One thing about waiting for literally years between seasons of a show you like is – it builds up A LOT of anticipation! So let’s just say I was really excited to finally watch the season premiere of the fifth and final season of The Boys. I’ve been watching since the very beginning – I’ll give any show a chance that has Eric Kripke’s genius attached to it, and I was captivated by The Boys from the start because of its eerie reflection of what was already happening all around us. The comics began the tradition of calling out things that are wrong with our society, but by the time the series aired, the reflection started to seem less like fiction and more like reality. Season 5 was mostly written well before the last election and there’s no way Kripke and company could have known how disturbingly close to home some of the story lines would hit right now – but I’ve said more than once that the man is eerily prescient. As I watched the first two episodes, I can’t even count the number of times I started swearing out loud “OMG how could they be so spot on?!” or “This is impossible, Kripke how did you anticipate THIS??” It’s certainly not a good thing that a show meant to be an over-the-top parody of all that’s gone wrong in modern (especially American) society ends up feeling so realistic and relevant, but it makes me feel better that someone else is seeing it too. That’s a first step to maybe stopping it, right? Right??

And yes, that’s a theme in the show too. You see why I love it so much?

Homelander’s Crisis Continues

The season premiere kicks off with spectacle, which is fitting for The Boys. It’s a full on mega church moment as Homelander appears at the Vought shareholders meeting to the religious ecstasy of his followers – I mean, shareholders. Promises of a safer, more God fearing nation…. Does this sound familiar yet?

Meanwhile, Starlight disguised as a Firecracker backup dancer is hacking into the system – suddenly the footage of Flight 37 appears onscreen, Homelander callously threatening the doomed passengers as he looks horrified in the present. His eyes start to glow, and then Sister Sage shakes her head to calm him down. I immediately thought, they’ll probably just say it’s AI – and sure enough, that’s what they do. Remember, this was written years ago, but they get it right anyway, solidifying people’s willingness to not believe what their own eyes see if it’s an inconvenient truth. Memes making fun of the “AI altered footage” hit the internet; Homelander points out that he has seven fingers in the altered footage. How did they know that would be such a thing?

Peter Thiel gets a shout out as calling Sage for advice, the little bits of reality name dropped just making it all more eerie. She’s fine with the ongoing conflict the leak caused. Homelander, predictably, is not. What he cares about is being worshipped – he’s more pressed about the unflattering memes about him than how his ratings are. In fact, he says, posting those kind of critical memes should be a crime. (Yes, I was yelling about how spot on the show is once again at this point). Homelander can’t stand being disrespected, his fragile ego too brittle to withstand it.

“I need people to be devoted to me,” he whines. I can’t help but feel bad for him even as I’m horrified by him. He’s so DAMAGED.

Homelander continues the psychological crises that plagued him in Season 4, knowing everyone around him has their heart rate skyrocket when they’re near him because they’re all afraid of him. His handy dandy little maternal fixation with Firecracker has dried up too (as did her milk once she stopped taking the drug that was damaging her heart to make her lactate).

Homelander isn’t too happy with the other supes who are still loyal to him either. The Deep has a podcast because of course he does, along with Black Noir version 2. He’s all about the “men’s lives matter” and staying away from women because “bitches like Starlight make you weak”, claiming he’s never felt manlier. Later he spreads his bare legs for an overhead camera to sell his red light for the perineum contraption, which if you recall was a real thing on the internet for a while with guys out there sunning their perineum. Homelander calls in the Deep and Black Noir after the Flight 37 video debacle, demanding to know why they let Starlight get away and haven’t found A Train or Butcher, sliding his hands around their throats as he hovers over them like a predator. The stage manager who was working the shareholder meeting sits dead (and decapitated) beside him as a visual warning. Antony Starr is very very good at making Homelander very very scary – the fact that he’s unhinged combined with all that power and the sadistic desperation is a terrifying combination. Apparently the stage manager liked some Starlight posts, and that’s why he’s dead.

(Hits almost too close to home right now, but spot on once again).

The Deep doesn’t hesitate to offer up his phone to have his social media posts checked, sycophantic to the end (or at least so far). He’s not pleased with Noir not backing him up, reminding him that he’s not the real Noir, he can talk! Noir remains both silent and mysterious. Ominously so.

Back home, Homelander stands in front of the capsule holding his bare-chested underwear-clad sleeping father, which is in his living room. He sighs. (Yes, that description is relevant. To all of us Ackles fans at least…)

Getting the Gang Back Together

Meanwhile, Hughie, MM and Frenchie are imprisoned in an internment camp – yep, there I am yelling at my screen again – an almost too spot-on concentration camp reflection with the “Freedom sets you free” slogan above its iron gates. My father was in the Rainbow Company that liberated Dachau and I’ve heard his firsthand stories of what he saw there, and just the similarities catapulted me from snickering at the show being a mirror to feeling nauseous. (Which is exactly what anyone should be feeling at that image). American flags are everywhere, including on the prisoners’ shirts along with a Homelander image. MM takes bets for fighting other prisoners and Love Sausage sadistically beats up a prisoner with his ridiculously long penis. Just another day on The Boys. Hughie befriends another prisoner who’s on the verge of giving up, channeling Viktor Frankl and his concentration camp-penned treatise about finding meaning and hope in even horrific situations. “If you lose hope,” Hughie says, “you’re not gonna make it.”

We quickly realize just how little humanity Butcher has left in him when he pays a visit to his ailing-but-still-alive father, recalls his abuse of Lenny and then thanks him for “all the times you knocked the shit outta me – it made me who I am. It made me you.” Then he hugs him – to death, I think.

Let’s not forget how dark this show is willing to be. I hate their dad for what he did to Billy and Lenny, but wow, that was brutal. It plays up the parallel between Butcher and Homelander, who also went back to kill his abusive “parents”, the scientists at the lab who tortured and raised him.

Kimiko’s in Manila baking cookies when Butcher breaks in and tells her Homelander plans to kill Frenchie MM and Hughie in 72 hours, and she needs to help him save them. She is clearly no Butcher fan but she also cannot not try to save Frenchie. Kimiko and Butcher then reunite with Annie, the latter surprised to hear Kimiko speak. “Fuckin’ speech therapy and therapy therapy and lots of Tiktok,” Kimiko explains. They all know Homelander is setting a trap for them, but they’re all in to try to save their friends anyway. Annie figures out that Butcher’s motives aren’t quite the same as hers and Kimiko’s, however – he mostly wants Frenchie alive to finish the supe-killing virus, driven with a John Winchester-level single focus on revenge against Homelander.

Meanwhile, Annie asks for Reggie’s help to break Hughie, MM and Frenchie out since the former A Train has been helping them out for a while, but A Train says he can’t, he’s got a family to protect. (I knew right then he would appear at the eleventh hour and come through for them, which is probably my only quibble with the season premiere – I enjoyed A Train’s story arc tremendously but it was predictable. In some sense, I guess that’s okay – his redemption arc was convincing enough that you could predict that he would do the right thing in the end).

I loved seeing Reggie with his big brother again, and knowing the two of them worked it out. “Mom would be really proud of you,” he tells Reggie.

I enjoyed his confrontation with the Deep too, who rides in on a cranky shark. The Deep accuses A Train of always thinking he was better (and of sending him 2000 octopus fleshlights) and threatens that sooner or later he’ll get Reggie’s family. Reggie replies that he can see how terrified The Deep is of Homelander – that he’s pathetic.

Fear is a theme of this episode. The things it makes us do; the things it keeps us from doing. Pretty damn relevant in a time when we’re all living in fear and speaking up can have real consequences. Many of the characters struggle with balancing their fear versus the price they pay in sense of self and shame when they swallow their ethics and comply when they know it’s wrong. Homelander struggles too, with the fact that making people afraid of you doesn’t make them love or respect you, only fear you. Ultimately that’s not all that fulfilling – it is not, in fact, what he longs for.

The Wild Cards?

That question is relevant for some of the other characters too, sometimes surprisingly. Ashley has always been one of my favorite characters – human and occasionally relatable even when she was desperate and willing to do horrible things to selfishly save herself. She’s the Vice President now, and engaged to new character Our Father (Daveed Diggs), CEO of Samaritan Industries and channeling every mega church televangelist ever plus earrings. The two have an initiative to abolish DEI, because as Ashley asks, “Isn’t white a color too?”

Later she gets more real with Sister Sage, saying anyone who smashed a window and protested is in a camp and now they’re adding everyone who posts something defamatory about Homelander.

Ashley: We’ve purged the CDC FDA HHS USPS, arrested Chappell Roan, and now he wants us to detain American citizens?

(I had to pause at this point to yell again about how prescient Kripke is and how much I hate that a dystopian show is getting it so damn right)

Sage and Ashley are interesting in their complexity. They are smart, and strategic. And fucked up. They’ve prioritized self preservation but their eyes are wide open into what’s really happening and just how unhinged Homelander has become. Sage thinks she’s smart enough to control him; Ashley is constantly strategizing how to stay alive and afloat (and maybe become President).

The Showdown

Hughie hangs onto hope in the camp; MM has largely given up on it, pronouncing them dead men walking no matter what they do. He’s proven right at least temporarily when Hughie returns to his bunker to find everyone slaughtered and Homelander reading his journal and ridiculing him like he’s a toxic parent mocking his son’s diary.

Butcher recruits a supe called Worm to dig a tunnel into the freedom camp. Worm has been downgraded after Vought Studios “replaced all their writers with AI” so he lost his job (pause again to exclaim about the AI relevance…) Worm is thus disgruntled and Butcher uses that to encourage him to help them in order to stick it to Vought for putting him out to pasture. What follows is a typical The Boys scene, vaguely or explicitly sexual and intended to make everyone go ewwww, which are never my favorites possibly because I was never a teenage boy – anyway, Worm pulls off his pants to show rather shocking wormlike lack of genitalia and then bends down to inhale the dirt and expel it through his bare ass sticking up in the air. In he goes, dirt spewing from his ass. The others follow him into the tunnel, grimacing. Worm is a writer, and makes the best of the situation – “okay if I use this for a story line?” I kinda don’t mind him and am weirdly relieved he doesn’t die. Yet.

They bust into the camp only to find Hughie, MM and Frenchie on their knees and Homelander welcoming them.

He knows about the virus, and he’s just found out Mother’s Milk’s nickname and is awkwardly kinda into it. Kimiko snarks at him and he lasers her in half. Literally.

Some of the press with the actors before the premiere teasingly asked when Homelander and Butcher are gonna kiss, which to anyone in fandom isn’t even an odd question, but interestingly this episode does have a poignant scene between the two. Starr and Urban are both so good that it ends up nuanced and powerful as Homelander senses the “viper’s nest” that Butcher has made of his heart to be able to confront him.

“It’s beautiful what you’ve done to yourself, what you’ve become. And you did all that for me. That is devotion. You’re the only one that’s ever challenged me. There’s a part of me that will be sad to see you go,” Homelander admits.

Antony Starr is so good at complicated emotions that you believe every word – there really is a part of him that doesn’t want his enemies to be gone, but secretly wants them to love and respect him instead.

