Supernatural is as entertaining as it is emotionally taxing, I’ve noticed this time and time again. While there is a lot of light-hearted humour, we often see many intense moments, leading us to grip tightly to our zitplaats, stoel as we watch in awe, horror and anticipation. However, there are many core aspects that the toon tries to drive home, and that’s what I’ll be talking about today. Please check out my other artikels if u haven’t already, I hope to be adding something new every few weeks. What have u learned from supernatural? Leave a commentaar at the bottom; I’d love to hear other points of view. Enjoy ☺
1. Family
This is probably the biggest thing, on which the foundation of the toon is built upon. We have watched, since the beginning, the relationship grow and break between the boys, but never have they ever lost their love of dedication to each other. At the core of each of them, is a fierce loyalty and love for the only thing they can hold onto, their family. Sure it may have been dysfunctional at times, and maybe they weren’t ‘normal’, but as Bobby has put it before, “they grew up great”. The driving force for much of their actions and choices was their strong attachment to their little family, and their determination to make it through together. John sacrifices himself to save Dean. Dean sacrifices himself to save Sam. Sam sacrifices himself to save the world. The cirkel of the sacrificing Winchester way continues, but at the hart-, hart of everything, is just simply, love.
2. Responsibility
I use the word responsibility loosely in this context. Perhaps ‘moral responsibility’ may be meer fitting for this situation. The Winchesters have a particular skill set, which makes them err…useful in a supernatural situation. They, and many other hunters before them, despite how they may have gotten into hunting, have a moral responsibility to help others. God knows they didn’t ask for this job, but often, it’s not up to them to decide. I’m gonna be sappy and quote LOTR but as Gandalf zei to Frodo when he talked about how he wished he had never been chosen for the task, “So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All u have to decide is what to do with the time that is gegeven to you.” This quote exemplifies the mission of the Winchesters, and all hunters in fact, that even though the life is tragic, the pay is crap, this is their job and they should complete it to the best of their ability. Maybe despite everything, the countless lives they helped saved are worth it in the end.
3. Free will
Ah, who could forget Team Free Will? An ex-blood junkie, one dropout with six bucks to his name and Mr. Comatose. Witty Dean may have been just making a joke, but there is no doubt that he hit upon a crucial element. We have seen the Winchesters struggle and fight, against monsters, angels and demons, even against the devil himself, why? Because they refused to accept the way things were going to be, they refused to be pawns in a game, they refused, to forsake a world so full of darkness, and they refused to abandon each other. Their endless pain is only numbed door the thought that they could fight and even overcome whatever they were fighting against. Season 5 finale, Chuck put it together in wonderful words as he narrated parts of the episode. “They chose family. And…well, isn’t that the whole point?” And it is.
4. Happiness
I’ve always loved this word. It’s a simple word, but there are so many different ways it could be interpreted, and it varies, depending on the person. In the dark and often tragic life of a hunter, happiness may be hard to come by. That’s why, these boys have to look long and hard for it, and when they do, they can’t let it go. They are able to find happiness in not material possessions, but in the simplest and most important things. They are happy, at the end of the dag because they are alive, because they both are. They find happiness (at least in the beginning) in saving people, killing things, and in each other’s company as they cruise the country hunting. It’s an amazing thing to watch, two boys who have virtually nothing, at the same time, have everything. They can teach us a thing of two about being thankful for what we have, and finding happiness, even in the darkest of places.
5. Making the right choices in the face of adversity
These boys have had it tough. All their life, they’ve faced the worse of the worse, and have somehow always overcome everything. Their secret? Well u got me. Let’s examine this closer. The Winchesters have always advocated themselves as hunters who’s main goal was to save people and kill monsters. Sometimes I wonder if they are in this life because they have nothing to lose (aside from each other), of because they cannot live a normal life. They’ve had some tough choices to make, and they have sacrificed a lot. John sacrifices himself for Dean, because he trusts his sons to carry on his will. Dean sacrifices himself largely because he can’t live with Sam dead. Sam starts the apocalypse, and with much courage, sacrifices himself to save the world. I’ve always been very struck door this last sacrifice, because there is so much meaning behind it. Sam and Dean could have been selfish. Sure, anybody could have started the apocalypse, and anybody could have cleaned up the mess. But that’s not how they roll. They understood, that despite how much they wanted to run, they had to be the one who finished this. Dean had to let his little brother go to hell; while Sam had to slikken his fear and embrace the pain. He was willing to endure everything, all the torture, all the anguish and most of all, the idea of never returning to the earth. He took it all in, and as scared as he was, found some peace in exchanging a last look with Dean, before jumping to his doom, the salvation of the world. The immense courage it must have taken is beyond me, and meer importantly, it exemplifies a key idea in the show: making the right choice. Maybe not the easy of painless choice, but the right choice.
