The Winchester Family Business - Supernatural Season Seven: Hits and Misses

Supernatural Season Seven: Hits and Misses – A Second Look

It’s been a few years now since I began the "Hits and Misses" reflections pieces. They’re always a fun way to look back at the last ten years of adventures, emotional moments and character arcs of our favourite brothers. The season seven list holds a unique distinction since in fact it was during the mid-season finale of season seven that I first did a "Hits and Misses" article, looking at what the season in progress had been successful at so far, what it had utterly struck out on and where it may have possibilities for course-correcting in the second half of season seven.

So here we are years later, and the opportunity for a full "Hits and Misses" reflection cannot be ignored. For those interested, here is the link to the original piece: Supernatural Hits and Misses of Season Seven. In that article, I reflected on how well the show fulfilled my hopes back in 2012. In this Second Look, I'll reflect on what I still consider a hit or miss and what needs to be added to the original list having seen how the season finally concluded.

(As always, no particular order to these items)

Hit: Broment – Stone One

This may have not been resolved very well and it may have become incredibly gimmicky throughout the season, with the visual of Sam doing the now infamous “palm press” to ward off Lucifer hallucinations and the like. With that said, when Dean initially pulled Sam back from the edge and the two connected after the “wall” was shattered was still a strong moment. This is the kind of connection we like to see between these two – and it’s this same connection that years later would have Sam break through the MoC's hold over his brother to stop him from killing Sam. So, regardless of how the storyline would later play out, in the beginning it was a great moment and a hit.

Miss: Benching Baby

This was on my original list and really needs little explanation. What I will say is that the Impala did have some badassery and style in her comeback at the end of the season when she finally returned, so some redemption I suppose.

Hit: Dopplegangers

As above, this was on the original list and it remains a hit. It’s always fun to watch Jared and Jensen play alternate versions of Sam and Dean, especially as bad guys – and the Leviathan interpretations were as witty and clever as always. In addition, the plot revealed the borax weakness – something we’d been needing for a long while. It was a good episode overall.

Miss: Amy, Amy, Amy

Also an original list feature and one that’s been discussed to death so let’s not address it in depth again. It’s a miss because it became a redundancy of drawn out, unneeded tension and contrived, improperly addressed issues that were so unneeded it was incredible. If there was ever a flashing arrow in season seven that said “FAILED PLOT DEVICE”, it pointed straight at the Amy story, no question.

Hit: Storming Sucracorp

This was fun, dramatic and strategic. One advantage of big, corporate bad guys – you need a military maneuver style plan and a whole different way to go about getting to the head of the snake.

Miss: Dean the Drunkard

This also comes from the original list and is apropos after season ten in many ways. Season seven failed at showing Dean struggle with his may-or-may-not-exist issues, largely because it seemed they just couldn’t commit to the plot point or the motivations. Season ten demonstrated much better the descent into and struggle against internal demons and the reactions of those around him. Yes, wholly different story elements – but a smoother way to go, in my opinion. And regardless of how you may feel about season ten, season seven missed on this drinking Dean, fully and completely.

Hit: The Fabulous Mind of Bobby Singer

Don’t need to say much here: terribly sad circumstances warranted an incredible ride. It was visually outstanding and emotionally overwhelming at every step: and that’s why it’s made the list twice!

Miss: Opportinities

Season seven brought incredible new, powerful villains of the likes we’d never seen before. Leviathan became a common enemy to demons and humans alike and a threat to so many other supernatural beings in existence. We of course saw the demon storyline play out and a tease of the vampires too; but what about everybody else? Witches, werecreatures, psychics, demigods – where was everybody? It seems more people (creatures) might have been interested in attempting to stop the Leviathan or even seeking out the Winchesters based on their reputations to offer a truce, solution, anything...even attempting something within their own clans. Yet – nothing. Missed chance for great drama somewhere in there.

Hit: Hello Charlie!

As we well know by now, Charlie Bradbury was an excellent, semi-regular addition to the Supernatural family. She was clever, nerdy in the best way, brave and a female character with no romantic overtones whatsoever who just enhanced our characters' lives even as she grew from uncertain to kickass. From her opening montage, it was clear this red-head hacker was going to bring fun and wit to the Winchesters, and she certainly didn’t disappoint.