Starlight appears, lighting up the room and blinding half the camp, Frenchie and Kimiko kiss amidst the violence, Hughie tries to save his fellow camper friend, and MM sees his opportunity to finally take out Love Sausage, strangling him with his own giant dick. Starlight saves Frenchie first as she and Butcher agreed, much to Hughie’s shock. Homelander kills Hughie’s friend and then grabs him, taunting Billy to come save him – and then, as I suspected, A Train shows up. He lures Homelander away from the rest of them, and we’re all rooting for him now as he flees through the woods at super speed. A young woman is on the road, so I also expected he would get a chance to atone for Robyn in the pilot and he does, slowing down to avoid running through her and careening into trees instead so that Homelander catches him. A Train knows he’s about to die, but he laughs in the face of it.

“What was I so afraid of? You are a fucking nothing, just an empty fucking suit. Take away those powers and what are you? Pathetic, weak, sniveling loser.”

He’s still laughing as Homelander snaps his neck.

That’s the end of the season premiere, and I admit to being emotional about A Train’s demise. At the same time, I really was rooting for him to have a redemption arc and for it to be somewhat believable, which I think it was. One of my favorite chapters in the book I co-edited on ‘The Boys’, ‘Supes Ain’t Always Heroes’, is all about A Train and how the author, as a black man, feels about the character - and how much he hoped for a redemption arc. We got that, and I’m really happy about it. I need my favorite shows to make me feel, not just amuse me or disgust me or give me a jump scare or an ewwww. This episode did that – it’s that depth that drew me to it in the first place.

Episode 2 – Teenage Kix

Homelander and the Return of Soldier Boy (All the Daddy Issues)

The service for A Train is turned into yet another spectacle and opportunity to blame something on Starlight and the Starlighters, who Oh Father insists are possessed by literal demons who are turning little boys into little girls with garden shears. (Had the trans phobia rhetoric already amped up two years ago or is this prescient too?) Firecracker announces that local supes can now apprehend Starlighters before they commit any more violence, aka when they’re not doing anything at all.

(Brief pause for me to yell at my screen about the 100% accurate real life parallel that I’m horrified to see playing out on the daily)

Homelander stays behind after, addressing A Train’s casket in the empty church. Starr makes him so fascinating, the psychologist part of me cannot get enough of trying to figure him out (hence the whole writing an entire book on the show and the characters). Homelander is genuinely distraught at how things went with A Train. His version of love is contingent on being adored and on 100% loyalty, which never works out for him, so he keeps getting disappointed and heartbroken again and again. It’s his own fault but it’s also the fault of the corrupt politicians and scientists who destroyed his ability to have anything like a healthy relationship.

“You left me no choice,” he tells A Train’s casket sadly. “I like to think of myself as the big brother you never had… I counted on you, I loved you… but here we are. Why does this keep happening to me? I guess the strongest men are the most alone. You wouldn’t understand, nobody does…”

Then you can see realization hits him, of who might. (Starr, like Ackles, does not need any words to be eloquent). Who else is there who is just as strong or almost as strong? And just as isolated and alone? Could it be the guy in stasis in his living room??

Sure enough, Homelander stands in front of his father and slowly turns the lever and opens the door, dramatic violin music playing. Cut to Soldier Boy dressed in a ridiculous shirt and his underwear waking up on Homelander’s couch. (The fandom: why did he change his dad’s underwear? They were gray before…. Never change, fandom.) Soldier Boy wakes up as cranky as he was when we last saw him awake in Season 3 – and just as gorgeous. Thank you for letting Jensen Ackles grow his hair out a little for this role, it is much appreciated.

Homelander assures a combative Soldier Boy that he doesn’t want to hurt him, that he was in deep freeze in a CIA black site and he just found out that morning – which Soldier Boy is smart enough to not believe.

Soldier Boy: You just found out this morning, but this (capsule) just happens to be in your room? Did you fuck me? Is this some kinda incest thing?

Homelander protests with an appalled “No!”

The whole exchange is gold, with both Starr and Ackles embodying their characters and their beyond-complicated relationship. Homelander wants Soldier Boy to find Butcher.

Soldier Boy: Find him yourself!

Me: lol

Homelander insists he can engineer a proper comeback for Soldier Boy, who the world has been told is a Russian spy, prompting an indignant “I’m not an ass felching commie!”

He also offers to make Soldier Boy number 2 in the Seven, betting that his dad hates Butcher (who betrayed him) more than he hates Homelander. Homelander says that haltingly, reluctant to speak the words “more than you hate…hate me…” because he still wants his father’s love and doesn’t want to believe he could be hated. Soldier Boy considers, sitting there rather provocatively in his undies. Homelander brings him his shield, glued back together – he hands it over expecting gratitude or a pat on the head or the kind of response every son longs for from his father.

Soldier Boy: Looks like a fucking kindergarten ashtray.

Delivered to perfection, and you can see it cuts deep, the same way Ben proudly came to show his own father his triumph becoming a supe and got derision instead. Soldier Boy is such an asshole he keeps making me feel bad for Homelander, of all people! (But really they’re both victims themselves in a long line of abuse and dysfunction).

Sage meets with the puppet President, urging him to invoke the Insurrection Act to arrest anyone who posts anti Homelander content and assuring him that they have 50,000 data points on every user (short pause to scream at the universe once again for making this so realistic).

Only problem? They’ll need to triple the amount of freedom camps (another short pause because SERIOUSLY??) The President protests that the treasury is running dry and that people get twitchy at rounding up their neighbors (while they do it), but they revolt at higher taxes (third pause and this time I’m yelling so loud I think I woke up my own neighbors). Also the President wants immunity, and my throat is so sore I need to take a break.

In walks Homelander – with Soldier Boy suited up beside him. Like a kid eager to show off his accomplishments, Homelander tells his dad that the president “works for us – for me”. He announces that Soldier Boy is now number 2 in the Seven and he’ll need a pardon, that they’re going in a new direction – competence. Soldier Boy glances at his son, taking it in.

The president acquiesces, and Homelander tells him Soldier Boy could probably use a drink, instructing him to get it; Soldier Boy of course picks a Manhattan, a great throwback to the 50s. The president asks Homelander if he can get him a glass of milk and you can see his humiliation as he tersely says no, he’ll also have a Manhattan. Just like daddy. (Ben used to steal Manhattans from his own father – can you say intergenerational transmission of trauma?)

Soldier Boy: Damn. Since when can supes teabag the president?

Homelander: Since me.

Later, alone in his living room, Homelander stands in his father’s now empty capsule. He holds one of his restraints and lifts it to his face, inhaling the scent of his father, then stands quite literally in his footsteps.

Sister Sage interrupts him, but it’s a disturbing and poignant scene, making it clear both how fucked up Homelander is and how intense his longing for a father is and how many ways it could go – something Soldier Boy senses too, hence his ‘did you fuck me’ question. (Fandom’s surprise at this was surprising – have we forgotten his reaction to mother figure Madelyn’s breast milk and how much that was conflated with something sexual? Freud would have a field day with this show, just saying. Which is why there’s a whole book on it with lots of psychologists’ takes on the complex characters, along with the insights of the actors who portray them).

Sage confronts him about his attachment to Soldier Boy, asking if he told him about the supe killing virus. Homelander says no.

Sage: So when he gets infected and he dies, you won’t go to pieces, because it was a tactical decision, right?

Close up on Antony Starr’s expressive face and the grief and horror Homelander can’t entirely hide. And yet, he didn’t warn him.

The Quest for a Supe Killer

The boys reconvene in a secret lab in an abandoned elementary school, where we find Sameer is alive and finalizing the supe-killing virus! They need to test it, since they don’t know if it will work, or if it will harm humans too. They decide to test it on a supe named Rock Hard which obviously was going to be this episode’s ewww segment that again would probably work better if I’d ever been a teenage boy. Apparently “hot cum bursts out of his mouth” and he’s nearly indestructible and no one gives a fuck about him. Yep, teenage boy history definitely helpful.

Annie is on board even if the virus kills all the supes in order to save humanity, her guilt eating her up inside. Kimiko is not, and Frenchie is determined to protect her. Hughie assures Annie that whatever she had to do, he gets it, it’s okay. Perhaps in an almost-the-last-day-on-earth kinda thing, both Kimiko and Frenchie and Annie and Hughie decide this is a good time to get it on and tear each other’s clothes off.

The two ships met with varied reaction in the fandom, some rooting for Hughie and Annie from the start and some not as invested, and some thrilled that Frenchie and Kimiko are finally a romantic couple while others were conflicted. I’m in that second group – I thought their intense platonic relationship was unusual and compelling, and was sort of hoping it would stay that way. (Then again, I’m a huge fan of Supernatural centering an intense and world-saving platonic relationship, so…)

Their test on Rock Hard does not go well. On the way we see two of the Kix Kids terrorizing a terrified woman who’s accused of being a Starlighter, dragging her off to a freedom camp in front of her crying child. (Prescience off the charts…) One of the Kix Kids (Countess Crow) is still in the house; MM overhears her saying that she’s being forced to do what she’s doing and tow the Vought line and wants to save her, likely because she reminds him of his daughter. He eventually lets her go without telling the others.

Rock Hard turns out to be more rock mountain than rock man, apparently because he watches volcano porn and then ejaculates all over himself and it hardens into a larger and larger mound. (More teenage boy ewww – I can just barely resist going into psychoanalytic mode about the Freudian adolescent guilt nightmare of having the evidence of your every orgasm literally worn on the outside so everyone can see and having it eventually immobilize you).

Hughie calls A Train a true hero, solidifying his redemption arc since A Train’s story started with the horrific death of Hughie’s girlfriend as he ran through her. Butcher cynically says this “listen to your heart bollocks” is gonna get Annie killed, and Hughie asks in return if there’s any part of Butcher left that’s still human, saying he’s the one who might get Annie killed. They’re interrupted by a car accident – and a shield through their car window.

Everyone is shocked to see Soldier Boy alive and well. He shoots Butcher, who isn’t injured, and realizes he’s “one of us now.” Soldier Boy is pissed.

Soldier Boy: We had a deal and you sold me out, put me back in a fuckin’ box! Because I was gonna kill some dumb kid? Where is that fuckin’ brat?”

(His grandson – ouch).

Butcher tells Soldier Boy about the virus that Homelander didn’t mention, saying that everyone fucks him over – Butcher, Homelander, his old crew – because “you’re a dumb fucking twat.”

What he’s not is easy to kill, emerging from the hole left by a car landing on top of him to the two Kix Kids. The girl exclaims “Soldier Boy!” and gets a smirk; the boy exclaims “you’re a dead socialist!” and gets a punch in the face. The boys lure Soldier Boy to the Kix Kids house where Hughie has the virus ready.

Soldier Boy: How is a useless cock gobbler like you still alive?

Hughie: All your insults are about blowing dudes – you’re kinda obsessed.

Me: hahahahaha

Soldier Boy grabs the virus in a jar and pronounces “not today, you semen swilling butt pilot” – and then the Kix Kid starts to choke and vomit black goo, and so does Rock Hard. Soldier Boy looks around, alarmed, to see the boys with gas masks on and another vial dripping the real supe killing virus. His face (handsome handsome face) starts to disintegrate as he screams “no!” and falls down, realizing he’s been tricked, face covered in boils.

Later we see MM watching the video of Soldier Boy’s literal downfall, satisfied as Soldier Boy groans and writhes on the floor in agony.

Me: Oh no, poor Soldier Boy!

(I know, I know – I wrote an entire very long chapter in Supes Ain’t Always Heroes about my conflicted feelings about the character and why it’s not my fault. It’s Ackles. He also has a chapter all about how he crafted Soldier Boy).

