Supernatural may have made a longtime ship canon, but its way of doing so is sparking backlash
Supernatural surprised fans with a profession of love last night — but many aren’t thrilled with how it played out.
Spoiler warning: This post contains spoilers for Supernatural season 15 episode 18, “Despair.”
Supernatural has just two episodes to go before it completes its final season, but there are few developments that would top the most recent episode’s big reveal. During last night’s installment, entitled “Despair,” the series may have made canon a ship that fans have been calling for and speculating about for years: Destiel (Dean Winchester and Castiel).
At the episode’s end, Cas gives a heartbreaking speech to Dean before sacrificing himself to save him — and in it, he owns up to loving his friend but knowing he could never have the thing that would make him most happy — presumably talking about Dean.
This was probably one of the wildest developments that could have occurred in the midst of an unprecedented United States election, and it somehow still managed to find its way to the top of Twitter’s trending section. After all, fans have been waiting for this — and expecting little to come of it — for years.
Unfortunately, as far as representation goes, there’s plenty to criticize about the scene. And following the initial shock, many viewers have logged onto social media to question the necessity of this moment if the show was going to kill Cas off immediately after professing his seemingly unrequited love. Sure, it’s nice to put an end to the question of queerbaiting — but embracing the “Bury Your Gays” trope isn’t the way to do it. In fact, some fans have argued that this ending after years of queerbating is actually worse than leaving things ambiguous.
going immediately from queerbaiting to bury your gays with no payoff in between is the most fucking #Supernatural thing i stg
— Rowan Ellis (is probably away) (@HeyRowanEllis) November 6, 2020
supernatural made destiel somewhat canon then moments later pulled a bury your gays? supernatural fandom are you okay??? like seriously are you okay
— Alice Oseman Updates (@AliceOseman) November 6, 2020
This isn’t the first time The CW has faced backlash for this trope cropping up in one of its shows. Fans of The 100 will recall the outcry that followed Lexa’s tragic fate back in season three, and Jane the Virgin and The Vampire Diaries have faced similar complaints. If Castiel’s fate is truly final, viewers can add him to the list of LGBTQ+ characters who deserved better. And the network really needs to start learning from that list.
Next. Supergirl: Is the series alienating fans with queerbaiting?. dark
What did you think of Castiel’s confession to Dean last night? Tell us in the comments below!