Miss: Goodbye Bobby

Actually, I’m a little mixed on this one. Bobby’s death was a tribute well done. And the grieving of the brothers was, for the most part displayed in very real ways. Ultimately, even the recognition on Ghost-Bobby’s part of what he was becoming and his decision to go, made on his own, was alright. It’s the fact that there was a ghost who had a decision to make in the first place that leaves me mixed. Of course, keeping Bobby around as often as possible is wonderful, but in some ways, I can’t help but wonder if it wouldn’t have been better to make the first goodbye scene, the final goodbye on that front. So, really, this isn’t a miss per se, but a wonder. Season seven had some of those moments that teetered on the edge of incredible but were pushed too far and ended up in overdone and/or lackluster territory – maybe to ghost storyline hovered nearby.

So there we have it, part 1 in retrospect. Do you agree with my choices? Stay tuned for part 2 - coming soon!

Comments

# Kirabaros 2015-08-06 10:13

Good read on the first part. On the last one with Bobby, I am in agreement that while I was all happy that Bobby wasn't completely gone, it was a bit awkward that as a ghost he was finally ready to let go. The explanation of ditching the reaper sounded like Bobby but I do agree that the good bye when he died was the better hit.

The Amy line, I am in agreement. Makes me wonder if it was a filler of sorts. I don't know.

Overall this is a good piece and I'm glad to have read it. I look forward to part 2.

# FridaB 2015-08-06 12:18

There were some great moments in season 7, and some big misses. Bringing Bobby back as a spirit was such a waste (since he didn't add a thing). But getting rid of all the boy's support structure, only to bring in more (and have Cas be Sam's eventual savior) just trashed their initial claim that this year was Butch and Sundance alone against the world. Sam finding the faith and strength to heal himself would have had so much more impact. Bobby coming back as a spirit at the last hour to help them kill the Levi (and thus whisked away to purgatory too) would have been more devastating for Sam too. It was the season for the writing team to get lost, unfortunately. Too bad, it started off with so much potential and petered out. Still there were wins, and you captured many of them.

# JJA 2015-08-06 17:33

Season 7 was the SECOND worst season of Supernatural. It was the worst, until we had to sit through the travesty that was season 10.

Regardless, season 7 did actually have some really great episodes in there, such as: "Death's Door," "The Mentalists," "Time After Time," "The Born-Again Identity," "Of Great Importance," and "The Girl With the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo." Each of these episodes were fabulous. I will also add that Dick Roman was a great "big bad," and Lucifer's return was handled really well.

Two controversial aspects of the season that I think worked quite well were (1) Bobby's death and (2) the absence of Baby. Both were sad, but I think they worked well in the context of the story being told.

Bobby's character was given a great send-off, which cemented his place in the story as THE MOST IMPORTANT recurring character of Supernatural--m ore important than even John, Castiel and/or Crawley. Also, unlike Castiel, Bobby served his purpose in the story (as a mentor and father figure), but then was given a fitting exit. Contrast this to Castiel, who is overused and essentially has no real purpose in the story other than to keep a certain fan base satisfied.

Also, the absence of the Impala was handled well. We missed baby during the season, but were delighted to see her triumphant return in the season finale. It was really one great pay-off the way Sam & Dean orchestrated a direct attack on Dick Roman. Awesome!!

What really killed season 7 was the leviathans as villains. They were a very badly conceived concept. Rather than being terrifying, they were comical. Also, the fact that they could be killed by simple cleaning detergent just seemed too ludicrous to be believed.

There were also a string of badly written episodes (mostly towards the beginning), plus the "cliffhanger" type format the writers were experimenting with just didn't work. Also, the ultimate resolution of the season just seemed too arbitrary.

