Wanted to give it a shot just to see for myself instead of all these overly positive or overly negative reviews. I personally don't feel it's fair to trash a show just on the first episode, and I am all for more 10/10 in the world because the world needs more love. But this time, I have to be honest because there is a lot of pain attached to my viewership. And even with my honesty, I am still not going to give a below average review despite my pain because of my loyalty and history to this legacy.
The original story of Supernatural was born of writer Eric Kripke's work styled after his hometown Toledo, OH and taking place in Lawrence, KS, capturing the midwest, the open road, the fields and country, the dark stories of the forests and lakes and classic ghost tales and haunted houses.
The Winchesters felt more Southern Gothic and Indiana Jones. Which is completely fine to do something new, but did not feel like "coming home" as so many have put it and so many have promised. I love Southern Gothic stories; it is one of my favorite genres of work, but that was never really the genre I would have put the original Supernatural. Perhaps a more honest explanation of what we were to expect (and honest description from other reviewers) would have been better.
I loved the new characters. I felt they were compelling. Especially Lata. Lata was probably my favorite character. It was refreshing to finally have someone who felt a little more like how most civilians would react to monster-hunting. The seasoned hunter with humor and confidence is understandable, but not always relatable or believable. These are very young hunters. Battling creatures from Hell.
The dialogue felt a little rushed and the meet-cute between the romantic interests felt very meet-cute-y (bump into each other and drop things, make some suave flirtation and hard-to-get comments, and depart), and two scenes later they find each other again in a darkened lot and she saves him from demons and it's not super clear why the demon is blowing his cover to a civilian (or why all the demons blow their cover so quickly).
Other fans have raised this criticism: when introducing LGBTQIA+ representation, it is best to listen to the community if there are any concerns raised. In this instance, the infidelity of Carlos seemed to perpetuate a harmful trope. I defer to those within the community who have raised concerns about this but I support the conversation/ discussion and hope it is received.
As a long-time fan of the show, it is a little hurtful for the cast and crew to continue hashtagging supernatural family when our only interactions with the talent using this hashtag are either paid encounters / paid productions or advertisements. The executive producers and writers are only accessible through social media advertisements and promotions or very very expensive conventions. Not sure how that is a family beyond the loyalty of the fans. Please refrain from monetizing the word family.
I trust the writers and producers have great plans for this universe and the stories they hope to tell, and I wish them all the best in their endeavors to tell them. It seems like it is off to a great start as its own entity / unrelated to Supernatural. And I am happy to see so many other people satisfied with the content who may continue giving the show the viewership. My pain with this franchise is far too deep for me to continue. But best of luck to this new fandom. I wish you all the best <3 #SPNFamily (an honest, dedicated old member)