The Wild Cards

Ashley and Sage meet up again, Ashley at first towing the party line with a fake bubbly endorsement.

Sage: He’s not in the building.

Ashley: Oh thank fuck. Why are we doing this?

Sage is happy because “all the rich white folks hang on my every word”, her own need to make up for the traumas of her childhood and adolescence a motivation for self-serving decisions. Ashley challenges her.

Ashley: That chair isn’t a pedestal, it’s a chopping block.

She points out that they’re arresting innocent people while Sage sucks down a taco. Later, alone in her limo, Ashley pulls off her wig to expose her nearly bald head, the trichotillomania obviously even worse, and vents about her supe power.

Ashley: Do I get laser eyes? No, I get a fucking brain reading tumor, this is junior year all over again!

The said tumor, which Kripke says they refer to as Back Ashley or “Bashley”, serves as a sort of conscience for that morality and ethics that Ashley has had (and suppressed) from the start. It tells her that going along won’t get her what she wants, as she argues back that it’s why they’re still alive. “First they came for the communists,” it reminds her, saying that she used to want to do some good in the world. Ashley protests that she tried, but there’s nothing she can do.

(More screaming at the screen here about reflecting reality, along with some sobering thoughts the impact of fear and so many of us tempted to throw our hands up and say there’s nothing we can do right now in reality.)

Bashley: Homelander is batshit and they know it, they will follow you.

Ashley: I’m not a leader, I’m a Vice President…

I kinda love how the show has externalized Ashley’s superego and given it a (literal) voice. Poor Ashley – Colby Minifie is so good, she’s definitely up to the challenge of embodying both parts of the embattled VP.

That ending!

Sameer gives them the good news that humans are immune and not carriers of the virus.

Frenchie wants to run away with Kimiko to try to protect her from it, but she says no, they have to stay – innocent people are being rounded up, and this is how they make amends. Frenchie agrees then, that they have to get up every day and keep going.

(Supernatural fans everywhere: Always keep fighting!)

Hughie tells Annie that neither of them is fine and shouldn’t be, but he’s not letting her die.

Hughie: I’m gonna keep fighting, and if you can’t, then I’m gonna fight for both of us. Just don’t turn into fucking Butcher, okay?

Butcher returns home to Terror, apologizing for being late, a glimpse of a little lingering humanity.

A haz mat team wheels out the dead supes, including Soldier Boy in a body bag, as Homelander watches. The Deep, ever one to not read the room, tells Homelander it was a good idea, sending Soldier Boy to test the waters – pretty fucking strategic.

Homelander, eyes brimming with tears, sounds broken, saying “I told him to report back, I told him not to go in alone, why would he do that?”

He confronts the Deep, says it should have been him, his laser eyes glowing. The Deep pisses himself, terrified, and makes a quick escape.

Homelander goes over to his father’s body bag, sobbing.

“Not you, not you too…” He hits himself in the forehead repeatedly, overcome with loss and grief and self hatred. “Why does everyone keep leaving me? I’m sorry….”

He walks away slowly, and behind him, we see Soldier Boy in the body bag sit up.

Pretty sure just about everyone was spoiled for the fact that Soldier Boy wasn’t permanently dead, but I admit I inappropriately laughed at the way he slowly sat up – amplified by Chumba Wumba playing in the background and in my head “I get knocked down, but I get up again…” already playing on repeat.

Gotta love this show and its music cues.

One more detail that made me grin when people on the internet more observant than me noticed it: the banner on Firecracker’s show includes the news that Mr. Marathon, facing prison, accepts a court-ordered stay at global wellness Malibu. Mention of Jared Padalecki’s character makes me even more excited about the Supernatural reunion coming up in episode 5, also rumored to be the best and most unhinged episode of the season!

So where does that leave anyone? How will Soldier Boy be feeling about what Homelander kept from him, or how Butcher and company once again tricked him? What does it mean for the supe killing virus that it apparently does not kill all supes? Will everyone want to make Soldier Boy into a lab rat once again?

I cannot wait until next Wednesday to find out! You can catch The Boys here now.

The second episode of “Tracker’s” Season 3 was just as suspenseful and entertaining as part one – and I cannot wait to see where the rest of the season takes us!

Jensen Ackles was back as Russell Shaw and I am already addicted to having Russell as part of the show. His dynamic with real-life bud Justin Hartley, along with both actors’ talent, make the duo thoroughly believable as brothers.

Interestingly, it’s a totally different dynamic than Ackles had/has with his onscreen brother Jared Padalecki on “Supernatural.” Russell has similarities to Dean, but to me he seems very different. The characters share a troubled upbringing and a complicated dad, and both are invested in repressing their worries and pretending “it’s all good”, but they do that differently. Russell doesn’t feel the same about Ashton Shaw as Dean Winchester did about John, and he didn’t devote his life to watching out for his “little” brother either.

That makes the brotherly dynamic very different too. It’s clear Russell and Colter care about each other, but they’re both fiercely independent men who spent their adult lives separated and took different paths. Nobody followed “the family business” – which we still don’t know very much about, other than Ashton Shaw was involved in some pretty messed up stuff. They’re both highly skilled and competent, but they come together on equal footing, with very little big brother/little brother dynamics still in evidence after all those years (although Russell was protecting Colter by leaving and letting him believe he played a role in their father’s death). Now, Russell is as likely to defer to Colter as the opposite, and they’re adept at trading off responsibilities so each can play to their strengths. That makes them a formidable team indeed!

(We all expected Russell to get hurt at some point in the episode thanks to the stills released – the reality is a lot smarter. Like I said, a formidable team).

Russell is also both charming and an asshole but hanging out with Colter has already had an impact on him. In this episode, he confides to his brother that he wants to do something different with his life – he wants to use his (considerable) skills to do some good in the world. To make a difference. Like Colter’s done.

(Don’t change him too much, Elwood Reid, I kinda like that he’s a charming asshole.)

I don’t ship Russell and Reenie, but I do think it’s adorable that he’s got a bit of a thing for her. His disappointment whenever she doesn’t return his affections is just so cute – and those mannerisms are so very NOT Dean Winchester, by the way. Colter’s grudging affection for Russell’s crush is also adorable – though there’s the possibility of complications there eventually if they choose to go that way, since Colter’s got his own complicated feelings for Reenie.

Until then, I’m happy to watch Russell try to have serious conversation with her in the car (and get behind the wheel to do a tire-screeching 180 which…. Is there anything hotter? I think not.)

I’m also really happy to see Randy sharing the screen with the Shaw brothers and with Reenie, instead of on his own just on the phone. Chris Lee is also adorable, and a really nice guy in real life, and I was thrilled to see him share a scene with Ackles in this episode. (He’s the character who loves to eat, not Russell – that must be a great relief to Jensen Ackles!)

In addition to how much I’m enjoying Russell and Colter, the 2-part season opener was a great story – creepy, suspenseful, with twists and turns I didn’t see coming. The whole idea of “the process” being all-seeing and all-knowing and sickly twisted and ruthless was so disturbing, and I felt for all its victims – and their victims. The fact that it was all about an algorithm gone rogue – and that’s so disturbingly real life – just added to the tension.

No black and white good and bad, it was all shades of gray, which is often the story telling I appreciate the most. Russell and Colter navigated the challenge of that admirably, and we’re left with even MORE questions about their family. Why DID the algorithm identify Dory and their mom as people who have something to hide who wouldn’t go to the police if something bad happened?? I want to know more!!

Looking forward to the rest of the season – and very much hoping that when Ackles is done filming Vought Rising up in Toronto (cannot wait for more Soldier Boy!!!) that he can make a little time to reprise the role of Russell Shaw!

Lynn Zubernis, PhD is an expert on all things “Supernatural,” and has published numerous bestselling books on the subject. You can check them out here.

It’s also the con where I met one of my dearest friends when I got stranded there during a hurricane and she came to my rescue and offered me a place to stay during the storm. (We had met once, at the con, but we were SPNFamily so she drove over and rescued me from the dodgiest motel ever, the only one that wasn’t fully booked in the storm. She may have literally saved my life). Another of my dearest friends was also there with some of her besties, so the con was extra special.  So were a few other friends who I wish I could see more often. In between being in the vendor room and enjoying panels, there was lots of good food and drink and even better conversation. What more could you ask?

On Friday, I joined the Matt Cohen and Gil McKinney panel already in progress – which sort of explains why they were being feral raccoons at the time…

Matt: Every animal I portray ends up with Jensen’s bowlegs…

These two are a great example of two people who didn’t even work together on the show, but they’re a great onstage duo who are always amusing. What are their favorite made up words?

Gil: Dingleberry

Matt: Fuckery!

A fan asked for their help in naming her eighth (!) ferret.

Matt: Squoose (a combination of Moose and Squirrel). I’m brilliant!

Matt also, for some reason, told Gil all about the “geoduck” (pronounced, for some reason, gooey-duck). Creation helpfully put a photo up on the screen so everyone could … uh, marvel? The geoduck was a thing at cons about a decade ago, so it was amusing to see it make a triumphant return.

Matt to Gil: I’d serve it to you raw…

I also caught some of Sam Smith’s panel. A fan brought the actual nightgown that she wore as Mary burning on the ceiling in the pilot – which is actually not white, but pink!

Complete with blood stain. Hey, it’s Supernatural…

Sam said that when Kripke told her that she’d be back she was skeptical.

Sam to Eric: Ummmm you burned down the house!

She was totally confused when they told her she was coming back for Season 12.

Sam: How???

When Sam auditioned for the part, David Nutter winked at her – and for some reason, she winked back (and got the part!)

Sam said she was afraid to twist Jensen’s arm too hard when she was supposed to be wrenching it back in a scene they had together, but he dismissed her concern.

Jensen to Sam: No offense, but if you twist it too far, I’ll just twist it back…

Friday night was the karaoke pink party, with Sam, host DJ Qualls and Alaina Huffman. One of my friends got to get up and sing, which was absolutely awesome.

Alex Calvert and Jason Manns and a few members of Louden Swain stopped by and joined in the fun for a little while too. Plus we got some Abba!

Fun night!

Saturday Richard Speight, Jr. joined Rob Benedict and Matt Cohen onstage for a panel. A fan tried to introduce a hypothetical, but Rich wasn’t having it.

Fan: So you’re eleven and there’s a bully…

Richard: No we’re not, we’re three grown men on a stage…

We’re all excited to see Matt Cohen on TV again as a detective on The Young and the Restless soon!

Everyone gave him congrats, including Rich and Rob.

Who would they want to defend them from a bully?

Richard: Tahmoh Penikett!

Rob: What he said!

Rob talked about auditioning and said he gets really excited when the writing is really good.

He also told the story about a long time ago when a radio show host dissed Louden Swain and were shocked when the SPN family came to their defense en masse.

Rob and Rich talked about the success of their SPN Then And Now podcast, saying that because they’re friends with the actors, we get to hear some brand new stories.

If you haven’t checked it out, do it!

Rob also told the hilarious story of the time he thought Jensen was going to buy him an expensive Rolex….but he ended up feeling like he had to buy it himself. Reluctantly. Lol

There were some unusual questions. What game would they choose to be stuck in?