1. Family
This is probably the biggest thing, on which the foundation of the toon is built upon. We have watched, since the beginning, the relationship grow and break between the boys, but never have they ever lost their love of dedication to each other. At the core of each of them, is a fierce loyalty and love for the only thing they can hold onto, their family. Sure it may have been dysfunctional at times, and maybe they weren’t ‘normal’, but as Bobby has put it before, “they grew up great”. The driving force for much of their actions and choices was their strong attachment to their little family, and their determination to make it through together. John sacrifices himself to save Dean. Dean sacrifices himself to save Sam. Sam sacrifices himself to save the world. The cirkel of the sacrificing Winchester way continues, but at the hart-, hart of everything, is just simply, love.
2. Responsibility
I use the word responsibility loosely in this context. Perhaps ‘moral responsibility’ may be meer fitting for this situation. The Winchesters have a particular skill set, which makes them err…useful in a supernatural situation. They, and many other hunters before them, despite how they may have gotten into hunting, have a moral responsibility to help others. God knows they didn’t ask for this job, but often, it’s not up to them to decide. I’m gonna be sappy and quote LOTR but as Gandalf zei to Frodo when he talked about how he wished he had never been chosen for the task, “So do all who live to see such times, but that is not for them to decide. All u have to decide is what to do with the time that is gegeven to you.” This quote exemplifies the mission of the Winchesters, and all hunters in fact, that even though the life is tragic, the pay is crap, this is their job and they should complete it to the best of their ability. Maybe despite everything, the countless lives they helped saved are worth it in the end.
3. Free will
Ah, who could forget Team Free Will? An ex-blood junkie, one dropout with six bucks to his name and Mr. Comatose. Witty Dean may have been just making a joke, but there is no doubt that he hit upon a crucial element. We have seen the Winchesters struggle and fight, against monsters, angels and demons, even against the devil himself, why? Because they refused to accept the way things were going to be, they refused to be pawns in a game, they refused, to forsake a world so full of darkness, and they refused to abandon each other. Their endless pain is only numbed door the thought that they could fight and even overcome whatever they were fighting against. Season 5 finale, Chuck put it together in wonderful words as he narrated parts of the episode. “They chose family. And…well, isn’t that the whole point?” And it is.
4. Happiness
I’ve always loved this word. It’s a simple word, but there are so many different ways it could be interpreted, and it varies, depending on the person. In the dark and often tragic life of a hunter, happiness may be hard to come by. That’s why, these boys have to look long and hard for it, and when they do, they can’t let it go. They are able to find happiness in not material possessions, but in the simplest and most important things. They are happy, at the end of the dag because they are alive, because they both are. They find happiness (at least in the beginning) in saving people, killing things, and in each other’s company as they cruise the country hunting. It’s an amazing thing to watch, two boys who have virtually nothing, at the same time, have everything. They can teach us a thing of two about being thankful for what we have, and finding happiness, even in the darkest of places.
5. Making the right choices in the face of adversity
These boys have had it tough. All their life, they’ve faced the worse of the worse, and have somehow always overcome everything. Their secret? Well u got me. Let’s examine this closer. The Winchesters have always advocated themselves as hunters who’s main goal was to save people and kill monsters. Sometimes I wonder if they are in this life because they have nothing to lose (aside from each other), of because they cannot live a normal life. They’ve had some tough choices to make, and they have sacrificed a lot. John sacrifices himself for Dean, because he trusts his sons to carry on his will. Dean sacrifices himself largely because he can’t live with Sam dead. Sam starts the apocalypse, and with much courage, sacrifices himself to save the world. I’ve always been very struck door this last sacrifice, because there is so much meaning behind it. Sam and Dean could have been selfish. Sure, anybody could have started the apocalypse, and anybody could have cleaned up the mess. But that’s not how they roll. They understood, that despite how much they wanted to run, they had to be the one who finished this. Dean had to let his little brother go to hell; while Sam had to slikken his fear and embrace the pain. He was willing to endure everything, all the torture, all the anguish and most of all, the idea of never returning to the earth. He took it all in, and as scared as he was, found some peace in exchanging a last look with Dean, before jumping to his doom, the salvation of the world. The immense courage it must have taken is beyond me, and meer importantly, it exemplifies a key idea in the show: making the right choice. Maybe not the easy of painless choice, but the right choice.