Overall Grade: B-

# E 2015-08-07 09:42

I mostly agree with your hits and misses in part one. Agreed that Bobby's send off was absolutely beautiful, but that the killing of him in the first place was a huge miss as it did not add anything to the story really. It wasn't crucial, plotwise that Bobby die, so why do it? John Winchester's death was absolutely necessary to the plot and devastating to the boys; that's how you kill off someone on this show. Same with Ellen and Jo. If they'd managed to make Bobby's death more crucial to the boys, to their fight, then it might not have seemed like such a miss, but the information that Bobby provided was not all that big of a deal and nothing that the boys couldn't have probably found on their own if they'd tortured a few more Levi's with Borax. Bobby's re-emergence as a ghost was an even bigger miss IMO. It's almost like the writers regretted killing off Bobby just as soon as they'd done it, and used this dumb ghost story as a way to delay the inevitable. All it did was make Bobby's 'second death' lack luster and a bit trite.

About Baby being put up... that probably shouldn't be counted as a miss, because the writers didn't have a choice. Money was finally granted to overhaul one of the main 'Baby's, souping up her engine and giving her an overhaul in a restoration project that was pretty expensive and time consuming. Now they can actually film her with her own engine sounds! Anyway, taking Baby out the game was a necessity and can't really be put down as a fail in the writing.

Loved "stone number one," hated the hand squeeze cure all and the Lucifer quick fix, but loved all the hallucinations while they lasted. Hated depressed, drinking Dean; no one wants to watch a pity party and I really don't feel like self-pity is a Dean Winchester character trait anyway, so not only was he morose and unpleasant, but I never felt like it was very true to his character anyway.

The only thing that was a miss about the Amy thing for me was that the show ultimately put Sam in the wrong for being angry at Dean about killing her. That really P'd me off. It's been discussed to DEATH around here, so I'm not going to dredge it up, but suffice to say that it was one of my absolute LEAST favorite moments in all of season 7 and possibly the series. The fact that they repeated that same idea with the possession (somehow that also became Sam's fault) makes it particularly bitter for me. Still that episode does not rank as low as some others.

However, hind sight is a funny thing. When season seven aired, I was a bit 'meh' about it. There were some very good eps and some not so good ones, and the year long big bad didn't work out very well, but compared to the Carver years season seven is looking better and better all the time. I liked it better than 8, 9 or 10 when taken as a whole. When I look at my list of all time worst Supernatural episodes ever none of them come from season 7. They are, in no particular order - Bloodlines (9), Taxi Driver(8), Bad Boys (9), Paint it Black (10), Mannequin II: The Reckoning (6), Man's Best Friends with Benefits (8). Most of them are from seasons 8, 9, and 10, three of them are by Eugenie and Brad. By comparison, season 7 is looking pretty good.

# lala2 2015-08-08 04:05

As usual, E, I couldn't agree more w/you. When S7 originally aired, I thought it was horrible, but that was well before the Carver years. If I had only known how bad SPN could get, I would have cherished S7 more while it was airing.

In MY opinion, Carver's tenure has been the worst period of the show and has produced some of the worst episodes of SPN like Bad Boys, that horrible nun episode from this season, that musical episode, the boring S10 premiere, that spinoff episode, any and all episodes containing FBs of Amelia or Amelia in person. I may have disliked the way SG handled Sam's hallucinations after HCW and the way the Amy contrived conflict was resolved and everything about the Leviathans as the BBs, but in hindsight, those plots . . . S7, in general, was much better than any of the seasons that succeeded it. Like you, most of the episodes I greatly dislike are in seasons 8, 9, and 10. Heck, I can barely remember what happened in many of the S8-10 episodes, and trying to remember the names of the episodes is a waste of time for me. Lately, people will reference an episode, and I will have no idea what the episode is about b/c this season was so horrible, boring, and uneventful to me. It's a shame. S7 is far superior to any Carver season IMO.

# BoGirle 2015-08-08 06:33

Yeah, often a commenter will reference an episode like The Hunter Games, Captives, Holy Terror or Torn and Frayed, and I'll have to go look the episode up to remember what happened in it. Unfortunately the episodes that stand out for me aren't always the good ones either; I remember every moment of the wretchedly bad Paint it Black. I wish that episode would fade into an indistinct haze like the others. That's not to say that the good ones don't stand out for me, Werther Project, Inside Man, Everyone Hates Hitler, all stand out because of their quality too, but so do the awful ones.