Matt: Mousetrap – it’d be fun as long as you don’t die…

At the end of the panel, we got to sing happy birthday to Mr. Speight, and his pink cupcake (helpfully delivered by a singing Gil McKinney)

Next up was the ladies panel with Ruth Connell, Sam Smith, Briana Buckmaster and Kim Rhodes. This combo always has some helpful insights (and also occasionally makes me tear up – mostly Kim’s fault…)

Ruth talked about being bullied when she was in high school, but then finding people to laugh a lot with.

Ruth: Finding a group of guys to laugh with in high school reminds me of the guys on the Supernatural set, feeling safe to laugh with too.

(Best. Set. Ever.)

Briana said that she would have loved an actual Supernatural musical – which I think most of us agree with her about!

Ruth: And I could dance! (You can read her moving chapter in Family Don’t End With Blood about how much she wanted to be a dancer, and her journey that culminated in the role of Rowena on Supernatural).

(Kim Rhodes, Briana Buckmaster, Matt Cohen, Gil McKinney, and Rob Benedict also wrote powerful and personal chapters in Family Don’t End With Blood – along with Jared, Jensen and Misha!)

They always have some good advice too.

Sam talked about how scary it is to speak in front of people, and thanked the fans who get up to ask questions.

Briana: The other side of fear is often freedom. Don’t worry about looking foolish.

Ruth: Tell them the queen of Hell still worries about the same thing.

Saturday is always Misha day, and this Saturday we got Misha in a borrowed pink shirt that was a wee bit too small and a wee bit see through, which nobody minded at all.

The shirt held on. Barely. Again, no complaints.

Misha also had some advice.

Misha: Use the hard chapters of your life as a lesson.

He was asked about being politically active and fighting to change the world.

Misha: Civic engagement is about participating in the human family.

He said that all of us can make a difference.

Misha: Find the thing you can do, because doing something gives you hope.

Misha said that he and his brother had a mentor and father figure who was a neighbor, who helped out and taught them things when his family was very poor.

Amusingly, Misha said that the guy in Spain who dubs his voice as Castiel started when he was on Charmed, before his voice changed – so his voice is very high pitched.

Apropos of nothing…

Misha: It’s always wonderful to see my face tattooed on someone’s inner thigh.

(Also, that poor shirt sleeve…)

Misha: I’m writing, but not a lot. There’s a trickle of things coming out of me… oh, oops!

(He was unrepentant)

Misha: Sometimes I write in little spurts… sometimes it’s hard… but satisfying…

He also told the sad story of Rudy the zombie hamster, which I can’t remember, but it looked like this:

What other Supernatural character would he be?

Misha: Baby. Oh wait… both Sam and Dean would always both be trying to get inside me, so maybe not…

https://x.com/FangasmSPN/status/1964401707640860726

When Rob and Rich came out to sing him offstage, Misha’s shirt ended up unbuttoned even more. Somehow.

Misha: You weren’t supposed to see me like this!

(Norton is amused…. or is he??)

The sweater did not cover much….

We also got a Mark Sheppard panel. Mark said he ad libbed the line “this is the king” when Crowley answers his phone.

Well done, Mark!

Mark: I thought having “Not Moose” in Crowley’s phone was so funny I blew snot out of my nose!

He also said he made Crowley’s scream so high pitched solely to amuse director Bob Singer.

Mark had lots of positive things to say about the Supernatural set – like pretty much everyone does.

Mark: Supernatural was a very very safe set.

And I caught a glimpse of another of my favorite actors from Supernatural, Jim Beaver, too.  Jim has alot of wisdom to share, but he also has a dry sense of humor that I very much appreciate.

Saturday night was a lovely dinner with friends, and the weather was actually nice enough to dine outside for once – a rarity for Chicago con!

And then it was time for what’s always one of my favorite parts of any Supernatural con – the Saturday Night Special with Louden Swain and friends!

Gil McKinney joined in the fun, singing “Seventeen” with his beautiful voice.

Gil puts so much emotion into whatever he sings, and I so enjoy it.

We were also treated to some Dick Jr. and the Volunteers originals with Richard Speight, Jr. and Kim Rhodes and Briana Buckmaster singing backup.

Mark Sheppard played drums – he’s been playing with Dick Jr. and the Volunteers at other shows too.

I sometimes can’t believe how much musical talent is in the SPN cast!

Billy Moran did a song from his solo album also.

Jason Manns joined Rob and Billy for their traditional beautiful harmonies on Hallelujah, with all of us in the audience singing the chorus, to their satisfied smiles.

We also got both Briana Buckmaster and Kim Rhodes in Rockstar mode and then an exuberant Mama’s Jam.

Rob also sang Fare Thee Well, which always makes me emotional because he sang it on Supernatural. I miss my Show.

And then another favorite of mine, Amazing.

Rob: This Supernatural family is amazing, and saved my life.

(Literally – if you read the chapter he wrote in Family Don’t End With Blood it takes you moment by moment when he had a stroke at a convention, and how the SPN family helped save his life.)

And finally, kazoos out for Medicated!

And then it was Sunday – J2 day!

The gold panel was first up. Jared in his trademark black, and Jensen in white sweater and worn jeans showing off those bowlegs. It’s weird, but I am constantly caught off guard by how gorgeous these two are, after all these years of seeing them at cons!

One of the first questions, the fan began by saying “I’m the weird one because I love the last episode.”

Jensen (smiling): Me too, so we can be weird together.

Me three!!!

(Someday there will be a day when the fandom recognizes that Jensen does indeed love the last episode, but this was not that day according to the twitter firestorm after this…)

Jensen thanked the fan who said she loved the finale, and talked about the Supernatural finale being a reason for hope.

Jensen: Thank you. I, it kinda falls in line with the theme of the show which is always keep fighting, and what do we say? Things never really die on Supernatural. So I feel like there was always that element that we got to play, that it wasn’t ever really over. Even now, though the show stopped at Season 15, does that really mean it’s over? Time will tell. But I believe in my heart that the show –  I mean  it continues with what we’re doing right now. we still get to celebrate it, we still get to talk about it, to discuss… like, his wig… and that keeps the show alive. So it’s a nice analogy for life as well.

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Jared had some praise for another of my favorite people, Shoshannah Stern, saying how much he adored her and how dialed in she was when acting. He tried to do the same because of his anxiety.

Jensen talked about the (brilliant) scene he did in ‘Regarding Dean’ in the mirror as Dean was losing his memory of who he was.

Jensen: I did three takes on the mirror scene. I basically terrified myself in that scene.

And all of us! It was so realistic, it really hit hard.

Jared fondly recalled having fun making up additional post it notes for that episode, which I’m sure were hilarious.

More seriously, he said that he learned working on Supernatural that no feeling is final.

Jared: I learned patience…. Which isn’t obvious when you meet me…

(Actually not true, it is obvious when you meet him)

Jensen: I gained confidence playing Dean and being a co-lead on set.

Everyone is excited to see Jared and Jensen onscreen again together on The Boys, along with Misha too!

Jensen: I told Jared, I’m a guest on The Boys and you are too, so mind your manners.

Which, by all accounts, they all did – and had alot of fun doing it!

Jared was asked about his role on The Boys, and tried to answer without giving anything away lol.

Jared: It’s comedic, not intended to be necessarily… ahhh, what can I say?

Jensen (laughing): Be careful!

Jared: I know! It’s a character unlike any I’ve been welcomed to play in 25 years of this wild career. We had a great time – we played. Luckily – it’s a massive show, there are massive fans worldwide – so showing up for a couple weeks to do an episode is daunting even after 500 episodes of television. But this guy (pointing to Jensen) gave Misha and me kinda the seal of approval and we were welcomed with open arms. We’re sitting there chilling with Ant between takes and we were welcomed like family. He wouldn’t say it to my face, but whatever he said made the entire cast welcome us as if we were one of them.

Jensen: It was along the lines of, I’m not responsible…

https://x.com/FangasmSPN/status/1964734344511225970

I love that they will always make a joke after one of them has said something sincere and nice about the other – so Sam and Dean of them!

Jensen said that driving the vintage cars on Vought Rising, however, has been a challenge. And because he’s such a great story teller, he made it hilarious.

Jensen: It was a 1947 Chevy with three on the tree. It had a start pedal and a clutch. I felt like it wanted to take my knee cap off. Then there was the giant hand brake you had to release. This is an old car, the gear box is just trash. They just sprung this on me and they’re ready to shoot. Also we’re in a hurry, running out of a building and jumping into the car and taking off. And I’m like, can I get a push? First take, got everything going, forgot the brake. Second take, reverse is very close to first gear…  I went the wrong way.

Never underestimate Ackles, though.

Jensen: Take 3, nailed it. They’re like, we got it, moving on.

https://x.com/FangasmSPN/status/1964779807209861319

Of course he did.

Jared also told a hilarious story, about a guest actor on Supernatural who kept accidentally kneeing him in the nuts.

Jensen: I paid him $100 each time…

They did so much laughing, and honestly I could happily just watch them crack each other up forever. I smiled so much my face ached, to quote Rocky Horror.

Jared was asked about the new movie he’ll be starring in, The Bodyguard, based on the book by Katherine Center – which is a romcom. Jensen said he’d like to do some comedy too, like a Parks and Rec or Office.

Jared: Why don’t you do that with all your free time? Make it your 101^st show to your 100 shows….

Jensen:

Jared (more seriously): That would be amazing. I think he’s amazingly talented at that. I feel very nervous doing things that are supposed to be funny. I feel like when stuff’s not supposed to be funny and I can find the humor, I’m more comfortable than ‘check this shit out’. He’s good at both.

Jensen: You’re shockingly funny when you’re not trying to be funny.

Jared: Your face is funny!

Jensen: I feel like your timing and stuff is so impeccably magical when you’re not trying to land a punchline. If it’s straight off the cuff, he’s very good at that. But if you give him a joke that’s written…

Jared: Terrible.

Jensen: He struggles a bit…

https://x.com/FangasmSPN/status/1965846374135771248

The gold panel is always over WAY too fast, but it’s the best way to start a Sunday morning!

I was able to catch some of the Felicia Day and Ruth Connell panel – in time to have some great laughs as they got R rated (and also got a lot of laughing in)

Felicia: Don’t tell Mark Sheppard that I actually like British accents!

Ruth: In the audition sides, I feel like I already knew who Rowena was. The snark was already there.

Felicia: Robbie Thompson wrote Charlie as a Felicia Day type and then they said well, can we just get actual Felicia?

Ruth confessed that she was nervous about working with Felicia, aww.

Felicia talked about how hard it was to have Charlie die on Supernatural, and how emotional it was to come back to the show.

Felicia: But at the end of the day, what’s important is the story.

Rowena has of course also been killed on the show.

Ruth: When Mark Pellegrino killed me, it wasn’t his fault, but it’s a pile of ashes and he calls it “ginger bits” – and I was offended!

Ruth pitched a spinoff of young Rowena in Scotland.

Ruth: Especially because Jensen loves Scotland!

I’m in!

I also got to see some of Jake Abel’s panel. I always enjoy his panels and his irreverent sense of humor.

Jake, taking the stage: So, did you all get your Jared and Jensen squeezes? I did!

He said he comes with his own warning label. What does it say?

Jake: It starts with hot…

The next fan started with “I asked you this last year.”

Jake: I remember.

Fan: Do you??

Jake: No!

If the boys had gone back for Adam?

Jake: I’d like to think Adam would’ve grown into a better hunter than the boys.

