When it comes to making good meta shows, few can challenge Eric Kripke. The writer has created not one but two magnificent shows, working on Supernatural for fifteen years and then moving to The Boys. While both shows seem polar opposite on the surface, the actual themes of satire and meta storytelling addressing the real world are similar.
While Supernatural ended in 2020, The Boys will have its conclusion soon, finally ending the storylines of so many characters. With how successful the series is, it is safe to say that there is a lot of pressure on its final episode. However, Kripke seems to be taking it extra hard after the failure that was Supernatural’s last episode.
The Supernatural finale taught Eric Kripke a lesson
The finale of Supernatural stands as one of the worst finales in television history. Even though the series ran for fifteen years and had one of the most loyal fan bases in all fandoms, they were betrayed by their creators due to how they decided to end their beloved series. While it is obvious why the finale was such a letdown, the problems can be traced back much further.
Most notably, it was the disregard for Sam and Dean’s actual storylines, character arcs, and feelings that frustrated the audiences. Although Sam had something going for him with Eileen, Dean was treated like a punching bag by the writers. We were given a half-canonical confirmation of Cas and Dean’s feelings for each other, which was not even close to satisfying after fans pined for ten years for them to get together.
In addition to this, the biggest betrayal happened in the last fifteen minutes of the finale episode. To spend so much time with two characters as they deal with werewolves, demons, angels, and the actual Christian God, seeing Dean get killed by a slightly longer-than-average nail is absolutely ridiculous. This is specifically true because we have seen them actually go to hell and come back time and time again, having been killed 111 times in the series.
With how much frustration was brought to the fans due to these moments, it is not surprising that the finale is hated as much as it was. In fact, it would seem that Eric Kripke is traumatized by the feedback that this episode got, since he is not taking any chances now.
The Boys’ ending is putting a lot of pressure on Eric Kripke
With the fifth season of The Boys expected to be released in 2026, it is safe to say that there are a lot of expectations riding on it. Where Supernatural has a more niche audience, this show is very mainstream, having even more expectations from its viewers. With this, Eric Kripke recently gave an interview with Sony, where he talked about the finale of the show, and it is safe to say that he is terrified.
You can count in one, maybe two hands, the truly great series finales… the graveyard is literally filled with terrible series finales…
Starting off, Kripke mentioned that making a good finale is a very hard thing to do. Most shows are known for having bad finales for a number of reasons, ranging from a decline in quality to a poor decision for certain characters. With this, the creator mentioned that there are very few examples of shows that actually pulled off good finales.
You could have the greatest show for years, but if you stiff that ending, and that’s what’s sending everyone out in the parking lot, they go, ‘Oh, maybe that show wasn’t that good’
Keeping this in mind, Kripke understands that the finale of the beloved superhero series could heavily influence how audiences perceive the show in the future. If the finale is good, then audiences will appreciate the series even more than before, praising it for its mastery. However, if the finale goes poorly, fans will turn and begin to analyze the entire series to check if it was actually as good as they thought it was.
Having so much pressure on himself, Kripke even mentioned that he has been studying other series finales to understand what they should and shouldn’t do. With how much thought is being put into the finale of The Boys, it is safe to assume that the series is in good hands.
The Boys and Supernatural are available for streaming on Prime Video and Netflix, respectively.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