# spnlit 2015-08-09 20:53

Hi E, BoGirle, just thought I would comment because it seems like you and I (and samanddean10) are usually on the same page. First, I agree Bobby's death was very sad. As a fan I miss him and would have liked to see him live , continue to give the boys advice and have a romance with Sheriff Jody Mills. I think all that would have worked. But with that said, I think the show, perhaps Sera Gamble; I don't know, I am not a person who talks with these people, was going in the direction of stripping the boys down to no support. So, his death was crucial to the plot. Hunters die in the course of duty (like our brave soldiers )and that is how Bobby died, fighting the good fight gathering intel and did not make it out in one piece. (not like Charlie's contrived death). Some people complained that season 7 was so depressing because of no hope but that was were the story was going. I do not think Bobby's return as a ghost was a miss. It showed several things. Most poignant, it made the point of how much Bobby loved the boys and wanted to stay to help them. He chose and willed himself to continue to be there. He loved them and wanted to continue to help them and he did. It showed how much the boys (more Dean) missed him and wanted him there. This storyline touched on how souls remain and continue to aid and be there for their living loved ones. Yes, his second demise was a bit less dramatic and perhaps lackluster, but it was not as sad because the boys knew he risked his soul to stay with them and he loved them and maybe death did not mean a permanent goodbye. I think Sera Gamble who brought us episode "Faith" in season 2 was commenting on how we all hope to stay connected to our deceased loved ones. In regard to the fact Baby was taken off the board as a game piece, I do not see it as a loss even if there was the practical reason you stated. The boys were being stripped of everything; Bobby most importantly and then even the car. Did it suck, yes we and Jensen as actor missed the car. But did it fit the story- yes. "Stone number one scene" stands out in my mind as one of the most brother connecting deeply important scenes in the series; right up there with Dean being devastated by Sam's death in season 2 and selling his soul. Why? Dean had to reach out through all the darkness of mental illness and bring his brother back to home base. His love did that. I will admit that my work involves mentally ill persons, and from that perspective I see Dean's reaching out as nothing short but awesome. I think the show really delved into mental illness. Sam's mind was cracked because of what Cas did to him. What Cas did was bad, very bad. Some fans were upset because the hallucinations were not real in the sense that they were not real as in actually not happening. But, in my book that made them all that more sinister because they were very real to Sam and Sam like other mentally ill patients feel the isolation because the torment that is real to them is not shared or believed by others. I also request that you reconsider the fact that "Cas's cure" of transffering the cracked mind was not necessarily just a quick fix but a redemptive arc for Cas because he destroyed Sam's mind. He needed to take that back, he seriously wronged Sam and thus Dean. It also shows how serious mentall illness is and some times there is no real cure short of a miracle. Sam is also a hero. Sleep deprivation can cause death and Sam hung in there for quite awhile. Also with his seriously last ounce of strength he chose to help his fellow hospital mate, the girl he saved by ridding her of the brother's ghost. Depressed Dean was real to me. I do agree he was morose and unpleasant but self pitying- no. Look at what Dean was up against in that season, and it would have been in his character. Remember season 2 when he thought Sam was infected with the virus and was going to die, he told Sam is was tired and ready to check out with Sam (2.09 Croatoan). Dean was depressed and with good reason. Bobby died and Dean suffered more because he needed a Dad more than Sam and this was his second go around. Bobby's house was burned down. Baby (Dean's love) was put on ice. His one child was a monster, Amazon chick monster baby; realizing that normal life would never be his.... in addition to the loss of Lisa and Ben. The world was being taken over by monsters -Leviathan- food source government etc. His best friend seriously betrayed the world, him and knocked his beloved Sammy into meltdown and most importantly, Dean did not know how to help Sam in his mental breakdown and most serious to dean he was losing Sam. Dean was exhausted (slept for 36 hours sitting up at Frank's commando center RV) and his go to guy, Frank was schizo. Dean did take Frank's advice to carry on. I did not see self pity but some major depression. The Amy thing did not bother me. It was used to show the ongoing conflict of what is a monster and Dean's perspective vs. Sam. I had the luxury of just watching season seven in a vacuum.... DVD so I think the Sam criticism was more by whatever you read online rather than the show. Sam was able to state his view of how he felt about Amy's death. I liked season 7. Season 9 and 10 were my least favorite. Great episodes in both but..... season 9 was destroyed by both Sam and Dean acting out of character. Sam was not written with a true POV and never explained how he felt (understandably ) about the possession; he was written as childish, not communicating and storming, if not stomping off. Dean was not listening, and yes, in this season indulging in self pity to a degree and IMO obtaining the MOC uncharacteristi cally. What about all the prior lectures and mistrust of demons?????? I mostly hated parts of season 9 and 10 because it turned SPN into a mundane ABC Family show or soap opera. . Seasons 9 and 10 were made replacing horror, action, epic issues, intensity and suspense with plots based on romance cheap jokes, and every day whining and bickering. Some examples: Yes, the stupid hot nun/ harlequin romance story, Castiel's aimless road trip with Hannah that at times seemed like a cute high school romance; Castiel bonding with girl over a dream about snot, aimless limp Castiel's quest to be a surrogate father to whiny selfish Teen Claire Novack and then her stunning morph into warrior hunter; Crowley's pathetic mooning over Dean Winchester, his boredom with running hell and then his bickering saga of mommy issues with Rowena; having Charlie die because she needed to escape working with Rowena because they were having a ridiculous bickering high school girl fight. And the worst.... Sam and dean just not connecting for no good stated reason. Let me know what you think. I will take season 7 any day over parts of 9 and 10.