Audience: Ummm…

Jake is a master of innuendo, and I thoroughly enjoy his panels. In response to a body swap question:

Jake: What if I woke up in Jared or Jensen’s body? (pauses….) Nope, can’t say that….nope, can’t say that either…

He said he loved playing Hercules in the new Matt Cohen project, Public Domain (which is awesome!)

He also told one of his most amusing stories from the Supernatural set, which was about the time he was trapped in a diner booth with a flatulent Jared, who let one rip then announced, “I’m Fartacus!”

Lol

What would Michael and Adam do together?

Jake: Play Scrabble.

He also somehow pitched a drag version of Chicago to Rob. As you do.

Jared got delayed catching up with some people he hadn’t seen in a while, so Jensen ended up onstage for the main panel alone, which has never been his favorite thing to do.

Jensen showed his appreciation for Billy Moran’s guitar skills while he waited.

When Jared joined him a few minutes later, Jensen broke into a big smile and Jared grinned back.

The two crashed into each other exuberantly in their happiness to be reunited (after a separation of approximately 3 minutes).

Why do they look like Smurfs? No clue, I guess my phone was exuberant too.

Rob was also very happy to see Jared. These guys, aww….

At some point in this panel, we got a real treat – Jensen reprising his Eye of the Tiger rendition, this time actually singing it.

Nobody was more thrilled than Jared, who watched with so much pride (and played a little air guitar as a call back to that epic gag reel moment)

He got up to join Jensen for the big finish.

And I got the Eye of the Tiger turned my way for a moment.

Talk turned to The Boys again, and Jensen’s character Soldier Boy.

Jensen: Soldier Boy has powers… .and a codpiece…

Jared: And a nice ass…

How would Sam and Dean fare against him?

Jared and Jensen mimed Sam and Dean throwing every weapon in the Impala’s trunk at Soldier Boy, laughing as they did.

They were occasionally serious.

Jared: The first unconditional love you need to give is to yourself.

Jensen: Well said.

Dream roles?

Jensen: Anything I get to do.

Jared: Sam Winchester. I got to play so many parts.

Awww, Jared. That warmed my heart.

Jensen then said that Batman would be a dream role for him.

Jared: (overheats)

Everyone: Understandable.

It’s an ongoing (hilarious) thing that Jared tries to get a rim shot and Jensen gets them effortlessly, so we get lots of Jared trying to get one like this.

And failing.

They got the body swap question too.

Jared: I’d have to find a magnifying glass to shower…

Jensen: I could’ve set my watch by that. In 3 – 2 – 1 yep there it is…

Jared: Actually Swap Meet was initially written like that, the first scene we were in each other’s bodies…

Jensen: Ummm…

Jared (when he finally realizes what he said): Impenetrable, my ass!

Norton: gives Jared that long overdue rim shot!

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Jensen: If Dean woke up and saw Sam’s body in the mirror with Sam’s hair?

Jensen: If Dean’s looking at Sam in the mirror, I would do this (mimes shaving his head)

If Sam woke up in Dean’s body?

Jared: if Sam were looking at Dean in the mirror… (straightens out his bowlegs)

https://x.com/FangasmSPN/status/1965251818163962082

They were asked how they created the fun atmosphere that Supernatural had on set.

Jared:  People were tired, we’d be running up against the proverbial brick wall.  Proverbially. Sometimes actually. He and I could sense, oh shit everyone’s tired, someone’s grumpy, someone got a bad phone call, someone’s barking at each other because we’re all tired adults trying to co exist on a set and it’s 30 degrees and raining. So we’d kick it up a notch to really bring  a smile to somebody’s face or even for each other, if we’re sensing they’re pretty beat or they’re worried about something at home or at their apartment in Vancouver. So you kinda ride the wave.

He turned to Jensen and asked, does that sound accurate?

Jensen: Yeah, we weren’t just goofing around to goof around. I mean, there was a lot of that, but it’s because we were able to get the work done but have fun doing it. And if we were having fun, the crew was having fun and everyone was able to do it and they enjoyed coming to work. If you have people who can help create an environment of fun and laughter and excitement, it gets you through those tough hours.

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No (once again), they wouldn’t change any episode – including the last one.   A fan asked about what they would change, and they joked about Sam’s wig in the finale.

Jared: It wasn’t my real hair….

Jensen then answered seriously.

Jensen: No, not even the last episode. If the show was just absolute perfection from tip to stern, I don’t think it would have given us (us and them) something to rally around as much as the way this show had to fight its way, and had to take the trip and had to continue to fall down and had to continue to get back up again.

Jared: With y’all’s help.

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All too soon, it was time for the last question. She asked about a scene that was a difficult scene to do, and Jensen had an emotional answer – it was clear that he was telling Jared as much as us.

Jensen: I was supposed to wait for a cue from the assistant director to run in and grab him (Jared). I did not wait for that cue. I wasn’t even looking at the AD, I was watching the flames and I could feel the heat…

Jared: I got burnt…

Jensen: I basically waited as long as I could for you – and this is the first time we had worked together, this is the first episode – and he’s [the AD] over here supposed to give me a cue like okay now go and I’m like screw you, I’m gonna try to make sure this guy is safe! The flames burned much quicker than they anticipated. It got so hot in there so quickly, I just ran in and grabbed you.

Audience: cheers

https://x.com/FangasmSPN/status/1965251767303860292

No wonder they became so close so fast!

At the end of every J2 panel, the boys thank the fans and thank each other, showing so much gratitude and pride in the work they did on the show and their continuing relationship with the fans. It never fails to warm my heart.

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I had to fly out at 4 am the next morning to go to work (alas) but we made time for one more dinner with friends at the hotel bar restaurant. Then it was a few (very few) hours of sleep and off to the airport.

Thank you, Chicon, you never disappoint!

Stay tuned for more from the last few cons of 2025!

-Lynn

You can read the chapters from all the Supernatural

actors including Jared, Jensen, Misha and many

more, in Family Don’t End With Blood and There’ll

Be Peace When You Are Done, all about what this

20 year journey (and the fandom) means to them!

Lynn Zubernis, PhD is an expert on all things “Supernatural,” and has published numerous bestselling books on the subject. You can check them out here.

My local station, CBS Philly, decided to torment me and the two friends who joined me for the series premiere by delaying the broadcast of Tracker – which meant we happily turned on the TV with great anticipation at 8 pm only to find…. 60 Minutes. We also had no idea if that meant Tracker would be on soon or would be pre-empted or what, and there was no information for an annoying 20 minutes. I may have tweeted the local CBS affiliate a time or two…

Anyway, they did finally broadcast the episode in its entirety, thankfully.

And it was absolutely worth the wait!

Russ gets a memorable return in the middle of a bar fight that a despondent Colter sorta kinda picked with a bunch of assholes harassing the waitress.  Russell gets a punch in the mouth for his trouble before Colter realizes who’s grabbing his shoulder from behind, which seems to delight Russell more than anything, and then the brothers are on the same side in the fight (and the remaining asshole wisely runs away).

Seems a worried Reenie sent his big bro after Colter when he disappeared after finding out there’s a lot more to his father’s death than his mother was letting on – and it wasn’t Russell’s fault after all. The discovery of Otto as the man who their mother sent to convince their dad to let her leave him (and who ended up instrumental in his falling to his death) has sent Colter spiraling, withdrawing from everyone in his trusty Airstream. Even Reenie!

We’re treated to a probably long overdue heart to heart talk between the brothers, with Colter especially letting his guard down and apologizing to Russell for blaming him for their father’s death. Russell wants Colter to follow his example and just repress all the bad childhood memories of how their father deteriorated and started to lose it, which are clearly very painful for both of them. Colter says he’s not built that way, and Russell grudgingly accepts that, a moment that I loved.

It’s clear Russell cares very much about Colter. He volunteers to stick around and keep him company – and help with the next case, which Russell is eager for them to take on. He’s a bit Dean Winchester coded in that, finding purpose and distraction in throwing himself into “the work”. He’s right, though – it seems to get Colter back on track and out of the withdrawal and isolation he’d sunk into.

(Sure, Russ is also offering to help because he just got fired from his job, but whatever).

Russ is a bit of a fuckup, but he’s a very endearing one. His heart seems to be in the right place just as much as Colter’s is, but his methods are even more unconventional. Both Shaw brothers were raised by a father who trained them to be survivors – perhaps even more than good old John Winchester – but Russell also learned to keep his feelings to himself more than Colter. He deflects, he makes jokes, he shrugs off anything that hurts – but you get the feeling that he also feels things more deeply than he lets on. His eyes are soft even when he’s insisting he just wants to get on with it, and his concern for Colter is very clear. Ackles, as always, is up to the challenge of showing us all those repressed emotions with just a facial expression or tone of voice. The real life long-term friendship between Hartley and Ackles make their emotional scenes together ring true, along with their acting talent.

Russell jokes about his interest in Reenie also, ribbing Colter for once “swerving” into her lane and having a short-lived thing, but he also seems genuinely disappointed that she’s got a lawyer boyfriend and that’s probably good for her.

(Though Reenie, are you sure, girl? I mean, look at him! All that long hair swept down over those soulful green eyes, I mean….)

Okay, anyway. Ackles is always attractive, but the long hair just works SO well.

We still don’t know very much about what their father was involved in or why it made him paranoid or made their mother want to leave him and take the kids – and I like that they’re leaving the mystery a mystery for now, spooling out information little by little. Russell admits that while he saw more than Colter did, and clearly tried to be the protector, he too was “just a kid” and not in control of what was happening. They were both victims, along with their sister Dory. We just don’t know yet exactly what happened, or how bad things got.

For now, the Shaw brothers take on a case that turns out to be way more dark and twisted than it seemed at first, which was intriguing.

The people murdering other people seem more terrified than murderous, asking if “you’re them” and desperate to follow “the process” and instructions before a loved one being held runs out of time. It’s confusing and disturbing and the sense of time running out was palpable. Twice the show threw a curveball that surprised me, which I always appreciate. (I did not see that car coming!)

The final scenes were especially disturbing, tragic and ultimately chilling, as “the process” becomes personal for Russell and Colter.

Luckily this is a two parter, because I can’t wait to watch next week and see what happens next!

Congrats on a stellar season premiere, Tracker – and kudos to Ackles, Hartley and Fiona Rene, and special shout out to Chris Lee, who joined the cast last year as Randy, Bobby’s tech genius cousin. Chris is a great guy in real life and brings humor and warmth to his role on the show. I miss Teddy and Velma and Bobby, but all were mentioned so maybe they’ll be reprising their roles at some point too.

Can’t wait for next week’s episode!

– Lynn

You can read Jensen Ackles’ thoughts on fandom,

Supernatural, and The Boys in his chapters in 

Family Don’t End With Blood, There’ll Be Peace

When You Are Done, and Supes Ain’t Always Heroes.

Links on Amazon, on the home page or info at:

From the moment I unboxed the Dyson Airwrap, I realized this was no ordinary hair tool—it was the Rolls-Royce of styling gadgets, wrapped up in a case so elegant it could double as a jewelry box. As someone who appreciates a good beauty upgrade but mostly wants to avoid hair disasters, I couldn’t help but feel a little smug about owning what’s basically the high priest of hair tech.

This is part of our yearly famous Holiday Gift Guide which you can check out here.

