5 Things I Learned While Binging Supernatural

The hit TV show Supernatural is heading into the home stretch. After 13 successful seasons, the show will end with a partial Season 14, on its 300^th episode. It secured the title of longest running science fiction TV show in television history seasons ago. Further, its fan base seems strong and steady. According to the Executive Producer Robert Singer, the time just felt right. While binging the show, I learned 5 important things.

1. Motels are better on TV. Sam and Dean Winchester stay at some kitsch motels. The demon hunting brothers have one rule when separated: Locate the first motel listed in the Yellow Pages and check in. Some of the motels would rival the best boutique hotels which charge substantially more. There are lots of Pinterest pages showcasing the motels and the insanely clever décor.

2. Dean’s beloved 1967 Chevy Impala is too tinny sounding for me. I think I would slide right off the polished leather and onto the floor, too—not to mention it is entirely too clean for me. The Impala was not the initial choice in for the pilot episode; however, the writer reconsidered after learning that the Impala’s trunk was large enough to hold a body. The show has 9 cars. The predominantly used one is called the “Hero 1 Impala.” BTW, there have been 2 license plates. The first one was a Kansas tag “KAZ 2Y5.” It was replaced with an Ohio tag, “CNK 80Q3,” on the 20^th episode of Season 2.

3. I cannot visit the locations on an epic cross-country American road trip. The series is filmed predominantly in Vancouver, BC. However, I will be able to visit “The Rosemary” 1915 Tudor Revival house in the near future. The house served as the “Pierpont Inn” in the “Playthings” episode. The massive home (all 16,000 square feet) fell into disrepair and sold in 2013 for over $12 million Canadian dollars. The new owner, Mingfei Zhao, retired to Vancouver for the clean air. He has invested over $6 million in rehabbing the home. Once completed, the home will be open for fundraisers to aid the rehabilitation of other historic properties.

4. The show felt a little too X-Files-ish. Kim Manners, producer and director, worked on another popular science fiction TV show: The X-Files. He came to the production and directed 17 episodes before dying in 2009 from lung cancer.

5. Who doesn’t love the song “Carry on Wayward Son” (1976)? Apparently, Netflix. The series is able to broadcast the Kansas anthem (the band and not the state) when the show airs on the CW; however, due to licensing, the song is not included on the streaming episodes on Netflix. But I can dig it. There are plenty of other groovy songs in the episodes.