serah[DOT]nu

When a movie or television show, but especially something more “fluid” like a television show, is available for air in countries that do not speak English (this is how it goes on here, so I can only attest to this being my home country), the original script has to be sent to those in the other country who are in charge of generating subtitles in advance of that episode airing in that country. This is done so that they have plenty of time to generate accurate subtitles. And like I’ve said, it is usually the original script, barring anything catastrophically major that has to be changed before the episode or medium actually airs. But why is this relevant, you may ask? Of all things, to Supernatural? A lot of you may like the answer to this question…

In the original script of the episode where character Castiel confesses his love for Dean Winchester before being swallowed up by The Empty, Dean Winchester says that he loves Castiel back. However, the original script was changed in America from “I love you too, Cas,” to “Don’t do this, Cas”. We as fans and viewers are just now beginning to see that this change occurred by the subtitles that the show has in Latin America, comparing them to what was actually said on-screen here in the States. Actor Jensen Ackles even stated himself that there were changes to the “confession scene”, so we have an actor that was actually involved in this show and in this scene confirming this, and he did so at around the time that the episode originally aired in America. And furthermore, in the Portuguese subtitles, Dean is said to be saying “me too” (as in, “I love you too”) as he is sobbing beside the wall in the bunker that Castiel pushed him toward to get him away from The Empty before he could do something dangerous or reckless to try to protect him from his fate. Those who have watched the episode more than once, or a handful of times, think that Dean saying anything other than sobbing was intentionally cut (as in, the end part of that segment was intentionally shortened), but not after the original script had it in there, or why would Portugual air subtitles referencing it?

Both of them were silenced, even if — surprisingly — American CW did actually let Castiel say “I love you”.

This does not surprise me at all. Why can’t we have queer leads in prominent television shows? Why not?

When you can watch the finale of a show after only having watched the pilot and completely understand all of what’s going on, that’s when you as a writer should have had the first clue that you penned an absolutely awful finale. This literally erased fifteen years of character growth between Sam and Dean Winchester, the two that the episode focused on. This is yet another reason that long-term fans of the show are so angry.

I feel like I can write an entire post on the queerbaiting aspect of the last few episodes of Supernatural. One of the things that gives me hope about this show, sans the final three episodes of it, is the fandom, and the potential that almost all of the characters have. Supernatural‘s fandom is actually quite amazing, you know.

Anyway.

For having been on the series since the fourth season which ended up working out to a full decade as the character, for having as many close… encounters as he did with Dean Winchester, for having other characters in the show make passing jokes about their “relationship”, and for it even being parodied in the episode “Fan Fiction”, it honestly did not seem like Supernatural wanted to address the budding relationship (which, might I add, became canon with the episode “Despair”, and Misha Collins’ admissions at varying points that Castiel’s love for Dean was romantic and that Dean had to love him back, or loved him back… I’m not quite sure what the wording of that last part was). But then, when “Despair” aired, and Castiel told Dean that he loved him, they actually finally did, and the fans of the show who were also fans of the idea of a relationship between them (or a “ship”, as some people like to call it) got the “ship name” Destiel Trending on Twitter higher than election-related news or Russian-related news, and that says a lot. Their feelings and thoughts were validated. This was finally becoming canon, or something that was officially in the show.

Fans thought that the last two episodes of the series would expand on that, or at least elaborate on it, starting with finding out if Dean reciprocated Castiel’s feelings, and so they eagerly tuned in to find out.

If I am not mistaken — I hope I’m not — Castiel was casually mentioned three times since then.

You never actually saw him on screen again in Supernatural in any capacity.

Dean did not say anything to anyone on screen about the conditions that Castiel went to The Empty for.

Fans with their hopes up were left devastated, and that doesn’t even take into consideration the devastation that the series finale left in fans’ wakes, although that had to have been a part of it… this literally never being followed up on or even talked about, and essentially used for shock value. Some people have even said “why did they have him say it in the first place if they weren’t ever going to talk about it again,” and I’m inclined to agree with that sentiment. The writers clearly knew what they were doing penning their interactions in such a way as to suggest that there could be, and very likely was chemistry between Castiel and Dean, but to expose one’s feelings for the other and then literally never include that character in the show again aside from three nonchalant references reeks of queerbaiting being “taken care of” in the form of Bury Your Gays (since that’s what happened) And Forget About Their Very Existence. LBGT individuals, especially minors — the show is rated 14+, after all — were tragically let down by the inept mishandling of this. Hell, Supernatural fans were let down by the inept mishandling of this, but my focus is on the LBGT individuals who may finally have seen themselves on screen in a seemingly meaningful way, just to have the rug yanked out from underneath them. This entire plot arc was a decade’s worth of queerbaiting just for shock value.