Warning, this post contains potential spoilers for season seven of Supernatural. It also references Ausiellos blind item from a few months ago. You have been warned.
With Misha Collins status up in the air, I'm getting more and more pissed about all of this. First of all, the way the news was broken sucks. The day before the finale a press release confirms him for season 7, then immediately after the finale (which sets up a potentially huge story for him) we get Sera Gamble saying "LOL, JK you guys. He's not a regular anymore. I can't even promise he'll be around beyond the premiere." And apparently, the press release was purposefully released to throw viewers off. This is exactly why no one should ever believe anything until it happens onscreen. FYI, twists and cliffhangers are not the be all end all of storytelling.
If cutting Misha as a regular is simply a budget issue, then fine. That makes sense. He's not used as often as a regular ought to be anyway. Paying him for the time he actually works would be cheaper. But, there are too many hints suggesting Castiel is not long for this world.
By now, every Supernatural fan should be used to characters being brought in and then promptly killed off. It can be annoying because it ruins the potential that some of these characters have (Pamela, Gabriel) but it's pretty standard. There are very few who have made it this far (Bobby, Meg, Crowley, and unfortunately Lisa and Ben). It makes the Supernatural universe very small. I like my TV worlds to be full. For crying out loud, they brought back Jo and Ellen after years only to kill them off in the same episode. What was the point of that?
Look, I was one of the original viewers. I eagerly signed up to watch the Sam and Dean show. It was right up my alley. Two brothers, a hottie for me to gush over (That's Dean btw), a horror show with loads of mythology, and a road trip show. Sounds perfect for me. And it was...for a while. But, I soon came to realize that I can't stay interested in a show with only two relevant characters who hammer out the same issues over and over and over again. And then once more for good measure. The first two years was a fantastic build up to finding the demon that killed their mother. Along the way we had Sam's psychic abilities dealt with, more daddy issues than I could imagine, and a lot of humor and heart. But, then after that, the show seemed to falter. Season three bored me. I should have cared but I was starting not to. I made myself get through it though. I had learned all I could about Sam and Dean. It was clear that they had nothing new to say about them because they just kept repeating themselves.
Then season four came along and with it we got a whole new wave of stories and characters. Most importantly we got an angel named Castiel, played perfectly by Misha Collins. We got new mythology. We got a huge storyline and we got to see Dean form a connection with someone other than Sam. Castiel is a brilliant character. He's funny but not in a snarky way. He's brave. He tries so hard to be loyal to his Father. He is taken with Dean. He's learned about free will and he's given up everything because he believed in Dean. He was a breath of fresh air when the show desperately needed one.
I fell in love with him. He passed Sam and Dean as my favorite character. I adore him. He’s been on the show now for three years and he’s brought so much to it. He’s built up a whole new fan base totally devoted to him. This is a show that is dependent on its hardcore fans. This is not a show that casual viewers keep on the air. This is a show with an extremely passionate fan base and the show is well aware of that. There have been whole episodes about that. Getting rid of a character as popular as Castiel played by an actor as popular as Misha Collins is foolish. I don’t know why they would be willing to take such a big risk when the ratings are already dwindling. I know there are plenty of fans who want nothing more than to go back to the Sam and Dean road trip show, but there are also plenty of fans who are only sticking around for Cas. It’s rare on this show for an outside character to become so popular (maybe because they kill everyone else before they get a chance), but Castiel has done it. Why throw away such a rare thing? It’s like the writers want us to know that Sam and Dean are not allowed to keep anyone else in their lives except each other and I guess Bobby. If they try, those people will die. It’s like they’re afraid that any other bond such as Dean and Cas will somehow diminish the Sam and Dean relationship. That’s just ridiculous.
It’s also lazy. Shows need to evolve and this one has. It’s gone too far to go back. After stopping the apocalypse, how is hunting a wendigo supposed to be exciting or interesting? After getting to know Team Free Will, how can it go back to Sam and Dean in a car? That unwillingness to explore anyone besides the two Winchester brothers and killing off nearly everyone before they have a chance to develop at all is lazy writing. Why bring them in at all? Castiel seemed to have made it through the rain, and if he goes now, it definitely won’t be because the fans wanted it.
You know what else is lazy writing? Leaving season six on that cliffhanger only to kill Cas off in the season seven premiere. If that happens, it just proves to me that the writers had no intention at all to make this into a storyline (and it could be a good one). What they wanted was a) shock value and b) a quick way to get rid of Castiel.
For now, I am trying (and failing) to remain optimistic about his future. I’m also taking comfort in laughing myself silly over all the Godstiel jokes. I have to admit, they’re quite creative, even though feel guilty for laughing.