# spnlit 2015-08-09 21:12

In this season I also thought the following was a hit : Bobby's back story and how he drew strength from being and Dad to S & D; the Dopplegangers - creative and self-deprecatin g funny; Meg and her snappy dialogue, intro to Charlie, the Impala's comeback, and the devastating season finale. Again, I understood Dean's slide into alcohol, depression and exhaustion. Our Sam and Dean were both in a mental slump and fought heroically on.

# Barbara Maake 2015-08-09 21:28

Hi spnlit. This is another time where we are almost completely on the same page. I agree with virtually all of your comments about S7. After my first viewing of it I ranked it last of the first seven seasons, but I still enjoyed it very much. I ranked it last primarily because the Levis were not sufficiently menacing- too cartoony- although I enjoyed Dick. I also thought there were fewer standout episodes than in the previous seasons. But I rank it well ahead of S9-10 for many of the reasons you state.

Yes, I loved Bobby and was sad to see him go, but his departure was so well done. And in some ways he had become a kind of crutch to the boys. My favorite part of SPN is watching the brothers work together as a team to fight evil, and I could see why Sera wanted to get back to that basic premise of the show- the boys against the world. I also had no problem with ghost Bobby, any more than I had a problem with ghost John, Mary, Jess, etc. I originally thought that Sam should have suffered much worse repercussions from the broken wall than the Lucifer hallucinations, but I can see why the show went the route it did. There couldn't be too quick a fix, but they needed Sam to be functional enough to hunt with Dean. And I absolutely loved "stone cold number one." I also agree that Dean's drinking was entirely to be expected, and I did not find Dean to be as morose as others found him. At least he retained his essential Dean qualities, like his protectiveness of Sammy and some semblance of a sense of humor. S7 Dean was an absolute picnic compared to S9-10 Dean, who truly was mired in self-pity to the exclusion of almost everything else. He seemed very OOC for most of those seasons and I really missed old Dean. Above all else, I liked S7 because for almost the entirety of the season the brothers were on the same page, looking out for and caring about each other, except for the brief Amy rift. There was almost no contrived, unpleasant, OOC drama between them.

I also found your insights into the mental health aspects of the brothers in S7 to be very interesting, and much-appreciate d.

# spnlit 2015-08-09 22:21

On to season 11! Excited and optimistic.