The Ritual That Feels Like Magic (Mostly)

Each morning, I wave my Airwrap (pun intended) around like I’m performing hair sorcery. Dyson’s Coanda effect gently sucks my hair up and around the barrel with what feels less like hairstyling and more like some sort of polite hair hypnosis. I watch in disbelief as my frizz battles are replaced with perfectly glossy waves—no burnt ends, no awkward clippers, just pure science doing the heavy lifting.

But here’s where it gets truly clever: pairing the Airwrap with the MyDyson™ app feels like having a personal stylist in my pocket—one who actually listens. The device adapts to my hair type and preferences with the precision of a Swiss watch, all while I pretend I’m effortlessly chic rather than mildly tech-savvy.

Gifting with Flair (and a Touch of Guilt)

When I gifted the Airwrap, I felt like I was handing over a golden ticket to the land of effortless glamour—though secretly I knew it was also a gentle way of saying, “Your current hair routine could use a facelift.” The unboxing is a moment to savor, the sleek attachments nestled inside exuding quiet luxury. There’s no denying it: this is the kind of present people gush about—and then actually use daily, which is rare in the realm of holiday gifts.

The Inevitable Verdict

After months of use, it’s clear this isn’t just a flashy device; it’s an indulgence disguised as a necessity. Editors, influencers, and beauty devotees aren’t wrong—this is the gift people really want, the one that turns rushed mornings into rituals, and styling into self-care. So yes, the Dyson Airwrap is worth every penny... even if it makes me wonder why I ever survived without it.

Pros

• Innovative Styling Technology: Uses the Coanda effect to create salon-worthy looks without damaging heat, preserving hair health and shine.

• Personalized Experience: Bluetooth connectivity and the MyDyson™ app tailor settings to individual hair types and styling preferences.

• Versatility: Comes with multiple attachments suited for various hair types and styles, making it a complete styling kit in one device.

• Elegant Design: Luxurious packaging and ergonomic design make it a pleasure to use and gift.

• Time Efficiency: Speeds up styling routines, turning complex styles into quick, manageable sessions.

Cons

• Price Point: A premium device that commands a luxury price, which might not fit all budgets.

• Learning Curve: While intuitive, some may find mastering the airwrap technique requires practice and patience.

• Power Requirements: Needs reliable access to power during use, limiting portability compared to battery-operated tools.

• Maintenance: Attachments and the device itself require careful cleaning to maintain performance.

The Dyson Airwrap stands as a remarkable fusion of technology and luxury, ideal for those who seek beauty innovations that deliver both style and substance. For anyone willing to invest, it transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary—both a gift and a statement. To find the best holiday deals, check it out here.

Jackie Warner is our Holiday Gift Guide expert. She test hundreds of great products every year so you’ll know what to get and what to avoid.

A Manscaped Holiday

The holiday season brings endless opportunities to show the important men in your life that you care about their daily routines and personal confidence. While many gifts gather dust or get forgotten, there’s one present that will transform someone’s morning routine and become an essential part of their day: the Manscaped Chairman Pro Electric Shaver. This isn’t just another grooming gadget – it’s a premium experience that combines cutting-edge technology with practical convenience, making it the perfect holiday gift for dads, brothers, boyfriends, husbands, or any gentleman who deserves to look and feel his absolute best.

The Chairman Pro represents Manscaped’s most sophisticated foil shaver to date, elevating the brand’s reputation from novelty grooming company to serious player in the premium electric razor market. With its sleek design, innovative features, and versatility that caters to multiple grooming styles, this shaver addresses the modern man’s need for efficiency without sacrificing quality or comfort.

What Makes the Chairman Pro Special

Premium Build Quality That Commands Respect

From the moment you lift the Chairman Pro from its packaging, the premium quality becomes immediately apparent. The device feels substantial and well-constructed, with a weight distribution that suggests durability rather than cheap plastic construction. The dark finish gives it a masculine, professional appearance that looks at home in any modern bathroom, while the ergonomic design includes a subtle grip texture and a thoughtfully placed notch near the top where your pointer finger naturally rests.

The build quality extends beyond mere aesthetics. This shaver features a robust construction designed to withstand daily use and the occasional bathroom counter mishap. Unlike cheaper alternatives that might crack or show wear after a few months, the Chairman Pro’s solid engineering ensures it will maintain its premium appearance and functionality for years to come.

Revolutionary Dual-Head Technology

What truly sets the Chairman Pro apart from conventional electric shavers is its innovative interchangeable dual-head system. This isn’t just a marketing gimmick – it’s a genuine solution to the age-old grooming dilemma of choosing between a close shave and maintaining stylish stubble.

The four-blade foil head serves as the primary shaving attachment, capable of cutting through up to five days of growth down to skin level. The foil system uses four individual cutting elements: two finishing foils that provide the ultra-close shave, and two specialized cutters designed specifically to tackle longer, flat-lying hairs that grow in different directions. This comprehensive approach ensures that even the most stubborn facial hair gets properly addressed in a single pass.

The stubble trimmer attachment transforms the device into a precision grooming tool for men who prefer that perfectly maintained scruff look. This attachment comes with two length-setting combs, allowing for customized stubble length that maintains a consistently well-groomed appearance. The magnetic attachment system makes switching between heads effortless – simply lift off one head and snap on the other.

Comfort-First Design Philosophy

Manscaped has built the Chairman Pro around their SkinSafe technology, which focuses on reducing irritation and preventing the nicks and cuts that plague traditional shaving methods. The rounded blade design creates a protective barrier between the cutting elements and your skin, while the FlexAdjust technology allows the shaving head to pivot and follow the natural contours of your face.

This flexible head design proves particularly valuable around challenging areas like the jawline, chin, and neck – zones where conventional shavers often cause discomfort or require multiple passes. The Chairman Pro’s ability to maintain consistent skin contact while adapting to facial curves means fewer missed spots and a more comfortable overall experience.

For added control during detailed work, the device includes a precision lock feature that allows users to secure the blade head in a fixed position. This proves invaluable when creating clean lines around sideburns, defining beard edges, or handling any precision trimming tasks that require steady, controlled movements.

Advanced Features That Enhance the Experience

Illumination Technology for Perfect Results

One of the most practical innovations in the Chairman Pro is its built-in LED spotlight that activates whenever the motor runs. This feature addresses a common frustration with electric shaving – missing spots or flat-lying hairs that are difficult to see in typical bathroom lighting conditions.

The LED illumination proves particularly useful around the neck and jawline areas, where shadows from overhead lighting often hide stubborn hairs. This attention to detail ensures that every shave session results in a consistently clean, professional appearance without requiring multiple mirror angles or additional lighting sources.

Smart Power Management

The Chairman Pro features an impressive 75-minute runtime on a single charge, which translates to approximately one month of regular use for most men. This extended battery life means fewer interruptions to grooming routines and greater reliability for travel or busy schedules.

The device includes USB-C charging capability, making it compatible with most modern charging setups and eliminating the need for proprietary charging cables. For those times when battery levels run low unexpectedly, a five-minute quick charge provides enough power for a complete shave.

Perhaps most impressively, the Chairman Pro offers wireless charging compatibility, allowing it to charge on any Qi-compatible charging pad. This modern convenience eliminates cable clutter and makes the device even more travel-friendly.

The LCD display on the front of the device shows precise battery percentage levels, removing the guesswork about remaining charge time. This digital interface represents a significant upgrade over traditional LED battery indicators that provide only rough estimates.

Waterproof Versatility

With its IPX7 waterproofing rating, the Chairman Pro can be safely used in wet or dry conditions. This means it can handle everything from quick dry touch-ups to full wet shaves in the shower, adapting to different grooming preferences and schedules.

The waterproof design extends to easy maintenance – the detachable magnetic heads can be quickly rinsed clean under running water, ensuring optimal hygiene and performance. This simple cleaning process eliminates the need for complex maintenance routines or expensive cleaning solutions.

Performance That Delivers Results

Shaving Efficiency and Comfort

In real-world testing, the Chairman Pro consistently delivers on its promise of efficient, comfortable shaving. The four-blade foil system captures and cuts hair effectively, often requiring fewer passes than comparable devices. This efficiency translates to time savings during busy mornings while reducing skin irritation caused by repeated shaving motions.

The device excels particularly in its gentleness on sensitive skin areas, especially around the neck where many men experience irritation with traditional razors. The flexible head design and protective foil system work together to minimize pressure points and prevent the pulling sensation that can occur with lower-quality electric shavers.

Users consistently report that the Chairman Pro glides smoothly across facial contours without requiring excessive pressure or multiple passes. This smooth operation makes the daily shaving routine more pleasant and significantly reduces the risk of irritation or razor burn.

Versatile Styling Options

The interchangeable head system proves genuinely useful rather than merely a novelty feature. The stubble trimmer attachment allows for precise control over facial hair length, making it easy to maintain that perfectly groomed five o’clock shadow look that many men prefer.

The precision lock feature enables detailed work around sideburns, mustache edges, and beard lines, providing the control necessary for maintaining sharp, clean grooming standards. This versatility means the Chairman Pro can adapt to changing style preferences or special occasions without requiring additional tools.

Why It Makes the Perfect Holiday Gift

Practical Luxury That Gets Used Daily

Unlike many holiday gifts that might be appreciated but rarely used, the Chairman Pro becomes an integral part of daily routines. Every morning becomes an opportunity to experience the premium quality and thoughtful engineering that went into this device. This daily interaction ensures that your gift continues to demonstrate care and consideration long after the holiday season ends.

The premium packaging and presentation quality make the Chairman Pro feel like a luxury item from the moment it’s unwrapped. The included storage case adds to the gift presentation while providing practical value for travel or organization.

Complete System Convenience

When purchased as part of the Chairman Pro Package, the gift becomes even more comprehensive and impressive. The complete kit includes:

• The Chairman Pro Electric Foil Shaver with both head attachments

• Power Shave Gel for enhanced gliding and skin protection

• Face Shave Soother aftershave serum to minimize irritation and moisturize skin

• Premium storage case for travel and organization

• USB-C charging cable and wireless charging compatibility

This complete system approach means the recipient has everything needed for a professional-quality grooming routine without requiring additional purchases or research. The coordinated products work together to deliver optimal results while simplifying the gift selection process.

Suitable for Various Recipients and Occasions

The Chairman Pro’s versatility makes it appropriate for numerous holiday gift scenarios. Whether shopping for a father who appreciates efficiency, a brother exploring new grooming routines, a boyfriend who values style, or a husband who deserves premium quality tools, this shaver adapts to different needs and preferences.

The device proves equally suitable for men who are new to electric shaving and those transitioning from other grooming methods. The intuitive operation and comfortable design reduce the learning curve typically associated with switching to electric razors.

Long-term Value Proposition

While the Chairman Pro represents a significant initial investment at approximately $150-160, its durability, versatility, and daily utility provide excellent long-term value. The substantial build quality suggests years of reliable service, while the interchangeable heads and wireless charging capability indicate thoughtful future-proofing.

The elimination of disposable razor costs, shaving cream expenses, and the time savings from efficient morning routines add practical financial benefits that extend well beyond the initial gift price. This combination of immediate impact and long-term value characterizes truly memorable gifts.

Comparisons and Considerations

How It Stacks Up Against Premium Alternatives

When compared to other premium electric shavers in its price range, the Chairman Pro holds its own against established brands like Braun and Philips. While it may not achieve quite the same ultra-close shave as some high-end foil shavers, it excels in comfort, versatility, and modern convenience features.

