Supernatural: a problem fridging women & non-white characters

Even if I love Supernatural to the bone, I must admit that the show has a serious problem fridging women and non-white characters, apart from still portraying outdated stereotypes. Charlie, Kevin, and Uriel are only examples of a centered all-white-male narrative. Even if the show has included more women lately, like Rowena or the Darkness, they are pretty tricky and dark. Not only women have an issue with stereotypes, other characters that had the purpose of making the show more inclussive, fall short due to them getting into the fridge. Women are either killed off in favor of the main narrative of the show, are tricky or plain evil. Black characters have been killed off or shown as weak (a hunter couple), been portrayed as the funny and weird friend (Rufus), or portrayed as evil dicks (angels), whether they were male or female. And Asians have shown the typical stereotypes of very strong women obsessed with the studies of their children (Kevin’s mother), while men are portrayed weak compared with women (remember Kevin getting anti-possession tattoo with his mom); or killed off to explain the hero’s narrative again (Kevin). So, what’s up with Supernatural?

Sorry, writers, but including in the show more women, some Afro-Americans and Asians it’s not enough: you need to let the characters evolve clean from stereotypes or narratives that only help to explain the Winchesters’ actions. For example, killing Sam and Dean’s mother made the Dad become a hunter. Killing Sam’s girlfriend made him want revenge. Killing Kevin was pointless, as well as it was killing Charlie and Jo and her mother. Their deaths added few extras to the narrative, just the pointless number count of deaths around the Winchesters. Meanwhile, black angels have been portrayed as unpleasant and quite evil. Black hunters, on the other hand, have been portrayed as quite weak giving in temptation and revenge. However, Rufus, the hunter friend of Bobby, falls into explaining Bobby’s narrative. He is the funny gig for Bobby. The duo falls short, again, due to old stereotypes in with the black/white male couple have pre-stablished strong roles.

So, what do I take from Supernatural’s white men supremacy and privilege? What is one of my favorite shows telling my subconscious mind? What stereotypes is it still reinforcing?

Women are expandable, orbit the white male narrative (in this case, the Winchesters’), or are not trustworthy, either for being evil or tricky.
Asian women are strong but are obsessed with their children’s education. Asian men are intelligent, but weak and do whatever women say.
Blacks are either weak, not trustworthy or just funny friends. Whatever lives they had or reasons to do what they do are poorly explained, if ever.
White men are important, rule the entire Universe and whatever happens, it happens all around them: be them mortals, God or angels.

Even if the show contains good things like being inclusive adding even a LGBT character (Charlie), all the stereotyping and fridging only stains the show in a way that seems irreparable, specially if we’re watching the 11th season. Even if writing has gotten better, reality is that they need to fix this fridging and stereotyping problem as soon as possible. To argue that we got Charlie for more chapters than we should have is an excuse to escape the inevitable: the show is an example of white male privilege. What is done is done. This does not mean that producers and writers have the perfect excuse to keep up with it. If the show has been around for 11 seasons, you still have time to redeem yourselves. If Castiel could, you can also make it. Just like the Winchesters themselves, broken and dysfunctional, producers and writers can make things better if they are willing to do so. The family worths it. Time to give it a try!