# cheryl42 2015-08-07 18:28

Thanks for your hits and misses of S7. In re watching that season (just like 8, 9 and 10) I find it holds up better than I thought it would. There was the edition of Robbie Thompson to the writing staff. I loved all of his scripts in that season (and most of the ones since).

Charlie. I loved Charlie from the moment we met her and that never changed. I will never forgive Carver and Singer for what they did to her.

Frank (I still refuse to believe he is dead) was fabulous. I absolutely loved him. His snark was even snarkier than Dean's.

Kevin the teenage prophet. His introduction to the Supernatural was perfect. He was a great addition to the show.

There really were some fun episodes in S7.

However it was a season in disarray unfortunately. Maybe because SG was on her way out and she didn't really get to realize her vision (whatever that might have been). Hard to say why it didn't work as well as S6.

I agree benching the Impala was a mistake. I would have thought restorations could have taken place during hiatus.

Killing Bobby was a huge mistake since he was immediately replaced with Frank. Bringing him back as a ghost was just ridiculous.

Amy as a standalone episode would have been fine but to use her as a rift between the brothers was very poorly executed, pointless and quickly forgotten.

Killing Castiel and not making him the big bad of the season was a huge miss. His character was set up beautifully to be the next adversary for the brothers. Having said that he should have remained dead. No one seems to know what to do with Castiel even now (rabid dog? Really). He really hasn't had much of a storyline since S4.

And yes drunk depressed Dean was depressing. Dean had fun and badass (Time after Time) moments but for the most part he was a drag.

Dropping Sam's hell story was also a miss. But I think one that maybe wasn't supposed to play out the way it did. Could be wrong but it just felt like it was dropped pretty quickly and resolved in an unsatisfactory way just to bring back a fan favorite.

S7 was my second full season of live watching. I was still madly in love with the show and couldn't wait for each new episode. I wasn't really disappointed just confused by the story direction.

Still love the show (even S8, 9 and 10) and still can't wait for each new episode.

# E 2015-08-07 20:26

Quote:

I agree benching the Impala was a mistake. I would have thought restorations could have taken place during hiatus.

A car restoration project like the one done on Baby can take months or even take years.... the parts are hard to find and I understand that they pretty much rebuilt the engine and really beefed her up. She got a big old overhaul which took a fair chunk of the season.

# lala2 2015-08-08 04:08

Wow. I never even realized the car was restored. That's neat.

I had no problem w/them benching the Impala, but the idea that Dean was taking that dirty, bloody coat and moving it from car to car was just silly. I also hated the doppleganger aspect b/c the impact of those actions weren't fully realized. Sam and Dean should still be well-known serial murderers who can't just walk the streets like normal ppl.

# BoGirle 2015-08-08 06:43

Heh!!! I'd forgotten about that. Yeah, Dean had the coat in the car de jour when he found Cas and gave it back to him. How completely dumb. That moment played out like a harlequin romance novel.

But about the restoration project on baby, Jim Michaels mentioned it several times. I guess it took a lot longer than expected and was pretty costly even for a TV show with money behind it to move things along. My understanding is that they rebuilt the engine. They have been overdubbing Baby's engine sounds for years. Baby's engine was actually an old Mustang engine inserted into the episode in post production. Now they can actually film her using her own engine and she sounds so bad ass!

# AlyCat22 2015-08-08 11:54

I love the door "squeaks" . Funny how when Dean rebuilt Baby after the semi T-boned her, not to mention the time she was flipped over with both he and Bobby inside, he was able to replicate those very same "squeaks". What a mechanic!!! ;)

# BoGirle 2015-08-08 14:08

True! You'd think he would have gotten rid of those squeaks or they would sound different now after all the damage the poor girl has suffered over the years. I wonder if those squeaks are really her normal sounds of if those were added in post production too?

If you listen closely to baby in the first 6 seasons and baby now, she does in fact sound a bit different, it's not too noticeable, but it's there.