The Chairman Pro’s unique selling proposition lies in its dual-head system and modern features like wireless charging and LED illumination. These innovations address real-world grooming needs that traditional shavers often overlook, making it particularly appealing to younger men or those who value technological convenience.

Understanding the Investment

At its current retail price, the Chairman Pro positions itself in the premium segment of the electric shaver market. This pricing reflects the quality of materials, engineering sophistication, and included accessories rather than simply brand markup. When compared to the cost of professional barber visits or high-quality disposable razor systems over time, the Chairman Pro’s value proposition becomes even more compelling.

The device’s 75-minute battery life and quick-charge capability make it particularly valuable for frequent travelers or men with busy schedules who cannot afford grooming routine disruptions. These practical benefits justify the premium pricing for users who value reliability and convenience.

Potential Limitations to Consider

While the Chairman Pro excels in many areas, it’s important to acknowledge some limitations that might influence purchasing decisions. The 90-day warranty period is shorter than some competitors who offer one or even five-year guarantees. Additionally, the sealed battery design means that any battery degradation would require complete device replacement rather than simple battery replacement.

Some users might find the four-blade foil head slightly bulky for detailed precision work around very tight areas like upper lip grooming. The stubble trimmer attachment helps address this limitation, but men who require extremely precise detailing might need supplementary grooming tools.

Making the Holiday Purchase Decision

Timing and Availability

The Chairman Pro has been available since early 2025 and has established consistent availability through major retailers including Target, Best Buy, Costco, and Walmart. Holiday shopping seasons typically see promotional pricing and bundle offers that can enhance the value proposition.

Manscaped regularly offers holiday promotions and gift bundles that can include additional accessories or complementary products. These seasonal offers often provide the best opportunity to maximize gift value while accessing the complete Chairman Pro experience.

Gift Presentation and Packaging

The Chairman Pro arrives in premium packaging that reflects its positioning as a luxury grooming device. The presentation quality eliminates concerns about gift wrapping while immediately communicating the thoughtfulness and quality of the selection.

The included storage case serves dual purposes as both a presentation element and a practical accessory that adds long-term value. This attention to complete gift presentation makes the Chairman Pro particularly suitable for important gift-giving occasions.

Conclusion: A Gift That Transforms Daily Routines

The Manscaped Chairman Pro Electric Shaver represents more than just another grooming gadget – it embodies the thoughtful consideration that characterizes truly meaningful holiday gifts. Its combination of premium build quality, innovative dual-head technology, and modern convenience features addresses real needs while providing daily reminders of the giver’s care and attention.

For the modern gentleman who values efficiency without sacrificing quality, the Chairman Pro offers a compelling solution that adapts to various grooming preferences and lifestyles. Whether maintaining a clean-shaven professional appearance or carefully grooming stylish stubble, this versatile device provides the tools and convenience necessary for consistent, comfortable results.

The premium pricing reflects genuine value rather than simple markup, with build quality, performance, and convenience features that justify the investment. As a holiday gift, it combines immediate impact with long-term utility, ensuring that the recipient experiences renewed appreciation for the thoughtfulness behind the selection every single day.

In a world where many gifts are quickly forgotten or relegated to storage, the Chairman Pro earns its place as an essential part of daily routines. This daily integration ensures that your holiday generosity continues to provide value and demonstrate care long after the wrapping paper has been discarded and the holiday season has passed.

For anyone seeking a holiday gift that perfectly balances luxury with practicality, innovation with reliability, and immediate impact with lasting value, the Manscaped Chairman Pro Electric Shaver stands as an outstanding choice that will be genuinely appreciated, regularly used, and fondly remembered as one of the most thoughtful gifts ever received. You can check out the various ones right here to see the best deal and discounts.

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Of course, I returned to Austin for yet another Supernatural con in the same month. Luckily it wasn’t quite as absurdly hot – and not so luckily, there was no Radio Company concert.

There was, however, a mini Radio Company “show” when Jensen Ackles and Steve Carlson and the Scott sisters joined Louden Swain at the Saturday Night Special, and a Radio Company panel with Steve and Jensen, so at least we got our Radio Company fix – without melting!

The flight there was uneventful but an entire box of books hadn’t made it to the con unfortunately. That meant I sold out of books by Saturday – my apologies to anyone who came by to purchase a copy of Family Don’t End With Blood or There’ll Be Peace When You Are Done and I didn’t have any left. Thanks to everyone who did come by – it was lovely to meet everyone!

I did a few more panels than I usually get to do since I wasn’t needed in the vendor room the entire time, so that was the silver lining.  One of the best things about a con in Austin is that I love the city. My son used to live in Houston and we’d pop over to Austin for the day, and I fell in love with its weirdness – and its delicious food. Thursday I had tacos and queso with my friend Sadie, and some good conversation to go with it. Another night after dark when it cooled off, I joined a friend at the hotel’s rooftop pool (best part about the con hotel!) to lounge poolside and catch up (though the lounge chairs were out to get both of us by periodically collapsing…)

Friday I caught most of Chad Lindberg’s panel because I just love Chad. I’ve known him since way back in 2008, when he was starring in a film called “My Big Break”. He introduced me and Kathy (my Fangasm co-author) to the filmmakers, Tony and Elizabeth, and we became fast friends. When they took ‘My Big Break’ on the road, we came along for some of the screenings along with Chad – which is how we ended up on Bourbon Street in the middle of the night for Chad’s first trip to New Orleans, and several other memorable adventures.

I also adore his character of Ash on Supernatural. Chad wrote a chapter for There’ll Be Peace When You Are Done all about portraying Ash, with lots of priceless behind the scenes insights.

Chad on the paranormal: I love the paranormal questions – this is real Supernatural here! There are things that are trying to get our attention and communicate with us.

Chad tells the best ghost stories – this is the retelling of when he encountered a disembodied spirit voice lol

He got a surprising question about something he’s talked candidly about in the past – the relentless pressure of how you look in Hollywood and his decision a long time ago to have some plastic surgery. As always, he gave a thoughtful and empathic answer and emphasized the importance of being true to yourself.

Chad has had his own journey.

Chad: My dad was a mechanic and then a cop, and he got a son who wears nail polish. So I didn’t know anything about cars! (when he was cast in The Fast And The Furious).

(I adore Chad’s nail polish and his distinctive hats, this one a furry blue Cookie Monster classic)

Who would win in a race, the Jetta from The Fast and the Furious, or Baby?

Chad: Baby by a hair – because Dean is driving.

He was asked about ‘The Boys’ and said that he did audition for it, and wanted to push the envelope as far as it could go.

Audience: Talk to Rob Benedict…

Lol

He also told the very disturbing story of the time he got scratched by a demon – in his dreams! (And even brought the photo)

If you ever have a chance to do one of the ghost hunts that Chad often does at conventions, do it! (But be careful!)

Chad, like every single guest star ever on the show, has warm words for Supernatural.

Chad: You dream about being part of something that is meaningful to people.

Chad: This. This is family.

He said he remembered reading the sides for the Supernatural audition and being like, oh this one is mine!

On his Ash audition:

I whipped out my chest and started my lines with my shirt open. The room went wild,  they started laughing, I got the call later that night.

And the rest is history.

Friday night I went to the world premiere of Matt Cohen’s new animated series ‘Public Domain’, which was hilarious! There was cake and celebration, which I’ll write about more in a separate article. Alex Calvert sat with us, much to the delighted shock of the people sitting on the other side of him. Congrats Matt on a timely and amusing new show!

Then I joined some good friends at karaoke, where we hung out at the back and sang our lungs out to the great music that was being played. Always a highlight of cons to get to reconnect with people I truly love – and don’t get to see nearly often enough.

Saturday I caught some of the Jim Beaver panel.

Jim: Yes, “idjits” was in the script. At the time, I thought it was silly!

He reminisced about his first convention, which I remember too.

Jim: My first convention, someone asked what body part I wanted stapled to a board. It’s been all downhill from there.

(That person asked that question to every single guest!)

Saturday is also Misha Collins day. Richard Speight Jr. immediately accused him of joke co-opting.

Rob told the story of Misha inviting Rob to go up in a drone with him. Rob declined.

Yesterday in Austin, Misha said, he and Jared and Jensen did an EW photo shoot at a local boot store.

Misha: Jensen’s idea, so he could buy some boots.

EW released a video of the three of them answering some questions for Supernatural’s 20th anniversary while they tried on boots.

And laughed. Alot.

Poor Misha ended up buying some jeans while there.

Misha: Someone had been helping me and then I felt guilty, this happens to me all the time, and so I said I accidentally didn’t pack any pants and you have blue jeans, so I got these blue jeans. I was like I think they fit and then I got up to the counter and then they were like that’ll be $350. Huh? What?? For a pair of fuckin blue jeans! How is that possible?

He decided to tuck in his shirt and show off his belt buckle…

Misha also auctioned a shirt to benefit Paws for Austin, signed by him, Jensen and Jared.

Misha: It comes with a full contact Jared photo op. Full penetration? Oh, no…

It did raise a lot of money though!

Misha said his favorite memory of Supernatural is the fandom.

Misha: A real community of people that have coalesced around this show. I think that’s more important than the show itself – though the show is really important – where people take care of each other and are kind to each other and are inclusive, and people feel safe and heard, and I kind of love that that has formed around this weird little show that we did and I’m happy to be a part of it. So in aggregate, that is a very fond memory that lasts and buoys me on.

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Misha writes about his love of the fandom in his chapter in Family Don’t End With Blood (which benefits Random Acts as well as Attitudes in Reverse suicide prevention nonprofit).

What would Misha’s drag queen lip sync song be? Why Are There So Many Songs About Rainbows.

For some reason, he mentioned Castiel’s true form (being as big as the Chrysler Building)

Misha: And that’s just his genitalia!

He often talks about Castiel’s goodbye scene and why it was so emotional.

Misha: It happened to be the end of a long week of filming, the last scene we were filming of the week, and it was also my last scene I would ever film on Supernatural, so I was saying goodbye to this cast and crew I’d been working on for a dozen years. So I was feeling, a genuine goodbye. It was also one of the last scenes we filmed before the pandemic hit, and it was this very tender moment, and a lot of the crew members were crying because it was the beginning of the end of the show and it was also saying goodbye to me, and I’m their favorite…

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Misha said that his character evolved over the twelve years he was on the show, organically, because of the experiences he had. Including that he was human for a while, and he fell in love with a human.

As pretty much everyone knows, Misha and Jared will be in a scene with Jensen on ‘The Boys’ in its final season. He re-enacted him opening his script with a lot of trepidation, to lots of laughs.

Misha: Inner monologue: Please don’t do to me what you did to Rob… Oh thank god!

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Misha is known for not exactly answering questions.

Fan (perhaps not quite satisfied): So is that your answer?

Misha: That should probably be a tee shirt.

He said his favorite episode was The French Mistake, which was “so much fun”.

One scene Misha did not enjoy filming was Cas and Dean climbing out of Purgatory.

Misha: We’re climbing up the gravelly sandy hill and getting sand blasted by pebbles and dust. We had to do multiple takes and both of us had tears streaming down our faces. Days later we’d blow our noses and black would come out. We had grit caught in our teeth… I didn’t enjoy it. Thanks for asking, fond memories…

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Misha is an emotional person – he said he cries at the emotional triumphant moments in movies, when people come together and help each other.

