Authors: Jules, Kenedi, Brianna
The CW has revealed their first look at the Supernatural prequel The Winchesters, and there’s a lot to unpack! From new characters to intriguing glimpses at familiar faces, it’s clear this show will add a new perspective to the canon we know and love. With so many Easter eggs and details, it’s easy to miss all the tantalizing teases we were given. To help dive deeper into the world of The Winchesters, here’s our detailed breakdown of what we noticed!
The Return of Dean Winchester
The very first tidbit of information we learn from this trailer is a significant one. Viewers have known since the news broke of the prequel series that our beloved Dean Winchester would be narrating The Winchesters, but according to this video, Dean’s not only narrating this story, he’s in it. To what extent he’ll appear as he tries to uncover the real details of his parents’ story is anyone’s guess, but it’s nice to see one of our favorite Winchesters from the original series back on screen in the flesh nonetheless — though it does raise a question that’s going to be a frequent one in this show’s future: where does this fit into the timeline? Our bets are placed on Dean’s journey being somewhere in the unknown gap between Supernatural’s penultimate episode, “Inherit the Earth,” and “Carry On” — the series finale — but only time will tell.
Mary Winchester Campbell: Reluctant Legacy Hunter
Ah, Mary Campbell. Hunter, daughter, reluctant guide (and love interest) of a brand new baby hunter John. Paralleling Sam and Dean’s original hunt for their father, it seems like ol’ Samuel Campbell and Henry Winchester were the ones that started the tradition of “Dad’s on a hunting trip and he hasn’t been home in a few days” as Mary attempts to track down her father’s whereabouts. Kicking ass and taking names, this is very much the rough and tough Mary we came to know in the later seasons of Supernatural, and from the multiple fight sequences laid out for our viewing pleasure, it seems like that side of the mother Winchester will definitely be showcased in all of its glory. Of course, we can’t help but see those early indications of regret at being raised in the life, even in these short clips. Are these sentiments what planted the seeds in Mary’s head at having a shot at the apple pie life? We’ll have to wait and see. Regardless, we can’t wait to see Meg Donnelly’s Mary Campbell lead this feisty team through the many trials that await them.
A Whole New World For John Winchester
And then there’s John — fresh-faced, still hopeful and unjaded as he returns from the war in Vietnam. Though we never really got much information in the original series as to how John handled the trauma from his time overseas, the trailer seems to show him battling an internal sense of aimlessness and purposelessness after losing the structure that the military provided him. This only seems to be compounded when he meets Mary and opens up the door to possibly finding out what happened to Henry, who he believed abandoned him according to the original series.
As the search for answers drags him into the world of hunting and the Men of Letters (a firm yay for the mini bunker), it will definitely be interesting to see how John develops as his knowledge of hunting and the supernatural grows. If his journey is as clumsy as his first comedic meeting with Mary, punches flying everywhere but the right direction, we’ll definitely enjoy seeing him taking many notes from his more experienced love interest and the rest of the crew.
New Kids On The Block
Of course, while returning favorites were showcased in the trailer, we also caught a glimpse of two of our newest hunters joining the Supernatural universe! Carlos (Jojo Fleites) is introduced as a confident hunter, casually running over a demon with his Mystery Machine-esque van. He even hits the demon with a holy water squirt gun (FINALLY) before making a sign of the cross with his Holy Trinity: Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and Jim Morrison. Based on that intro alone, he’s sure to be a fan favorite. But he’s not all fun and games, teasing a tragic backstory as he tells John, “The only thing worse than how it starts for hunters is how it ends.”
Latika (Nida Khurshid), on the other hand, is more research-based and clearly friends with both Mary and Carlos. She’s cheerful and protective of a reckless Mary (like mother like sons, apparently). It sets up an interesting dynamic: two experienced hunters (Mary and Carlos), one newbie (John), and one lore expert (Latika). It remains to be seen how this ragtag group will coalesce, but the glimpses we were shown are promising.
Bring On The Monsters
Remember the good old days when demons were the biggest threat on Supernatural? Well, we’ve returned to those days on The Winchesters as the crew takes down a variety of demons. We also get brief glimpses of a monster who appears to be hiding in catacombs under a cemetery threatening John and the rest of the crew. While the Men of Letters mystery appears to be the overarching theme of the season, the trailer proves there’s plenty of room for monsters of the week.
New Show, New Look
The Winchesters may be a spin-off of the beloved series Supernatural, but this show will carry a different element when it comes to the look and feel. Already in the trailer, we can see the warm red and orange tones that are reminiscent of the 1970’s. They highly contrast the cool blues that became prominent in Supernatural, highlighting right away that this is a different decade, different character, and all-new show. The Winchesters also finds its filming location deep in the south in New Orleans. The massive oak trees and lush greenery also brings a different feel to the show than the Canadian filmed Supernatural. Overall the tone of The Winchesters is clearly unique and visible in the trailer and we can’t wait to see what other elements will be new and fresh when the series airs.
Some Parting Easter Eggs
Of course, it wouldn’t be a The Winchesters without a few easter eggs to Supernatural sprinkled in for fans to spot. They range from tiny moments to larger, obvious elements that will be used to tie the new series to its predecessor. The most obvious is the timestamp cards of “now” and “then”, an element that was featured in every episode of Supernatural during the recap. It’s something we all know and helps The Winchesters fit right into the world fans know well.
Fans of the parent series will also recognize several familiar elements while Dean is on screen. He’s not only taking a drive in Baby, his beloved 1967 Chevy Impala, but the amulet gifted to him by his brother Sam, and the Coleman cooler securely along for the ride!
The quickest, and perhaps most mysterious, easter egg of the trailer definitely lies at the 1:08 mark when a very shot of a barn door breaking open and a shadow crosses the ground. Fans are already speculating that this is the exact scene in Supernatural‘s season 4 when the angel Castiel first arrived. The inclusion of this shot might be a hint to perceptive fans that angels will make an appearance on The Winchesters. This could also simply be a flashback of the memory for Dean as he is narrates the tale. We’ll have to wait and see!
Another shout out to the show is the heavy inclusion of the Men of Letters. The mysterious organization first appear on Supernatural in season 8 and the trailer hints that much of the season will revolve around Mary and John uncovering the secret organization. It seems they may even find their own, smaller bunker from which to operate.
A more subtle yet touching inclusion is the Winchester Garage where John’s mother, Millie, works as mechanic. Anyone who watched Supernatural knows Dean’s as handy as they come with cars and often works on the Impala. Turns out it runs in the family!
There are also many verbal elements including John telling his mother “Saving people, huntings things, it’s what I was born to do.” This is of course a callback to Supernatural‘s tagline “Saving people, hunting things. The family business.” There’s also the clear parallel as Mary tells John that her father left on a demon hunting trip and hasn’t returned. This is precisely how the parent series kicked off, with Sam and Dean searching for a missing John.
The Winchesters will air on Tuesdays this fall at 8 p.m. ET on The CW. You can find our other coverage of the show here!
