.

This video constructs an argument to show you (rather than tell you) this:

Chuck was not entirely defeated. Jack’s not okay. Dean and his family are trapped and fractured. And true freedom can only be achieved for all of them through speaking truths, trusting in real love, healing trauma, and breaking cycles of violence together.

Aside from a short opening and ending, this video has 5 chapters:

DESTIEL

JACK + DEAN

CHUCK WON

THE TRAP

THE PATH TO FREEDOM

The sections are designed to build upon each other.

As a (very optional) primer before you watch, a short breakdown of that is below.

Firstly, with DESTIEL and JACK + DEAN, we begin with Dean’s emotional context. These most obvious relationship parallels “prove” the language of mirroring that The Winchesters operates in, and they give you a frame of reference for where Dean’s head and his grieving heart are after the finale.

Once you’re familiar with the language of the show’s mirroring—and the tragedy of Jack—this carries through to the more physical context. In CHUCK WON, we see how some of the monsters/villains mirror Chuck, and this tells us things about Chuck’s victory and Jack’s tragic corruption.

Then come the consequences. In THE TRAP, we see what the other monsters/villains in The Winchesters can tell us about the literal trap of unreal “Heaven” that Dean is in, and how he is actively trying to escape.

And finally, in THE PATH TO FREEDOM, we see some of the ways in which The Winchesters' gang consistently escaped these traps: through mending relationships, speaking their truths, and healing from trauma. This provides the roadmap for how Dean and his family must find freedom in the future. And hopefully (if I did my job right) maybe it can give a little bit of catharsis for anyone who watches my version of it :)

Despite its length, this video isn’t even comprehensive. Believe it or not, there are way more parallels in The Winchesters than I was able to include here! I had to tell a semi-linear narrative. But this should be enough to bring the main concepts across.

If you take away nothing else from this project, I hope you see this:

The Winchesters’ consistent themes and plot lines were designed to deliberately and loudly critique Supernatural’s finale. Dean’s not at peace and he’s not done. The finale’s falsity was never the real last word for Dean (because SPN was certainly plenty clear on how Chuck won), but it especially isn’t after The Winchesters. And while I don’t know if we’ll ever get any kind of subversion in the future with a true sequel and get to see that path to freedom be properly fulfilled… from a character standpoint, I think it matters to say that the intent and desire was always there in Dean, and it always will be.

————

Please feel free to give the video a "like" on YouTube!

Further reading if you want it:

-The Chuck Won meta on AO3 -The short metas I’ve posted here on Tumblr -The Winchesters: Misdirecting the Cycle by Deidre T

[carveredlunds]

Well, if you're going to meddle in things, finish what you started. After this, it's time to get around to the "there'll be peace when you are done" part of the song.

[darkshrimpemotions]

The thing is, the finale is just as unfair to Sam as it is to everyone else. It erases years of his character development just as much as it does to Dean. It ignores the significant relationships and growth he's built just as much. He's back to season 1 Sam--pretending to be the arbiter of healthy processor of feelings while being extraordinarily callous towards Dean. Running from his problems and trying to deny and erase them instead of dealing with them head on. Disappearing into some sad facsimile of "normal" and shutting out everyone who cares about and depends on him.

The Sam of 15x19 would never act like the fucked up caricature we got in 15x20. That Sam was a witch, protege of the Queen of Hell who could learn from her and use power without being corrupted. That Sam was in love with Eileen Lahey, a woman who took no shit and knew the truth about his life, a woman who was capable and fiercely independent and would never cater to any of his younger self's egocentrism. That Sam had found his niche within the supernatural world and had learned to balance his pragmatism with thoughtfulness and the weight of responsibility. That Sam was a leader. He had reconciled with the fact that he LIKES his life, that he CAN like his life without losing some battle of independence from his father or brother. He had actually learned real compassion instead of just going through its motions. He could make decisions and stand by them and be trusted. And NONE of that hard-won growth is present in the finale. Finale Sam is simply not the real Sam.

Chuck won, even when it comes to Sam.

[kinky-cas]

do you ever think about dean's ending and get so angry you want to explode cw execs with your mind? or is that just me

8x14 trial and error / 15x20 carry on