I was an Instant Supernatural fan, from Day One. Was very hopeful about this series because Jensen Ackles is in charge. Now 6 eps in, very, very disappointed, and frankly insulted. You have to completely forget "In The Beginning" {Season 4 ep 3} , "The Song Remains The Same" {Season 5 Ep13} which look right, get the vernacular and clothing, as well as the details - newspapers, Tab advert, etc Right, let alone the seriousness and foundation of John and Mary. You have to forget too much of the foundation, you have to wipe it out completely! This is not about the show not being Supernatural, it's about the show being so far off that it would not be good as a stand alone.
There are 100s of series filmed in the early '70's to draw from in order to get the vernacular, clothing and time frame RIGHT, Supernatural got it right, this show does not and it matters! This is the trap of doing a show in a very specific time frame. People are going to notice.
As someone who was a kid in the '70's, so first hand knowledge - The clothing is wrong (wide collars and wide ties, no button downs, no loose jeans, John's white long sleeve wasn't invented yet, white t - shirts were tight, not loose, bell bottoms not boot cut, etc), the vernacular is wrong (no one said "Awesome", "Dude" or "Back in the day" in 1972!!) There weren't any EMT's (referenced in ep 5), - paramedics weren't even outside LA until 1975 (Emergency! Was created and factually based on that). The Carlos Cervantez character would be in the closet, and not talking or carrying himself the way he does in Lawrence, Kansas in 1972, he would have been murdered. He would also be in jail for having hair THAT long in Lawrence, Kansas. There is no way Millie Winchester would be able to run let alone own a garage in Lawrence, Kansas in 1972, she would not have any business, and women were Not Allowed, they were Not Allowed in the '80's (none of this is a good thing, however, again, this is the trap of doing a show in a very specific time frame).
This is Scooby Doo without the dog, and not in a good way. They are supposed to be adults, not high school kids (The Monster Club - really?!)! John is a Marine, and Carlos Cervantez is Navy Core coming back from Vietnam for God's sake!!! They are not kids in any way shape or form, certainly not cartoonish and over - the - top!!!! Latika talks about "violence in her country", except her accent is London, England not India or Pakistan; those countries achieved independence in 1947.
There is no depth, no fluidity and it is not matching up to what we learned in Supernatural about John and Mary's relationship, as well as Samuel and Deanna's (they never separated). It's an insult to Supernatural fans, especially the ones that watched the show from Day One. It is supposed to be a spin off, it does have to have continuity to be a spin off, especially when you are relying on the Supernatural fans to Carry On the new show so that show can grow. At this rate you are losing the core audience.
John did not know about hunting until after Mary died. Men Of Letters didn't even come about until season 8. Mary's family did not have any Men Of Letters connection, either, and Supernatural fans did not like the whole Men Of Letters thing which is why they were all basically killed off.
The stories are really flat, and this arching Akrida story is not interesting at all. In fact, there is no storytelling here. The forced diversity is a 2022 thing, not a 1972 thing, and in that time frame, it would have been dangerous in Lawrence, Kansas, plus it would have been black people, people from Mexico and Caucasians that's it in Lawrence, Kansas. Lawrence just isn't that diverse, not even today - and let's not forget that even Supernatural for 15 years was not that diverse, and it was sexist for the first 5 seasons, it even called itself on that with Jo and Dean.
The cast is goofy, amateurish and it seems like Drake Rodgers is the only grown up on set. He seems to be the only one trying to make the series work. They do need to do something with Meg Donnely's eye brows, lighten them - people just didn't have their eyebrows different than their hair - it wasn't 'a thing' back then. Unfortunately it is very, very distracting and it shouldn't be, but it is.
The episodes are not for adult viewing, seems to be aimed at children, and very cartoonish and over - the - top. The effects are bad, the CG is bad, and there is no drama, nothing scary, nothing original and ground breaking like Supernatural. It's insulting to everything Supernatural built, and it is sad to have to say that because Jensen Ackles really loves Supernatural and IS Dean.
Maybe Winchesters needs to be on a private network to be told properly or have the proper financial backing to get the production right; and Wayward Sisters would have been a much better choice of a spin - off. Jensen Ackles can do better, and I don't know if he's just not being allowed to or because he's on Big Sky he can't. They all can do better, and did for 15 years.
The show is not cohesive, and everything that made Supernatural special, relatable and different is missing, and so far it is not lining up with "Dad's Journal".
Update - Don't say it's a "Prequel" if it's a "Multiverse Cop Out" - and get your story straight if you do!!!!!
I kept watching, hoping it would get better... NO!!! It got WORSE!!!!
After watching the entire, boring 13 episodes Dean says he took a detour on his drive, looking for his family - hello! Bobby told him John and Mary were up the road, about 5 miles (over yonder by Rufus and Aretha) in the Series Finale BEFORE Dean takes the drive, so why is he looking for them? He knew where they were!!!!
Then he says to the "group"- "The Akrida were going to make their way to my world and I got family there" and then to Jack and Bobby he says "I couldn't let them (the Akrida) destroy our world. Sam's still down there,ok? He deserves a good, long life. Hell, they all do." Which is it?
AGAIN forgetting that in the Series Finale Sam had the long life and shows up on the bridge! Plus if they are in a different 'Earth' why would he say they all deserve a good, long life?
This whole experiment was awful, disappointing and I hope it does not get renewed, and if it does, it needs a SERIOUS OVERHAUL!!!!
The only good parts were when Rowena, The Trickster, Dean, Bobby and even Jack showed up - and if you notice when they did show up the whole feel and chemistry changed because those actors are way, way above the acting done in the 13 boring episodes we got. It was like watching Phds with kindergartners. Lastly, Dean looks awful with a beard, it does not suit the character. It was fine for Big Sky, didn't make sense for Soldier Boy (beards not popular in the '40's), and makes even less sense for Dean, especially when he gets to the bridge in the Series Finale he doesn't have one, like his beard is going to grow in Heaven - really?!