(Me too, Misha)

Fan to Misha: Why are you so stinking cute?

Misha:

We also had an Alex Calvert panel on Saturday. I adore Alex – his panels are always so entertaining, so if you catch him at a con, don’t miss it! He talked about his very first episode on Supernatural.

Alex: I was thrown to the wolves! It was like, okay, now take your clothes off… The hair and makeup team not only had to trim my leg hair – by the way, not a fun experience to have with strangers – they also, I got very sunburnt the day before, so they had to airbrush a strip of my skin to match my burn.

Would his character Jack be able to beat Soldier Boy?

Alex: Soldier Boy could beat God?? Yeah sure, Soldier Boy’s got this…

What advice did he have for Jack?

Alex: Try to enjoy the good times, because there’s a lot of blood and violence with the Winchesters.

Valid.

He also gave a shout out to reading (I think?)

Alex: Here’s a tip for the Chromebook – get rid of the Chrome!

Alex said he thinks Jack and Scooby would get along.

Alex: Jack might try to ride him like a horse though. I’d do it for free for Scooby snacks!

Like just about everyone who’s ever worked on Supernatural, Alex said he loved it.

Alex: I was extremely lucky and thankful to have that. Anywhere you can show up every day and feel like you’re contributing and helping and you’re part of a team is like my favorite time in the world. I know you guys love my sarcastic answers, but this one I truly mean. I feel so so lucky that we got to  have this experience together.

Saturday was a fun day both at panels and in the vendor room. Chad Lindberg and his lovely girlfriend came by to hang out and catch up before they headed over to get a tattoo from the tattoo artists set up in the vendor room. Alex Calvert came by to chat too. How did we get so lucky to have a cast that is just genuinely NICE? I feel so lucky that Supernatural is the show I fell for.

Saturday was also the Radio Company panel and barbecue. I joined another group of friends for a pretty decent barbecue meal and then we all happily listened to Jensen and Steve answer some questions and play some Radio Company songs – and some Miles Davis. Cannot think of a better way to spend an evening.

Unless it was going to the Saturday Night Special concert – which was even more awesome than it always is!

Louden Swain was amazing, as always, with Rob and Billy and Norton and Borja all in top form – as they consistently are for so many years at so many cons.

We got guest appearances by Kim Rhodes and Briana Buckmaster and Gil McKinney (love his Baby shirt!)

And we got Mark Sheppard on drums, which I also love.

And also got some Dick Junior and the Volunteers music from Richard Speight, Jr.

And then we got some Jensen Ackles and Steve Carlson – and some Radio Company!

Jensen and Steve were in a great mood, and thoroughly enjoyed themselves – which just made their set even more entertaining.

The very talented Scott sisters joined them singing backup – they are not only talented, but seem like such nice human beings. Clearly Jensen and Steve feel lucky to have them – and so did we.

These are the video clips I took during the show – like I said, you can really tell that they’re having a blast!

All My Livin Time https://x.com/FangasmSPN/status/1959460928971268518

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Radio Company also surprised us with something new – their version of Three Dog Night’s iconic “Never Been To Spain”

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Gotta say, I loved watching Jensen and Mark rock out together.

And Ackles shake those hips.

Look how happy he is to get the chance to perform like this.

Louden Swain did one of my old favorites, Mama’s Jam – it will always make me want to get out of my seat and dance.

Then Rob took the stage alone to sing Fare Thee Well, another favorite – this time because it reminds me of my beloved little show that I miss so much (he sang it on Supernatural).

The band then sang ‘Amazing’, with the Scott sisters joining in – it sounded absolutely amazing!

Everyone joined in for ‘Medicated’, complete with kazoos for the chorus.

I apologize for taking so many photos, but it’s been 687 years since I’ve seen Jensen Ackles’ actual face and I was….distracted.

Sorry?

Louden Swain take a bow after an amazing show.

And then it was Sunday.

Louden Swain did a vendor jam in the vendor room, which is a tradition that never gets old.

Jared and Jensen had their joint meet and greet, which there are usually no photos of, since that’s not allowed.

But Jared and Jensen’s good friend ‘the Tankeroo’ was at this con as their guest, and he snapped a few behind the scenes photos throughout the con, including one at the meet and greet.

Sunday’s gold panel with Jared and Jensen was so happy making – it hadn’t been that long since the two had been onstage together, but it seemed like it. Nothing warms my heart more than their friendship and the fun they have onstage together.

I don’t know if they coordinated on purpose as they often do, but I love the way their outfits complemented each other’s. And they just plain looked amazing!

They both had some sweet things to say about their relationships with their wives.

Jared made everyone go aww when he confided that he and Gen text each other every time they fly – even when they’re on the same flight!

Jensen: Danneel has to take the trash out when I’m not there, and I don’t like that.

Awwww.

Someone at one point said “it’s the little things”.

Jared: Not for me…

Then he and Jensen immediately went into whispering secrets mode – you just KNOW it got even dirtier!

They had some serious and inspiring things to say too though.

Jared: Rear view mirrors are made for glancing, not staring.

Good advice not to get stuck on the what if’s of the past and miss the present (or the future).

Jensen agreed.

Jensen: The joy of life is in the journey.

Honestly, that’s one of the things that Supernatural taught me. Allowing myself to just enjoy it, to take a break from responsibilities and worries and just love something, to take the time to experience the journey instead of just ‘getting through it’.

There were of course just-for-fun questions. What were the brothers’ favorite movies?

Jensen: Dean’s favorite movie is Predator.

Jared: Sam’s is Fried Green Tomatoes.

Seems legit.

Jensen said, for him, he’d do Tropic Thunder any day – and proceeded to recite his favorite quote, to Jared’s and everyone else’s delight.

Jared then answered more seriously: The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent just brings me joy. Not saying it’s the best movie on the planet, but I can watch it at any point in time and laugh. I will also add that there are certain movies I will not watch right now, like Terminator, Ex Machina, Minority Report, AI, anything that’s like, oh god this is where this ends. I’m avoiding those for my own mental health.

https://x.com/FangasmSPN/status/1959655076441596404

It brings ME joy when they reminisce fondly about their time on the Supernatural set.

They talked about playing video games together.

Jared: During our 2 week covid pandemic quarantine, I had my Nintendo. And it was 2 weeks that we weren’t allowed to leave and I tried to see if I could beat 15 minutes on Contra without dying, and I did.

Jensen: What did we do it in?

Jared: We did it in like 13 minutes.

Jensen: Yeah, he and I together.

Jared: But I did it alone in like 14.24.

Jensen: Show off…

Jared: But also that was like 3 days of my 14 day quarantine. I was really proud of myself. You get spread shot and rapid fire…

Jensen: Oh, and you’re good to go

Jared: Remember, we’d also try to kill each other on Level 3, like by jumping?

(Both laugh, because brothers).

https://x.com/FangasmSPN/status/1959655733840015558

What monster would they be?

Jensen: I’m gonna go with the classic. A vampire. Because I think there’s the most sense of normalcy with vampires.

Jared: But they’re like 1000 years old! They drink blood, Jensen!

Jensen: That’s fine… we drink milk! It’s not that different. There’s ways to survive, they’re family oriented, you can get super strength

Jared: Your skin glows… Kristen Stewart loves you…

Jensen: People wanna interview you… You probably don’t get that reference… it’s a good movie, you should watch it, it’s called Interview With the Vampire…

Jared: You can also have several diaries…

Jensen: Okay, we’re done…

https://x.com/FangasmSPN/status/1959656469286068525

Jared on conveying a character’s vulnerability:

Jared: It’s a great way to show vulnerability in characters that choose to go on in spite of their pain. We can all be like, I could feel better today, I could feel more well rested, like I ate more than four times in the last month, and her shoulder’s broken. It’s a great way to invite the audience into hey, I know you’re not feeling so good, I’m not feeling so good either.

https://x.com/FangasmSPN/status/1959681992099828210

(Jared sure showed that brilliantly in ‘Red Meat’ – and Jensen recently in ‘Countdown’!)

Jensen: You use personal experience and then maybe do some research on how a certain condition affects, so like with Mark’s brain tumor I did some reading on it and tried to get an idea of how it affects someone. But everyone is affected differently and everyone has a different pain tolerance.  So I thought, how high is this guy’s pain tolerance? I assume it’s pretty high, he’s a tough guy, he’s dealt with pain most of his life, he comes from a rough childhood, he’s probably had to…

Jared: Shoulder a lot.

Jensen: Yeah, shoulder a lot. Adding all that together and putting it into a pot and mixing it up, and that’s what I’ll play. Then I’ll add other things, playing wise. So when you play a bad headache, and I’m sure we’ve all had a bad headache, and this hurts – but then something I thought, well if the pain is targeted here, where else is the pain? Like, why is my elbow hurting?

https://x.com/FangasmSPN/status/1959682399815586099

One thing I love about Jared and Jensen’s panels, they are constantly listening to what the other one is saying, and are always ready to protectively jump in if the other hesitates or can’t find a word or anything like that.

It’s instant, and it’s clearly just something they do all the time, but it’s endearing.

They listen intently when the other is talking – and they also listen intently to fans’ questions.

Another thing I love is how much they amuse each other – which never fails to amuse me too!

The gold panel is always over far too soon, but later that day we got a Mark Sheppard panel, which is invariably both amusing and heartwarming (but don’t tell him I said that!)

It’s a good panel when he says my favorite Mark thing: Write your own fan fiction!

He was originally only cast for one episode as Crowley – but the rest is history. I truly cannot imagine the show – or the conventions – without him. When he was off the circuit for a little while, I literally missed him at every con. Mark reminisced about the early seasons.

Mark: It was a lot of fun, we never knew if the next season of Supernatural would happen.

A fan asked what he would change about the show if he could.

Mark: I liked the demon Dean era. Some of season 11 and 12 don’t make sense to me, but I literally wouldn’t change anything.

The fact that most of the cast wouldn’t change anything is really telling about the show and how loyal they are to it. Mark is often hilariously snarky in his panels, but when he gets serious, he’s one of the most sincere.

Mark: You come to a place like this and whether you like it or not, you make friends. Whether you like it or not, if you keep showing up, people will keep showing up with you. And if you need something, believe it or not, people will show up FOR you too, which is the most beautiful thing about this. I’m sober a really long time, 35 years – seriously don’t applaud me not pissing myself on a daily basis – but genuinely that is what kept me going. I have to have AA, I have to have a place to go to see like minded souls who were trying not to do what I was trying not to do one day at a time. I’ve seen in AA this massive spiritual experiment that has changed the world in many ways. Then I come to a convention and I see similar behavior. The antidote for this lack of civility and anger and aggression that is going on everywhere is this, this is the opposite of that. This is the kindest, safest room you can be in, I think.

https://x.com/FangasmSPN/status/1959708633970991190

His chapter in Family Don’t End With Blood is also about this fandom, and fandom itself, and why it can be such a positive force in this challenging world.

We also got some Jake Abel, whose panels are always fun. Jake said that it was his idea to have his character answer Castiel’s “do you remember me?” with “yeah, you called me assbutt!”

Good call, Jake!

A fan asked who they would all be as dogs.

Jake: I think Jensen would be a golden retriever. Oops, I think I just crossed over into online fan art territory… me biting Jensen’s tail…