# BoGirle 2015-08-08 14:23

Just a very quick video of behind the scenes with Baby. There's some engine idle and then a brief rev. This was after she's been given her souped up engine.
There are six impala's total, but this is the one they call "hero" on the set because she's a bad ass and has all the bells and whistles. Others are the smashed one from season 1 and the one that is on the back of a truck for interior driving scenes. If you listen to her engine you can hear that it's not quite the same as the sounds from earlier seasons, but still awesome.

[video]https:// www.youtube.com /watch?v=q1ER1f j0Pw8[/video]

# Barbara Maake 2015-08-08 15:42

Thanks for the video E. I am NOT a car person in any way, shape or form, but I have to admit I love the sound of that engine idling and revving. I guess that's why people buy these muscle cars, for the sound as much as the looks- although it also looks pretty awesome. :) More so than my Corolla!

# BoGirle 2015-08-08 16:40

Heh... talk about not being a car person... I haven't even owned a car in thirteen years!

# AlyCat22 2015-08-09 05:23

To think - you know that Jensen is going to end up with Baby. I watched a video or possibly read an old M&G of his where he said something about having (I believe from personal knowledge, but this was quite a while back so...) a high performance car/engine like that and how you can't just let it sit around that you have to take care of it more so than a regular car. Something about the engine... I don't remember the details, maybe someone else will. I kinda got the impression that back then it was a pain, but when it comes to Baby he clearly wants her. I wonder if after Supernatural is one day over, somewhere on the streets of Austin, you will be able to hear that familiar growl... turn just in time to see that sleek black beauty whip around the corner, screeching to a halt just in front of you and Jensen and Jared jump out, simultaneously slam the doors (with matching squeaks), dash into PinkBerry and grab some froyo! Ha! What? It could happen. ;)

# cheryl42 2015-08-09 13:28

Well Jared already got what he wanted from the show it is just fitting that Jensen gets what he wants too. Although I get the feeling the car may end up at the Smithsonian? Does it rate that kind of honor? Fonzie's jacket is there. Baby is far more important to the universe.

# BoGirle 2015-08-09 15:46

Jensen may be able to make a deal for one of the six Impala's but now that they've souped up that one car, the one they call "Hero" I'll bet they will be reluctant to let him have it or even sell it to him. And the longer the show runs, probably the less likely it will be. I am sure that stuff from this show will end up in a museum somewhere, I mean, it's becoming a legend in it's own time. Eleven years... maybe even twelve, that's how long MASH ran! It's truly remarkable. BTW, what did Jared get from the show?

That car must be so much more fun to drive now after all that work. I distinctly remember Jensen saying at a Con a few years back before the work was done that the car "handles like a shopping cart." I'll bet that's not true now.

# cheryl42 2015-08-09 16:01

What did Jared get? A wife and two kids.:)

# BoGirle 2015-08-09 16:08

OH!!! HAHAHA! Very true.

# LEAH 2015-08-09 17:03

LOL I was wondering the same thing!

# BoGirle 2015-08-09 16:03

Heh... since we're discussing the car so much, here's Jensen at JIBCon 3 talking about the impala and the work that was done.....

[video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uBALmWz5Kzg[/video]

# spnlit 2015-08-09 21:18

Thanks. Interesting to know.

# LEAH 2015-08-09 17:02

I would be willing to bet Jensen gets that car!! I have a feeling he has much sway and I tend to think he gets what he sets his mind to. Maybe it's in his contract?:)

# Barbara Maake 2015-08-10 19:48

Leah, you mentioned the possibility of it being in Jensen's contract and coincidentally I just came across this report of a M&G with Jensen at Toronto Con in 2011 in which he was asked about what souvenirs he wanted from the show and he said:

Quote:

Jensen: As far as the car goes, that’s probably something that’s gonna be a little more difficult — unless I just hop in and drive away. I will try to either sweet talk them or get it into my next contract though.

Hopefully he managed to get it in his contract!

# LEAH 2015-08-10 19:58

HA! I hope he did too, he had been hinting and then outright saying he wants the Impala for years. That was 4 yrs ago so it wouldn't surprise me a bit. The Smithsonian can have one of the other Baby's. I'm pretty sure Hero/Baby has his name on it.:D

# AlyCat22 2015-08-09 17:42

No it will be the Hero car I have no doubt. They know he wants it. I thought I even saw a video where he pushed that the car be souped up and when asked why he said because he wanted it. Not as in wanted the car but because it was embarrassing to have people come on set and hear how horrible the true Impala sounded. He was thrilled that now when people come to watch them film that Baby sounds as badass as she looks. He mentioned they sunk somewhere around 40 grand into her and went into detail about what was done including the engine. I think Show will present her to him without him even having to write it into his contract.

# AlyCat22 2015-08-09 17:52

Ooops! The above video isn't the one I was referring to but seems he says about the same thing. My remembrance of the dollar amount was way off - 20-30 as opposed to my around 40$! I do know the one I saw didn't have him talking about missing the car so it's not the same one... I should have watched it first but it wasn't working for me yesterday when I tried. Did this time tho! ;)

# BoGirle 2015-08-09 17:57

I don't know though.....hell if Fonzie's leather jacket is in the Smithsonian than I see Baby being kept for posterity. Supernatural is now the longest running sic-fi show on TV. The longer the show goes the more important it becomes. I hope Jensen does get the car, he certainly deserves it and seems very attached, but I think he'll have to buy it. Per his own words they put at least $30K into it. I wonder how much she's worth now?

# cheryl42 2015-08-09 18:29

Hmmm.....comple tely restored 1967 Chevy Impala? Maybe upwards of $200,000. Completely restored 1967 Chevy Impala named Baby/Hero? Priceless.

# cheryl42 2015-08-08 18:46

My husband and I rebuilt several engines for our classic cars and trucks. That was why I couldn't understand why it took so long with the Impala unless there was lot of body work being done at the same time. Now that would take a long time. Engine parts aren't that hard to find since the same engine was put into most of the muscle cars of that era. Finding body parts for a specific 40 year old car would be much more difficult. Although the Caprice was pretty much the same car.

1967 Caprice

# BoGirle 2015-08-08 22:43

Hi,
Believe me, I am NO car person, I am just repeating what I learned from a cute video with Jeff Budnick who's in charge of the Impalas on the show. According to him, they replaced the engine entirely with a 500 HP high performance engine (Chevrolet engine) an entirely new suspension kit, something about the "rear end" I have no idea what he was talking about, all new disc brakes on all four wheels. She was detailed as well and it's my understanding that the four door hard top is rather rare. I think all that took some time. Again, I know absolutely nothing about cars and haven't a clue as to how much time is realistic for something like this, but there are many accounts out there of people spending years getting their Impala's restored.

# cheryl42 2015-08-08 23:59

Yes that does sound like a major overhaul of the entire car. So that would take a long time. If it was just the motor that wouldn't take very long. But restoring completely a classic muscle car would take a ton of money and a nationwide search for parts. It usually takes classic car enthusiasts many years because of the cost involved. I am assuming that SPN had pretty much unlimited resources but limited access to 1967 Chevy Impala parts. So yes many months would not be unreasonable.

# Suzkatoon75 2015-08-10 04:10

I don't have much to say on this matter because the leviathans ruined the whole season for me so I haven't given it much thought. I disliked their leader and their agenda and I disliked that one of them killed Bobby. No other season has come even close to what I feel about season 7. It is almost as bad as Bloodlines and Paint it Black were as episodes. So, I will push it again to the back of my mind and bury it there. Hopefully forgetting it ever happened.

For season eleven I am hopeful. For Sam and rest. Can't wait. If I survived s7 I will survive the rest.

# Barbara Maake 2015-08-10 10:12

Hi Suzkatoon. I've been wondering this for days so I just have to ask: did you pick that username because you are Suzie from Saskatoon?:)

# Suzkatoon75 2015-08-11 02:42

Funny that you asked. It is actually a nickname from my childhood but it has nothing to do with the place. It was just an unfortunate event with those berries that followed me after that. Rest is secret but I kinda like the reference you gave.

Refresh comments list

Supernatural Season Seven: Hits and Misses – A Second Look

Comments

Essentials

Fun Stuff

Archives

Recommended Sites